Kim Da-mi and Shin Ye-eun play bus conductors in ‘A Hundred Memories.’
Viki.com
As the title might suggest, the k-drama A Hundred Memories glows with nostalgia, the nostalgia of an earlier decade and also a time in life when dreams seem possible. The story of love and friendship is set in the 1980s, when each of the main characters is in their 20s. Each character has a dream that seems impossible to achieve. They must first overcome daunting obstacles.
Kim Da-mi (Nine Puzzles, Our Beloved Summer, Itaewon Class) plays Go Young-rye, a bus conductor who dreams of becoming a literature professor. She’s really good at her job—announcing stops, squeezing in an extra passenger and chasing down thugs who refuse to pay. She’s also smart and studious. However, her family is poor and she has to earn money, so studying is secondary.
Shin Ye-eun (Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born, The Glory) plays Seo Jong-hee, the confident newcomer bus conductor, who quickly becomes friends with Young-rye. Jong-hee recognizes something in Young-rye. She not only appreciates her intelligence but sees herself in Young-rye’s tenacious spirit. Jong-hee’s dream is to become Miss Korea, then an actress. Not just any actress, but a star for the ages. Achieving her dreams might be complicated by her mysterious past. Someone is trying to find her.
Kim Da-mi’s character falls in love with Heo Nam-jun’s character when they meet by chance.
Viki.com
Heo Nam-jun (When The Stars Gossip, When The Phone Rings) plays Han Jae-pil, the son of a wealthy family. His father doesn’t approve of his dream of becoming a boxer. Nam-jun has real talent. He’s not that interested in school, but his father won’t let him abandon school for boxing.
Then Nam-jin meets Young-rye and Jong-hee, He’s running from the police after a fight and tries to silence them in case they scream. Both Young-rye and Jong-hee fall in love with Jae-pil, which could complicate their friendship.
Al the actors in this drama do a great job in delivering a relatable story of love and friendship, but Kim’s character, with her quiet resolve, is especially appealing. Kim Da-mi has played characters that are larger than life, but in this case, playing Young-rye requires her to somehow shrink into a person who has to work harder than anyone else to get what she deserved.
A Hundred Memories also stars Lee Won-jung (Hierarchy) as Ma Sang-chul, Jae-pil’s best friend and Lee Jung-eun (Light Shop) as Young-ye’s hardworking mother. Jeon Sung-woo (The Fiery Priest 2) plays Young-rye’s older brother and another notable actor in this drama is Kim Jung-hyun, who starred in Mr. Queen, appearing as a friend of Young-rye’s brother.
The SLL drama is written by Yang Hee-seung (Crash Course in Romance, Familiar Wife) and directed by Kim Sang-ho, known for the 2022 drama Thirty-Nine. A Hundred Memories aired on JTBC in Korea and it airs on Viki.com in the U.S.