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Boys Over Flowers (꽃보다 남자): Plot, Characters and Cast

Boys Over Flowers (꽃보다 남자, Kkotboda Namja) is a high-school romantic comedy that KBS2 aired in 2009, with 25 episodes. It's based on the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango, written by Yoon Ji-ryun and directed by Jeon Ki-sang. It was the role that launched Lee Min-ho internationally. In this guide you'll find the spoiler-free plot, the five main characters, the cast and a playful Saju for each member of the F4 and for Jan-di.

Cast
Koo Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Bum, Kim Joon
KBS2
2009 · 25 episodes

Official video

[꽃보다 남자] 날 이렇게 대한 여잔 금잔디가 처음이야ㅋ (1편)│퀵리뷰│웨이브

Official video by wavve 웨이브 on YouTube. It only loads if you press play.

Plot (no spoilers)

Geum Jan-di comes from a family that runs a dry cleaner's and lives far from the world of the rich. An unexpected rescue puts her in the news and, suddenly, she ends up with a scholarship to Shinhwa High, an exclusive school for ultra-rich families. The place is run by the F4, a group of four heirs who do whatever they like and bully anyone they don't like.

The leader is Gu Jun-pyo, arrogant and used to nobody telling him no. With him are Yoon Ji-hoo, quiet and kind; So Yi-jung, charming, from a family of potters and known as a playboy; and Song Woo-bin, laid-back, son of a powerful construction family. When Jan-di refuses to bow her head to Jun-pyo, he goes from tormenting her to being fascinated by her.

Things aren't that simple. Ji-hoo keeps showing up to help Jan-di, and a love triangle forms between the three of them. On top of that, Jun-pyo's mother fights with everything she has to stop her son from falling for a girl with no money. Class clash, wounded pride and first love: that's the engine of a story that mixes laughs, luxury and tears.

Characters and their Saju

戊

Geum Jan-di 금잔디

Koo Hye-sun · Yang Earth · The Mountain

Jan-di is the daughter of a family that owns a dry cleaner's and who, thanks to a scholarship, gets into an academy for millionaires. She has backbone and won't be walked over: when the F4 try to intimidate her, she stands up to them. That courage makes her the center of attention at a school where nobody dared to talk back.

If Jan-di had a Saju card, it would be Yang Earth · The Mountain: steady, stubborn in the best sense and hard to move. Winds of money and power can blow all they like, but she stays where she is and doesn't ask permission to exist.

丙

Gu Jun-pyo 구준표

Lee Min-ho · Yang Fire · The Sun

Jun-pyo is the arrogant heir who leads the F4 and runs the school his own way. He's used to everyone obeying him, so Jan-di's defiance throws him completely off balance. Behind his king-of-the-hill attitude is a boy who had almost never heard the word no.

If Jun-pyo had a Saju card, it would be Yang Fire · The Sun: impossible to ignore, loud and convinced the world revolves around him. He lights things up, sure, but he also burns, until he learns to warm instead of dazzle.

癸

Yoon Ji-hoo 윤지후

Kim Hyun-joong · Yin Water · The Rain

Ji-hoo is the calmest member of the F4. He speaks little and prefers to stay in the background, but he shows up exactly when Jan-di needs him. His quiet kindness contrasts with Jun-pyo's noise and makes him the other point of the love triangle.

If Ji-hoo had a Saju card, it would be Yin Water · The Rain: soft, discreet and always on time. He doesn't arrive with thunder; he arrives when the ground is dry and makes something grow again without asking for anything in return.

辛

So Yi-jung 소이정

Kim Bum · Yin Metal · The Jewel

Yi-jung comes from a family of potters and has a charm he uses shamelessly. He carries a playboy reputation and moves through the school with elegance and a ready smile. He's the F4 member who seems to take everything lightly, as if nothing could touch him.

If Yi-jung had a Saju card, it would be Yin Metal · The Jewel: polished, brilliant and very aware of his own reflection. Like a piece of fine ceramic, he has more layers than he shows at first glance.

己

Song Woo-bin 송우빈

Kim Joon · Yin Earth · The Garden

Woo-bin is the most relaxed member of the F4. His family runs a powerful construction business, but he doesn't seem to need to prove it. He's the easygoing friend who keeps the group balanced and smooths over tensions with his carefree way of taking life.

If Woo-bin had a Saju card, it would be Yin Earth · The Garden: soft ground where the whole group can rest. He doesn't compete for the spotlight; he'd rather let the others bloom while he enjoys the view.

And what would your Saju be? Find out free with your birth date.

Why so many people fell for it

Boys Over Flowers mixes the Cinderella fantasy with a heroine who doesn't wait to be rescued. The clash between Jan-di and the F4, the luxury, the jealousy and the triangle with Ji-hoo made it a phenomenon. In Latin America it aired on free-to-air TV: Panamericana (2011) and Willax (2021) in Peru, Mega and ETC in Chile, RCN in Colombia and Mexiquense TV in Mexico. In South Korea it averaged around a 25.7% nationwide rating.

Facts

Ending (spoilers)

Show the ending

Spoiler: Jun-pyo and Jan-di's path is full of obstacles for years, including an accident in which he loses his memory. Even so, they manage to find each other again. Some time later, Jun-pyo comes back as a businessman and proposes to Jan-di by the sea.

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Frequently asked questions

How many episodes does Boys Over Flowers have?

Boys Over Flowers has 25 episodes. KBS2 aired it in South Korea in 2009, written by Yoon Ji-ryun and directed by Jeon Ki-sang.

Who are the F4 in Boys Over Flowers?

They are four rich heirs who rule Shinhwa High: Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho), Yoon Ji-hoo (Kim Hyun-joong), So Yi-jung (Kim Bum) and Song Woo-bin (Kim Joon).

What is Boys Over Flowers based on?

It's an adaptation of the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango. The Korean version tells the story of Geum Jan-di, a girl from a working-class family who gets a scholarship to a school for the ultra-rich.

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