The Cast
Ahn Jae Wook- Yoon Hyun Suh
Lee Bo Young- Choi Young In
Jo Dong Hyuk- Kyle
Oh Yoon Ah- Kang Soo Jin
From left to right: Jo Dong Hyuk, Lee Bo Young, Ahn Jae Wook, and Oh Yoon AhWho is “Mr. Goodbye?”
Yoon Hyun Suh is known as “Mr. Goodbye” in the hotel world because wherever he goes, employees would usually be bidding farewell to their jobs.
The Storyline
What do you do when you’ve ran a marathon to win a travel prized package so that you and your significant other can go on a trip together only to discover that he has been cheating on you (with your best friend, no less) when you came to pick him up for the airport? Do you a) kill them with your bare hands, b) proceed to go back home and be depressed all day/week, c) try to exchange the plane tickets for money, or d) leave for the trip alone? Choi Young In chose (c), but when that didn’t work, she chose (d) and left for Las Vegas. Whether or not this was a wise decision, considering the turn of events that ensue, depends on the audience’s perspective. I, for one, thought that it was a wise choice.
It was on her trip to Las Vegas that she met Yoon Hyun Suh, a workaholic, hotel executive who does not let emotion or any of those “weak feelings” get in the way of his success in the business world. He is competitive and can be said to be ruthless. Although they did not meet nor depart on good terms in Las Vegas, fate brought them together again and they ended up working in the same hotel in Seoul, Korea. Of course, they start a relationship, but the question is: for two people with such opposite personalities, how long would they maintain the relationship? Lastly, do we, the audience, get a happy ending?
The Characters
Yoon Hyun Suh- It wasn’t shown clearly in the drama but from what I was able to deduce, he was abandoned by his mother and then was later adopted by another family. He is very competitive and always earns top marks, whether it is in academia while growing up or in the dog-eat-dog business world. Career-wise, he is very successful. Relationship-wise, it is a whole different story. He doesn’t like to express his thoughts and emotions, which at times, can lead to other people misunderstanding him. In other words, he’s a stoic. He lives alone and is somewhat obsessive-compulsive.
Choi Young In- During her childhood, her father left the family. Thus, as the eldest child, she took care of everything. (Also because her younger brother is so useless.) She has a very strong bond with her mother. Despite her sad childhood, she is a patient, straightforward, outgoing, and optimistic person. She says what’s on her mind and stands up for herself. However, she is not perfect as she also has her own insecurities, and that makes her more real. There is just this innocent and honest aura to her personality that makes her character very likable.
Kang Soo Jin- She is a doctor and also Hyun Suh’s college classmate. Without his knowledge and consent, she chose him as the sperm donor and gave birth to a boy. (During college, Hyun Suh was very poor and thus, donated his goods to a sperm bank to earn money.)
Kyle- He’s a hotel concierge who works with Hyun Suh in Las Vegas, and then later follows him to Seoul, Korea.
The Actors
Ahn Jae Wook- He does a good job at portraying the cold and lonely Yoon Hyun Suh. I felt his pain when he was sick and didn’t want to tell anyone, especially Young In. Those scenes were sad! Although he is supposed to be a heartless executive, he looks too friendly for the role, at times.
Lee Bo Young- She tends to overact in certain scenes with over the top facial expressions, especially when she is angry and/or frustrated. Other than that, her performance is good. She has terrific crying skills.
Jo Dong Hyuk- Not much emotion from this actor. Wooden.
Oh Yoon Ah- Great performance from this actress. She also looks very pretty with her flowing long hair.
The Chemistry
The two leads have great chemistry together. I love how honest and straightforward their relationship is; how Young In is able to understand so much about Hyun Suh without him even telling her much about his thoughts and feelings; and how much patient she has for him. I also like how their relationship is mature and not so melodramatic. Yes, they fight…who doesn’t? But they resolve the conflict quickly, without dragging it on and on.
The mother-son and father-son chemistry that Soo Jin and Hyun Suh have with Yoon is also amazing. It felt so real when Soo Jin scolded Yoon for leaving the school without telling her where he was. It was so sweet of Hyun Suh to dress up as Spider-man for Yoon so that his classmates will stop teasing him and calling him liar.
The Music
Similar to every other Korean drama, the music in here is awesome. Although, it can get too dramatic in certain scenes, overall, it’s good. I especially like the song in the opening sequence, which has a very nice saxophone intro and is very upbeat. It’s the type of song that you can dance it. I also like the song “Good Bye,” which is more mellow and sadder. It enhances the emotions in the drama very well, especially when it was played during the ending.
Memorable Moments
1. Yoon just bought several baby chicks as his pets and he’s sitting in KFC eating fried chicken. In a later scene, he meets Hyun Suh for the first time and started to imitate his every move. Hyun Suh threatens to cook the chicks and make fried chicken. Yoon’s response? “Hmm.. I like fried chicken. It’s yummy!” Hyun Suh’s reaction? “What the heck?!”
2. The fights and bantering moments between Hyun Suh and Young In.
3. When Young In is describing how alike both Kyle and Hyun Suh are, he asks her why then did she pick Hyun Suh and not him. Young In says that because Hyun Suh is lonely because has no one else; thus, he needs her more.
4. When Hyun Suh put aside all embarrassment and dresses up as Spider-man to cheer up Yoon.
5. The scene when Hyun Suh asks Yoon about what is one of the things that he’d like to do with his father. Yoon’s answer is that it’s peeing. His reasoning is that since he obviously cannot do that with his mom, he wants to try it with his dad. Although I frown on such behavior in a public environment, I like that scene because it is just too cute. (Watch the show and you’ll understand what I mean.)
6. Any scene with Yoon in it. That is one adorable kid! Kook kee oh!
7. The ending. Not the happiest of endings in the traditional sense but very satisfying. One of the best endings that would definitely be memorable in the audience’s heart.
General Comment
Why is it that Korean drama tend to showcase characters with personalities that we would aspire to have or want our significant others to have? At least the new dramas, that is. The men in Korean drama are almost always extremely suave and good looking. They are very clean and have great personalities. The New Age Sensitive, Metrosexual Men. (The group of men that is no where to be found in real life, by the way.)
On the female side, the characters tend to have such strong personality and resilience. They’re optimistic even though life often slaps them in the face. They have really good methods to cope with stressful situations. They stand up for themselves when others are being offensive and insulting to them. I love their sassiness! Sometimes, I wish that I, too, could be like that. But it’s so difficult. Anyway, in two words: they rock!
Sweet or Sour?
Sugar-free Hershey’s. At first, Mr. Goodbye looked unappealing to me because I have never seen Ahn Jae Wook in any shows before, have only watched Lee Bo Young briefly in The Last Dance Is For Me and didn’t really like her character in there because she played the typical K-drama villain. Eventually, I decided to watch it because the subtitles were out and other people were commenting about how good it was. And they were right. I’m glad that I didn’t pass this up. It is good.
Image credit: soompi thread
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