The Interest of Love (2022)

This drama got me hooked the most

I have been a kdrama fan since the start of the pandemic, and I would follow the release schedule and watch episodes as soon as they're released. I've had shows that got me curious about the next episode so I rewatched them a couple of times before the finale. But never have I had the need to actually reflect and process the story until The Interest of Love came.

When it was first released on Netflix, I thought it wasn't worth watching. But I gave in and was glad to "binge-watch" 4 episodes in one seating. I was immediately hooked! At first I thought it was similar to Our Beloved Summer in a sense that it's a start-of-the-year summer drama with a really cool OST, but set in a bank. But there's more to that.

I have probably rewatched the entire series up to the current episode (14) at least 3 times already, and here are some of the things I love:

1. It's super uncomfortable to talk about class disparity, but that's the reality. Opportunities are never equal, and more often than not, the rich would easily get what they want without much struggle: education, network, career opportunities, promotion, material things, and even a relationship. The lower your social class, the harder it will be to achieve a comfortable life. Further, it's a huge challenge for those in the lower ranks to be accepted by those on top. Power tripping, impossible criteria, and even unfounded gossips will be thrown at you.

2. It's difficult to understand love and the dynamics of relationships. I tried to dig deeper into the characters and found that their past (including family background, events, experiences etc) defines who they are right now and why they react this way. I read somewhere that the characters in The Interest of Love definitely need a therapist to start with their healing process, because they are all broken at one point. Just like all of us need healing first before being in any form of relationship.

3. The decisions the characters make are very frustrating. While watching the first few episodes I always thought, why did this person choose another lover? Why did this guy suddenly have a girlfriend when finally the one he wants has just broken up with her boyfriend? Why did this guy marry another, then regrets leaving his ex immediately after the wedding? Just like reality, we often regret our decisions immediately after making them, but just choose to stick to it for convenience.

4. I love how symbolisms were peppered across the series. Circle (of life), cigarettes, coin, car, calendar, food (ramyeon vs porridge, offering food and accepting it as a sign of accepting love or forgiveness), even the references to the novels and classical music. During my rewatches, I often had to pause and reflect as to the meaning of what they said. Even the characters' names and meanings reveal a lot about their decisions.

5. The actors are all amazing! From the main leads to the support, they all deliver and exceed expectations. I even had to drop everything that I was doing just so I can process the emotions I felt through the actors! This drama does not require exaggerated moves, but the smallest gestures and voice modulation of all the actors really hit the spot!

6. The cinematography, music, editing, etc are all intelligently done. The reason why I'm so hooked to this drama is because of the emotional attachments that were built up by this team of geniuses! Ep.13 is my favorite because I can still remember how my pulse rate kept on raising through the episode with all the plot twists and revelations! No wonder that episode also gained its highest ratings, thanks to the build-up towards the end of Ep12 that kept us wanting for more! Heck, there was even no preview of the next episode at the end of Ep14 but everyone's still curious as to what will happen at the finale.

I find it hard to move on to another kdrama after being immersed in The Interest of Love. Before, I can easily watch a handful of series at a time and move on easily, but whenever I watch something lighter I miss watching TIOL and end up rewatching a scene (or the entire series) all over again!

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Challenging Watch with an Ambitious Realism Theme

This Kdrama was an addictive watch that had me tuning in weekly to find out what will happen to its 4 protagonists. There aren't any clear good guys and bad guys in this show - there are simply people who do sometimes do honorable things and at other times do shady or evil things. Sometimes, you're sympathetic to the situations that the characters find themselves in. Other times, you're mad because how-could-that-character-be-so-manipulative-and-why-won't-they-be-honest-with-each-other. This is the series' greatest strength and greatest weakness: it tries to capture the nature of the human condition with a lens of looking at love and interpersonal relationship. However, to me, it fell just a little bit short of this goal. Still, it's worth a watch.

The acting was mostly top notch. The cinematography of this Kdrama had a muted, melodrama tone, so it demanded a similar flat-affect from its actors and actresses, with the appropriate outbursts of emotion when the situation calls for it. Of the leads, I found Moon Ga Young, Yoo Yeon Seok, and Geum Sae Rok to be the most effective at displaying this kind of style where most of the time, they are just acting like normal people wearing typical faces, but occasionally, they need to dial it up to 10 and display tender love or extreme indignation. The only person I took a little issue with was Jung Ga Ram: he seemed a little stuck in that passive look most of the time, and I didn't really buy his moments of tenderness, and felt that his anger seemed unnatural but that may have just been how his fictional character was written.

The music was appropriate for its setting and has a lot of those tracks with a coffee-shop feel. I don't think it will go down in history as a legendary OST, but it had some pretty catchy beats. In particular, I enjoyed 손을 마주 잡고 ("With Me"), which ended up as the signature lovey dovey track.

I think the reason this Kdrama gets a bad rap around these parts is because it's pretty atypical: it isn't a wish-fulfillment-type of romance where you're watching two gorgeous, fictional characters fall in love on screen. It tries to capture some of the normal pettiness that comes with real human relationships, which involves a lot of things that don't make sense to an omnipotent viewer: characters lie or manipulate for their own purposes. I think this also makes it a hard watch. But, if you enjoy muted melodramas, I recommend you give this one a try - it's not perfect, but I think it tries to stay true to the realism of its source material to deliver a satisfying show.

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Absolutely Nothing

Dissappointing! The writer of this drama either had never love before or trying to be 'naughty' with real love. Both Sang Su and Su Yeong were truly in love with each other, but the writer used this to turn the love upside now so that audience will want to watch till the end. The world is already suffering. Rich or poor are the same. Dramas helps to lighten one's life. But this drama did the opposite. Made everyone angry and depressed, especially the last two episodes. Don't watch the last two , waste of time as it was poorly done and communication is so poor...Like what Sang Su replied to Su Yeong in the end..'Absolutely Nothing! . The last two episodes should be removed and just hang there...it will make us feel more positive and more hopeful amd this enjoy watching. True love does not work this way ...

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The Interest of Love. A story of four imperfect flawed people learning to love

making their mistakes, falling and picking themselves up again. Yes the plot of the drama can be frustrating hence my rating but it's a drama that makes you think. Certain scenes ect can be dissected non stop getting a different outcome every single time. And well that's life. I think that's what both the writers and the director wanted to achieve. The characters here aren't perfect and cardboard cutouts. They are flawed and realistic. Sometimes their choices leave the viewer scratching their head with either confusion or frustration.
At it's core tho, it's a slow and interesting story that shows a complete different side to love. Love isn't all rainbows and sunshine. Sometimes it's pain and heartbreak. The Interest of Love shows that well. SuYeong and SangSu are two very damaged characters trying to find their place in the world and their lives. One is idealistic and romantic while the other is emotionally damaged and closed off. The second leads carry their own pain and burdens too. MiGyeon(SFL) especially is someone who has been hurt heavily by both her past and SangSu and although she makes you hate her at times she also makes you root for her. She is the one who picks up herself the most and learns from her mistakes. The best character of the drama and my favorite. She made me proud. In the end I think both SuYeong and SangSu let go of their past trauma & learn the lesson they are meant to but not as well as MG.
The realism, slowness of the drama and the open interpretation of the ending can turn people off but I'd say give it a chance. It's a deep drama that makes you look at love in a different way and think about things differently. I enoyed it even if both SY and SS frustrated me at times. Will I recommend it? 50-50 it depends on taste. If you want a simple, slice of life drama then IoL is definitely not for you. If you want a slow, true to life drama then I suggest watching this: may not regret it. I didn't.
I think the cast did an incredible of portraying these characters. I have found some actors I really liked while watching this.
Overall I give this an 8.0 because there were certain parts I really enjoyed while others left me frustrated. While I re watch? probably not. As much as I liked the cast, I think it's a one time drama. It might lose it's appeal with re watches.

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Very slow dreary slice of life

This drama moves incredibly slowly and seems to be centered around stereotypical kdrama misunderstandings and missed timing in romance. That could be fine if handled well, but the misunderstandings so far stretch through countless episode after episode, without resolution, while just adding ever new ones to the pile. After awhile you stop rooting for the 1st leads to resolve their misunderstandings and start to root for them hooking up with the second leads instead who look better together, meet cuter than the main leads do and who seem much better suited for each other.

Spoiler alert! .............................. So now I have watched all episodes and my review numbers don't change but now will add some final thoughts. Most Kdramas I don't think much about afterwards, but this show is nothing if not memorable. The lives of the four main characters are changed forever by a single moment of hesitation by one lead.

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The most tortured non-romance ever!

It was like watching an endless train wreck. You keep watching thinking there has to be an upside to this story, but it never happens. You just get sucked further down a rabbit hole of a depressing storyline . Kudos to the principle male lead for excellently portraying the most heartsick, forlorn, long suffering character imaginable. This had to be exhausting for this actor to play this tortured role, but he really pulled it off. He was one of the few characters I liked and could emphasize with, aside from the young boyfriend that was used and discarded. I really grew to despise the character that was the female lead. I found her to be arrogant, heartless, deceptive and selfish. The clingy, privileged, wanna-be girlfriend was another irritating character. The soundtrack was the only redeeming factor in this drama.

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Such a pity, this dram is like a whole "it could have been different"...

What can I say about this drama? it seemed interesting at first and you continue to watch it because you hope that maybe it'll get better but in reality you're wasting hours of your life watching this total nonsense.
It was like the writers forced the story and the charachters to act as stupid as possible, in particular An Soo Young and the most infuriating thing is when they ask her why she did all of that, she answer with total nonsense phrases and no one asked wtf that meant...

In this drama the only unchanging character is An Soo Young. I tried to understand her but for me the writing really lacked to makes us understand her reals means and her true fears.

For it was like hoping for something that it never happen in this drama, it was very dragghy, boring and too pessimistic for no real reason, because true problems are a real different thing.
I don't suggest you watching this drama, you'll only be disappointed!

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