A few episodes in, I could see where Hundred Million Stars From the Sky was panning out to. Hidden under the guise of a murder mystery, it truly is a birth secret drama (where the lead couple is separated as kids due to a tragic incident, only to reunite as adults, fall in love and face their fears together), following largely in the footsteps of Kill Me, Heal Me. If the latter explored the multiple personalities developed due to the horrifying near-death incident, in Hundred Million Stars From the Sky, it is the reverse, as Kim Moo Young (Seo In Guk as remarkable as ever) ends up emotionally distancing himself from everyone and everything, after facing a similar tragedy.

There are more similarities between the two shows, especially when considering the climax, but except for the dash of amnesia, a pinch of red herring (which I will come to later), the tone is vastly different. Kill Me Heal Me used the fun and ease of watching a rom-com, to present to us a difficult topic, while Hundred Million Stars From the Sky uses a murder, that isn’t even directly related to the three main characters, to lure us into the real mystery that has to be solved.

Writer Song Hye Jin takes this tried and tested formula and tweaks small elements, that does something so different, that the end product stands out against other dramas with a similar plotline. Till we are even introduced to the larger mystery at hand, the past is constantly teased via dialogues, especially the ones shared between Moo Young and Yoo Jin Gook (a brilliant Park Sung Woong), without ever revealing what exactly was the nature of the incident or resorting to the use of flashbacks. This heightens the suspense and tension more when you consider that Moo Young is a morally ambiguous character, who may have committed a murder or at least has instigated one.

The story too just flows with many different plotlines — involving romance, chaebols, police investigation, without ever feeling muddled, but brilliantly integrated together. This gives the show a much more established setting, that is by investing so much time in the present, it becomes as important as the past. These characters and their choices matter as much now as they did before.

This is especially important when it comes to Jin Kook, who treats his whole life as a penance for his one wrongdoing, early in his career. We meet him as a detective who works under his subordinate and is seen as a burden for the team, but as he crosses path (literally at first) with Moo Young, he almost ends up making the same mistake he is now paying for.

Seo In Guk is one actor perfect for playing grey characters. His aloofness would make you question him, but his inherent charm would disable those suspicions immediately. We aren’t privy to any of his thoughts, and his interactions with other characters are limited except for when he is with Jin Gook and Jin Kang (Jung So Min). So, you can never predict what he is going to do, what exactly is going on in his head, and basically, whose side he is on, but rather than scare you, his confidence and calmness make you relaxed, as someone who knows what he is doing.

This drama is the official remake of the 2002 Japanese drama of the same name and while the original had quite a controversial ending where it is revealed the two main leads (here that would be Moo Young and Jin Kang) are biological siblings, the Korean one releases this (false) information for an episode, to provide shock and create some damage for our characters, and then smartly eliminates every possibility of it in the next.

Though I expected this reversal, as Korean dramas generally tread safely when it comes to their leads (unless its a movie — Oldboy, anyone?), the reveal — for however short it was — made sense especially considering Jin Gook’s constant disgust for Jin Kang dating Moo Young, but the sudden swerve back to safety, (which made me personally feel better), didn’t make sense when considering Jin Gook’s extreme actions, in particular when he stabs Moo Young to keep him for dating his sister.

A similar reveal had been teased before in Kill Me Heal Me too, albeit for a short period, between Cha Do Hyun and Oh Ri Jin, and also between Oh Ri Jin and Oh Ri On, but where it is swiftly revealed that they aren’t biologically related as Ri On loves Ri Jin.

Along with this, there were some loopholes in the plot, which don’t really hamper the viewing experience but still prick your mind from time to time, like Moo Young being let go from the murder investigations even when it was made clear that he put the idea into Im Yoo Ri’s (Go Min Si) head and helped her plan it. Or the fact that Dr. Yang thought it was a good decision to let a kid with burn scars and a memory loss wander off than be continued to be treated in the hospital. That plot point was completely lost on me.

Did I mention that an OST plays for the first time, only in like the tenth episode!