Netflix's 'One Spring Night' Season 1 Episode 1: Korean romance drama is a call to seek out true desires of the heart
Korean drama 'One Spring Night' is not just another heterosexual love story that falls victim to the redundancy of the genre. Of course, it falls in the category, but more than that, it is a story about love, faith, and belief. It is about finding yourself and finding out what you want.
Lee Jung-in (played by Han Ji-min), well known for her leading roles in 'Yi San', 'Familiar Wife', and 'The Light in Your Eyes', is a librarian who knows how to appreciate the small things in life. Jung Hae-in, who is perhaps best known for his work in 'Something in the Rain', plays Yu Ji-ho, a well-mannered pharmacist who tends not to hesitate when it comes to love. Jung-In decides to prioritize herself, her life, and her happiness. She is in a long-time relationship with her boyfriend Kwon Ki-Seok (played by Kim Joon-Han), who not only comes from a wealthy family but also has a steady job as the department head at a bank. He also happens to be handsome and smart. Their life is at a point where they start discussing marriage and they soon begin to see their relationship in a completely new light. Things are seemingly going just fine till Jung-In meets Ji-Ho who is a pharmacist and a single father – and they fall in love.
'One Spring Night' is a story of two people whose uneventful lives are shaken up by unexpected love, leading them to seek what their hearts truly desire, instead of being fixated on faith. Directed by Ahn Pan Suk, 'One Spring Night' promises a realistic, self-aware, approach to love and companionship.
The first episode opens on a dark winter night, where Jung-in can't help but complain to her friend about how uneventful and seemingly boring her longtime relationship with Ki-Seok is. She is also unhappy about the fact that there is no affection in their relationship and how he doesn't even say an 'I love you' when he hangs up the phone.
While she complains to her friend over drinks, it looks like fate has already started working towards this. The next morning, there is a little meet-cute with the leading man, Yu Ji-ho (played by Jung Hae-in) awaiting her the next day.
There is a brief, almost nonchalant discussion about marriage with her now-boyfriend. Ki-Seok approaches the subject like one would approach a random conversation. Jung-in doesn't appreciate this and can't continue with the conversation. This right here is such a relatable and true representation of how relationships work outside of the big screen. In real life, there are far simpler complications surrounding love and companionship. And Ahn's portrayal achieves just that.
The series will come to Netflix on July 12, 2019.
