The JTBC weekend drama ‘More Beautiful than a Flower’ is receiving high praise for delIVEring cheerful laughter and heartwarming emotions. The story unfolding in a paradise that resembles our reality not only evokes empathy but also ironically prompts reflection on life through death.
In particular, the appearance of Han Kyung-ja (played by Lee Ah-joo), who raised herself like a mother for 60 years, and her husband Go Nak-joon (played by Son Seok-gu), whom she reunited with after death, made Lee Hae-sook (played by Kim Hye-ja) realize the preciousness of fate, even though they were not biological parents.
New connections were also made in paradise. Among them, Somi (played by Han Ji-min), whose identity and origins were unknown, piqued curiosity from the moment she appeared. Apart from the name ‘Go Nak-joon,’ she appeared without any warning, turning the couple’s paradise house upside down. When Lee Hae-sook misunderstood and became jealous, Go Nak-joon revealed the encounter on the train to the afterlife and the incident where Somi saved him at the station, drawing attention to the situation.
As the episodes progressed, various speculations about Somi’s identity emerged. Initially, Go Nak-joon started suspecting Somi after hearing from a paradise support center employee that memory confusion could occur if someone was forcibly brought to paradise from hell.
Meanwhile, Lee Hae-sook became anxious upon discovering familiar traces of Lee Young-ae (played by Lee Jung-eun) from Somi. His presence in paradise signified death.
However, a new church member, Park Chul-jin (played by Jung Sun-chul), confessed to being a hell escapee, and a sighting of Lee Young-ae in an unknown world outside paradise led to a twist. The remaining clues to focus on include the trio of stray dogs Jjajang (played by Shin Min-chul), Jjamppong (played by Kim Chung-gil), and Mandu (played by Yoo Hyun-soo) detecting a different scent from Somi compared to the humans in paradise, and Lee Hae-sook and Go Nak-joon’s pet cat Ssonya (played by Choi Hee-jin) reacting calmly to Somi upon their first meeting.
At the previous ‘More Beautiful than a Flower’ production presentation, director Kim Suk-yoon stated, “Han Ji-min was not originally cast in the role. She expressed interest and we created a character for her. The script was evolving, and it became even richer with Han Ji-min’s participation.”
Han Ji-min expressed her enthusiasm, saying, “I wanted to do anything if it was a project by Director Kim Suk-yoon. I was willing to work as a staff member if there was no role for me, just to work with Kim Hye-ja.”