13 Moments That Make 'Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha' A K-Drama That Will Stay In Our Hearts
Let’s remember our favorite healing drama on a good note and look back on those heartbreaking and heart-warming moments that tugged at our heartstrings
The premise is simple: A city girl’s car breaks down in a small town, and a country boy reluctantly comes to her rescue. It’s the perfect formula for a classic romcom, but through the course of its 16-episode run, Korean drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha showed us it was anything but. A pragmatic, designer label-loving dentist, Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-ah) finds herself in hot water after committing a professional mishap. She heads to the idyllic seaside village of Gongjin for some soul searching, and encounters handyman Hong Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho) after he finds her missing shoe in the ocean.
Away from the luxuries she enjoyed on the daily in Seoul, Hye-jin struggles to find her place and her peace in Gongjin. Her new life involves interacting with a bunch of quirky, nosy townsfolk, each with their own heartwarming and heartbreaking stories to tell. In the periphery is the mysterious Chief Hong, who, despite being well-loved in the village for his diverse skill set and kind heart, refuses to divulge anything about his life.
There’s an inexplicable, raw, and genuine sense of magic that allows us to just rest in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. As we move deeper into the storylines that stitch this drama together, we grow more involved with these characters, who are so wonderfully fleshed out that we end up forgetting they’re fragments of fiction. We are Hye-jin, the newcomer in town, seeing everything for the first time and trying to make sense of the wonder of it all. But, unlike her, we cannot stay in Gongjin forever.
It’s been awhile since the drama ended—a conclusion that, unfortunately, grew polarizing due to real-life events. The dust is settling now, though; all is almost well. Let’s remember our favorite healing drama on a good note and look back on those moments—there are so many we’re sure we missed a few!—that tugged at our heartstrings.
Happy reminiscing, chingus! May we all find our Gongjin, wherever, whatever, or whoever it may be.
TOP HEARTBREAKING AND HEART-WARMING HOMETOWN CHA-CHA-CHA MOMENTS WE’RE NEVER GOING TO FORGET
TOP HEARTBREAKING AND HEART-WARMING HOMETOWN CHA-CHA-CHA MOMENTS WE’RE NEVER GOING TO FORGET
Love At First Sight
Sometimes, it takes almost a whole season for attraction to blossom between our leading man and lady. Sometimes, it just takes one episode—the pilot. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha’s first episode turns the table during its very first post-credits scene, revealing how the story played out from Du-sik’s point of view. Even before they meet for the very first time, the lonely looking girl sitting on the beach already catches his eye.
Love At First Sight
While puttering around town on his way from one job to another, he stumbles upon Hye-jin in the most serendipitous of moments: when she’s checking on a young boy after he lost his tooth, when she’s gutting squid to pay back the coffee shop with the Gongjin grandmas. The scene is beautifully colored in sepia this time around, showing us the warm feelings that have surfaced in Du-sik as he watches Hye-jin from afar.
The Missing Shoe
The now-iconic pair of Roger Vivier pumps have truly gone through the wringer. They’re the last precious thing she buys before her whole life turns upside-down, and she loses them to the rolling tide after leaving them too close to the shoreline.
The Missing Shoe
Du-sik is able to return one shoe—he finds it in the ocean while surfing—to her, but the other remains a lost cause.
The Missing Shoe
A power outage has Du-sik dropping by Hye-jin’s place to check on the fuse box. After he leaves, she receives a text from Du-sik telling her to open the fuse box—which is in her closet, for context. There, to her surprise, is her missing shoe. She chases him to the doorstep, laughing delightedly as she puts both shoes on. The lights come back, and an awestruck Du-sik smiles sheepishly before pedaling away on his bike. We later find out that he even researched on how to dry a shoe properly to be able to give it back to her in mint condition. Oh, to have our own Chief Hong!
#FriendshipGoals
Hye-jin and Pyo Mi-seon (Gong Min-jeung) are the very definition of friendship goals in this drama. Upset that Hye-jin moved away, Mi-seon followed her to Gongjin, assisting her as a dental hygienist and making her feel less alone as she adjusts to this new life.
#FriendshipGoals
A new patient brings trouble to the clinic, taking every opportunity to touch Mi-seon inappropriately. When Hye-jin finally catches the pervert, she refuses to let him off the hook even though his wealth and connections can cause trouble to her business. She and Du-sik both attack the man, winding up in a jail cell on charges of assault.
#FriendshipGoals
They’re later released, but Hye-jin refuses to budge. She and Mi-seon have an emotional moment, apologizing repeatedly to each other through the bars as Du-sik and the police look on in amusement.
You Can Stand Under My Umbrella
Du-sik and Hye-jin have dinner at a restaurant, where she apologizes for her high and mighty stance on socioeconomic positions. He displays impeccable mathematical ability, easily solving each problem she sends his way, disappointing her further because she sees so much potential in him. Du-sik chides her, saying that unlike math, life doesn’t always have clear-cut solutions.
You Can Stand Under My Umbrella
It’s raining on their way out, and Hye-jin laments her lost umbrella. Du-sik reveals that he’s had it all along, but opts to drag her to the beach instead, insisting that she take time to enjoy the rain. The two run out to sea and frolic in the waves.
You Can Stand Under My Umbrella
The scene ends with Du-sik putting his hands on Hye-jin’s forehead, triggering her memories of their drunken night…and the kiss she herself had initiated.
Best Dad Award
Oh Cheon-jae (Jo Han-cheul) and Oh Ju-ri (Kim Min-seo) paint a relatable picture of a single dad-teenage daughter dynamic. They care deeply for each other but argue often due to Ju-ris' neglectful attitude towards her schoolwork and obsession for idol group DOS.
Best Dad Award
She wants to get braces to get rid of her snaggletooth, too, but her dad won’t hear of it. In hopes of saving enough money to pay for the braces on her own, she joins a talent show, insisting on dancing in spite of her injured foot. Fortunately, Du-sik and Hye-jin come to her rescue.
Best Dad Award
At the end of the show, Ju-ri is determined to speak to June (Sung Tae), her DOS bias, who came to the festival as a surprise guest performer.
Best Dad Award
She falls to the ground in an attempt to hop to the departing bus on her injured foot, but Cheon-jae valiantly comes to her rescue. He carries her on his back, and she is able to finally meet her oppa in person.
A Good Deed for the Local Gossip
Restaurant owner and Gongjin’s very own ‘Marites’ Jo Nam-sook (Chu Chung-hwa) often rubs Hye-jin the wrong way due to her gossiping ways. It’s aggravated by her leaving in the middle of a dental procedure because she’s found someone who can finish the job at a more affordable price. Hye-jin confronts Nam-sook and Du-sik takes her side, making Nam-sook feel like she’s being ganged up on. This prompts her to walk off without apologizing.
A Good Deed for the Local Gossip
While out on a run, Hye-jin spots Nam-sook about to hand over an envelope full of money to a suspicious-looking guy. Identifying it as a phishing scam, Hye-jin moves to intervene, but the suspect runs off with Nam-sook’s life savings, instigating a chase that loops in all of our leads. Du-sik is able to pin him down, and Nam-sook gets her money back in the end. The cops tease her for being so gullible, but Hye-jin comes to her rescue, saying it is Nam-sook that was the victim. The two are then able to patch up their differences.
Yes, I’m Her Boyfriend
By virtue of serendipity, Hye-jin’s dad runs into Du-sik at a gas station on his way to visit her in Gongjin. He’s a bit put off by Du-sik’s lack of courteousness, but lets it pass. He sees Du-sik again at his daughter’s house, emerging from her bathroom. All of Hye-jin’s attempts to intervene are thwarted when Du-sik introduces himself to her family as her boyfriend. Oops.
Yes, I’m Her Boyfriend
Du-sik ends up playing tour guide for Hye-jin’s dad and stepmom. To encourage their charade, she messages everyone in town to cooperate, offering a 30% discount to whoever delivers the best performance.
Yes, I’m Her Boyfriend
They have a meal together, which is made more enjoyable by Du-sik’s presence. Things get awkward when Du-sik overhears Hye-jin’s dad demanding that they break up.
Yes, I’m Her Boyfriend
When the father storms off, Du-sik is quick to follow him, and they engage in a heart-warming conversation that culminates in Du-sik coming clean about their scheme. He says he hopes Hye-jin will someday find someone who’s as good as she deserves, only for her dad to say, “That someone could be you.”
I Like You
Ah, the things we do for love. Upon realizing her true feelings for Du-sik—while on holiday with Mi-seon in Seoul—Hye-jin drives all the way back to Gongjin, fully intent on confessing to him. Seeing him sitting by the harbor, she approaches him to say her peace: that she likes him. He starts to respond, but Hye-jin covers his mouth, saying she's not expecting anything in return and that she can no longer hold it in.
I Like You
Du-sik says he can’t hold his own feelings any longer, and they kiss.
I Like You
He tells her before parting that he likes her as much as Lake Baikail. The curious dentist looks it up on the internet, only to turn into goo when she finds out that it’s the oldest and deepest lake in the world.
A Non-Toxic Second Lead
Ji Syeong-hyun (Lee Sang-yi) has liked Hye-jin since their college days. He would do all sorts of kind things for her, such as invite her out to eat or support her when her toxic ex gave her a hard time; so he felt like fate was lending him a helping hand when he just so happens to stumble upon her again while scouting for a shoot location in Gongjin.
A Non-Toxic Second Lead
Because Hye-jin has feelings for Du-sik, she lets Syeong-hyun down gently and thanks him for being there for her when no one else was. Though saddened by how things have turned out, Syeong-hyun says he is grateful for her honest answer and that he is honored that his first love is someone who works so hard but doesn’t lose herself in the process.
A Non-Toxic Second Lead
He later tells Du-sik that he hates trigonometry, so love triangles aren’t his thing. Aww.
The World of the Married
Marriage is a complicated matter among the inhabitants of Gongjin. The circumstances surrounding the divorce of former spouses Jang Young-guk (In Gyo-jin) and Yeo Hwa-jung (Lee Bong-ryun) is one of the three great mysteries—mostly because no one really knows why they split. Their story unravels bit by heartbreaking bit, culminating in two reveals: 1.) Young-guk has always been resentful of Hwa-jung, even blaming her for his failed romance with his first love Yoo Cho-hee (Hong Ji-hee). 2.) Hwa-jung overheard Young-guk telling Cheon-jae that he only married her out of convenience, which hurts her beyond measure because she has always loved him. In one of the most well-acted scenes on the show, we see her upending a basket of dirty laundry over him as he eats, informing him of her intent to divorce.
The World of the Married
Choi Geum-chul (Yoon Seok-hyun) and Ham Yun-kyeung (Kim Joo-yeon), too, are having marital issues. For most of the series, Yun-kyeung is heavily pregnant. Sensing that the baby is coming soon, she asks Geum-chul if they can go on a date after leaving Du-sik’s birthday celebration, but he tells her to rest instead. His being insensitive to her needs frustrates her, and she breaks down when he refuses to knot her untied shoelace. He blames the hormones for her outbursts, and she snaps at him, saying childbirth is more difficult than he thinks it is.
The World of the Married
In the end, all’s well that ends well. Young-guk and Hwa-jung decide to give it another try. They are moved by their normally stoic son’s (Ki Eun-yoo as Jang I-jun) breakdown, who finally admits to his parents that he’s so happy they’re back together because all he ever wanted was to eat dinner as a family under the same roof.
The World of the Married
Upon learning that Yun-kyeung’s water has broken, Geum-chul rushes to Hye-jin’s place to be by her side as she delivers their child. He apologizes for his many shortcomings, and they reconcile as proud new parents.
The Past Revealed
Much about Du-sik is shrouded in mystery from the get-go.
The Past Revealed
Every few episodes, we get a glimpse into his past life—sessions with a therapist, his medications and his nightmares, the suit he keeps hidden away, and a photograph of a family of three.
The Past Revealed
He is forced to confront the life he thought he’d left behind when Syeong-hyun’s assistant director (Lee Seok-hyung as Kim Do-ha) attacks him at the wrap party, blaming him for his father’s paralysis.
The Past Revealed
Du-sik shocks Hye-jin by saying it is indeed his fault, and that he destroyed the family in the photo by killing the father. It’s the most heart-breaking episode of the series, and with good reason, too.
The Past Revealed
We find out that the man in the photo is Park Jun-woo (Oh Eui-shik), Du-sik’s close friend from college.
The Past Revealed
He hires Du-sik as a fund manager, which allows him to become acquainted with Do-ha’s father, who is working as a security guard for the company. A reckless investment puts Do-ha’s father in debt, and Du-sik is unable to help him, resorting in a suicidal attempt that leaves him paralyzed.
The Past Revealed
Jun-woo drives a distraught Du-sik to see Do-ha’s father, but they collide with a truck on the way, and Jun-woo is killed in the accident.
Farewell, Gam-ri
The show has never failed to give us heart-warming moments between Du-sik and Kim Gam-ri (Kim Young-ok), establishing a special link between the two. Gam-ri has always been there for Du-sik, telling him that she finally rests knowing that he has Hye-jin in his life.
Farewell, Gam-ri
We find out, too, that Gam-ri is the one that stops him from jumping off the bridge via a text message saying she’s in Seoul and that she wants to bring him food.
Farewell, Gam-ri
It’s because of Gam-ri and the villagers of Gongjin that he becomes Chief Hong, caring for him despite his reticence and coaxing him out by asking for his help regarding various problems.
Farewell, Gam-ri
Gam-ri’s final night is spent in the company of her friends, who help her move back to her place now that Syeong-hyun’s filming has wrapped. As they get sentimental about getting older, Gam-ri says she actually likes it because she’s seen and experienced so much.
Farewell, Gam-ri
She leaves us with one final line before passing away peacefully in her sleep: “Look around yourself closely and you’ll realize that you’re surrounded by many precious things. Every day is full of such excitement, as if I’m going on a picnic the next day.”
Marry Me Today
Not wanting to see Du-sik go through life alone, Hye-jin decides then and there that she’s going to propose. She invites him to the beach the very day—to the exact same spot where they met for the very first time.
Marry Me Today
The famous Roger Vivier pumps are there, of course, but this time, she brings out a pair of men’s shoes, telling Du-sik that she’d like it if their shoes would always walk side-by-side together.
Marry Me Today
He tells her no, not because he’s rejecting the proposal, but because she beat him to it. Turns out, he was going to ask her to marry him that day, too. He presents her with a jewelry box, and she’s surprised to see the pricey necklace she’d bought when they were in Seoul and sold soon after. Du-sik then says he worked 637 hours to earn enough money for it, so she’s not allowed to sell this.
Marry Me Today
He wants to live in a house where everything is in pairs; with two shoes by the door, two toothbrushes in the bathroom, and two aprons in the kitchen.
Marry Me Today
To parallel their first meeting, the tide comes in and takes one of Du-sik’s shoes, and our SikHye couple runs into the ocean in an attempt to rescue it.
And that's our roundup of the most unforgettable moments and scenes from K-drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha starring Shin Min-ah and Kim Seon-ho!
How does our list of top HomeCha moments compare to yours? Did we miss anything? Let us know!
All photos courtesy of Netflix, tvN, with gifs from Tumblr, Twitter
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