A Rotten Smell in My Backyard: The Korean Drama 'The House with a Yard'

The 2023 South Korean drama “LIES HIDDEN IN MY GARDEN”is based on a novel of the same name.

The protagonist, ‘Moon Joo-ran’, who lived in Seoul, moves to a house on the outskirts after experiencing a certain incident. While tending to her garden, Moon Joo-ran smells a strange, putrid odor. She asks her husband and son about the smell when they return home, but they say they don't smell anything. Continuously plagued by the stench, which resembles the decay of a corpse, Moon Joo-ran decides to dig up the source of the smell herself. When she digs in the garden, she finds a human hand. Shocked, she calls her husband to confirm, but he assures her that she's mistaken and tries to calm her down. Several years prior, Moon Joo-ran had witnessed her sister's death and suffered a severe psychological trauma, leading her to take psychiatric medication. Believing her husband's words that she's hallucinating due to her mental health condition, she tries to ignore what happened in the garden. However, strange incidents start occurring around her.

Actress Kim Tae-hee plays Moon Joo-ran, a wife who appears anxious but dreams of a peaceful family life. Kim Tae-hee is considered one of the most beautiful actresses in South Korea and has starred in dramas such as “Stairway to Heaven”, “IRIS”, “Yong Pal”, and “Hi Bye Mama”. Since her debut as an actress in 2001, she has faced continuous criticism regarding her acting skills. However, she received critical acclaim for her performance in “Yong Pal” (2015) and garnered positive feedback for her portrayal of Moon Joo-ran in “LIES HIDDEN IN MY GARDEN,” a character who experiences numerous mental struggles.

Meanwhile, ‘Chu Sang-eun’ is suffering from domestic violence. Despite being pregnant, she struggles to get even a proper meal and endures her husband's abuse. To gather evidence of the abuse, she secretly installs hidden cameras in their home. However, her husband seems to notice and attacks her in the bedroom, a blind spot for the cameras, with the door closed. While preparing for a divorce, Chu Sang-eun learns from her husband that a large sum of money will be coming in soon. She reluctantly agrees to accompany him. They arrive at Moon Joo-ran's house. Chu Sang-eun gazes at the magnificent mansion with envious eyes. While her husband goes inside, Chu Sang-eun remains in the car and finds a cell phone that appears to belong to a young girl.

Actress Im Ji-yeon takes on the role of Chu Sang-eun. Im Ji-yeon, who perfectly portrayed the school bully ‘Park Yeon-jin’ in the incredibly popular Netflix series “The Glory,” plays a domestic violence victim in “LIES HIDDEN IN MY GARDEN.”

One of the most talked-about scenes in “LIES HIDDEN IN MY GARDEN” is Chu Sang-eun’s phone call while eating jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) after her abusive husband’s death. Following her husband's sudden death, she nonchalantly tells her brother-in-law, who called her, about it while enjoying jajangmyeon at a Chinese restaurant. This scene generated a lot of buzz for its chilling portrayal, contributing to the drama's wider popularity.

Was there truly a body buried in Moon Joo-ran's garden? What caused Chu Sang-eun's husband's sudden death? Enjoy the drama further by paying close attention to how Moon Joo-ran and Chu Sang-eun, whose relationship is ambiguous and fluctuates between ally and enemy, unravel the mystery.

You can watch the South Korean drama “LIES HIDDEN IN MY GARDEN” on GENIE TV, TVING, NETFLIX, Prime Video, Rakuten VIKI, iQIYI, and hulu.