When it comes to Sci-Fi romance dramas, “My Holo Love” is most definitely one not to miss. With its heart warming and emotive story-line, revolving around a lonely woman with facial blindness who befriends a hologram generated from a pair of suddenly appearing high tech glasses.
(Minor spoilers ahead!!)
Han So-Yeon (Played by Ko Sung-Hee, who plays Kim Ji-Na in the Korean version of “Suits”) works for a glasses designing company and is forever taken advantage of by her co-workers, always giving her stacks of extra work. Additionally, with her facial blindness, she cannot recognise faces and is scrutinised for it due to her co-workers believing she is being deliberately rude. However, her dull life is changed when she meets Holo, an AI hologram that can only be seen when she is wearing a pair of high-tech glasses. Glasses that mysteriously appear in her bag. She is unaware that these one of a kind glasses actually originated from a high-tech company and she became a beta tester for them. She is also unaware that the creator of the glasses, also the model of Holo, moved in next door to her.
From assumptions, you may believe the title “My Holo Love” involves a trivial romance between a woman and a hologram… Something that doesn’t actually exist and is just made of code. Well, to an extent you are correct. But it is a lot deeper, due to So-Yeon’s little chance of having a relationship due to her facial blindness. Even when she attempts to date her colleague, her anxiety from not making the right choice on their dates and always relying on Holo, makes him think So-Yeon is cheating on him. Arguably, despite Holo being a bunch of code, he seems to understand So-Yeon more than anyone else in the drama, including her own mother. This loneliness certainly justifies a relationship between them and makes it somewhat predictable. Especially when Holo does the unthinkable for a hologram, and develops feelings.
However, Holo is made in the image of his creator Go Nan-Do (Played by Yoon Hyun-Min) a rich orphaned child, who according to government records, does not exist and committed suicide. The police soon find him suspicious after many unusual events continued to happen, with him at the front of various disturbances. One included the impossibly fast hacking of four cars, that all pulled out on an incoming gang who continuously attempt to steal his AI glasses.
Throughout the second half of the drama, Nan-Do realises he needs to tell the truth to So-Yeon, about Holo being made in his image and even finds himself having to pretend to be Holo when the AI glasses are hacked. She also believes that it was Holo who partially cured her facial blindness (As she could see Holo, but not anyone else), assuming it’s due to love. This plot line however is pretty annoyingly dragged out, as Nan-do seems like quite a confrontational character and not afraid to speak his mind, but around So-Yeon these personality traits seem to change. He therefore finds it very hard to tell her the truth and would rather procrastinate and prolong having to tell her.
“My Holo Love” is certainly the perfect drama to sink your teeth into. Although the overall plot of a woman falling in love with a hologram may seem far fetched, it is the perfect K-Drama for all the feels, humour and romance.
You can watch it on Netflix!
