Piano (Korean피아노) is a 2001 South Korean television series starring Cho Jae-hyun, Go Soo, Kim Ha-neul and Zo In-sung. It aired on SBS from November 21, 2001 to January 10, 2002 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes.[1]

Piano
GenreRomance
Melodrama
Written byKim Kyu-wan
Lee Young-chul
Directed byOh Jong-rok
StarringCho Jae-hyun
Go Soo
Kim Ha-neul
Zo In-sung
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes16
Production
Production locationKorea
Running timeWednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST)
Production companyJS Pictures
Original release
NetworkSeoul Broadcasting System
Release21 November 2001 (2001-11-21) –
10 January 2002 (2002-01-10)

A melodrama about a father's love for his children and a forbidden romance between stepsiblings, Piano received high ratings during its airing, as well as acting recognition at the year-end network awards ceremony.[2]

Synopsis

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Han Eok-kwan (Cho Jae-hyun) is a ruthless, foul-mouthed small-time gangster in Busan. When fellow gangster Dok-sa (Lee Jae-yong) betrays their boss Byun Hak-soo (Im Dong-jin) to take his place as the new boss, Eok-kwan is exiled from the gang. Then a former lover contacts him to meet her in Seoul, but once he gets there, all he finds is a 10-year-old boy named Jae-soo, who claims to be his son. At first he plans to abandon the boy, but unable to do it, ends up raising him.

Shin Hye-rim (Jo Min-su) is a widow with two children, 12-year-old daughter Soo-ah and 10-year-old son Kyung-ho. After her husband, a district attorney, dies, she leaves Seoul with her children and moves to Busan, where she opens a piano school. Eok-kwan falls head over heels in love with the piano teacher, and they later marry.

Shortly after, Hye-rim dies in a boating accident. Soo-ah and Kyung-ho, who've always resented their new stepfather, blame him for her death and try to leave the family home, but Eok-kwan begs them to stay. Transformed into a loving and hardworking father, he raises the three children to the best of his abilities.

A few years pass, and all three children, and their sister Joo-hee (played by Kim Hee-jung first, then by Jung Da-hye), are now young adults. Unbeknownst to Eok-kwan, his biological son Jae-soo (Go Soo) and stepdaughter Soo-ah (Kim Ha-neul) are deeply in love with each other. Though not related by blood, they know that a romantic relationship between them would be taboo, so they suppress their feelings. After Kyung-ho kills a man attempting to rape Soo-ah, Jae-soo takes the rap and goes to prison in his place, with his spotless record ensuring a short sentence. Kyung-ho escapes to Seoul.

When Jae-soo is released from prison after several years, he studies to become a doctor. Soo-ah meanwhile works at a record shop. Kyung-ho, still a rebellious and angry young man, returns to Busan and becomes involved in the city's criminal underworld.

Cast

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Main cast

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Supporting cast

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  • Jo Hyung-ki as Si-sook
  • Jung Da-hye as Han Joo-hee (daughter of Eok-kwan and Hye-rim, paternal sister of Jae-soo, and maternal sister of Kyung-ho and Soo-ah)
  • Kim Young-chan as Jae-min
  • Lee Jae-yong as Dok-sa
  • Jung Sung-hwan as Young-tak
  • Kim Ha-kyun as Deputy section chief Oh
  • Im Dong-jin as Byun Hak-soo
  • Yang Geum-seok as Kim In-soon
  • Hwang In-young as Woo Min-kyung
  • Song Jae-ho as Dr. Woo
  • Baek Seung-hyeon as Kyung-ho's friend
  • Im Dae-ho as bakery employee
  • Jo Sang-ki as bakery employee
  • Shin Seung-hwan as Suk-chol, gangster, Kyung-ho's enemy
  • Lee Bo-hee as Lee Eun-shim
  • Hong Yeo-jin as Mok-po's Neighbor of Han Eok-kwan
  • Kim Ji-young as sister-in-law of Shin Hye-rim
  • Jo Hyung-ki as brother-in-law of Shin Hye-rim
  • Kim Young-mi as Jang Eun-ji

Rating

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Piano was the second most successful drama of 2001, only being surpassed by Ladies of the Palace. The highest rating that the show reached was 40.2%.

Awards

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2001 SBS Drama Awards

References

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  1. ^ "Piano". KoreanWiz. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
  2. ^ "탤런트 고수, SBS 드라마 '피아노'에 출연". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 29 January 2002. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
  3. ^ Chung, Ah-young (24 January 2007). "Charismatic Actor to Star in Award-Winning Play". The Korea Times via Hancinema. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
  4. ^ Wee, Geun-woo (4 November 2010). "INTERVIEW: Actor Ko Soo - Part 2". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
  5. ^ Chung, Ah-young (25 April 2007). "Top Movie Star Jo In-seong Dropped From University". The Korea Times via Hancinema. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
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