Hidden Identity

Hidden Identity was released on June 16th of this year. Ranging with sixteen action packed episodes starring Kim Bum, Park Sungwoong, Yoon So-yi and Lee Won-jong, Hidden Identity is a must see South Korean drama.

Plot

Cha Gun Woo is known as the unit's most impulsively driven member. Being a former Navy Seal for Korea's forces and on the tactical police division, it seems as if Gun Woo had gotten away with a lot of his foul mistakes. Suffering for the past eight years because of his girlfriend's death, Gun Woo plots revenge against the terrorist who murdered her before his own eyes. And apparently nabbing a spot within those sporting justice is the right way to do so.

After his partner is killed on the job, Gun Woo tracks down the vicious murder gang and dishes out his own form of justice. Piloting straight off a roof and landing atop his prey — killing him — Gun Woo is discharged for his service until Jang Moo-won, leader of his private investigation unit, brings him in.

Well disciplined and principled, Moo-won is is the leader of Team Investigation Five. Their services are so in depth that their records are wiped clean. Plotting undercover missions and stopping threats against their country, Team Investigation Five has the most prestigious individuals recruited by Moo-won himself. Jang Min-joo is known for her psychoanalysis of others and dishing out justice with some classy martial arts. Choi Tae-pyung on the other hand is cunning, sly and a master of disguise.

Becoming part of the family, Gun Woo is no longer alone to his miseries. When realizing that Min-joo, Tae-pyung and even head honcho Moo-won too have their demons, he slowly begins to scout proper vengeance against the man turned terrorist who ruined his life. But Cha Gun Woo has no idea the evils that await him and his team.

Overall

If I could use all caps and twirl around screaming at the gods for finally allowing me a drama full of beautiful miseries, I would. Hidden Identity is absolutely phenomenal.

I will admit that I may have been more biased towards choosing this drama after the disappointment of Iris, High School Love On, Flower Boy Next Door and You're All Surrounded (which I dropped because good god, what a disaster) because Park Sungwoong plays as Jang Moo-won. But thankfully the drama lived up to my expectations.

I think that's a personal problem of mine — setting the bar too high for certain things. But that didn't matter for Hidden Identity. Starting from character development to action packed throw downs, I was captivated from the very beginning.

I first saw Kim Bum in Boys Over Flowers, he was the iconic, flower boy hottie with anime-styled black hair, not a flaw on his face and the cutest puppy dog eyes one can ever find. Well, talk about a three-sixty turn. Kim Bum is the most rugged hot-head one can find with a bad past and always ready to throw down the gloves for personal fights. Of course, that makes him an impulsive asset to the police force and no one wants to deal with a nuisance.

I really liked how though eight years passed since his girlfriend was brutally murdered in front of him, Gun Woo holds onto this grief because he has no other way to let it go. I like the mental aspect of this and how it really deteriorates his person. From a fun-loving kid who is seen in the many flashbacks to a hardened beast that isn't in control of his emotions, Cha Gun Woo is a hot mess. Literally.

To say the least, he still has his puppy dog eyes. It's just ten times more heartbreaking when he flashes them at the screen because you can feel the emotion oozing out of his pores when he speaks. Now, I can sympathize with Gun Woo, but like all characters who seem to go through one huge crisis before turning around, Gun Woo does have his moments. From betraying the team and going against Moo-won's orders to get closer to the man who murdered his girlfriend, Gun Woo tattered his relationship with Min-joo who looked after him like the rookie member he was.

Because of his actions, Moo-won took the fall which put him in a heated position by the higher up's and Min-joo — who I believe looked up to Moo-won like he was her guardian — wasn't really a fan of that. Let me just go on to clarify how much of a favored female character Jang Min-joo happens to be. Props to Yoon So-yi for being more than a femme fatale. She was sly, seductive, but more importantly ready to strike her enemies down. There was in no doubt how much she appreciated Jang Moo-won. You could see it in her eyes every time they had a collection of words to share and she was the only one who was beyond peeved when Gun Woo jeopardized his own life and the life of his team members when going off to blindly follow his own objective.

I've seen Lee Won-jung in a few things. He played a couple minor roles and was actually in Sensory Couple as part of the detective team too. But his role was so minuscule, I'm glad to have a proper dose of his humorous being in Hidden Identity. It's really nice to see a face that isn't drop-dead serious like Park Sungwoong who seems to have intimidation circulating his aura. Won-jung just has a lovable face and he's like that uncle you always wanted. The cool dude who thinks he's part of the crew.

Choi Tae-pyung really brought some sense of light back at the department when Team Investigation Five were together. He's the kind-hearted man leading Cha Gun Woo through his daily rituals and helping the younger affiliate release his emotions in a safe and healthy way. He never once judged Gun Woo nor snapped at him like Min-joo (like an older sister) would. I think my favorite part of the whole show dealing with character development had to be when Gun Woo asked, "Why aren't you mad at me?" when it seemed the whole team was throwing daggers at him for going rampant.

Tae-pyung claimed, "I don't judge people for the actions they commit, rather, I try to understand what they're going through."

I think at one point, all of us are the Cha Gun Woo of life. Going through mental drama and emotional issues are sure enough to drive someone insane. Surrounding yourself with a leader who will never give up on you, a person that will remind you of your older sibling, and a being who understands to the best degree possible was inspiring. Team Investigation Five was the home for Gun Woo. It was there that he found his place.

While I didn't mention him in the synopsis above, I'll mention the character known as Min Tae-in played by Kim Taehoon. I will say, I've seen him act in The Man From Nowhere and Operation: Proposal and I fell in love with him. Can you tell the whole cast of Hidden Identity is spot on?

Regardless, when Tae-in was given some screen time, the audience was given a huge collection of information to look over:

1. He's the older brother of Min Tae-hee who is also Gun Woo's deceased girlfriend.

Talk about plot twist. I think we see that in the first episode and I was sputtering over my bowl of ramen. Like Gun Woo, Tae-in has his own demons to play with. While he was already on the police force when his little sister was brutally murdered, for the past eight years, Tae-in plays elaborate undercover missions to get closer to his sister's killer who happens to be a terrorist.

2. He's the lieutenant of Jang Moo-won's Team Investigation Five.

But he's undercover for a large portion of time so he's not always apparent at the office. I think Tae-in has to get most of the sympathy credit from me because his time in this drama is not an easy one. He's discovered to be a police agent and tortured horribly in the beginning few episodes. He's saved by Gun Woo who looks up to him like an older brother and Moo-won who seems to be his best friend. But that doesn't mean he's kept in a bubble for the rest of the drama.

3. His care for Cha Gun Woo is immense.

Naturally there's a strong bond if Tae-in entrusted Gun Woo to date his younger sister (who he was very protective over). In the many flashbacks, the trio were always together so not only were they close friends, but more like family. Upon Moo-won recruiting Gun Woo onto the team, Tae-in has immediate complaints and is worried about his safety. But trusting his best friend and leader, Tae-in allows Gun Woo to be part of the team even if he doesn't like it.

These are the three main things one needs to know before getting into Hidden Identity. And without spoiling the inevitable outcome of Tae-in and Team Investigation Five, I'll cut my ramblings of this favored character short.

Now, I've been going over crucial points of Hidden Identity so I could hold a little Park Sungwoong Fangirl Rock Session for myself. Let me go on to say that he's one of my favorite actors and I'm rather used to seeing him play the villain role (New World, For the Emperor, etc.) so there's no doubt that him playing as the lead investigator for Team Five is a little detrimental for the soul. Because he's still very sexy.

I really loved Jang Moo-won because he was the type to never give up on his team even if we — the audience — were screaming at the screen and telling him how to run the show. Perhaps being a well-executed leader and putting his full trust into Gun Woo and the others was something he did because of his years on the force. And I'd be lying if I didn't say I was worried for his life from time to time especially by the end.

While we have Choi Tae-pyung cracking jokes and Jang Min-joo allowing herself to relax during their lunch outings, I like Moo-won's being. Overall he's a pretty laid back guy who has to be a little serious now and again. But when he's ready to let loose with his close friends...well, can I say that's when I fell in love with him the most? Really, he's such a great guy and he never seems to hold a grudge against anyone on his team even if they make mistakes. Like Tae-pyung, Moo-won is understanding to the very core of his soul, but he isn't as verbal as his ally.

If you're a fan of all action, Hidden Identity is just for you. This is probably my most favorite drama over the handful that I've seen and for sixteen episodes, it'll keep you on the edge of your seat.