Kes

I will never turn down a K-Drama starring Jung Hae In. He's one of the few versatile actors and always has undeniable chemistry with all his female leads. May it be melodrama, romcom, action, thriller, Jung Hae In can do them all with no doubt and with flying colors.

Our Sticky Love is not an exception. It became one of my most anticipated K-Dramas this year because I look forward to watching Hae In in a romcom again. His comic timing and relatable portrayal in Love Next Door just proves he has a Midas touch in being effortlessly charming and funny. Hence, I was naturally disappointed that Our Sticky Love wasted his potential with a drab, nondescript story.

Our Sticky Love tells the story about Go Eun Sae (Ha Young) who wakes up in a hospital with no memory of her name, job or past and Jang Tae Ha (Jung Hae In) who introduces himself as his boyfriend. Eun Sae does not remember it yet, but she is actually a prosecutor who works in anti-corruption cases and Tae Hae is not her boyfriend but a thug who saves her life in his last mission. Eun Sae grows suspicious of him because nothing about the taffy village or their neighbors or his face is familiar to her. Will she regain her memory first her before her enemies come and find her or will she fall in love with the quiet, kind-hearted but brass-knuckled gangster?

For starters, Ha Young is a new face to me. I believe this is her first leading role, and she’s got the looks as well as the body (that toned abs!) to be one. She portrays Eun Sae with a feisty attitude and cheery demeanor, with the latter coming across as over the top and forced sometimes. There’s nothing much about Ha Young except she brings light and hope to Hae In’s dark days.
Gangster Hae In is so hot. Hair theory is half true and half not, because even with the disheveled perm hair, Hae In's face card is still peeking through. Even if he looks scruffy, he can't hide his handsome face. Hae In shifts seamlessly between his shy, innocent puppy face and vicious, badass gangster identity. This is the highlight of the series for me – getting two polar opposite characters from Hae In in just one show. You get to drool over an intimidating Hae In in a suit or melt your heart over a sweet and caring Hae In in a track jacket, a totally win-win situation for me.

Aside from being a ruthless thug, he also tries his hand at building world of lies to make Ha Young stay safe beside him. Kudos to him for being creative but he should definitely stick in beating a bunch of men than weaving a story because it’s clear he ain’t a reliable narrator lmao. He is all ruthless and cold when throwing punches but the faintest touch or stare from his first love makes him flustered and scatter-brained. Hae In is a tough gangster but a soft lover. And so the badass gangster fell in love with the feisty prosecutor.

I went into this expecting a fun romcom infused with noirish crime drama but sadly it just focuses on the former. Out of nowhere, the story becomes all about the simple and quiet life in the countryside. This would have been fine by me only if the village people were fleshed-out characters. To my chagrin, the cast is merely one-dimensional and their screentimes are merely fillers. Their presence is just used to prove that Hae In is the pride and golden boy of taffy village.

Nothing about the romcom moments or backstories of village people is memorable. I was expecting a more action-packed story but all we’ve got is a handful of sob stories from village people and an unrequited love story of a thug. Then we had the plot twist which proves my hunch that this works better as a movie or a shorter runtime (6 episodes would have been enough to be honest). The show took its precious time unfolding and building up the surprise twist. Anyways, I must commend the villain for being despicable and sadistic and for successfully creeping the hell out of me. He surely knows how to push your buttons to hurt you the most.

In summary, this is an easy watch but also a no-brainer. Nothing special here, just Hae In throwing a couple of fists here and there. Even the action sequence is a yawner with a ballad song playing in the background. How groundbreaking. It’s a very low-stakes action and drawn-out drama. The story recycles old romance clichés but fails to offer a fresh twist or engaging conflict. At the end of the day, this series centers on Jung Hae In’s life - his dreams, his heart of gold, his neighbors who raised him and his first love who brought sunshine to his rainy days. This gist sounds like touching story but because of poor execution, Our Sticky Love ends up becoming a sticky mess.