Actress Park Min-young’s latest venture, Love in Contract, sees her caught in a love triangle, largely owing to her unique profession. Joined by veteran actor Go Kyung-pyo and Kim Jae-young, the K-drama features tried and tested tropes but, blended to perfection.
Plot Pot
Marriage is a societal contract and for Choi Sang-eun (Park Min-young) it is her profession. She is a ‘Single Life Helper’, who poses as the wife of men who need a temporary partner. Whether it is in the role of a rich and educated trophy wife or a modern-age woman who values traditions, Choi has had a prolific career in helping men who had needed her in different occasions, to help them keep face at school reunions or to fulfil the wish of a dying grandparent. She even took on a pro bono case for Woo Gwang-nam (Kang Hyung-seok), who is gay but wishes to fulfil his parents’ wishes of having a wife. Later, Gwang-nam and Sang-eun grow close together as friends and become flatmates.
At the beginning of the drama, Sang-eun is planning to retire. However, she is unable to break it off with her long-time client, Jung Ji-ho (Go Kyung-pyo).
Jung has been her client for almost five years and as per their contract, they have almost silent dinners three times a week. Sang-eun tries to end the contract but keeps delaying it and is hvesitant to tell. While she is struggling with her feelings regarding her client, Kang Hae-jin (Kim Jae-young) enters the scene. A popular actor, Hae-jin recognises Sang-eun as his long-lost first crush. Things get even more complicated when he requests Sang-eun for a contract arrangement with him.
Park Min-young has long established herself as the queen of rom-coms, and she proves worthy of her title in this production too. She is charming and self-confident, yet vulnerable in front of love, as Choi Sang-eun. Even when she faces conflict between two men broken in their own ways, she stands firm in her choice and self-confidence.
The story isn’t particularly refreshing as such, but it holds together well and can be a nice watch. There are multiple layers to all the characters which are peeled back gradually, with ghosts of past and present often showing up to trouble the main characters of the show. It makes you stick around looking for answers and even root for them. Besides Park, the commendable performances from the rest of the cast also hold the story together.
Genre: Rom-com
Where to Watch: Netflix
You Will Love This If You Love:
- Classic romance tropes
- Thrilling side plots
- Cute endings
- Topics of societal relevance
The Telegraph rating: 3/5
Ost Playlist
- Real Love by Yuju
- Close to You by Seungmin of Stray Kids
- Carousel by Lee A Young
Park Min-young has long established herself as the queen of rom-coms, and she proves worthy of her title in this production too. She is charming and self-confident, yet vulnerable in front of love, as Choi Sang-eun. Even when she faces conflict between two men broken in their own ways, she stands firm in her choice and self-confidence.
The story isn’t particularly refreshing as such, but it holds together well and can be a nice watch. There are multiple layers to all the characters which are peeled back gradually, with ghosts of past and present often showing up to trouble the main characters of the show. It makes you stick around looking for answers and even root for them. Besides Park, the commendable performances from the rest of the cast also hold the story together.
Characters We Treasured
Park Min-young as Choi Sang-eun: Park Min-young is a force of nature as the gorgeous and charismatic Sang-eun. However, simmering just beneath her tough exterior are clumsiness, worries and past troubles. She finally allows herself to love and let go as the drama progresses.
We also loved her in: Healer, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim
Go Kyung-pyo as Jung Ji-ho: Go’s acting precision and attention to details make Ji-ho an interesting character. He might be as boring as they come and a stickler for rules, but he is multifaceted and genuinely cares in the smallest of ways even though he does not like to draw attention to it.
We also loved him in: Reply 1988, Seoul Vibe
Kim Jae-young as Kang Hae-jin: The handsome and charming Hae-jin is a heartthrob through and through. However, contrary to how it might seem, he is deeply caring and kind. Although a rich chaebol heir, he tries to keep his family ties separate from his professional life, for more reasons than one.
