This drama does romanticize affairs and it’s grotesque. However, the drama explores love, mental abuse, manipulation, and the beautiful and evil side of the human condition.
This review is based on how infidelity is presented in the drama
Love Affair in the Afternoon (2019) is a Korean drama that explores the relationship between Son Ji-Eun( Park Ha Sun) and Yoon Jung-Woo ( Lee Sang Yeob). The two keep appearing in each other’s lives after meeting one day at the grocery store. They begin to find comfort and love within each others company, and a romance soon begins. The only problem is they are both married. This is the Korean remake of the original Japanese version Hirugao(2014).
Why I recommend this drama:
This drama really touched my heart. I think it has an important message and everyone should watch it before making their assumptions on whether this drama is good or bad. The drama itself does not deny affairs are wrong. It brings forth the idea that relationships should be honest, starting with ourselves. The relationships between each married couple and cheating spouses are clearly on different levels emotionally, mentally, and physically. I especially loved the symbolism of using the bird and its name as a metaphor for love. The storyline is excellent, and the character growth is impressive. It’s a drama you won’t forget. Please go watch this drama!
Jung-Woo and Ji-Eun Relationship: I cannot deny how much chemistry they have. Their relationship had me in tears, but you could see them starting to live again. Before Jung-Woo and Ji-Eun were really lost and lonely. I hate that I love them together. Because I know what they are doing is wrong. But I just wanted them to be happy finally. It just really pained me to see them throughout the drama because something so beautiful such a loving another person turned out to be despicable since it was an affair. No matter how much the audience is rooting for them, they cannot because there is so much deception and lies built around their love. They understood each other, supported each other’s dreams, and help one another find a reason to live life happy once again. It’s just so tragic that their relationship is an affair. And the drama never lets you forget that factor.
My Thoughts Regarding the Drama:
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this masterpiece. It was so beautiful and wrong at the same time. It’s filled with desperations, love, hopelessness, lies, and deception. But I cannot deny how much I love the main leads Ji-Eun and Jung-Woo even though I fully agree with how they went about their relationship is morally wrong. It’s sad because everyone got hurt in the end. They learned to let go and grow. But the effects hit hard on everyone involved. As for Soo-Ah, her children suffered the affects of their mom’s infidelity. And I love that the storyline included all the kid’s opinions and perceptions on their parents cheating and how it profoundly affected them due to the changes in family dynamic. Lastly, I love that everyone is able to find their place in life and have true happiness formed from an honest love. Including loving themselves and learning to forgive those who hurt them the most. Life isn’t perfect. We as humans make mistakes, and this drama is just that. The characters are flawed, but there is a lot of truth inside this drama.
Loveless Marriages:
The female lead and male lead both come from marriages with partners who are too selfish. Ji-Eun and Jung-Woo are both nice, gentle, and passive, never express their emotions, and for that reason, get taken advantage of by their significant others. They do not communicate with their partners. Their characters want to love and be loved but cannot find that in their marriage. As time has shown, their partners seem like strangers who co-live with each other. Does this forgive the act of adultery? It does not, but one can agree that in this drama, everyone played a role and needed to accept some sort of responsibility. The lack of self-realization and truth to how we live our lives lead to infidelity in this drama. No one wanted to acknowledge they were living a lie, to begin with, which lead to a greater disaster. I think instead of judging the characters in this drama; one should try to understand them. Even if their act is morally wrong, the act of living a truthful life is something everyone deserves.
Why I love this drama:
This drama is not something I expected to enjoy. It’s very different from what I imagined. The act of adultery is presented in a manner where you either love or hate the characters. You understand the situation, but it does not excuse the cowardliness of the characters. However, I love how the character’s often fought with their own emotions. The question of morality and what humans need is often presented in the drama. It was sad, tragic, heartbreaking, and also satisfying. Once the characters learn to move on, they begin to live again. Everyone who got hurt eventually learns to grow as a person before trying to live again. I guess this drama’s message is that even when you make unforgivable mistakes, life still goes on and more than often we have to pay for the consequences. But everyone should live their life the way they genuinely want to achieve happiness and not try to fill that void in ways that are destructive to the people we love and ourselves. I cannot recommend this drama enough. You have to watch it, to make your own conclusion but I personally found it disturbingly beautiful and healing.
The Effects of Infidelity:
Everyone lives a lie. Nobody wants to accept the truth that they are no longer in love. In the drama, a pattern is present when the affair is made known to the husband/wife. The husband/wife becomes enraged, and in the process of trying to take control of the problem, they become more obsessives, delusional, and possessive. They being to lose touch with reality and try to make something that doesn’t work go their way. Even when divorce is brought up by the cheating spouses, they refuse to let go. It becomes a vengeful place where they are in control, and they get to decide.
Ji-Eun’s Character:
She is very frustrating. But I cannot help and feel sorry for her. She is timid, quiet, and lost. She does not know what she wants. She’s mentally in an awful place. Her character seems lonely and passive. She never says what she wants and does as others say. Through meeting Jung-woo, she starts to become selfish and want him more and more. She begins to realize what she truly wants in life. However, the thought of having an affair is killing her mentally. She is continuously in agony from betraying her husband. She deals with a significant amount of regret because she loves another man. Through her thoughts, it’s presented, she does not want to divorce in the beginning since she is afraid to lose everything. She does not want her life to be interrupted. Only when she learns to be truthful can Ji-Eun begin to live the life she truly wants.
Jung-Woo’s Character:
His character is based on more actions than words I would say. Only when Jung-Woo is with Ji-Eun does he begin to let out his personality. The jealousy, sadness, and selfishness appear when he’s about to lose Ji-Eun. Jung-Woo’s character is showcased as lonely and controlled. He agrees with everything his wife says. He is often ignored. And when he does speak, he can barely get out his words. Once his character does develop courage, it’s short lived. His side of the story isn’t very clear to the audience. Only his love for Ji-Eun is visibly present.
What shocked me:
I often found myself hating Ji-Eun’s and Jung-Woo’s spouses. I wanted everyone to divorce even if it meant not being with the other. They all just needed to stop living a life full of lies. I wanted everyone to find their happiness. Yes, even including Ji-Eun’s and Jung-Woo’s spouses. No matter how much I thought, Ji-Eun and Jung-Woo were a perfect match. They went about it the wrong way. So much pain and dishonesty could have been avoided if they had done the right thing from the beginning. The ending is the only comfort I found in this drama. It’s a new beginning rather than end. A story starts where it ends.
Are you planning on watching this drama? What are your thoughts regarding the heavy subject matter presented?
CinemaDeJoei 