Choi Dal Po #atozchallenge

I would never forget Choi Dal Po. Every book I read, every TV series I watch introduces me to a new character, unique and original in his own way. Some I forget, but some shall always remain with me, close to my heart. Choi Dal Po is one of them. I already miss him.

Hailing from the Korean series ‘Pinnochio’, Choi Dal Po is a chubby cute super intelligent lad who grows to be a reporter. The eleven year old kid was rescued by an old man living in the countryside who was on the verge of insanity. The old man took him to be his long lost son who supposedly drowned and was no more. This kid took the name of that son, Choi Dal Po, and lived with him happily taking care of him. He had no choice, as his father was estranged and mother was dead. His once happy family was destroyed, and he had to remain in hiding from the media.

I loved this eleven year old, when he tried to be dumb and foolish to properly imitate the old man’s real son, lest the old man should discover the truth and faint. It was difficult to hide his talents and abilities, but he successfully hid it till the final year in school. He secretly learned more than he showed- read all the books in the local library and mastered in many areas. Yet he knowingly scored a zero or just minimum pass marks in his school and let his friends nick name him ‘All-Zero’. All until that quiz completion on TV. I loved the shocked expression everyone had.

I loved the way Dal Po teased In Ha, and slowly fell in love with her. She was a Pinnochio- she hiccupped whenever she lied. I just loved the lovey-dovey chemistry between the two. They grew together in the same house hold; In Ha called him ‘uncle’ for the sake of her grandpa- the old man. In the absence of the old man too, they were best buddies. They prepared together to be reporters, and took on the job of cleansing and purging the media industry of the practice of manipulating news and twisting statements.

Dal Po didn’t support his older brother who wanted revenge for the devastation the media had brought to his family. He was the best son, an awesome friend, a very skilled reporter, and a perfect partner for life. And, how can I forget, extremely handsome.