Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (역도요정 김복주) | 16 episodes | South Korean | 2016-2017

So adorable. The cutest show and couple I’ve seen in a long long time — the feeling of spring, sunlight, unpretentious youthfulness, and a pinch of stardust sprinkled in the air that seems to make every move and line uttered by each actor pulse with genuine emotion and earnest ambition. This college campus drama, revolving around athletes on various trajectories towards their dreams (be it weightlifting, swimming or gymnastics), is at its core about the many types of love that make our hearts full.

There’s the familial love between ace weightlifter Bok Joo (portrayed by an endearing Lee Sung Kyung, in a major deviation from her past mean girl roles) and her chicken store-owner dad and sidekick uncle (who has an unexpected love-line of his own); the friendship and sisterhood between the ‘swag’ trio that brims with support and hilarious moments (“혹시 메시 좋아하세요?” Do you like Messi?); the awkward, all-out first crush that Bok Joo has which resonates in all its cringe-worthiness; the passion for a sport that may enter into a slump, be distorted by endless competition, be stifled by trauma or insecurity, but still shines unflinchingly in its requisite amount of dedication, sweat, tears and self-belief; and, of course, the cracklicious friends-turn-lovers romance between Bok Joo and under-performing swimmer Joon Hyung (this role is Nam Joo Hyuk at his meltiest — I hail the drama gods that made this happen) which is tender, brilliant and about staying true to who you are.

Girls, if you ever find a guy who gazes at you like Joon Hyung, trust me, he is a keeper.

I was also unexpectedly invested in Shi Ho‘s storyline (a raw, nuanced portrayal by Kyung Soo Jin) — one of a girl who got pushed into a sport when she had no choice as a child, found it colonizing her life until the point when her years of training bankrupted and pulled apart her family due to spiralling costs and she had to come face to face with her dwindling talent. When it all culminated in that final performance of her career, she had to reconcile the warped person she had become by holding on at all costs (sleeping pills, bulimic tendencies, and consuming jealousies), with the fact that turning her back on all that she had known might just give her a taste of happiness.

While I had wondered about the incredibly natural chemistry between our two leads in the show, I guess the dramaverse has a wonderful intuition because Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk are now dating in real life (squeals). So though this adorable, radiant drama might not have gotten its worth of ratings, it is a true gift in matchmaking.

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

Favorite Quote

“We’re not afraid because we have nothing to lose, and our hearts flutter because we can have anything.” (Bok Joo in Ep. 16)

Favorite Scene (SPOILER ALERT) 

When the weightlifting team goes on strike to get their coach back in the winter, Joon Hyung sees Bok Joo trying to warm her feet on the steps at night and just crouches down in front of her, takes out heating pads for her feet, warms them and puts them back in her shoes. Then, he says: “Don’t overstrain yourself. Please.”

So much warmth and trust in that simple moment on a cold winter night.

Favorite MVs

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Watch Weightlifting Fairy on DramaFever or Viu (Singapore).