The Interest of Love

Presentation

Fore more…

Preview

Synopsis

The drama depicts the lives and romances of employees working at KCU Bank: Ha Sang Su, Ahn Su Yeong, Park Mi Gyeong and Jeong Jong Hyeon.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

The Interest of Love is not your typical romance. It’s a slow-paced realistic depiction of relationships, how they form and come to an end; what they involve and their consequences. To be honest, I loved this drama. I think all actors did an excellent job at portraying their characters, especially the leads. The atmosphere and feelings were intense, sometimes full of hope, sometimes melodramatic. The plot shows with subtlety the importance of timing in life, maturity in a relationship, the lingering feelings and above all regrets that remain when you missed your chance. It may leave you with a bittersweet taste, but it’s all worth it.

Analysis

• Characters
  Ha Sang Su, the hesitant lover
  Ahn Su Yeong, the resigned beauty
  Park Mi Gyeong, the tenacious girlfriend
  Jeong Jong Hyeon, the immature partner
• Discreet ‘love and war’ at the office
• All relationships lead to regrets?
  Park Mi Gyeong and Ha Sang Su
  Ahn Su Yeong and Jeong Jong Hyeon
  Ahn Su Yeong and Ha Sang Su
  Ahn Su Yeong’s parents
  Park Mi Gyeong and Seo Gyung Pil
  Yang Seok Hyun and his lovers
• Atmosphere of the drama

Characters: The Interest of Love showcases the romantic entanglements of employees working at KCU Bank. Though the intrigue is centered on a main quartet, the drama also displays interesting, and dramatic side relationships. The ‘interest’ here is that the four main characters have very distinct personalities, come from different backgrounds (familial and educational), and thus don’t enjoy the same social status. These elements put together in an enclosed environment – the bank – lead to the creation of a complex web of relationships, in which emotions, behaviors and society influence each other.

Ha Sang Su, the hesitant lover: Ha Sang Su (Yoo Yeon Seok) was mostly raised by his mother (Seo Jung Yeon) in a humble environment. She worked hard all her life to provide her son with shelter and food, and now owns a luxurious spa. Sang Su went to the university then joined KCU Bank. He is the representation of middle-class. He has a stable job, savings, a car, a respectable flat… He’s not well-off, but he’s not entirely poor either. Personality-wise, Ha Sang Su is a rather silent person, in a sense that he doesn’t express his feelings often. Only his mother can read him like an open book, deciphering his inner emotional turmoil. This is due to the fact that they have a great mother-son bond. They are on the same wavelength, and she proves to be his greatest support throughout the drama. On top of being silent, Sang Su is hesitant and indecisive. These are his 2 main flaws, and the reasons why it all goes wrong from the beginning. He thinks too much and for too long, assessing the pros and cons, considering whether he should do something or not. So, he ends up missing his chance. In the last episodes though, Sang Su realizes that he should stop thinking, and start acting. He becomes more impulsive and spontaneous in the pursue of love. Of course, the lead’s also got a good deal of qualities such as loyalty, patience, and tenacity. His heart is set on one woman, and he’s not willing to let her go. I believe he’s the most intense character I’ve ever seen in Dramaland. No matter the problem ahead, he never wavered. His love may be quiet, but it’s very passionate. Finally, he’s upright and understanding too, so you can’t really resent him for his behavior.

Ahn Su Yeong, the resigned beauty: All her life, Ahn Su Yeong (Moon Ga Young) has been disappointed with love. Her household used to be a happy one, until she discovered that her father was allegedly having an affair shortly before her brother’s death in an accident. She hated and resented her parent for that, blaming him for the loss of her dear sibling. All the men she met after just reinforced her idea that men are not trustworthy, as they always regard her beauty first, and consider her to be an ‘easy woman’. Even at the bank, her co-workers are rude and disrespectful. Moreover, Ahn Su Yeong comes from a poor background. She never went to college and only possesses a high school diploma. Despite being extremely talented, her colleagues and bosses constantly belittle her lack of education. They never miss an opportunity to remind her they’re not on the same social level with hurtful comments and/or gestures. However, Su Yeong has developed a tough shell to protect herself from such behaviors. She’s become quiet, nonchalant and resigned. She lets people treat her like a pushover, and passively goes through the days. Though she’s the victim of unfair treatment, injustice in the workplace, and rumors among bank employees, she never tries to defend herself. She’d rather self-destroy – as she mentions it herself – than pursue happiness. Hence, her troubled relationships in the drama. But Ahn Su Yeong is not entirely inactive. There are moments when she turns into a sassy, savage, ‘bitchy’ woman, and puts others in their place. When she puts her mind to it, she can be scathing in her comments, and cruel in her actions especially towards Ha Sang Su.

Park Mi Gyeong, the tenacious girlfriend: Contrary to her co-workers, Park Mi Gyeong (Geum Sae Rok) comes from a very wealthy background. Her father is the CEO of a conglomerate, and friends with top executives at KCU Bank. This means that he has the power to move bank employees from one position to another if he wants. On top of having rich parents, Park Mi Gyeong is also an only child. So, her parents have a tendency to focus all their attention on her, her relationships and her future. Therefore, Mi Gyeong’s previous boyfriends, like So Gyeong Pil (Moon Tae Yoo), have often been discarded due to their low social standard. This kind of behavior is obviously not welcomed by Mi Gyeong. Hence, the constant clashes with her father. He’s willing to spoil her and bring her anything on a golden plate, while she’d rather achieve her goals on her own, through hard work and efforts. Despite her high social status, Mi Gyeong is far from being an obnoxious brat. She’s kind, loyal, and affectionate. She’s not afraid to show her vulnerable side, even if she knows she’ll eventually get hurt. One of her main qualities is her tenacity. She goes all in when she makes up her mind. She’s driven and determined to succeed, whether it’d be in love or at work. Unfortunately, that is also her main default. That’s why her relationship with Ha Sang Su fails. She selfishly forces him to fit into the mold of the perfect boyfriend up to her parents’ standards, when he actually tries to tell her he can’t match her expectations. Despite all that, Mi Gyeong is forgiving, and never resentful. She keeps on moving on the path she creates for herself.

Jeong Jong Hyeon, the immature partner: Jeong Jong Hyeon (Jung Ga Ram) is the discreet, shy and innocent guard working at KCU Bank. From the get-go, it’s quite clear that he struggles financially to pay his rent (he lives in a cheap rooftop room), while studying for the police exam and working at the bank. As if it were not enough, Jong Hyeon’s father suddenly collapses one day, and needs to undergo heart surgery, thus adding to the bills the young man has to pay. But Jong Hyeon is devoted, and even willing to throw away his studies and dreams to support his family. The only reason why he doesn’t do it is Ahn Su Yeong. When he hits rock bottom and wants to break up, she becomes his pillar. She lets him move into her house, gives him money for his parent’s surgery, and makes him study again. Though these kind gestures are supposedly done out of love, Jong Hyeon soon realizes that Su Yeong may have chosen him only to avoid being with Sang Su. She thought he belonged to the same league as hers, felt a certain compassion – if not pity – towards him, and blindly thought this was enough to call it love. Even if Jeong Jong Hyeon is kind and affectionate, I found him to be quite unstable and immature. He was not ready to be in a relationship, especially with Ahn Su Yeong, considering that he was not even strong enough to survive on his own (either mentally/emotionally or financially). Plus, he slowly started to stray away from her, once his life seems to get better. Hence, his potential crush on his female study mate. In the end, he gets hurt in the relationship, always feeling indebted to Su Yeong.

Discreet ‘love and war’ at the office: KCU Bank is a microcosm in which several parameters come into play and disturb the allegedly peaceful atmosphere. The first variable is social status that includes wealth and educational background. Employees like Ahn Su Yeong are temps (yellow collar). They are disregarded and belittled by other due to their lack of diplomas. They often end up doing all the menial tasks, are scarcely promoted, and have to endure their peers’ misbehavior and comments without turning a hair. Above are the blue collars, that is to say most of the employees like Ha Sang Su. They have more options work-wise. Indeed, they can submit loans for their clients, review their credit, sell new products to VIP customers,…. Plus, they are generally the ones transferring to better positions within the group. Then you have managers like the branch director. They are in power and order other employees around, even asking them to do tasks outside of their scope. For instance, Jong Jeong Hyeon, the guard (aka the lowest level, even lower than temps) has to wash the branch manager’s car, and grab lunch for everyone. Despite their high status, managers are not on top of the chain. Park Mi Gyeong is pampered at work, and can literally go anywhere, thanks to her father’s friendship with the top executives at the bank. Out of fear for their reputation, Mi Gyeong never encounters issues and is never asked to do something she doesn’t want to.

These disparities between employees greatly influence their personalities and behavior. Su Yeong’s resignation is somehow linked to her inability to climb the social ladder; while Mi Gyeong’s background allows her to leave for New York HQs after her break-up with Sang Su. On top of that, the discrepancies create tensions within the workplace. Hence the impression that all characters lead a discreet war against each other. Add the secrecy of a relationship, the drama of a break-up, the entanglement of romances, and you get a heavy atmosphere ready to explode anytime soon. This actually happens several times in the drama. For example, when Sang Su denounces the branch manager for the way he treats female employees. I believe a part of him does it for justice, but the bigger part does it out of love for Su Yeong, who’s the main victim. Another scene to mention would be when Su Yeong and Gyeong Pil pretend they have slept together. Jeong Hyeon learns about it and punches the bank employee at the workplace, convinced he’s become Su Yeong’s lover. Finally, Yang Seok Hyeon’s (Oh Dong Min) situation can be used to show how intricate relationships, romance and social status are. After breaking up with his years-long girlfriend, Seok Hyeon marries a rich woman. Shortly after the ceremony, the rumor of his cheating on her with his ex-girlfriend rapidly spreads leading to his divorce. The reputation of Youngpo Branch is a collateral damage of that dramatic twist.

All relationships lead to regrets? The Interest of Love is not a romance with your typical happy ending. Instead, the drama focuses on failed relationships and the reasons why they ended up as such. Let’s take a look at each love line, whether it’d be that of leads or secondary characters:

Park Mi Gyeong and Ha Sang Su: From the get-go, the relationship was doomed. First, Ha Sang Su was in love with someone else (Ahn Su Yeong). He warned Mi Gyeong he was not 100% sure, but still tried to see if they could be a match. Unfortunately his lingering feelings prevented him from fully committing to the relationship, and hurt everyone in the process. On top of that, Park Mi Gyeong expected Sang Su to live up to her standards to satisfy her parents. So, she tried to change him by using money. She bought him a new car, wanted him to be promoted through nepotism, etc… Sang Su refused to hijack his values, and understood right away he would never be able to make her happy.

Ahn Su Yeong and Jeong Jong Hyeon: Debt and gratefulness are the main reasons why these two didn’t work out. Jong Hyeon was simply not mature enough, nor stable in his life to be in a relationship. He was constantly either sorry or thankful towards Su Yeong, which inevitably caused an imbalance in the relationship. Instead of love, their story was built on compassion and pity. Same for Su Yeong. She had not overcome her emotional trauma yet. Hence, her inability to trust others and open up.

Ahn Su Yeong and Ha Sang Su: This relationship is probably my biggest disappointment in the drama. Until the very end I hoped they would make it work. But their indecisiveness got the best of them. It all started with a potential date. Sang Su ran out late and hurried to the coffee shop. But, he had second thoughts and turned back. Su Yeong saw him, and then became withdrawn. Instead of clearing up the air, she ran away. The rest of the drama is an eternal accumulation of regrets, misunderstandings and missed opportunities. That’s what happens when you miss your timing. You end up asking yourself ‘What if?‘ without really knowing the answer.

Ahn Su Yeong’s parents: Su Yeong’s biggest scar comes from her parents’ relationship. One day, she saw her father coming out of another woman’s house. She thus assumed they were having an affair. Shortly after, her little brother died in an accident. Presumably, he had also seen their father with his mistress. Ahn Su Yeong was emotionally destroyed, and traumatized by that event. She resented her father, blamed him for her brother’s death, and shut him out. She sided with her mother, and couldn’t understand why she was still living with the adulterer. Turns out her mother is the one who had the affair. On the day Su Yeong saw her father, he was begging the lover’s wife not to take actions against his own spouse. All along, Su Yeong was lied to. So, at the end of the drama she regrets her mean behavior towards her father, but is forgiven.

Park Mi Gyeong and Seo Gyung Pil: Call it the usual ‘rich-poor clash‘. The co-workers used to date at the university. Everything seemed to be going well until Gyeong Pil cheated on Mi Gyeong with her best friend. He may sound like a jerk, but reality is actually quite different. Mi Gyeong comes from a wealthy family, while Gyeong Pil was poor at the time. So, Mi Gyeong’s cousin threatened him to put an end to the relationship because he was not worthy. Despite his feelings, Gyeong Pil bended in. To deter her from him, he schemed an affair with her best friend, and never told the truth about it. Years later, it’s obvious that Gyeong Pil still has feelings for Mi Gyeong, and wished he’d have been braver at that time. Unfortunately, it’s too late. The only thing left for them is regret.

Yang Seok Hyun and his lovers: Seok Hyun is probably the most unfortunate one when it comes to love. He broke up with his girlfriend after years of relationship, only because she was too poor. He then met a rich woman to whom he quickly got married. But, his feelings for his former girlfriend couldn’t be erased that easily. In the end, his inability to make a decision made him lose both women, alongside his reputation and dignity. Once again, it all comes down to regrets. Interestingly, I had the impression that Yang Seok Hyun’s situation was just a projection of what would await Sang Su, Mi Gyeong and Su Yeong, had they listened to their hearts. Even if they didn’t go down that road, the outcome of their relationships was no better.

All in all, family, society, or characters themselves are responsible for their demise. However, they grew up amidst difficulties. They learned more about themselves and/or leveraged their broken heart to become better adults, workers, lovers.

Atmosphere of the drama: What I loved the most about this drama is the ambiance. It’s slow-paced and intense. You can feel characters’ emotional turmoil, especially Sang Su’s burning love for Su Yeong. A big thumbs up to the direction too. The cinematography was beautiful, especially the cuts showing characters’ back.

The drama is also full of symbols such as the sand castle (it can represent Ahn Su Yeong – frail, self-destructive, or easily washed away by water); the bank collar (the metaphor of social status within the bank); the paintings linking Mi Gyeong and Su Yeong; the plants on Su Yeong’s balcony representing her brother and that offered by Sang Su; and even the name of Su Yeong’s coffee shop at the end ‘Find True Happiness’.

Though the ending doesn’t show leads together, they meet again 4 years later. Who knows? Maybe they are ready to start anew.