# She Was Pretty (2015)

> A former ugly duckling tries to track down his childhood first love, only to find a case of false identities backfiring on him.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/56549

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, romance
- Created by: Jo Sung-hee
- Network: MBC
- Cast: Hwang Jung-eum, Park Seo-jun, Choi Si-won, Go Joon-hee, Shin Dong-mi, Ahn Se-ha, Kang Soo Jin, Shin Hae-sun
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5045900/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: sweet, playful, flustered, comforting, light

## What critics say

Audiences rated the single season positively, praising its charming romance and lighthearted office-set comedy.

## Synopsis

She Was Pretty (2015) is a South Korean television romantic comedy created by Jo Sung-hee and aired on MBC, a single-season run of sixteen hour-long episodes. Its protagonist is a former ugly duckling who sets out to track down his childhood first love, and the chase drags him into an office where a web of false identities begins to spiral. Park Seo-jun plays Ji Sung-joon alongside Hwang Jung-eum as Kim Hye-jin, with Choi Si-won as Kim Shin-hyuk and Go Joon-hee as Min Ha-ri rounding out the central quartet. The engine of the show is the gap between who people appear to be and who they once were, as each lie that protects a secret threatens to collapse on its teller. Workplace scenes, flirtations, and small deceptions make up most episodes, and the story keeps returning to the question of whether old feelings survive a makeover. The tone is sweet, flustered, and playful, with a warm, comforting glow over its romantic misunderstandings. Fans of Crash Landing on You, Cheese in the Trap, and It's Okay to Not Be Okay will find resonance in its blend of romance, lighthearted deception, and a korean office setting.

## Shows like She Was Pretty

- [My Dearest Nemesis (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/173448)
- [Our Unwritten Seoul (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/176103)
- [My Shy Boss (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/60644)
- [The Secret Life of My Secretary (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/75359)
- [키스는 괜히 해서! (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/187235)
- [Dreaming of a Freaking Fairy Tale (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/151425)
- [True Beauty (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/94101)
- [Undercover High School (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/163730)
- [Another Miss Oh (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/58319)
- [Oh My Venus (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/56929)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt