The thirteenth drama is A Love to Kill 이 죽일놈의 사랑. This drama also became the second drama I watched with Rain as the main male lead. A Love to Kill is also the last drama I watched during my high school years. A Love to Kill was one of those dramas I picked out also because the title alone was captivating. It seemed like another revenge story and having just watched Resurrection, I was definitely ready to sink into another action drama. Shin Min Ah and Kim Sa Rang were two of the female lead actresses for A Love to Kill. I noticed how amazingly pretty they both were and was even more interested in this drama.
Kang Bokgoo (Rain) is a F-1 fighter who likes to fight but refuses to win any championships because he is not interested in the attention that comes with winning. With a mother who abandoned her family and an abusive father who was a triad leader, Bokgoo had bullied a lot and got into a lot of fights. His older brother, Mingoo, tried many times to tell Bokgoo to let go and ignore them. Bokgoo doesn't know anything else but fighting. After many years, Bokgoo sees his brother again. They're sitting on the roof drinking beer and talking. Later, Bokgoo sees his older brother stare off at an electronic billboard announcing Cha Eunsuk's marriage. Cha Eunsuk (Shin Min Ah) is a famous movie actress. Mingoo is mesmerized and walks slowly towards the billboard. Bokgoo laughs, jokingly calling his brother a stalker. However, Mingoo is so entranced, he is completely unaware of his surroundings. Bokgoo watches in horror as his brother Mingoo walk right off the roof. Mingoo is now lying in the hospital in a vegetative state. Bokgoo learns of his brother's relationship with Eunsuk. He blames Eunsuk for his brother's current situation and decides to get revenge on her. Bokgoo plans to get close to Eunsuk and emotionally destroy her. In order to get closer to her, Bokgoo becomes Eunsuk's bodyguard. As he carries out his plans for revenge, Bokgoo begins to realize he's gradually falling in love with her.
Bokgoo's character is one of the coolest ones I've ever seen in a drama. Bokgoo's the type of guy who would not take grudges on those who hurt him. However, if someone were to hurt those important to him, he would practically fight to the death for them. Shin Min Ah does a fantastic job in her role as Eunsuk. Although Eunsuk is detestable for what happened to Mingoo, one can't help but feel sorry for her. A lot of the events were out of her control and decisions were made that clearly were not ones that she wanted. One of the most interesting parts to this drama is the relationship between Bokgoo and Han Dajung (Kim Sa Rang). Dajung helped Bokgoo escape from a fire when a fight in a warehouse turned bad. As a result, Dajung is forever left with scars on her body. Bokgoo lives with Dajung, taking care of her. Although Dajung loves Bokgoo, his feelings for her are mostly out of guilt. It introduces the idea that "Love isn't something you do because of debt." Bokgoo's initial relationship with Eunsuk is quite the opposite. It can be said that their theme is "Hate isn't something you do because of debt." Bokgoo feels the need to avenge his brother and chooses to hate her despite having absolutely no idea what kind of person she truly is. These two themes are presented very well in A Love to Kill.
The soundtrack to A Love to Kill features some nice songs. For those who've watched A Love to Kill, they would recognize K.Will's "Dream 꿈" and Lee Soo Young's "A Love to Kill 이 죽일 놈의 사랑". Both K.Will and Lee Soo Young are known for their powerful vocals for ballads.
Having watched Full House before A Love to Kill, I'm quite convinced Rain is more suitable for these tough guy roles over pretty boy roles. A Love to Kill showcases Rain's ability to fight. Regardless of the degree of how choreographed the fights were, the fights were very interesting to watch. A Love to Kill shows how unbelievable it is for someone like Bokgoo, who is driven by revenge to want to hurt someone, to find himself being equally hurt by his actions. The moment when he completes his revenge, Bokgoo realizes he isn't satisfied with the results. One can argue he might even feel regret for hurting Eunsuk. I highly recommend watching A Love to Kill. It's a tragic story from start to finish that is simply a classic among these kind of revenge love stories.
