The TV series “A Thousand Days’ Promise” is a heartrending story about a woman who is losing her memory and a devoted man who sticks by her side until the very last moment.

Lee Seo-yeon, a free-spirited woman, has a secret relationship with Park Ji-hyeong, an architect who has a fiancée. Upon hearing that Ji-hyeong’s parents set the date for his wedding, Seo-yeon splits up with him. But she has no time to lament over her painful breakup, as she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a very unlikely disease for a 30-year-old woman. Ji-hyeong happens to learn the shocking fact, and he breaks off his engagement only two days before the wedding to return to his ex-girlfriend. Despite vehement opposition from his parents and even from Seo-yeon herself, he never gives up on her and marries her without delay. The doting husband is devoted to taking care of his ailing wife, who is losing her ability to remember. Despite her distressing condition, the couple tries to hang on to love and experience it to the end. They have a baby girl and find happiness in their married life from time to time, even though both are well aware that a tragic end awaits them.

It sounds like a typical tear-inducing melodrama featuring a poor, pretty woman afflicted with a serious disease and a devoted man who dearly loves her. In spite of the worn-out theme and plot, many viewers say this TV soap is “different,” as it combines realistic and unrealistic elements elaborately. For example, Seo-yeon isn’t a naïve girl waiting for Prince Charming but rather an aggressive career woman who supports herself and her younger brother. She maintains her secret relationship with a man, even though she knows he has been engaged to another woman for a long time. Her attitude could be open to dispute. This realistic female character is not entirely pathetic or virtuous. Also, the drama never romanticizes the dementia-struck female protagonist. She is becoming cynical and acting like a baby as she is nearing the end of her pregnancy. She hurls insults at a colleague who visits her to ask about her health. When she hurts her forehead and starts bleeding, she just cries bitterly, not knowing what to do. On the other hand, Ji-hyeong’s fiancée, Hyang-gi, represents an extremely unrealistic character. She shows endless love and understanding to Ji-hyeong who cheated on her for a long time and eventually betrayed her. The well-balanced proportions of realistic and unrealistic elements are part of the drama’s merits that keep the viewers glued to the television.

Much of the credit should go to veteran screenwriter Kim Soo-hyun, who earned a nickname “magician of words” and “goddess of dramas” with a number of hit TV series. The drama’s fast-paced lines, which are one of distinctive characteristics of the writer’s works, keep the audience from getting bored. In fact, the drama starts with a breakup between the two lead characters, simply omitting the dull procedure of parting.

The sad love story is definitely aimed at touching the heartstrings of the audience. For those hoping to see a story of “complete and pure love,” something very rare to find in reality, this poignant soap is highly recommended.