This review may contain spoilers
Don't Fall Into the Trap of Allowing ANYONE To Tell You How To Live Your Life!
If there is one thing that the viewer will hopefully take away from this series, it’s this: never, NEVER let anyone tell you how to live your life. It doesn’t matter who it is—religious people, family, society, or anyone else. As soon as you allow others to dictate how you live your life, you’ve given away your power. And when things don’t work out, you have also lost any right to get angry or resent them for it because YOU allowed it to happen. And the only person who will be dealing with the fallout is you. Those who counseled you won’t be taking the hits. YOU will! Steer your own ship. Don’t let anyone else try to steer it for you.“One Spring Night” is hardly the most romantic series I’ve ever seen, and it’s not necessarily an easy series to get through. This isn’t necessarily a criticism as the series is very well-steeped in realism about people navigating the minefield of relationships and the problems that arise because of them.
The “Before Sunrise” film series is the most realistic series I’ve ever seen regarding relationships…how they start, where they go, and how two people who were once in love, struggle to find that spark that they once shared when they first met.
Ji Ho meets Jung in one random morning when she comes into his pharmacy to get hangover medicine. It’s easy to see that he’s immediately captivated by her, despite her brusque mannerisms and snippy attitude. However, he quickly finds out that she’s already in a relationship with Ki Seok, a guy he actually plays basketball with on weekends.
It becomes very obvious from the get-go that Jung In doesn’t love Ki Seok, and the viewer is even left to wonder if she ever has. It’s ironic how many people enter relationships out of convenience or simply to use the other person because of money or social status. It doesn’t take long for Jung In to realize that she’s quickly developing feelings for Ji Ho, and soon she breaks up with Ki Seok and begins a relationship with Ji Ho.
Of course, rarely are things so simple. And yet this dynamic is an interesting one because I haven’t really seen it in Korean dramas. Ji Ho has a son, but he’s not married. What I admire about Ji Ho is that he doesn’t try to hide this fact, and he’s very upfront with Jung In about it, letting her decide if it’s a problem or not. We also find that a single father is considered to be quite unappealing, especially if you’re a single woman who’s never been married. Pretty soon, everyone is voicing their opinions and concerns, from his family to hers and even their friends.
Ji Ho is easily the most mature character of the series, with Jung In’s older sister Seo In being right up there with him. Ji Ho is honest and seemingly unafraid. He views his son as a strength and not a weakness, and he makes it apparent right from the start that he won’t allow anyone to hurt his son, even Jung In. He’s also very understanding and considerate, and perhaps his greatest strength is his ability to empathize. He knows the pressures that Jung In will experience, and he gives her the space to figure out whether or not she wants to be in a relationship with him.
Jung In—despite the actress being six years older than her male counterpart—has a number of issues. Don’t get me wrong as all of the characters are a bit flawed, but Ji Ho’s past experience has only made him stronger and more mature. Jung In’s greatest strength is her fierce independence. She has absolutely no problem standing up to anyone, including members of her own family. I LOVE this about her! She proves—at least in that regard—to be the type of companion that I think most men would love—someone who will walk through the fire with you and not look back. However, Jung In is also moody, temperamental, a bit conceited, judgmental, and tends to lack understanding and compassion when push comes to shove. Perhaps her greatest weakness is her inability to empathize. She doesn't smile very much, and it's quite evident that she's not a very happy person. She also has a tendency to be bossy. Ladies, remember this: no real man wants another mother for a wife! One mother is more than enough! That pledge was ridiculous, and if you’re in a relationship to try and change the other person, you’ve already entered into it for the wrong reasons.
In Episode 15, we find Jung In is angry by a “slip of the tongue” from a drunk Ji Ho when he asks her not to leave him or his son. She takes it as a sign that he doesn’t trust her—which is actually understandable to a point. Rather than talking it out and trying to understand why he has those feelings at all, she storms out and then tells him that they need to take a brief break. And then, immaturely, she gets angry when he doesn’t contact her. However, she never once stops to think about his past situation with the woman who left Ji Ho and his son and why that might be a source of fear and insecurity. If nothing else, this should have been a sign to both Ji Ho and Jung In that they needed more time to get to know each other. Relationships aren’t just about sharing happy, quality times. They are also about finding that person with whom you can confide and share your fears and insecurities. Every relationship is flawed and dysfunctional because everyone has those fears and insecurities. It’s how you navigate and BE there for each other during such moments that counts!
I’m not sure I’ve seen two more despicable characters in 45 years of watching shows than Ki Seok and Jung In’s “father.” I use the term “father” very loosely because such a man has no right to call himself one. Any father who uses his children for personal gain is no father. Any father who’s afraid of what people think rather than standing firm with his children is no father. Seo In has been physically and sexually abused by her husband (another deplorable man who won’t allow her to divorce him), and yet her father rants about how wrong divorce is and why she should try and work things out with her husband. That scenario literally made me sick to my stomach! And then we have Jung In’s father trying to marry her off to Ki Seok—without her consent—so that he can get a promotion at work. Utterly pathetic!
Ki Seok is almost as bad. This is a little boy masquerading as a “man.” After Jung In breaks up with him, he still contacts her, demands to see her, and unbelievably still insists that they are going to get married! Now, part of the problem is Jung In herself. She fails to see the obvious: to tell Ki Seok to his face that it’s over and then to break off all communication with him. Teasing him and stringing him along was cruel no matter how despicable he was. Ki Seok is an arrogant boy who views everyone as being beneath him, especially Ji Ho. Right up until the last episode, Ki Seok still believes that Jung In will marry him. Nobody—not even his own father—points out the obvious: that Jung In is in love with Ji Ho, and after all that he’s done, how in the world would he ever believe that she’d marry him?! Supreme delusion and arrogance.
Women are not property to be bargained off and used any way you see fit. This is something that many of the cowardly men in this world still fail to realize, and this series makes a very fine and bold point regarding this.
The series—for the most part—is well done. It’s not afraid to show the flaws, fears, insecurities, and concerns that many people have and why it’s important to find someone who’s strong enough to go through it all with you. The only thing better than being a person who won’t allow others to tell you how to live is finding a companion who lives their life the same way. Such a couple is an “iron couple” who can get through anything. If that doesn’t sound appealing to you, then I’m not sure what does. And, frankly, that was my favorite part of the series—watching Ji Ho and Jung In standing firm together and holding off all of their attackers—and as they did so, they began to help others realize just how powerful and true they are together!
If I have one glaring complaint about the series, it’s the music. My God! I’ve never heard two songs repeated (often 5-6 times per episode!) so much. The songs aren’t bad, they just didn’t quite fit the series. And it was overkill to play them so much. I love the songs from K-dramas. I have a huge list on my iPod from so many shows. Needless to say, I won’t be adding any from this series as too often, they got stuck in my head. It got to the point where I was muting the show when the song came on. I had the subtitles to read the dialogue. I kept going, “Oh, God! Not again!”
This is a series that actually gets better the deeper into the show you get. I know a lot of people stopped after four or five episodes. Believe me, it actually did get quite better. “My Business Proposal” is still my all-time favorite series depicting strong women. Unlike Jung In, the two women in that series were also soft, loving, and romantic. I also love the female lead in “Hometown Cha Cha Cha.” By the time this series ended, I had hopes for Jung In that perhaps she might soften up a bit and not make everything about her. I’m sure that with Ji Ho’s help, she would ultimately allow that to happen.
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Best Actor Jung Hae In!
Watch this drama for Jung Hae In and his superb acting!!! One of the best actors I have watched and his performance in this drama is outstanding. He really is one of my favorite actors!! ❤️The main female lead didn't really deserve the main male lead. I didn't like her character and thought she was annoying. I watched all the episodes, but I never warmed up to her character throughout the whole show.
I want to give this drama 10 stars for Jung Hae In, but because of how aggravating the main female lead was, I will have to give this show a lower rating. Overall, I enjoyed watching this drama and would recommend this for people who like slow burn romance.
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This review may contain spoilers
I wouldn't call this forbidden romance, cheating story, or anything of that sort. The long-relationship, the female lead was in, was over, before she even began anything with Jiho. Most of the male characters and their behavior and actions fueled me with rage. While I would like to believe the situation is this dire only in S. Korea, I know that many men live by these principles all over the world. Also, I wouldn't label this as noona romance, she is only 5 years older than him. +realistic portrayal of long-term relationship or relationship with a person you have nothing in common
+realistic portrayal of male-driven society, esp. in conservative countries like S. Korea
+natural skinship, kisses (due to it being on Netlflix maybe?)
+strong sisters' bond
+Jung Hae In and his puppy eyes
-most of the male characters will stir up hate inside you
-1 song used repetitively, while it's a nice song and I did not mind that much, for some it could be annoying
-some people might not enjoy the slower pace
-occasional weird fashion choices
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One of my fav kdrama
This drama was soooo good. I loved the story it was slow but sweet.People keep comparing it to Something in the Rain but for me they were different. Actually, I couldn't even finish Something in the Rain because it was so slow. And the ost is just amazing! Every day I kept looking at the trailer because it was so compelling to me and one day, I just started it best decision of my life. One Spring Night is one of my favorite kdramas and I definitely recommend it if you like something slow and sweet. Also, someone please let me know if I should give Something in the Rain another chance.
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This review may contain spoilers
Help. The songs are stuck in my head.
[[FIRST EPISODE SPOILER ONLY]]catchy music, adorable family moments, no second lead syndrome (he’s mostly there to cause problems istg, but I know for a fact that men like him exist in real life), and most importantly a dilf male lead!
The reason why I rated acting as 9 is because of the kid. If you already watched some of the episodes, you’ll all notice how the kid is acting not very solidly (well we don’t expect much anyways it’s a child).. but if you are the type that likes to forget that what you are watching is all just a show then the child acting may cause you to remember that this is all acting from time to time which low key sucks. He is after all very relevant to the story.
Personally, I’ve never loved a Korean romance drama this much, so I absolutely recommend it!
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Because it has the same writer & director as "Something in the Rain", some of the cast are similar as well as some of the locations. Even some vibes are quite similar.
Jung Hae In looks more mature in this drama than Something in the Rain. I liked his hairstyle here. He looks cute. His acting was also great. He really brought Yoo Ji Ho character to life. He emoted all those emotions that a father can be feeling in those situations.
I'm confused about how to describe the lead’s relationship. I mean, if feelings can change at some point, then how come couples who have been married for 60/70 years are still happy & in love. How is that possible? But it’s impossible in today’s time. I think our generation is the problem.
Lee Jeong-in didn’t have feelings for Kwon Ki Seok in the very beginning. Their relationship had a crack. She also makes up her mind to breakup with him in ep 1/2. But it was also after meeting Yoo Ji Ho she was fully determined to break up with Kwon Ki Seok. She was clear that she wanted to end their relationship, but it was Kwon Ki Seok who didn’t accept it. It hurt his so-called male ego / pride. So, I really can’t say it is cheating or not. Even if it's called cheating, I'm happy she did it. Because Kwon Ki Seok deserves it. UFFF I hate this piece of shit.
Why are both Yooo Ju & Lee Jeong-in so attached to each other so quickly? I mean they were attracted right after meeting each other. Their interaction was for a few minutes only. Sometimes it does happen in real life. So I get it.
In real life, people won’t get away if they aren’t able to pay. They will be treated as a fraud. (Talking about leads first meeting)
Loved how attentive Lee Jeong-in was. She arranged dinosaur books for Yoo Eun Woo because she saw stickers of them on Yoo Ji Ho's car.
Lee Jung In told Yoo Ji Ho to stay away from her, but she came running to find him & it was annoying to see that.
I find Yoo Ji Ho so cute, his reaction was so cute after Lee Jung In said that she loved him.
Really hated Lee Jeong-in father. He is the same as "Something in the Rain" drama's FL mother. Even worse. At least in "Something in the Rain", FL's mother loved her, cared for her. But here Lee Jeong-in father, knowing how much Lee Seo-in suffered, still wanted her to continue that horrible relationship.
I didn’t like when Yoo Ji Ho didn’t correct Song Yeong-joo when she said Yoo Eun Woo was his nephew. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Why hide him?
I liked that it has a proper ending, unlike Something in the Rain.
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It's such a good show, though it's slow-paced for some people
I’m not sure If it’s everyone’s cup of tea because it is slow-paced. I love the plot, though the guys in the show piss me off so fucking much, except Ji-ho. And the people that watch it, maybe iffy about it because of how slow-paced it but there is just enough action to try and move onto the next episode. It’s a nice show on a cold day. The girls all of them made me so happy, Jeong-in, Seo-in, and even Jae-in are incredible and I do have a thing for Ji-ho. The actors were all really good and the scenes made me feel comfortable. Most people might compare this show with Something in the Rain, I see it, I see the vibe. The soundtracks in this show are so good, I listen to it on repeat. I think the way Ji-ho and Jeong-in’s relationship started was my favorite, how they stuck with each other for the whole time. And since I have a thing for kids, I am not living out Eun-u, my baby he’s amazing. All throughout the show, I didn’t want anything to happen to him and Ji-ho. Even tho I didn’t like the other men in the show, they are great actors cause obviously I want to punch the hell out of them. Again the actors, mostly the main ones are so great, their chemistry on screen was so good, everything about that show was so peaceful. Something about this show seemed so calm but there was still something little about it that made you kept watching. Anyways I hope you enjoy the show, it's not everyone's cup of tea as I said.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A story without ending?
Well, sort of.This is obviously about real people and real-life problems, so you won't see any fantasy or typical romcom chlishes. The acting and the cinematography were great. The story was well-written overall.
My problem with the drama is that they didn't finish it properly. I'm talking about the typical happy ending of romcoms, but I wanted to see some resolution about the oldest sister's life. The main couple and the youngest sister were handled okay, but I wanted to see that piece of trash guy suffer more. I felt they missed out on that one because she wasn't the main lead. Honestly, if a writer wants to include stories like that in their drama, they should do something with it.
I know I'm not Korean, but it was irritating to watch that people would rather force their children or themselves to be with someone because others might say bad things about them. I really hate watching dramas where single parents are treated like the plague. It's not really a problem with the story I just hate this way of thinking, and I know in Korea many people still live like this.
The male characters (except Jiho and his friends) were... I don't even know what to say. I get that Jeongin's ex is crazy and obsessed, and Seoin's husband deserves the worst, but how their father can be like that is crazy to me. I'm kind of glad we never saw him meet with Jiho.
The OST overall was good, but it was repetitive, and sometimes I had to skip the scenes because nothing happened they just used the same music over and over again.
Jimin and Haein were great together, but the writer focused too much on the drama, we could've had a bit more feelgood vibe show. To be fair, that wasn't the point of the show.
Overall it's a good show, but not perfect, and it's not for everyone for sure, because it's slow-paced and too realistic.
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A sprinkel of cuteness over a harsh reality
While Jung Hae In sprinkels his charm over the screen and Han Ji Min lightens the mood with her humor this otherwise heavy and beautiful slow paced drama sheds a light on the difficulties of breaking loose from harmfull relationships while having to face societies prejudice as well as the importance of letting go and moving on. Oh and also shows some pretty good parenting advice.This is the fourth K-drama I watched and like many others I watched it for the first time after watching something in the rain (the drama that made me completely fall in love with K-dramas).The creators of this drama are nothing shy of amazing with all from casting, to storytelling, pacing and visuals. If I have to complain about one thing it would be the choice of clothes for the leads (especially the first episodes, and the sock-less shoes) but they do fit their part so I cant even complain about that.
The casting for this drama is spot on, every singel character fits their part, the side storys enhance the theme of this drama beautifully and while some male characters make you loose all faith in men (and parents for that matter) others restore it so it evens out beautifully showing the difference between love and obsession/possession.
Jung Hae In does an amazing jobb showing a range of emotions where as his character is extremely calm, sweet and kind. He is forced to hold in his emotions most of the time and this is done beautifully. If you haven't fallen for this guy you defiantly will after you have seen this drama.
There is no doubt that Han Ji Mins character is this really cool librarian she is strong, independent and smart she finds it difficult to decide and break loose showing that even the strongest person will struggle in this situation.
The second male lead is also shown as complex, on the surface this really understanding and loving guy but beneath it a competitive, possessive, manipulative, prejudice ass something that shows you really cant tell.
So in conclusion this is a must watch, it may not always be an easy watch but a JHI smile and HJMs sweetness are never far away and will be there to comfort you.
Note! this is not an easy to watch drama, the pace is slow, you will not always understand or agree with the characters choices and if you make it threw the whole drama without getting frustrated and angry at at least one of the leads and the side characters at least once you may be the most calm person on earth.
P.s I really love the whole library and pharmacy setting and is just another one of those things that will make you fall in love even more with this drama.
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It's a classic for a reason
One Spring Night,2019Watch timeline: April,2026
Update: 5 episodes.
I’ve been putting this drama off for a long long time, waiting for the perfect mood to sit through all that mellow emotional chaos. And listen, it’s no secret, I love Jung Hae In. That man does not act halfway. He commits his entire soul, body, and probably his sleep schedule into every role.And yes I watched Something In The Rain also long long ago.
But now I’m on episode 5 and… whew. The eye-rolling? Olympic level at this point.
Because why, why, is the FL written like her sole purpose in life is to emotionally torture this man?
How hard is it to choose? Between two people. Between sadness and happiness. Between the past and the future. At some point, you just have to pick something.
Right now I’m literally yelling at my screen: “Sis, you cannot have your cake and eat it too!!”
I will be back
UPDATE.
Completed: April 2026
I remember going on a bit of an angry rant after the first five episodes, mostly because of the FL indecisiveness. But as the story progressed, I started to see things differently. Sometimes we watch dramas through our own cultural lens, and that can limit how we interpret characters’ choices. In many Asian cultures, there’s a strong sense of filial responsibility, family ties run deep, and relationships are often closely intertwined with them. It’s not always as simple as cutting things off and moving on.
Also, let’s be honest, that tension is part of what keeps a 16-episode drama going.Though am glad she put her foot on the ground from day one and never wavered no matter how much tantrums around her.
In the end, this is a classic, and I really don’t have much to complain about. It easily earns an 8.6 from me. And of course, my favorite director, Ahn Pan Seok, can do no wrong in my eyes.
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Authencity and realistic story
If you started watching this drama after "something in the rain", you might want to reconsider or wait a bit. Even through there are similarities , dont watch "One spring night" as season 2 .The characters are really realistic . I like the attention given to the second charactereS : they aren't caricatures or used in order to deepen our main couple's story but instead they power through struggles of their own. They're all very different from each other but equally endearing.
The acting is so well done , all of them gave a very natural performance. It really made me think i was witnessing a slice of life of real peole.
The story show us different people struggling with the korean society expectation ( societal pressures and conservative values ). The romance is really slow burn ( a bit too slow for me) but reinforce the aunthencity of the story.
On the negative side, the music. The style fit the drama fut it felt like the same song was playing during the whole se
This is the drama to watch if you are looking for realistic story without the plot employed by other Korean dramas.
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A light romance drama with a story that grips you
If your looking for a light romance drama that has a story that grips you and characters and situations that are believable then this is a must watch.The acting is great. Charecters are all memorable. I adore the child actor. The story is beliveable. I belive this is a important statement as a lot of drama's give plot twists or scenarios that you doubt would happen in real life.
Even the supporting charterers had great parts and brought depth to the story.
Over all, a very satisfying watch.
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