[Old Drama] Watching the Nostalgic 'Guk-hee' While Eating Peanut Sand Cookies

[비즈한국] Although I am already aging, I have no desire to age mentally, so I always keep my feelers out for the latest trends (ironic, coming from someone who writes columns about old dramas). However, when it comes to picking out snacks or ice cream, I still prefer the old ones over the "new arrivals." If a snack gains a brief moment of fame like the "Honey Butter Chip," I might buy it out of curiosity, but the ones I consistently reach for are snacks like "Saeukkang" (Shrimp Crackers) or "Jagalchi." The reason I am suddenly singing praises for old snacks is because of the 1999 drama "Guk-hee."

It’s only natural to think of "Guk-hee Peanut Sand" while watching reruns of "Guk-hee" on cable TV. It was a snack already being sold by Crown Confectionery264900, but after it became an official sponsor of the drama and gained popularity, they attached the name "Guk-hee" to it. Though simple in form—savory peanut cream between two round biscuits—what appeared in the drama as "Donggeurami" (Circle) remains a steady seller even nearly 20 years later. And the drama "Guk-hee" itself is a work that people my age still vividly remember. Sigh, kids these days probably don't even know why a peanut sandwich cookie is named "Guk-hee."

Guk-hee, who grew up as an underdog in her father's friend Joo-tae's house without parents, eventually becomes a great businesswoman. Is there any other actress as suitable as Kim Hye-soo for the role of a bold and gutsy female entrepreneur? Photo = Drama capture

The storyline of "Guk-hee" is simple. Guk-hee’s father, Min Young-jae (Jung Dong-hwan), leaves her newborn daughter Guk-hee (Kim Hye-soo; child actor Park Ji-mi) with his friend Song Joo-tae (Park Young-gyu), entrusting him with his entire fortune before leaving to join the independence movement. Doesn't this setup already reek of tragedy? An orphaned child and a large sum of money. Guk-hee grows up getting kicked around and mistreated by Joo-tae’s wife (Kim Young-ja) and daughter Shin-young (Jung Sun-kyung; child actor Kim Cho-yeon), but she grows up to be sharp and gutsy.

Just before liberation, Young-jae returns, but fearing the loss of the property, Song Joo-tae orchestrates his friend’s assassination, and Guk-hee loses her father. Afterward, Guk-hee learns baking skills and entrepreneurship under Jang Tae-hwa (Jeon Moo-song) of "Taehwadang," eventually overcoming the hurdles set by Joo-tae’s Punggang Confectionery to become a great entrepreneur, while Joo-tae ultimately pays the price for his misdeeds. Woven into this is the love for Guk-hee from Choi Min-kwon (Son Chang-min), an economic secretary at the Gyeongmudae who fought for independence with her father, and Kim Sang-hoon (Jung Woong-in), a loan shark who grew up in the same neighborhood as Guk-hee, as well as Guk-hee’s friend Shin-young’s love for Min-kwon.

In growth-story dramas, if the child actors who handle the early parts act well, it significantly affects the drama's popularity. As an aside, Park Ji-mi, who played young Guk-hee, was thin, and Kim Cho-yeon, who played young Shin-young, was chubby, so when they meet as adults, they exchange lines like, "Why did you get so chubby?" and "Why did you get so slim?" Photo = Drama capture

With her natural intelligence, quick wit, and nimble movements, Guk-hee showed signs from childhood that she was a "child who would achieve whatever she set her mind to." She grows further by meeting Jang Tae-hwa, the owner of Taehwadang, and learning high-level entrepreneurial ethics, such as the right mindset toward food and principles of proper management. The principles and beliefs she learns from Jang Tae-hwa are simple when you get down to it: Don't mess with the food people eat, make it honestly, and put your heart into everything, whether it's the food or the customers. However, once money and greed get involved, keeping to that simplicity is incredibly difficult.

Shin-young, the daughter of Song Joo-tae, who spent her childhood with Guk-hee. As an adult working as a famous singer, Shin-young falls in love with Min-kwon before Guk-hee does, but backs away once she learns of the atrocities her father committed against Guk-hee. Photo = Drama capture

Look at President Song Joo-tae of Punggang Confectionery, who opposes Guk-hee. When he ran a noodle factory, he used lye as bleach; he quickly snatched up the patent for bread technology using edible glycerin that Guk-hee developed; and he not only undercut wholesalers with low-margin, high-volume pricing but even threw in gold rings to make people turn away from Guk-hee's "Donggeurami."

He even fabricated a story that maggots were found in "Donggeurami" to try to drive her out of the market entirely. Bribing those in power and tax evasion using double ledgers were mere trifles to him. It seems that unscrupulous businesspeople act in the same way, like conjoined twins, whether in the late 1950s, the drama's setting, or now in 2019. And because there are so few upright entrepreneurs like Guk-hee then or now, perhaps we just want to see such honest management in dramas at least.

Shin-young's parents, Song Joo-tae and his wife. It was Shin-young's mother who treated Guk-hee like a household servant and mistreated her when she was young, but the real villain is Song Joo-tae, who is blinded by greed and orchestrates his friend's assassination. His actions, including embezzlement and tax evasion, overlap with the unscrupulous businesspeople we see in today's economic news. Photo = Drama capture

"Guk-hee," which featured a battle between good and evil that, while predictable, guaranteed a certain level of catharsis, and captured the growth story of a female entrepreneur who rises from the ruins of the late 1950s through constant effort and ideas, became so popular that it recorded a peak viewership rating of 53.1%. In the South Korea of 1999, which was reeling from the aftermath of the IMF financial crisis, success stories like "Guk-hee" were enough to touch people's hearts.

Guk-hee's father, Min Young-jae, and Choi Min-kwon, who fought for independence by his side. Young-jae, the tragic father who comes to meet his daughter after liberation only to lose his life because of his friend, also represents the bitter past of our country, which failed to purge pro-Japanese collaborators after independence (Song Joo-tae even received a medal for his pro-Japanese activities for the sake of his business). Photo = Drama capture

Added to this was the compelling script by writer Jung Sung-hee, who is particularly talented in period dramas, and the solid acting of the performers. In particular, one cannot praise the child actors enough. Park Ji-mi, who played young Guk-hee (who later played the child version of Kim Tae-hee in "Stairway to Heaven," now active under the name Park Ga-ryung), I recall enjoying popularity on par with adult actors for her bold and energetic performance that didn't go overboard.

And Park Young-gyu, who showed off a pathetic and petty performance in "Soonpoong Clinic" by yelling "Father-in-law, why are you doing this?", was also excellent as the villainous Song Joo-tae who never knew how to repent. As for the lead, Kim Hye-soo, it goes without saying.

Guk-hee comes up with various ideas to revive Taehwadang, such as making edible glycerin for bread or putting peanut cream between biscuits, but faces hardships every time due to Punggang Confectionery, armed with huge capital and despicable acts. Taehwadang, led by Guk-hee, never compromises on the food customers eat, which is something every entrepreneur should emulate. Photo = Drama capture

Because it focused on the growth of a female entrepreneur, the love line was drawn somewhat weakly, but that seemed to help the drama's success even more. Even when Guk-hee faced difficulties, she never easily asked for help from those around her, and Choi Min-kwon, whom she eventually ends up with, might be by her side when she's in trouble, but he never offers an easy hand. Watching it again now, I find myself more drawn to the cold-hearted loan shark Kim Sang-hoon, who helps Guk-hee from behind in every way possible, than to the always-righteous Choi Min-kwon. But because Guk-hee was someone who wanted to succeed solely through her own efforts, she probably couldn't end up with Sang-hoon.

Guk-hee's trio of supporters. Jang Tae-hwa, who took in young Guk-hee and taught her to become a great entrepreneur; Choi Min-kwon, who spent 13 years searching for Guk-hee in honor of her father's dying wish; and Kim Sang-hoon, who became a cold-hearted loan shark after losing his father in a heartbreaking incident as a child, but always helps Guk-hee like a Daddy-Long-Legs. Photo = Drama capture

Anyway, watching "Guk-hee" makes me slowly start craving "Guk-hee Peanut Sand." Looking into it, besides "Guk-hee Peanut Sand," there is a sister product called "Guk-hee Choco Sand," which was the choco sandwich made by Punggang Confectionery in the drama, and recently, a green tea cream sandwich called "Guk-hee's younger sibling Sook-hee Sand" has been released, mainly in convenience stores. Still, when it comes to snacks, the old ones are best.

Who is the writer Jung Soo-jin?

Loving movies and travel, she passed through "Movie Week" and "KTX Magazine," but her unchanging object of affection has always been dramas. Reading character introductions on drama websites is her hobby, and she spent 12 years living a life of "ruined deadlines" because she would get hooked on old dramas whenever a deadline approached. Recently, she is roaming around YouTube like an adventurer exploring a new continent.