As the titular "happy woman," Lee Ji-yeon (
Yoon Jung-hee) is an accessory designer with a cheerful, go-getting personality despite often being looked down upon because of her humble educational and family background. She ends up in a love triangle with her wealthy husband (
Jung Gyu-woon) and a lonely detective (
Kim Suk-hoon), as the drama explores what happiness means for a woman in terms of family, work, and love.[2]
Ji-yeon is an accessory designer. She graduated from a vocational college and is therefore looked down on by her peers at work. At her home, she is the youngest daughter of three and was raised by a divorced single mother. She is not her mother's biological child - she is her divorced father's love child. She married into a wealthy family and her mother-in-law does not approve of her. Despite these hardships in both her personal and work life, Ji-yeon is bright, kind, and optimistic.
Ji-yeon's husband. The second son of a wealthy family, he has a modern attitude and a sophisticated manner. He married Ji-yeon without regard to her wealth and background.
A detective. He became estranged from his widowed mother during his teenage years when she remarried. He worked hard to graduate high school on his own and attended police academy. He then re-established his relationship with his mother, and even accepted his stepfather, but still remains somewhat distant.