Kim So-hyun and Chae Jong-hyeop reunited after 10 years

Kim So-hyun and Chae Jong-hyeop summoned memories of their first love.

tvN's Monday-Tuesday drama 'Is it a Coincidence?' premiered on the 22nd. From the first meeting between Lee Hong-joo (played by Kim So-hyun) and Kang Hoo-young (played by Chae Jong-hyeop) at age 19 to their reunion at age 29, repeated fateful coincidences have heightened expectations for a romance that summons memories of first love. The ending of Kang Hoo-young's confession, where he appears before Lee Hong-joo, who has become a love skeptic, and thaws the memories of his first love that had been frozen for 10 years, raised the temperature of excitement.

'Is it a Coincidence?' made viewers' hearts flutter with a first love that seemed coincidental and inevitable. The viewership rating for the first episode was an average of 4.8% and a peak of 6.0% for households in the metropolitan area, and an average of 3.9% and a peak of 4.9% for households nationwide, ranking first in the same time slot including cable and general programming channels.

Lee Hong-joo and Kang Hoo-young, who turned 29 on this day, reunited on a blind date. The brief meeting brought about by Lee Hong-joo's mistake of mistaking the blind date's partner summoned Kang Hoo-young's memories of 19 years ago, 10 years ago. Kang Hoo-young's attention is focused on Lee Hong-joo, who acts like he doesn't know him, unlike himself, who recognized Lee Hong-joo right away. Another chance opportunity came to him. On the way home, he found Lee Hong-ju waiting for a bus alone. Kang Hoo-young had a strange feeling when he saw Lee Hong-joo's appearance, which reminded him of his high school days.

Kang Hoo-young approached Lee Hong-ju and spoke naturally as if he was a member of the group. Seeing Lee Hong-joo calmly listening to her, Kang Hoo-young asked the question that had been bothering her all day, saying, “You don’t know me?” Lee Hong-joo responded as if nothing had happened, saying, “I know, Kang Hoo-young.” After a short, coincidental meeting, he waited for a call from Lee Hong-joo, but it did not come, and Kang Hoo-young was devastated, saying, "I'm not happy at all. Who remembers what happened 10 years ago?"

Lee Hong-joo and Kang Hoo-young first met 10 years ago at Obok High School. Kang Hoo-young woke up Lee Hong-joo, who was asleep on the bus on the way to school, and while Lee Hong-joo tried to avoid being late using Kang Hoo-young, who had injured his leg, as an excuse, he ran into Kang Hoo-young's iron wall, and an ironic relationship began. The relationship between the two continued. Lee Hong-joo acts as the cupid for Kim Hye-ji (played by Kim Da-som), her best friend who has a crush on Kang Hoo-young.

Lee Hong-joo was caught by Kim Hye-ji, who offered to give him the military unit address of his favorite writer, Bang Jun-ho (played by Yoon Ji-on), and gave her a love letter instead, leading to another encounter with Kang Hoo-young. Kang Hoo-young was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected situation, but then his face hardened as if he was disappointed that the owner of the love letter was not Lee Hong-joo. It was the moment when nineteen-year-old Kang Hoo-young realized his first love.

Ten years later, a welcoming party for Kang Hoo-young was held by Obok High School alumni led by Kim Hye-ji, who was still curious about Kang Hoo-young. Kang Hoo-young attended the welcome party to meet Lee Hong-joo, whom he had not contacted since their first reunion. After a while, the person who appeared in front of Kang Hoo-young was Lee Hong-joo, who was already very drunk.

Kang Hoo-young, who was walking along with the drunk Lee Hong-joo and escorting him to his house, found out that his house was upstairs from the hideout of his uncle Baek-wook (played by Choi Dae-cheol). The continued coincidence between Lee Hong-joo and Kang Hoo-young heightened curiosity about their future relationship.

Nineteen-year-old Lee Hong-joo, who was sincere in love and said, “The only way for humans to survive is love,” became a twenty-nine-year-old “love skeptic” who cried out that love was a waste of time 10 years later. As curiosity focused on the story, the sight of 29-year-old Lee Hong-joo vehemently refusing to meet 'First Love' writer Bang Jun-ho, who claimed to be an avid fan when he was 19, further stimulated curiosity.

In particular, the ending, in which Kang Hoo-young makes a meaningful confession to Lee Hong-joo, who is pessimistic about first love by saying that its expiration date ends the moment the first love is unfrozen, saying, “What should I do? I guess mine has already started to melt,” raised the heart rate to the highest level.

Ten Asia Reporter Lee So-jeong forusojung@tenasia.co.kr