Does being in a long-term relationship, also imply that you are still in love?
One Spring Night is a romance Korean drama 2019 in Netflix. The cast includes Jung Hae-in of Something in the Rain kdrama fame and the veteran actress Han Ji-min. Kim Jun-Han plays the second lead. It is directed by two-time Baeksang Arts Awards winner ( for Best Director) Ahn Pan-seok.
Jung Hae in plays the role of Yoo Ji-ho, a pharmacist who is a single parent. Han Ji- Min plays the role of Lee Jeong-in, an independent and strong-minded librarian. She is in a relationship with Kim Jun Han, who plays the role of Kwon Gi-seok, a Banker by profession. Her relationship has lost its sparkle and she just plays along, even though unhappy in it!
Jeong-in runs into Ji-ho in his pharmacy trying to get a quick medicine for her previous night hangover. Jeong-in is out of cash and Ji-ho helps her, seeing how desperate she is for getting her head cleared! They both have attraction to each other.
Jeong-in gets Ji-ho’s phone number and messages him, asking him the account details to be able to wire him the money. But does not get a reply from him. Curious, she visits him again. Her best friend’s place is close to the pharmacy & he lives in the same apartment. This time he expresses his interest in her. She finds herself attracted to him. But due to confusion, she tells him she is already in a relationship.
The story begins when Jeong-in meets Ji-ho again because he plays basketball with her beau Gi-seok. Ji-ho is apparently Gi-seok’s junior at college and gets fresh acquaintance with Ji-ho! Once they keep running into each other with common friends, Jeong-in’s attraction for Ji-ho keeps growing! She finds out that he is a single parent, as his then-girlfriend had abandoned him and their child. This only makes her like and respect Ji-ho even more! He does not hide his liking for her. She gives in to her attraction one night and goes to meet him in his apartment. What follows is the plot of this 16 episodes Korean drama run.
One Spring Night : Drama Review
This Kdrama has very enticing start sequences as we witness two adult protagonists run into each other and feel strange attraction towards each other. The initial episodes are interesting with “unspoken tension” between the leads. This romantic Korean drama then opens up to a very real and mature topic about single parents and their chance at starting afresh again. The hard truth that Society in South Korea considers dating single parent a taboo!
Jung Hae-in, as Ji-ho is someone who finally falls for a woman simply as a man would. For that moment, he is not a young father who is in commitment to taking care of his abandoned son. Jeong-in is a very outspoken and modern woman but stuck in a relationship with Gi-seok, that is mundane. When she starts having feelings for Ji-ho, there’s a huge part of her that wants to pursue him but is hesitant.
Both Jung Hae-in and Han Ji-min are Korean actors, whose acting skills are very convincing on screen. You will love the inital scenes where they want to meet like teenagers in love. They hold back unsure of how to proceed.
The story is also realistic about how a person who is in a long-term relationship, especially a woman hesitates to break free due to societal pressure. Family and friends advise it is practical to pursue a relationship with someone who is well settled, even it means a lack of excitement.
Jeong-in is aware that she is unhappy in her 4-year relationship with Gi-seok, but feels guilty about how she likes someone whom she just met. She doubts her own instincts and worries she will fall out of love with Ji-ho too someday.
This is another forbidden love story explored by director Ahn Pan-seok. We loved his work and how he covers every aspect of a love story in Something in the Rain Kdrama and The Secret Affair Korean drama. The premise is interesting, but the screenplay unfortuantely falls short of delivering to its full scope.
The execution of the plot is slow and after the initial episodes, it begins to drag. The supporting characters drag the storyline. There are parallel stories of Jeong-in’s two sisters. Again, one of them is too independent and the other kind of submissive. The idea perhaps was to show one can be unhappy trying to please society. This also justifies Jeong-in’s final decision to start over with Ji-ho.
The drama has its “happy dramatic” moments when Jeong-in bonds with Ji-ho’s cute little son. The scene where Jeong-in secretly waits for Ji-ho in his apartment and later gets passionate is pretty fascinating! There is romance, but then not much steam which people usually expect in this kind of forbidden love story. The protagonists show longing, but nothing breathtaking follows that! As a viewer, you are disappointed at not having too many awe moments to cherish.
Passion Quotient : 3.5/5
The Verdict :
One Spring Night is a Korean drama, that tries to explore current-day issues. The screenplay starts off well but then seems to slow down. If you are an ardent fan of the talented Jung Hae-in or director Ahn Pan-seok, then this is a one-time watch. It may not leave you mesmerized like Something in the Rain Kdrama, but it still qualify for a one-time watch!
Watch One Spring Night Korean drama on Netflix
