In the JTBC Wednesday-Thursday drama 'Understanding Love' (written by Seo-hyun Lee, Hyun-jeong Lee, directed by Young-min Cho), Yoo Yeon-seok is slowly accepting the variables of love that he thought were constants.
In the drama, Ha Sang-soo (played by Yoo Yeon-seok) appears to be nothing to envy with his good education, job, and outstanding looks, but he lived a life far from ordinary due to his difficult family environment and childhood. Therefore, to him, prudence was the default in all things, and he also regarded love as a constant that must be maintained at a certain value. Yoo Yeon-seok (playing the role of Ha Sang-soo) also expressed his character as 'ordinary, hesitant, and unchanging constant.' Ha Sang-soo has pursued an ordinary and unchanging life.
However, this belief caused anxiety and distrust in Ahn Soo-young (played by Moon Ga-young). While he was contemplating his relationship with Ahn Soo-young until the end, a moment of hesitation ended up creating distance in their relationship. Regarding this, the production team said, “The most important value in Ha Sang-soo’s life is responsibility. My feelings for Ahn Soo-young cannot be light, and I am seriously considering it to the point of hesitation. Ironically, Ahn Soo-young misunderstands this and chooses Jeong Jong-hyun (Jung Ga-ram), while Ha Sang-soo chooses Park Mi-kyung (Keum Sae-rok) to protect his values. “For Ha Sang-soo, Ahn Soo-young is a variable that cannot be constant,” he said, explaining the reason why Ha Sang-soo had no choice but to hesitate.
After hesitating, Ha Sang-soo became convinced of his feelings for Ahn Soo-young and vowed not to hesitate any longer. The production team said, "The ice hockey rink kiss scene in episode 10 meant that he abandoned all his hesitations and walked towards Ahn Soo-young, and his love for Ahn Soo-young awakened Ha Sang-soo as a man," indicating that that time was an important inflection point for Ha Sang-soo. Able to know.
Ha Sang-soo did not stop here. Even the unstable Ahn Soo-young suffered from the death of her beloved younger brother, frustrated dreams, estranged family relationships, discrimination based on educational background and origin, and a love for certainty. The production team said, “In episode 12, Ha Sang-soo lived through simulation, but he said in front of Ahn Soo-young that it wasn’t working well. Although I feel anxious and uncomfortable, I confess that I don’t care about this situation or my emotions. His values collapsed in front of Ahn Soo-young. At the same time, I realize that I love Ahn Soo-young that much. “Ha Sang-soo, who accepts his irresistible feelings, even embraces Ahn Soo-young’s every action.”
This change in Ha Sang-soo, combined with Yoo Yeon-seok's acting, makes it even more persuasive. The trademark acting with eye contact is basic, and the restrained expression of emotions and Ho-yeon make the viewers naturally feel the change in the character who flexibly accepts and understands love.
With only two episodes left until the end, in the last broadcast, Ahn Soo-young even deleted her phone number and completely disappeared, causing Ha Sang-soo to despair once again. Accordingly, just as Ha Sang-soo destroyed his own values, attention is focused on whether he can win Ahn Soo-young back with his upright love for her.
Episode 15 will be broadcast at 10:30 pm on the 8th.
Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr