Oh My Venus

Plot

Kim Young-ho, a.k.a. John Kim, is a personal trainer to Hollywood stars. Despite his family's wealth, Young-ho suffered a devastating illness in his childhood. But he believes living a healthy lifestyle and exercise is the only way to survive. He uses this to run from his family issues. His fear of his father and pity for his grandmother. A Hollywood scandal with an actress has him on the run back to Korea.

Kang Joo-eun was once an ulzzang in her teens, semi-famous for her pretty face and enviable figure. Now a 33-year-old lawyer, she has gained a lot of weight since. She passes out on a flight from the U.S. back to Korea and John Kim is the only medical personnel on the flight who takes charge. He watches out for her even after they arrive home. After getting dumped by her boyfriend, Im Woo-shik, she finds that she has the press pass for John Kim and proceeds to (blackmail) convince him to help her lose the weight.

She discovers that Young-ho has a weakness for being a knight in shining armor. She moves in with him, Ji-woong and Joon-sung (Korean Snake), after a stalking incident and also her brother needing money for marriage anyway caused her to sell her apartment. As they work on her physical transformation, both discover they feel more for each other than what they will admit. As they grow closer they heal each other's emotional wounds and eventually falling in love before a tragedy befalls Kim Young-ho leaving his fate uncertain.

In a flashback scene, it's revealed that Kang Joo-eun met Kim Young-ho when he was dealing with bone cancer when he was a child and placed a plaster on his cast.

Cast

So Ji-sub as Kim Young-ho/John Kim

Young-ho is a personal trainer of Hollywood stars in America where he uses the alias John Kim. After a Hollywood scandal with a famous actress puts the spotlight on him, Young-ho returns to Korea to wait for the scandal to die down. On the plane back to Korea, Young-ho saves Kang Joo-eun after she suddenly collapses. A series of events bring the two together on several occasions with Young-ho saving Joo-eun from pitiful situations several times. Things become further complicated when he is prevented from returning to America by his grandmother, the CEO of his family's company, who hopes Young-ho will one day become her successor. Despite his personal and family issues, Young-ho has a kind heart and tries to help others.

Shin Min-a as Kang Joo-eun

Kang Joo-eun is a 33 year-old lawyer and formerly called the "Venus of Daegu" in her hometown. After finishing high school and fulfilling her dream of becoming a lawyer, Joo-eun gains weight and feels she is no longer beautiful. After being dumped by her long term boyfriend on their 15-year anniversary, Joo-eun takes an overseas trip to America for work. On the ride back to Korea she faints after too much alcohol, medication and a corset puts her into respiratory distress. Young-ho saves her and they meet several more times, often with Joo-eun in an embarrassing situation. After finding out the identity of Young-ho as John Kim, she asks him to help her lose weight in return for not telling anybody about his dual identity. She is a blunt and hard-working person.

Jung Gyu-woon as Im Woo-shik

Im Woo-shik is a former national swimmer. After meeting her while she was still in high school, Woo-shik falls in love with Joo-eun and she becomes his long-time girlfriend. Despite claiming she is his first love, Woo-shik begins to lose interest in Joo-eun and secretly goes out with Oh Soo-jin, Joo-eun's former best friend. Eventually Woo-shik officially breaks up with Joo-eun. Despite the change in their relationship, he continues to worry about Joo-eun and keeps watch over her. He is curious about the relationship between Kim Young-ho and Joo-eun.

Yoo In-young as Oh Soo-jin

Production

Shin underwent heavy make-up and costuming for her role as the overweight Kang Joo-eun. Before each filming session, Shin underwent three hours of make-up that included attaching a silicone mask formed from a mold of her face. A fat suit and padded clothing were also used to create the appearance of a heavy 30-something.

Original soundtrack

Ratings

In this table, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.