“Iron Family” ~ Don’t Build Your Family on False Hopes

“Iron Family” is a 2024 Korean TV series, with 36 episodes, categorized as Crime and Mystery, Romance, and Black Comedy (Rom-Com); streaming on KOCOWA+/Viki.

SUMMARY: Lee Da-Rim is a young woman who has learned from past family experiences never to have false hopes. When she was in her teens she had a brief relationship with Seo Kang-Joo, the son of the wealthiest family in their neighborhood. He promised he would contact her once he had completed his military service and returned home. By that time he returned from the military, she had received a diagnosis that unless she received an expensive “eye shot” she would go blind. He made no effort to get in touch with her but one day she cross paths with him again. She swore at him and call him bad names. Do you blame her? But was that going to be their end or a new beginning?

♦ False Hopes Can Ruin an Entire Family

In “Iron Family”, for three (3) generations Cheongryeom Dry Cleaning and Laundry has been in business in a quiet neighborhood. Grandparents, parents, and children all live under the same roof and each contributes to keeping the business running. All of them HOPING. They had good reason to hope. The year is 1992 and the eldest son in the family who was studying to be a lawyer (and who they imagined he would be a judge one day), passed the Korea Bar Exam. He didn’t just pass the exam, but he was the Top Scorer. Everyone in the family was thrilled. But that was just the first part. He needed to pass the second part of the exam. The son’s wife, the daughter-in-law, convinced her in-laws to hold off on celebrating until then. But “then” never came.

Ten years passed and the son kept failing the exam. The daughter-in-law told her mother-in-law that had she known her husband would fail, she would never have had 3 children. As if failing the exam wasn’t bad enough, the son passed away. His parents and his wife continue to run the business. As the children got older they even helped with the business. They did the ironing. Lee Da-Rim is the youngest daughter and she is so good at ironing she can do it with her eyes closed. At a very young age, she had he vision checked and it was as if she had super-vision. However, as she got older her vision got worse and she was diagnosed with “tunnel vision syndrome”.

BEFORE the Final Diagnosis

During her young adult years, Lee Da-Rim went to school with Seo Kang-Joo. He knew that she was visually impaired but he still liked her and tried to help her whenever he saw her. On the day before he was going to leave to begin his mandatory military service, he and Lee Da-Rim spent the night together. He promised he would contact her when he returned. Of course, he didn’t. Lee Da-Rim had already learned in life not to have false hopes. So the fact that he never tried to reach out to her wasn’t a disappointment because she didn’t fill her mind with false hope. Who would want to be in a relationship with a blind girl anyway?

AFTER the Final Diagnosis

The doctor told Lee Da-Rim there might be a cure however the treatment was extremely expensive. There was no way her family could afford to pay for the “eye shot”, so she decided to accept that one day she might be blind. No point HOPING. By this time she was already 30 years old.

Also by this time, Seo Kang-Joo had returned from the military and was working as a senior director of the Jiseung Group. His stepfather gave him the job. Even though Seo Kang-Joo was not the biological son, his step-father gave him HOPE that he could be treated as his son, if they worked well together. Seo Kang-Joo would be recognized as the son of the wealthiest family in the Cheongryeom neighborhood. Wealthy or not, to Lee Da-Rim he was just an obnoxious selfish jerk who didn’t keep his promises.

One day they were both crossing the street at the same time. Lee Da-Rim was headed in one direction and Seo Kang-Joo was going in the opposite direction. Even though she couldn’t see him, she knew it was him. He, however, did not recognize her. When they crossed each other’s paths she swore at him calling him bad names. He shouldn’t have heard it but he did and it distracted him to the point that he was hit by a car. Fortunately, he was not seriously injured. He stayed a few days in the hospital, was released, and returned to work. Working as a senior director was going to be hard because the employees did not accept him. They knew he was NOT the biological son of the chairman and saw no need to respect him.

Meanwhile, Lee Da-Rim’s doctor had told her if she got an “eye shot”, her vision problems would be cured. Of course, there was no point HOPING because the medical treatment was extremely expensive and her family could not afford to pay for it. She was 30 years old, and needed to accept that she would be blind, and the thought that she and Seo Kang-Joo would ever cross paths again was not even in her mind. It seems a reunion is not in his mind either. He’s too busy trying to prove to his step-father that he is worthy.

But if there is one thing about life that is certain, it’s that life is certainly unpredictable.

Main Characters:

• Seo Kang-Joo (played by Kim Jung-Hyun, “Kokdu: Season of Deity”, “Mr. Queen”, “The Time”)
• Lee Da-Rim (played by Keum Sae-Rok, “Youth of May”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 7.5 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: (no ratings yet) out of 10 stars
• Dramabeans: 9.5 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated this series 9.9 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is the same as Dramabeans.

I assumed this series would be 12 to 16 episodes. Imagine my surprise when I found out there would be 36 episodes and the last episode is scheduled to air in January 2025. They have already created a “drama hangout” for this show in the Dramabeans community. Is it possible it’s popular because it stars Kin Jung Hyun, who is well-known for his role as the king in Mr Queen? I have always thought he was a talented actor and he really showed his stuff as the king in “Mr. Queen”. For a while, there was a slight scandal revolving around him but he seems to have overcome whatever the problem was. The Korean entertainment industry can be very unforgiving. Just ask actors like Yoo Ah-in and Park Yoo Chun. At any rate, I’m looking forward to watching the remaining episodes of “Iron Family”. I love the cast.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Kim Jung Hyun and Geun Sae Rok Sign on for KBS Weekend Drama Iron Family | A Koala’s Playground

“Iron Family” Premieres To No. 1 Ratings + “The Judge From Hell” Rises To All-Time High | Soompi

Upcoming K-drama line-up for September 2024 | Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong

Check out the PopGeeks reviews for other “Family” K-dramas:

• Elegant Family
• A Model Family
• The Atypical Family
• Family: The Unbreakable Bond
• Highway Family
• Perfect Family
• Unpredictable Family

TRAILER/TEASER:

LoveBreak _Official. “Iron Family | Official Trailer | Kim Jung Hyun | Geum Sae Rok {ENG SUB}.” YouTube Video. YouTube, September 28, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctPt2Q48z0o.

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