Boys Over Flowers

Boys Over Flowers is a 2009 South Korean television series starring Koo Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Bum, Kim Joon, and Kim So-eun. Based on the Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoko Kamio. The series tells a story of a working-class girl who gets tangled up in the lives of a group of wealthy young men in her elite high school. It aired for 25 episodes on KBS2 from January 5 to March 31, 2009. It is often regarded as a pioneer in Korean high school series, as well as to have helped the proliferation of the "Korean Wave". The series earned high viewership ratings in South Korea, and became a cultural phenomenon throughout Asia. Lee Min-ho's role as the leader of F4 completely contrasted his role in Mackerel Run, which earned him overseas popularity. Synopsis Shinhwa Group is one of South Korea's largest conglomerates and is headed by the strict and arrogant Chairwoman Kang Hee-soo (Lee Hye-young). Her son Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho), heir to the Shinwha Group, leads the F4, the most popular and powerful group of boys at the prestigious Shinhwa High School, an ultra-elite school exclusive to the richest families in Korea. Yoon Ji-hoo (Kim Hyun-Joong), So Yi-jung (Kim Bum), and Song Woo-bin (Kim Joon) —Jun-pyo's best friends and rich heirs in their own right—make up the remaining members of the group. When F4 bullies a boy to the verge of suicide, the poor but vivacious Geum Jan-di (Ku Hye-sun) saves his life. A photo of Jan-di's heroics appears in the newspapers, resulting in media backlash from consumers against the Shinwha Group. Chairwoman Kang arranges for the commoner Jan-di to receive a scholarship to attend the high school to appease the outraged consumers. Jan-di's family runs a dry cleaning business, and she lives in a small home with her parents, Geum Il-bong (Ahn Suk-hwan) and Na Gong-joo (Im Ye-jin), and her younger brother Geum Kang-san (Park Ji-bin). Immediately, Jan-di dislikes her wealthy classmates and is disgusted by their obsession with the F4 boys. Irked by her strong-headed nature, Jun-pyo singles out Jan-di to bully, but she refuses to cower and stands up to him, even kicking him in the face. She is the first person to stand up to him and dislike him, which begins to intrigue him. Bored and lonely, he starts to play silly tricks on her and eventually begins to fall for her. Jun-pyo continues to encourage the students, led by a mean group of girls, to bully and torture Jan-di.