Jo Sam-Dal is one of the main protagonists in the rom-com Kdrama, Welcome to Samdal-ri. The character is played by Shin Hye Sun.
Jo Sam-Dal is a fierce and passionate photographer of great fame, who’s built a successful career in the big city of Seoul after dreaming of the same back in her humble town of Jeju Island.
A dragon from a small stream
Sam-Dal always wanted to make it big in life and dreamed of becoming a dragon and leaving the small stream that her hometown is like for her.
She aimed for the stars, which she would leap for after leaving Jeju Island and moving to Seoul. There, she will make it big and make a name for herself.
Eventually, she does achieve her dream and accomplish great things, as she becomes a celebrity photographer, with international clients and fame for her acclaimed work.
Friendship, love & career
Jo Sam-Dal and Jo Yong-Pil were the closest friends since their childhood. The two grew up together as two inseparable best buddies.
Later on, their friendship turns into love and the two eventually confess and get into a proper relationship.
However, due to reasons not delved into in detail yet in the story, their relationship ended with an immensely hurtful breakup for both of them.
As he had always wanted to, Yong-Pil remained in Jeju Island, getting a job at the Meteorological Administration to protect the elder citizens of his hometown.
Jo Sam-Dal, however, flaps her wings and climbs the ladder of success through her hard work and persistence, becoming a world-renowned photographer with an A-list client list.
Returning to the small stream
At the height of her career, Jo Sam-Dal suffered from a major setback. Her good-for-nothing boyfriend cheats on her, and the girl he cheats with is none other than her envious assistant, Bang Eun-Ju.
She is Sam-Dal’s assistant at 3moon Studio and is immensely envious of Sam-Dal. When she is disallowed from taking charge of a new high-stakes job, Eun-Ju goes for the jugular.
She shows proof of her boyfriend cheating on her. Later, she lashes out at Sam-Dal when the latter confronts her about it, telling her that she held her back by not allowing her to lead an assignment.
Sam-Dal can’t care less and even though she’s hurt, she doesn’t show it, instead telling Eun-Ju that she’s still not ready for a big responsibility and as for the cheating, it doesn’t bother her too much because that’s what she expects from them.
Enraged and frustrated, Eun-Ju uses the recording of Sam-Dal lashing out at her to make it look like it’s evidence of her being reprimanded by an abusive boss. She also fakes a suicide and approaches the media about it.
The media runs the story until it’s on everyone’s mind and phone. Sam-Dal loses her clients one by one, with all her sponsors backing out staggeringly and the opportunities slipping away from her hand like sand.
When the negative response from the public and the outpour of reporters at her house becomes too much, Jo Sam-Dal returns home, back to Jeju Island, where she hopes to stay away from the underserved chaos and collective backlash.
Also Read: Welcome to Samdal-ri season 1 episode 4 recap & review
