The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (TSHLYE) is a murder mystery that brings two long-lost people face-to-face reviving memories of another murder that changed their lives forever. It is also about two individuals, who share an old connection that brings them close despite everyone opposing the affair. Danger lurks where their love blossoms but our lovers do not care as they finally find their “home”.     

I firmly believe that there is a right time to watch every drama. At the right time, a drama that never seemed appealing before can strike a chord with you. And this is what happened to me with ‘The Smile Has Left Your Eyes’. When the show came out in 2018, its posters gave the impression of a brooding, melancholic drama, and I was in no mood for pain and angst until I recently completed the Japanese dorama ‘Meet Me After School’.

Such was the taste of that slow, sad Japanese dorama that I craved more. Lately, YouTube had been reading my mind (or browsing history) correctly, and so it suggested me a fan-made video of TSHLYE, and bam! I found what I was looking for. God Bless these fan-edit channels that do a great job of promoting a good show.

TSHLYE is suspenseful, sorrowful, and absolutely beautiful. Here are my feelings about this painfully engaging and addictive drama.

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (A Hundred Million Stars From The Sky) (2018) (16 Episodes)

Yoo Jin Gook (Park Sung Woong) is a detective who secretly takes up a suicide case of a young girl that seems like a homicide. As he starts investigating the case, he meets the mysterious Kim Moo Young (Seo In Guk) who works at a brewery company and does not seem to feel intimidated by the police investigation. What Jin Gook doesn’t know is that Moo Young is dating the famous artist Baek Seung Ah (Seo Eun Soo) who is the best friend of his sister Yoo Jin Kang (Jung So Min).

When Yoo Jin Kang first meets Kim Moo Young she finds him obnoxious and annoying. She tells him that she will always hate him but he is aware of how his charm works on her. She tries to maintain distance from him but they keep bumping into each other, which eventually leads them to fall in love.

Unfortunately, Jin Kang’s warm and friendly brother Jin Gook knows something about Moo Young that makes him hate the mysterious boy intensely. He opposes the relationship but it is a little too late for Jin Kang to break ties with the boy she feels for so strongly.

I enjoyed watching ‘The Smile Has Left Your Eyes’ because…

…of its complex plot and sub-plots. The show starts with the suicide of a young girl who is a promising dancer. The police soon discover that the suicide was actually a murder and are quick to suspect her boyfriend of being the one behind it because he left for Canada after the murder.

However, detective Jin Gook is not satisfied and even though he is not on the official investigative team, he decides to look into the case and conducts a secret investigation of his own.

Meanwhile, pottery artist, Baek Seung Ah is tired of her dominating boyfriend Do Sang Woo, who treats her poorly and dictates activities to her that she does not approve of. Kim Moo Young, who works as a brewer, witnesses Sang Woo mistreating Seung Ah and comes to her rescue. Moved by his gesture, Seung Ah instantly falls for this attractive brewer and starts an affair with him.

But Moo Young is not really interested in Seung Ah. Instead, he is all hearts for her bestie Yoo Jin Kang who dislikes Moo Young for his rude and outspoken nature.

Yoo Jin is single and considering getting into a relationship with her brother’s junior at work Eom Cho Rong. They get along well and eventually start dating. But she is intrigued by the reticent boy Moo Young who keeps confessing his feelings for her. Dating him, however, is far from possible as he is her friend’s boyfriend.

This is how the show starts but as it progresses, we see that the central characters have a past connection that changes their relationship dynamics several times. The show is full of secrets and shocking revelations, which keeps you coming back for more.  

The characters have depth and are well-rounded. Since the show goes through plot twists it is important to understand the characters well because they are not your usual white or black characters. Especially the two male leads, Moo Young and Jin Gook who have shades of grey to their personality.

First, we have Yoo Jin Gook who is a detective and works under his former colleague even though he is old and experienced enough to lead a team of detectives. As we get deeper into the drama, we learn that Jin Gook had voluntarily stepped down from a higher position as a way to repent for something that he did wrong as an officer.  

Jin Kang is not his biological sister. Jin Gook had his mother adopt her after the death of her parents. He dotes on her and is an extremely protective brother. But he is hiding something from her which always makes him feel guilty.

I liked the character of Jin Gook. He is a righteous and empathic person who is burdened by past mistakes. He is a nice person who raises Jin Kang with love and care and dotes on her like a real father. For her sake, he does not even get married even when he has a lady trying to win his attention. But Jin Gook also has his temper and moments where his lapse of judgment has cost him heavily. He can be ruthless when it comes to protecting his sister or doing what is right.

Next, we have the pretty and lively Jin Kang works for an advertising design company. She is aware of the fact that she is not biologically related to Jin Gook and feels indebted to him for giving her a good life while sacrificing his own happiness.

She has a burn scar on her arm from an accident in her childhood. She often wonders about her real parents and why she was abandoned but is afraid of hurting Jin Gook’s feelings so she never raises the topic with him. She always obeys her brother until she falls in love with Kim Moo Young. Her relationship with her loving brother changes after she decides to date Moo Young.

She connects with Moo Young because they both share a burnt scar on their arm and are both orphans. She is able to speak her heart out with him as he is the only person who understands what she feels about being a child without parents.

She stands with Moo Young in his toughest of times and goes against her brother only because she loves Moo Young dearly.

Actress Jung So Min is good as always. I don’t think she can ever deliver a bad performance. She was the right amount of cheerful, intense, angry, and sad. What’s best about her is that she shares great chemistry with all of her co-actors. And actor Seo In Guk is no exception. She looks totally enamored of the poor boy Kim Moo Young.

That’s the magnetism of Kim Moo Young, the boy with a piercing gaze. Kim Moo Young is an orphan and unlike Jin Kang, he was raised in an orphanage. He has a sharp memory and can remember the exact placement of things in just one glance. And this quality of his raises suspicion in the mind of Jin Gook who investigates the suicide/homicide case of the dancer.

Kim Moo Young does not speak much. His poker face is supposed to do the talking for him. He is a highly intriguing character as there are many hidden layers to his cold personality. He hides his emotions behind a warm smile and acts as if he is cool about everything that happens to him.

However, that is not the case here as the boy is vindictive. His exceptional memory does not let him forget slights and insults. He ensures that he has his revenge (he must be a Scorpio 😉 ) even if he has to put his life on the line.

But try as he may, he cannot be entirely heartless. He does care about certain people and can go to any extent to keep them safe and happy. But his approach can sometimes be a little too harsh. The boy lives with no fear so a lot of his actions and decisions are often reckless.  

Seo In Guk is quite flexible as an actor. He owns every character that he signs up for. Now, Moo Young is supposed to be this aloof character who has no care in the world. Nothing seems to affect him and he comes across as an emotionless person.

But he has a dark side that he conceals with his menacing smile and Seo In Guk excels in scenes where this dark side of his character comes forth. His face may be expressionless but his eyes look dreadful.

In one scene, he tells Sang Woo how he trapped his girlfriend Seung Ah only to spite him. The malice on his face is so intense you can see how much he relishes seeing Sang Woo upset.

In his controlled facial expressions, even when he acts indifferent, you can sense the pain or sometimes menace under it. Acting disinterested takes a lot of effort because there is a huge difference between feeling it and conveying it to your audience. Moo Young acts indifferent and Seo In Guk exhibits his supposed disinterest with ease.

This show made me realize that Seo In Guk is an extremely underrated actor. I have liked him in almost every drama that I have watched of his and I feel he still does not get enough credit for it.  

I did NOT LIKE ‘The Smile Has Left Your Eyes’ because…

…the drama gets slightly boring after episode 10. A major point of suspense is revealed by episodes 8-9 so after that, the drama gets a little slow. There are deeper darker revelations made over the subsequent episodes so for a few episodes the show focuses on building Moo Young’s relationship with Jin Kang and destroying his relationship with Jin Gook.

I feel the show could have concluded by episode 13 itself but it was dragged over 3 episodes, which were painful to watch. I especially hate it when they separate the leads unnecessarily to extend the episode. We see them falling madly in love and then suddenly they have to stay away from each other because of something that bothers Moo Young. Ugh!! 

But the silver lining in this was that Moo Young and Jin Kang’s bond starts strengthening post-episode 9 as they become an official couple and share their life journey with each other. We get to see a lot of sweet couple moments. Moo Young and Jin Kang’s love is heart-warming and perfect for the chilly winters. 🙂 

 

And then there is this Yi Sung Yol’s ‘Someday’ that suits Kim Moo Young and Jin Kang’s story perfectly. This video has Kim Moo Young and Jin Kang’s love story in short.

All in all, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes is an interesting and engaging drama. I felt involved with the characters right from the start. I sacrificed sleep and stayed up at night to complete this show so you can imagine how gripping the story is. The acting and music are the major highlights of the show. Let me warn you, the character of Kim Moo Young is attractive not only to the girls in the show but also to the viewers. Once he has your attention, there is no way you can look away from him.

I give ‘The Smile Has Left Your Eyes’ a 4 out of 5 rating. This thrilling melodrama becomes memorable because of the beguiling Kim Moo Young, sunny Jin Kang, and the loving Jin Gook who capture your heart and make you laugh, swoon and cry with them. Watch it right away.  

Where to watch The Smile Has Left Your Eyes: Viki.com (Free)  

 

All Images Courtesy: Viki.com

 

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