''49 Days'' () is a 2011

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

starring

Lee Yo-won Lee Yo-won (born April 9, 1980) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Queen Seondeok in the eponymous hit period drama. Career Lee Yo-won was a sophomore in high school when she won a modeling contest and first appe ...

Nam Gyu-ri Nam Gyu-ri (; born April 26, 1985) is a South Korean singer and actress. She was the leader of the Korean female trio SeeYa. In 2009, Nam Gyu-ri had a contract dispute with the group's management company and left the group. Lee, Mi-hye오락� ...

Jo Hyun-jae Jo Hyun-jae (born May 9, 1980) is a South Korean actor. Jo made his entertainment debut as a singer in the four-member boy band Guardian, which disbanded after releasing their self-titled album in 1998. In 2000, after he drew popularity when he ...

Bae Soo-bin Bae Soo-bin (born Yoon Tae-wook on December 9, 1976), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television dramas ''Brilliant Legacy'', ''Temptation of an Angel'', ''49 Days'', and '' Dong Yi''. He also starred in the films ...

Jung Il-woo Jung Il-woo (; born 9 September 1987) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the sitcom '' Unstoppable High Kick'' (2006), and the television dramas '' The Return of Iljimae'' (2009), ''49 Days'' (2011), '' Cool Guys, Hot R ...

, and

Seo Ji-hye Seo Ji-hye (; born August 24, 1984) is a South Korean actress. After first attracting attention in the horror film ''Voice'', Seo has since starred in numerous television dramas, notably ''Shin Don'' (2005), '' Over the Rainbow'' (2006), ''I L ...

. It aired on SBS from March 16 to May 19, 2011 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 ( KST) for 20 episodes.

Synopsis

Gullible yet cheerful Shin Ji-hyun (

) is living a perfect life: she is the only daughter of wealthy, doting parents and is surrounded by supportive best friends. She is also engaged to be married to the perfect man, Kang Min-ho (

), in just a few weeks. Meanwhile, Song Yi-kyung (

) is in an existential crisis following her boyfriend's tragic death. She works third shift at a convenience store, sleeps in the afternoon, and often spends what little time she has left in the day contemplating suicide. One fateful day interweaves the two characters' stories as Yi-kyung attempts to kill herself by walking into oncoming traffic. A bystander saves Yi-kyung by pulling her out of harm's way. However, a massive pile-up ensues from her actions. Ji-hyun fails to hit the brakes as she approaches the collision site and crashes into a truck. When she regains consciousness after the accident, she shockingly finds that she could neither make physical contact with the people crowding around her car nor could any of them hear her protests. She also sees her own body being carted into an ambulance. A motorcyclist nearby seems to be the only person who can see her. After Ji-hyun leaves him to follow the paramedics attempting to revive her body in the ambulance, she meets the cyclist again at the hospital. The cyclist reveals to her that he is indeed the "Scheduler," an angelic being charged with guiding souls to their final destinations. He explains that since it was not yet her time to die, she is given the chance to recover from her comatose state and live again. The offer is contingent, however, on the completion of a mission: Ji-hyun must gather three teardrops shed out of pure love by three people not related to her by blood within the next 49 days. Elated by the seemingly easy task, Ji-hyun immediately thinks of her fiancé and two best friends and is certain she will live again. She then finds herself in the body of the suicidal Yi-kyung for which she will remain for the duration of her quest. Ji-hyun proceeds by seeking employment as a waitress at a restaurant owned by her high school friend, Han Kang (

). While in the process of obtaining her proof of employment at a hotel where the real Yi-kyung worked, Ji-hyun's memory begins to return to her. Before the accident, Ji-hyun had agreed to meet up with her best friend Shin In-jung (

) to show her the bridesmaid dress Ji-hyun had chosen for her. Ji-hyun's excitement is muted when she makes an significant discovery that reveals the deception around her. She painfully realizes her life was less than perfect, and that it won't be as easy to find people who truly love her.

Cast

Main

* Lee Yo Won as Song Yi-kyung / Shin Ji-hyun (possessed) / Shin Ji-min **

Kim Hyun-soo Hyun-soo Kim (; ; born January 12, 1988) is a South Korean professional baseball outfielder for the LG Twins of the KBO League. He previously played for the Doosan Bears, and has also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore O ...

as young Ji-min :A despondent night-shift worker who lives in a run-down apartment alone. Yi-kyung is shown to be stoic and chronically depressed, with no interest whatsoever in living after her boyfriend's death. She partly contributes to Ji-hyun's fatal traffic accident as she unsuccessfully tries to end her life, one of many attempts. She develops a bond with Ji-hyun and rediscovers the strength to go on living from that friendship and after moving on from her tragic past. She was later revealed to be Ji-hyun's lost sister, Ji-min. *

as Shin Ji-hyun ** Kim Yoo-bin as young Shin Ji-hyun :A beautiful, pampered yet kind bride-to-be. From the start of the series, Ji-hyun evinces deep feelings for her seemingly perfect fiancé, and strong attachment to her friends. She is nicknamed "Optimistic Princess" by her friends because she was known to view situations through rose-colored glasses prior to the accident. Throughout the drama, Ji-hyun develops the most as a character. While she gradually learns to accept the harsh realities of life, she is still able to maintain her faith in the goodness of others. Eventually, Ji-hyun managed to collect the tears of three people who truly loved her right before the end of her 49-day journey and awaken from her coma, but she died six days after regaining consciousness as her death happened to be predestined to occur around 55 days after the day of her accident. Despite knowing she will die shortly after she awakened, she nevertheless welcomed death and spent the remaining days of her life meaningfully with Han Kang and her family before dying peacefully as the old Ji-hyun who was optimistic prior to her 49-day journey. *

as Scheduler / Song Yi-soo :A happy-go-lucky guy who has been working as the Scheduler for almost 5 years. He does not retain any memories of his past; thus, he rarely evinces any sympathy towards humans. Nevertheless, after meeting the troublesome 49-day traveler Shin Ji-hyun, his perspective has changed; he even violated a few rules pertaining to his duty as a grim reaper to help her myriads of times. He is later revealed to be Yi-kyung's deceased boyfriend, Song Yi-soo, and volunteered to be a Scheduler to realize his final wish. *

as Han Kang :One of Ji-hyun's friends in high school, although they are no longer as close as before due to an unfortunate incident. Han Kang puts up the facade of being cold and rude towards Ji-hyun although in reality, he deeply cares for her. The depth of his feelings for her is revealed in such a way that he knows more about her than her own fiancé and friends. He is Ji-hyun's pillar of support throughout her 49-day journey. He is the first to shed a tear out of pure love for Ji-hyun, and also the first of Ji-hyun's acquaintances to realise that Song Yi-kyung, whose behaviour and personality remarkably resembled Ji-hyun (as Yi-kyung was possessed by Ji-hyun), is actually Ji-hyun in disguise. *

as Kang Min-ho :Ji-hyun's seemingly perfect fiancé who possesses good looks and admirable talent. Min-ho initially showed strong romantic feelings towards Ji-hyun as he was apparently emotionally shattered upon receiving tragic news of her accident. Nevertheless, his manipulative and malicious nature is later revealed in his efforts to defraud Ji-hyun's family. He was later sent to jail for his crimes, and he gradually realised the error of his ways while serving his sentence. *

as Shin In-jung :One of Ji-hyun's best friends. In-jung is first shown as the dependable friend. However, her altruistic image as the 'caring and trustworthy best friend' veils the envy and deep resentment she harbors against Ji-hyun and her family. This resentment blinded her from realising her true affections for Ji-hyun that she eventually felt regret and later shed a tear out of pure love for Ji-hyun while crying over her past actions, which effectively allowed Ji-hyun to accomplish the purpose of her 49-day journey and awaken from her coma.

Supporting

Choi Jung-woo Choi Jung-woo (born February 17, 1957) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, then became active as a supporting actor in film and television, notably in the sitcom '' Standby'' and the procedural dramas ''Quiz of God ...

as Shin Il-shik, Ji-hyun's father *

Yu Ji-in Yu Ji-in (born January 27, 1956) is a South Korean actress active since 1974. She was born Lee Yun-hui in Seoul, South Korea in 1956 and received a bachelor's and master's degree in Theater and Film from Chung-Ang University. When she was a fres ...

as Jung Mi-ok, Ji-hyun's mother * Bae Geu-rin as Park Seo-woo, Ji-hyun's close friend who later shed a tear out of pure love for Ji-hyun *

Son Byong-ho Son Byong-ho (born August 25, 1962) is a South Korean actor. Son is known for his role in action films, notably, ''R-Point'' (2004), '' Running Wild'' (2006), ''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) and ''Insu, The Queen Mother ''Insu, the Qu ...

as Oh Hae-won *

Moon Hee-kyung Moon Hee-kyung (born December 22, 1965) is a South Korean actress. Moon made her acting debut in musical theatre in 1995. She has also played supporting roles in films and television series, notably ''Skeletons in the Closet'' (also known as ''S ...

as Bang Hwa-joon *Kang Sung-min as Noh Kyung-bin, a doctor who stalks Song Yi Kyung. He is the one who saved the latter from accident where Shin Ji Hyun is one of the victims. He offered medical help to Yi Kyung by doing some tests. *Yoon Bong-gil as Cha Jin-young *Kim Ho-chang as Ki Joon-hee *

Jin Ye-sol Jin Ye-sol (born September 24, 1985) is a South Korean actress. She's also the Brand Ambassador for My Cherie Closet (MCC). Filmography Television series Music video appearances Awards and nominations References External links * at Hun ...

as Ma Soon-jung *Lee Jong-park as Go Mi-jin

Special appearances

Ban Hyo-jung Ban Hyo-jung (born Ban Man-hee on November 27, 1942) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 1964 with a bit part in Shin Sang-ok's film ''Rice'', and went on to a prolific career in television drama In film and television ...

as Senior Scheduler *Kim Hyung-bum as Another 49 days traveler (Ep. 15) *Jung Da-hye *Jo Young-jin *

Goo Seung-hyun Goo Seung-Hyun (born September 22, 2004), is a South Korean actor. He began his career as a child model {{unsourced, date=August 2020 A child model refers to a child who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to s ...

as Little kid *Kim Min-jwa

Theological themes

''49 Days'' explores interconnectedness of all things, such as

fate Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...

, and other spiritual topics. This TV series was inspired by the

Korean Shamanism Korean shamanism or Mu-ism is a religion from Korea. In the Korean language, alternative terms for the tradition are ''musok'' () and ''mugyo'' (무교, 巫敎). Scholars of religion have classified it as a folk religion. There is no central auth ...

"Bardo" that a soul usually wanders the earth for 49 days and then moves on to the next life, thus frequently referencing relevant

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

(once a majority religion of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

) ideas such as

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...

and

karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...

. Location names also have theological rhythm— such as Han Kang's restaurant Heaven and Mountain Destiny, where Ji-hyun and Min-ho first meet. However,

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

themes like true love, forgiveness, resurrection, loving the enemy, and the quantity of three (reminiscent of the

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

) are central to Ji-hyun's obtaining the genuine tears. These themes are recurrently exploited throughout the drama under the manifestation of the relationships of the characters. When Ji-hyun asks whether the Scheduler is male, he answers that such discrimination is not practiced in the afterworld, a concept in Matthew 22:30. The Scheduler also mentions that "knock and the door will be opened to you," echoing Matthew 7:7. The "unutterable secret of the heavens" (천기누설) that Scheduler speaks about is similar to the mysteries of the kingdom of God that "man is not permitted to tell" (

2 Corinthians The Second Epistle to the Corinthians is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author named Timothy, and is addressed to the church in Corinth and Christians in the ...

12:4,

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

4:11,

Matthew 13 Matthew 13 is the thirteenth chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. Verses 3 to 52 of this chapter form the third of the five Discourses of Matthew, called the ''Parabolic Discourse'', based on th ...

:11). When Ji-hyun desperately prays to God to save her, her tear necklace attains Han Kang's tear. God also has a tear-collecting bottle in Psalm 56:8. Ji-hyun's last name, Shin (신), means "God" in Korean.

Ratings

Awards and nominations

Adaptation

In 2014,

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...

produced a Philippine remake based on ''49 Days''. The adaptation, titled ''Pure Love'', was originally aired from July to November 2014.

References

External links

''49 Days'' official SBS website
* * {{IMDb title, 2484736, 49 Days 2011 South Korean television series debuts 2011 South Korean television series endings Seoul Broadcasting System television dramas Korean-language television shows South Korean fantasy television series Television series by HB Entertainment