Drama Spotlight: Bump Off Lover

Xu Yi Jing was only seventeen when she was murdered. Her older twin sister, Xu Yi Zhen, works to find out the truth, but it may be uglier and deadlier than anyone can handle.

I once said 99 true words, no one believed me. I once said a single lie, everyone believed me. From then on, I realized that we are living a life full of lies.

Yi Jing

There are so many things I want to say that I don’t know where to begin. In a nutshell, this drama is spectacular. Even though it’s over a decade old, it’s one of the best dramas I’ve ever watched for its highly engaging and thrilling storyline.

Before I dive into the story, I want to mention Angela Chang’s brilliant acting. She plays both sisters (Yi Zhen and Yi Jing), and she does an amazing job of distinguishing the sisters’ personalities.

The story focuses on unravelling the events that happened on the night of Yi Jing’s murder. And it’s not as simple as it seems. Everyone has a secret that ultimately led to Yi Jing’s death. And they’re complicated. As more things come to light, more questions come up.

After Yi Jing’s death, Yi Zhen teams up with Zou Ke Qiang to find out more about the truth. Zou Ke Qiang’s younger brother, Zou Ke Jie, had a crush on Yi Jing, but he succumbs to his injuries from his attempted suicide.

Ke Qiang wants to find justice for his younger brother, a suspect in Yi Jing’s murder.

As Ke Qiang and Yi Zhen investigate, Ke Qiang develops feelings for Yi Zhen. But this drama doesn’t turn into a love story with petty love triangles and jealously. Yes, there’s a little bit of it involved, but it’s kept in a realistic light that doesn’t deter from the story’s main point.

It was stressful to watch this because of what the characters are going through and what they don’t know. While you, as a viewer, know what’s happening behind the scenes, sometimes the characters do not. This makes it all the more frustrating and exciting to watch.

I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll highlight some main points of the plot that won’t give away any spoilers.

The story starts with a mysterious and scary website known as Dark Heart. The viewers quickly learn that this website is a place for people who are unhappy with life to vent their frustrations.

You can only join this website through a specific invite. No one knows each other’s real identities. The conversation turns scarier when a person with the username “Dark Lord” says he wants to see the sisters (Yi Jing and Yi Zhen) in a pool of blood.

This website plays a critical role throughout the story.

Passwords and codes. I really liked how the drama used passwords and codes to serve as guiding points and ultimate revelations for the investigation. To understand what really happened that night, you need to understand Yi Jing. And with that comes passwords and codes.

Mature themes. There are mature themes involved, but it’s nothing graphic.

The drama has it all: well-rounded characters, great pacing, gripping cliffhangers, and a developed story that comes full circle at the end. Bump Off Lover highlights the ugly side of human beings and how some actions can be truly destructive to everyone around you.

Bump Off Lover is an excellent example that compelling storytelling will always win. This drama came out in 2006. So it’s over a decade old. You’ll see those chunky flip phones, terrible picture quality, and MSN. While some of the CGI may seem a little odd, I easily overlooked it.

It also won 3 out of the 7 awards it was nominated for, including Best Writing for a Television Series at the 41st Golden Bell Awards.

I watched this when I was in junior high/high school. Rewatching it again in my mid-twenties didn’t disappoint. Rather, I understand the themes better.

If you’re looking for a murder mystery with twists and turns in every episode, give this a shot.