At this point, the noona romance, in which the female lead is several years older than the male lead is a k-drama staple. There have already been a couple of variations this year. But two upcoming dramas approach the topic of a much bigger age gap in romance, an age gap of over 10 and even 20 years.
Most people have come to accept the idea that a woman can be a few years older than a man and the relationship can still work. At least k-drama fans have seen that difference play out well between real-life k-drama stars or in k-drama plots. But once you get into a 15-year or more age difference, it's still almost a taboo subject.
So, why are two dramas about to tackle this subject and how do they differ?
"Witch's Romance," which replaced "I Need Romance 3," stars Uhm Jung Hwa as Ban Ji Yeon, a 39-year-old reporter who is called a witch at work. She no longer believes in love because she has been hurt before. At least she no longer believes in love until she meets Yoon Dong Ha, a 25-year-old who runs errands. Yoon Dong Ha, played by Park Seo Joon, has also been hurt in love. He lost his last girlfriend to an accident. Rounding out the triangle is Shi Hoon, played by Han Jae Suk. He is Ban Ji Yeon's former boyfriend, the one who hurt her so badly.
This tvN drama sounds like it might be as lighthearted as its "I Need Romance 3" noona predecessor.
The other drama to tackle this subject, "Secret Love Affair," seems more like a melodrama. The plot takes on a much bigger age gap and involves infidelity, as the woman is married.
The JTBC drama tells the story of a secret romance between the 40-something society lady Oh Hye-Won, played by Kim Hee Ae, and a 20-something genius pianist Lee Sun Jae, played by Yoo Ah In. She's the very proper and successful director of planning for the Seohan Arts Foundation. But she's not happy in her marriage. Something is missing in her life. The two begin a scandalous love affair that threatens to consume their lives.
"Secret Love Affair" follows "Can We Love?"
It's interesting that two dramas on this topic are airing in a similar time frame. Will either the comedy or the drama make it seem like such a big age difference can actually work? Or will they both write it off as too problematic?
