Fire Bird

From hkadb.net

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Overview

The Korean TV drama "Phoenix" (also known as "Firebird") was on MBC channel in April 2004.

The four main actors


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Characters Summary

Spoiler


Jang, Sae-Hoon (Acted by Lee, Seo-Jin) He was raised by his father and grew up building up great ambitions for success and fame. Then he lost his father to a car accident and started working as a part-time job at a gas station to make his living. His life is a difficult one indeed but he's a natural born genius who has never missed a scholarship in school. One day out of the blue, a girl comes storming into his life. Her name is Ji-Eun, a girl of a completely different background and character from Sae-Hoon's. Knowing just too well of his harsh reality and of what waits for them ahead, he pushes her away. Ji-Eun however, is keen to get his heart and in the end, they get married. But as he expected, their marriage life was not rosy colored and Ji-Eun soon leaves him. After signing on divorce papers, he gets on a plane heading for New York and "new life". After a series of all kinds of ups and downs, he accomplishes the "American Dream" and becomes a newly polished person, William Jang. 10 years have passed and he returns to Korea. Maybe it's a twist of their fate...He finds himself standing in front of her once again. But this time, he has someone , Mi-Ran beside him. What's even worse, Mi-Ran and Ji-Eun are friends who studied together in Boston. 10 years ago, he really had nothing to offer her but he loved her with all of his heart. Can he really let her go?

Lee Ji-Eun (Acted by Lee Eun-Joo) She has grown up doing everything as she liked and in her every way. Her father is a successful CEO of a textile group and her mother is an hopeless and immature lady who only knows her luxurious world. With all this ever colorful background plus her beautiful looks, she's a reckless spoiled little brat. But there's no doubt that she's one lovable and attractive girl. She comes home from Boston for holidays and as usual, she goes around acting like a spoiled little brat. One day, suddenly Sae-Hoon comes into her life and she desperately falls for him. But naturally, her parents are not happy fond of poor orphan Sae-Hoon. Ji-Eun doesn't give up here and gets pregnant. She leaves her parents and her luxurious life behind and starts her life with Sae-Hoon in a tiny weeny room. But very soon, she wakes up to the reality and starts to get tired of her life in destitution. As misery loves company, she gets a miscarriage and realizes she can't die for love. She gives a point-blank "no" and leaves Sae-Hoon. After divorce, upon hearing that Sae-Hoon is leaving Korea, she drives like crazy to the airport thinking it'd be her last chance to get him back. But again fate is still cruel to her and takes her father away by a car accident. With her father's sudden death and the fall of her family, hopeless Ji-Eun picks up the phone and calls Sae-Hoon who, without knowing her situation, coldly turns her town. She bites hard toward the harsh world and to Sae-Hoon as well. Now to her also, 10 years have passed. Now a 32 year old divorcee, Ji-Eun is now a different person. With a manic-depressive mother and trouble maker sister, she has now become the bread winner from the reckless little brat who didn't even know how to turn on the stove. And another love comes knocking on her door. Jung Min is no doubt the perfect prince charming every girl would die for. Then, again she finds someone whom she desperately wanted to get off her mind but whom she just couldn't forget. Now her so-called ex-husband Sae-Hoon turns up in front of her. And the twist of their fate makes them meet as client and helper.

Yoon, Mi-Ran (Acted by Jung Hae-Young) Daughter of a rich real estate agent, she grew up in a wealth carefree environment. Somehow, she has always felt somewhat inferior to Ji-Eun. Without knowing Sae-Hoon was once married to Ji-Eun, she gets to know Sae-Hoon at one Christmas donation party. She also desperately falls for him and decides to make him hers doing everything possible. She did manage to get Sae-Hoon to be with her but this was due to a car accident. The accident makes her live in a wheel chair. Feeling guilty and responsible for the accident, Sae-Hoon decides to marry her. Things get more complicated when Mi-Ran learns of Sae-Hoon's ex-wife. She then becomes more obsessed with Sae-hoon in order not to lose him to her lifetime rival Ji-Eun. She even hides that she can now walk again...

Suh, Jung-Min (Acted by Eric) He's the prince charming of a huge conglomerate called Suh-Rin group. The term "Prince Charming" always comes with his name. He seems to have everything : the colorful background as the heir of Suh-Rin, perfectly good looking face, gentleman-like manners, talents in every sports. Maybe it could even be said that the word "perfect" is made for this kind of person. When he graduated from a prestigious university in Boston with honors, people were putting highest hopes on him. However even to him was a twisted fate... He can never forget the day when he lost his twin brother. Only if he had not shouted out to his brother..."Come on, you can do better than that. Beat me!" He has been feeling guilty for the accident ever since as if to revenge himself on his twisted fate, he just goes on enjoying living a life of a debauchee. He's got everything but himself. Then fate brings him Ji-Eun...

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Story Summary

Spoiler


The story talked about a pair of lovers, Jang Sae-hoon (played by Lee Seo-jin) and Lee Ji-Eun (played by Lee Eun-joo). Jang Sae-hoon came from a poor family but a very gifted student. Lee Ji-Eun came from a rich family and her father is a CEO of a textile company. Lee Ji-Eun fall in love with Jang Sae-hoon, despite her family's strong opposition, and Lee Ji-Eun purposely got a baby before they got married, so they could get married. Unfortunately she got a miscarriage and later Jang Sae-hoon left her because of all of the quarrels between them, and they divorced.

When she heard that Jang Sae-hoon was planning to leave Korea for a long time, she drove in high speed to rush to the airport to see him. Her father followed her closely, and when her car stopped in front of the traffic light, her father stepped out of the car and tried to catch her attention. Unfortunately her father's life was taken away by a careless motorcyclist.

Suddenly Lee Ji-Eun 's family lost everything, and his father's textile company was taken over in a very low price by Suh-Rin group owned the family of Suh Jung-Min (played by Eric).

10 years later

Jang Sae-hoon, the husband of Yoon Mi-ran (played by Jung Hae-Young), one of Lee Ji-Eun 's best friends, returned to Korea and entered Suh-Rin group as a senior manager. Jang Sae-hoon's wife Yoon Mi-ran injured her leg in a car accident a year ago and she relied on a wheelchair to travel. Jang Sae-hoon felt guilty and married her. Lee Ji-Eun , now a domestic servant, met the successful Jang Sae-hoon again in a banquet where she worked as a helper (the complete opposite when compared to the beginning of the drama!!). Suh Jung-min met Lee Ji-Eun in the banquet and decided to chase her.

Suh Jung-min and Lee Ji-Eun became lovers. But later their relationship broke down completely because Lee Ji-Eun learned from a recording owned by Jang Sae-hoon that the motorcyclist who took away his father's life was actually arranged by Suh Jung-min's father. Suh Jung-min's father wanted to take away Lee Ji-Eun 's father's business at a very low price, so Suh's father arranged a hit and run accident for Lee's father. Suh's father' wanted Lee Ji-Eun ’s father to stay in the hospital for a few day until the bidding ended. Lee Ji-Eun was very shocked and angry, so she decided to leave Suh Jung-min permanently.

Later on in the series, Yoon Mi-ran discovered that Lee Ji-Eun was actually her husband's ex-wife, so she did everything possible to make Jang Sae-hoon hers. Later she could walk again but tried to hide the truth. When Jang Sae-hoon knew this, he decided to leave after he found out about her selfishness and all her lies.

The story ended with Lee Ji-Eun , now a Marketing Manager or a fashion designer/manager and Jang Sae-hoon, a successful businessman, went back together because they both grew up and just felt that the "right time" had come for them to be lovers again. Yoon Mi-ran committed suicide by swallowing the whole bottle of sleeping pills because her love Jang Sae-hoon left her and the fact that he almost killed Lee Ji-Eun . Suh Jung-min's father was arrested, and Suh Jung-min restarted his life and enjoyed a successful career.

This drama had the highest viewing rate among all 2004 MBC TV dramas. Many critics said because of Eric's new about his affairs with Kim Hee-sun and their suspected engagement at that time. Newspaper also reported that Lee Eun-joo had the intention to chase Eric. All the four main actors were awarded, as a result of their excellent performance in the drama, the "MBC TV Awards Best Actor/Actress."

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