August 1598, in the northeastern province of Gangwon-do, a massive storm pummels a seaside village, uprooting trees and battering huts. Villagers secure their goods and huddle for cover, while fishermen struggle to secure their boats and the pier, only to have a massive tidal wave sending them into the churning waters.
By morning, the sea is calm, in a nearby cave, a young woman struggles to move, weary and sand-swept. The fish-gatherers make their way over to the cave curiously, and gape when they see the woman inside (played by Jun Ji Hyun). “It’s a person!” they exclaim.
A short while later, a nobleman, Lord Yang (played by Sung Dong Il) hurries home excitedly, asking the fishermen who await him, “Where is the mermaid?” He is shown to his pond, eyes widening to make out the woman sitting there—a little battered, wrists tied with rope, her long glittering tail stretched out in front of her. “It’s a real mermaid,” he breathes excitedly.
He reaches out toward her, but a fisherman warns him to be careful: It’s said that if someone mistreats (“raises a hand to”) a mermaid, she can suck out his soul and erase his memory. That’s the mermaid’s self-protective measure against humans. Lord Yang shrugs, saying he won’t raise a hand to her, but a knife. The mermaid shoots him a sidelong glare. The nobleman uneasily wonders if she can understand him, but brushes it aside. He promises the fishermen a reward before turning to his plans for tonight’s banquet. He wonders when the newly appointed mayor will arrive.
The new mayor, Dam Ryung (played by Lee Min Ho), rides among the crowds, and the camera lingers on a jade bracelet on his wrist. At the banquet that night, Lord Yang plies Dam Ryung with flattery, then asks if he’s heard of mermaids. A nobleman dismisses the stories as fiction, but Lord Yang announces that he’s got a fascinating sight to show them. Turning their attention toward his pond, he proudly reveals his catch.
The mermaid looks up at them, looking lost and forlorn, sitting in a net as fishermen prod her with sticks. Intrigued, Dam Ryung walks down for a closer look. He asks what Lord Yang means to do with her, and gets the explanation that mermaid oil is incredibly valuable, burning for an incredibly long time and never going bad. Lord Yang boasts that he’s landed this fortune for being faithful to his country and living a good life.
Dam Ryung has been holding back his distaste for Lord Yang so far, but now he lets some of it show, explaining that he had Lord Yang looked into, and found that he’d bought his way into a government position and then tripled the fishing tax. He says that the King levies severe punishments against officials who burden the people, hinting that Lord Yang could lose his neck over this. Scared, Lord Yang asks what to do, asking if there’s anything Dam Ryung would like.
“Anything?” Dam Ryung asks. Lord Yang affirms it, sending a sidelong glance at the mermaid. She and Dam Ryung lock eyes for a long moment. The next thing we know, the mermaid splashes into the sea, swimming off to freedom. Dam Ryung watches from the boat above, while from the shore, Lord Yang grumbles over the mayor’s high-handedness. He vows to recapture the mermaid and get rid of the mayor.
Dam Ryung watches the mermaid swim away, but she pauses to look back at him, then turns back to swim up to his boat. She reaches up with an outstretched hand. Lord Yang wonders if, according to the myths, she means to drag him underwater, steal his soul, and erase his memory. The fisherman replies that mermaids only erase memories that one wants erased, but figures it’s best to avoid taking the hand in any case: “Humans and mermaids live in such different worlds—whether the fate is good or bad, what can come of it?”
In his boat, Dam Ryung kneels down, reaching down to take the mermaid’s hand. The stay like that for long moments, holding hands, eyes locked.
And then, we zip ahead to the future. Seoul, 2016.
We meet our heroin multiple guises in quick succession: He snatches away the joy of pushing a bus stop button from a little girl, metaphorically stealing candy from a baby; chats up a woman at a fancy bar, calling himself a lawyer; and asks about buying merchandise from a shady dealer, looking like a nervous dork. The smooth-talking lawyer charms the woman with a magic trick, lighting a tissue rose and turning it into a real one. So he is actually a Con Man who likes playing with magic, and also fire. He’s Heo Jeon Jae (played by Lee Min Ho) , and he’s congratulated by his partner in crime, Jo Nam Doo (played by Lee Hee Joon), who calls him the Harry Potter of con artistry, only better looking. Ha. Trailing behind is their silent hacker maknae, Tae Oh.
On to a new con: From their hacker van, partner Nam Doo intercepts a call from the prosecutor’s office requesting an elevator repair. The trio grabs their tool boxes and enters the office building, keeping a close eye on one prosecutor in particular, who’s on his way out.
As they pass security, one guard calls out to the group, asking why the regular elevator technician isn’t here. In a flash, our leader Joon Jae sizes him up, reading him almost like a computer, noting details of his dress and demeanor. Within a span of seconds, Joon Jae concludes that the best method of dealing with this guard is hypnosis.
So he pulls out a lighter as he addresses the guard, twirling it impressively between his fingertips, and the man’s eyes are naturally drawn to the flashing silver. Joon Jae ignites the flame and tells the man that his regular elevator guy is right over here. In a daze, the guard agrees and lets them continue without further incident.
The scammers head to an empty office, pulling off the outerwear to reveal suits underneath. A few prop adjustments later, and it looks like Joon Jae’s own office. Hacker Tae Oh sets up his equipment on the rooftop and gains them access to the prosecutor’s files, just in time for the arrival of clients.
Nam Doo takes the lead on this con, having previously made contact with the male mark, a company president. He and his wife (Kim Sung Ryung cameo) are here because a high school student committed suicide at school and named the couple’s son in his suicide note.
From his rooftop perch, Tae Oh sees that the real prosecutor is on his way back to the building, and buys a little extra time by turning the traffic signal red. They’ve only got about a minute before the prosecutor returns, so Nam Doo suggests they break for lunch and ushers the couple out.
As they walk out, the wife asks Joon Jae to ensure that their son is found innocent, offering to pay handsomely out of their slush fund in the Virgin Islands. Joon Jae scoffs, worrying them when he says that it’s too risky to use such a famous tax haven. On their way out, a man is brought in in handcuffs (Sung Dong Il), and he seems to recognize Joon Jae’s group. Joon Jae advises the wife to move their slush fund and says he knows a good place, on an island with beautiful scenery.
They wrap up the job, and some time later the con artist trio makes their way through an airport. Nam Doo assures the wife over the phone that they received the funds and are now all in the same boat, figuratively. With the job done, it’s time for them to go their separate ways, and Joon Jae complains when silent Tae Oh heads off without a word: “I hate leaving without saying goodbye most of all.” (Then he heads off without saying goodbye, and it’s Nam Doo’s turn to grumble.)
Joon Jae has a solo vacation lined up in Spain, and chats up the flight attendant (Krystal cameo) on his flight there, passing himself off as a doctor. The flight attendant shows him the view out the window and tells him that she heard from old grandpas who live on the island that a mermaid still lives in the water here. Joon Jae laughs.
The camera swoops down over the island and into the water as she explains that the mermaids have been disappearing, and that the last remaining ones live in this sea. We follow one—the same one from 400 years ago—as she swims down into a cavern, and retrieves a jade bracelet. She carries it back up with her to the surface, then slips it on her wrist. A little boy spots her from a passing boat and exclaims to his parents that he’s seen a mermaid, which of course gets laughed off as his imagination. The mermaid returns underwater, and notices signs of disturbance. A storm is brewing above, and the waters turn choppy.
At a seaside hotel resort, Joon Jae sits outside, looking out at the agitated sea as the storm approaches.
The mermaid dives underwater, struggling to outswim the turmoil, which overtakes her in a dark cloud of churning water. In the morning, the storm has passed and the mermaid finds herself washed up on rocky terrain. She peers up over a ledge at a man-made pool built into the cliff, looking around curiously.
Belatedly, she registers something strange—and looks down to see she has legs. She gasps in surprise, then examines her legs a bit before diving into the pool, at which point the legs transform back into a mermaid tail.
Joon Jae steps out sleepily, looking out at the sea. The mermaid watches warily and dives under when he turns in her direction, and he misses seeing her. Off in the distant waters, several mermaids swim up to the surface, their heads dotting the horizon.
Joon Jae returns to bed, and is awakened a bit later by a loud clang. He bolts awake and warily looks around, taking in the mess in the living room: food strewn everywhere, literal crumbs marking a trail on the floor, which he follows to the walk-in closet. Joon Jae rears back when he sees a pair of legs in his closet, and slowly reaches out toward the rack. He jerks clothing aside to reveal the mermaid (well, a person now), mouth smeared with food, wrapped in a sweater.
He demands to know who she is (and when he uses that exclamation of disbelief, “Hul,” the mermaid mouths it out, copying him). But she rears back defensively when he yells about the sorry state of hotel security. He sees that she’s wearing his favorite sweater, and when he makes a move, she throws out a leg and kicks him way, way back, shooting through the air.
Joon Jae notices she’s got something in her fist and demands to see it, thinking she’s stolen something from him. He tries to force her to show it, and she kicks him again, sending him flying into the next room this time. He starts to bluster indignantly, but when he sees the mermaid approach with her dukes up, he wimps out and retreats. Joon Jae offers to drop the whole thing if she’ll hand over what she’s holding, asking what it is. The mermaid looks at the blue sea out the window, assesses the situation… and bolts for freedom.
Thump! Apparently she didn’t count on there being glass in that window, and she knocks herself out cold. Joon-jae ties her wrists together with a necktie, then calls for police to deal with the intruder.
He assumes a scolding tone, telling the mermaid that she’s embarrassing her countrymen with this behavior, and takes pictures of her as evidence. All the while, she just looks around bemusedly.
Joon Jae’s determined to find out what she’s holding, and pries open her fingers… to find one maraschino cherry. He tosses it aside, and she gobbles it up.
The local police arrive to cart the mermaid away, and while Joon Jae is mostly still annoyed, he doesn’t like seeing her handcuffed and asks if it’s necessary. The officer says that she’s a flight risk and says she’s now their prime suspect in a rash of recent thefts. Joon Jae doesn’t believe that, thinking it’s likelier that the girl is dimwitted. She casts a last look back at him, and he feels a twinge when he sees her scraped-up feet. But he shakes it aside and heads back in, where he looks over the photos he took of her—and this time, he notices the jade bracelet she’s wearing.
Riding in the back of the police car, the mermaid is awed at everything around her: all the people, the noises, the city sights. She makes little honking noises to mimic a car horn, then copies the screeching of tires. Everything amazes her, from the sliding doors she can’t quite figure out to the fish tank in the station.
Back at the hotel, Joon Jae talks to his partner, Nam Doo, about a potential new con, calling the item’s owner “not normal.” He must mean the mermaid and her bracelet, both of which are currently at the police station. The mermaid is so distracted by the sights and sounds she barely registers the frustrated policeman trying to question her, and when one officer reaches for a tissue, she delights in pulling them out of the box, over and over. The officer gets so upset with her inattention that he looms angrily, and then the mermaid reacts by shoving her handcuffed fists at his face, sending him flying against a closed door. She then finds a gun dropped on the floor and picks it up curiously, making everyone rear back in alarm. They hit the floor, and she tosses the gun aside to return to her tissue-pulling.
Joon Jae meets the flight attendant for a fancy lunch, who admits that she’s breaking her rule not to see plane passengers outside of the flight. He pours on the charm, surprising her with a magic trick that produces a necklace. He’s interrupted, though, by a text message from Nam Doo confirming that the bracelet is a real find: at least 400 years old, worth over 6 billion won if genuine. Suddenly his attention shifts entirely, and when the flight attendant asks about the necklace, Joon Jae backpedals and says it’s not for her. Saying it’s for his mother, he excuses himself immediately, leaving her confused and offended.
Joon Jae calls Nam Doo, who continues his explanation: There’s an engraving on the bracelet, which reads “Dam Ryung,” likely a name. Joon Jae stops in his tracks to hear the name, then heads to the police station, where he finds the mermaid in one of the jail cells, sleeping on a bed of tissues. Again, he’s bothered at the sight of her scratched-up feet.
The officer, now belligerent, refuses to let the mermaid go, and Joon-jae’s computer-like brain scans the man for information: He’s sensitive, hot-tempered, a newlywed, and susceptible to hypnosis. Joon Jae pulls out his lighter and distracts him with it, saying that the mermaid is his wife.
He convinces the officer that she’s dressed as a bride and says they have to leave for their honeymoon. Entranced, the officer apologizes and unlocks the cell, wishing them well.
Once outside, Joon Jae extends a hand in apology, although he takes her lack of response as a rejection. He asks about the bracelet, but that sends her fists up in defense mode, and he backs off, saying merely that it’s pretty. He offers to buy her a gift and urges her to come along, but stops short of touching her wrist and instead pinches her sweater. At a crosswalk, he has to yank her back from walking into traffic, pointing out that the light is red. The mermaid looks up at the lit-up red man with its arms outstretched, then throws out her arms to copy its pose.
Joon Jae takes the mermaid to a mall, where she’s spooked by the scary moving steps of an escalator. Exasperated, Joon Jae just picks her up (which passers-by take for romantic) and carries her along, all the way to the shoe section of a department store.
He picks out several pairs and tells her to try them. Of course, the mermaid just puts her hands in two flats and holds them to her chest, at which point he takes over to slide them on her feet. Satisfied now, he tells her to stop walking around barefoot, then takes her to try on dresses.
By now I’d be surprised if she did anything properly, and sure enough, she comes out of the dressing room with a sequined dress hanging on her head. Joon Jae shoves her into the dressing room, and somehow she manages properly this time. She can’t find Joon Jae when she comes out, though, because he’s stepped aside for a phone call. The mermaid wanders out into the shopping mall, following a juggler and the group of kids around him.
On his return, Joon Jae is alarmed to find the fitting room empty, and runs around the mall looking for “Six Billion.” Seeing a sign for missing children and a lost and found, he follows it and finally relaxes when he sees the mermaid sitting in a kiddie chair, licking a giant lollipop.
He chides her for wandering off without warning, and checks that she’s okay and unharmed. He’s mostly concerned about the bracelet, and when he sees it, he smiles in relief, which prompts the mermaid to smile too.
He takes her to eat next, and she shovels noodles in her mouth so ferociously that it makes Joon-jae cringe in embarrassment. He asks if she came from the jungle, wondering why she’s so entirely instinct-driven.
He shows her how to eat with a fork, and she looks quite pleased with herself when he praises her for it. It’s adorable how she keeps looking to him for approval as she eats with the fork.
He shows her how to eat with a fork, and she looks quite pleased with herself when he praises her for it. It’s adorable how she keeps looking to him for approval as she eats with the fork.
Over the dessert course, which basically means the mermaid shoving two handfuls of cake into her mouth, Joon Jae starts in on his standard smooth-talking lines, saying that they’ve become friendly now.
In magician mode, he brings out his lighter and burns a piece of string, which turns into a necklace. He fastens the necklace around her neck, and the mermaid looks at him quizzically, then smiles shyly to herself. Joon Jae, meanwhile, clutches the bracelet in his hand, having stolen it away without her noticing. After eating, he leads her back inside the mall, where he seats her on a bench and tells her to wait for him until he returns. He admittedly looks a little conflicted as he leaves, taking the elevator down, and after he’s gone, the mermaid looks up expectantly every time the elevator dings.
Joon Jae returns to his hotel and gets packing, and tells partner Nam Doo over the phone that the bracelet appears to be authentic. Nam Doo is impatient to meet up now that he has the item, but Joon-jae puts him off—he still has somewhere to go. He calls it merely “the end of the world,” though we can see in a map that he means to go to the Tower of Hercules, off the northwestern coast of Spain. He tells his friend to wait a week, then grabs his bags to head out. He pauses for a moment at the sight of a maraschino cherry on the ground, then exits.
Meanwhile, the mermaid continues to wait by the elevator, looking up at every ding, until it’s finally closing time and an employee tries to get her to leave. She seems to register that she has to go, and starts to walk away. As Joon Jae drives, the sight of a red stop light makes him think back to the mermaid mimicking the stop light.
She makes her way back to the children’s playroom at the mall, sitting there in the dark until an employee finds her there. She’s escorted to the door, and all she can do is stare uncomprehendingly at the annoyed employees. It’s raining out, but with nowhere to go, all she can do is huddle there by the door, waiting for somebody or nobody. But around the corner is Joon Jae, who approaches with an umbrella, extending it over her head. She smiles to see his face and extends an arm upward—reminiscent of her and Dam Ryung all those years ago—and Joon Jae reaches down to take her hand.
Flashing back to earlier in the day, the mermaid is back in the children’s playroom, staring at a giant lollipop being eaten by a little girl. She utters her first word—”Pretty”—and snatches the candy away. The girl protests, so the mermaid replies with another word she’s heard a lot: “Wait.”
Her voice narrates, “The word wait means something good is going to happen soon. That even if I am briefly far away like a wave, my friend will come to find me. That I don’t need to be afraid that nearby may be a shark or a scary person.”
That’s how Joon Jae finds her, sucking on the giant lollipop, sitting in a kiddie chair. Exasperated, he says, “I told you to wait. Don’t you know the word wait?” He checks that she’s okay and unhurt, and the mermaid thinks, “It means that my friend hopes I am not hurt, and makes my heart warm. It means that something good will happen soon.”
Personal Thought
Little Mermaid is a sad love story for a fairy tale and I think it's the only fairy tale who has a sad ending, yet it's such a beautiful love story that has been told over the years and through times. One thing that I am excited about is because other than the background story, the main cast is a high profile korean stars who happens to have experience in recent hit dramas Boys Over Flowers and You Who Came From The Star, Lee Min Ho and Jun Ji Hyun.
I have no worries with the acting because they have proved their skills and talent. Besides, I really like Jun Ji Hyun as Cheon Song Yi last time in You Who Came From The Star. She plays her part excellently and everyone falls for Cheon Song Yi. Her character now might be a little bit different from her last work, but both character is very strong and vivid. It's amazing to know that Jun Ji Hyun is able to deliver both character that is very distinct yet has a strong background. She shows totally a different side of her and it proves that Jun Ji Hyun is trully a A-list artist.
The first episode for me is good enough that made me curious how Heo Jeon Jae (Lee Min Ho) would end up together with the mermaid (Jun Jin Hyun). As little mermaid story ended with a sad ending, I am hoping so much that this modern Little Mermaid would give a happy ending instead. Despite my wariness to decide anything based on a first episode, I do think it delivered, and while I’m still waiting for some elements to gel and the story to truly get going, the first episode hit all the main points for me: intriguing characters, a wonderful performance in a sure-to-be-classic role for Jun Ji Hyun, a hint of whimsy, and a dash of poignancy. It’s not quite soup yet, but the ingredients are there and I’ll harbor hopes that it’ll continue to develop into a heartfelt and hilarious romance.
Meanwhile for how the story goes, I like it so much that everything makes sense in terms of how the mermaid can suddenly become human, how everything seems to be something new for her, how she adapts with the environment and how she learn to understand human's language. What I noticed the most is the connection between Heo Jeon Jae and the mermaid, where it's understandable why the mermaid falls for him. I am kinda afraid honestly if the mermaid would fall for a man because she happened to have a look at him. Yet this time, the memaid falls for a human because he is the first person who give his hands to her. I like it so much when she patiently wait for Jeon Jae to come back and pick him up even though she doesn't understand human's language. And when I thought Heo Jeon Jae would leave her alone, he actually comes back to pick her up and that's where everything set up for the story to progress.
Overall, I am satisfied with Jun Ji Hyun and Lee Min Ho's acting and how Park Ji Eun writter-nim build up the background story.
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