Have you heard about the latest sensation in the K-drama world? Queen of Tears is taking the South Korean network tvN by storm! It’s skyrocketed to become the second-highest-rated K-drama on the network, right after the legendary Goblin.
What’s even more impressive is that Queen of Tears has snatched up the second spot for the most-viewed K-dramas in tvN’s history, a spot previously owned by none other than Goblin itself. Talk about shaking up the ranks!
Directed by Jang Young Woo and Kim Hee Won, Queen of Tears weaves a captivating story of love and struggle between Hae In, a chaebol heiress, and Baek Hyunsoo, an ordinary company lawyer. Their romance hits a rough patch due to their wildly different lifestyles, but things take a dramatic turn when Hae In is diagnosed with a rare disease.
It’s interesting to note that some debate is swirling around whether Queen of Tears drew inspiration from the real-life romance of Lee Boo Jin and Lim Woo Jae, the famed South Korean couple comprising a Samsung heiress and her former bodyguard.
While the makers of Queen of Tears haven’t officially confirmed any inspiration from real-life events, some striking resemblances have viewers speculating. In the show, Kim Ji Won portrays a third-generation heiress of the Queen Group conglomerate—beautiful, bold, and charismatic.
Her romance with Baek Hyun Woo, a lawyer, echoes the real-life love story of Samsung heiress Lee Boo Jin and her husband, Lim Woo Jae. Lim, a university graduate who worked in a security service affiliate of Samsung Group, stunned the nation when he married Lee. The parallels between these narratives are certainly raising eyebrows and fueling discussions among fans!
Real Life Story Of Lee Bon Jin & Lim Woo Jae
Lee Boo Jin, who’s not only stunning but also a savvy businesswoman runs the fancy Shilla hotels and restaurants in Seoul, part of the huge Samsung empire. Yep, her dad is the big shot behind Samsung, with fingers in all sorts of pies, from finance to construction.
But Lee Boo Jin’s love life? Now that’s a story. Read on.
Back in 1995, she met Lim Woo Jae at a charity event. She was just starting out at Samsung, and he was working in IT, totally clueless about her family background. They hit it off big time, got married in 1999, and suddenly, Lim Woo Jae was dubbed “Mr. Cinderella” because of his newfound social status.
Their union, marked by their wedding in August 1999, defied societal expectations and ignited a media frenzy reminiscent of a soap opera plot. Lim Woo Jae, dubbed “Mr. Cinderella,” experienced a sudden rise in social status, thrust into the spotlight alongside his esteemed wife. Following their marriage, Lee Boo Jin’s family sent Lim Woo Jae to the United States to pursue an MBA at MIT.
For the next seven years, the couple maintained a long-distance relationship, only meeting on special occasions due to their demanding careers. However, despite their fairytale start, Lee Boo Jin and Lim Woo Jae encountered marital challenges, ultimately leading to their divorce in 2014.
Here’s Why Fans Are Drawing Parallels From Reel To Real
It’s intriguing how life imitates art sometimes. Take Lee Boo Jin’s story, for example, mirrored in the character of Hong Hae In from “Queen of Tears.” Both women are third-generation heiresses, radiating beauty and business smarts as they navigate the corporate world. Both Lee Boo Jin and Hong Hae In find themselves working undercover as interns when fate intertwines their paths with their future husbands. Their meet-cutes, whether in real life or on screen, involve unsuspecting men drawn into their worlds without a clue about their wealthy backgrounds.
In a fascinating parallel, the challenges faced by Lee Boo Jin and Lim in their marriage seem to echo in the drama’s storyline. Following their seemingly picture-perfect wedding, Lim was sent to the United States to pursue an MBA at MIT, a departure from his previous academic pursuits. However, Lim’s adjustment to studying abroad was far from smooth sailing, as he later revealed his struggles and even contemplated drastic measures like suicide.
Likewise, in the show, Hyun Woo, who, despite being a lawyer, was forced by his in-laws to pursue an MBA in the US. The burdens of being part of a conglomerate family push him to the brink, leading him to confide in his therapist that he’d prefer physical harm over his in-laws discovering his intentions to seek a divorce.
Fascinating isn’t it? Have you watched the show? And do you find yourself drawing parallels from reel to real life too? If you haven’t then what are you waiting for, go and binge-watch now!
