Shooting Stars

Starring: Lee Sung Kyung, Kim Young Dae, Yoon Jong Hoon, Kim Yoon Hye, Park So Jin, Lee Jung Shin
Year Released: 2022
Number of Episodes: 16
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: South Korea
Director: Lee Soo Hyun
Screenwriter: Choi Young Woo, Choi Yeon Seo

A behind-the-scenes look at the entertainment industry’s PR teams, managers, and reporters as they scramble to clean up the messes created by their stars.

Oh Han Byul leads an entertainment agency’s PR team. One of her top clients is the star Gong Tae Sung, who can do no wrong. They were in high school and college together, where he became her sworn enemy. They bicker constantly but soon develop feelings for one another.

It’s been a while since I’ve watched Lee Sung Kyung in anything and I don’t remember ever seeing Kim Young Dae in anything so when this came across my radar while browsing Viki, I pressed play on episode 1. I’m glad that I did because this was a delightfully tropey romance that I enjoyed a lot. We got to take a peek into the hustle and bustle of the Korean entertainment business both in front and behind the camera.

I may have not known who Kim Young Dae was before this drama but I know who he is now and I will definitely be supporting his dramas from now on. Lee Sung Kyung is still my girl and I adored her in this one too.

The Story

So this drama follows two characters who have known each other for the longest time. They went to college together and basically, they’re each others “the one that got away”. When the drama starts, they can’t stand each other but they work together and it is Oh Han Byul’s job as a PR assistant to make sure that Gong Tae Sung’s public image doesn’t suffer and while he’s the apple of everyone’s eyes, he’s the bane of Han Byul’s existence. It is evident from the jump that these two have history and I was super intrigued about what the history was. They’re shared hatred of each other started somewhere and seeing the story unfold was great entertainment.

There are other side stories that were interesting as well. Tae Sung’s stalker story, the secondary romance, and I enjoyed all of them. This is one of the few romances where I was much more wrapped up in the main romance than I was in anything else so as a romance lover, that made me happy. I will say that while this was an enjoyable romance, one thing that stood out to me (and not in a good way) was the way that they portrayed Sung Tae as some African hero because he helped get them some water. In this big year of 2022? I wasn’t a fan of that. Also, the big reveal of the people that had big hate boners for Tae Sung was a bit of a let down because I didn’t get what drove them since I didn’t understand how they put all of that shit at his door. I thought their reasonings were silly.

Main Male Lead

When we first meet our main male lead, Gong Tae Sung, he comes off as bratty and arrogant but he didn’t fool me. I knew that he wasn’t as bad as he made himself out to be. He’s also fine as hell so that didn’t hurt. He’s a celebrity that is used to being loved so when his PR accidently embarrasses him, he’s got a bone to pick with her. And he picks that bone every single chance he gets. Tae Sung’s character development was hard to get through at times because there were plenty of times in the beginning where I wanted to kick him in the dick but that was mostly because I wasn’t buying his bratty arrogant role so as soon as he drops that and becomes just a regular regular guy, I enjoyed his character much more. So much so that when the show finally comes to an end, I adored him.

Main Female Lead

Han Byul was probably my favorite part of the show. She was hard working and caring and I loved seeing her pick herself up time after time again and try harder. She was great at dusting herself off and getting shit done. No matter what she was going through, what she was feeling, she showed up and she worked her little ass off. No matter what Tae Sung did, how he made her feel, she stood her ground and just kept going. My heart went out to her numerous times over the course of the show and every single episode, no matter how silly I thought she acted or how childish she was, I rooted for her. I liked her. And that didn’t change in the end. In the end, I was so hot damn happy that she finally got her shot at happiness that I cheered out loud. Loved this girl.

The Cast

There’s a whole bunch of side stories, side romances included and I enjoyed them all. There were some stories that I enjoyed more than others but I didn’t feel like any of them weren’t needed. They were like little side treats for us to enjoy while we waited for more Han Byul and Tae Sung. I enjoyed the two actors romance, Han Byul’s friends romances, and I also enjoyed getting to know all of the characters. Tae Sung’s manager and assistant were great. Han Byul’s friends and her coworkers were awesome. I even enjoyed Moon Ga Young’s guest star role. It was great to see her in something else, even if it was a really small part.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a drama that dealt with heavy issues of being in the public spotlight and even though there were plenty of heavy issues, the drama itself isn’t dark and bogged down by those things. I thought both Lee Sung Kyung and Kim Young Dae did a great job bringing their characters to life. I was delightfully surprised at how much I ended up liking this one after giving it a shot. It wasn’t hard to get into the story and everyone did a great job of making you want to continue the series so if you’re looking for something cute, fun, and doesn’t take itself too seriously, go ahead and give this a shot.

Final Rating

via GIPHY

3.5 out of 5