Source
http://content.mbc.co.krAlternative title : "Couple or Trouble"
Synopsis
Amnesia becomes the culprit behind a drama of labor extortion under the pretext of love!!
Two people as different as night and day, who would never even cross paths under normal circumstances, come together in an outrageous situation and are eventually reborn as a fantastic couple.
And the catalyst that brings about the entanglement of this unlikely couple?
That most common of all common excuses: amnesia.
Three out of every ten protagonists in TV drama shows suffer amnesia, and the heroine of Couple in Trouble is no exception.
In this situation, the dashing hero ought naturally to rise to the occasion by taking her in and sheltering her from harm, but...
Sorry, not this time.
A clichd situation gets a thoroughly new makeover through the use of unique characters.
A drama of labor extortion with the heroines memory as hostage.
The singular storyline puts a twist on a hackneyed subject, providing fresh and provocative entertainment.
Episode guide
< Episode 1, 2 >
Anna Cho, a Korean-American and the daughter of big-time real estate mogul Richard Cho, boards a plane for Korea after becoming annoyed by the weather in New York. Her husband Billy Park, who always longs to escape Anna’s tyrannical and high-handed ways, has been sojourning in Korea’s Namhae for the third straight month under the pretext of overseeing the handover of a resort. While driving along a deserted road, Anna gets lost and runs her car into a ditch.
Jang Cheol-su, who lives with his three nephews and runs a small-time construction business whose sign displays the motley title of “General Construction, Architecture, Interior Design, and Engineering,” comes across the stranded Anna on his way home. Cheol-su, who is seriously thick-skinned and obsessed about money, gets out of his car and offers Anna help at the price of 30 dollars.
While Cheol-su is working, Anna sits waiting in his car. She takes Cheol-su’s jacket, which he has taken off, and wipes the dirt from her shoes. She suddenly notices some red blotches on the jacket and mistakes them for bloodstains. She looks at the backseat and also mistakes a half-covered mannequin for a human body. Stricken with terror, she turns her eyes to Cheol-su’s face, which, in a sudden flash of lightning, appears deadly and sinister.
Meanwhile, as he is working, Cheol-su keeps looking suspiciously back at Anna as she rustles around in his car, concerned about the envelope of money he left in his jacket pocket. Feeling alarmed, Cheol-su approaches the car with his shovel in hand; casting about for a weapon, Anna wraps Cheol-su’s jacket around a toilet plunger and assumes a defensive stance. The moment Cheol-su reaches to open the door, she kicks it open and Cheol-su falls to the ground...
< Episode 3 >
Thinking that Anna is dead, Billy holds her funeral on the yacht. He takes his wedding ring out of his pocket to look at it, but it rolls away across the deck. Walking toward the railing to pick it up, Billy finds himself hanging by the rail after the yacht gives a violent lurch. Faced with the same situation that landed Anna in the sea, Billy wonders if Anna didn’t commit suicide after all and died by accident instead.
While driving along the country road, Billy comes across Anna on her way to the supermarket. Assailed by an eerie feeling, he turns around and spots Anna’s back. Anna, who inadvertently ends up stealing ice cream at Gang-ja’s urging, flees to the overpass to avoid the store owner’s pursuit. While under the overpass because of Mr. Gong’s business, Billy sees Anna once more. Firmly believing Anna’s death as fact, Billy takes Anna for a ghost. Too terrified even to scream, he faints to the ground.
Thinking that he has done Anna such wrong that she has come back to haunt him, Billy is swept by fear and anxiety. However, Mr. Gong lays out Cheol-su’s clothes, business card, and speeding ticket, declaring that Anna and Cheol-su were likely having illicit relations and that the fault surely lies with Anna rather than with Billy. Exclaiming that he can’t forgive her infidelity even if she’s dead, he sets out to meet Cheol-su.
< Episode 4 >
After feigning ignorance and leaving Anna behind, Billy becomes anxious and goes to see her again. He runs into her at the supermarket and is relieved to confirm once again that she is suffering from amnesia. Following her home, Billy sees Anna laughing out loud when Cheol-su falls on his back while doing the laundry. He is shocked to recall that Anna never once laughed when she was with him. Billy declares to Mr. Gong that he is departing for the U.S. without Anna and tells him to hasten the preparations.
While out to buy a medicinal patch for Anna’s sore wrist, Cheol-su encounters a few of Yu-gyeong’s friends at the pharmacy and learns that she is waiting for a fiancé who will never arrive. Cheol-su asks one of his friends, who drives a cab, to make sure Yu-gyeong gets home safely.
Cheol-su forgets about the patch and returns home empty-handed. Feeling somewhat apologetic toward Anna, he soothes her wrist with a hot towel. He tells her that he will take her to the hospital if it continues to hurt, and seeing Cheol-su up-close Anna thinks to herself that he isn’t all that bad. She feels her cheeks flush hotly at the thought.
< Episode 5 >
Taking Cheol-su for a professional con-man who steals from women, Billy gives a massive sum of money to Mr. Gong and instructs him to negotiate with Cheol-su. At Cheol-su’s office, he sees the calendar on which Cheol-su has written the 1,500 dollars he plans to get back from Anna and mistakes it for 15 million dollars. The air brimming with tension, he prepares to open the bag of money, but just at that moment, Deok-gu receives a phone call from Anna. Overhearing their conversation, Mr. Gong realizes that something is amiss. He excuses himself by saying he made a mistake and hurries out with the bag.
Back at Cheol-su’s house, just as Billy is about to tell Anna that he is her husband, Mr. Gong rushes in. Pressed for time, he declares that this is the wrong house and drags Billy away.
Cheol-su, hearing that Yu-gyeong is going to Jin-ju to pick up her wedding gown, is pained to think of her going alone without even a fiancé. He offers to go with her, saying he has to buy some paint and materials. After seeing Yu-gyeong in her wedding gown at the dress shop, Cheol-su soothes his aching heart by drinking alone at a sidewalk bar.
Meanwhile, Anna learns from Deok-gu and Gye-ju’s conversation that Cheol-su has gone with Yu-gyeong. She finds herself strangely troubled at the idea. Receiving a phone call from Cheol-su after 9 o’clock, Anna heads out to the bar to offer him her company. But Cheol-su merely tells her that he needs her to be his designated driver.
< Episode 6 >
Billy overhears the male staff whispering among themselves that Billy might have killed Anna, seeing how he gave Princess away the moment she was gone. In consternation, he hurries to the pet shop to find Princess. Anna, who happened to be passing by, sees Princess at the pet shop and goes to her as if in a trance. Billy does not see Anna. He retrieves Princess and comes out of the pet shop, but Princess swiftly escapes his arms and runs into Anna’s. Anna asks him if he isn’t the man who came to her house last time and remarks that his cat is really beautiful, as she continues to stroke the purring animal. In bewilderment, Billy can only nod his head.
Meanwhile, Deok-gu’s family throws a party for a few of the neighbors to celebrate the end of the harvest. Anna, who had previously stated that she cannot drink anything that does not agree with her palate, continues to throw back bowl after bowl of rice wine, saying that the more she drinks it, the more she finds it appealing. Anna tells Cheol-su that, although she doesn’t know the details because she’s lost all her memory, she is nonetheless aware that he didn’t take her in because he still has feelings for her. Declaring that he is a pretty decent fellow, Anna tells him that he has to keep being a decent fellow until she finds a place to stay. Seeing Anna burp and smile like a kid, Cheol-su feels apologetic rather than repulsed.
< Episode 7 >
On his wedding anniversary, Billy receives a package in the States. Inside what turns out to be Anna’s anniversary present for him is the picture of an island in the South Pacific and a CD. In the video letter, Anna tells Billy that she has bought an island for him as his fifth anniversary gift. Overcome with emotion, Billy cries out loud with self-reproach at the thought that he abandoned Anna. But soon enough, Anna also notes that a husband should never kill his wife for her wealth and that she has written her will, sending Billy into panic.
Meanwhile, Cheol-su prepares to leave for an uninhabited island to paint the last remaining lighthouse. Although she complains outwardly that it will be cold and troublesome, she is secretly excited at the prospect. However, Cheol-su tells her to stay at home and leaves on his own. Waiting at the house, Anna sees the storm become increasingly fierce. Worried for Cheol-su’s safety, she calls him but is unable to reach him. When Deok-gu tells her that the fishing boat Cheol-su left in still hasn’t returned, Anna’s face turns pale...
< Episode 8 >
While strolling through the resort, Mr. Gong runs into his first love, Gye-ju, among the group of women who have come to work there. He hands her a free pass to the spa and asks her to come visit. Gye-ju rounds up the neighborhood women, Gang-ja, and Anna, and the group heads to the spa. Mr. Gong, aghast at seeing Anna, tries to prevent the group from entering so that the staff would not spot Anna. Receiving the news, Billy also rushes to the scene, but Anna and her cohort are already inside the resort lobby.
As Anna and her friends are about to head home after their bath, Gang-ja starts running toward the villas. Gye-ju tells Anna to bring Miss Na, who is Gang-ja’s friend. Stepping inside Billy’s villa, Gang-ja notices Billy and Anna’s wedding pictures. Wondering why there are pictures of Anna in the room, she puts one of them in her bag. Anna hurriedly drags Gang-ja out, remarking that they will be in big trouble if they are found out. At that moment, Billy arrives, and Anna asks him to overlook the intrusion just once since they already know each other. Startled and at a loss, Billy nods and Anna thanks him. Hearing Anna utter words she never used before, Billy’s face clouds over and he is overtaken by a feeling of guilt at what he has done to Anna.
< Episode 9 >
Anxious and concerned that he cannot contact Anna when she is not around, Cheol-su buys a cell phone. Deok-gu, who receives Hyo-jeong’s phone call about throwing a birthday party for Yu-gyeong, mistakenly thinks that Cheol-su bought the phone for Yu-gyeong’s birthday. Yu-gyeong, who hears the news from Hyo-jeong and becomes delighted, goes to see Cheol-su. Unfortunately, Cheol-su asks Yu-gyeong what brings her to see him and does not even mention her birthday. He notes that he is getting off work early and offers to take her home, but Yu-gyeong, whose pride is hurt, just turns around and leaves.
Receiving the cell phone, Anna is pleasantly surprised by the unexpected gift but asks if she can exchange it for another color. After getting a new phone in the color of her choice, Anna says she will give Cheol-su a celebratory call and starts to dial his number, when there is a phone call from a drunken Yu-gyeong. Anna’s face turns rigid and her mood is dampened, but she accompanies Cheol-su to the bar all the same.
After Cheol-su goes to the pharmacy to buy medicine for Yu-gyeong, Anna tells Yu-gyeong that she will call a cab for her to go home in. Yu-gyeong opens her eyes, sits up straight, and looks at Anna. She stuns Anna by calmly noting that it’s no easy task to pretend drunkenness and fall down. She remarks that she and Cheol-su share so many precious memories. When she sarcastically says, “I guess you don’t know what that’s like since you have no memories at all,” Anna doesn’t know what to say and feels pathetic.
< Episode 10 >
Cheol-su learns the address of someone who worked on Anna’s yacht and heads for Noryangjin, Seoul. After seeing Anna’s photograph, the man notes that the boat he worked on, though similar, is a different one. He offers to ask around about it, since such a large yacht is a rarity in Korea. Cheol-su also stops by the missing persons center and asks to be contacted if anyone comes looking for Anna.
Meanwhile, Billy receives the call that someone has been asking about the yacht. He orders Mr. Gong to go to Seoul at once. Mr. Gong meets the man who spoke with Cheol-su and gives him hush money.
Anna answers the phone call from the missing persons center meant for Cheol-su. Hearing the center employee say that they are trying to send Cheol-su information regarding a care facility for someone he is looking after, Anna feels all her strength draining from her body. To make matters worse, Yu-gyeong meets Anna and declares that she loves Cheol-su. Anna is saddened at Yu-gyeong question: isn’t it true that Anna doesn’t love Cheol-su?
< Episode 11 >
Learning that she isn’t Na Sang-sil but a woman of enormous wealth, Anna feels betrayed and tells Cheol-su to leave the house. She goes to the police station, but is thrown into despair at finding out that no one has been looking for her. Unable to contact her, Cheol-su searches up and down for her. He comes across her as she sits at a bus stop crying. She reproaches herself, saying that her own family abandoned her, and he consoles her by telling her that there must be a reason why they are unable to look for her. He offers her his hand, saying he will hold onto her tightly until she has somewhere to return to. He also asks her to forgive him for deceiving her. Anna replies that she will forgive him since she needs to mooch off him for a while, and thanks him for coming to find her.
Meanwhile, Billy, who has been hovering near Anna, is startled to hear Cheol-su and Deok-gu speculating that someone seems to have erased the records and phone number for the boat in order to swallow Anna’s wealth. Billy is tormented by anxiety, thinking that he should have brought her back before the suspicions started.
< Episode 12 >
While driving fast around a corner, Anna swerves to avoid Billy, who has been waiting for her with her favorite raspberry mousse, and crashes lightly into a wall. Billy rolls away to avoid the car, hurting his arm in the process. Although the accident was her fault, Billy takes responsibility for it in order to win Anna’s good graces and offers to fix Cheol-su’s car. Seeing him cradling his injured arm, Anna notes that a patch is the best thing for a throbbing arm and applies one to the wound herself. Billy says he would like to buy her dinner to show his appreciation.
Meanwhile, Yu-gyeong asks Cheol-su to hold onto her. But Cheol-su answers that he will not be able to get over Anna even if she leaves, and tells Yu-gyeong that he can never go back to her...
< Episode 13 >
Anna is invited to Gang-ja’s birthday party and ends up hanging out with the neighborhood folks. The carefree merrymaking feels awkward at first, but Anna is soon infected by the jovial atmosphere. When Gang-ja’s father asks her when she and Cheol-su are getting married, Gang-ja firmly replies that “Sang-shil” cannot marry Cheol-su since she’s already married to someone else. Gang-ja looks sadly at Anna, saying “the nice man” will cry if “Sang-shil” marries Cheol-su. Discomfited, Anna darts sidelong glances at Cheol-su, who smiles frankly at her in return. Seized by an inexplicable feeling of unease, Anna’s face darkens.
Meanwhile, Yu-gyeong, who has resolved to remain by Cheol-su’s side, gets a job at Billy’s resort. She is sent on an errand to Billy’s villa, with the promotion plans for a golf competition that she is supposed to give to Billy. Just when she is standing outside the door, Billy tells Mr. Gong to see if Jang Cheol-su has left the construction site. Hearing the name “Jang Cheol-su,” Yu-gyeong turns around to look—and sees Billy standing in front of a large wedding photo of him and Anna. She is stunned at the sight of the wedding photo and Billy.
< Episode 14 >
Yu-gyeong overhears Billy and Mr. Gong’s conversation. Discovering that Anna is the wife of the resort’s owner, she runs over to Cheol-su’s house to tell him the truth but encounters Anna there instead. Anna, though completely unaware of the truth, is undaunted. She tells Yu-gyeong that she will stay with Cheol-su even if her memory comes back. Offended by Anna’s declaration, Yu-gyeong decides not to tell her what she has found out.
Meanwhile, Billy goes to Gang-ja in an attempt to find the ring, but misses her. He tries to look for the ring at Cheol-su’s house, but is pained when he sees Anna having a fun time with the children.
Anna misses Cheol-su, who has gone on a business trip to a faraway locale. She meets her old self in her dream, but is awakened by Cheol-su’s phone call and ends up confessing to him that she loves him…
< Episode 15 >
Billy goes to Cheol-su and pleads with him to cover up the past so that Anna can return to her proper place. When Anna regains consciousness, Billy tells her that everything has been a misunderstanding caused by Cheol-su and asks her to think of it as a passing dream. Billy throws away Anna’s clothes and the cell phone Cheol-su bought for her. Anna struggles to get over what happened, telling herself that she is Anna Cho, not Na Sang-shil.
Meanwhile, Cheol-su tries hard to forget Anna, but the mere sight of a Chinese food delivery case reminds him of her and his face turns rigid.
< Episode 16 >
Anna spends time with the resort employees, drinking grain wine and playing cards with them as if she were still Na Sang-shil. The employees are puzzled by her behavior, but warms up to her changed, amiable self. Nonetheless, a cold, lonely wind blows through Anna’s own heart. Watching her, Billy finds himself wracked with unease…
