Destined With You: A Korean Drama for Fans of Ro Woon

“Destined With You” is a Korean drama series, with 16 episodes, released in 2023, streaming on Netflix, and fans of Ro Woon are thrilled. The series is categorized as a fantasy rom-com.

It is a love story between a lowly civil servant at Onju City Hall and a lawyer who was hired to work for the city’s Mayor. They were in love with each other in another life; however, their relationship ended tragically. Will their love survive this time?

♦ The Bloody Hand

In Destined With You, the main male character is Jang Shin Yu; a successful lawyer at a prestigious law firm who is recruited to work for the city Mayor. It’s a definite decrease in pay, but your work is not always about the money you make. On the outside, he looks like the guy who has it all. Good looks, a successful career, comes from a good family, a terrific best friend. Is there anything wrong with him? Eh! There are a few things, such as:

1. A girlfriend, arranged by his parents whom he does not love; she keeps insisting on marriage.
2. A sickness that is slowly killing him. The sickness is actually a centuries-old curse. So you have to wonder, can the curse be lifted?
3. On top of that, he is tormented. When he tries to sleep a bloody hand touches his cheek and softly caresses his face. But who is the owner of the bloody hand?

♦ The Owner of the Box

The Main female character is Lee Hong Jo, a lowly civil servant. She is a conscientious and dedicated worker. But she has a few problems.

1. For one thing, her co-workers don’t like her.
2. For another thing, she likes a guy at work, but he doesn’t like her. Or rather, he says he likes her, but only as a person.
3. On top of that, she has been assigned to the job of getting a building demolished. Someone died in an accident while on the premises because the building was not structurally sound. The problem is the building is on private property. The land is owned by Jang Shin Yu’s family and he refuses to tear it down!

Oh! And she is also being stalked by a dangerous man.  But that happens later.

Jang Shin Yu and Lee Hong Jo meet each other because of her work. He does not intend to make her job easy. He tells her there is a woman she must talk to and if she gets her permission to demolish the building, he won’t stand in her way. The building is a shaman shrine that has been on that land since the Joseon Era. Jang Shin Yu is certain the woman won’t approve.

As soon as the woman meets Lee Hong Jo she agrees to allow the building to be destroyed. There was no argument or contention. Jang Shin Yu is totally shocked by this and visits the woman privately to ask her WHY. The woman’s response was: “The owner of the box has arrived”. Box??? WHAT BOX??

♦ A Past Life Connection

It turns out there is a box that was buried near the shaman’s shrine. It belonged to a woman who was a shaman, and the box contained a book of spells. The shaman was a real person named Aeng Cho, and she wrote the book.

In his past life, Jang Shin Yu was Jang Mu Jin, a wealthy young nobleman who fell in love with a shaman. In her past life, Lee Hong Jo was Aeng Cho, the shaman. It was a forbidden union that ended tragically.

But these are modern times and during this time period can Jang Shin Yu and Lee Hong Jo have a romance that survives? The woman who gave her approval to demolish the shaman shrine told Jang Shin Yu that there was a connection between him and Lee Hong Jo. She said that their destinies could not be severed. Whether tragedy or happiness, he was destined to be with her.

Main Characters:

• Jang Shin Yu | Jang Mu Jin (played by Ro Woon, “The Kings’ Affection”; “Tomorrow”)
• Lee Hong Jo | Aeng Cho (played by Jo Bo Ah)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb Rating: 8.0 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 8.3 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is a little bit higher. Destined With You deserves 9 out of 10 stars. The main characters and the support cast all work well together to make the storyline interesting. Plus, I enjoy a series where every episode ends with a “hook” so that you just have to know what comes next. Destined With You mastered this storytelling technique.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

• Rowoon’s New Drama ‘Destined With You’: Cast, Plot, Review, Episode Schedule, And More | TheBeauLife
• Enjoying Destined With You? Top 4 K-Dramas You Need To Add To Your Watchlist Starring Rowoon | Filmfare.com
• ‘Destined With You’ on Netflix Review: Stream It Or Skip It? | Decider

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

Netflix K-Content. “Destined with You | Official Trailer | Netflix [ENG SUB].” YouTube, 7 Aug. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXTDH1Ropfo. ‌