I chose to watch this short web drama, Special Laws Of Romance (2017) for two reasons (besides the fact that it was short!): Kim Min Kyu, lead actor, who had charmed me in Because This Is My First Life, which came out later the same year, and to see supporting actor Ryu Jin, whom I had loved in Summer Scent with Ye Jin Son, and the film The Ghost (aka Dead Friend) with Kim Ha Neul. I don't get the chance to see him in too many dramas anymore since he's now 47 and in K-dramaland I guess that's considered "over the hill". (Pretty dumb, he's still mighty attractive!).

Although I had an adjustment at first watching Kim Min Kyu in this short drama because his hair color was black in this show, though orange in First Life, I quickly forgot about that difference and concentrated on his performance. Here he plays a young, popular judge and had a bit more to chew on in this script than in the First Life script, where he was only a supporting player (though a cute one, that's for sure!). If you were an actor which character would give you a more challenging role to play well? A judge, or a coffee shop cashier? ;)

The Story:

Jeong Eui Chan (Kim Min Kyu) is a handsome young judge who has made a name for himself for his wise decisions on the bench. When we first meet him he is deciding a case between two people who disagree over an altercation that took place in a coffee shop and he is wise about who is telling lies and who is telling the truth. So right away we know this character is not a pushover for anyone.

He shares a house with two other men in the legal profession: older Judge Lee Dong Hoon (Ryu Jin) and an up and coming whippersnapper prosecutor named Kang Se Woong (Hyuk). They all seem to get along pretty well. Judge Dong Hoon is married and has a little girl but his wife travels a lot for her job and the girl is in boarding school. He is like an older brother figure to the two younger men and sometimes can counsel them on cases occurring in their legal jobs.

One day going to work Eui Chan happens to bump into a girl who is rushing down the street and her hair gets tangled in his tie. They have to escape the view of outsiders and fix the hair problem in a more secluded spot. They eventually separate but not before Eui Chan notices this girl is very pretty. He seems to be smitten right away, although he doesn't let on.

He Just Loves A Ukulele

At night after work, Eui Chan stops to play an arcade game and wins a small stuffed animal. Walking home after that he happens to walk past an apartment where he hears someone playing a ukulele. The audience can tell it's Ji Hye but Eui Chan doesn't know it's her. He listens for awhile, and then puts the small stuffed animal by her window and walks away smiling.

The next day they run into each other again when they discover that both volunteer at Habitat for Humanity, helping to build homes for poor people. He finally learns her name: Seo Ji Hye (Park Cho Rong), what she does for a living (creating furniture for a company), and they eventually become friendly while on the volunteer job, quickly forgetting the embarrassment of the tangled hair incident.

We begin to follow some court cases of Eui Chan's and older judge Dong Hoon's, one of which was particularly effective, of a young man with a prior arrest record for shoplifting who does it again, this time stealing formula and diapers for the baby his girlfriend had abandoned him with; Dong Hoon is able to bring compassion into the courtroom so that the jury can see additional information and give a more just decision on the case.

Romantically, things get complicated when prosecutor Se Woong also begins to develop feelings for pretty Ji Hye, whom Eui Chan has begun dating. Will he eventually abandon his personal ethics over his emotions? What about Eui Chan's feelings? He's obviously in love with her, too.

 

This short drama can be watched in one evening. I enjoyed it overall, though I think the main actress could have displayed a bit more pizzazz and personality. The real reason to watch this is for actors Kim Min Kyu and Ryu Jin, to be absolutely honest. They do great jobs bringing their characters to life in a drama whose episodes put together only last about an hour long.

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Obviously Kim Min Kyu was already working on Because This Is My First Life
when this publicity picture for Special Laws Of Romance was taken --
his hair is orange again :)