Brilliant Legacy


Brilliant Legacy, also known as Shining Inheritance, is a 2009 South Korean television series starring Han Hyo-joo, Lee Seung-gi, Moon Chae-won, and Bae Soo-bin. It aired on SBS from April 25 to July 26, 2009 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:45 for 28 episodes.
It was among the top-rated Korean dramas of the year; it maintained its number one spot in the viewership ratings chart for 20 consecutive weeks and reached a peak rating of 47.1% for its last episode. The series is commonly known as the star-making vehicle of popular Hallyu stars Han Hyo-joo and Lee Seung-gi, and is credited with launching their careers into the household names they are today.
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Synopsis

Go Eun-sung was studying overseas in New York and returned to Korea during her vacation to bring her autistic brother, Eun-woo, to the United States to study music. Sunwoo Hwan, who was also studying in New York, was ordered to return to Korea by his grandmother, Jang Sook-ja, to learn how to manage her food company. Eun-sung and Hwan, who were on the same flight back home, accidentally had their luggage bags exchanged, which led to several misunderstandings between the two.
Go Pyung-joong, Eun-sung's father, was struggling to save his company from going bankrupt. One day, his wallet and valuables were stolen by a thief who subsequently died in a gas explosion accident. The police, upon finding Pyung-joong's belongings on the thief, mistakenly identified the thief as him and a death certificate for Pyung-joong was promptly issued. He decided to lie low and not tell his family that he was alive so that his family could claim his life insurance money and use it to clear the debts. However his second wife, Baek Sung-hee, kicked her stepchildren, Eun-sung and Eun-woo, out of the house after collecting the insurance money and moved into a new home with her daughter, Yoo Seung-mi. Seung-mi was also Hwan's longtime best friend, hoping to be something more.
Eun-sung asked for help from several of her friends, including Hyung-jin, who avoided her because she was no longer rich. She managed to find a job at a nightclub with the help of her friend, Hye-ri. At the nightclub, Eun-sung met Hyung-jin's upperclassman, Park Joon-se, who was shocked to see her working there. She also met Hwan, who caused her to lose contact with Eun-woo. Realizing that Eun-woo was missing, Eun-sung was devastated and tried searching for her brother but to no avail. With the help of Hye-ri and Joon-se, Eun-sung rented a small room and started a small dumplings stall while continuing her search for Eun-woo.
Meanwhile, Sook-ja became deeply disappointed in her grandson as Hwan had no direction in life and did not know how to cherish her company and employees. While pondering over what to do about her grandson, Sook-ja visited a neighborhood that she used to live in when she was poor and encountered Eun-sung, who was selling dumplings. Sook-ja encountered an accident and received help from Eun-sung. Seeing that Eun-sung tried her best to take care of her even when she could not afford her own daily expenses, Sook-ja was touched by Eun-sung's compassion. She brought Eun-sung home, then announced to her family that Eun-sung was going to live with them and that she was going to appoint Eun-sung as the heir of her food company, if she could raise the profits of the sinking second branch by 20%.

Cast

Main cast

Go family

Sunwoo family

Park family

Extended cast

Original soundtrack

  1. Only You – Kang Ha-ni
  2. The Person Living in My Heart – Isu
  3. Crazy in Love – Ji-sun
  4. Love is Punishment – K.Will
  5. Spring Rain – Ji-hye
  6. Dear Sister
  7. Catch Hwan
  8. Are We Family?
  9. Funny Life
  10. The Road Leading to You
  11. Smile Working
  12. Last Lie
  13. Bickering
  14. Memories of Separation
  15. Spring Rain
  16. Destiny, the Second Story

Ratings

In this table, represent the lowest ratings and represent the highest ratings.
Source:

Adaptation

A Chinese remake called My Splendid Life aired in 2011, on Dragon TV. A Turkish remake titled Don't Let Go of My Hand aired in 2018, on TRT 1. A Philippine adaptation titled Shining Inheritance has premiere in 2024, on GMA Network.