Profile
Drama: Romance is a Bonus Book (로맨스는 별책부록)
Network: tvN
Episodes: 16
Release Date: January 26 – March 17, 2019
Runtime: Sat. & Sun. 21:00
Plot
Dan-i and Eunho are childhood friends but have drifted apart over the years. When Dan-i got divorced and had no place to go and no money, she met Eunho and applied for his company as a task support team. The drama revolves around the publishing company where they both work, the employees lives and the blooming relationship between Dan-i and Eunho.
Cast
Lee Na Young – Kang Dan-i
Lee Jong Suk – Cha Eunho
Jung Eugene – Song Hae rin
Wi Ha Joon – Ji Seo Jun
Kim Tae Woo – Kim Jae Min
Kim Yumi – Ko Yoo Sun
Jo Han chul – Bong Ji Hong
Kim Sun Young – Seo Young-ah
Kang Ki Doong – Park Hoon
Park Gyu Young – Oh Ji Yool
Review
I loved the overall feel of the drama – it felt like winter/spring – something to watch on a cold day. I love books so it was interesting to see how publishing companies work. I also loved the cinematography, the locations, the clothes they wore and the OST. the story, however, was just okay. I did not grow attach to any of the characters except for maybe Dan-i and Yumi. I love the relationship between Dan-i and Eun-ho as friends and i didn’t think it was necessary for them to fall in love. Like, i would not have minded if they stayed friends the entire drama. I also wished there was more depth to Yumi’s story but i loved that she ended up with Jaemin (who i thought was adorable). the 2 other interns – pushover Hoon was okay but didn’t like airhead Ji-yool (but at least she grew up). I think this is the 3rd time i’ve seen Sun Young in a drama and as always, she makes a great secondary character. I didn’t really buy the love triangle between Dan-i, Eunho and Seojun, and it’s mostly because it was just too obvious that Dan-i feels nothing for him other than friendship. and i hate Seojun’s smirking face. He is too arrogant and no match for Eunho. As for Haerin, i loved her character and her one-sided love for Eunho (i cried with her when she got rejected nicely) but i dislike her for being a bit*h boss. She keeps shouting at Ji-yool and not really mentoring her at all. You can’t expect your staff to suddenly know everything – you have to teach them.
Back to the two main characters. I love Dan-i, i felt bad for her and i could feel her pain whenever she gets rejected. I love that she was still positive and was willing to work hard to move up the ladder again. I feel that it’s unfair that the companies do not want to hire her just because she was out of the work market for several years, but on the other hand, i could understand. the other managers worked their butt off to rise up the ranks and here is this lady who used to be great but too outdated, coming in thinking she can just go back and reclaim her position. I don’t know which role she applied for, but i would expect if she was out for 7-9 years, she should apply for a role that is one or 2 levels lower than she used to be. If she is really good, she can easily be promoted and go up the corporate ladder again. I agree, what she did was wrong – she shouldn’t have erased all her experience in her CV and it was just right that she got fired, but i wonder if they would have still hired her for the Task support team if she was overqualified? Oh and what about her daughter? Even when Dan-i and Eunho got together, there was no mention at all about the daughter and how she feels about Eunho and vice versa. Again, i thought the daughter story was just a plot device to give her an excuse why she needs money to work.
As for Eunho, he was the main lead but he was charming, handsome, sweet,great at his job and yet i felt nothing for him. And i think it’s because his character was just too perfect. Like he was there to be Dan-i’s knight in shining armor. that’s it. even his story about the author wasn’t that interesting. and the twist at the end about Seojun didn’t really make a mark.
Overall, this is still a good drama to watch when you have nothing to do, but it’s not something you would want to watch over and over again.
KDrama Dreaming 