''Piano'' () is a 2001 South Korean television series starring

Cho Jae-hyun Cho Jae-hyun (born June 30, 1965) is a South Korean film, stage, and TV actor. He is commonly dubbed "director Kim Ki-duk's persona" since Cho has starred as leading and supporting characters in a number of films directed by Kim. Early years a ...

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and

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. It aired on SBS from November 21, 2001 to January 10, 2002 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes. A melodrama about a father's love for his children and a forbidden romance between stepsiblings, ''Piano'' received high ratings during its airing, as well as acting recognition at the year-end network awards ceremony.

Synopsis

Han Eok-kwan (

) is a ruthless, foul-mouthed small-time

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...

. When fellow gangster Dok-sa ( Lee Jae-yong) betrays their boss Byun Hak-soo (Im Dong-jin) to take his place as the new boss, Eok-kwan is exiled from the gang. Then a former lover contacts him to meet her in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

, but once he gets there, all he finds is a 10-year-old boy named Jae-soo, who claims to be his son. At first he plans to abandon the boy, but unable to do it, ends up raising him. Shin Hye-rim ( Jo Min-su) is a widow with two children, 12-year-old daughter Soo-ah and 10-year-old son Kyung-ho. After her husband, a district attorney, dies, she leaves Seoul with her children and moves to Busan, where she opens a piano school. Eok-kwan falls head over heels in love with the piano teacher, and they later marry. Shortly after, Hye-rim dies in a boating accident. Soo-ah and Kyung-ho, who've always resented their new stepfather, blame him for her death and try to leave the family home, but Eok-kwan begs them to stay. Transformed into a loving and hardworking father, he raises the three children to the best of his abilities. A few years pass, and all three children, and their sister Joo-hee (played by Kim Hee-jung first, then by Jung Da-hye), are now young adults. Unbeknownst to Eok-kwan, his biological son Jae-soo (

) and stepdaughter Soo-ah (

) are deeply in love with each other. Though not related by blood, they know that a romantic relationship between them would be

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

, so they suppress their feelings. After Kyung-ho kills a man attempting to rape Soo-ah, Jae-soo takes the rap and goes to prison in his place, with his spotless record ensuring a short sentence. Kyung-ho escapes to Seoul. When Jae-soo is released from prison after several years, he studies to become a doctor. Soo-ah meanwhile works at a record shop. Kyung-ho, still a rebellious and angry young man, returns to Busan and becomes involved in the city's criminal underworld.

Cast

Main cast

as Han Eok-kwan *

as Han Jae-soo *

as Lee Soo-ah *

as Lee Kyung-ho * Jo Min-su as Shin Hye-rim, widow of In Hak

Supporting cast

* Jo Hyung-ki as Si-sook * Jung Da-hye as Han Joo-hee (daughter of Eok-kwan and Hye-rim, paternal sister of Jae-soo, and maternal sister of Kyung-ho and Soo-ah) * Kim Young-chan as Jae-min * Lee Jae-yong as Dok-sa * Jung Sung-hwan as Young-tak * Kim Ha-kyun as Deputy section chief Oh * Im Dong-jin as Byun Hak-soo *

Yang Geum-seok Yang Geum-seok (born January 22, 1961) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Film Television series Variety show Awards and nominations References External links

* * * 1961 births Living people South Korea ...

as Kim In-soon *

Hwang In-young Hwang In-young (born November 23, 1978) is a South Korean actress. She officially made her acting debut in 1999, and has since starred in films, television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewin ...

as Woo Min-kyung *

Song Jae-ho Song Jae-ho (born Song Jae-eon; 10 March 1937 – 7 November 2020) was a South Korean actor. Career He made his acting debut in 1959, and became best known for his work in 1970s and 1980s Korean cinema, notably ''Yeong-ja's Heydays'' (1975). S ...

as Dr. Woo * Baek Seung-hyeon as Kyung-ho's friend * Im Dae-ho as bakery employee * Jo Sang-ki as bakery employee *

Shin Seung-hwan Shin Seung-hwan is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Web series Television show Web shows References External links * * * Shin Seung-hwanat Daum Shin Seung-hwanat Naver Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is ...

as Suk Chol, gangster, Kyung-ho enemy * Kim Hak-joon as young Jae-soo * Kang Bo-kyung as young Soo-ah * Choi Tae-joon as young Kyung-ho * Kim Hee-jung as young Joo-hee *

Lee Bo-Hee Lee Bo-hee (born 25 May 1959) is a South Korean actress. Lee won a number of awards for her film roles in the 1980s, including Best New Actress for ''The Green Pine Tree'' at the 22nd Grand Bell Awards, Best Actress for '' Eoudong'' at the 22nd ...

as Lee Eun Shim *

Hong Yeo-jin Hong Yeo-jin (born February 5, 1958) is a South Korean actress. Hong's family immigrated to California, United States in 1977, and she began working as a broadcast announcer and commercial model in Los Angeles in 1978. She joined the Miss Korea ...

as Mokpo's Neighbor of Han Eok-kwan * Kim Ji-young as sister-in-law of Shin Hye-rim * Jo Hyung-Ki as brother-in-law of Shin Hye-rim * Kim Young Mi as Jang Eun Ji

Rating

Piano was the second most successful drama of 2001, only being surpassed by Ladies of the Palace. The highest rating that the show reached was 40.2%.

Awards

;2001 SBS Drama Awards *Top Excellence Award, Actor:

*Excellence Award, Actress:

*New Star Award:

*Popularity Award:

*Top 10 Stars:

References

External links

''Piano'' official SBS website

''Piano'' official SBS videos website
*{{hancinema film, Piano, Piano Seoul Broadcasting System television dramas 2001 South Korean television series debuts 2002 South Korean television series endings Korean-language television shows South Korean romance television series South Korean melodrama television series Television series by JS Pictures