Intriguing past life tale

The past and present collide in Chicago Typewriter, writes Loong Wai Ting

Go Kyung-pyo (left) and Im Soo-jung.

Chicago Typewriter is about three friends who lived during the 1930s Japanese occupation of Korea, and are reincarnated into the present.

THEY used to be good friends until circumstances set them apart. They were never to meet again, not until 80 years later. A plot like this definitely ignited my curiosity. Set in the past and present, South Korean series is about three writers — Seo Hwi-young, Ryu Soo-hyun and Shin Yool — who lived duri n g the 1930s Japanese Occupation of Korea. The trio met their unexpected end then and have been reincarnated in the present day.

They meet again but this time under different circumstances: Han Se-joo (Yoo Ah-In) is a successful writer who enjoys celebrity status, Jeon Seol (Im Soo-jung) is a veterinarian and literary fan and Yoo Jin-oh (Go Kyung-po) is a ghostwriter who loves jazz music.

Se-joo is known as the Stephen King of the nation’s literary scene. But he is a sensitive soul with a diva-ish attitude who enjoys his success and bossing people around. But when a severe case of writer’s block threatens to destroy his career, Se Joo reluctantly takes on a ghostwriter.

Meanwhile, he meets Jeon Seol, his No. 1 fan. As Jeon Seol does everything she can to get acquainted with her idol, she unwittingly gets on Se Joo’s nerves, who does everything to keep her at bay. Jeon Seol ow becomes his fervent critic instead.

As a ghostwriter blessed with brilliant writing talent, Jin-oh agrees to help Se Joo but on one condition: Se Joo must find out how the trio are linked in the past and how they died.

Se Joo is taken aback by Jin-oh’s odd request but agrees to help, in order to keep his career afloat.

Every once in a while you’ll see a certain trend dominating popular TV shows. With its time travel theme, fits nicely into the same category as last year’s hit dramas

and the more recent,

There’s definitely a fascination with this concept.

I feel the whole time travel theme is like a series of “what-if” analogies.

What if you have the ability to travel to the past? What if you could turn back time? What if you have the ability to communicate with the past? Who will you contact? What will you talk about? Phew!

Though billed as a mystery rom-com, I feel that the 16-episode series, in general, is much more than that. There is a bit of spy thriller element as well as tense drama thrown in.

I love how the past and present blend seamlessly and how viewers would have no problem differentiating between the two eras.

I also love how the series’ writer Jin Soowan uses an antique typewriter to draw the three characters together. Almost like a supernatural pull, the typewriter has something to do with the past and it being in the present serves as a chain to link the characters together.

In the show, the trio have glimpses of the past but each is confused by it and refuse to talk about it as well. For example, Se Joo has many flashbacks of typing on a typewriter.

Jeon Seol, on the other hand, has glimpses of her fatally shooting someone, which blows her opportunity to become an Olympian shooter.

Meanwhile Jin-oh is determined to find out how he died in the past. In order to do that, he must finish writing the trio’s story with Se Joo’s help. I enjoy the way the series is put together — highly stylised with beautiful lensing. There is also steady character development and the backstory that the series’ writer provides certainly adds substance to the overall viewing experience.

There is some dry humour. But most importantly, I love the chemistry between the actors.

Go looks handsome and suave in his 1930s persona. He is also very much the mischievous one of the trio and a sweet talker as well, which makes him irresistible to watch.

Yoo as Se Joo, who is quite vain, is annoying at times as he is a perfectionist in everything that he does.

The series marked Im’s return to TV after her last outing in

(2004).