‘Romance is a Bonus Book’…Lee Jong Suk takes a back seat in this mildly interesting yet uneventful tale of a divorced mother getting back into the workforce.
Spoilers Ahead…
Since publishing my review for One Spring Night, I have often regretted not mentioning anything about Jung Hae In’s character as a single father. Performance aside, the drama shone a non-judgemental spotlight on the figure, giving him a chance to tell his own story and create his own narrative. We watch him at work, spend time with his son, taking him to the playground or the library on the weekends. We watch him with his girlfriend, friends and his parents. We watch him struggle to move on after his ex (his son’s mother) gets married and has another child and we watch him forging a new connection between his girlfriend and his son.
This show, was one of many, in what is now a growing list of K-dramas that are expanding the sphere of romance from high school students and early 20’s or 30’s hopefuls to include single parents and divorcees (some examples: Encounter, When the Camellia Blooms, Memories of Alhambra). Amongst the slew of stories about lovers fated to be together, these dramas normalise the notion that love can be found again, and it is alright to break a relationship that is causing you harm or unhappiness. It additionally also brings forth more grounded conflicts that spill over from the individuals to their families and the society at large. For these very reasons, I was excited to watch Romance is a Bonus Book.
Kang Dan Yi’s (Lee Na Young) recent divorce from her cheating husband leaves her penniless, homeless and an eleven year old daughter to raise alone. Despite giving multiple job interviews over a course of a year, she is unable to land a job. No firm wants to hire her, as she has a gap in her resume, an eleven year break.
What break?, she rightly argues. I was busy raising a child and running a household. But in this fast-paced world, any time off work causes a dent in future job prospects.
She soon gets a temporary job at her childhood friend, Cha Eun Ho’s (Lee Jong Suk) publishing company, but only by falsifying her resume to appear as a high school graduate. How long until this truth reveals itself? And how long until Eun Ho reveals his decade long feelings to Dan Yi?
The drama starts off on a strong footing showing us the hardships Dan Yi has gone through, both in her marriage, and the year following the divorce. In a flashback, we see her grabbing a bite while still cooking for a large family event, and in the present, her cheating husband and his debts leave her sleeping in a sauna. So, you wish for nothing but success for her, but the inspirational, feel-good tale turns too sugary for my taste. With heaps of optimism and a wrinkle free plot, it reminded me of Still 17, which too, was in essence about a woman getting back to into the world after a long break. Every conflict is smoothened over as quickly as it pops up, giving us no reason to look forward to anything. The ex-husband (and the alimony and child support) is promptly dealt with. The daughter is completely absent from the story (sending her off to the Philippines was such a cop-out) and Dan Yi by the third episode, gets to live in a nice, big house with a handsome housemate.
My expectations are to be blamed here. I thinking I was expecting something along the lines of When the Camellia Blooms, where Eun Ho wouldn’t only have to win Dan Yi’s heart, but also her daughter’s, and like Yongsik, has to take up his new role as the step-father. (This easily could have been the central conflict, instead of the one involving the missing author, his last book and Ji Seo Joon).
Seo Yeong A’s (Kim Sun Young) subplot was I think the closest of what the show could have been. After her divorce from her husband (Jo Han Chul), we see them maintaining an amicable relationship, taking turns to spend time with their son. They also have a heart-to-heart as to why their marriage deteriorated, and while Yeong A now has a new partner, she acknowledges that she still cares for her ex-husband. In contrast, the drama makes things rather simplistic for Dan Yi. She herself mentions (when on a date) that some consider being a divorcee worse than having a criminal record. Where was that story?
Lee Jong Suk probably wanted to do something light before heading off to complete his mandatory military service, and Lee Na Young might have had the same reason, as this is her first drama in ten years. I think the makers too wanted a story about second chances not be too heavy-duty, giving the newly divorcee mother a fairy-tale romance after a turbulent marriage. But by making everything low-stakes, the drama fails to stand out in any way. Dan Yi is already good at her job (due to her past work experience). Eun Ho is madly in love with her, irrespective of her past. The day-to-day hurdles at work, too past without much of an issue.
However, there were a few choices (made in the storyline) which I quite liked. It was easier to buy the fact that Dan Yi’s ideas were selected on her first try in any project, as she already has experience working in an advertising agency. I liked how despite her position (which is as important as the others, as her job keeps the office running smoothly — re-stacking the coffee, getting the printer fixed, delivering files), she tries to participate and grow in the office. Her budding relationship with fellow colleagues Yeong A and Go Yu Seon (Kim Yu Mi), was heart-warming to watch, as she finally had someone to whom she could openly talk about her married life with.
Through all this, I also liked how Eun Ho had became a strong support system for her to relay on and he never intervened in her life or took decisions on her behalf. It was her choice to apply for a job at his company and it was her hard work that got many of her proposals selected.
Despite a bare-bones plot, I was sold on the love publishers and editors have for making books (more so than any of the other romances), and the time and effort they all put into perfecting a single copy. So, the next time I buy a book, I will make sure to be more appreciative of the design of the book cover, the paper selected to print the book on, and will make sure to read the author’s bio, as well as the list of names, all of whom, along with the author, had a role in bringing the book to life.
