Remarriages & Desires Korean Drama Review
I just finished watching this 8-episode drama in just two days. I loved it! The writing is tight until about episode 5, then I felt the storyline gets a little unrealistic, but it’s a great watch. If you’re in the mood for a drama-filled revenge story, look no further than the Korean drama “Remarriage & Desires.” Starring Kim Hee-Sun, Lee Hyun-wook, Eugene Jung, and Park Hoon, this drama follows the story of a widow who, through an exclusive matchmaking agency, finds and plots revenge against her husband’s scheming mistress. Full of twists and turns, “Remarriage & Desires” is a makjang drama that will keep you on your toes until the very end.
Spoilers ahead…..
Seo Hye-seung’s husband committed suicide after being duped by his mistress, Jin Yoo-hui. The latter then joins Rex, an exclusive matchmaking agency catering only to the ultra-rich, to catch her next target, the handsome, rich CEO of a game company, Lee Hyung-ju. Rex’s CEO, Choi Yoo-seon, is stepmom to Seo Hye-seung’s old flame, who still has feelings for her even years later. Jin Yoo-hui is also a secret love child of a powerful person, who protects her even when she breaks the law to get what she wants.
One of the best things about this drama is the clothes. Eugene Jung, who plays Jin Yoo-hui, used to be a runway model and she wears clothes beautifully. I still wonder though. Why did they dress the mistress-villain in fabulous, expensive outfits and the main female lead in frumpy, loose ones?
Worthy moments:
On what love is:
Lee Hyung-ju: What do you think love is between a man and a woman?
Choi Yoo-seon: I don’t think that innocent love exists. Love is a business affair realized between two people by favoring profit over desire. People always end up choosing their own ambitions, all while believing that it is true love.
On divorce:
Choi Yoo-seon: Life is a series of choices. Many of you have probably heard this too often. Marriage, though, is also a choice. And there are always consequences that follow these choices, whether success or failure. Let me ask you, is divorce truly a failure? Or is staying in a terrible marriage filled with regrets the true failure here? Divorce shouldn’t be seen as a failure. Divorce is an opportunity. An opportunity that leads to victory. An opportunity that can lead to a successful marriage with someone else. It’s not a marriage based on the naivety of love, but rather a business-minded choice setting up the second stage of your life. Marriage is a business decision first.
Choi Yoo-seon: Love is important. Very important, in fact. But instead of trying to change someone to fit your standards, you should look for someone who already fits that criteria. That’s the smartest possible choice you can make, and the only path towards a successful union.
On what you need to do to find love:
Congressman: Is there any way my daughter could be connected to a dynasty? What would I need to make it happen? Should I send her to some kind of Ivy League school to get a master’s? (He’s interested in matching his daughter to a son of a chaebol family)
Choi Yoo-seon: An Ivy League education would not matter, and neither would getting her master’s.
Congressman: What do you mean?
Choi Yoo-seon: The mother-in-laws of those families don’t like it when their daughter-in-laws are better educated than they are. They would rather have girls who will marry young and who they can later send to study abroad.
Congressman: Is there anything I can do?
Choi Yoo-seon: You can try investing in her physical appearance. Plastic surgery or skin care. Pilates or ballet. It would certainly give you an advantage if you focus more on her looks.
On what you let others see:
Choi Yoo-seon: I think that we are all living with masks on. As we go through our lives, we keep hiding behind them. But as we’re adding even more and more, the masks start to reveal who we truly are. So by putting on a mask, we’re actually removing another mask.
On disarming the opponent:
Jin Yoo-hui’s coworker: Not planning to use your looks as a defense, are you?
Jin Yoo-hui: It’s more like “make your enemy question their judgement, before unleashing the decisive blow.” Basic battle strategy.
On human nature:
Congressman: The more desire a person has, the weaker they are when faced with profit.
Choi Yoo-seon: If a person who’s always in the spotlight is suddenly hidden behind a mask, in a place where no one knows who they truly are, they’ll inevitably become awkward and lonely. Anyone who approaches them with kindness in a moment like that will certainly be very difficult to forget.
Choi Yoo-seon: A relationship with a man is a long-term affair. Kindness that’s more genuine than others has the power to create a sense of stability. That will eventually break down the barriers to his heart.
Jin Yoo-hui: The less you know someone, the more enticing they seem.
On why a husband cheats:
Choi Yoo-seon: You think your husband was stolen from you? Do you ever think that, maybe, you failed to keep him?
On matching strategy:
Choi Yoo-seon: In this market, it’s assumed you’ll meet many people in order to find the best possible match for yourself. But the most brilliant gem is never the first to be revealed. Would you understand if I told you that this is a strategy to make you more attractive.
Jung Mi-jin: When a man starts liking a woman, he will forget everyone else. Isn’t that correct?
Choi Yoo-seon: Desire isn’t such a simple emotion, especially when it comes to marriage. You must be as careful as you can. The most important thing is to be as sincere as you can without revealing your true self.
On relationships:
Jung Mi-jin’s mom: When you’re powerful, you need people you can trust. There’s no point of feeling betrayed. That just means you lost power. The reason that Sungwon Group betrayed us is because we didn’t have any power. Don’t just hope they’ll trust you. Become someone they need, and trust will follow.
Choi Yoo-seon: Intelligent women will be able to give you a sense of stability and trust. Those are some of the important qualities that a successful businessman’s wife should have.
Seo Hye-sung (to Yung-ju’s son about his estranged mom): It’s a fated relationship. It means it’s one that will last forever, so even if you end up doing something wrong, everything will be forgiven and you’ll always continue to love each other.
Seo Hye-sung (to Hyung-ju about her deceased husband): Isn’t forgiveness something that is always asked for by those who have betrayed us the most?
Choi Yoo-seon: The more you have to protect, the weaker you become.
On preparing early:
Rex’s employee: Could you tell me again how old you are?
Prospective Rex client: I’m 21. I’m a sophomore.
Rex’s employee: And you want to get married already?
Client’s mom: I want my daughter to date someone special. I want her to meet someone of the same status.
Choi Yoo-seon: There’s nothing wrong with preparing ahead of time. Money is power, after all.
On proposing a proposal:
Jung Mi-kin: Propose to me.
Lee Hyun-ju: I’m sorry, I already have feelings for someone else.
Jung Mi-jin: Go ahead and have feelings. I’ve been in love before too. But they always change in the end. You know that already, don’t you? I prefer things that don’t change, like contracts. We’ll have a partnership. A sound agreement with a marriage contract. What do you say?
