Jung Hae-in and Oh Ha-young's 'This F***ing Love' hits Top 10

The Netflix original series 'This F***ing Love' has immediately captured the attention of Korean viewers upon its release. Following its global release of all 12 episodes on the 7th, the work climbed to 6th place on Netflix's 'Today's TOP 10 Series in Korea' as of the morning of the 8th.

The story follows the cohabitation of Go Eun-sae (Oh Ha-young), an elite prosecutor who has lost her memory, and Jang Tae-ha (Jung Hae-in), a mysterious boxing coach who claims to be her boyfriend. After losing all her memories in an accident while pursuing a violent organization, Eun-sae wakes up in a strange rural hospital. Her name before losing her memory was Go Ji-won. The story begins when the mysterious man Jang Tae-ha appears, claiming to be Eun-sae's lover, and takes her to 'Yeot Village.'

Directing and Composition that Cross Genre Boundaries

While adopting the setting of a romantic comedy, the drama attempts a genre variation. It unfolds the narrative of a female lead suffering from amnesia and a male lead staying by her side through elements of melodrama, thriller, action, and noir. Director Kim Jang-han, who directed 'Do You Like Brahms?' and 'My Demon,' took charge of the direction, while writer Mo Ji-hye, who wrote 'You Raise Me Up,' penned the script.

Director Kim focused on balancing the genres. "To stay true to the romantic comedy roots, my top priority was to create good romance and comedy scenes for the two actors," Kim stated. "I also made sure the noir scenes did not become too heavy." He cited Jang Tae-ha's deep emotions and action, Go Eun-sae's bubbly loveliness, and Baek Sang-gil's charisma and twists as the key points to watch.

In terms of visual direction, there is a contrast in color usage. The mise-en-scène of Yeot Village, which embraces the full colors of nature, stands in stark contrast to the sharp and artificial lighting of the spaces occupied by Baek Sang-gil's gang. This serves as a device to intuitively show the structure of good and evil even without dialogue.

Jang Tae-ha's Devotion and Baek Sang-gil's Malice

Jang Tae-ha, played by Jung Hae-in, is a character who lived like a machine within an organization but decides to leave it to reclaim his life. While performing his final mission, he reunites with his first love, Go Eun-sae. To protect Eun-sae, Tae-ha begins a life-threatening lie. Jung remarked, "The key point to watch is the emotional line where Tae-ha, a one-and-only devoted man, and Eun-sae, who is searching for her lost memories, gradually permeate into each other."

Jung has showcased his melodic acting through 'Something in the Rain,' 'One Spring Night,' and the film 'Tune in for Love,' and has expanded his genre range with 'Prison Playbook,' the 'D.P.' series, 'Snowdrop,' 'Love Next Door,' and the film 'I, the Executioner.' This work marks his return to Netflix originals three years after the 'D.P.' series.

The tension of the drama is heightened through the organization's boss, Baek Sang-gil. Played by Heo Sung-tae, Baek Sang-gil is a character who believed he had eliminated Go Ji-won, who held his weakness, but begins to hunt for her after hearing news that she is alive. Heo stated, "The tension in the scenes where Jang Tae-ha, Go Eun-sae, and Baek Sang-gil become intertwined maximizes the fun of the drama," adding, "The action scenes with Jang Tae-ha are also a great highlight." He also added, "I have returned as a Baek Sang-gil who is even more wicked than Jang Deok-su from 'Squid Game.'"

Oh Ha-young's Transformation and the Solidarity of Yeot Village People

Oh Ha-young portrays Go Eun-sae, an elite prosecutor whose name before losing her memory was Go Ji-won. She expresses the character's changes based on the presence or absence of memory through her facial expressions and tone of voice. Attempting her first romantic comedy, Oh said, "The deep melodrama and belly-laughing comedy will distractedly entertain you."

The relationship between the two protagonists is supported by the people of Yeot Village. Supporting actors including Kim Young-ok, Jeon Bae-soo, Seo Jeong-yeon, Jang Hye-jin, Cha Jeong-hwa, Kim Mi-hwa, Lee Jae-won, Jeong Sun-won, and Chi Yu-ju appear. The episodes created by the Yeot Village residents and Eun-sae refresh the atmosphere of the drama and serve as reliable allies for Tae-ha and Eun-sae.

The meaning of the title 'This F***ing Love' is revealed in the latter half. The relationship between Tae-ha, Eun-sae, and the people of Yeot Village, who unite through trust amidst crisis, connects to the characteristics of 'Yeot' (traditional Korean taffy), which becomes stickier and harder to break apart the warmer it gets.

Reunion of the Production Team and Character Relationships

This work was completed through the reunion of Director Kim Jang-han and Writer Mo Ji-hye, who previously worked together on the drama 'You Raise Me Up.' The story centers on Jang Tae-ha, played by Jung Hae-in, and Go Eun-sae, played by Oh Ha-young. Tae-ha is a boxing coach who leads Eun-sae to Yeot Village, while Eun-sae is an elite prosecutor who lost her memory. Heo Sung-tae adds tension as Baek Sang-gil, the organization boss hunting for the truth about Go Ji-won.