It is 2000, and Ki Ha Myung (Nam Da Reum) is leading a happy life with his parents and older brother Jae Myung (Yoon Kyun Sang), until his father Ki Ho Sang (Jung In Ki), the captain of the firefighting squad, dies in a factory explosion during a rescue attempt along with several of his men. When Ho sang’s body is initially missing, the media sensationalizes the case by scapegoating him. In a battle for ratings, cold and calculating MSC reporter Song Cha Ok (Jin Kyung) alleges that Ho Sang survived the blast, and is currently in hiding because he was responsible for the deaths of his men. This causes the Ki family to become outcasts in their neighborhood and objects of national scorn. Ha Myung’s mother attempts to kill herself and her younger son by jumping off a cliff, and Jae Myung blames their deaths on the media, particularly Cha Ok.
But Ha Myung is alive, having been rescued from the water by Choi Gong Pil (Byun Hee Bong), a kindly elderly man who lives on Hyangri Island. Gong Pil, who may either have Alzheimer’s disease or trauma-induced memory loss, believes that Ha Myung is his older son Choi Dal Po, a simpleton who had died thirty years ago. Ha Myung, who has no one else in the world, embraces the deception and treats Gong Pil as his father. Gong Pil officially adopts Ha Myung, now named Dal Po, and places him in the family register as his eldest son. So five months later, when Gong Pil’s younger son Choi Dal Pyung (Shin Jung Geun) moves to the island with his daughter Choi In Ha (Noh Jung Ui), they are flabbergasted to be told by Gong Pil to address a mere boy as their “older brother” and “uncle,” respectively. In Ha has “Pinocchio syndrome,” which causes her to hiccup whenever she tells a lie. She idolizes her mother, and hates living on the island after her parents’ divorce. The fledgling friendship between Dal Po and In Ha is dashed, however, when he learns that In Ha’s mother is none other than Song Cha Ok.
Five years later, Dal Po (Lee Jong Suk) and In Ha (Park Shin Hye) are high school seniors and classmates at their small town high school in 2005. Dal Po, who is actually a genius, pretends to be dumb (like the real Dal Po) and gets all zeroes in his test scores. With his last place class standing and scruffy, country bumpkin hair, Dal Po is friendless at school while In Ha is the most popular girl. Dal Po secretly likes In Ha, and he is forced to join a televised quiz show at first to prevent an admirer from confessing to her on national TV, then later to protect her from losing a bet. At the TV studio, he runs into the show producer, who had been a YGN reporter and one of Cha Ok’s rivals, but changed careers after what happened to the Ki family. After seeing Dal Po on TV, and knowing that her Pinocchio syndrome limits her career choices, In Ha decides to become a journalist.
In passionate pursuit of the truth, In Ha and Dal Po later become newbie reporters at a current affairs news desk. Among their colleagues are Seo Bum Jo (Kim Young Kwang), who comes from a rich chaebol family, and Yoon Yoo Rae (Lee Yoo Bi), once an idol sasaeng fan who now uses those obsessive and determined traits in her new job. (Source)
Cast
Park Shin Hye as Choi In Ha
– Noh Jung Ui as Choi In Ha (young)
Lee Jong Suk as Choi Dal Po / Ki Ha Myung
– Nam Da Reum as Choi Dal Po / Ki Ha Myung (young)
Kim Young Kwang as Seo Bum Jo
– Park Shi Jin as Seo Bum Jo (young)
Lee Yoo Bi as Yoon Yoo Rae
YGN Newsroom
Lee Pil Mo as Hwang Gyo Dong
Min Sung Wook as Jang Hyun Kyu
Kang Shin Il as Lee Yeong Tak
Jo Duk Hyun as Jo Won Goo
Choo Soo Hyun as Im Jae Hwan
Tae Hang Ho as Cha Woo Chul
MSC Newsroom
Jin Kyung as Song Cha Ok
Kim Kwang Kyu as Kim Gong Joo
Kim Young Hoon as Lee Il Joo
Im Byung Ki as Yun Doo Young
Yoon Seo Hyun as Lee Joo Ho
Hangang Line Reporters’ Family
Byun Hee Bong as Choi Gong Pil
Shin Jung Geun as Choi Dal Pyeong (In Ha’s father)
Kim Hae Sook as Park Ro Sa
Yoon Kyun Sang as Ki Jae Myung
– Shin Jae Ha as Ki Jae Myung (young)
Jung In Ki as Ki Ho Sang
Jang Young Nam as Ha Myung’s mother
Others
Lee Joo Seung as Ahn Chan Soo
Park Soo Young as Jung Ki Bong
Im Do Yun as Ji Hee
Lee Dong Jin as Kang Sung Hak
Kim Jung Pal as Jae Myung’s friend
Choi Joo Ri as Min Hye Young
Cameos
Jang Kwang as headmaster (ep 1)
Im Sung Hoon (임성훈) as quiz program MC (ep 1,2)
Woo Hyun as homeroom teacher (ep 1-3)
Choi Jong Hoon as factory worker (ep 1)
Ahn Sun Young as broadcasting writer (ep 1-2)
Kim Young Joon as neighbor with Pinocchio Syndrome (ep 1-2)
Yoon Jin Young as firefighter (ep 1)
Yeom Dong Hun as Moon Deok Soo (ep 1)
Jung Woong in as Min Joon Gook (ep 2)
Jang Hang Joon as movie director (ep 2)
Lee Bo Young as voice navigation Hye Sung (voice only, ep 3)
Kim Min Young as Sung Hyun Joo / daughter of the deceased diet (ep 7)
Hong Hyun Hee (홍현희) as Teacher Yoon
Park Gil Soo as Jo Jang Woo / bus company owner (ep 12)
Yoon Sang Hyun as Cha Gwan Woo (ep 12)
Lee Seung Ho as Jo Dae Gook
Lee Joon as a celebrity (ep 19)
Kim Hak Rae (김학래) as photographer (ep 20)
Kang Nam as a university student (ep 20)
Oh Seung Ah as MSC new reporter interviewee (ep 20)
Kim Hyung Gon as MSC new reporter interviewee (ep 20)
Maeng Seung Ji as YGN new reporter (ep 20)
Shin Jae Ha as YGN new reporter (ep 20)
Yeo Hoe Hyun
Production Company IHQ
Producer Choi Moon Suk, Park Chang Yong
Director Jo Soo Won, Shin Seung Woo
Screenwriter:Park Hye Ryun
Genre Fantasy, Romance, Family
Broadcast network SBS
Broadcast period 2014 November – 2015 January
Note
– Director Jo Soo Won and Screenwriter Park Hye Ryun previously worked together in 2013 SBS drama series “I Can Hear Your Voice”.
– Actor Kim Woo Bin was offered the lead male role, but declined due to scheduling.
Awards
2015 Korea Drama Festival Award – Top Excellence Actor: Lee Jong Suk (Pinocchio)
2015 51st Baeksang Arts Awards: Popularity Actor (Lee Jong Suk)
2014 SBS Drama Awards – New Star Awards: Lee Yoo Bi (Pinocchio)
2014 SBS Drama Awards – New Star Awards: Kim Young Kwang (Pinocchio)
2014 SBS Drama Awards – Top 10 Stars: Park Shin Hye (Pinocchio)
2014 SBS Drama Awards – Top 10 Stars: Lee Jong Suk (Pinocchio, Doctor Stranger)
2014 SBS Drama Awards – Best Couple Awards: Park Shin Hye & Lee Jong Suk (Pinocchio)
2014 SBS Drama Awards – Top Excellence Actresss (Mid-Length Series): Park Shin Hye (Pinocchio)
2014 SBS Drama Awards – Special Award: Lee Jong Suk (Pinocchio)
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