Smile Again

Dong Hae grew up in the United States under the care of his mother Anna, who has an intellectual disability. He hopes to return to Korea to propose to his longed-for love, Yoon Sae-wa, and a speed skating chance gives him that opening. Using the competition as cover, he brings his mother with him, trying to balance his filial loyalty with the demands of everyday life in a new place. Reuniting with Sae-wa stirs old feelings, but unexpected obstacles and the tension of caring for Anna test his plans and his heart, all while the series keeps its focus on family, responsibility, and romance without revealing its later twists.

Released in 2010, Smile Again was directed by Mo Wan-il and Kim Myung-wook. The show aired as a South Korean daily drama and features Ji Chang-wook, Do Ji-won, Park Jung-ah, Oh Ji-eun, and Lee Jang-woo in principal roles.

The series was promoted as an award-winning daily drama and did receive recognition within its home market for performances and viewer engagement. Specific international accolades are not documented here, so references to particular awards are avoided to stick to verified information.

Critics and audiences have given mixed responses, reflected by modest ratings on aggregate sites. Viewers who like melodrama praised the emotional focus on family duty and the lead performances, while others noted conventional plotting and pacing typical of daily serials. The show leans into themes of caregiving, divided loyalties, and the clash between personal dreams and obligations.

Smile Again helped raise early visibility for Ji Chang-wook, who appears in dual billing as Carl Laker and Dong-hae. Its portrayal of devoted caregiving and romantic complications reflects familiar daily-drama patterns, and for fans of the genre it offered steady performances and recurring motifs that would echo in similar Korean television series that followed.