My Lovely Sam Soon or My Name is Kim Sam Soon (a direct translation of the Korean title) is a South Korean drama series which was aired on MBC TV from June 1, 2005 to July 21, 2005. The series was a major hit in South Korea since its premiere and 50.5 percent of Korean households tuned in to the finale.
Some critics believe its huge success was due to the show's focus on the life of a single and chubby woman in her late twenties. The physical appearance and stereotype that the female character highlighted (in the sense of relatively older and overweight) portrayed in the drama increased dramatically the popularity particularly. Actress Kim Seon-Ah is noted to have gained 15 pounds for the role. For such reasons, the drama is said to be the Korean version of Bridget Jones in Seoul.
The official English title for the drama is "My Lovely Sam Soon" But is also referred to by the direct translation from the Korean title - My name is Kim Sam-soon. The drama is also considered part of the Korean Wave because of its popularity all around Asia (alongside Princess Hours and Full House
Her main passion and skills are in baking, as she does not have much of a social life, dreams of changing her name (Sam-Soon is considered a very old-fashioned and embarrassing name) and owning a shop of her own. After her breakup with her boyfriend, she managed to land herself in a big French restaurant working as a patiesseur for a rude and angsty 27-year-old man called Hyun Jin-Heon. Both were in bad terms ever since they set eyes on each other. But one day, Sam-Soon finds herself in need of 50 million won (Korean currency, approximately $50,000) to pay for her mother's house. She agrees to be Hyun Jin-Heon's girlfriend for that amount. During their pretend dating they slowly become more affectionate with each other. When things seem to go accordingly, Hyun Jin-Heon's ex-girlfriend, Yoo Hee-Jin, enters the scene and life for Sam-Soon starts getting much worse. Jin-heon then realizes that he is happier with Sam-Soon and can't stop thinking about her. He confesses his love to her after she tells him that she hates people who don't confess their feelings towards the person they like. Hee-Jin asks Jin-Heon to accompany her on her return to the United States. Sam-Soon allows him to go, and he does not return within the promised duration. He soon arrives, and they find out that he has been sending postcards to the wrong address. Sam-Soon and Jin-Heon attempt to get her pregnant, in order to convince Jin-Heon's mother into allowing their marriage. The plan fails, but they remain together.
Near the very end of the series, Sam-Soon reads a poem from a poster on a bus stop: "Dance like no one's watching. Sing like no one's listening. Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt before. Live like there's no tomorrow.
