KDrama to Miss: Beauty Inside (2018)

The Beauty Inside (2018)

Grade: D

16 Episodes, 1 Hr each

Viewing Platform: Netflix

The talented actress Han Se-gye has a strange secret: once a month, she mystically transforms into an entirely different person! Her transformation mimics that of a woman's monthly cycle, in that it is mostly predictable and lasts a few days to a week at a time – but it differs in that she can become young or old, male or female, as well as any race or nationality. She can recognize the signs of it coming, which has earned her the reputation of a runaway of sorts, but the saddest part is not even her friends or family recognize her when she is wearing a different face. What happens when the face-blind chaebol Seo Do-jae runs into Han Se-gye and still recognizes who she is, despite her other forms? Will she be able to keep her secret? Will Do-jae ever recover from his malady?

*This kdrama had a lot of promise – I love a touch of mysticism or magic in a show (“Secret Garden” comes to mind), but I was greatly disappointed in this drama: there is no explanation for it whatsoever, and it's treated like a background or secondary problem. The other issue is the male lead was not very charming or attractive; it makes sense for a person with face-blindness to have a “dead” look in their eyes, but it made him a lot harder to like. Plus I just don't think he's a good actor. I also didn't like the pro-trans/gay messaging, with Do-jae's character having to love Se-gye no matter her gender. A person's identity is intrinsically tied to their gender, and the modern ideology that one's soul is “beyond” or “outside” of that is false. The drama also moves rather slowly, with far too many sad moments. I wouldn't watch this again or recommend it.*