Victory Grows Through Harmony

A Second Chances Drama in 10 60-minute episodes 

 

Writers: Chien Chi Feng, Sakamoto Yuji 

Director: Lee Jae Hoon 

Music editors: Cho Seung Woo, Mitsushima Hikari

Secondary tropes include sisterhood, music, found family, and personal growth.

EPISODES 1-2

The four leads were all in a band together in university. Dae Ji Won (Cho Seung Woo) was the pianist, Kiyohara Yui (Mitsushima Hikari) lead vocalist and writer, Lin Yi Tong (Ko Chia Yen) writer and backup vocalist, and Odagiri Shun (Sakaguchi Kentaro) vocalist and guitarist. In the best tradition of 70s groups like Fleetwood Mac and ABBA, a complicated roundabout of personal relationships saw the band disintegrate and personal ties dissolve for years. None of them kept in contact, going out of their way to put their past behind them.

After the back story retrospectives, the drama picks up 15 years after university. Yui now works for a recording agency in the PR department's legal team and Yi Tong, a major SHINee fan, teaches Taiwanese poetry in a small private college. They are both members of an online lyricists' forum, but as they use pseudonyms, they are unaware of this.

As they begin this journey, Cho Seung Woo has moved back in with his parents, Dae Se Jong (Sung Dong Il) and Oh Yu Ri (Lee Il Hwa), after a scarring and financially draining divorce, in which he lost both his house and custody of his now high-school aged daughter, Mi Rae (subtle!). He's working as a salaryman at a nondescript company. His parents figure that helping him reconnect with music will help him heal and move forward, so they introduce him to some of the regulars in a small music appreciation society they run on Sunday nights. Two of them, Park Min Ho (Lee Si Eon) and Jeon Jae Eung (Kim Sung Kyun), have known each other for years, running a "high fidelity" kind of record store that is always teetering on the brink of collapse. Issey Takeru (Arakawa Yoshiyoshi) was a music company executive in Japan who was 'let go' after accusations of sexual harassment which may not have been entirely unfounded. He fled to Korea and now works as a sort of freelance connections facilitator for music-related small businesses like noraebang and the record store. He's also a fan of Arsenal Football Club, having grown up in Fukuoka, the same town in Japan as former Arsenal player Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Min Ho's parents are long dead and he's lived for more than two decades with his grandmother, Yang Jang Geum (Kim Young Ok). A vicious, malicious and bitter person she hated that her daughter married Min Ho's father, and resents having had to look after the spawn of a marriage she never wanted to happen. She was once an actor famous for perky halmeoni roles that were the exact opposite of who she really is. Acid tongued and abusive, she is constantly attacking both her grandson, and her next-door neighbour Shamshad Bibi (Waheeda Rehman). Shamshad is an actor whose glory days are long behind her, and who left India when the political climate turned hard against the Urdu language she had long been a champion of. The two octogenarians each give as good as they get, with Shamshad often stepping in to shield Min Ho from the worst of his grandmother's bile.

Meanwhile, Shun is scratching out a living as a B grade session musician and lead guitar/vocalist in a grunge band that specialises in covers of Japanese thrash metal. The band's biggest (and only) groupie is Mi Rae, whose lawyer mother has no idea her underage daughter is a regular fixture wherever the covers band is playing.

EPISODE 3

The online lyricists' group organises an in-person gathering. The theme of the meeting is "songs from South Asia" and the keynote speaker is Shamshad. Yui and Yi Tong both attend in person and when they realise that the poetic and lyrical tradition of Urdu also celebrates those core fundamentals of Korean culture — unrequited love, misery and alcohol abuse — they each separately decide to approach her to learn more. They begin to rebuild their relationship, but for the first time as their individual adult selves; with a better sense of who they are and without any romantic complications from their former bandmates. This is the first of the second chances, a chance for them to build a real sense of sisterhood.

On one of their visits to his house, they hear Jang Geum verbally assaulting Min Ho next door. Shamshad intervenes again and in the aftermath Yui and Yi Tong get introduced to Min Ho who invites them to visit his record store to check out his collection of old Indian recordings— he is ecstatic at the possibility he might finally be able to get rid of some of them.

When they go, Ji Won and Takeru are both there. Major awkwardness ensues, with recriminations from their university band days further complicated by Yui recognising Takeru and bringing up the sexual harassment case that led to his resignation and exile. As a relative outsider, Jae Eung plays peacemaker and arranges for the group to meet together and talk at all out. They all agree to have dinner at Ji Won's house, with his parents as mediators.

EPISODE 4

Centres on the reconciliation conference. Over the alcohol free dinner – Ji Won lacks the enzyme needed to process alcohol and Takeru gave up drinking after the sexual harassment case – a lot of air is cleared and hatchets buried. Takeru says he was not the perpetrator of the sexual abuse (which happened at a company drinks evening) but admits to being complicit in the cover-up, and claims he took the fall for it as part of his penance. He says he's been attending counselling sessions ever since to address his feelings of guilt and to learn how to be a better advocate for zero harassment workplaces.

The dinner breaks up with a fragile start to healing underway and since Yui is still wary and sceptical of Takeru's claimed reforms, Min Ho suggests that they let off steam at his favourite dive - to check out a covers band specialising in Japanese thrash metal.

EPISODE 5

Opens with more shocked reunions – the three former bandmates recognising Shun, and Ji Won horrified to see Mi Rae fangirling in the front row. Yui and Yi Tong step in to protect her from her Dad's tirade, and after he calms down they find a comparatively quiet corner to talk it out. When the set is finished, Shun comes over to find out why the other three are together, since the separations in university were acrimonious and seemed permanent. Mi Rae is nearly catatonic from shock as she tries to process that the singer she was kinda sorta crushing on knew HER DAD. She's also staggered to learn that her closed-off office drone father was not only a musician, but a jazz pianist! Yui & Yi Tong take her home, and on the long drive, they fill her in on the Dad she didn't know. She in turns updates them on his life since they knew him, and asks if they can keep in touch, as her home is little more than an expensive gosiwon.

While Mi Rae is connecting with her newfound eonnis, Shun and Ji Won are catching up. The realities of adult life and the passing of time help put the YA angsty dramas that drove them apart into perspective, as do Min Ho and Takeru. By the time they leave, intoxicated by nostalgia and for some, alcohol, the idea of "getting the band back together" is already beginning to sound good. They decide to arrange a get together of all four band members, and their newly-pledged support/advisory team of Takeru, Min Ho and Jae Eung.

EPISODE 6

Sees the first full reunion of the university quartet. As we near halfway, the process of putting the past to rest is largely complete, and the focus shifts to their various second chances. With Shamshad as their guide, Yui and Yi Tong start experimenting with incorporating elements of qawwali and nazms into their song-writing, while Ji Won and Kentaro work at reviving their instrumental partnership, jamming at Ji Won's place. Yu Ri and Se Jong are thrilled at the change in Ji Won and help Shun out by introducing him to the other members of their musical appreciation group, making connections to boost his income and skills.

As the four spend more time together, some hints of romantic relationships begin to reappear. The pairs that form are new – Yi Tong and Ji Won find out they have a lot in common, while Yui and Shun also discover they're an unexpectedly good match. Ji Won is very cautious though, as he doesn't want to jeopardise his tentative reconnection with Mi Rae. She's already described this 'new' Ji Won as being almost a stranger to her, so he wants to focus on repairing the rather-daughter ties first. Shun is also wary after several failed relationships and wonders what comes after love for him.

EPISODE 7

Progress and setbacks after the consolidation of the previous episode. The band discover that they're more in synch musically than before, and are enjoying the experimental nature of the new works written by Yui and Yi Tong. Takeru, Min Ho and Jae Eung are promoting the band's first reunion gig at the club where Shun performs, and Mi Rae is handling online promotion with assistance from Yui and Yi Tong, who jokes that they're now three office girls.

Just as things seem to be coming together nicely, drama erupts. Min Ho is on his way to confirm that their gig is set to go live when Jang Geum waylays him with a bombshell. She's found out that Jae Eung is a rich family's son, and can't resist sneering at her hated grandson that the record shop which is his passion is just a chaebol heir's hobby.

He heads straight to the record store to confront Jae Eung but when he arrives, he finds a heated 3-way argument going on. Ji Won's ex, Kang Hye Sun (played by Lee Bo Young) is raging at Ji Won for distracting Mi Rae from her studies with his musical nonsense, and has found out from Mi Rae about the sexual harassment allegations against Takeru. She claims to be outraged that Ji Won is letting his daughter have anything to do with such a person, but her real motive becomes clear when she threatens to go public with Takeru's past if the newly re-formed band doesn't sign with the entertainment arm of her law agency. As tempers flare, Jae Eung accuses her being nothing more than a cunning single lady, and she storms off. Within hours, the story of Takeru's past and why he fled to Korea is trending on SNS. Hounded by the press, he returns to Japan, and the plans for the band's restart seem irrevocably tainted.

EPISODE 8

Opens in Fukuoka, where we see Takeru entering a hospital. He's at the payment desk and it turns out that he's been paying for medical expenses incurred by the victim of the sexual harassment case after she was fired as a whistleblower. He's been living on ramyeon in a rooftop while trying to atone for his guilt about keeping silent. On his way out, he happens to literally bump into Takehiro Tomiyasu (cameo, played by himself) leaving after yet another surgery. Tomiyasu had overheard the conversation at the payments desk and after taking a selfie with Takeru and promising him some signed Arsenal merch, he offers to help clear his name by going public with the truth, if the victim agrees.

Meanwhile back in Korea, the fallout from Kang Hye Sun's vindictiveness continues. Jang Geum is ecstatic, revelling in her grandson's disappointment and sadness, and Mi Rae is livid at her mother's interference. Over dinner with her grandparents, she vents and tells them she can't understand why her parents ever got together. Yu Ri snidely mutters sotto voce "she was pretty", while Se Jong suggests that rather than adolescent rage, Mi Rae might need to learn the art of negotiation, to do a deal with her mother and avoid adding more fuel to the fire.

The suspension of band activities does at least allow time for more devlopment in the romantic relationships. After a date, Yi Tong introduces Ji Won to Shamshad and the three of them work together on some of the sufi-influenced tracks Yi Tong and Yui have been writing. As Yui and Shun get closer she decides to try to help him in his career by introducing him to some of her colleagues at the recording company. When they're there she hears that Choi Min Ho from SHINee will be visiting in a few days to sort out a co-licensing deal. Leaving Shun with the metalhead agent she found for him, she rushes off to tell Yi Tong in person, knowing she'd love to get a chance to meet him.

EPISODE 9

Starts with Yui getting a message while on her way to see Yi Tong. Takehiro Tomiyasu has fulfilled his promise after geting the victim's consent, and the true story of the sexual harassment case and Takeru's efforts to atone has created a real buzz back in Japan. She pulls over and stops. She feels a bit embarrassed because she never really bought Takeru's protestations of (some) innocence, and had assumed the worst. She contacts him to apologise, and after clearing the air, she asks if he's given any thought to coming back to Korea now that his name has been cleared. She updates him on the others' activities and mentions Choi Min Ho's upcoming visit. When he hears this, Takeru excitedly hangs up, leaving Yui very puzzled.

Having taken her grandfather's advice Mi Rae has negotiated with her mother. She tells her that thanks to Yui and Yi Tong, she's what she wants to do with her life, get into music publishing and IP protection. Since this means focusing her studies on law, her mother is delighted, and agrees to let her continue helping out and spending more time with Ji Won.

At the record store, Jae Eung has explained to Min Ho that he kept his background a secret because he really treasured having a true friend,someone who didn't value him just for his money. He also explained that rather than a mere hobby, the record store was a critical part of his self-care. He'd always wanted to pursue music as a career but had been forced into his family's company business. The price he demanded for complying was the store, bought outright in his name, and it started off as his sanctuary from the toxicity of his corporate family. When his father and several uncles were indicted for fraud, corruption and money-laundering, he'd seized the chance to quit and devoted himself full time to the store, keeping it afloat with money received from selling his shares back to the company.

Heading home relieved by Jae Eung's story, Min Ho sees Yui, Yi Tong and Ji Won together next door at Shamshad's place. He Before he can greet them, Jang Geum comes out Seeing him happy and relaxed triggers her, and she screams abuse at him, and tells him to move out immediately. As this happens before he even got inside, Shamshad and the others all heard it. She seizes the opportunity to retaliate and tells Min Ho he can move in with her for a nominal rent. As he moves his gear in to her house, accompanied by a stream of profanities from Jang Geum, the others catch him up on their plans to move forward with the band's first 'reunion' gig. The epsiode ends with a call from Takeru, who has exciting news.

EPISODE 10

Takeru says he's coming back and bringing Takehiro Tomiyasu with him. Takeru had found out from Choi Min Ho's Instagram that he is a big fan of Arsenal Football Club, and Tomiyasu wants to say thanks to the Club for sticking with him through an injury and surgery-plagued time at the club by helping promote the club in both Korea and Japan, as a sort of goodwill ambassador. Through his contacts with the club, he has a large amount of very hard to acquire club memorabilia and signed merch, and with the consent of the club, gifts them to Choi Min Ho in a photo-op at Yui's company. Choi Min Ho expresses his thanks and offers to repay the favour by coming to the band's first gig – which now needs to be held in a larger venue. Yi Tong persuades the college where she teaches that such a high-profile visitor would be great for business and they agree to let the band use the school's concert hall for the gig, in exchange for being heavily featured in all promotional material before and after.

The gig is a huge success, especially after Choi Min Ho persuaded Jung So Min and Lee Min Ki to attend in character as the Gooner couple from Because This is My First Life. The band signs a recording deal with Yui's company, Ji Won quits his office job to go back to being a full-time musician, and to spend more time devloping his relationship with Yi Tong. Takeru returns home to Japan to arrange for the band's first concert there and to promote them the very much larger and more active Arsenal fanbase there. Yui and Shun decide to to take a get to know each other break, and being both from Japan, they select a quiet location on the Ring of Fire whose nickname reminds them of home – The Shaky Isles. Min Ho and Jae Eung find their record store suddenly swamped by new customers. Mi Rae is basking in her suddenly cool Dad's fame making her very popular at school, and Shamshad is revelling in mothering Min Ho while Jang Geum fumes and festers alone. The end?

 

PRIMARY SPONSORS/PPL PROVIDERS

Arsenal Football Club

Yamaha Corporation

Apple

The Tourism and Creative Arts Promotion Boards of

Korea

Japan

India