The Interest of Love (2022)

LOVE ISN’T BLACK AND WHITE, NEITHER IS LIFE!

***DISCLAIMER: This is just my opinion after watching the drama in it's entirety. I will try to remain unbiased and give an honest review. We don’t have to agree and I’m not here to argue with anyone.***

This show should really be called “The Price / Cost of Love” , “Understanding Love” , “Walking With You” , “The Time of Us” or “Sandcastle” (iykyk❤️)

I enjoyed this drama so much. Contrary to popular belief that this show is “ trash” blah blah blah (insert other bad comments / non-constructive criticism) I feel like it was realistic and people can take various life lessons from it. The biggest lesson that was emphasized was for people to stop sitting around wondering “what if” and instead seize the day, go after what you want / who you want because it might turn into a missed opportunity and you will have to live with regret. The second was don’t make rash decisions in the spur of the moment or lie because you’re afraid of confronting and dealing with your feelings. And lastly, stop running away from your problems because they will eventually catch up to you.

Imo this drama was refreshing considering I’d only ever known Moon Ga Young in juvenile roles. It was nice to see her portray an adult and go through “grown up” issues. I feel like I can finally relate and empathize with her character now.

General Overview:

Su Yeong is a young woman with a dismissive avoidant attachment style who struggles with depression, scars from the past, grief from her brother's death and a broken relationship with her family. She first meets Sang Su when he comes to the bank and she’s his senior who has to train him and help him learn all the tricks to being a bank clerk. They got closer and she really was there for him. Fast forward 3 years later he has been getting promoted while she has remained in the same position. Su Yeong feels as though her life is stagnant and she won’t move forward in her career compared to her peers because they all have college degrees whereas she does not. She develops a bit of a complex because of this and realizes no matter how hard she works or tries she’ll never get promoted. She realizes her place in society as she is from a poor background and has no degree. Everyone looks down on her and makes up rumors about her even though they don’t have a clue about who she is. Sang Su seemingly has a crush on Su Yeong and at the beginning of the drama he attempts to pursue her. They go on one date and agree to go on another however when Sang Su was on his way to meet Su Yeong he hesitates. She can see him from the restaurant… notices his hesitation in coming to see her and she feels horrible. She immediately leaves and essentially shuts him out of her life.

As the story goes along you kind of understand why Su Yeong ignores him and pushes him away. For the first time in her life she was willing to let someone in and truly be happy but in the end she realizes they would’ve never worked out because of their places in society. She ultimately decides it’s better for her to go on without him and pretends to date Jong Hyeon instead at first to get rid of Sang Su and quell her feelings for him but along the way you can see her tenderness for Jong Hyeon as she feels sorry for his unfortunate circumstances and invites him to live with her instead of quitting his job as a security guard and moving away. Enter Mi Gyeong — a college friend of Sang Su who is clearly into him and will do anything to get him wrapped around her little finger. She eventually senses that there is something between Sang Su and Su Yeong and goes out of her way to befriend Su Yeong by giving her gifts, taking her to dinner and finding out what she likes / dislikes. Anything to keep Su Yeong at bay and also guilt trip her into backing off from Sang Su for the sake of friendship. If keep your friends close and your enemies closer was a person, that would be Mi Gyeong. Nevertheless, her plan doesn’t work out because as it is Su Yeong and Sang Su are incapable of staying away from each other.

There’s a lot of unnecessary drama in between of them fighting feelings for one another, entering relationships they had no business being in because they were still hung up on each other / pining for each other unintentionally. There was literally no need for them to bring other characters into their business/drama. I hated Mi Gyeong, Gyeong Pil, and Jong Hyeon just a little bit more than usual because even when they found out the truth they tried so hard to make Sang Su and Su Yeong’s life more unbearable. That to me proved that their desires were more important than what the people they claimed to “love” needed. If that’s not selfish idk what is. People can call Sang Su and Su Yeong selfish for wanting to break up with them but they were selfish in different ways. Like be so frl, I got sick of them acting like they got the short end of the stick and were done the worst injustice by Sang Su and Su Yeong breaking up with them. Like sometimes people have to make tough decisions for themselves even if it hurts someone else’s feelings. I feel like Su Yeong and Sang Su both always spent their lives putting others before themselves and the one time – THE ONE TIME, they wanted to choose themselves (be selfish) and go after love / the person they truly wanted to be with it was such a huge problem. At least they weren’t trying to stay with their partners and cheat behind their backs. That would’ve been so much worse / messy. The worst part is that they both tried so hard to spare Mi Gyeong and Jong Hyeon feelings but ended up doing the opposite and hurting themselves in the process. They even admitted their faults and apologized multiple times but somehow it was never enough… especially for Mi Gyeong.

Lmao don’t let me get started on her. I just hate how she pretends to be a “nice girl” when she is in fact very self-centered and mean. She befriended Su Yeong because she sensed that there was something going on between her and Sang Su and she thought that if she was nice to her and kept on buying her things she’d feel guilty and back off. It was so disgusting to me the way she’d worm around situations and try to have everyone bend to her will. She wanted to be so different from her father but eventually she realized she was just like him and then defended him by saying "that’s probably how he shows love"??? That was bullsh*t. Not her condoning her father's actions in order to justify hers, then perpetuating her continuous desire to control everyone and everything by trying to buy their favor.

In my humble opinion, Sang Su and Su Yeong’s moments were precious… anytime they talked — really talked and listened to each other on long walks, drank (playing the “truth” / “lying” game), or hung out by the seaside — it was really beautiful. I felt their emotions pull on my heartstrings and bring me to the point of tears several times. For me, it was like “How can two people be so right for each other yet not stand a singular chance of being together?” They had mutual understanding, comfort, and peace whenever they were with each other. The harsh reality is that both were stupid and allowed society and other people's opinions of them ruin what they had. People told them they shouldn’t and couldn’t be together and they believed them instead of believing in their relationship and what they had.

Her leaving Sang Su the last time — I’m sure he saw it coming. She always runs away except this time he decided not to chase after her because he felt like that’s what she wanted, he respected her choice and decided to give her space. Even after four years passed, Sang Su always kept Su Yeong close to his heart. While I’m sure he respected her decision he just couldn’t understand it. I’m guessing Su Yeong just wanted to disappear and have a fresh start but I’m sure a part of her also wanted Sang Su to chase after her or convince her to stay. It’s so messed up when someone feels like a burden and that they’re to blame for all the misfortunes that happen to them in their life. It’s like they feel like they deserve it but ultimately they also think they deserve nothing at all. This is why I can understand Su Yeong distancing herself from everyone and not believing she deserved love or even happiness.

One thing I disliked about this drama was the miscommunication trope. Don’t get me wrong it’s okay when it’s done right but there were a lot of moments you know could’ve been fixed with a simple conversation. Sang Su would’ve listened to her and appreciated the truth. There was so much sneaking around and lying for no reason. Like I can try and understand/empathize with Su Yeong’s reasons… she rather destroy everyone/everything and burn it all to the ground + run away rather than face and conquer her greatest fears. She is distant, cold unfeeling, and avoidant but that legit doesn’t excuse her always wanting to run away / disappear. Sang Su on the other hand never speaks his mind and prefers to suffer in silence / take on the weight of other people's problems. Yes, I get that he’s protective and always wants to save the day but lol some girls (ie. Su Yeong) don’t want to be saved. They just want to be understood and seen/heard for once in their life. Yeah, it sucks but that’s pretty much what I got from their dynamic. In the end, it worked because they really balanced each other out.

Another aspect I absolutely hated about this drama and a lot of others is that they always have all the characters make up with each other. Like even if there’s a huge falling out they always have that plot point where years later they come back and everything is all hearts and flowers. I wouldn’t say that’s realistic because sometimes a person really isn’t for you / meant to be in your life. Sometimes the friendship/relationship was toxic and you know that you’re better off without having them in your life, meeting up to discuss what went wrong, or even making amends. Usually it’s better to just let things be and move on. Live and let live as they say but idk maybe Mi Gyeong and Su Yeong are just super mature to see past their differences… though I doubt it because she legit had to remind Su Yeong how much she resented her in the past but at the same time she missed her ? Make it make sense.

The truth is, some people are just happy knowing you’re not as happy as they are in life — it brings them peace knowing they won and you lost. And I feel like that’s truly how Mi Gyeong sees Su Yeong… she looks at her life as small and inconsequential in comparison… saying it “suits her” Like bffr Su Yeong owns a drawing cafe while she’s a big manager in HQ. Su Yeong gave up her job and her life in Seoul because she knew she wasn’t and would never be accepted. I kind of wish she spent the last four years in college getting a degree so she’d feel better about herself and able to face the world and people with more confidence. Sigh. I also didn’t like the fact that Sang Su never rlly tried to move on from Su Yeong in those four years. I guess he decided a long time ago that she was the one for him and made her occupy all the space in his heart and mind. It’s kinda sad… I know Su Yeong would’ve wanted him to be happy regardless.


Final Thoughts:

If I could sum up this drama into a few words it would be “will they or won’t they?” ahhh if you don’t like slow burns, slice of life dramas or melodramas then do not watch this. Trust me it’s super slow and it’s more pining / longing than the leads actually getting their happy ending until the very last episode. I have to say though their chemistry is really good and you can feel the angst / tension through the screen.

Don’t watch this drama if you are going to view it from a one dimensional lens and blame the characters for being flawed as adults. People mature at different stages and as it turns out some people have to fall down and make mistakes in order to learn and grow from them. Nobody is perfect is what I’m saying and these characters all have their shortcomings, baggage, trauma and scars.

If you’re not willing to see them as actual human beings with issues and trauma to deal with / faults to overcome then again I reiterate do not watch it.

If however you want to stick around for these two love struck idiots who actually deserve a real chance at happiness and a shot at a real relationship together then do continue / start watching. It’s a rollercoaster ride (an unreasonably slow paced one lol!) so you're definitely going to go through the emotions and really feel for them (especially if you are emotional / have a big heart / empathize with others) If you’re looking for a drama that is more insta lovey and doesn’t have much plot / story building then I suggest you go watch something else.

Overall I gave this drama an 8/10 (initially it was a 7.5 however, I figured disliking the ending alone isn’t fair) My rating is primarily because still find myself thinking of these two and their tumultuous story. I can’t ever let them go / forget and I think that’s the point. They were the definition of “right person wrong time” and I just ate it up. This drama was enjoyable for me and I don’t regret watching at all. I think more people would’ve given this drama a higher rating but the open / bittersweet ending made them take off some points, so to each their own.

Long story short, this drama really stuck with me and I stuck with it because it’s a realistic portrayal of people living their daily lives, experiencing love, kindness, jealousy, heartbreak and everything else in between. It highlights the fact that that love is hard work. It’s not perfect, it’s not a fairytale and not everyone gets a happy ending. It’s solely based on people’s efforts and how much they are willing to compromise for someone else. Love is overcoming obstacles, facing challenges and choosing / fighting to be together. It’s putting another person before yourself (no questions asked) and rooting for their ultimate happiness. It’s choosing to let them go even if it hurts, even if they are happy without you because if you love them you will respect them, their choices, and ultimately want the best for them.

I would recommend this drama to persons who like slow burns, second chance love and slice of life dramas. Honestly, I really liked it — I mean the first episode really drew me in because I was so shocked and had to know what happens next. Obviously this show isn’t for everyone but if it’s for you / worth watching then you should know by episode 3 or 4. Also I'm not sure if speed watching helped me enjoy it more bc I watched this drama on x1.5-x1.75. I find that the pacing in these types of dramas are unnecessarily slow and that tends to make it seem like it just drags on forever. So maybe you could try speeding it up if you're having a hard time getting into it.

I also really enjoyed the OST. It has the perfect balance of fun / flirty upbeat songs mixed with sad and emotional / heartfelt ones. I still listen to it from time to time.

Would I rewatch it? Yes because I am a sucker for slow burns, I loved their moments / interactions and even though the ending is sad / bittersweet… it’s their story. It’s a little messy but it seemed real and I felt like I was with them the whole time — watching, waiting and rooting for them to make it along their individual journeys + also finally coming together, to find peace at the end of it all.

There’s this quote that says “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” And I feel like it perfectly captures Sang Su and Su Yeong. Even though though their journey came to an end, I believe that the open ending still offered a great deal of hope for them to eventually let go of the past, move forward, and create a new “future happiness” one filled with better memories and without regret.

All in all, I think that the drama did a fantastic job of portraying the ups and downs of love. Sang Su and Su Yeong are not perfect (so far from it actually) but they’re special in their own little way. In my eyes some people are meant to be, just not made to last.

This drama is not for everyone but what I will say is:
THE PEOPLE WHO GET IT GET IT!!!

Anyway, that’s my two cents <3

(Sending love to everyone who stayed and read all this ily!)


Happy watching!

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

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You are the sum of all your experiences, learn from it and be a better person.

The ultimate question: Did they live happily ever after, as a couple? Or, did they live happily ever after, as friends?

Answer: it can go either way, 50-50.

Here's why.

As I mentioned in the previous weeks, this show is a story about love, relationships, break-ups, forgiveness, and moving on. This is not a fantasy romance where we would feel we are in heaven, and dream of Mr. Right and Ms. Perfect. No, none of that.

My first romantic relationship lasted for three (3) years. She was my first, and I was her first. We broke up, we talked, we closed things properly. But, guess what? We both failed to moved on.

In our case, she got married a few years later. It took us 11 more years to have a real closure. We failed to move on because we were not honest with ourselves, and we did not learn to forgive ourselves.

Before we can truly move on, we need to forgive the other party. But, we can not forgive other people if we do not forgive our own self first. To be able to forgive our own self, we need to face the reality and embrace it.

Yes, it is a process. It can take years, or it can take as short as a minute. It does not matter if you understand the process, there are people who can truly move on fast without being aware of the process.

Personally, I have proven that process to myself, when in late 2020, my 15-year relationship ended. When I learned to face reality, when I learned to embrace it. It was only then I was able to forgive myself.

It felt good. The heavy burden in my mind, and on my shoulders, were lifted. I was able to finally breathe. Then, I was able to forgive and thank her, even though I was only talking to the air.

It took me three (3) months, and I also had to put a deadline for myself. What do I mean? I told myself, “after this date, all is over, period”. After that date passed, I moved on. I started to smile.

Once we have truly moved on, that is only the time that healing begins. There is no healing if you can not smile. There is no healing if you can stomach hearing your ex's (or enemy's) name. You are not healing at all if you are still reacting emotionally when you see that other person's shadows, or hear them breath.

All these things are what “The Interest of Love” was telling us.

We all know that love and relationships are complicated, but do we truly understand it?

The 1FL was mostly pessimistic in the entire show. Rightly so, because there are people who are pessimistic. They do exist, and if you have not met at least one pessimistic person, you have not truly lived. The 1FL represents people who are pessimistic.

While the 1ML is a type of person who have a positive outlook in life, who was later crashed because of love. He was that type of person you have probably met once who never had time about love and relationships. But, when their heart was stolen by someone, they had no idea how to act and handle things.

Our pessimist 1FL eventually grew and started to have a positive outlook in life. All because of the 1ML.

At the same time, our 1ML, who had no idea about love and relationships, learned to listen and understand other people. All because of the 1FL.

Are you seeing how these two characters are helping each other grow? That is love and relationship. In episode 16, they even asked, “Were we really in love?” Because their relationship as two individuals was closer than they care to admit.

Let's take a detour.

There is also an important contrast between the 1ML and the 2ML. The 2ML acted badly when he heard the news that the 1FL slept with another man (note: there was no concrete proof if she did or not). The last word he told the 1FL was, “b**ch”.

However, what struck me was the 2ML also grew. Instead of sulking, or trying to find the 1FL and, maybe, force her back into a relationship after apologising, he decided to just call it.

Like what I mentioned earlier, the 2ML faced his reality and embraced it. He was not able to ask for forgiveness in person, but he knew he was forgiven because he learned to forgive himself.

He turned his bad experiences as a source of strength. He focused on his studies, and eventually achieved his dream to become a police officer.

Meanwhile, the 1ML was not giving up. He tried to find the 1FL, and he did, only to lose her again. And for the next four years, he tried to survive, hoping to see her one more time. (We are assuming he chose the branch himself.)

Another detour. The 2FL! Let's not forget her.

What type of character was she? She is that person who will do anything to get what they want. Not necessarily rich and wealthy people, mind you, there are ordinary people who get what they want just because. The 2FL represents those type of persons.

However, when it comes to love and relationships, it's either shallow or one-sided. First, she accepted the fact that the 1ML has eyes for the 1FL, but when he needed a shoulder to cry on, she freely offered herself. This is what we call “rebound relationship”.

For the 2FL, as long as she gets what she wanted, it is fine for her to be the rebound. The bad effect of this is that, the other person (the 1ML in this case) will never be fully into that relationship. They are either still thinking of the other person (the 1FL in this case), or they are only using the rebound relationship to heal (and once they healed, they will more likely leave).

The 1ML, who was growing because of the 1FL, realised this and broke up with her. Three years later, the 2FL returned to Korea, healed. In episode 16, she mentioned that she is fine talking about the 1ML because she (truly) moved on.

They even showed a scene how the 2FL saw the 1ML during the wedding, and it did not bother her. Was it because she found a new boyfriend? No, it wasn't about faithfulness and loyalty to her new boyfriend. In the first place, if she has not truly moved on, she would not be able to have a new boyfriend, that is not her character. Not to mention, she would not show up in the wedding knowing that they may cross paths.

The 2FL grew and learned what it means to love and have a relationship. Not just a romantic relationship, but also a relationship with her father.

Which brings us back to the 1FL and her relationship with her father. Like the 2FL, the 1FL also have a strained relationship with her father, although different, they are both not close to them.

See the contrast and 'relationships'?

And now, we are in episode 16. We have gone full circle when the 1ML and the 1FL started to talk about their “what-ifs”. This is a different kind of “what-ifs”.

Usually, “what-ifs” are regrets. However, in the case of the 1ML and 1FL, it was an intellectual discourse. Would things between them have ended up differently… if…?

There were no regrets when they looked back at their memories. Why? How? Simple. They learned to face and embrace their reality, and have forgiven themselves, and each other.

They moved on from the pain they caused each other. And they used those experiences to grow for the next four years of their lives.

Thus, when they met again, they were simply two ___healed___ individuals reminiscing their time together.

Think of it this way, tabula rasa. Clean slate.

They can choose to become a couple. Or, they can decide to remain as “special” friends.

I personally know married couples who broke up and later met again 4+ years later. They rekindled their love and relationship.

I, myself, went through the latter. Remember the first relationship I shared earlier, which took 11 years before we finally were able to moved on? Whenever our paths cross, after the true closure, there are no more lingering emotions and feelings between us. We can talk about the past normally, as in, just the past.

Some would probably say, “well, she's married and have children”. Sure, that's valid. However, even if she is still single, that part of our lives is long gone. We have reached the point wherein we will never cross our unwritten and undiscussed boundaries. We are just nothing but “special” friends.

I can see it in her eyes, and I am sure she can see it in my eyes, too. The past is the past. It's over between us, permanently. There is nothing to rekindle. We can reminisce, but that's it, nothing to rekindle. Our love for each other changed to something akin to brother and sister.

This is why the ending of “The Interest of Love” was like that.

Here are two individuals, whose lives were entwined when they were younger and innocent. Four years later, having learned from their experiences, and have forgiven themselves in the process, their paths crossed again.

They are representing two types of “couples”.

The first is: those couples who rekindled their love and gotten married later.

The second is: those couples, like me and my first, who will never have a romantic relationship ever again, but remain good friends.

It is up to the audience to decide which path the 1ML and the 2FL will choose. They can remain as friends, having grown and learned from each other. Or, they can rekindle their love and see where it goes this time around.

After all, they did ask and realised, “were we in love then?”

These are what the 1ML, 1FL, 2FL, and the 2ML, all learned in their lives:
You are the sum of your experiences. Learn from it and become a better person. Never harbour hatred and bitterness, rather, listen and understand each other.

All of our relationships are important. Be it romantic, as friends, or with our families. In these personal relationships, let love encompassed it all.

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This is not a romance. This is a missed opportunity of romance.

This drama is not the love story of people who have feelings for each other, love each other and end up living happily ever after. This is a drama about what people can do to people who love them when they do not return their love feelings. So, the characters are most of the time cowardly, manipulative, pathetic, annoying and gesticulating in wrong situations. This happens in real life too as not all relationships are based on true and sincere love. This is what this drama is about. It has a realistic take on adults’ relationships. Adults who do not know their own feelings, ignore them, tone them down or pretend to have feelings… and make choices with their reason that their heart does not agree with.

1/ WHAT I LIKED:

- The story and the trajectory of the 5 main characters. None of them is perfect. They all have qualities and flaws that determine their choices. They are all relatable because they all look like human beings led into wrong choices by their human condition and trying to deal with their wrong choices and not the best way.
- The mature take on sex and love. It is not so common in romance kdramas. This drama is not shy about sex, and it tells that there is a difference between love and sex. Just like in real life.
- The cheating: 30% of women and 40% of men have cheated once in their life. No need to throw an anathema to them and pretend to be so much better. People have their own reasons for doing what they do. I did not want to judge them. I just agreed that in their situation, the cheating would happen, and it did happen like in real life. It was steamy and intense. People who can’t stomach cheating as a human emotional state and possible behavior should stay away from this drama.
- The rather realistic depiction of the workplace and colleagues. The friendly ones and the annoying ones who are always gossiping.
- The ending. There are two endings. One with ep15 with a sad unhappy ending but more consistent and logical with what happened during the whole drama. I have not read the novel but I felt like the ending with ep16 was especially cooked to give everyone a great situation like everything was bad that ends well. The two leads have an open ending with this ep but personally, I prefer the ending with ep15.

2/ WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:

- The early episodes were confusing and exhausting with the ML and FL acting unclear towards each other.
- Some draggy parts with too much gloomy faces and long contemplating moments
- The story between the ML and his mom could have been better. The mom looked a strong character, but she was quite underused for me.

3/ CHARACTERS/ACTORS:

- ML: The only one with real unconditional Love feelings. But he lacked courage and that drowned his chance. He grew into a more assured person and took responsibility of his feelings and his no-feelings in the end. Not very fond of the actor but he did a decent job looking gloomy and contrite and unable to bury his one-sided Love.
- FL: Self centered complicated person with sad circumstances and low self-esteem but she used them as an excuse to not face her own feelings and act upon them. This led her to make a wrong choice that she will try to assume despite obvious signs it is wrong. I liked Moon Ga young in this role. Different from what I used to see from her.
- SML: Student from a poor family who wanted to woo noona but when she chose him out of frustration for his kindness and for comfort, he suddenly had nothing more to offer her and became lousy and bland.
- SFL : Manipulative, possessive, scheming to always have gains from others. But I liked her bright, smart, and outgoing character. She was immature regarding Love and failed to be lovable and to love her partner. But she did not take it too badly. Of course, the ML was just a challenge and a trophy partner for her. Loved the actress who displayed lots of emotions.
- TML: Kyung Pil. This snake was a bad boyfriend, a bad friend and a bad person whispering bad ideas into the ears of the ML, SFL and FL based on his own sorry past that he chose himself. A dislikeable and pitiful person who slightly improved. The actor was great looking cunning, bitter, disillusioned and not proud of himself.

3/ OST:
Very good. I liked most of the songs and listened to them apart from the drama.

4/ REWATCHABLE VALUE:
It is slow paced and the story is realistic but sad, so I won’t rewatch it.

5/ OVERALL:

It’s a good drama if you can accept that humans are weak and make wrong choices and do wrong things that do not improve their situation on the contrary. Because they lack courage and confidence in themselves, their choice of reason is undermined by their heart’s choice, and it leads to messy situations. In the end, they still manage to put things in the right order and move on to a happier life after a time jump. Despite the contemplative and slow parts, I enjoyed watching these people I had pity and hopes for. Not so entertaining but a slice of life drama I enjoyed. 8/10.

Lesson of the drama: "If you have feelings for someone, take the courage to face your feelings honestly and act upon them. "

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Understanding Love

'The Interest of Love' is a well paced, well written drama and the plot is easy to follow. The characters feel real, so maybe that's why some viewers have a problem with watching this drama. Like none of them are unrealistic, and not the candy typical far from reality that Kdramas like. Everyone in the cast is doing a fabulous job portraying their roles. All the emotions, confusion and acceptance in each episode, I love it. This will definitely make your blood boil, as well as make you frustrated. Like all of this workplace bullying, overt sexual harassment, and gossiping coworkers just screams toxic environment. Moon Ga-young, Yoo Yeon-seok, Keum Sae-rok, and Jung Ga-ram are all doing amazing. Fingers are crossed that this ends happily and we don't get yet another sad ending that screenwriters like to do nowadays. For now though everything is going smoothly and I'm genuinely enjoying the drama.

(EDITED)
So I finished the drama, and all I have to say is that give it some time before you decided to drop it or give it a bad rating. The ending wrapped up nicely for me and made sense.

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expect to discover the paths, challenges, regrets, pain, burden of an realistic relationship

not to be so biased about this drama, even if many people hated it, but it was a pretty good watch. It's not everyone's type of drama to look forward into, from the beginning the drama has so much potential. Describes how realistic relationships represents about temptations, regrets, challenges, and burden represents their relationships especially the ml and fml. So, I'll try to explain how this drama ended pretty well, but an expected open-ending. Especially why I rated it a 9 out of 10. It must be given a try.

Story and Plot:
So, the story talks about the colleague workers, starting how Ha Sang Soo started to fall in love with An Soo Young from how he entered to work in Nara Bank's Yeongpo branch. The story of how he ended up falling in love with Soo Young, the challenges from handling his work and his love life during the time he was falling in love with her. Up until they had unexpected consequences between the both of them, started to draw other's paths from having a relationship that they challenge to forget themselves from the way they looked at each other romantically. Park Mi Kyung, a college schoolmate of Ha Sang Soo, where she entered to the bank as a worker and falls in love with him until Sang Soo decided to work this relationship and how it would made him forget Soo Young. As well as Soo Young, who ended up with Jung Jong Hyun, a security chief who works at the same branch with them of how he confessed that she liked her. Then she decided to have the relationship and how she could get their relationship. That's how the story started to get messy, the path they decided to go with, the regrets coming in when they started to do what they decided to do, which is forgetting themselves from how Sang Soo and Soo Young developed misunderstandings and feelings of affection. Now with the story, i got a little spoiled from social media platforms, especially on tiktok, then I decided to go with the flow of this drama, with lots of expectations and guesses. Lots of twists, ups and downs, but then the sotry was realistic and fortunate.

Well, the plot seems to tell us about their background story of the characters, how the characters portrayed the story. When the moment I was reading the plot, the word "scandalous office romance" tells the drama well enough. but not that really noir and dark, not the other kdramas that I known. So here, the story and the plot was okay for me.

OST and Cinematography:
So, I'm so excited to type this part of my note/comment since the ost and cinematography gave so much atmosphere of every scenes. Before I forget, shoutout to the osts that gave the feels, Dice Game and Shadow Love. Gosh these two top osts from this drama gave it all! From intense scenes and cliffhangs from the ending of some episodes made me think twice that I should watch it asap! Overall for this area, a good editing and great timing with the osts playing each scenes that could bring me to the feels.

Character and Casts:
Well well well, here I am and I have so much to say with this area. Yoo Yeon Seok as Ha Sang Soo, hmmm it's my first time seeing him in my existence of being a kdrama fan, but he was so good for this role. I don't even know why kdrama land made him not receive any good roles for him like this, but actually he was so attractive with his role. With his character, hmm Sang Soo was pretty annoying tbh, but I get it how he wants to get into the way he want to live his life to be with Soo Young, and then he shaped his life between his working life and love life. How he managed to make decisions related to any part of his life, especially involving to each main characters of the story. phew I loved him from the beginning, ehem the actor I mean hahaha i fell in love with his looks :')) gotta look fro bts scenes after this. Now, with Moon Ga Young as An Soo Young, well with less emotions her character made me confused, because its like she made Sang Soo's life complicated, and she made the first move to make him confused and keeps on lying at him just to get away from his life and try to forget the things Sang Soo did and say to Soo Young. buuuut, in the later part, I get to like the way she decides regarding with her life plans. As well as Sang Soo :')) they were too good for each other. Moon Ga Young has a great role for this drama, but I guess she needs to make an impression for her next drama roles or like a new type of character that I might like her more as an actress. She has a little bit of potential tbh, and she is a promising actress after watching her from find me in your memory last year. Now i'll go with Geum Sae Rok as Park Mi Kyung, well her character was too greedy and selfish, craving for love and passion from Sang Soo, since she fell in love with him since their college days. She was really annoying, but gave me a decision to like her due to character development. As an actress, I saw her from Class of Lies, well no offense, i was not really rooting for her but then youth of may to her role, she gets so much better until the 3rd time with this drama, she got great roles. Not to forget to mention, she was a pretty good one. Last but not the least, Jung Ga Ram as Jung Jong Hyun, well the character was too much expectations from Soo Young, to their relationship to be specific. The way he handles his life tells me that he was such a jerk. Like he's more the asshole than the ml tbh haha. Soo Young deserve so much better other than him but I also felt bad at the same time because of how she gets pity with his future plans. Not with the actor, he was pretty good from love alarm 1 and 2, he also got the good role as well. Overall, the casts must have the great script to be developed, so that I'll have no intention to hate some of them, but all of the casts were good, with character developments made it better.


Overall, this drama was pretty good, but not to mention how the script was quite bad written. Some episodes especially the last few episodes were dragging. But with the story, even if I was never been involved with any relationship (still single from the day I was born haha), I could sense and feel the pain they had, from their temptations to trial and errors of having an relationship that must never happen, crossing paths, and regrets that changed their entire lives. They made me cry, honestly Sang Soo and Soo Young's relationship, I got wasted for the both of them, huhuhu wished it was a good ending in the other universe but again, a open ending to expect.
Good for binge watch, but not good for beginners, it needs patience and understanding. Great for time kill, especially the last eps were quite long.

Now on the brighter side, looking forward to the casts next projects!! Yoo Yeon Seok and Moon Ga Young, had so much chemistryyyy!!! rooting for the main casts other future roles!!!

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Sincere, relevant, unforgettable and ahead of its time.

This is more gonna be a warning rather than a review.

The Interest of Love is for people who are into psychology and sociology, melos and slow burns. This is not a conventional romance but a romance depicting modern korean society. Besides, the genre is noir, so don't be too surprised. This is the opposite of what you could call "dreamy escape" from the K-Dramas people love and are accustomed to. If you want to learn about the society and adult relationships in Korea, look no further. Although the setting is Korean, many adults around the world could relate to this story, at least to some extent. In fact, The Interest of Love is the adaptation of a critically-acclaimed novel in Korea, named "Understanding Love" which is the drama's korean title. The adaptation was also acclaimed by critics and recognized as one of the best K-Dramas of 2022 by industry experts. The novel concludes at episode 12, which likely wouldn't have been adapted into the TV series for reasons that will become clear once you see how the episode ends. The remainder of the story was written by the screenwriter, and the ending feels fitting.

Mantra by everyone who signed up for The Interest of Love’s chaos: “Everyone is flawed. I'm gonna sit and watch.”

Get it or not, The Interest of Love is a masterclass in directing, acting and writing. The storytelling and attention to detail are really clever, and the mundane beauty of this drama is something that no other can match.

Overall, a very unusual and philosophical show with a unique setting.

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Everyone Hates the Ending But I Don't

SPOILER ALERT: The K-Drama has an "open" ending to a sad, though intensely moving and involving, story. The main characters may or may not get together after the story ends--one isn't sure. I too would like to see a translation of the book to read its ending but, according to ChatGPT, "Understanding Love" has not been translated into English. We are told that the book indicates they do not reunite, but I think the writers of the K-drama intended a more uncertain ending.

I find the English title of the K-drama, "The Interest of Love," to be odd. It's not a good translation of the book title, "Understanding Love." I'm not sure what it means. At first I thought it was a playful reference to the bank workplace setting of the series, because banks pay interest on deposits, although in that case it should be "The Interest on Love." Perhaps it refers to our fascination with love, and should be "The Interest in Love." The question is not an idle one, because at a crucial point in the series the leading characters, looking back, ask themselves if they were once in love, or merely overcome by the "interest of love".

As for the ambiguous ending, I agree with those who find strong hints in the finale that Su-Yeong (the woman) and Sang-Su (the man) will finally get together, or at least give their relationship one more try. (After all, they have never even properly "dated".)
I was touched by Su-Yeong's remark during the walk which ends the story that she had ghosted Ha Sang-Su because their relationship left "nothing more to give or receive." By this I take her to mean that their love had reached perfection, however briefly, in the Tongyeong "Guest House". The question is whether Ha Sang-Su can convince Su-Yeong that love is not continuous perfection, but rather "two people living day to day life together". One hopes he will. Otherwise she faces years of loneliness.

Sang-Su and Su-Yeong end the story as they silently approach the end of their walk up the collegiate "hill of oblivion," with their backs to us. They are not (alas) arm in arm, or even hand in hand. One of the series' haunting soundtrack songs ("Wonder Why") is reprised. In it the singer asks why his departed lover persists indelibly in his memory, why the dream of her cannot be erased (just as Sang-Su tells Su-Yeong he has forgotten nothing). In context the song is an ambiguous close to the series. The film ends before the song reaches a line from in its earlier appearances: "I don't want to love you like I used to." Is the omission a deliberate hint, or just the result of how long the credits ran? It's ambiguous, like this whole series and the relationship it depicts.

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Is This Really Love? Or Interest In Love?

Ahn Soo Young is a beautiful, hard-working 4 year employee as Chief Bank Teller at KCU Bank. Due to her past experiences and personal difficulties whilst growing up, she does not believe that she is destined to be happy.

Even with her stone face and distant demeanor, Ha Sang Soo under her mentorship when he first joined the bank, gradually found himself drawn to her as he grew through the ranks at the workplace. One day, he finally musters his nerves and asks Soo Young for a date. However, he was late arriving the dinner venue and was seen by Soo Young hesitating for a moment before entering the restaurant. Soo Young re-acts in a devastating manner and hence the possible relationship between her and Sang Soo spirals off to different directions. They then inadvertently paired themselves with respective partners whom I found were really well suited to them. However, like a ‘moth to the flame’, Soo Young and Sang Soo continues to be drawn to each other.

Soo Young has self-esteem issues and does not easily give herself permission to be happy. Sang Soo is a guy who takes life and relationship seriously, making him cautious in his thought process. Will such two un-confident energy ever find love?

I found this drama really angsty as I yearned to see the two main leads coming together. One might even find many moments really slow, but these are the moments where this type of drama requires one to sink into the scenes and emotions, which had my attention. Whilst waiting for that moment, I thoroughly enjoyed the stories with the second leads as well as the entire ensemble of family, bank colleagues and office politics. The entire drama was cleverly weaved in these really complicated relationships. Moon Ga Young was ‘horribly’ good as Soo Young and Yoo Yeon Seok (normally, whom I always enjoy watching his macho go-getter roles) was ‘horribly’ good as the mild, cautious and hesitant Sang Soo. So frustrating to watch and yet able to make me appreciate the flow and the tension.

This is not your normal love story drama, and this is why I enjoyed this so much.

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An imperfect story about imperfect people

This drama is not for everyone, especially if you’re looking for a definitive happy ending. This is a tale of love and love lost. It’s thought provoking and challenges you to question your own willingness to take risks for the sake of love and happiness. It evokes deep emotions and makes you reminisce on all the missed opportunities and what if’s in your own life. The pace of the story is well suited. There’s no timeline on love. If you’re destined to be together, fate will find a way to bring you back to each other.

Kudos to the actors and production team for putting together a piece of work that I’ll continue to enjoy. The ensemble cast was fantastic and their character portrayals were skillfully executed. The OST was perfection and captured every emotion of these flawed characters.

Highly recommend.

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It is up to you to decide whether this is worth your time. I liked it, but you might not.

***Huge Spoilers Ahead***

I don't know if I'm writing what I feel at all, but I decided earlier that after seeing a beautiful ending today, I'd write a review for viewers like us who have loved this show for so long. But honestly, after witnessing how it ended, I have no hope that this review will be useful for them.
After hearing the final line of the 15th episode, I started a bad conflict in my head, and I'm honestly disappointed that the actual ending is so consistent. However, after watching the 16th episode, I realised that the show was a bittersweet version of one that aired the previous summer. And that is the one we are all familiar with: "2521."
I'm not going to compare the two shows right now to show how they're similar. But the real point I'll make is that after watching ending of this show, I realised that while the ML and FL in both shows were the best options for each other, they weren't meant to be together.
And because I finished watching "2521" as part of my daily routine, I don't think I'm as upset by the ending as I was last year. I will also say that I will not be sorry that I watched these two shows in the future, because even with endings like this, I will still say that I enjoyed both of them.
But what if I was asked if I hadn't watched the show and if I didn't know how it ended? Would I knowingly start a show like this? I'm not sure what the answer is to that. Maybe I would have done it then, maybe I wouldn't have, but the chances of not doing it were definitely higher...
Finally, for those who haven't seen this show yet or are considering starting it, the only piece of advice is to avoid making decisions based on how others feel. Read both sides' arguments, then ask yourself what the final decision you're willing to make out of this is.
Lastly, I'll say this: I wish you a "happy watching" experience.

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"Emotional Damage!"

This drama is intriguing if you know what you're in for, and extremely frustrating if you don't. This isn't a true romance drama, at least not in the traditional sense. It's not exactly a love story either, but more a story about pursuing love... or running away from it. Many people watch romantic KDramas for the escapism of a 'soul mates who are meant' to be story or a 'love against all odds' story. Instead, we have a slow-paced drama about longing, obsession, denial, misunderstandings, toxic behavior, and emotional damage told in a more realistic way. The opposite of the escapism most people crave. I found the female lead enraging at times and the male lead frustrating, but I also couldn't look away. Yes, the leads have chemistry, but it's the kind of palpable chemistry that makes you torn between rooting for them and raging against them. This drama makes you seriously question what makes a relationship worth fighting for, or can it only be considered a love story if the love works out?

It stars Yoo Yeon Seok as the stoic and dependable Ha Sang Soo, and Moon Ga Young as the stubborn and guarded An Soo Young. What I liked is that both characters felt non-cliché. Sang Soo,'s puppy dog eyes often made me feel bad for him while Soo Young.'s deceptive but pained smile made me both furious and sad. They are both messy, although it's clear that the female lead is much messier, and sometimes just the way they looked at each other could fuel the emotion of a scene. Then we have Geum Sae Rok as the spoiled romantic Park Mi Kyung, and the equally romantic Jung Ga Ram as small-town boy Jung Jong Hyun. If you hate love triangles be warned that this one is a love square most of the time and even ventures into love pentagon territory. Connections between the leads often get intense, depressing, and cringy... but never boring (although repetitive).

Would I watch this again? Not likely. I think the performances are great but what was exciting to watch the first time would probably just be upsetting if I watched again knowing the ending. Also, the story, although it follows a clear timeline, felt pretty one note at times. Boy pursues girl. Girl runs away. Repeat. Sure, it's not always as simplistic as that but that's still the main formula. The theme can be a downer as well since not one couple in this drama is drama & dysfunction free... well maybe one, but that's because they don't include them much in the story.

Overall, this drama is an acquired taste. We love to see stories of people who find the perfect match and live happily ever after, but what happens if you meet someone who sparks interest and desire but fear, misunderstandings, society, and past hurt get in the way? What if you love someone much more than they love you? What if you don't trust love at all? I understand why some viewers would not be interested in a drama like this, but I think I appreciate the imperfect love story it aimed to tell. I can even appreciate the reflective and bittersweet ending. This is one of the rare KDrama moments where the title is actually perfect. Whether it's about getting in the way of your own happiness, or regret, or accepting that every relationship isn't meant to be just because there's interest, it is definitely the kind of story that could have you reminiscing about any love unrealized. Still, This cast and this drama definitely held my interest, so if you're up for it, it may hold yours too.

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Mature and emotional drama: More of a character study rather than romance

My rating of a drama really depends on how engaged it kept me, if the characters were compelling, and the story is unconventional. I kept coming back to The Interest of Love every single week. It’s a well-written show with great direction and well-developed characters. The last few four episodes especially the finale dragged out, but still not so much that I couldn’t watch it anymore. Although I admit that I came to the ending after a gap and that ways I was able to look at it from a fresh perspective. I wanted my rating to reflect my overall experience with the drama and not just the ending. I’ve watched so many k-dramas, where I’ve been really excited in the beginning but watch it fizzle out toward the end. I wanted to follow the story of IOL till its end and rate my experience throughout. It is a complex and mature love story, and unlike anything I’ve ever watched in the romance world of K-dramas. I feel that the drama is underrated on MDL, but that’s my opinion since I was completely hooked on to the show. The interesting part about this show is that it’s essentially a love story, but it also considers social class and hierarchy, and how that can affect personal and professional relationships. It also portrays the leads in a refreshing and nuanced manner. I’d a good time watching this show and if you’re in the mood for watching a serious romantic drama, give this one a shot! One drawback may be that there’s not much levity or comic relief, so at times the show can feel intense or emotionally heavy and draggy, but if you enjoy the angst and longing, you will probably like the show.

Comments on MDL have been hugely divisive around the lead characters, particularly the FL. Although, the characters were sometimes frustrating, I still found them mostly relatable and realistic…their emotions raw and messy making them very human. What I appreciated about the show is that none of the characters are good or bad, they are all flawed and vulnerable, who sometimes make terrible decisions. So, the FL is a diligent worker who’s really good at her work but has been overlooked for promotions due to her educational background. She’s kindhearted, loyal, and compassionate, yet she can also be stubborn and not communicate her feelings well, to the extent of being self-destructive. Then, there’s the SFL, who’s wealthy, manipulative, and slightly obsessive. Yet, she also takes pride in her work and wants to make it on her own professionally without her father’s support. So, these characters are very nuanced, and that’s what I loved and appreciated about the show. Just like in the director’s other show (Do you like Brahms?) the FL is complex, she’s quiet, fiercely independent and strong. I loved Ahn Soo Young, and Moon Ga Young plays the role like a queen. A quieter and more serious turn for her after her role in True Beauty. I admit that at times, I questioned Soo Young’s motivations and decisions, but the more I thought about it, the more I could see how her past influenced her romantic decisions. I think her fiercely independent and serious character didn’t go well with some audiences because the writers don’t justify who she is by using a mental health issue or a really traumatic history. Even though she’s had some trauma, I think the reasoning behind her actions is perhaps too simple and too real for audiences to grasp why a FL should be so unpredictable. Even if, not all of her decisions made sense to me, I still found her relatable in many ways. The relatability was in small things, such as her taking time off whenever she was struggling, or her looking for more space in her relationship when she was feeling low, to me these characteristics were very comforting. But again, that’s why I love about K-Dramas, good writers put a lot of thought into the characters. Ultimately, the show is about Soo Young’s growth and her finding what she truly loves to do ~ a path that is true to who is. More power to Ga Young and the writers of this show, I hope they continue to bring such female leads to life on the screen. The ML is also unconventional, in the sense that he’s cautious and not aggressive. This is different from other dramas, where the ML almost always takes charge and beats the SML and takes every chance to get close to the FL. The ML here is relatively quieter and lets go of the FL, and respects her decisions for the most part.

The complexity of the characters in the show also extends to their relationships. Unlike most dramas, the second leads are just not there waiting for their chance, but they actually get a chance and then things happen…as it would in real life. All four characters’ situations are truly entangled, and they feel real and complex emotions. I think this drama is out of the norm in the way that the FL is truly conflicted in her feelings towards the male leads, which is refreshing. Most dramas I’ve watched are too scared to explore this, and the leads are typically oblivious to what the second leads feel for them. In that sense, this drama is mature and realistic. Although, the drama still plays it relatively safe and is not as bold as it may appear at first. I felt the makers couldn’t commit to what they were going for at first and spent a lot of time in the last few episodes trying to clean up the leads’ acts. As realistic as the show is, I felt that some characters were holding on to their relationships as if they were in a marriage, so that part to me was unconvincing. In real life, break-ups can be more brutal than how it was conveyed.

Of course, Moon Ga-Young and Yoo Yeon-seok sparkle in this show, but I also enjoyed Moon Tae Yoo as Kyung Pil and Seo Jung Yeon as Sang Soo’s mother. I also really liked the OST and just the overall vibe of the show. I would recommend this show if you’ve liked Something in the Rain or some other quieter shows. I personally, didn’t find the show to be as slow as some other shows like One Spring Night and My Liberation Notes, and to me those shows were really slow. The Interest of Love has decent pacing, except in the end, which for some reason happens to almost every other K-Drama, which is pretty annoying and disappointing. If you haven’t watched this drama, this is a great time to binge watch the show. The director does rely on cliff hangers to keep the audience hooked, so at least now you won’t have to wait for a week racking your brain as to wtf is going to happen next!! Also, I wish the makers would have promoted the show as slice of life drama or character sketch rather than romance, as I feel the viewers would have then appreciated the non-romantic aspects of it more and been more forgiving towards it.

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