"When the Camelia Blooms" is a KBS2 romantic drama that tells a story about a woman named Oh Dong-Baek (played by Gong Hyo-jin), a single mother who takes good care of his don named Pil-Gu (played by Kim Kang-Hoon). She decided to open up a bar and call it Camelia when she moved to the fictional town of Ongsan.
Dong-Baek meets the playful Hwang Yong-Sik (played by Kang Ha-Neul) after six long years of peacefully living with her son and running her business. Yong-Sik never hesitated to declare his love and is persistent in winning the heart of Dong-Baek despite her being a single mother and does not return the love Yong-Sik gave.
The story became more interesting when Yong-Sik's mother discovered and opposed his relationship with Dong-Baek because of being a single mother. She thought Dong-Baek does not fit to be in a relationship with his son. When Dong-Baek's past lover came, she tried to win her back, which added to its complication.
There seems to be a notorious killer on the loose whose target is Dong-Baek, which made the story more interesting. The gossip spread fast, knowing that Ongsan is just a small town, and there is a possibility to catch up with the serial killer quickly. Yong-Sik, as a policeman, was doing his best to protect Dong-Baek and her son.
"When Camellia Flower Blooms," aired from September 18- November 21, 2019, released 20 episodes on its first season and is available on Netflix where it is easier to keep track and watch. With its success, they received several awards.
During the Seoul International Drama Awards, the drama bagged two awards in the International Competition category; Artist Award for screenwriter Lim Sang-Chun, and Female Actress Award to Gong Hyo-Jin. It only shows how popular the drama was last year and how the female characters portrayed women empowerment on how well they carried themselves in the series.
Furthermore, Kang Ha-Neul also won the Male Actor Award and the Theme Song Award. The producers of the series also won several awards, such as Best Work Award and Artist Award. Not only they succeeded in the 15th Seoul International Drama Awards but also in shows like the 56th Baeksang Artist Awards, where they won four awards and three awards at the 47th Korean Broadcasting Awards.
Hard work goes a long way indeed!