Line #73 Series/BestLove


1	[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bestlove_3114.png]]
2
3	최고의 사랑 (''Best Love'' / ''The Greatest Love'') is a 2011 [[KoreanSeries Korean comedy series]], written by Creator/TheHongSisters.
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5	The [[RomanticComedy romantic comedy]] stars Gong Hyo-jin as Gu Ae Jung, a [[IdolSinger former member]] of an [[GirlGroup idol group]] National Treasure Girls, who is still clutching to the last shreds of her [[HeroWithBadPublicity notoriety]] 10 years later. Her fortune changes when she is cast on a [[RealityShow dating variety show]], ''Couple Making'' Season 3, where the main lead is non-celeb doctor, [[CluelessChickMagnet Yoon Pil Joo]]. The show's host is Ae Jung's former groupmate, Kang Se Ri, who happens to be in a contract relationship with movie star [[JerkWithaHeartofGold Dokko Jin]] (played by Cha Seung-won). HilarityEnsues when Jin falls for Ae Jung.
6
7	Coupled with the Hong sisters' penchant for meta awareness, the show also pokes fun at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_wave Korean idol culture]].
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9	----
10	!!This drama provides examples of:
11
12	* ActingUnnatural: Dokko Jin and Seung Gi when they realize there are fangirls watching their spat.
13	* ActorAllusion
14	** Jin's agency president, Moon, tells him that he should try to lighten his dark, serious image. Cha Seung-won, who plays Jin, has been playing serious roles since 2003.
15	** Ding Dong wonders on how Jin's mustache is a cow (소 in Korean). Cha Seung-won's mustache is frequently called the "cow mustache."
16	** Jin: "Who's the best-looking actor in Korea? ... Cha Seung-won? No, it's Dokko Jin."
17	* AloneInACrowd: Dokko Jin and Gu Ae Jung outside the UsefulNotes/{{Seoul}} Movie Theater.
18	* BlatantItemPlacement[=/=]CharacterCelebrityEndorsement[=/=]ProductPlacement
19	** Vitamin Water, which Jin endorses
20	** Droid phone in episode 10. President Moon even lists the features as if she's in a commercial.
21	* BorrowedCatchphrase: Jin uses Ae Jung's "shut your butthole (mouth)."
22	* BrutalHonesty: Jin admits to Ae Jung [[spoiler: that he's ashamed for liking her because they're not on the same level.]]
23	* CallBack: In episode 9, Jin discovers Ae Jung's drunk habit of repeating people around her. When Ae Jung gets drunk again in episode 14, [[spoiler: Jin uses the opportunity to say "I love you."]]
24	* TheCameo: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Seung_Gi Lee Seung Gi]] playing ... Lee Seung Gi!
25	* CastingGag: Jenny is a former member of the GirlGroup National Treasure Girls. The actress who portrays her, Lee Hee-jin, is a former member of the GirlGroup Baby VOX.
26	* CelebrityParadox:
27	** The characters see the movie ''Pungsang Dog'', which stars Yoon Kye Sang (who plays Pil Joo).
28	** Dokko Jin brags that he is better looking than Cha Seung-Won. Guess which actor is playing Dokko Jin.
29	* CharacterDevelopment: Jin
30	* CherryBlossoms: Dokko Jin takes Ae Jung to a park festooned with blooming cherry trees overlooking a river and a Disney-like amusment park on the ten anniversary of her Music Idol debut.
31	* ChildhoodMarriagePromise: {{Discussed}}. Jae Suk (Jin's manager) was a big fan of National Treasure Girls, his favorite member Jenny. He sent her a marriage certificate to autograph, which he jokingly vows to file.
32	* CompanionCube: Dokko Jin's potato
33	* ConstantlyCurious: Ding Dong, whose questions can be [[ArmorPiercingQuestion armor piercing]].
34	* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: Pil Joo punishes his mother by only eating ramyeon noodles.
35	* CoolShades: Dokko Jin
36	* CluelessChickMagnet: Yoon Pil Joo, who has no idea that most of his patients, including Se Ri, have the hots for him.
37	** In his first scene, Pil Joo's date confronts him on staring at Se Ri's butt as she walks by. He then dives into a rant about the negative effects of wearing heels, having no clue why his date would be upset that he was checking out someone else.
38	* CryingWolf: Pil Joo knows that Se Ri is mean-spirited, so when she reports to him that Jin likes Ae Jung in order for him to let go, he assumes that she is just [[ForTheEvulz being mean]].
39	* DocuSoap: When the RealityShow devolves into following Ae Jung and Pil Joo around
40	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Ae Hwan and Jae Suk talking about how they both "drank wine" with Jenny.
41	* DoggedNiceGuy: Yoon Pil Joo
42	* DrowningMySorrows
43	* EiffelTowerEffect: Episode 5 has the ubiquitous Namsan Tower in the background while Jin explains the folk tale "Camellias" to Ae Jung.
44	* {{Engrish}}
45	* EpunymousTitle: The drama was previously called The Discovery of Affection. The main character's name is Ae Jung (affection).
46	* FlawExploitation: Dokko Jin looking for Ae Jung's "chicken". [[spoiler: Also Manager Jang's search for Mi Na, the fourth (and hidden) National Treasure Girl]].
47	* FlowerMotifs
48	** Dokko Jin uses the azalea to represent his heart:
49	--> ''"Are you able to step on my azalea and leave?"''
50	** Camellias
51	** Potato Blossoms
52	* GirlGroup: National Treasure Girls - Ae Jung, Se Ri, Jenny, and Mi Na
53	* GoodScarsEvilScars: Jin has a good excuse for showing off his chest.
54	* GratuitousEnglish: {{Invoked}} and PlayedWith.
55	* HandSignals: Dokko Jin uses a hand gesture with Ding Dong so the kid would leave him and Ae Jung together alone.
56	* HeroWithBadPublicity[=/=]MaliciousSlander: Gu Ae Jung
57	* HospitalGurneyScene: [[spoiler: When Dokko Jin's]] chest pain overcomes his need to look cool.
58	* HospitalHottie: Yoon Pil Joo. especially with those glasses.
59	* HurricaneOfEuphemisms[=/=]HurricaneOfPuns:
60	** There is frequent mention of the heart (heart break, heartbeats, heart surgery, etc.).
61	*** Jin wants to stay in his safe zone (60 - 90 beats per minute), but since meeting Ae Jung, his heart has been racing.
62	*** Jin also says that he once wanted to be Iron Man, because of the artificial heart.
63	** Ae Jung calls Jin "Butthole Jin" (Ddong Ko), a pun on his name [[PunnyName Dokko Jin]] and the fact that he's an ass. She also says things like "shut your butthole" to mean shut up.
64	** [[spoiler: After Ae Jung refuses his affections, Jin repeatedly tells Ae Jung that he will find her chicken, or the thing that is most important to her. He's referring to the folk tale of the camellias, in which a rich boy who loved a poor loser but got rejected. The loser had one chicken and the rich boy tormented it in revenge. Finally, the loser ended up crying under the camellias.]]
65	** Battery/recharging
66	** Jae Suk mentions that anyone looking for Jin's porno online will find ''[[Animation/PororoTheLittlePenguin Pororo]]'' instead.
67	** Ae Jung is periodically mentioned as a "national treasure."
68	* ImaginedInnuendo: Jin invites Ae Jung home to see his potato. She naturally is confused.
69	* ImagineSpot: Happens frequently to most of the main characters.
70	* InSeriesNickname: Jin calls Hyung Kyu "Ding Dong."
71	* IntergenerationalFriendship: Jin and Ding Dong, Ae Jung's nephew, who Jin repeatedly kidnaps from school.
72	* IntertwinedFingers: Ae Jung and Pil Joo. And later, Ae Jung and Dokko Jin.
73	* IntimateHealing: ''Rechaaaarrrrggggeeee''.
74	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Dokko Jin
75	* KaraokeBox: The gang goes to a noraebang to celebrate Ae Jung's record deal, only to have Dokko Jin show up and sing [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang_%28South_Korean_band%29 BigBang]]'s "Heartbreaker" to her.
76	* KeepingSecretsSucks: Ae Jung wants to protect the secrets of everyone, even at her own expense.
77	* KPop
78	* LampshadeHanging:
79	** A [[Creator/TheHongSisters HongSisters]] staple
80	--> '''Ae Jung''': ''This is not some romantic comedy where love prevails!''
81	** Singer/Actor Lee Seung Gi makes a cameo when he plays Lee Seung Gi, a not-so-nice actor with [[VillainWithGoodPublicity good publicity]] - just like the character Jin. (In real life, Lee Seung Gi is known to be a nice guy.)
82	* LegCling: Jae Suk when he's totally drunk [[spoiler: and upset at Dokko Jin's upcoming surgery.]]
83	* [[LoveAtFirstPunch Love at First Splash]]: The first time they meet, Ae Jung angrily splashes water in Pil Joo's face because she thought he was trying to buy her for the night. He's immediately taken with her.
84	* LoveTriangle
85	** [[spoiler: Pil Joo - Ae Jung - Jin.]]
86	** [[spoiler: Ae Jung - Pil Joo - Se Ri.]]
87	** [[spoiler: To a lesser extent Ae Jung - Jin - Se Ri, as Jin/Se Ri's relationship is purely for show.]]
88	** Ae Hwan (Ae Jung's older brother/Ding Dong's father) - Jenny - Jae Suk
89	* MediaScrum: It gets so bad that Ae Jung loses her shoe while being hounded by reporters.
90	* MetaGuy: Jin
91	-->''"Melo(drama), ero(tica), or rom(antic)-com(edy)!"''
92	* MistakenForGay: [[DrowningMySorrows Drunk!]]Jae Suk is "so upset that he can't tell anyone," as he tells Jin to never leave his side. Ae Jung, of course, mistakes him for gay. [[spoiler: He's actually upset about Jin's upcoming heart surgery.]]
93	* TheNicknamer: Ae Jung constantly changes Dokko Jin's name on her cell phone, "Butthole", "Lump of Annoyance", "Recharge", to name a few.
94	* NerdGlasses: But on Pil Joo, they're hot!
95	* NoodleIncident: Apparently Ae Hwan has reason to believe that Jenny is genuinely interested in him, based on a drunken incident. She denies it.
96	--> ''"That day, when we were together, drinking red wine, the sudden power loss, the rain, the kiss..."''
97	* ObliviousToLove
98	** PlayedWith. [[spoiler: Jin is ironically oblivious to ''his'' feelings for Ae Jung, even though his heart beats faster around her, he feels pity when he sees her hurt, he's jealous when he sees her around other guys, etc.]]
99	** [[spoiler: Se Ri repeatedly hints to Pil Joo, who assumes she's [[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe just joking.]]]]
100	** {{Subverted}} by Jenny, who plays against both Ae Hwan and Jae Suk, leading both several times to speak in unison, "What a terrible girl."
101	* OneDialogueTwoConversations: Ae Jung and the potato ahjumma. Ae Jung's talking about Jin; potato ahjumma is just talking about potatoes.
102	* {{Paparazzi}}
103	* PublicityStuntRelationship: Actor Dokko Jin and singer/host Kang Se-ri broke up a year ago, but their teams have them pretend they're still together because it's good for their images. Jin developing feelings for Se-ri's rival/former groupmate Ae-jung makes that a little more complicated.
104	* RichInDollarsPoorInSense: Dokko Jin uses a seven year old for romantic advice. No wonder he doesn't get it.
105	* SarcasticConfession[=/=]SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Jin to Ae Jung (paraphrase): "Do you think I would kidnap Ding Dong from school just to get your attention?"
106	** When Ae Jung assumes he's joking, Jin then lists things that he's 'joking' about, including, "[[spoiler:If I say I want to marry (you),]] think of it as a joke."
107	* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Jin tries to spin a 15,000 dollar of wine into a Hollywood contract, buys out a night club so Ae Jung didn't have to sing there, and [[spoiler: manages to have an amusement park light up as a backdrop to a confession.]]
108	* [[spoiler: SecretRelationship: Jin/Ae Jung]]
109	* ShowerScene: Dokko Jin. Impressive pecs and about the only time you see his forehead.
110	* ShowWithinAShow: The plot revolves around a reality show.
111	* ShoutOut:
112	** Jin is upset because he passed up a role in ''Series/QueenSeondeok'', which was a runaway hit in South Korea.
113	** Jin practices his English by watching Creator/StephenColbert, known in Korea for his "rivalry" with KPop star Bi (Rain).
114	** ''Animation/PororoTheLittlePenguin'', Ding Dong's favorite character toy.
115	** Jin wants ''ComicBook/{{IronMan}}'s'' (artificial) heart.
116	** Ding Dong wears a ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' costume.
117	** ''Franchise/{{Batman}}''.
118	** Pil Joo wants to rescue Ae Jung from another world like in ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul%27s_Miraculous_Adventure Paul's Miraculous Adventure]]''.
119	** Musical Shout Outs as well: ''Film/ChariotsOfFire'' for a slo-mo action scene; ''Film/MissionImpossible'' for a seemingly insurmountable obstacle; Rihanna's "S&M" when Jin is looking at himself, etc.
120	* SillyLoveSongs: National Treasure Girls' "Du-gun Du-gun" (Heartbeat)
121	* SlaveToPR: As all our main characters are in the limelight, this trope is PlayedStraight, PlayedWith, and {{Discussed}}.
122	* SomethingAboutARose: Dokko Jin holds a rose in his mouth to surprise his girlfriend on the one-year anniversary of their fake relationship. It doesn't end well.
123	* SpiritedCompetitor: Jin
124	* SurrogateSoliloquy: Jin
125	** When Jin first realizes what his feelings for Ae Jung, he's in a broadcasting studio. As he questions his feelings, he is repeatedly answered by the titles of various drama posters on the wall: ''Really Really Like You, A Prince’s First Love, Man in Crisis, You Are So Beautiful''.
126	** Jin also talks to his fish. [[CompanionCube And his potato]].
127	* TallDarkAndSnarky: Dokko Jin, in spades.
128	* TestKiss: [[spoiler: Dokko Jin kisses Ae Jung]] just before she goes onstage to accept or reject Pil Joo.
129	* TimeSkip
130	* TitleDrop: When Dokko Jin announces his love.
131	* UnknownRival: Doubles as a RunningGag. Actor [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Nam_Gil Kim Nam Gil]], who's constantly taking acting roles that Jin wants. (Even taking over as Vitamin Water's celebrity endorser!) [[note]]Kim Nam Gil was serving in the army when ''Best Love'' was filmed/aired, so all his "appearances" were licensed photos/footage.[[/note]]
132	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: JerkAss Jin is not as nice as the public believes him to be.
133	* [[spoiler: WackyMarriageProposal:]] Dokko Jin, with a big red bow and a diamond flower ring on his little finger.
134	--> ''"Gu Ae Jung, take responsibility for me!"''
135	* WinkDing
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Context Series / BestLove