Gae In gets some loving.
Personal Taste (Hangul: 개인의 취향), also known as Personal Preference, is a Korean Series that aired on March to May 2010 on MBC Network.
Park Gae In is the daughter of a famous architect, living in the unique family home named "Sanggojae" and making a modest living by designing and building furniture.
Jeon Jin Ho is a workoholic architect who longs to beat the Han Family, who took over his house and family business after his father's death. In order to gain a competitive edge in a race to design the new Dahm Art Center, Jin Ho manages to gain access to Sanggojae by pretending to be a homosexual boarder.
At the other end of the spectrum is Han Chang Ryul, the cad ex-boyfriend of Gae In, who runs the rival architect firm that is also in the running for the Arts Center.
The series contains examples of:
- Accidental Public Confession: Inverted. During Chang Ryul's wedding, the one doing the confessing is not the actual guilty party but the victim (Gae In) and Young Sun... while being broadcast over the microphone that the Young Sun's kid has turned up. Needless to say, it definitely ruined Chang Ryul's wedding.
- The Beard: Subverted, as Gae initially believes that Jin Ho is saying that he is straight just in behalf of his mother. She resolves to act the part of his significant other, anyway.
- Big Damn Kiss: Just when Jin Ho gets fed up with Chang Ryul making his moves on Gae In, he goes to her and declares "Game Over", before he finally kisses her.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Kim In Hee, the friend that Gae In accomodated in her home for a decade (without any rent expenses), that she considered as "family", who ended up robbing her boyfriend, and tried to ruin her eventual relationship with Jin Ho.
- Bridal Carry: When Gae In gets really drunk, Jin Ho carries her home as a "princess".
- Break the Cutie: When Jin Ho guides Gae In to Sanggojae's basement, she starts remembering about her mother's accidental death that she provoked when she was a child (and the reason of why her father resented her too much over the years).
- Butt-Monkey: Gae In, who racks up a lot of False Friends, and can't even get her father's approval. One of her best friends betrays her and attempts to marry her boyfriend. And another one tries to rape her. And this is all in the first episode! To top this off, she thinks she killed her mother.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Jin Ho to Gae In's father.
- The Cameo: Yoon Eun Hye plays Jin Ho's ex in episode 8. There even is a prop that comes from The First Shop of Coffee Prince.
- Camp Gay: Noh Sang Joon plays a lot with it, as part of his "homosexual character" in front of Gae In. From the flamboyant clothes to the mannerisms, it would be easy to confuse him as gay. In the Grand Finale, Young Sun takes advantage of it to get her husband jealous, as a solution to end their on-going marital problems.
- Camp Straight: The main reason Jin Ho gets Mistaken for Gay in the first place... and it doesn't help that Sang Joon looks very Camp Gay. They are mistaken as a couple at first, too!
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Na Hye Mi, a girl who acts as she was Jin Ho's girlfriend (they have known each other since they were younger), and who was very close to ruin his "act" in front of Gae In.
- Companion Cube: Gae In frequently talks, hugs (and hangs) a stuffed lion named... Ji No.
- Creepy Basement: Gae In ignored that there was a basement in Sanggojae, and when she finally remembers about it... it isn't a pleasant memory, because that place was where her mother was accidentally killed.
- Disappeared Dad:
- Jin Ho's father was absent in his teenage years after his death, not so long after he was fired from his last job. His mother is terribly affected by it up until the present.
- Although Gae In's father isn't dead, Park Chul Han is not an active part of his daughter's life and doesn't recognize her talent. We find out it is because he resents his wife's death and rests the guilt over Gae In. They eventually reconcile.
- Epunymous Title: The word "개인의"('Gae In Ui') means individual/one's personal. "의" (Ui) added to the end of a word shows possession (like the English suffix "s"), so "개인의" ('Gae In Ui') also means "Gae In's." The title can be translated as "Gae In's Taste/Preference."
- Everyone Can See It: This line concerning Jin Ho and Gae In.Lee Young Sun: "They are... no... it's impossible, right?"Sang Joon: "They are a match." (Beat)Lee Young Sun: "What?"Sang Joon: "I mean the pigeons. They flew away already."
- Extreme Doormat: Gae In, at least for a better part of the first episode. She basically apologizes to everyone for existing.
- False Friend:
- Lee Won Ho, Gae In's business associate, who was deep in debts and ran away.
- Kim In Hee, who took advantage of Gae In's good will... just to "break her" afterwards, because she couldn't stand her naïvety after knowing her for a decade.
- First-Name Basis: Jin Ho calls his mother by her first name, "Jang Mi", because it makes her feel younger.
- From Roommates to Romance: At first it is seen as "innocent", since Gae In thinks that Jin Ho is homosexual. If it was the other way around, she wouldn't have accepted him as a roomie in the first place. But they slowly end up falling in love with each other... and Jin Ho stays in Sanggojae, at the end.
- Gender-Bender Friendship:
- The series goes on and on until the first half that Gae In loves and trusts Jin Ho as a friend... only because she thought of him as "gay".
- Young Sun and Sang Joon's relationship starts out at the same way as Gae In and Jin Ho's, but Sang Joon's Camp Gay tendencies are actually a good benefit for Young Sun in the long run.
- Girlfriend in Canada: Played with, considering the nature of this show. Jin Ho is asked by his mother where Eun Mi is. "Isn't she still in Canada?" he says.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Lee Young Sun and Gae In. Young Sun is the only one who is on Gae In's side after all the debacle with In Hee and Chang Ryul.
- Hysterical Woman: Na Hye Mi, who thinks of herself as Jin Ho's "fiancée" and is more of a Clingy Jealous Girl who refuses to believe that Jin Ho doesn't see her as "girlfriend material".
- Implausible Deniability: After Jin Ho's initial reasons for living in Sanggojae are revealed and Gae In refuses to believe that he didn't care for her, he repeatedly insists that he was "just using her".
- Incredibly Lame Fun: In one episode, Jin Ho and Gae In are watching TV. The program on is about how "most of the salt in a home is in food." Gae In comments about how maybe they should have brought a video or something. That being said, virtually every other channel is about sex.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Gae In after Choi offers her a job.
- Jerkass: Chang Ryul was a jerkass boyfriend. He admits to Gae In (after they've broken up) that he forgot dates and birthdays, leaving her hanging on more than one occasion, and taking her for granted. His reason to cheat her with In Hee is that he saw Gae In as a "kid" or a "wet abandoned dog in the rain", more than a woman.
- Mistaken for Gay: Jin Ho, who allows the misunderstanding for the sake of staying at Sanggojae
- No Periods, Period: Averted. In the middle of the Construction Party, Gae In forgot that her period due date was that specific day. She obliges Jin Ho to buy her some pads in the pharmacy, and then he gets some medicine for her painful cramps, too.
- One Degree of Separation: Gae In's "boyfriend", Chang Ryul, is Jin Ho's business rival.
- Only Friend: Young Sun is Gae In's one and only true friend. That is, of course, until Jin Ho comes along.
- Pair the Spares: In Hee and Sang Joon get paired up with each other as their respective blind dates in the finale.
- Running Gag:
- Gae In getting drunk and running her mouth horribly.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
- After Chang Ryul "discovers" Jin Ho is gay, Gae In gives one to Chang Ryul for claiming Jin Ho was not a "real man."
- Jin Ho gives a lovely one to Gae In's father.
Jin Ho: In my opinion, you've transferred your guilt to your own daughter.Chul Han: What an arrogant rascal! How can you say that when you don't know anything? Leave!Jin Ho: You rejected Tam Art Center Project because Sanggojae was a failed piece of design, didn't you?Chul Han: Sanggojae is a place which let my wife and child build their dreams.Jin Ho: But this place made you lose your wife forever and hurt your daughter's heart. Do you know exactly what makes Sanggojae a failure? It's you.
- Shout-Out: A cameo character is named "Goo Jun Pyo," which was actor Lee Min Ho's breakout role in Boys Before Flowers. He portrays Jin Ho in this series.
- Shower of Awkward: Gae In, intending to take a wash of her own, accidentally walks in on Jin Ho as he leaves the shower. Her excuse is that, since she doesn’t have her glasses or contacts on, she can’t see anything. (Jin Ho later overhears her saying that even though she didn’t have them on, she "saw everything.")
- Suggestive Collision: While Jin Ho and Gae In are on the bus together, the vehicle makes an unexpected brake. Gae In falls and Jin Ho puts his hands out to support her, only for his hands to end up on her butt. Gae In’s following anger isn’t helped by the fact that she thinks Jin Ho was ogling her.
- Sure, Let's Go with That: Jin Ho has a problem spitting it out, and basically lets this trope decide his answer.
- Umbrella of Togetherness: A rainy scene. Gae In hasn't the sense to bring one, so this scene also involves an Improvised Umbrella.
- The Vamp: Kim In Hee, who sees seduction as a power ploy.
- We Named the Monkey "Jack": Gae In's stuffed teddy, Ji No
