The Stagnant Wednesday-Thursday Drama Market, tvN's Bold Move Once, the Wednesday-Thursday drama slot in the Korean broadcasting industry was the frontline of trends and a fierce battlefield for viewership ratings. Numerous hit dramas and Hallyu waves that defined the era were responsible for these Wednesday and Thursday nights, gathering viewers in front of their TVs. However, in recent years, regardless of terrestrial or cable channels, Wednesday-Thursday dramas have faced the threat of extinction. Due to low viewership ratings compared to production costs and the rapid rise of OTT platforms, broadcasters have heavily programmed cost-effective variety shows instead of dramas, cementing the idea of "Wednesday-Thursday nights without dramas." Even when works were occasionally scheduled, they often ended as one-offs or disappeared without creating much resonance. In this barren environment, the fact that tvN has launched a new Wednesday-Thursday drama, I'll Give You the Universe, for the first time in three years is an event that focuses the attention of the broadcasting industry in itself. Attention is focused on whether this work can bring a spring breeze to the frozen weekday night drama market.
Grand SF Fantasy? No, A Realistic Parenting Romance! When first encountering the drama title I'll Give You the Universe, one might associate it with a grand SF fantasy dealing with time slips or parallel universes, which are popular these days. Or, it makes one expect a desperate and magnificent melodrama narrative like "I will give you my entire universe." However, the reality of the drama revealed upon opening pleasantly and cutely betrays these expectations. This is because the "Universe" (Woo-joo) mentioned here is not the vast Space, but the name of a 20-month-old baby who has just started toddling and babbling. This twist, which invites viewers to the realistic scene of parenting vibrating with the smell of diapers and formula instead of a grand worldview, is a clever device that lowers the entry barrier to the drama and brings a small smile. Through the double meaning of the title, it also implies a warm message of giving one's world to a loved one (the baby and the lover).
In-laws Raising a Nephew Together? An Unheard-of New Concept Relationship There have been countless settings where male and female protagonists get entangled in the romantic comedy genre. While various clichés exist, such as contract dating, office romance, and enemy families, the setting where a man and a woman who are "in-laws" live together and raise a child through the medium of a "nephew" is truly unprecedented. Usually, "double in-law" settings where in-laws fall for each other have often appeared in dramas, but these were mainly consumed as middle-aged romances or stories of sub-couples. However, I'll Give You the Universe brings to the forefront the relationship between a brother-in-law's brother and a sister-in-law's sister—a relationship that is both close and distant. The chaotic episodes that occur as a man and a woman in this ambiguous relationship, who are not easily intertwined legally or emotionally, jump together into the battlefield called "parenting," which requires the closest cooperation, are the most powerful differentiation points of this drama.
Ill-fated Relationship Forged by Carrot Market, The Start of 'Enemies-to-Lovers' As with all romantic comedies, the first meeting between the two protagonists is by no means smooth. The first meeting between "Seon Tae-hyung," a photographer played by Bae In-hyuk, and "Woo Hyun-jin," a job seeker played by Roh Jeong-eui, takes place through a second-hand trading platform, aka "Carrot," which has become an essential app for modern people. In the process of buying and selling items, minor misunderstandings and quarrels are exchanged, leaving the worst first impression on each other. It is a typical start of a so-called "hate relationship romance." Although they could have been remembered as nuisances who never wanted to run into each other again, fate mischievously makes them meet again within the fence of family. The drama enters its proper trajectory as Woo Hyun-jin learns the shocking fact that the man her sister is meeting is the biological brother of that annoying Seon Tae-hyung.
The Conflict of Brothers and Sudden Tragedy, A Child Left Alone The drama briefly puts down the cheerfulness of the early part and illuminates the painful narratives of the characters. Seon Tae-hyung is a character who lives with a deep sense of betrayal and wounds, misunderstanding that his brother abandoned him due to a past event. However, the news that his hateful brother married Woo Hyun-jin's sister and is living happily becomes another wound for him. But fate flows cruelly without even giving time to reconcile. A sudden traffic accident causes both his brother and sister-in-law to leave the world at the same time. Seon Tae-hyung, who suddenly becomes the chief mourner guarding the funeral home, and Woo Hyun-jin, who lost her only sister in the world. In the tragic funeral home, the two face an even more shocking fact before they can even recover from their sadness: the existence of a 20-month-old baby, "Woo-joo," the fruit of love left behind by the two deceased.
The Aunt's Decision to Prevent the Orphanage, and the Uncle's Disregard In front of a baby who lost its parents, the circumstances of adults get complicatedly entangled. In a situation where no one wants to take the child, the reality approaches that the only place Woo-joo can go is an orphanage. At this time, Woo Hyun-jin, a job seeker who is struggling even to take care of herself, makes a courageous decision. She steps up to raise her nephew herself because she cannot bear to send her blood relative to a facility. On the other hand, Uncle Seon Tae-hyung, whose resentment toward his brother has not been resolved, does not want to get involved in raising the child at all. His cold attitude of drawing a line, saying "Good riddance," contrasts with Hyun-jin's maternal love (or aunt's love) trying to protect the child, heightening the conflict. This is the point where the bleakness and realistic worries of youths who have to become parents without preparation intersect.
"Will You Live at My House?" The Start of Unavoidable Cohabitation However, reality cannot be solved by spirit alone. Juggling job hunting and parenting is a mission close to impossible. On the day of an important interview, Hyun-jin, who has nowhere to leave the child, asks Tae-hyung for help grasping at straws, and this becomes an opportunity for their relationship to face a new phase. To make matters worse, a problem arises in the house where Tae-hyung lived, creating a situation where he has nowhere to stay for a month. With the interests of Hyun-jin, who desperately needs a parenting assistant, and Tae-hyung, who needs a place to live right away, aligning, the two begin a "one-month limited cohabitation" at Hyun-jin's house. The strange cohabitation life of the in-law man and woman who used to growl at each other, staying up all night listening to the baby's crying under one roof, becomes a decisive opportunity to spark the romance.
Parenting Growth Diary of Clumsy Adults, and the Blooming Pink Atmosphere As the full-scale cohabitation begins, the drama takes on the colors of a "parenting growth drama" and "romance" simultaneously. The sight of two clumsy adults struggling for the child, not knowing how to change diapers or adjust the temperature of formula, evokes both sympathy and pleasant laughter. While nursing the feverish child all night, leaning on each other's tired shoulders, and cheering together when the child calls "Uncle, Aunt" for the first time, the two feel subtle emotions beyond comradeship. The appearance of being completely disarmed in front of the child even after bickering, and the process of embracing each other's wounds while running toward the common goal of parenting, will present warm healing and excitement to the viewers.
Cuteness Saves the World! Discovery of Scene-Stealer Child Actor 'Park Yu-ho' The true protagonist of this drama and the driver of viewership ratings is undoubtedly the child actor Park Yu-ho, who plays the role of Woo-joo. The innocent smiles and whimsical actions shown by a baby of about 20 months, for whom the word acting would still be awkward, fill the screen and disarm the viewers. The presence that overwhelms adult actors with only babbling and expressions without a single line makes the saying "I watch the drama for the taste of seeing the baby" come out naturally. Honestly speaking, settings like romance between in-laws or contract cohabitation can be somewhat cliché, but the powerful cheat key called "Woo-joo" is what offsets all those clichés and then some. This small child is showing the magic where cuteness becomes probability.
Visual Feast, But What About Acting Skills and Success? Remaining Tasks The meeting of the two youth stars, Bae In-hyuk and Roh Jeong-eui, is flawless enough to be called a "visual feast" in itself. The combination of the two, who look like they popped out of a romance comic, is optimized for the rom-com genre. However, for the two actors who lack a massive hit work compared to their flashy visuals, this work will be an important testing ground. Actor Roh Jeong-eui has not been able to remove the label of "no work luck" despite her steady acting activities, so attention is focused on whether this drama can become the work of her life. The relatively short breath of 12 episodes and the advantage of simultaneous release on TVING are positive. In these days overflowing with stimulating subjects, if you are a viewer looking for a harmless and lovely healing drama, it is a work worth binge-watching until the end.
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