In Your Radiant Season

A Romance Veiled in Mystery: The Premiere of 'In Your Brilliant Season'

In Your Brilliant Season, which recently premiered as MBC’s new Friday-Saturday drama, is a romance that depicts the story of a man and a woman stained with scars. However, beyond a simple melodrama, a subtle mystery is deeply laid beneath the surface, stimulating viewers' curiosity. Lee Sung-kyung and Chae Jong-hyeop, who boast both great visuals and acting skills, were cast as the male and female leads, drawing massive attention even before the broadcast. Their meeting, as bright as spring cherry blossoms, is eye-catching in itself, but as the play unfolds, the chilling and heartbreaking backstories hidden behind the bright atmosphere slowly unveil, heightening immersion. For viewers who enjoy narratives with intersecting emotional lines, it is a drama that boasts enough suction power to steal your gaze from the very first episode.

Chae Jong-hyeop's Explosive Popularity: The 'Eye Love You' Syndrome

The person who catches the eye first and stands at the center of the buzz in this work is undoubtedly Chae Jong-hyeop. Unexpectedly, Chae Jong-hyeop hit an absolute jackpot and enjoyed syndrome-level popularity not in Korea, but through the Japanese drama Eye Love You. In this Japanese-produced drama, he played the role of a pure and sweet Korean international student, completely capturing the hearts of local viewers. While it was considered an interesting case of global expansion in Korea, he received immense love in Japan that surpassed most top Hallyu stars. His unique bright smile and "puppy-like" charm transcended borders, drawing explosive reactions and instantly elevating him to the ranks of Japan's most popular actors.

A Highly Anticipated Return: The True Comeback Project

However, the somewhat quiet subsequent steps following such a hot success in Japan left fans with deep disappointment. There was no news of a follow-up project locally in Japan, and the drama Serendipity's Embrace broadcast in Korea was a pre-produced work that had already finished filming a while ago. Therefore, from the perspective of the public and fans, this MBC drama In Your Brilliant Season is essentially Chae Jong-hyeop's first real comeback project chosen after his massive success in Japan. The biggest viewing point of this drama is how this newly risen global star will show an even deeper charm on Korean television and how he will digest the complex character of Seon Woo-chan, who holds a secret.

The Multitalented Lee Sung-kyung: From Screen to Stage

Lee Sung-kyung, who plays the opposite role, is also an actress loved by the public for showing off her talents in various fields. She has excellently digested characters of diverse professions with her own colors, going back and forth between various dramas and movies. Recently, she was recognized for her outstanding vocal skills and stage presence, successfully taking on a new challenge as a musical actress by being cast in the blockbuster musical Aladdin. Her versatility, shining not only in her main job of screen acting but also on stage, is the greatest weapon she possesses. In this drama as well, her uniquely bubbly yet delicate emotional acting fills the screen and captivates viewers.

The Undisputed Romance Queen: Solidifying Her Title

Looking closely at Lee Sung-kyung's filmography, it is clear that the genre where she shows the most strength and appears most frequently is romance. Her tall height, gorgeous visuals, and acting tone that maximizes loveliness suit romantic comedies and authentic melodramas better than anyone else. Despite consistently appearing in various excellent works, the fact that she slightly lacks a single, overwhelming "mega-hit" that strongly remains in the public's mind might be a slight regret. However, her unrivaled charm and stability in the romance genre are second to none, and it is expected that she will firmly solidify her position as a romance queen once again through In Your Brilliant Season.

A Shocking Opening: The Tragedy of Episode 1

The first episode, which opened the drama, literally drove viewers into a whirlpool of confusion and curiosity. In the play, Seon Woo-chan (played by Chae Jong-hyeop) appears as a promising researcher, and Song Ha-ran (played by Lee Sung-kyung) misses him so much that she goes directly to the United States to find him. However, what Ha-ran faced upon arriving with expectations of a sweet romance was a horrific fire scene, and a shocking setting unfolded where Seon Woo-chan died there. The unexpectedly heavy opening and the tragic development storming in from the first episode made it difficult to even predict what kind of story would unfold next.

A Reunion Five Years Later: The Cold Encounter

The play shifts to a point where a long five years have passed since that terrible accident. Seon Woo-chan, who was thought to be dead, appears perfectly alive and joins the company where Song Ha-ran, who lives with the scars of the past, works as an animator. Now that Song Ha-ran is also a designer, the two are placed in a cruel twist of fate where they inevitably have to work on a single project together. However, the scenes where Seon Woo-chan returns to Korea and encounters Song Ha-ran early on evoked a strange sense of incongruity. In a situation where a tearful reunion confirming miraculous survival should have taken place, only an unfamiliar and cold air lingered between the two.

The Art Gallery Mystery: Unrecognized Faces

The mystery of Episode 1 reaches its peak during a coincidental meeting at an art gallery. Clearly, five years ago, Song Ha-ran even left a desperate video message for Seon Woo-chan saying she missed him so much she was coming right away, yet the two pass by each other at the gallery, completely failing to recognize one another even when looking face-to-face. Watching this scene, viewers assumed Seon Woo-chan must have gotten amnesia from the aftereffects of the fire accident. However, strangely enough, Song Ha-ran also failed to recognize Seon Woo-chan, giving rise to various interesting speculations like, "Was the shock of that time so great for Song Ha-ran too that her memory of him was erased due to dissociative amnesia?"

The Plot Twist of Episode 2: A Love Unseen

The answer to Episode 1, which ended in bewilderment wondering what on earth this bizarre situation was, is revealed through a somewhat shocking twist only in Episode 2. In fact, it was revealed that despite exchanging such deep emotions in the past, the two had never once actually seen each other's faces offline. Furthermore, to make matters worse, Seon Woo-chan was not actually the exact person Song Ha-ran had been missing and thinking of for the past five years. In such a terribly crossed and tangled bizarre situation, the fact that only Seon Woo-chan holds all the truths and secrets alone maximizes the mysterious tension of the play.

Scars and Secrets: A Heartbreaking Choice to Heal

Behind this divergence of the two lies a deep and dark trauma. Song Ha-ran lost her parents in a terrible traffic accident in the past, and she was suffering from immense guilt that even the man she desperately sought out lost his life in a fire accident. Trapped in the pessimistic thought that everyone by her side becomes unhappy or dies, she was living a desolate life with the doors of her heart firmly closed. On the other hand, Seon Woo-chan suffered severe burns from the horrific fire at the time, but fortunately regained his memory and remembers the existence of Song Ha-ran very clearly. However, instead of immediately confessing his heavy secret to Ha-ran, he makes a heartbreaking choice to carefully approach her pretending to be a completely new person in order to heal her scars.

A Slow Build-Up: The Promise of a 3-Month Romance

The early development of In Your Brilliant Season flows based on such a heavy narrative and crossed fates. The first episode, which started amidst expectations, recorded a viewership rating of 4.4%, but perhaps due to the somewhat complex and heavy setting, the second episode dropped slightly to 3.5%, leaving a sense of regret. For viewers accustomed to fast-paced, stimulating genre shows, the early build-up might feel a bit slow, but it is certainly a work with great appeal for those who prefer deep character emotions and lyrical romance that seeps in gently. It leaves a deep lingering anticipation for what kind of brilliant trajectory the desperate romance the two will show under the deadline condition of "exactly 3 months" amidst tangled secrets and scars will draw in the future.