Noh Hee-kyung

Early works, motherhood as theme

Noh said she wrote The Most Beautiful Goodbye in the World (1996) two years after the death of her own mother, as a tribute to her. The drama is about a devoted mother in her sixties whose family has always taken her for granted. But when they learn she has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and doesn't have much time left to live, they all come together for the first time to give her the support they haven’t given her before. With heart-wrenching dialogue and meaty performances from Na Moon-hee and Joo Hyun, the TV series brought Noh instant fame.^[10] The story of a dying mother resonated with viewers and critics alike, winning the Grand Prize for TV ("Daesang") and Best TV Drama at the 1997 Baeksang Arts Awards. After a 1997 novelization, Noh adapted the drama into a stage play in 2010, which starred Jung Ae-ri and Song Ok-sook in the lead role.^[11] In 2011, director Min Kyu-dong made a film adaptation entitled The Last Blossom.^[12]

Noh continued writing television dramas. Lie (1998), which started the "mania drama" trend (Korean slang for low ratings but big cult following online), is about a couple played by Lee Sung-jae and Yoo Ho-jeong who are unable to have children, and Bae Jong-ok as the woman who comes between them. In Did We Really Love? (1999), Bae Yong-joon struggles to choose between love or materialism, as embodied by Kim Hye-soo and Yoon Son-ha. Sad Temptation (1999), starring Kim Kap-soo and Joo Jin-mo, was the first drama to feature a gay couple on Korean TV. Foolish Love (2000), starring Lee Jae-ryong and Bae Jong-ok, competed in the same timeslot as the massive hit Hur Jun, and thus became one of the lowest-rated Korean dramas in history, at around 1%.^{[13][unreliable source?]} Solitude (2002) dealt with a single mother (Lee Mi-sook) who is pursued by a man (Ryoo Seung-bum) 15 years her junior.

In More Beautiful Than a Flower (2004), Noh explored the many facets of familial love when a mother (the "flower" of the title, played by Go Doo-shim) is diagnosed with dementia.^[14] The drama received several awards at the 2004 KBS Drama Awards, including Best Writer for Noh, and the Grand Prize ("Daesang") for Go.^[15] It also won Best TV Drama at the 2004 Baeksang Arts Awards.

Urban melodramas

Goodbye Solo (2006) is an urban melodrama with an ensemble of seven main characters of different generations and backgrounds: a bartender (Chun Jung-myung), an artist (Yoon So-yi), a gangster (Lee Jae-ryong), a restaurant owner (Kim Min-hee), a secretary (Kim Nam-gil), a divorcee (Bae Jong-ok), and a mute old lady (Na Moon-hee). All feeling alienated because of pain in their pasts, they gradually thaw and form a "family" borne out of emotional connection and mutual understanding. Noh said that the story unfolds around one theme: that everyone is beautiful just the way they are.^[16] Known for her distinctive and striking dialogue, Noh poured many of her personal stories into the show, including her own experiences with her mother.^[17][18] The drama is also notable for reinventing the career of actress Kim Min-hee. Previously not known as a particularly good actress, Kim was a big fan of Noh's, and she campaigned for a role, even being turned down five times by Noh. But on the sixth attempt, Noh saw the actress's determination and hidden potential that made her right for the character Mi-ri. Despite cries of miscasting from drama fans, Kim went through strict acting training and character analysis, showing great improvement in her performance and making the first steps towards her eventual transformation into a really good actress.^[19]

Noh then wrote several short dramas. In the four-episode Miracle (2006), Jang Yong played a man who reassesses his life after learning that he's in the final stages of lung cancer.

In Several Questions That Make Us Happy [ko], three stories unfold in omnibus format over two episodes. The drama's proceeds, including the fees of the writers, directors, and actors (excluding production costs), were donated. The aim of the drama was to emphasize the significance of volunteering in a challenging social environment. It involved several writers, including Noh Hee-kyung, Lee Sun-hee, and Seo Hee-jung, and was directed by Sung Joon-gi, with KBS producers Kim Yong-soo and Hong Seok-gu overseeing the project.^[20]

She reunited with director Pyo Min-soo (they had previously worked together on Lie, Sad Temptation, Foolish Love and Solitude) in The World That They Live In (also known as Worlds Within, 2008), about the hectic lives of a drama production team.^[21] Hyun Bin and Song Hye-kyo played TV directors who rekindle their romantic relationship. According to Song, after she and Pyo wrapped her last drama Full House in 2004, they had promised to work together with Noh.^[22] Song said, "I was their fan and so I had no reason to say no.^[23] Noh's writing is so good, it makes playing my role a challenge. It is hard to pull off natural and realistic acting." Noh, for her part, said she "relied a bit more on the actors and was able to express myself more freely."^[24]

Essays

In 2008, Noh published a collection of essays entitled Everyone Not in Love Now Are Guilty. It became a bestseller.^[25] The book was divided into four sections with varied themes, namely: "Life is too difficult to concentrate only on love"; "The thing that love demands first, before trust or tears"; "If I could hold all of life and people in my eyes"; "When they were lonely, what did we do?". The essays contained Noh's reflections on life and love, dramas and actresses she's worked with, and the topic of her mother, who has been the most important driving influence in Noh's life.^{[26][unreliable source?]}

Revival of single-episode dramas

After the single-episode anthology series Drama City was cancelled in 2008, TV writers and directors clamored for its revival. And in 2010, the now-renamed Drama Special aired its first episode, Red Candy, which was written by Noh. It starred Lee Jae-ryong as a forty-something married man going through a midlife crisis, who falls for a younger woman (Park Si-yeon) he sees everyday on the subway always carrying a red lollipop.^[27][28] Park said of Noh, "I felt that I had to be in whatever she writes."^[29]

Cable debut and ratings success

Noh then wrote Padam Padam, her first melodrama with elements of fantasy. It was also her first script to be aired on cable television since Padam Padam aired as one of jTBC's inaugural dramas in late 2011.^[30] Jung Woo-sung played the leading role of a man recently released from prison after a 16-year sentence for a crime he didn't commit. Noh said she had misjudged Jung as merely "a handsome actor who brightens your mood," but changed her mind after meeting him in person, calling him a "genuine actor."^[31] Deeply moved by Noh's previous drama More Beautiful than a Flower, Jung said he had "always wanted to be part of her work but have never had the chance to do so. This character fell into my lap one day, whether by coincidence or destiny."^[32] Supporting actor Kim Bum said that after acting the range of emotions his character goes through, he developed greater respect and gratitude towards Noh.^[33]

In 2013, Song Hye-kyo and Kim Bum once again committed to join Noh's next project, That Winter, the Wind Blows.^[34][35] Instead of an original script, Noh adapted the 2002 Japanese drama I Don't Need Love, Summer (愛なんていらねえよ、夏, Ai Nante Irane Yo, Natsu).^[36] Song starred opposite Zo In-sung, who portrayed a gambler whose survival depended on pulling off the ultimate con ― pretending to be his deceased friend so that the friend's blind sister would hand over her inheritance to him.^[37][38] Unlike most of Noh's dramas, Winter received solid ratings and held the number one spot in its timeslot for 8 consecutive weeks.^[39] However, it also disappointed her longtime fans, who criticized the drama for not being realistic enough and focusing excessively on "pretty" imagery.^[40]

Noh worked with Zo In-sung again in 2014's It's Okay, That's Love, which also reunited her with Gong Hyo-jin, who had previously starred in Noh's Wonderful Days (2001).^[41] This was Noh's fourth collaboration with director Kim Kyu-tae, after Worlds Within, Padam Padam, and That Winter, the Wind Blows. Kim said he and Noh wanted to make a drama that challenged social prejudices against the mentally ill, through the love story of a schizophrenic mystery novelist and a sexually phobic psychiatrist.^[42] Noh wrote a letter to the cast and crew on their last read-through that said, "During the rehearsals, we cried and laughed. Because I felt a bit sad about the time left with the team, I forgot about the pain of creativity and wanted to write a couple more episodes."^[43] Despite lackluster TV ratings, It's Okay, That's Love drew critical praise and ranked third on the Content Power Index (CPI measures non-traditional variables such as the number of mobile and Internet streaming viewers and online "buzz" in social media).^[44] It also kickstarted a micro-trend of Korean dramas with themes related to mental illness, such as Kill Me, Heal Me and Hyde Jekyll, Me.

I prefer passionate people. I dislike cynical individuals the most. I feel uncomfortable around those who spend their time belittling their own lives and those who are sarcastic. That's why my characters don't pretend to suffer alone. They simply endure suffering; they don't pretend to be the only ones suffering. In my younger years, I only saw my own pain. So, I understand why writers in their 30s write such stories. They need time to immerse themselves in their own experiences. However, when a writer reaches their forties or fifties, it's not good to remain engulfed in their own pain. The moment they start to observe and empathize with others' pain is when they become adults. That's why my characters also begin to see the people around them. In "Our Blues," too, each household has its own struggles and sorrows.^[45]

in October 2021, Noh announced her latest project Our Blues set in Jeju Island, has a star-studded cast include Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Cha Seung-won, Lee Jung-eun, Uhm Jung-hwa, Han Ji-min, and Kim Woo-bin.^[46] The series portrays the lives of individuals at different stages of their lives, capturing their joys and hardships. Set against the scenic backdrop of Jeju Island, it follows an omnibus format that delves into their stories. The characters are triggered by Eunhee (Lee Jeongeun) and Dongseok (Lee Byunghun).^[47]

Our Blues premiered on tvN on April 9, 2022, and aired every Saturday and Sunday at 21:10 (KST) for a total of 20 episodes.^[48][49]

Film

TV series

Theater

Awards and nominations

State honors

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