True Beauty (South Korean TV series)

True Beauty (South Korean TV series)

True Beauty (Korean: 여신강림) is a South Korean television series starring Moon Ka-young, Cha Eun-woo, Hwang In-youp and Park Yoo-na. Based on the webtoon of the same title by Yaongyi, it centers on a high school girl who, after being bullied and discriminated against because of being perceived as ugly, masters the art of makeup to transform herself into a gorgeous "goddess". It aired on tvN from December 9, 2020 to February 4, 2021 every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:30 (KST).

Plot

True Beauty (South Korean TV series)

Lim Ju-kyung is a high school student who has always had a complex personality towards her appearance since childhood, since she was badly bullied by her classmates and told that she was ugly. Struggling with insecurity and ridicule, she decides to transfer schools to escape her past and start fresh. To overcome her low self-esteem and avoid further bullying, she masters the art of makeup, using it to transform her appearance. Her excellent makeup skills enhance her beauty so much that people at her new school believe she is naturally stunning, earning her the title of a "goddess."

Before transferring, however, Ju-kyung reached a breaking point due to relentless bullying and once attempted to commit suicide and jump off a building. At that time, she was saved by Lee Su-ho, a wealthy but cold high school student. However, since she was not wearing her glasses at the time, she couldn't see his face, and Lee Su-ho does not recognise her because of her new look.

At her new school, Ju-kyung crosses paths with Lee Su-ho again, but neither of them realises their past connection. Meanwhile, she also meets Han Seo-jun, a rebellious yet talented student, forming an interesting dynamic among the three. One day, while visiting a comic store near her house without makeup, she runs into Lee Su-ho. Terrified that he might discover her bare face, she panics. However, Lee Su-ho recognises her as the girl he once saved, and they slowly develop a friendship. As time passes, he uncovers her secret about wearing makeup and continues to befriend her, accepting her true self.

Alongside Lee Su-ho, another student, Han Seo-jun, also befriends Ju-kyung and as he slowly begins to experience feelings for her, it leads to a love triangle between the three. Through ups and downs throughout her high school life, Ju-kyung struggles to keep her bare face a secret, but eventually, the truth about her appearance is exposed. Despite facing initial embarrassment and fear, she grows stronger, learning to embrace herself as she is. In the end, she pursues her dream of becoming a cosmetologist, turning her passion for makeup into a career and proving that beauty is about confidence rather than just appearance.

Through all the ups and downs, Lee Su-ho and Ju-kyung support each other and grow stronger together. Eventually, they find happiness in each other, cherishing their love and embracing their true selves, while Seo-jun gives up his feelings for Ju-Kyung.

Cast

Main

• Moon Ga-young as Lim Ju-kyung • Lee Go-eun as young Ju-kyung

A newcomer student of Class 2-5 recently transferred to Saebom High School. Having been constantly discriminated by her family and bullied by her peers in previous school due to being perceived as ugly, she masters to wear makeup by binge-watching tutorial videos in the internet and her makeover proves to be transformative as she quickly rises to fame and her peers in new school call her a "goddess", unaware of her real appearance. Ju-kyung prefers reading horror comic books and listening to heavy metal music.

• Cha Eun-woo as Lee Su-ho • Lee Seung-woo as young Su-ho

A student of Class 2–5 in Saebom High School. He is very popular for his handsome looks and being the top of his class. His dysfunctional family and a tragic incident from a year ago have turned him into an ice-cold boy who hates being the center of attention. He is formerly best friends with Seo-jun. Su-ho shares Ju-kyung's penchant for horror comic books.

• Hwang In-youp as Han Seo-jun

A student of Class 2–5 in Saebom High School. Seo-jun is a handsome and equally-popular student at his school who, despite being tough-looking, is a kind, loving and soft person, especially to his mother and sister. He is formerly best friends with Su-ho and a former idol trainee, but a tragic incident a year ago leads to him abandoning his path to stardom and severing his friendship with Su-ho, with whom he has since become extremely hostile.

A student of Class 2–5 in Saebom High School. She is Su-ho's childhood friend who becomes close friends with Ju-kyung, but is being forced by her parents to excel at school, and is always being compared with Su-ho.

Supporting

• Jang Hye-jin as Hong Hyun-sook

Lim Jae-pil's wife and mother of Hee-kyung, Ju-kyung and Ju-young. She is the matriarch of the Lim family who owns a beauty shop named Pandora which is popular among older women.

Hong Hyun-sook's husband and father of Hee-kyung, Ju-kyung and Ju-young. He lost a great sum of money to a dubious investment which leads to his family moving back to their old house.

• Im Se-mi as Lim Hee-kyung • Park Seo-kyung as young Hee-kyung (ep. 1)

Ju-kyung's older sister. She is adored by the family for being pretty and intelligent. She works at Move Entertainment and develops feelings for Han Joon-woo.

• Kim Min-gi as Lim Ju-young • Park Ju-hwan as young Ju-young (ep. 1)

Ju-kyung's younger brother. He harbors a crush on Go-woon after hearing her sing.

• Jung Joon-ho as Lee Joo-heon

Su-ho's father. He is a famous actor and CEO of Move Entertainment who is quick to find a new woman after his wife died, much to Su-ho's resentment.

A student at Saebom High School and Seo-jun's younger sister. She has great singing talent, but is bullied by her peers for being perceived as ugly. She befriends Ju-kyung after Ju-kyung saves her from bullies.

• Park Hyun-jung as Lee Mi-hyang

Seo-jun and Go-woon's mother and an acquaintance of Hyun-sook. She suffers from an illness requiring a kidney transplant.

• Seo Sang-won as Kang Jun-hyuk

Su-jin's father, who is a professor and doctor-in-charge of a medical school. He is teaching Su-jin to be competitive by mentally and physically abusing her.

Su-jin's mother. She is passive with her husband's abuse at first. She later divorces him and leaves Korea with Su-jin.

• Oh Eui-shik as Han Joon-woo

The homeroom teacher of Class 2-5 and a literature teacher in Saebom High School. He falls in love with Hee-kyung.

A student of Class 2–5 in Saebom High School, Ju-kyung and Su-jin's best friend and classmate, and Tae-hoon's girlfriend.

• Lee Il-jun as Yoo Tae-hoon

A student of Class 2–5 in Saebom High School and Soo-ah's boyfriend. Tae-hoon often seeks Su-ho's approval and later befriends him.

A student in Saebom High School and Seo-jun's friend.

• Kim Myung-ji as Jin Hee-jeong

A first-year student in Saebom High School and a webmaster of school's online community. She bullied Go-woon once.

• Kim Byung-chun as the vice-principal of Saebom High School.

• Shin Jae-hwi as Lee Sung-yong

A student in Yongpa High School. He is a bully who formerly acquainted with Seo-jun.

• Jeon Hye-won as Park Sae-mi

A student of Yongpa High School. A popular girl with pretty face, she used to bully Ju-kyung before she transferred to Saebom High School.

A student in Yongpa High School who later transfers to Saebom High School after being bullied tremendously at her old school.

A student in Yongpa High School and Park Sae-mi's friend.

• Im Hyun-sung as Wang Ja

The owner of Prince Comics, a comic book store that Ju-kyung and Su-ho frequently visits.

• Park Young-soo as Columbus Park

A man who tricks Ju-kyung's father out of his money.

Episodes

True Beauty (South Korean TV series)

<table><thead><tr><th>No.</th><th>Title</th><th>Directed by</th><th>Written by</th><th>Original release date</th><th>South Korea viewers (millions)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>"Episode 1"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>December 9, 2020 (2020-12-09)</td><td>1.083</td></tr><tr><td>Teased by her family and bullied by her peers because of her looks, 18-year-old high school student Lim Ju-kyung contemplates suicide and goes to the rooftop of a high-rise building, but she stops herself at the last minute and decides to move on with her life. Just in time, a handsome boy pulls her away from danger and tells her to consider how her loved ones will suffer had she jumped to her death. Days after, she starts learning how to use makeup through tutorial videos on the Internet and masters the art just before transferring to her new school. The makeover proves to be transformative as her peers call her a "goddess".</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>"Episode 2"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>December 10, 2020 (2020-12-10)</td><td>1.000</td></tr><tr><td>After encountering her handsome classmate Lee Su-ho at the comic book store in her bare face, Ju-kyung struggles with keeping her true face a secret to her peers. She realizes later that Su-ho does not recognize her yet at school as the ugly girl from the comic book store. Meanwhile, tough guy Han Seo-jun returns to school and recognizes Ju-kyung to be the girl who ran away with his helmet.</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>"Episode 3"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>December 16, 2020 (2020-12-16)</td><td>1.162</td></tr><tr><td>Su-ho reveals to Ju-kyung that he recognizes her. Ju-kyung offers herself to Su-ho as his errand girl in return for keeping her true face a secret from their peers. Later, she searches her bedroom for Seo-jun's helmet but it is nowhere to be found.</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>"Episode 4"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>December 17, 2020 (2020-12-17)</td><td>1.178</td></tr><tr><td>Reminded of Jung Se-yeon's tragic death, Seo-jun picks up a fight against Su-ho at the cafeteria, with the innocent Ju-kyung in the middle of the clash. The incident puts Ju-kyung in an uncomfortable position as rumors of a love triangle between her and the boys spread in the school. Su-ho becomes bothered when Soo-ah arranges a blind date for Ju-kyung.</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>"Episode 5"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>December 23, 2020 (2020-12-23)</td><td>1.095</td></tr><tr><td>Ju-kyung runs into Seo-jun's younger sister Go-woon being bullied by her fellow music club members for taking the lead role despite being ugly. Reminded of her past suffering, she defends Go-woon against the bullies and uses her makeup skills to transform her just before the club's performance during the school festival. As Seo-jun's rebuke and a posthumously released song remind Su-ho of his tragic past, Ju-kyung recognizes the boy who rescued her at the rooftop.</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>"Episode 6"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>December 24, 2020 (2020-12-24)</td><td>1.086</td></tr><tr><td>Despite Su-ho's loathing, his celebrity father Lee Joo-heon goes to school for a parent-teacher conference and gains a lot of attention. Seo-jun expresses his gratitude to Ju-kyung for helping his younger sister. Ju-kyung runs into an unlikely visitor at the Im family's residence. One day, she bumps into the person she fears meeting the most and is kidnapped later on by Seo-jun's enemies. Seo-jun and Su-ho team up to rescue her as Soo-jin, Soo-ah and Tae-hoon discover where Ju-kyung is held captive.</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>"Episode 7"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>January 6, 2021 (2021-01-06)</td><td>1.154</td></tr><tr><td>Ju-kyung and the rescue party receive punishments at school for being involved in the brawl against Seo-jun's enemies. Soo-jin is in distress as her grades drop after the exams. Su-ho gets upset as a popular baseball player gets attracted to Ju-kyung and starts to pursue her. Su-ho later learns a few dating tricks from Tae-hoon.</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>"Episode 8"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>January 7, 2021 (2021-01-07)</td><td>.973</td></tr><tr><td>The students of Saebom High School go to a school trip in the countryside. Ju-kyung tries to keep herself distant from Su-ho, while Seo-jun makes himself closer to Ju-kyung. Su-ho plans to confess to Ju-kyung but seems to lose his chances.</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>"Episode 9"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>January 13, 2021 (2021-01-13)</td><td>1.361</td></tr><tr><td>After Su-ho confessed his feelings for her, a thrilled Ju-kyung accidentally reveals her bare face to Soo-jin. As Ju-kyung wishes Soo-jin would keep her real face a secret from everybody, she also asks Su-ho if they could be clandestinely dating because of her fear of retaliation from Su-ho's fans. Ju-kyung attempts part-time working as a model with Seo-jun, while Su-ho and Soo-jin meet with their high-class families.</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>"Episode 10"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>January 14, 2021 (2021-01-14)</td><td>1.120</td></tr><tr><td>Lim Jae-pil discovers that Su-ho is already dating his daughter Ju-kyung. After Soo-jin opens up to Ju-kyung about her feelings for Su-ho, Ju-kyung starts to have qualms about her and Su-ho's secret relationship. The competition between Su-ho and Seo-jun heats up when they are, by chance, both invited to the Im family's residence. At Move Entertainment, Hee-kyung discovers that the late Se-yeon's song has been used as a debut single of another artist without due permission.</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>"Episode 11"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>January 20, 2021 (2021-01-20)</td><td>1.216</td></tr><tr><td>Su-ho and Seo-jun are caught in a car crash moments after Su-ho discovers to his shock the horrible truth behind the fake scandals that led to Se-yeon's suicide. Ju-kyung opens up to Soo-jin about her relationship with Su-ho. Joo Hye-min, a former classmate of Ju-kyung from her previous school, transfers to Saebom High School to escape from the same bullies that once tormented Ju-kyung.</td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>"Episode 12"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>January 21, 2021 (2021-01-21)</td><td>1.107</td></tr><tr><td>Joo-heon steps down from his position after revealing to the public the truth about Se-yeon's death and the plagiarized song. After recovering from their injuries, the reconciled Su-ho and Seo-jun visit Se-yeon's grave together. Ju-kyung starts questioning how long she can maintain her disguise and popularity as she keeps running into Hye-min at school, ranks first in an online beauty contest of which she is an unwilling contestant and becomes the school promotion model.</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>"Episode 13"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>January 27, 2021 (2021-01-27)</td><td>1.215</td></tr><tr><td>Judgmental eyes and a bunch of bullies target the distressed Ju-kyung after the truth of her makeup-less face gets revealed in social media. As Ju-kyung runs away from her new tormentors, Su-ho tries hard to search for her while Seo-jun deduces who is the culprit behind the malicious online exposé. Class 2-5 gets reprimanded for being insensitive to Ju-kyung's plight. Ju-kyung's mother finally realizes the reason behind her daughter's obsession with makeup.</td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>"Episode 14"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>January 28, 2021 (2021-01-28)</td><td>1.143</td></tr><tr><td>Ju-kyung resolves go to school in her bare, makeup-less face and makes her relationship with Su-ho known to everyone. She reconciles with Soo-ah who felt betrayed for not knowing the truth sooner. Su-ho tries to convince Soo-jin to apologize to Ju-kyung, knowing that something other than mere jealousy must have brought her to maligning Ju-kyung. A shocking news from overseas puts Ju-kyung and Su-ho's relationship to the test.</td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td>"Episode 15"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>February 3, 2021 (2021-02-03)</td><td>1.353</td></tr><tr><td>The hardships of a long-distance relationship pushes Su-ho to break up with Ju-kyung. Two years later, Ju-kyung and her classmates have graduated from Saebom High School. Ju-kyung works as a makeup assistant while Seo-jun is nearing towards his debut as a singer. After Seo-jun's confession of his feelings for her, a surprise awaits Ju-kyung at Namsan Tower under the first shower of snow.</td></tr><tr><td>16</td><td>"Episode 16"</td><td>Kim Sang-hyeop</td><td>Lee Si-eun</td><td>February 4, 2021 (2021-02-04)</td><td>1.270</td></tr><tr><td>Ju-kyung and Su-ho are reunited as Seo-jun come to terms with his unrequited love. Soo-jin, free from her father's abuse, formally apologizes to Ju-kyung. Su-ho offers the final version of Se-yeon's song for posthumous publishing, to be performed by Seo-jun on his debut. At the ending ,Su-ho and Ju-Kyung share a kiss at the comics store ,where they first met.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Production

True Beauty (South Korean TV series)

In July 2019, it was announced that Line Webtoon's True Beauty would be adapted into a television series. In August 2020, the production team confirmed the casting of Moon Ga-young, Cha Eun-woo and Hwang In-youp in the lead roles. The first script reading session was held in October 2020. Filming was temporarily halted in late December 2020 after Kim Byung-chun tested positive for COVID-19. The first stills from filming were released on November 10, 2020, one month prior to the series premiere.

Male main character inspiration

In an interview, Yaongyi revealed that she created and drew the male main character Lee Su-ho with actor and singer Cha Eun-woo in mind.

Release

True Beauty (South Korean TV series)

The series was originally made available for streaming through Viu and Rakuten Viki. It became available on Amazon Prime Video from October 21, 2021. In 2023, the series became available on Netflix in selected territories.

Original soundtrack

True Beauty: Original Soundtrack

The following is the official track list of True Beauty: Original Soundtrack album, which was released by Stone Music Entertainment on February 5, 2021. The tracks with no indicated lyricists and composers are the drama's musical score; the artists indicated for these tracks are the tracks' composers themselves.

The album peaked on number 5 on weekly Gaon Album Chart. As of March 2021, 40,786 copies have been sold.

Singles

The following is the track list of singles from True Beauty: Original Soundtrack.

Viewership

True Beauty (South Korean TV series)

Ep.	Original broadcast date	Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)
Nationwide	Seoul
1	December 9, 2020	3.573% (2nd)	4.056% (2nd)
2	December 10, 2020	3.626% (1st)	3.963% (1st)
3	December 16, 2020	3.813% (2nd)	4.711% (2nd)
4	December 17, 2020	3.586% (1st)	3.824% (1st)
5	December 23, 2020	3.859% (2nd)	4.293% (2nd)
6	December 24, 2020	3.333% (1st)	3.724% (1st)
7	January 6, 2021	3.892% (2nd)	4.198% (2nd)
8	January 7, 2021	2.909% (1st)	3.003% (1st)
9	January 13, 2021	4.265% (2nd)	4.938% (2nd)
10	January 14, 2021	3.411% (1st)	3.870% (1st)
11	January 20, 2021	3.850% (2nd)	4.303% (2nd)
12	January 21, 2021	3.418% (1st)	4.069% (1st)
13	January 27, 2021	4.000% (2nd)	4.547% (2nd)
14	January 28, 2021	4.125% (1st)	4.802% (2nd)
15	February 3, 2021	4.579% (2nd)	5.371% (2nd)
16	February 4, 2021	4.458% (1st)	5.087% (1st)
Average	3.794%	4.297%

Awards and nominations

True Beauty (South Korean TV series)

Award ceremony	Year	Category	Nominee / Work	Result	Ref.
Anugerah Drama Sangat	2023	Oppa Pilihan Tonton	Cha Eun-woo	Won
Asia Artist Awards	2021	Emotive Award - Actor	Won
Emotive Award - Actress	Moon Ga-young	Won
Indonesian Hallyu Fans Choice Awards	K-Drama of the Year	True Beauty	Won

Listicle

Publisher	Year	Listicle	Placement	Ref.
Forbes	2021	20 Best Korean Dramas Of 2021	1st
KOFICE	2023	Korean Content OTT Ranking	3rd
Marie Claire	25 Best K-Dramas on Viki	3rd
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism	K-Drama Overseas Hallyu Status	9th
2024	4th