Find Me in Your Memory ~ Some Memories Can’t Be Forgotten

“Find Me in Your Memory” is a 2020 Korean drama series, with 32 episodes, categorized as Romance, and Mystery; streaming on Viki or KOCOWA+.

SUMMARY: A young man suffers from hyperthymesia. It means he can’t keep forgetting. He can’t forget at all! Does it interfere with his personal and professional life? Uuhh … sometimes.

♦ I Wish I Could Forget the Bad Things

In “Find Me in Your Memory”, Lee Jung-Hoon has a remarkable memory. He can remember things that happened in his life even before he could talk. There was a red fire truck that fell on his head, and his mom hugged him to comfort him. His mom always smelled so nice. Then there was the time when a newspaper was left on the table, and he read the article. Nelson Mandela was being released from prison.

Lee Jung-Hoon was about 10 or 11 years old, and he was participating in a study. The doctor was asking him all kinds of questions about things he remembered. The doctor remarked how wonderful it must be to have the ability to remember so many good things. Lee Jung-Hoon told the doctor that not all of the things he remembered were good things.

Fast forward and Lee Jung-Hoon is now 30+ years old. He is a popular and highly successful news anchor, known for destroying celebrities, political figures, etc. – various people of influence – during his TV interviews. He does not set out to be mean or malicious, intending to disgrace them on national television. However, if they have behaved shamefully toward others while boasting about how honorable and kind they are, he usually exposes the truth. After all, isn’t that what news reporting is for?

Yeo Ha-Jin is a well-known actress. At the moment, she’s at the top of her game, and a new movie is about to be released. She has been invited to be interviewed by Lee Jung-Hoon, and of course, intends to promote her new film. Her social media account shows that she has about 8 million followers. That must mean she’s very popular, but Lee Jung-Hoon is not a fan. He tried his best to prepare for the interview by doing research on Yeo Ha-Jin. But her public activity mainly on social media was … ??? Nevertheless, he came up with some questions to ask her.

Lee Jung-Hoon and Yeo Ha-Jin sat down for the interview, and like most of the guests she insisted that she was kind and honest. She emphasized her honesty. But then Lee Jung-Hoon pointed out that rather than being honest Yeo Ha-Jin was behaving irresponsibly. He aimed atr her social media posts, noting that at one time, she would say one thing. Then, about a month or months later, she would say the complete opposite. A person who is capable of influencing 8 million people, many of them teens and young adults, should carefully consider what she says on a public platform. Why does she seem to go back and forth? What is her reason?

Yeo Ha-Jin’s reply was honest and also innocent. She said:

• I don’t want to be that complicated when it comes to my feelings. Regardless of making complicated reasons or calculations, I just want to live simply, counting up to about 5 or 6.

Without realizing it, her words triggered a traumatic memory for Lee Jung-Hoon. He froze in his chair and couldn’t speak. The interview had not been completed, but nobody could get through to him. He just sat there in his chair, frozen as if in a trance. What nobody realized was that he was recalling every detail about that horrible memory. It was one of those “bad things” that he could not forget.

Yeo Ha-Jin was stupefied. She didn’t know what to do. Call his name? Shake him? Touch his shoulder? She put her hand on his shoulder, and he snapped back to reality. They completed the interview, although he did not provide her with any explanation for his sudden change in behavior.

Yeo Ha-Jin returned to her dressing room to talk to her crew and find out the public’s reaction to the interview.

Lee Jung-Hoon had to go speak to his boss and explain himself.

His boss asked him calmly:

• Is it hyperthymesia? Is your condition getting worse?

Main Characters:

• Lee Jung-Hoon (played by Kim Dong-Wook, “Hijack 1971”, “Along With the Gods 1 and 2”, “Seoul Busters”, “My Perfect Stranger”,“The Guest“, “You Are My Spring”)
• Yeo Ha-Jin (played by Mun Ka-Young, “My Dearest Nemesis“, “True Beauty”, “Killer Toon”, “The Merchant: Gaekju”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 7.3 of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 8.2 of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated this series 9.3 of 10 stars
• Google users shared a public rating: 4.8 of 5 stars

My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewers.

“Find Me in Your Memory” is a not a medical drama but I learned a medical term: hyperthymesia. From now on if I forget something I’m going to think: ‘Whew! Glad my brain is functioning properly.’

• “Hyperthymesia, also known as Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM), is a condition in which an individual can recall an exceptionally large number of personal life events with remarkable detail and clarity.” (Source) As of 2021, fewer than 100 people worldwide have been diagnosed with it.

• Hyperthymesia: Definition, causes, and symptoms | Medical News Today

• The Real Life “Perfect” Memory: Hyperthymesia | Affinity Magazine

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Find Me in Your Memory Korean Drama Review | Kdrama Kisses

Review: Find me in your memory | The cat that watches TV

A Cute But Angsty Drama – Find Me In Your Memory | hallyureviews

Find Me In Your Memory – Korean Drama Fan Review | Kdrama Love

Review: Find Me In Your Memory | The Fangirl Verdict (“Kim Dong Wook does a great job of communicating Jeong Hoon’s various facets, and he really shines during difficult emotional scenes.”)

TRAILER/TEASER:

Viu Singapore. “Find Me In Your Memory Trailer.” YouTube, 25 Feb. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxjHzqzRGqI.

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