A new romantic comedy drama featuring a highly intriguing and unconventional subject matter is capturing viewers' attention. In truth, explicitly bringing up stories related to sex and discussing them specifically is still something our society hesitates to do. While discourse flows very actively and without hesitation in anonymous internet spaces or online communities, it remains a highly cautious and sensitive topic in the face-to-face, offline real world, where people are acutely aware of how others perceive them.
Some might sharply criticize this phenomenon as a dualistic attitude of modern people, but perhaps it is simply the honest and natural current state of our society, which is still undergoing a transitional phase. Acknowledging this unspoken social atmosphere as it is would be the first step, but there is also an emerging need to slowly move toward a more open and healthy direction in step with the changing times. In the face of the firm walls of real-world society, popular culture and art media like dramas and films often take a step forward, depicting these secretive topics much more actively and boldly to break taboos. Because the subject matter itself is a stimulating element directly linked to human nature, it naturally draws intense curiosity and interest from viewers.
Interestingly, Korean dramas, which have established themselves as global content, possess a unique characteristic: the exceptionally slow pace of romance and physical affection between the male and female leads. Compared to the unhesitating pace of Western dramas based on open concepts of sexuality, the physical affection in K-dramas is so painstakingly slow and cautious that some joke it is practically non-existent. Strangely, however, there are quite a few enthusiastic fans among Western viewers who stubbornly seek out and love K-romance specifically for this affectionate and tantalizing development, which focuses on the delicate exchange of emotions rather than physical relationships.
Within this framework of typical Korean-style romance, the newly released drama Make Me Tremble makes viewers' eyes widen just by revealing the identity of the company that serves as the characters' workplace and the main background of the show. It boldly places a company that professionally plans and sells "sex toys" (adult products) right at the forefront of the narrative. In reality, the majority of people pretend to be completely uninterested on the surface, or put on a dignified air as if no one openly looks at such things, but behind the scenes, they secretly and quietly use and consume these products in their own ways.
Pointed dialogues criticizing this social hypocrisy and reality frequently appear in the drama. At one point, someone dismisses the item of sex toys, saying there is no need to unnecessarily become the subject of people's harsh gossip; it should just be a tool to quietly generate demand and make money in the shadows, away from people's eyes. There is also a direct, skeptical expression asking why there is a need to bring this into the bright light and unnecessarily invite social attention and controversy, as if scratching a sore spot.
This painfully reflects the solid reality that, given the universal sentiments of Korean society to this day, the word "sex toy" itself is not something that can be lightly mentioned as a natural topic of conversation in a public setting. However, the startup company that serves as the drama's backdrop confronts outdated prejudices head-on, harboring a clear vision to elevate sex toys—linked to people's suppressed desires—out of the murky shadows and into the healthy, confident light. This implies a progressive meaning that goes beyond simply selling provocative items; it advocates that each person's unique sexual preferences should not be dismissed as something shady, but respected and acknowledged as they are.
Joining this highly unconventional and progressive company is the female lead, "Gong Yeon-soo," who has lived in a world that is the exact opposite. Gong Yeon-soo, excellently played by actress Nam Ji-hyun, is a character burdened with the highly traditional title of being the eldest daughter of a deeply rooted head family (jongga). A stark example of how thoroughly conservative the family she grew up in is the suffocating environment bound by tradition and rules, requiring them to hold as many as 22 ancestral memorial services (jesa) a year. Raised in the strict atmosphere of such a typical Confucian family, her views on dating are inevitably extremely conservative; she didn't even have any particular physical progression with a boyfriend she dated for a year. Although she ended up experiencing the pain of a futile breakup over that issue, the speed of relationship progression between a man and a woman is something that cannot be carelessly judged, as everyone's environment and circumstances are vastly different.
Thus, Gong Yeon-soo, who absorbed the teachings of a typical Confucian family to the bone from birth and grew up like a sheltered plant in a stuffy greenhouse, faces the cruel irony of having to execute bold marketing campaigns for a sex toy client, which requires the most open-minded thinking. And here, she becomes entangled with the charming male lead "Dokgo Dal," played by actor Kim Jae-young. He is the very CEO who personally founded and runs this unconventional sex toy venture. Dokgo Dal holds a highly rational and cool set of values, believing that the emotion of "love" does not necessarily have to be a prerequisite for sexual communion between a man and a woman, and he possesses a firm conviction that diverse sexual preferences should be respected without prejudice and brought entirely into the light.
In the early parts of the drama, Gong Yeon-soo frequently finds herself flustered in the face of her new workplace's unconventional culture, showing her Confucian side unfiltered. Even though she herself feels frustrated by her own conservative attitude, in crucial moments, she unconsciously follows what she saw and learned at home, and stuffy, defensive behaviors abruptly pop out. To her, who ultimately faced a breakup after refusing her ex-boyfriend's desperate request to spend the night together even after arriving at the entrance of a motel, the existence of "motel vending machines" that she learns about while working at the sex toy company comes as a massive cultural shock, almost like a story from an alien planet. On the other hand, the company CEO, Dokgo Dal, is not indiscriminately promiscuous about sex; he merely views human instinctual desires as something essential from a very rational and practical perspective.
In a way, they can be described as a man and a woman from polar extremes, whose very lenses for viewing the world are completely different. However, it is originally between a man and a woman that subtle sparks tend to fly from the differences of those extremes. As two incredibly different people work together in the same space, clashing and overcoming various obstacles together, curiosity toward each other naturally blossoms into romantic feelings. In particular, the drama provides a thrilling pleasure by twisting the traditional notion that emotions must ripen first before physical affection can occur; instead, they share an impulsive kiss at an unexpected timing, using that physical contact as a catalyst for affectionate feelings to emerge uncontrollably. This cheeky and lovely romance, where two people from polar opposites meet and open each other's closed doors, consists of a total of 10 episodes, and you can currently enjoy this heart-fluttering journey on TVING.
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