I Remember You ~ Korean Drama

Name: I Remember You or Hello Monster

Language: Korean with English subtitles

Episodes: 16

Summary

When a serial killer strikes women who all have a similar appearance, the police department’s Special Crime Investigation Team is stumped. While Cha Ji An, an elite detective, and her fellow colleagues are assessing the latest crime scene, the mysterious Lee Hyun shows up and instantly assesses the trademark attributes of the killer. Hyun is a genius criminal profiler with a degree in criminal psychology who received an anonymous email that brought him to the crime scene all the way from the United States. The serial killer seems to be sending a personal message to Hyun with the clues he leaves behind, and Hyun wonders if it could be related to an escaped criminal “monster” from his childhood who killed his father and was responsible for the disappearance of his younger brother. Ji An has known Hyun since childhood and is ecstatic to see her childhood crush again, but Hyun doesn’t seem to remember her. With no leads to capture the serial killer, Ji An and her colleagues solicit Hyun’s help. Can Hyun and Ji An solve the case and find answers to their pasts? “I Remember You” is a 2015 South Korean drama series directed by No Sang Hoon.

My Review

I Remember you is about Lee Hyun a criminal profiler whose past is riddled with mystery. When Lee Hyun was a child, his father was investigating a criminal named Lee Joon Young who later escaped prison and killed him and then disappeared along with his younger brother. And with no leads as to the whereabouts of the criminal the case became cold but Lee Hyun now an adult and profiler living in the U.S. receives an email that brings him back to Korea where it all started. There he meets Cha Ji An, an elite detective who with unknown reasons has been stalking him.

Lee Hyun is an intelligent criminal profiler but is also a cold robot and doesn't know the meaning of teamwork at least not in the beginning. With such a sad past (I'm being vague on purpose), it's no wonder that he doesn't trust anyone and even doubts himself at times. The parts of his memory that he does remember have him thinking he's a monster, and this really broke my heart. But it's not all gloomy and dark with him, he actually has a bit of humor in him that I really loved. I mean even with such a traumatizing childhood (well the parts that he remembers anyway), he still came back to Korea to search for answers even when he was afraid of what he'd find and I just loved how much of a strong person he was and how much he grew. 

Now on to our badass detective, Cha Ji An who can handle her own but also has a sad and mysterious past that we don't know about until later episodes which is why I won't go into details(because spoilers). I loved Cha Ji An from the beginning she was adorable and really quirky and even though she had stalking tendencies (she only stalked Lee Hyun with good reasons), I couldn't help but love her anyways! She used to know Lee Hyun as a child but he doesn't remember her which works to her advantage because she's hiding secrets from him but then again so is he.....

The romance between Lee Hyun and Cha Ji An was a slow romance one that didn't start to take root until later and I'm glad for that. The chemistry between them is undeniable but I liked that it didn't take over the whole plot. I also really liked how both of them didn't fully trust each other, they slowly opened up to each other. They became partners investigating the mystery surrounding Lee Hyun's past which is also connected to Cha Ji An's while also solving other case's together. It reminded me a bit of Castle which I seriously love!

The other character's in the story are the team of detectives in the Special Crime Investigation whom I grew to like and was saddened by some of the events that happened to them. The plot is very well-done with a variety of character's that I couldn't help but cheer for. But what I really enjoyed about this show was the psychological aspect of it and how it really got you thinking.  The main question this show brings up is, "Are monsters born or made?" and what I really liked was that it shows you both sides of the spectrum and leaves you questioning everything. My sister and I even got into a discussion about it, and I really enjoyed that. Especially since later on in the show they mention a Native American Cherokee legend called, "The Wolf Story" which you could search if you're curious that in a way answers the question above in the show but I think it's also a matter of perspective.
Here it is:

 "An old Native American chief told his son, “There are two wolves inside of us. One is evil — suffering from anger, envy, jealousy, arrogance, superiority. The other is good — having happiness, peace, love, hope, faith. These two wolves always fight inside of us.”Then the boy asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”And the grandfather replied, “Whichever one you feed.”

Basically the story is saying that monsters are neither born nor made but that we all have a good and bad inside of us and that we make the choice of which to choose/feed which is why it was mentioned in the show. But I also feel like it's a matter of situations or those who influence you as a person but it could also be a mental illness. People go through horrific situations but they all don't make the same choices. Not all abused children or kids who grow up with parents who are killer's become abusers or killers themselves. But again it's all a matter of perspective because everyone has a different mindset. Man, this show is really thought provoking! On a side note I'm glad I didn't choose criminal profiling or psychology as a career choice, I'm already going in circles.

Another aspect I really enjoyed of this show was that we get a full background on the criminal, Lee Joon Young. The criminal's past was seriously dark and horrific and it made him seem almost human and evoked sympathy but it doesn't at all make the things he's done excusable. *Spoiler* Especially, how he kidnapped Lee Hyun's younger brother and he became a murderer as well. God, I seriously felt for Lee Hyun when he found out, the scene was so heart wrenching! *End of Spoiler* Although I thoroughly enjoyed this show, the ending was a bit of a downer. It was a realistic ending but I also felt like there were loose ends that needed to be tied up but I don't regret watching it at all! By the way yes, they do end up together if that's what you're worried about, I know I was. I would have been infuriated if they didn't since they went through so much together!

I Remember You is a definite must watch! Its full of murder, mystery, likable character's, and romance! Trust me guys, you don't want to pass this one!

Rating: 4 stars

Links to watch-----> I Remember You - Viki.com or I Remember You - Drama.net