When the Camellia Blooms

When the Camellia Blooms is a 2019 South Korean television drama broadcast on KBS2 from September 18 to November 21, 2019. Written by Lim Sang-choon and directed by Cha Young-hoon, the series was presented in 40 half-hour episodes, commonly grouped as 20 longer installments. It combines romantic comedy, family drama, social commentary, and a suspense plot involving a serial killer known as “Joker.” Gong Hyo-jin plays Oh Dong-baek, a single mother who runs a small bar and eatery named Camellia in the fictional town of Ongsan. Dong-baek has endured years of judgment from neighbors because she is raising her son, Pil-gu, without a husband. Kim Kang-hoon portrays Pil-gu, whose protectiveness toward his mother becomes an important emotional thread. The show focuses not only on Dong-baek’s romance but also on her gradual confidence as she refuses to let public gossip define her life. Kang Ha-neul stars as Hwang Yong-sik, an earnest and outspoken local police officer. Yong-sik falls in love with Dong-baek and pursues her openly, despite resistance from his mother and skepticism from Ongsan residents. His role marked Kang Ha-neul’s first television drama after completing mandatory military service. Kim Ji-seok plays Kang Jong-ryul, a famous baseball player and Pil-gu’s biological father, whose return complicates Dong-baek’s life. Son Dam-bi appears as Hyang-mi, a troubled employee at Camellia whose disappearance intensifies the thriller storyline. The drama’s mystery concerns Joker, a murderer who has targeted women connected to Dong-baek. Rather than treating the killer plot as separate from the romance, the series uses it to explore fear, community responsibility, and the vulnerability of women who are isolated or dismissed. Ongsan itself functions as a major setting: its market vendors, restaurant owners, mothers, and police officers repeatedly influence Dong-baek’s choices. When the Camellia Blooms was a major domestic ratings success. Its final episode recorded a nationwide rating above 23 percent according to Nielsen Korea, making it one of the most watched Korean dramas of 2019. At the 2019 KBS Drama Awards, Gong Hyo-jin received the Grand Prize, while Kang Ha-neul won the Top Excellence Award for a Miniseries. In 2020, the drama received the Grand Prize for Television at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards, and Lim Sang-choon won the Best Screenplay award.