🌌 Hundred Million Stars from the Sky (The Smile Has Left Your Eyes) — A Dark, Twisted Romance That Will Haunt You
🧩 Overview
Title: Hundred Million Stars from the Sky (하늘에서 내리는 일억개의 별)
Episodes: 16
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Romance
Aired: October 3 – November 22, 2018, on tvN
Main Cast:
Seo In-guk as Kim Moo-young
Jung So-min as Yoo Jin-kang
Park Sung-woong as Yoo Jin-gook
This is a South Korean remake of the iconic 2002 Japanese drama Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi (A Million Stars Falling from the Sky).
🔍 Plot Summary
At the heart of the story is Kim Moo-young, a mysterious, emotionally detached man with a dark past. When he becomes a suspect in a murder investigation, veteran detective Yoo Jin-gook can’t shake the feeling that Moo-young is dangerous. But things get messy when Moo-young falls into a complicated romance with Jin-gook’s younger sister, Yoo Jin-kang — sparking a tangled web of suspicion, love, betrayal, and old secrets.
The drama constantly plays with your sense of who’s the villain and who’s the victim, pushing you to question the truth at every turn.
🎭 Performances
✅ Seo In-guk shines in one of his best roles to date, effortlessly balancing Moo-young’s cold, detached side with moments of heartbreaking vulnerability. He keeps you guessing: is he a lost soul or a predator?
✅ Jung So-min brings warmth and emotional weight to Jin-kang, making her more than just a love interest — she’s the moral center, caught between her brother’s warnings and her own heart.
✅ Park Sung-woong is excellent as the weary, protective older brother, adding tension and emotional conflict as he digs deeper into Moo-young’s past.
🎥 Direction & Cinematography
The directing here is moody and atmospheric, using muted colors, tight camera shots, and subtle symbolism (especially around stars, memory, and fate) to create a feeling of impending tragedy. The slow pacing builds emotional weight — though some viewers might feel it drags at times, it’s all part of the slow-burn effect.
🧠 Themes & Symbolism
This is not just a love story or a murder mystery. It’s about:
Whether you can escape your past
Whether people are born good or bad
Whether love can save someone or destroy them
How trauma shapes identity
The title itself — Hundred Million Stars from the Sky — is symbolic, reminding us of how small, lost, and destined-for-impact the characters feel in their personal universes.
⚖️ Strengths & Weaknesses
✅ Strengths:
Deep, complex characters with believable flaws
Emotional, layered storytelling that sticks with you
A romance that’s dark, passionate, and messy — not fluffy
⚠️ Weaknesses:
Slow pacing might frustrate viewers who want fast reveals
Heavy, sometimes bleak subject matter (this is not a light watch)
Some side characters and subplots feel underdeveloped compared to the intense main trio
⭐ Final Verdict
🌟 8.5/10 — Hundred Million Stars from the Sky is a beautifully tragic, slow-burning psychological drama that lingers in your mind long after the final credits roll. It’s a great pick if you’re in the mood for something emotionally intense, morally complicated, and packed with tension.
If you love dark romances or layered thrillers, this should be on your watchlist.