If you've been enjoying the cotton candy goodness of "I Need Romance 3," starring Sung Joon and Kim So Yeon, or enjoyed either of the previous "I Need Romance" installments, you may be interested in what the show's writer recently had to say to Grazia magazine.
Writer Jung Hyun Jung spoke to the magazine about love and romance in k-dramas.
She admits that she was aiming for a "Sex and the City" vibe in which the dramas focused on friends who experienced growth and setbacks in their romantic lives.
"Romantic comedy dramas usually draw characters' growth within 16 or 20 episodes, but it is not true that we only ever experience growth," said Jung. "There are ups and downs in life."
She also wanted to create more realistic depictions of love, not romances that head straight for happily ever after.
"Most love affairs aren't perfect at all in real life," Jung told Grazia.
She was happy when imperfect love affairs finally stared to show up in movies, but it can be difficult to get drama viewers to accept onscreen relationships that are more realistic. "Drama viewers love a perfect character, and they feel uncomfortable when it doesn't come with a happy ending," said Jung. "Drama stories have tended to stay in the 1990's sentiment. In the real world, what women want from a love affair is totally different from what they wanted then. I want to tell about real women's love affairs. The main characters in this season could be a sub-character or a villain in other dramas."
That's because her characters are deliciously imperfect. Shin Do Yeon, the home shopping network executive, played by Kim So Yeon, makes enemies at work and can't succeed in a relationship. But her prickly exterior hides a vulnerable side. She has convinced herself that she does not care about love and she can weather any romantic disappointment. When Joo Won, played by Sung Joon, finds her, he is sad that she is not the person he once knew. His love can help her find that lost side to herself.
"In this cold world, some parts of her are broken, and she has forgotten her own colors," said Jung Hyun Jung. "The fantasy called Joo Wan will help her find her natural colors. Her bright and lovely sides are within herself."
If you are enjoying this round of romance, you may want to check out the first two installments. The first installment stars Jo Yeo Jeong, Kim Jeong Hoon, Choi Yeo Jin and Choi Song Hyun. The second starred Kim Ji Suk, Jung Yumi and Lee Jin Wook.
