Story:

Yoon Ju-won is a happy daughter raised by her single father, Jeong-jae. She craves for a brother when suddenly, a new child, San-ha, comes to live in the neighbourhood. He is a silent kid for his own reasons, but Ju-won wants to be around her ‘oppa’ anyway. Since two is better than one, her father also decides to let Hae-jun (the son from his blind date) stay with them since his mother decided to abandon him. With both San-ha and Hae-jun growing up without a mother, Jeong-jae took on the responsibility to raise the babies. We watch their journeys unfold in Family By Choice.

Review:

In the recent times, No Gain No Love explored the concept of a beautiful woman adopting children, which shaped up our female lead Hae-yeog (played by Shin Min-a)'s personality. Now, with Family By Choice, the roles are reversed and this very concept is explored in depth. There is a single father Jeong-jae (Choi Won-young) who has been gladly raising his daughter. That is when he comes across a lonely boy whose mother blames her shortcomings onto him. In a similar situation, he finds himself a single father to another boy whose mother was on a blind date with him. With that, this single father raises three children (almost) single-handedly, without a single complaint.

Family By Choice beautifully explores the complexities that come with being in a family. We all feel incomplete in one way or another and with these children, they are missing their mothers, the woman who usually plays the most important role in a child's shaping. In this case though, all the children are much better off without this "important" person.

Hwang In-youp's character Kim San-ha is a man of few words even now. He wins you over mostly with his expressions and in a few scenes, with his action. Yes, there's an action hero in the making with this one.

The character is best friends with trauma. Right from his childhood to current phase, this is one character that leaves you in tears. By the end of the series though, it is his savage nature that will get you weak in the knees. This child has truly evolved beautifully!

Bae Hyun-sung, who recently left a lasting impression with Park Seo-jun's The Gyeongseong Creature S2, is here and even if touted as a villain, he really isn't. His role of Kang Hae-jun is, to begin with, a very real man who simply wants to be seen. Being ghosted by his own mother mother, all Hae-jun wants is to make his family (the one with Ji-won) happy. His small efforts throughout the series really add to his character. Yes, he isn't too high on morals all the time (also for his own reasons) but his character development more than makes up for that. He's the cutest guy (not with the best personality though) on the block for a reason!

In comparison, Seo Ji-hye's Park Dal does not get the justice she deserves. Although there are scenes exploring her character, she really ends up at the very end of the series, with little left to explore. Choi Moo-sung's Kim Dae-wook is also one mysterious character (who is shown as super lazy). When you look at Kim Hye-eun's character Jeong-hee in front of them, she leaves a lasting impact because of her vicious nature despite being a mother. The actor has brought her finest performance to the table and it does not go unnoticed.

Jung Chae-yeon's Yoon Ju-won is the sweetest girl with surprises up her sleeves. She is not military trained like Kim Se-jeong's Chae Young-ju from Brewing Love, but Ju-won isn't too naive either. She is a character made for an ordinary woman to relate to and in that aspect, she flourishes.

Family By Choice is a story that will leave you hooked from the word go. It is a simple and realistic drama, which is what makes this one a beautiful watch. Of course there's predictability after one point but in no way would you want to stop watching the series because of that. While there's a comfort zone in the show, there's also a side that's a constant rollercoaster. That is what a family really is, a place where you find comfort but too much of it and you start wondering what's wrong. This is the USP of the series.

Even if the show leaves you in a delusional world where a happy family exists without too many problems, there are characters who constantly bring reality checks. That leaves you with hints as to what will happen next and all that's left to know is how would it unfold.

Family By Choice has another beautiful underline - judging a book by its cover. In this show, there are two moments when important characters judge another for smiling, while they themselves are grieving. Underneath it though, there's a bigger truth, because the smile hides a lot of secrets.

The series ends up being predictable after a point, but that does not take away from the feel-good emotions it brought across. Yes, this one has a happy ending, but it’s not how you exactly expected it to go.

Verdict:

Family By Choice is a ride you enjoy sitting on but also feel uneasy in some moments. This one taps into the most complex human relationships of all time – family. These are people you do not always choose but decide to stay with. The show is very rooted in the family culture and explores some real and complicated emotions well. For that, Family By Choice gets full points. There are no moments where you are taken aback, but that is not even the theme of the series, so it works.

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