Love to Hate You

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Synopsis

Yeo Mi Ran is an attorney at a law firm specialized in the entertainment industry. She is not interested in relationships. One day, she gets entangled with top start Nam Gang Ho. He’s handsome, popular and kind, but doesn’t trust women.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

I loved it! Gosh, I hadn’t seen such a nice rom-com in a long time. The characters are rather atypical, especially when it comes to their views on the opposite sex, but they are such a great match. The 2 love lines are super interesting, intense, and really made my heart melt. I really liked how the female lead is free-spirited, doesn’t care about what others think, and leads her life the way she wants it. She really rocks! Of course, you have some clichéd scenes, but it’s fine. As for the romance, it was super hot! If you’re in the mood for love, and don’t know what to watch, I highly recommend you try this drama!

Analysis

• Atypical characters
  Yeo Mi Ran, the free-spirited
  Nam Gang Ho, the tough nut to crack
  Do Won Jun, the romantic Don Juan
  Shin Na Eun, the hopeless romantic
  Secondary characters
• The love lines
• What are the themes tackled?

Atypical characters: If I had to give one reason as to why Love to Hate You is a successful rom-com I would definitely mention its atypical characters. Their beliefs, values and behaviors are miles away from those we usually encounter in Dramaland. Hence, the originality of the drama. Let’s dive deeper into this uncommon main quartet.

Yeo Mi Ran, the free-spirited: Yeo Mi Ran (Kim Ok Bin) is a free and independent woman. She does what she wants, whenever she wants, with whomever she wants. She doesn’t let herself be dictated by conservative (if not patriarchal) views on how a woman should behave. Hence, her numerous one-night stands, her nonchalant attitude towards relationships, and almost carefree mindset. She’s a feminist character who claims that women should be entitled to live their lives however they want, without having to suffer from prejudice. This belief is to be linked with her peculiar view on men. She uses them just as much as she thinks they use her. That’s why she doesn’t get mad when she encounters her boyfriend cheating on her, while she’s herself with another man. Her behavior has probably something to do with her parents’ relationship. She witnessed her mother being reduced to a sad and neglected housewife by her conservative father, and chose never to become like that. Her solution was to rebel against the established order, and to become some sort of a ‘misfit‘. She doesn’t need a man to rely on, she has herself and that’s more than enough. Apart from that, Yeo Mi Ran is a strong woman, whether it’d be mentally, verbally or physically. First, she faces challenges head-on in life and at work (she’s a lawyer in civil rights). Second, she speaks her mind (positively or negatively). She’s honest and transparent which sometimes puts her in complicated situations. Finally, she’s keen on martial arts, and doesn’t shy away from a fight if it means giving a lesson to a bully. She’s brave and caring, always fending for the weak (though she doesn’t seem like it at first), and protecting others (i.e. the incident with the stuntman she saves). For me, Yeo Mi Ran is definitely a girl crush, reliable lawyer, loyal friend, and caring person.

Nam Gang Ho, the tough nut to crack: Opposite to Yeo Mi Ran stands Nam Gang Ho (Yoo Teo). The superstar owes most of his successes to his roles as the romantic, affectionate, perfect man. He’s the epitome of the gentleman every woman falls for and wishes to date. Or at least on the outside. Indeed, Nam Gang Ho happens to be quite two-sided. Behind his charming and innocent face lies a wounded man, who distrusts women. His past relationship with actress Oh Se Na (Lee Joo Bin) destroyed his faith in the opposite sex. At the peak of their relationship, she chose to leave him for success to avoid scandals. This disappointing end made him develop strong physical responses when in contact with women such as throwing up and having heart palpitations. Moreover, Nam Gang Ho convinced himself that all women are worthless, only in the search of a wealthy, handsome man who will provide for them. You can imagine Yeo Mi Ran’s reaction when she hears that the first time! But once again, you can’t judge a book by its cover. As it turns out, Nam Gang Ho is actually a romanticist, who ends up falling hard for the woman who proves him wrong.

Do Won Jun, the romantic Don Juan: Do Won Jun (Kim Ji Hoon) is a more complex character than it appears. He’s handsome, charming, a skilled CEO and excellent manager, who gets along well with almost any woman. Despite all of that, he’s never really been in nor believed in relationships. His lack of experience makes him (or others) misunderstands situations. Yet, the more he gets to know Shin Na Eun, the more he likes her. He then realizes that he’s unexpectedly fallen for her, but was just too dense to notice it. Of course, he eventually confesses his love to the young woman.

Shin Na Eun, the hopeless romantic: Contrary to Do Won Jun, Shin Na Eun (Go Won Hee) has been in several relationships that all ended in disappointment. Her taste in men has always been to blame, and she got hurt each time she fell for someone new. One of her exes left with her money, another cheated on her… Because of that, the young flight attendant has decided not to trust her instincts anymore. She refuses to helplessly fall for the first guy she finds attractive, as she’s certain it will lead to her demise. That’s why she pushes Do Won Jun away, although she admits she has feelings for him. She tries hard to weigh the pros and cons, but the manager’s ability to smooth talk people (especially women) is a huge red flag for Na Eun. At the end she thankfully gives in. She realizes that Won Jun is just clueless when it comes to love and his own seductive skills.

Secondary characters: Other characters that I loved and should probably mention are:
– Yeo Mi Ran’s mother (Kim Eun Hee): She demonstrated that there’s no age to achieve what you want despite social/marital/societal restrictions. Indeed, after decades of marriage to a narrow-minded conservative old snuck, she publishes a book on her life and hardships as a woman to encourage others not to go through them as well.

– Lee Jin Seo (Jeon Shin Hwan): Yeo Mi Ran’s colleague and former boyfriend looks like a jerk at first glance. He cheats on her (but she does the same), and works for this all-men ‘macho’ law firm Yeo Mi Ran ends up joining later. Despite all that, Jin Seo gradually increased in my esteem. He was actually in love with Yeo Mi Ran, repented and regretted his mistakes, and protected her as a friend would when she finds herself at the heart of a scandal. He really redeemed himself!

The love lines: Both love lines (Yeo Mi Ran/Nam Gang Ho – Do Won Jun/Shin Na Eun) are interesting, though I really preferred the main leads’. Their compatibility and chemistry are through the roof! Indeed, they are both biased and have preconceived ideas on the other sex because of their previous experiences. But they learn how to ‘tame’ each other. They discover they are exactly the opposite of what they had in mind. Yeo Mi Ran proves women can be independent and strong. They are not all looking for a man to take care of them. While Nam Gang Ho finds out that women can be trusted and genuine. They don’t all have a secret agenda. Of course you have the typical trope of the ‘haters-tuning-into-lovers‘, but this one was particularly well knitted in the overall intrigue. On top of that, I definitely have to applaud the drama for finally giving us some romantic (‘hot’ scenes) between lovers. It’s appreciable to see we’re not at the ‘middle school kiss’ stage anymore.

What are the themes tackled?
– Feminism, women’s place in modern society, generation clash (old conservative view vs. liberated view)
– Prejudice, bias, and preconceived ideas, and how they influence our behaviour
– Friendship and partnership