The Arrival of a Fresh Rom-Com to Cure the Monday Blues, tvN's Spring Breeze tvN has introduced a new romantic comedy, Spring Fever, to cure our "Monday sickness" and "Tuesday sickness." Just like the heat of a spring day felt in the title, this drama started with warm and cheerful energy that tickles the hearts of viewers. In a drama market currently flooded with heavy and dark genres, many viewers are welcoming the appearance of a "pure healing romance" that can be watched with a relaxed smile after a long time. It made a great start with a first broadcast rating of 4.8%, which proves that the charm of the drama itself appealed to viewers from the beginning, beyond just the halo effect of its predecessor. Expectations are gathering on whether this spring breeze can turn into a typhoon-class popularity.
Lee Joo-bin, Standing Tall as an Undisputed 'One-Top Female Lead' from Eternal Prospect The most valueable change in this drama is undoubtedly the growth of actress Lee Joo-bin. Although she has been recognized for her beauty and acting skills by appearing in major hit works such as Be Melodramatic, Money Heist: Korea, and Queen of Tears, this is practically her first time having a presence as a sole lead driving the center of the play. If she was active as a sub-lead or an impactful supporting actor before, in Spring Fever, she is displaying her capabilities without regret as a definitive "one-top heroine" responsible for the drama's narrative through the character 'Yoon Bom'. Her delicate emotional acting, hiding wounds behind coldness, seems to be an opportunity to prove how wide the spectrum of actress Lee Joo-bin is.
Ahn Bo-hyun's Drastic Transformation, Shedding Charisma to Wear 'Large Puppy Charm' Her co-star Ahn Bo-hyun's acting transformation is also giving a fresh shock to viewers. The actor, who was imprinted as a villain in Itaewon Class or an intense character in Military Prosecutor Doberman, has completely transformed into 'Seon Jae-gyu', a simple, ignorant, but deep-hearted rural youth this time. His appearance, which is built like a mountain but acts like a purely innocent country uncle, maximizes the cuteness and friendliness that we haven't seen in Ahn Bo-hyun before. Playing the owner of a "twist charm" who has a warm heart unlike his rough appearance, he is aiming for the position of "Rom-Com King" who disarms women's hearts through this work.
The Audacious Imagination of a R-Rated Web Novel, Reborn as a Cheerful PG-15 Rom-Com The original work of the drama is a popular web novel of the same name completed in 2023. An interesting point is that the original novel was rated "Restricted (19+)" dealing with somewhat explicit and mature romance. It has been reborn as a cheerful romantic comedy that anyone of any age can enjoy by removing provocative elements during the adaptation process and focusing on the charm of the characters and comic situations, to the extent that one would not notice it while watching the drama. While bringing the original framework of "the love between a rough man and a prickly woman," the direction stands out for packaging the way it unfolds much more popularly and adorably. Thanks to this, it offers a different kind of fun to original fans and burden-free enjoyment to drama fans.
Tattoos? No, They're Arm Sleeves! Seon Jae-gyu, The Man Who Invites Misunderstandings The protagonist Seon Jae-gyu is inadvertently marked as "Avoidance Target No. 1" by neighbors and school officials. The reason is none other than his menacing visuals. In particular, people often mistake the flashy patterned "arm sleeves" (toshi) he always wears on his right arm for tattoos. In fact, it is just a precious item received as a gift from an acquaintance, but added to his burly muscles and fierce impression, it is easy to be mistaken for a gangster or a thug. Although it would be fair to feel aggrieved, his steadfastness in silently wearing the sleeves without making excuses creates comic situations and induces laughter. The gap between the gaze of people judging only by appearance and his true self hidden within is the biggest charm point of this character.
A Man of Herculean Strength and Rough Speech, But 'Soft Tofu' on the Inside It is not just his appearance that fuels misunderstandings about Seon Jae-gyu. He is a natural-born strongman, possessing Herculean strength to lift luggage with one hand that others struggle to move. Because he uses his strength unintentionally, even small actions appear threatening, and his unique husky and rough way of speaking daunts others. In fact, if you look at each of his actions, they stem from good intentions to consider or help others, but because the method of expression is clumsy, he ends up being stigmatized as a "scary person." His appearance of walking his own way without yielding even in situations where his sincerity is distorted completes a character who is frustrating yet strangely pathetic, and lovable—someone you simply cannot hate.
Stranger from Seoul Yoon Bom, Locking the Door to Her Heart 'Yoon Bom', played by Lee Joo-bin, is a character who lives with winter in her heart, unlike her name (Bom means Spring). She was deeply hurt by a certain incident in Seoul and is working as a contract teacher at a rural school she came down to as if running away. To avoid being hurt anymore, she built a high wall around her heart herself. She performs "mind control" to erase her expression in the mirror before going to work, and she thoroughly volunteers for isolation without mixing personal conversations with fellow teachers in the staff room. Her dry and expressionless face, trying not to give affection saying "It's a place I'll leave anyway," forms a stark contrast with the excessively hot man Seon Jae-gyu, stimulating curiosity about the relationship changes that will unfold.
The Nephew-Fool Uncle and the Top Student Nephew, and Their Crushes Another fun part of the drama is the story of fresh students running parallel to the adults' romance. The reason Seon Jae-gyu cares so much about the school is because of his nephew 'Seon Han-gyul' (played by Jo Jun-young), whom he cherishes most in the world. Han-gyul, a model student who matured early and is at the top of his class, finds his uncle's excessive interest burdensome. Moreover, 'Choi Se-jin' (played by Lee Jae-in), whom Han-gyul has a crush on, thinks Han-gyul is not cool because he only studies well. The uncle tries to provide support fire in his own way for his nephew, but the more he does, the worse his reputation at school becomes, and only dark clouds gather over his nephew's romance front. How the clumsy love methods of the two men, uncle and nephew, will unfold is also an interesting viewing point.
Meeting of Homeroom Teacher and Guardian, A Connection Started from Misunderstanding The fateful meeting that cannot be avoided happens at school. Yoon Bom happens to take on the role of homeroom teacher for Seon Jae-gyu's nephew, Seon Han-gyul. While all other teachers fear Seon Jae-gyu and avoid counseling, Yoon Bom has no choice but to face him due to her responsibility as a homeroom teacher. In the beginning, Yoon Bom also is wary of and misunderstands him, believing only his fierce appearance and rumors. However, as they go through several incidents together, she discovers his true worth hidden inside a rough shell. The sincerity of Jae-gyu, who looks ignorant but is pure, and looks rough but is warmer than anyone else, has begun to cause small cracks in Yoon Bom's solid wall of heart.
Like Winter Passing and Spring Coming, A Healing Romance Seeping into Each Other Spring Fever, as the title suggests, depicts the story of two people slowly heating up to each other like the 'heat of spring'. The simple-minded, straightforward man Seon Jae-gyu falls helplessly for the cold city woman Yoon Bom, and Yoon Bom's heart, which was frozen solid, slowly melts due to Jae-gyu's hot warmth. The process of two very different people overcoming prejudice and misunderstandings to embrace each other's wounds will present both excitement and comfort to viewers. We look forward to seeing if this drama, which started with an amazing rating of 4.8%, can awaken our dating cells that had shrunk throughout the winter and establish itself as the new powerhouse of Monday-Tuesday dramas.
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