The Trunk (2024)

Delight between how to love yourself and how to love another

One measure of love which might perhaps be the greatest measure of love, maybe the understanding of another’s need despite how strange, how orthogonal and unusual they might appear to be. Here in this drama is demonstration of the laws undergirding the reciprocal nature of love in sheer delight. Learned through life’s best teaching tool; suffering, the show etches deep into our hearts that in every relationship of trust and tenderness, each is the guardian of the others particularity. That if we are to grow into the full bigness of heart we desire as human beings, we must love a person not because of the compliance they can give, but for their particularity and how special they are. At the center of this recognition is the incredible work by the cast members and writers. The cinematography is nothing to praise in particular but the cold fall backdrop and dimly lit cage like brutalist house being complimented by the warmth intimacy of our leads allows for this story to be delivered in a way that is delicious to the eyes as well.

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The Arranged Marriage Trope takes a Dark and Twisted Turn

Love does blossom in these arranged marriages as it always does, but not before it’s revealed what these arrangements are truly all about.

Seo Yeong, SFL, has been married to Jeong-won for a mere three years when she decides it’s more fun to divorce him and punish him for making her miserable by immediately marrying someone else, via an arrangement, while arranging for him to take on a new wife, which she claims will ultimately save their relationship. Though divorced, she keeps a close eye on his new marriage via hidden cameras, uses his past trauma to gaslight him and supplies him with copious amounts of drugs to keep him malleable to her manipulations.

The ML, Jeong-won, is utterly pathetic until the FL, Noh, accepts the job as his new arranged wife. She immediately upsets his life, in a good way, which facilitates much needed growth for him and an interesting relationship between the two. In the mist of all the manipulations, cat fights and trauma,, there is a stalker, who is somewhat at the center of the story. His obsession with Noh is exactly what you’d expect out of someone who is delusional and deranged. However, as crazy as he was his actions brought an interesting yet terrifying element to the story.

Though the ML was a pitiful mess, the reasons for his brokenness made him endearing and thus a character to root for. The FL had her own traumas that had left her stuck and in a dark place, but she was not one to tolerate BS. The way she took on the manipulative SFL was perfect. And for once in a K-drama she , the FL, did not allow herself to be mercilessly slapped and bullied. Loved it!

The acting in this was very good as was the writing. All of the characters had great chemistry. It is a mature series so there is foul language, violence, sex and some nudity. It’s only 8 episodes. Thus easy to binge. Really good series.

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If I cant have it, I will destroy it

I'm a fan of Kim Kyu Tae director's dramas. I followed his dramas since A love to kill. I especially love his collaborations with Noh Hee Kyung writer, like on Its Okay Thats Love & Our Blues. Their collaboration drama show excellency on potraying human fragility & raw emotion within beautiful yet bitter atmosphere. Paradoxically, this "bitter & ugly truth" tendency become a healing drama.

When I watched The Trunk trailer, I wondered why Kim Kyu Tae become director for thriller/crime drama. I know that it is not impossible, because he had directed Iris, one of the memorable action-conspiration drama.
After finished watching The Trunk, I feel like this drama is remind me to A love to kill, also seems like dark version of Its okay thats love.

The trunk depicts dark and depresive side of human mundane life. Love has destructive side, that as powerful as, its ability to empower and heal human scar. From someone who give up in life & powerless in relationship, then our hero & heroine become someone who protect their partner bravely. Allso finally they have clarity about the problem, & their own flaws.

The acting, directing, cinematograhy, & editing are top notch. But the script would be better if it can give audience more layer for Um Tae Seong character. The chemistry between Gong Yoo & Seo Hyun Jin is beautiful. I want to praise Kim Dong Won (Um Tae Seong), & especially Jung Yung Ha (Lee seo yeon) for their great performance.

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A short tale of Love, lost and found

In Ji gets hired as a contract wife for Jeong Won. The relationship is going to last for a year and there is a manual to help them in sync.

A big trunk is the center of the story. Decorated with tiny flowers, In Ji carries it with her when she moves to a new place. Her living with Jeong Won starts on a difficult note till the grieving man finds himself falling for her. But Soo Yeon is not allowing the change of heart.

The modern take on contract marriage is quite gruesome and concerning. The way marital graphs are changing, it is raising concern among the audience. The latest take on fake love is vicious. Girls are not fighting for love anymore. It is more about who is holding the bigger key. The baggage from past life and relationships is leaving a scar that is impossible to heal. Have we stopped believing in love as well?

There is no word to define how powerful Gong Woo makes his character. His eyes speak words louder than him. The dream scene of killing In Ji invoked a thousand pain without a single word. Hyun Jin gifted a stellar performance after such a long hiatus. Her smoking yet soothing chemistry with Gong Woo made the ride more thrilling. But the cream of the tale is Yun Ha. Her portrayal of Soo Yeon is the perfect seasoning. She is savage, brutal yet so painful. Her fight is with her own desire and soul.

We all carry a trunk with us. Sometimes we let the stuff inside it decide our destination. And sometimes we change the baggage according to our wishes.... the choice is ours you know.

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GongYoo and Seo Hyunjin!! My dream pairing?

So, The Trunk finally dropped, and I’ve been waiting for this one for months—mainly because it stars Seo Hyun-jin and Gong Yoo (a pairing I didn’t know I needed). It’s an 8-episode drama with a mature, dark vibe, and honestly, it was worth the wait.

The plot mixes mystery with psychological themes and touches on loneliness, relationships, and marriage. Since I’m still in my early 20s, I couldn’t completely relate to everything, but the emotions and struggles felt real. I liked how the story kept me guessing until the end, which made it super engaging.

Seo Hyun-jin is the standout in this drama. Her portrayal of emotional vulnerability, especially during moments of heartbreak, is nothing short of breathtaking. Gong Yoo, as always, delivers a nuanced performance that complements her perfectly. Together, they form a dream pairing that fans have longed to see on screen. The supporting cast is equally impressive, featuring a mix of fresh faces and seasoned actors who add depth to the narrative.

The cinematography was beautiful, and the aesthetics really suited the drama’s tone. It wasn’t overly flashy but had a quiet richness to it. The music worked well, too—it didn’t stand out too much but blended perfectly with the mood.

If there’s one thing I wish for, it’s more screentime for Seo Hyun-jin and Gong Yoo together because their chemistry was so good. But overall, it’s a solid drama. If you like mature romance with a bit of mystery and psychological depth, The Trunk is worth checking out.

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A story of marriage, anxiety and a suitcase

finished 8.5/10 🌟
A story full of nuances, it talks about mental health, anxiety and the pain of loss... all wrapped up in a thriller and suspense plot.
What I liked most was the chemistry of the protagonists, although it is not a strictly romantic drama, each and every one of their scenes together was felt
Individually they also had their merits, I liked the references to how humans feel when they suffer from anxiety, hallucinations and substance abuse ✨👏
What I didn't like was that at the end it focused more on the murder, and the chapters seemed excessively long to me and I watched some scenes at x2 speed.
It's not a story for everyone, but it's good for passing the time.

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Edge of Your Seat Thriller

It's a romance embedded into a psychological thriller and murder mystery. Raw, gripping, sexy, and even sweet at times. A who-dun-it mystery that will keep you glued until the end. You have to watch it to the end because it will be a surprise, one I did not see coming. The musical score is good and helps with the tense, mysterious, and dramatic scenes. I would say my only complaints are that it shifts between present, past, and future and sometimes it s hard to tell which moment in time you're in. Also, there are awkward transitions between some of the scenes that I'm not sure make sense and add little to the story. Over all though, it was really good. Congrats to the actors--these roles were dark at times and could not have been easy to play--also the production value was outstanding, clothes, sets, lighting, camera angles, it was all done well.

At 8 episodes it's just the right length. I can easily recommend this one.

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Arranged marriage, what could possibly go wrong?

Man I did not expect to love this show as much as I did. The couple gave me so much butterflies and their chemistry was really something. I loved their dynamic, and although they were often described as ‘opposites’ of each other, somehow I found them the most similar to each other than any other character.

I loved everything about this show. The plot, the characters, acting, the pace. I think everything plot wise was perfect, and everyone got their closure in the end.

I can’t exactly say I was happy with the ending, although it was hinted that everything ended nice and happy but I just had wished after all these 8 sad episodes we would get a nice ending with them. Still, I won’t say the ending was bad but it was a little disappointing to say the least.

Like I said before, 8 episode K-Dramas never disappoint! It reminded me a little of My Mister since it started off very melancholic and it ended like My Mister as well. I love when sad characters find each other and help each other be happier.

I recommend this a lot! It includes a lot of psychological messing with your head as well as childhood trauma/ past marriage issues. I recommend it. Give it a go!

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Who doesn't want to have a good evening with Gong Yoo ?

Mini series, strange & mysterious (8 ep.) with Gong Yoo

PLOT: a toxic, rich couple divorces. The woman (FL2) remarries (1-year contract) and will only return to her husband (the ML) if he also accepts a 1-year marriage contract (with the FL, temporary professional wife). The FL has been harassed by a pervert-stalker for 5 years.
+++ Great cast ♡o｡(๑๏‿ฺ๏๑)｡o♡
+++ Dark, heavy atmosphere, with constant suspense.
+++ Format suited to the trope
+++ Excellent OST

### Open ending a little short.

=> What you need to have a good evening (with Gong Yoo, lol)
***************************************************************************
Mini série, étrange & mystérieuse (8 ép.) avec Gong Yoo

PLOT: un couple toxique et riche divorce. La femme (FL2) se remarie (contrat d'1 an) et ne reviendra vers son mari (le ML) que s'il accepte lui aussi, un contrat de mariage d'1 an (avec la FL, épouse temporaire professionnelle). Celle-ci a harcelée par un pervers-stalker depuis 5 ans.
+++ Great cast ♡o｡(๑๏‿ฺ๏๑)｡o♡
+++ Atmosphère dark, lourde, pesante, avec un suspense constant.
+++ Format adapté au trope
+++ Excellentes OST

### Ending ouverte un peu courte.

=> Ce qu'il faut pour passer une bonne soirée (avec Gong Yoo, lol)

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Most memerable drama of 2024

I enjoyed Seo Hyun Jin in Another Miss Ohh and The Beauty Inside, which I coincidentally watched only a couple of weeks ago, and so I was really interested to see how she would do in this new drama and wow I was not ready for how great she would be! The show hooked me quickly with its mysterious plot and the asymmetrical, curved, modern, wealthy yet cold and emotionless interiors or the main settings contrasted with where the FML comes from, not wealthy yet equally cold and emotionless. The cool tone of the lighting and the stark cinematography reflects how the characters feel no connection anymore to the world around them, the tone at times is so dark and foreboding that it felt difficult to watch, and found myself taking breaks to steady myself to watch further. The circumstances of the arranged marriage between the ML and Seo Hyun Jin's character is never really explained in a way that made any sense to this viewer, and one sort of has to set that aside and just accept that they have been thrown together into this situation. The reward for doing so is seeing the outstanding performances of the two leads portraying characters with hearts so broken come slowly back on line. Many of the most emotionally powerful moments of the film having little or no dialog whatsoever, with much being expressed through the eyes and small, silent kindnesses and affirmations, and I think it takes both great acting and mature, authentic chemistry between actors to pull that off, and they did in spades. Whereas I frequently forget a drama almost as soon as the final credits start rolling. I feel Seo Hyun Jin's performance, and also that of the other actors, was such that this show will stay with me, much as My Mister did before it, for a long time to come.

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Gong Yoo shines brilliantly in the dark

A melodramatic thriller centred on 2 leads and the collision of the utter snakepits each of their lives have become individually. Psychologically claustrophobic plot. Gong Yoo (as Han Jeong Won) and Seo Hyun Jin (as Noh In Ji) work brilliantly together as 2 anti-heroes who yearn for happiness but are trapped not just by manipulative and abusive friends and family, but by their own numbed and stilled psyches. Gong Yoo, suffocated and angry, as always emotes with every careful move of his body and gaze. Seo Hyun Jin's character uses her beautiful closed face to survive so the actress clearly indicates her thought processes by her timing and her movements. When Inji loses control and starts in on the usual FL idiocy (taking all the blame on herself etc.) it doesn't last long.

The main set, the home of Jeong Won's dead parents is one of those architectural excesses symbolically perfect for the hermit-crab existence of JW in the grandiose ruins of his horrible family history. The central element is a modern chandelier of grotesque Versailles proportions hanging over a two story central space off which open all the living areas. In Ji is inserted into this cave-like structure by a semi-sinister version of a matchmaking bureau which specializes in discreet temporary contract-marriages for transactional reasons. JW's ex, a malevolent architect herself, also fits into this set as an absent presence, since she herself actually engineered the whole premise of the show, the dual contract-marriages. The strengths of the performances of Jung Yun Ha and Lee Woo (as her own temporary husband) are central to the plot and to the success of the show overall.

This is a good watch for fans of kdrama for whom plot doesn't matter as much as camerawork, soundtrack and the play of formulaic expectations. A great watch for Gong Yoo fans who always knew he would be smoking hot in bed. But it is a show which bends the rules for the OTP so far that it will be up to you to decide whether or not you have been emotionally deceived and how cynically this was done.

At 8 episodes of 1hr ea. we are looking at one of the new lengths for a kdrama. At this point writers and directors have to decide which standard elements to keep, how much time to allot to them etc. In my timid opinion (timid bec the extremely distinguished director, Kim Kyu Tae is obviously fully intentional in his choices) this type of story needed a 10 ep. structure in order to more firmly establish a key anchor for kdrama, the relationships of family and friends over time as context. At 8 eps, the show was way intense, and the standard time-jump later on in the show felt more jarring than usual. I didnt feel ready for it.

My advice for getting around this is not to binge the whole show at once and go to sleep unhappy, as I did, because I woke up the next day with a completely different perspective and decided I loved the Trunk. The next day I disliked it, the next day...I needed time to appreciate it, and in a classic 16 ep form that appreciation would have been done in tandem with the usual chorus of observers (families, friends and village idiots) within the drama itself. Those characters were in the story but I literally felt they needed their own small corners (time, musical themes etc) to thrive in. Therefore the discussion and perspective has to be internal to the spectator, as in a movie....



The kdrama phenomenon is built on 3 pillars. 1/ Technical power of the soundtrack combined with careful editing to produce a range of emotions swiftly and exactly. 2/Extremely sophisticated comic sensibility combined with essential theatrical structures and astoundingly skilled camerawork to produce real aesthetic satisfaction, 3/The imaginary reintegration of a positive and hopeful society via the love of family and friends and communal meals and other rituals. I think that 3/ is not satisfied here. The fans love the weird romantic formulas but they occur ontop of the engine for producing those feelings.

On sex. love and formulas: Kdrama love is built on an exchange of symbolic promises of care and support. These include bandaiding, tentative and sometimes complicated handholding, sleeping together without sex mainly so that love can be awoken by watching the partner's childlike and vulnerable face, gift-giving, and feeding. Near-death experiences of one of the pair are often necessary. The actual protestation of love is couched in terms of care and protection - I will always be by your side, etc. Sex has to occur very near the culmination of most of this. The weakness of this show is the placement of these elements out of sequence, when one of the basic pillars of kdrama is a little weak. Modernizing kdrama is always perilous but necessary, so kudos for the effort.

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