Mask, Secret writer returns to SBS with new revenge melodrama
by girlfriday
We’ve got another revenge melo on the way from writer Choi Ho-chul, who made waves with his first drama Secret over at KBS, and then followed it up with the Su Ae chaebol doppelganger drama Mask on SBS last year. This time he’s returning to SBS with a new drama described as “the male version of Mask” titled Deal, which is being planned for a Wednesday-Thursday slot this summer.
The new series will be about a man who loses a sibling who was the world to him. In order to get revenge for that murder, he’ll enter a chaebol family. If it really is the male version of Mask, it’ll have to involve a false identity and taking over the life of a doppelganger, though it’s possible they only meant the comparison in the broadest poor-commoner-joins-chaebol-family way.
The description does refer to The Prince and the Pauper as a theme though, so I wouldn’t count doppelgangers out just yet. The hero’s revenge promises to be satisfying and ardent, and it’ll involve a love story between a woman who has everything but isn’t happy, and a man who has very little but is happy. Their relationship will cross the class divide and show the true worth of sincere love.
I wouldn’t say that Mask broke the mold on love overcoming money or anything, but it had a sweet love story between a chaebol and his faux-chaebol wife. Actually, this new drama sounds closer to the secondary couple in that drama — Yeon Jung-hoon and Yoo In-young. Too bad he was so evil; he could’ve been the hero of this drama and made it a spinoff.
Deal is set to follow Entertainer (which is after Come Back, Ajusshi) on Wednesdays and Thursdays beginning in June.
Via IS Plus
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1 jkda
March 15, 2016 at 11:20 AM
I've been wanting to check out Mask, is it just as cracktastic as Secret?
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hibeautiful
March 15, 2016 at 11:31 AM
Nope. It was only good at the first half. but later, it became frustrating (not making sense? illogical? name it). I didn't even watch the last two episodes.
It had potentials though.
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sorrynotsorry
March 15, 2016 at 11:54 AM
I agree to a certain extent. I was pretty happy about it through a huge part of it's run but went out of town and upon my return, it took me a month to finish up the series (with 3 episodes left). Also the reasoning for a lot of the evilness was pretty lame.
Having said that, now that I know it was this guys first drama, I'm pretty impressed it was as good as it was. I would give this a go and hope he's tightened up his plotting a little bit.
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sorrynotsorry
March 15, 2016 at 11:56 AM
sorry, 2nd drama.
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hibeautiful
April 29, 2016 at 3:29 AM
Just realized I was too bitter while writing my 1st comment here lol
Honestly, Mask was so addictive (The main leads had great chemistry, the pace at the 1st half was fast, the maids who seemed to love the female lead were cute with all the cake tiers stuff) ... until the flaws in the drama were getting worse, so, my excitement eventually went down.
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deyaa
March 17, 2016 at 12:12 AM
the female lead is getting weak and weaker ..just like HJE's character in secret. if she want to create a female revenge character, than find the strong one...
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Ramsha
March 15, 2016 at 12:16 PM
It's true that the drama stopped making much sense towards the end but I can guarantee you won't be bored.
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August
March 15, 2016 at 1:19 PM
+1
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Lord Cobol
March 15, 2016 at 2:22 PM
Even if you don't want to watch the whole thing, watch the first minute and 20 seconds of ep 1 for the way it mocks kdrama-land's traditional cliff-hangers and deer-in-the-headlights first-kiss look.
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g.pap
March 15, 2016 at 11:12 PM
You're so right! LOL...
This writer has the unique ability of trolling all the clichés we have ever seen and yet his dramas somehow make sense. He's just not so lucky when it comes to developing the plot; I forgave Secret for all the known reasons since he was still a rookie at the time but Mask's storyline was literally ruined by all those horrifying PPLs.
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kalel
March 16, 2016 at 2:06 AM
Those PPLs in Mask kill all the fun. SBS chose the commercial "success" over the storyline and made this drama an experience that haunted me for weeks. I wonder if the writer really wants a second round of this mess.
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iamdeb
March 15, 2016 at 2:57 PM
NOT EVEN CLOSE.
frustrating drama and I was so annoyed by the idiotic female lead I could not finish it.
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Sera The Ms Temper
March 15, 2016 at 7:25 PM
Mask is one of those dramas that at first you watch because of main lead couple's stories but end up wanting more of second leads, because main lead story becomes so boring.
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pinny
March 16, 2016 at 2:42 AM
This.
I ended up skipping everything except the 2nd leads' story. Didn't finish when I realised they were not going to end well ?.
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Aigoooo
March 15, 2016 at 11:07 PM
It is cracktastic but also deeply flawed.
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2 Nthrprtn
March 15, 2016 at 11:37 AM
Mask was so addictive at the start - slick directing, great chemistry between charismatic leads - soo ae and yeon jung hoon were my faves. Then it just got increasingly ridiculous. Like the hunting scene, what was that? The writing couldn't follow through imo.
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windsun33
March 15, 2016 at 1:21 PM
I wonder how much of that badly done 2nd half of Mask was due to the director?
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kalel
March 16, 2016 at 2:13 AM
I think it was the station's choice to overflow the drama with tons of PPLs and that didn't leave enough room for the characters to develop and the story to be told - the second half was indeed a "commercial" mess.
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3 fay17
March 15, 2016 at 11:47 AM
Can we have YJH nevertheless.He's a sucker for these kind of roles.
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4 BA
March 15, 2016 at 11:51 AM
Secret was pretty awesome and that is due to strong storyline, 4 leads and OTP having such a strong chemistry and OST was daebak. Mask started out strong but fizzled after 7-8 ep. So hoping that this time writer dos a decent job
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5 asdfasdf
March 15, 2016 at 12:25 PM
Choi Ho Chul was only a secondary writer for Secret, it's Yoo Bora who should be credited for its success. I don't have high hopes since Deal sounds like it's gonna be pretty similar to Mask.
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Miky
March 15, 2016 at 1:31 PM
I think she won an award with Secret
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canxi
March 15, 2016 at 6:55 PM
Yeah, I didn't even realize there were two writers for Secret until after watching Mask. Still, a writer can grow and I'll be interested in seeing how and if this writer has because they've definitely got star-writer potential imo.
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6 alpha
March 15, 2016 at 12:40 PM
Secret was amazing. Mask started off great but then lost all its steam from the middle onwards. Soo Ae started becoming so annoying with her innocent puppy look.
So yeah, lets see how this will be. Depends on the actors too.
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7 Mayisoon
March 15, 2016 at 12:51 PM
Secret and Mask were both really fun for me, but a lot will depend on the casting. I think SuAe and JiSung were pivotal in making these shows as addictive watches as they were.
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8 MsB
March 15, 2016 at 1:10 PM
Liked both; will watch!!
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9 windsun33
March 15, 2016 at 1:23 PM
Secret was the only show that beat Heirs in the same time slot when they were running. One of the few new shows I am looking forward to.
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g.pap
March 15, 2016 at 11:25 PM
Yes, it was the only show that beat Heirs. If Secret had aired the original 20-ep version, I don't thing KES's drama would have been first in that time slot before its last week.
I'm lookin' forward to this one, too!
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10 Miky
March 15, 2016 at 1:29 PM
Please make Yeon Jung-hoon the lead,nothing new as theme wise but somehow this writer works always keeps me wanting for more
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11 leila
March 15, 2016 at 2:00 PM
secret was amazing!!!!!
mask had a good start, but like other viewers said it got ridiculous towards the end. still good entertainment nonethelesss :)
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12 sweetsour
March 15, 2016 at 2:35 PM
Pass from me, I couldn't get past the first few eps of "Mask".
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13 fabdrama
March 15, 2016 at 3:12 PM
Revenge is best served with a pinch of angst. These dramas had really good actors so I'm not worried about the casting.
Although...is Lee Bo-young ready for a comeback yet??
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kanz
March 15, 2016 at 5:30 PM
If they manage to get Lee Bo Young and Ji Sung (almost impossible) to co-star, I'd watch for sure!
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14 zaza
March 15, 2016 at 3:34 PM
then please bring back Park Yeon Soo. she was my scene-stealer in Mask. Cute, funny, and sexy too.
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15 Cocoboo
March 15, 2016 at 4:06 PM
"Deal" is a plain name.
I still have Secret on my to-watch list! The main leads. <3
Mask and its teasers never appealed to me so didn't bother trying it.
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16 kanz
March 15, 2016 at 5:33 PM
Male version of Mask.. It doesn't seem too interesting. Mask is more than enough for me, love the couple and their characters, hate the illogical and nonsense plot.
What I love from Mask the most are actually the couple and the villains, if they could create awesome pairing and more menacing villains, then I would consider watching it and probably if my faves got cast.
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17 pohonphee
March 15, 2016 at 6:11 PM
If it is Yeon Jung-hoon, I'm going to check it out!
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18 canxi
March 15, 2016 at 6:55 PM
I'll definitely give it a go. If anything it will be super fun.
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19 Sera The Ms Temper
March 15, 2016 at 7:29 PM
Kim Rae Won seems good in this role. I have been wanting to see him again after Punch. But he is offered role in Doctor, right?
Heard that Ji Chang Wook will have a kdrama this year. Probably this one?
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Sera The Ms Temper
March 15, 2016 at 7:34 PM
But..
Cannot we have Yeon Jung-hoon & Yoo In young as main leads here?
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fabdrama
March 16, 2016 at 3:14 AM
Aye, KRW should definitely do this instead of Doctors.
Hope so! But JCW's been recently cast in a Chinese drama.
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20 Audrey
March 15, 2016 at 11:29 PM
I didn't like the leads in Mask, it was only for Yeon Jung Hoon that I was able to watch some episodes.
But Secret was totally cracktastic, as one commentor stated!
Hopefully Deal will be the same as Secret!!! Here's hoping...
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21 Small Birdy
March 15, 2016 at 11:59 PM
Mask was cracktastic but a lot of people had problems with Soo Ae's sad puppy looks which the writer didn't improve until after episode 6. So you'll have to hang on a bit longer until she wizens up.
Other than that, my guilty pleasure was watching SA and JJH because they were too adorable for words. Sort of like JKH and JNR in One More Happy Ending. The second leads were OK but the villian (smexy YJH!) became pretty ridiculous and had an IQ drop towards the end that pretty much derailed everything. I do agree with the others here that YJH and YIY are fantastic actors and should rightly be leads someday.
I will still check out Deal if they cast good actors as the leads.
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22 TrinPie
March 16, 2016 at 9:08 AM
I liked both Mask and Secret. I just watched Secret a couple weeks ago and it was good, if frustrating. I also thought the ending was a little too convenient. Everyone just suddenly had a change of heart which was a bit silly to me. But either way, this writer is good at writing revenge dramas so I'll be keeping my eye on this!
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23 kororo
March 16, 2016 at 11:08 AM
*happy dance, happy dance*. Both Mask and Secret are terrifyingly addicting to me, so I'm totally here for this.
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24 manisha
March 16, 2016 at 3:23 PM
Okay being a fan of the drama Secret I really hope this also turns out to be good news if not great as secret was and definitely not an average lije mask. And please can they cast Joo won in it? He's so good with all these intense role. I would love to see him in any drama before he enlists in the army!
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25 Sam
March 16, 2016 at 5:18 PM
Secret is gloriously dysfunctional and I love that it looked so wrong during the start but I was completely blown away by the chemistry until the end. It is such an addicting drama and definitely stayed among my top 5 dramas. Very well acted and the script is an award-winner so it became a success :)
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26 Jenn
March 16, 2016 at 8:07 PM
Secret was by far the best drama for me, the chemistry between the leads incomparable.
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27 Tata
April 3, 2016 at 4:43 AM
sounds familiar.....especially the girl with everything but isn't happy. think i've read this story somewhere. or is it just a too common story? but anyways hope the direction of the story will turn out good.
I haven't watch the whole drama 'Secret', though i like the ost and i think the story is quiet good.
Watched "Mask' ...yeahhhh....it was interesting at first. just get me hooked for a couple of hours. sadly, it's not a kind of drama that will give me more interest other than watching what could be its ending.
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