Ha-young Stands Tall as a Rom-Com Queen with Jung Hae-in in This Damn Love

A Refreshing Traditional Rom-Com

The newly unveiled drama This Damn Love is a work that strongly stimulated viewers' curiosity from the moment its trailer was released, instilling the certainty that "this is going to be absolutely fun." As the somewhat unconventional and bold title intuitively suggests, it immediately impresses upon viewers that it is a romantic comedy exuding cheerful and lively energy. Amidst the recent uniform drama trend dominated by complex mysteries or heavy narratives, the emergence of an authentic romantic comedy capable of delivering both comfortable laughter and heart-fluttering moments is incredibly welcome news. In particular, the scenes in the trailer highlighting the unusual banter between the male and female leads have fully heightened expectations for the thrilling entertainment the actual broadcast will provide.

The Absolute Power of the Female Lead

While there are various important elements that make up a romantic comedy and lead it to success, the one that dictates the overall tone and manner of the show is undeniably the role of the female lead. Of course, the male lead is responsible for making viewers' hearts flutter with 'coolness' and reliability, capturing women's hearts. However, in reality, it is overwhelmingly the female lead who vividly drives the narrative forward and intricately shares emotional exchanges with the public. It is ultimately up to the female lead to bring the lovely, comic, and bouncy characteristics unique to the rom-com genre to life beyond the screen. Depending on the diverse performances she delivers and how willing she is to let go of her image, the public feels a deeper sense of familiarity with the work and fully immerses themselves in the story's progression.

Ha-young's Well-Deserved Spotlight

In this rom-com success formula, the female lead's somewhat quirky and comic situations, her dramatic reactions, and the actor's solid acting skills to pull them off shamelessly take up an absolutely crucial portion. In that sense, casting actress Ha-young for the title role of this work seems like a very smart and excellent choice. Until now, Ha-young has gradually made her face and charm known to the public by mainly working as a prominent supporting actress who backs up the play in numerous dramas and movies. Every time she appeared on screen, she excellently digested roles that radiated her unique bouncy and lively energy. She has always shined the brightest on screen when playing characters who are bright and active while possessing a sharp and articulate diction.

A Perfect Fit: The Character of Go Eun-sae

The role of 'Go Eun-sae' in This Damn Love perfectly aligns with the bright and confident everyday image Ha-young has steadily built up—it's a character tailored just for her. In fact, Ha-young previously garnered explosive attention by firmly imprinting her name on the public and industry insiders through the popular medical drama Severe Trauma Center. Thanks to the solid, stable acting skills and striking presence she showed in that drama, viewers firmly expected her to easily step up to a main leading role in her next project. However, contrary to everyone's expectations, news of a major follow-up project was scarce. Although she briefly appeared in several works, she mostly remained in special appearance-level roles that briefly helped the flow of the play before exiting, leaving fans deeply disappointed.

Stepping Up as the Main Protagonist

It is an undeniable fact that there was a regrettable perspective viewing her potential as temporarily forgotten in the public's mind, thinking, "I guess it's really not easy and doesn't work out well to secure a main leading role in a new drama on set." However, after a long wait and refinement, Ha-young was finally and proudly selected as the main female lead for This Damn Love, successfully solidifying her position as a leading actress. Above all, for an actress, leading the entire spectrum of emotions in a romantic comedy as the sole female lead guarantees a completely different level of public impact and strong star power compared to appearing in a heavy genre drama. Basically, stepping up as a rom-com protagonist to gain viewers' sympathy and making the work a box office success becomes a decisive career turning point where the actress's commercial value and recognition jump up several levels at once.

Perfect Synergy with Jung Hae-in

In this newly started work, Ha-young is literally unleashing all the diverse charms she had deeply harbored in her heart and her suppressed potential, perfectly dominating the screen. The fact that she could firmly grasp the comic center of the play without wavering is likely due to her solid filmography and sincere acting experience, which she built up step by step while silently enduring on filming sets for a long time, even if she wasn't the main lead. On top of this, the reason this work shines even more brilliantly is undeniably thanks to the near-perfect ensemble she forms with her co-star, actor Jung Hae-in. Jung Hae-in has also showcased a diverse spectrum of works, flawlessly crossing numerous genres such as melodrama, thriller, and action. However, no matter what anyone says, the genre where he delivered the most explosive heart-fluttering moments and gained the most support from the public was as the male lead in a rom-com, emphasizing his signature softness and gaze.

A Unique Twist on the Amnesia Cliché

In this work as well, Jung Hae-in perfectly showcases the optimal advantages and heart-fluttering tension required of a rom-com male lead who shakes women's hearts, maximizing the perfect synergy with Ha-young. The central narrative of this drama borrows 'amnesia' as its main subject—a somewhat obvious cliché that has been used so often in past romance genres that it might seem trite. However, the bouncy way it unravels this is quite fresh and interesting. The female lead Go Eun-sae, played by Ha-young, was originally a cold-headed, successful elite prosecutor who allowed no margin for error. But she faces a tragic fate when she is attacked by an unidentified person at a horrific crime scene and loses all her memories. She barely regains consciousness in the hospital, but because even her fingerprints, which could confirm her identity, are damaged, she is placed in a bleak and desperate situation where not even the police can figure out who she is.

A Hilarious and Unconventional Reunion

Right at that absurd and unbelievable timing, the male lead 'Jang Tae-ha', played by Jung Hae-in, unexpectedly appears in her hospital room claiming to be Go Eun-sae's affectionate boyfriend, kicking off an exciting and comic full-scale development. From this intense and quirky first meeting scene in the first episode, the drama clearly declares that the genre it pursues is a thoroughly delightful comedy, bringing big laughs to the living room. Usually, in romance works, during such a dramatic moment of crisis, a savior-like Prince Charming on a white horse appears in a dashing suit before the pitiful female lead who has lost her memory. However, Jang Tae-ha miserably shatters such romantic expectations of the viewers and shamelessly opens the hospital room door appearing in somewhat shabby and unkempt attire. Feeling an instinctive repulsion, Go Eun-sae furiously explodes, saying her boyfriend could never look like that—a scene that foreshadows their rocky and hilariously sad future together and makes viewers burst into laughter.

A Clash of Tastes and Hidden Truths

Of course, from the perspective of a viewer watching from outside the television screen, even if his outfit is set to be vintage and shabby in the play, his original face is the handsome Jung Hae-in. So, Go Eun-sae's harsh expression of genuine disgust, openly saying "he's not my type," feels like a pleasantly comic exaggeration and a bit of a stretch. Originally, Go Eun-sae was a haughty prosecutor who lived a glamorous life, draped in luxurious designer clothes from head to toe and showing off a top-tier imported car. Therefore, even though the memories in her head were wiped completely blank, her physical senses and sophisticated tastes that pursued only the highest quality remained completely intact in her bones. On the other hand, the sly Jang Tae-ha feeds Go Eun-sae a bold-faced lie, claiming she used to be an easygoing, ordinary person who enjoyed wearing tacky baggy work pants in the past. In fact, Jang Tae-ha's true identity was someone akin to an assassin secretly deployed to perfectly eliminate Go Eun-sae. However, the hidden twist narrative that the two were actually deeply intertwined since their fresh student days amplifies both the suspense of the play and the romantic excitement.

A Delightful Rural Escape

The drama signals the beginning of its second act in earnest when Jang Tae-ha, who thoroughly hides his true identity and dangerous purpose, abruptly goes down to his quiet and remote rural hometown to hide the amnesiac Go Eun-sae from the harsh eyes of the world. In the process of adapting to the unfamiliar rural environment, Ha-young, who was accustomed to a glamorous city life, shows no fear of ruining her image. She properly proves with her whole body what the standard of a 'rom-com female lead' truly is, making viewers smile consistently. By her side, Jung Hae-in also fully exerts his aspect as a master of rom-coms while unwaveringly and deeply acting out a multi-dimensional character who looks cheerful and light on the outside but harbors a heavy backstory and painful past on the inside. The birth of a well-made traditional rom-com that allows you to empty your head and laugh comfortably out loud for the first time in a while is incredibly welcome. As a viewer, I look forward to joyfully watching the brilliant and delightful journey of the fast-paced 12 episodes to the very end.