Shooting Stars ~ AE2LRC (Another Enemies-to-Lovers ROM-COM)

“Shooting Stars” is a delightful, lighthearted 2022 Korean drama series, with 16 episodes, categorized as Romance and Comedy, and streaming on Viki.

SUMMARY: The reason celebrities always look good is because there is always someone behind the scenes who is adept at crisis management. What the public doesn’t know is that behind the scenes, the celebrity and their crisis manager dislike each other so much that being in the same room causes discomfort. Because it’s uncomfortable, the celebrity makes a habit of being in the same room, not realizing there’s a thin line between making someone uncomfortable and falling in love with them.

♦ You Never Called Me

In “Shooting Stars”, Oh Han-Byeol works at Starforce Entertainment as a PR (Public Relations) Team Leader. Her crisis management and problem-solving skills are legendary. If bad news gets out about a celebrity her agency is managing, she knows how to put out the fire immediately. She contacts media outlets and gets corrections circulated quicker than the initial story that caused all of the gossip. Before it can spread like a wildfire, Oh Han-Byeol has already cleared everything up and made it look like the gossip resulted from a simple typing mistake or an innocent misunderstanding.

Not only can she handle a crisis well, but the celebrities even come to her for advice about their acting career. They ask her questions like: If they have two scripts, which part should they take? The celebrities can be young or old, newbies or experienced. Some celebs who come to her aren’t even managed by Starforce Entertainment. They’re from another management agency. It’s like she’s running a clinic. And she doesn’t even charge them!

Oh Han-Byeol is respected and liked by her co-workers, her boss, by everyone! Well! Almost everyone. But at least the one who doesn’t like her and always causes her grief is far far away. How far? IN AFRICA!! Is that far enough? Oh yeah!

Gong Tae-sung is a top star actor and is managed by Starforce Entertainment. He went on a volunteer trip to do charity work in Africa. The work lasted for one year. Gong Tae-sung has adoring fans who know him for being charming, polite, caring; not to mention handsome and a very good actor. That’s his public image.

But behind the scenes, Oh Han-Byeol sees a different face. When she was a newbie on the PR Team, she made a terrible mistake. It was a typo, but the news story caused quite a stir. Gong Tae-sung was furious! He came into the agency office yelling, and when he found out who had made the mistake, there was no forgiveness for her sins. From that day, he made it his personal mission to make Oh Han-Byeol’s work life pure misery.

When Gong Tae-sung was gone for a whole year, she could breathe. But he came back! And he made her work life miserable. AGAIN! It’s been six (6) years. Oh Han-Byeol is no longer a newbie and has been promoted to PR Team Leader.  But he still hasn’t forgotten that mistake. He’s back, and sticks to her like glue, doing anything and everything to make her stressed and uncomfortable. WHY? To put it in his own words: “You look happy. And that makes me feel bad.”  In other words, why should she be happy when her typo caused him extreme embarrassment? Not only that, but he was gone for an entire year. Why didn’t she call him? She never called. Not even once!

Huh? (O.o) If they don’t like each other, why does it matter that she never called him?

Main Characters:

• Oh Han-Byeol (played by Lee Sung-Kyung, “Dr. Romantic 2 and 3”)
• Gong Tae-Sung (played by Kim Young-Dae, “Perfect Family”, “Moon in the Day”, “No Gain, No Love”, “The Forbidden Marriage”, “Penthouse 1, 2 and 3”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 7.6 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 8.3 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated this series 9.5 out of 10 stars
• Google users shared a public rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
• NME: 2 out of 5 stars

My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewers.

“Shooting Stars” is much like “Behind Every Star“ in that it gives you a view of what goes on behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. Plus, if you’re into Rom-Coms, you’ll love this series. Judging from the number of reviews for this Kdrama on the web, many people enjoy them.  If not …?? There are lots of other K-drama genres to choose from on streaming platforms everywhere! They don’t call it the Korean Wave for nothing. Frankly, I think it’s a Korean Tsunami! LOL.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Shooting Stars – A Heartfelt Rom-Com With the Perfect Cast | Reddit

𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆-𝑯𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑺𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝑰𝒏 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆 – “Shooting Stars” Review | ecency

Sh**ting Stars Korean Drama Review | Kdrama Kisses

The Weekend Binge: “Sh**ting Stars” | gwenchanoona

REVIEW: Shooting Stars (2022) | The Drama Corner

Shooting Stars K-drama Review & Summary: A Cute, Quick Weekend Binge| THE MOVIE CULTURE

20 Best Enemies-To-Lovers K-Dramas | Screen Rant (“Shooting Stars” is Number 15 on this list.)

TRAILER/TEASER:

Global, CJ ENM. “Sh**ting Stars.” YouTube, 19 Aug. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjRS8pFwB9A.

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