Something in the Rain
Starring: Jung Hae-In, Son Ye-Jin
I am sure you expected me to write on Squid Game, after all that’s one Korean show that most of us has watched. However, Squid Game is not quintessentially Korean. It’s formula-esque; copy-paste in any language and Squid Game is ready.
For the alphabet S, I have Something in the Rain.
The Korean drama Something in the Rain is not just a show, but an emotion. It is an emotion that all of us felt in our 20s – the first flush of love, the romance, misunderstandings, heartbreak. This is the show that made me fall in love with Korean dramas.
Seo Jun-Hui (Jung Hae-In), a 28 year old animation designer at a computer video game company. He has come back to Korea after 3 years, and on the first day of work, he meets his elder sister’s friend, Yoon Jin-A (Son Ye-Jin). He is completely besotted with her beauty. They go out a few times as they work in the same office complex, both of them feel the strong pull of attraction, but are unable to confess their feelings. After a few failed attempts, Jin-A takes the matter in her hands, and their feelings finally come out in the open.
However, things are not all hunky-dory in their world. Jun-Hui belongs to a humble family which Jin-A’s ambitious mother doesn’t approve of. On the other hand, Jin-a faces sexual harassment at her workplace and raises her voice against it. Jun-Hui is a sensible person, while Jin-A behaves irrationally and recklessly at times and hides things from Jun-Hui. These circumstances lead to their break up.
It usually taken 2-3 episodes to warm up to a Korean drama, but Something in the Rain is engaging from the very first episode. The chemistry between the lead pair is incredible; I have never come across a chemistry so strong that it is palpable. The way Jung Hae-In looks at Son Ye-Jin is pure love and Son Ye-Jin looks awe-inspiringly beautiful. The scene where Jung Hae-In holds Son Ye-Jin’s hand under the table makes me gasp and my heart flutter every time I watch it. You need to watch this show to understand it.
The songs “Stand by your Man” sung by Bruce Willis runs throughout the show and is hummable, while the title track “Something in the Rain” by Rachael Yamagata haunts you, it’s sad and beautiful at the same time. I particularly love the whistle music that is played in the show.
I have laughed, cried bucketful of tears and prayed that the lead pair come together in the end, something that only a teenager does. I felt like a 19-year old, I felt like falling in love once more and to have someone look at me with the same passion as Jun-Hui looks at Jin-a.
It does feel stretched a bit, after the 11th episode, and some bits especially where the father visits from Canada, I found unnecessary, but the rest of the story more than makes up for this lapse.
Do watch Something in the Rain, you wouldn’t want it to end, trust me.
For other good Korean dramas starting with S, you can watch Startup, Shooting Stars, Summer Strike and Suspicious Partner.
This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z 2023.
My my! This one sounds pretty romantic and sweet from your description of it Anshu. Your reviews are pretty well analyzed.
Thanks Shalini. These reviews are the sum total of my feelings and opinions. But I have come across some fantastic reviews that make me wonder how objectively these people write reviews.
Oh Anshu, you took me back to ‘Stand by Your man’. What a beautiful review ! I loved the chemistry of the lead stars and like you I also felt they stretched it a bit towards the end. But still such a mushy and heartwarming show
Meha, I fell in love with Jung Hae-In or basically the character of Jun-Hee. Every girl should meet a Jun-Hee in her life.