The Trunk (2024) 트렁크
Directed by Kim Kyu-tae, starring Seo Hyun-jin and Gong Yoo.
Watched 2 - 24 December 2024 — 8 episodes (NETFLIX)
Noh In-ji (Seo Hyun-jin) works for contract marriage provider NM. The company provides its clients with a spouse for a fixed-term 1 year contract marriage. Noh In-ji has finished her 4th contract marriage. She meets Han Jeong-won (Gong Yoo) for her 5th contract marriage. Han Jeong-won works as a music producer. His life is filled with anxiety and loneliness due to the pain from his past. He still badly misses his ex-wife Seo-yeon, who applied for the spouse providing company NM for him. Han Jeong-won meets Noh In-ji from NM and he begins his second marriage with her. They get to know each other and used to each other as time passes. One day, a mysterious trunk is recovered from a lake. This leads them into a whirlwind of secrets behind the NM company. (Synopsis: AsianWiki)
*The story premise didn't really appeal to me but the leading couple does (Seo Hyun-jin and Gong Yoo). I watched the first 2 episodes with my younger sister. Though the series initially didn't look like something I would like, it's strangely intriguing, so I decided to finish it by myself (it has only 8 episodes anyway) and was taking my time to do so.
*The plot is a bit weird and messy and could have used some tighter writing.
*Show's mystery plot is underwritten and not so compelling. Unfortunately there is no great twist, the reveal of the culprit is quite underwhelming, and I was waiting for the whirlwind of secrets behind the NM company (as is mentioned in AsianWiki's synopsis) but it never came or I must have missed it.
*I like the plot element where the villain steals the wrong trunk, but I seriously don't understand why the trunk's content with the fake marriage contract and manual is so important and blackmail-worthy. Why is it such a big deal if the world would know about NM?
*Despite the flawed plot, I kept on watching because of the romance. I was afraid I wouldn't feel an emotional attachment to the main characters because there's little warmth in this show and the lead couple is not the most lovable, but Seo Hyun-jin and Gong Yoo manage to infuse their characters with genuine human emotions, and I felt slowly drawn to them and involved in the development of their relationship. Especially Gong Yoo (whom I had never seen before in a drama) is good and emotes well, and you really feel Han Jeong-won's love for Noh In-ji. I think their romance is mature, sweet and tender.
*The scenes depicting the married life of Hong Woo-jin (as Oh Hyeon-cheol, President of Label and Han Jeong-won's friend since their college days) and Ju Min-gyung (as Kang Yoon-ah, Oh Hyeon-cheol's wife) are superfluous. I can understand how portraying a real marriage with kids serves as a contrast to the fake marriage of the main couple but the insertion of these tedious scenes does nothing to move the story forward and these two characters are not important to the story.
*If you think K-dramas are all about chaste relationships and cute hand-holding, think again. There's an atypical explicit sex scene in this show, involving the 2nd couple.
*The ending is open and hopeful. Jeong-won told In-ji that if they would meet twice in the future by coincidence, then they are destined to be together. With their first chance encounter at the series' ending, Jeong-won reminds In-ji of the two chances and she says happily, "One more to go". My romantic heart thinks it's very likely they will meet again. By the way, I love the scenes showing both leads going about their daily lives in their new homes while they're healing, Jeong-won owning two cats and In-ji a dog.
*The (physical) trunk doesn't seem to play a large role, but I read somewhere online that the titular trunk refers to the emotional baggage the damaged characters are carrying with them.
*Overall an okay watch, although not completely satisfying. But if there's anything this show does right, it's the visuals. Gorgeous sets (Jeong-won's house!) and beautiful cinematography. The lake scenes are stunning. Also, the OST is great and fitting.