If you watched a recent episode of "Bride of the Century" and wondered why the restaurant that Yang Jin Sung started looked familiar, that's because you may have been there before. You may have visited there in another drama that is.
Only that time the menu specialized in ramen and flower boys served it.
The restaurant is either the same restaurant owned by Lee Chung Ah's character Eun Bi in the comedy "Flower Boy Ramen Shop" or its a carefully crafted recreation. In that comedy, she not only works at the store but lives next to it, eventually sharing her store and her home with an assortment of flower boys. Located near Subong Park, in Incheon, the restaurant is already a favorite destination for "Flower Boy Ramen Shop" fans. Using it "Bride of the Century" can only make the location more popular.
Whether the writers of "Bride of the Century" meant their location choice as a nod of approval for that earlier comedy or the location just happened to fit the bill, it is odd to see the store that was once manned by Jung Il Woo and Lee Ki Woo being run by Yang Jin Sung and her drama family. In "Bride of the Century," Yang Jin Sung gets the store in exchange for pretending to be someone else. She's done with pretending and ready to run a restaurant. But her pretend fiancé Lee Hongki is sure to visit in the future and complicate things.
It would not be the first time more than one k-drama has used the same site. Watch enough dramas and you may begin to feel like a regular visitor to Korea.
For example, the dramas "You're Beautiful" or "49 Days" both filmed scenes at the Byeokchoji or BCJ Botanical Garden near Paju. It's about an hour outside Seoul. Remember when Park Shin Hye cleans off the statues in the first episode of "You're Beautiful?" That's the park. It's also where Jung Il Woo walks with Nam Gyu Ri to explain her chances of living or dying in "49 Days" And some scenes from "City Hunter" were filmed there. Remember Lee Min Ho sitting on a park bench with Park Min Young? Those are the benches.
Korea's Petit France Village is also the site of some famous drama scenes. It was the site of the famous floating kiss between Kim Soo Hyun and Jun Ji Hyun in "You Who Came From The Stars" but it has been seen in dramas before. Scenes from "Secret Garden" were filmed there. The picturesque village in Gyeonggi-do is dedicated to the Saint Exupery book "Le Petit Prince."
Next time you're watching a drama, note the locations used to film it. Odds are you may find some of them familiar.
