Korean Drama Series: My Love, Madame Butterfly

Ever wonder what happens when a celebrity loses popularity? Some go on to carve out a second career while others start their own businesses, and it seems that marriage could be an option for former Prima Donnas too. An intriguing question for the fans and perhaps even the stars themselves, this is a new romantic comedy of South Korean drama series My Love, Madame Butterfly an amusing take by following the life of an ex-model and actress who takes the plunge of marriage as her new chapter in life…

My Love, Madame Butterfly centres on the arrogant and ill-tempered diva Nam Na Bi (‘Nabi’ means butterfly in Korean) played by actress and 1991 Miss Korea pageant runner-up Yum Jung Ah (Working Mom). 

Following an award-winning and promising start to her career, Nam Na Bi’s stunning beauty and excellent fashion sense propelled her to becoming the country’s fashionista. Hired as the spokesperson for seven different companies, Na Bi’s latest endorsement deal is with World Shoe Company, which she ends up embarrassing its marketing director Lee Woo Jae (Park Yong-woo, Jejoongwon) right off the bat.

Away from modelling – amidst long-running complaints by audiences for 15 years – Na Bi wears the same expressions for the different roles and scenes she has played in and never developed the acting chops to deserve the star status she enjoys. After losing the part in a film that she really wanted, Na Bi drinks out of frustration and when stopped along her drive home for a breathalyser test, she flees.

Arrested and shamed, Na Bi is forced to stay out of the limelight and takes a holiday during which he meets Kim Jung Wook (Kim Sung Soo, Stained Glass) a tall and handsome real estate developer with a mysterious past, marries him and quits showbiz. Just as Na Bi believes she has found a capable husband who can support her extravagant lifestyle, Jung Wook’s business fails. Na Bi’s high life grinds to a halt overnight and runs into debt.

Forced to move into the rural home of in-laws whom she never knew she had, Na Bi has to contend with family responsibilities that she had never known before. Facing a new set of problems and with Woo Jae reappearing in her life seemingly as a knight in shining armour to the rescue, will Na Bi bear the obscurity of domestic life or attempt to return to her former life in the spotlight?

In My Love, Madame Butterfly, you can look out for the great performances of Yum Jung Ah and Park Yong-woo which landed the leads nominations for ‘Excellent Actress’ and ‘Best Actor’ awards for weekend or daily dramas at the 2012 SBS Drama Awards. The 51-part My Love, Madame Butterfly is helmed by Lee Chang-min (Bride of the Sun), who was part of the team behind hit Korean dramas Midas and Giant, and was penned by writer Moon Eun-ah (Smile Donghae). The drama series also inspired South Korea’s ‘Queen of R&B’ Hwayobi to release the single ‘Only You’ for the show’s original soundtrack album to reflect Nam Na Bi’s sentiments.

CAST: Yum Jung Ah, Park Yong Woo, Kim Sung Soo, Yoon Se Ah 

DIRECTOR: Lee Chang Min

My Love, Madame Butterfly