“Welcome to Samdalri” is a heartwarming charm to beat the cold weather.

Winter is here.  Even wind blows in freezing temperatures, and you can feel chilly in your heart.  Perhaps that’s why around this time of year, I often get to see recommendations for “winter romance dramas (or movies).”  It is someone’s kind consideration to warm up the heart by telling sweet love stories.  Broadcasters heat up the living room by programming romance dramas. Actor Ji Chang Wook, who earned the nickname ‘romance master’ through the dramas “Healer,” “The K2,” “Suspicious Partner” and “Lovestruck In The City,” returned in a timely manner with the cold air of December.  This winter, the drama which will meet the romance master is JTBC’s Saturday and Sunday drama “Welcome to Samdalri,” which began its first broadcast on 2 December.

“Welcome to Samdalri” (written by Kwon Hye Joo; directed by Cha Young Hoon) is about Cho Sam-dal (Shin Hye Sun), a “dragon born in a stream” at the foot of Hallasan Mountain, who loses everything and falls from grace, returns to her hometown, as Cho Yong-pil (Ji Chang Wook), who “cherished the stream,” remained in Jeju-do.  It is a pure romance of two partners taking a breath and finding love.  Cho Yong-pil is a lousy forecaster at the Jeju Meteorological Administration.  Despite his nerdy behavior, he is a talented person with analytical, predictive, and judgment skills comparable to that of a supercomputer.

Cho Yong-pil, nicknamed the “lousy forecaster,” lives up to his nickname from the moment he appears.  He embarrassed everyone when he came to work early to attend a short-term forecast discussion with the main office despite his working the night shift, and after confirming that the conference room door was locked, he even threatened to break down the door in a cute way. Because he frequently rebels against the opinions of the headquarters, and even makes direct complaints to the chief at the headquarters of the Korea Meteorological Administration, criticizing and admonishing every issue, he is considered someone you never want to meet in meetings.  But because his skills are so outstanding, the headquarters always covets him.  However, Cho Yong-pil, who wants to stay in his Jeju hometown, shouts “I hate Seoul!”  He makes excuses that he doesn’t fit in with Seoul in general, but friends who know Cho Yong-pil immediately figure out why he can’t go to Seoul.  In Seoul, there is someone Cho Yong-pil should not meet – Cho Sam-dal – so Seoul and Cho Yong-pil do not get along.

For Cho Yong-pil, Grandmother Samsin predicted Cho Sam-dal as a ‘destined partner.’  From the moment of their birth, they were together like a set for 30 years, then their eyes met and they became “a couple that will go down in history,” but for some reason, they had to break up in tears.  Eight years have passed since then, and they had lived lives without each other.  However, Cho Yong-pil just pretends not to be affected, but still gives a corner of his heart to Cho Sam-dal.

In front of Cho Yong-pil, Cho Sam-dal suddenly appears. From a photographer who was attracting worldwide attention, to a shabby figure with everyone turning their backs on her after a series of incidents, the “dragon that left the stream” and flew away, returns to the stream where Cho Yong-pil, the only ‘my person,’ has quietly stayed by her side even when everyone has turned away from her from the moment he was born.  Cho Yong-pil’s pure love, who only watched Cho Sam-dal from afar, begins in earnest.

It is true that he was expected to be a ‘romance master’ choice, but Ji Chang Wook, who has always tried to change through various works, Cho Yong-pil in “Welcome to Samdalri” also does not overlap with any character in his filmography so far.  As you can see from his first appearance, Ji Chang Wook generously presents viewers with excitement and laughter in reality with his elegant performance that transcends comic and romance.  He appeared splendidly with a big laugh as a stubborn and uncomfortable forecaster, but his tiki-taka chemistry with the “Five Eagle Brothers” (Kang Yeon Seok as Boo Sang-do, Lee Jae Won as Wang Kyung-tae, Bae Myung Jin as Cha Eun-woo), their fantastic memories melts the hearts of those who see Cho Yong-pil.

Above all, the biggest point of excitement in the work is Cho Yong-pil’s friendly question, “Are you okay?” which he naturally asks without considering anything more when he is with Cho Sam-dal.  This makes Cho Yong-pil’s character stand out even more, as he was the only one who always conveyed comfort at a difficult moment when Sam-dal was injured.  Ji Chang Wook speaks every moment with Cho Yong-pil’s deep heart with his warm and affectionate “romance gaze” that seems to be his specialty.  This not only touches the heart of Cho Sam-dal, but also the hearts of viewers beyond the screen.

Ji Chang Wook, the well-known romantic comedy master, ignites a spark of excitement in our living rooms with a warm feeling as the delicate emotions of a ‘100% pure man’ embracing the cold weather.  Last fall, the bloody noir ‘The Worst of Evil” faced by Ji Chang Wook seemed unlikely to be forgotten, but Cho Yong-pil’s smile soon erased that role.

Translated from Korean to English by cherkell; there may be slight inaccuracies. PLEASE DO NOT REPRINT, REPURPOSE, SCREENCAP OR OTHERWISE COPY OUR CONTENT WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION.