El Interés del Amor (2022)

expect to discover the paths, challenges, regrets, pain, burden of an realistic relationship

not to be so biased about this drama, even if many people hated it, but it was a pretty good watch. It's not everyone's type of drama to look forward into, from the beginning the drama has so much potential. Describes how realistic relationships represents about temptations, regrets, challenges, and burden represents their relationships especially the ml and fml. So, I'll try to explain how this drama ended pretty well, but an expected open-ending. Especially why I rated it a 9 out of 10. It must be given a try.

Story and Plot:
So, the story talks about the colleague workers, starting how Ha Sang Soo started to fall in love with An Soo Young from how he entered to work in Nara Bank's Yeongpo branch. The story of how he ended up falling in love with Soo Young, the challenges from handling his work and his love life during the time he was falling in love with her. Up until they had unexpected consequences between the both of them, started to draw other's paths from having a relationship that they challenge to forget themselves from the way they looked at each other romantically. Park Mi Kyung, a college schoolmate of Ha Sang Soo, where she entered to the bank as a worker and falls in love with him until Sang Soo decided to work this relationship and how it would made him forget Soo Young. As well as Soo Young, who ended up with Jung Jong Hyun, a security chief who works at the same branch with them of how he confessed that she liked her. Then she decided to have the relationship and how she could get their relationship. That's how the story started to get messy, the path they decided to go with, the regrets coming in when they started to do what they decided to do, which is forgetting themselves from how Sang Soo and Soo Young developed misunderstandings and feelings of affection. Now with the story, i got a little spoiled from social media platforms, especially on tiktok, then I decided to go with the flow of this drama, with lots of expectations and guesses. Lots of twists, ups and downs, but then the sotry was realistic and fortunate.

Well, the plot seems to tell us about their background story of the characters, how the characters portrayed the story. When the moment I was reading the plot, the word "scandalous office romance" tells the drama well enough. but not that really noir and dark, not the other kdramas that I known. So here, the story and the plot was okay for me.

OST and Cinematography:
So, I'm so excited to type this part of my note/comment since the ost and cinematography gave so much atmosphere of every scenes. Before I forget, shoutout to the osts that gave the feels, Dice Game and Shadow Love. Gosh these two top osts from this drama gave it all! From intense scenes and cliffhangs from the ending of some episodes made me think twice that I should watch it asap! Overall for this area, a good editing and great timing with the osts playing each scenes that could bring me to the feels.

Character and Casts:
Well well well, here I am and I have so much to say with this area. Yoo Yeon Seok as Ha Sang Soo, hmmm it's my first time seeing him in my existence of being a kdrama fan, but he was so good for this role. I don't even know why kdrama land made him not receive any good roles for him like this, but actually he was so attractive with his role. With his character, hmm Sang Soo was pretty annoying tbh, but I get it how he wants to get into the way he want to live his life to be with Soo Young, and then he shaped his life between his working life and love life. How he managed to make decisions related to any part of his life, especially involving to each main characters of the story. phew I loved him from the beginning, ehem the actor I mean hahaha i fell in love with his looks :')) gotta look fro bts scenes after this. Now, with Moon Ga Young as An Soo Young, well with less emotions her character made me confused, because its like she made Sang Soo's life complicated, and she made the first move to make him confused and keeps on lying at him just to get away from his life and try to forget the things Sang Soo did and say to Soo Young. buuuut, in the later part, I get to like the way she decides regarding with her life plans. As well as Sang Soo :')) they were too good for each other. Moon Ga Young has a great role for this drama, but I guess she needs to make an impression for her next drama roles or like a new type of character that I might like her more as an actress. She has a little bit of potential tbh, and she is a promising actress after watching her from find me in your memory last year. Now i'll go with Geum Sae Rok as Park Mi Kyung, well her character was too greedy and selfish, craving for love and passion from Sang Soo, since she fell in love with him since their college days. She was really annoying, but gave me a decision to like her due to character development. As an actress, I saw her from Class of Lies, well no offense, i was not really rooting for her but then youth of may to her role, she gets so much better until the 3rd time with this drama, she got great roles. Not to forget to mention, she was a pretty good one. Last but not the least, Jung Ga Ram as Jung Jong Hyun, well the character was too much expectations from Soo Young, to their relationship to be specific. The way he handles his life tells me that he was such a jerk. Like he's more the asshole than the ml tbh haha. Soo Young deserve so much better other than him but I also felt bad at the same time because of how she gets pity with his future plans. Not with the actor, he was pretty good from love alarm 1 and 2, he also got the good role as well. Overall, the casts must have the great script to be developed, so that I'll have no intention to hate some of them, but all of the casts were good, with character developments made it better.


Overall, this drama was pretty good, but not to mention how the script was quite bad written. Some episodes especially the last few episodes were dragging. But with the story, even if I was never been involved with any relationship (still single from the day I was born haha), I could sense and feel the pain they had, from their temptations to trial and errors of having an relationship that must never happen, crossing paths, and regrets that changed their entire lives. They made me cry, honestly Sang Soo and Soo Young's relationship, I got wasted for the both of them, huhuhu wished it was a good ending in the other universe but again, a open ending to expect.
Good for binge watch, but not good for beginners, it needs patience and understanding. Great for time kill, especially the last eps were quite long.

Now on the brighter side, looking forward to the casts next projects!! Yoo Yeon Seok and Moon Ga Young, had so much chemistryyyy!!! rooting for the main casts other future roles!!!

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You don't want to recommend this drama to anybody

Some people say this is a realistic drama. I beg to disagree. I hope nobody's life is that messed up. The writers tried their best to show us some reality in work life, I must say many of these work-life experiences is real. But, about the personal life, the writers made it a total mess. It was a ride full of angst and negativity that the viewers had to witness for the last 8 weeks. You don't want others to experience the same angst and negativity unless you have some enmity toward that person.

Story: The drama does have a story. It is a story of hesitation, misunderstanding, and wrong choices. And also the story of cheating. Full of negativity. I could give this drama 8/10 for the story because the writers showed perfectly what they wanted in this drama. They were successful in their job. But, I don't approve of them spreading that much misunderstanding and negativity in this drama. This is bad, this is not a good practice. Although this is a work of fiction, you don't want to learn anything from this drama. You just want to forget all those bad things that happened in this drama and don't want to affect your real life in any way. So, I gave 5/10 for the story.

Acting/Cast: 9/10 for acting cast. Both ML and FL are good actors. They showed they can act in any role they are given. They perfectly portrayed what was needed for their characters. Yoo Yoon Seok is a very good actor. Just like his character in hospital playlist, he showed very good acting in this drama too. Moon Ga Young exceeded my expectations. She did a tremendous job. I hope to see her in more mature roles in the future. Other supporting characters also did their best. Overall, Acting/Cast was very good.

Music: The music was also good. The background music and OST's were good, I must say. So 9/10 from me.

Rewatch Value: 1/10 from me. Sorry, Nobody wants to experience the same frustrations and negativity again for a second time. It's better to forget the drama. Don't think of rewatching it again. One time is more than enough.

Overall ratings: 6.5/10

I don't recommend this drama to anybody. If you want to make your mood down for some reason or want to get frustrated for some reason you can watch it.

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"Emotional Damage!"

This drama is intriguing if you know what you're in for, and extremely frustrating if you don't. This isn't a true romance drama, at least not in the traditional sense. It's not exactly a love story either, but more a story about pursuing love... or running away from it. Many people watch romantic KDramas for the escapism of a 'soul mates who are meant' to be story or a 'love against all odds' story. Instead, we have a slow-paced drama about longing, obsession, denial, misunderstandings, toxic behavior, and emotional damage told in a more realistic way. The opposite of the escapism most people crave. I found the female lead enraging at times and the male lead frustrating, but I also couldn't look away. Yes, the leads have chemistry, but it's the kind of palpable chemistry that makes you torn between rooting for them and raging against them. This drama makes you seriously question what makes a relationship worth fighting for, or can it only be considered a love story if the love works out?

It stars Yoo Yeon Seok as the stoic and dependable Ha Sang Soo, and Moon Ga Young as the stubborn and guarded An Soo Young. What I liked is that both characters felt non-cliché. Sang Soo,'s puppy dog eyes often made me feel bad for him while Soo Young.'s deceptive but pained smile made me both furious and sad. They are both messy, although it's clear that the female lead is much messier, and sometimes just the way they looked at each other could fuel the emotion of a scene. Then we have Geum Sae Rok as the spoiled romantic Park Mi Kyung, and the equally romantic Jung Ga Ram as small-town boy Jung Jong Hyun. If you hate love triangles be warned that this one is a love square most of the time and even ventures into love pentagon territory. Connections between the leads often get intense, depressing, and cringy... but never boring (although repetitive).

Would I watch this again? Not likely. I think the performances are great but what was exciting to watch the first time would probably just be upsetting if I watched again knowing the ending. Also, the story, although it follows a clear timeline, felt pretty one note at times. Boy pursues girl. Girl runs away. Repeat. Sure, it's not always as simplistic as that but that's still the main formula. The theme can be a downer as well since not one couple in this drama is drama & dysfunction free... well maybe one, but that's because they don't include them much in the story.

Overall, this drama is an acquired taste. We love to see stories of people who find the perfect match and live happily ever after, but what happens if you meet someone who sparks interest and desire but fear, misunderstandings, society, and past hurt get in the way? What if you love someone much more than they love you? What if you don't trust love at all? I understand why some viewers would not be interested in a drama like this, but I think I appreciate the imperfect love story it aimed to tell. I can even appreciate the reflective and bittersweet ending. This is one of the rare KDrama moments where the title is actually perfect. Whether it's about getting in the way of your own happiness, or regret, or accepting that every relationship isn't meant to be just because there's interest, it is definitely the kind of story that could have you reminiscing about any love unrealized. Still, This cast and this drama definitely held my interest, so if you're up for it, it may hold yours too.

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It is up to you to decide whether this is worth your time. I liked it, but you might not.

***Huge Spoilers Ahead***

I don't know if I'm writing what I feel at all, but I decided earlier that after seeing a beautiful ending today, I'd write a review for viewers like us who have loved this show for so long. But honestly, after witnessing how it ended, I have no hope that this review will be useful for them.
After hearing the final line of the 15th episode, I started a bad conflict in my head, and I'm honestly disappointed that the actual ending is so consistent. However, after watching the 16th episode, I realised that the show was a bittersweet version of one that aired the previous summer. And that is the one we are all familiar with: "2521."
I'm not going to compare the two shows right now to show how they're similar. But the real point I'll make is that after watching ending of this show, I realised that while the ML and FL in both shows were the best options for each other, they weren't meant to be together.
And because I finished watching "2521" as part of my daily routine, I don't think I'm as upset by the ending as I was last year. I will also say that I will not be sorry that I watched these two shows in the future, because even with endings like this, I will still say that I enjoyed both of them.
But what if I was asked if I hadn't watched the show and if I didn't know how it ended? Would I knowingly start a show like this? I'm not sure what the answer is to that. Maybe I would have done it then, maybe I wouldn't have, but the chances of not doing it were definitely higher...
Finally, for those who haven't seen this show yet or are considering starting it, the only piece of advice is to avoid making decisions based on how others feel. Read both sides' arguments, then ask yourself what the final decision you're willing to make out of this is.
Lastly, I'll say this: I wish you a "happy watching" experience.

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I’m Interested in You.. until you are very uninteresting

I’m a huge pessimist about things so I don’t know if this drama will be a full melancholy or if it will be lighthearted. So far it’s a calming watch as the plot and setting are easy to follow. I think the name of this drama is really clever, as the main characters work in a bank. he promotional wall warn you of love square.. it’s a melancholy and won’t be fast paced or tropey… whatever

As for the first episode .. I really liked it. It doesn’t seem like the plot is too much for the show to handle, and I think it will follow a slice of life with characters opening up about their backgrounds and we will learn why they are the way they are. The main two characters are both very likeable. I love this upwards trend of respectful men that are caring.. very green flags here. It’s so heartwarming to see a man simply cherish and care for someone, the main character has been pining for the main girl but he isn’t overbearing about it. He has been working with her for years and hasn’t pressured. He admires her from afar.

Yoo Yeon Seok is the main lead and he is the green flag. I really love his character so much, he is just a really good person and the first episode shows many examples of that. He is also a handsome guy and it’s nice to see how this actor can stay in a lighthearted drama, but sell a completely different character so well. The feelings he has for Ahn Soo Young are very wholesome and I love how we can see this coming from an adult man. I see a lot of high school dramas portraying crushes and those are fine. To see a grown man feel excited and get worried about how to react for someone is interesting since I haven’t seen it too many times. Especially done where he is just so respectful and cautious.. the guy gave her his jacket when she was climbing a tree. He notices her and does small things for her without making a big deal out of it or holding her accountable.


Ahn Soo Hyun is a very interesting. She is very soft spoken and takes care in what she does. She has ambitions to move up in her job but isn’t too overly confident. So far I’m the most interested in her story, why is she so calm? Why is she so nice? I understand why the lead pines for her, she is really just an intriguing girl that people want to be around. She’s appealing and the first episode sets it up for a story between the two that could be very satisfying. Moon Ga Young does a great job with her character, as I saw her in Tempted playing basically the opposite of this character. Although she can come across as cold in some scenes, there is a reason to why she’s holding up a wall. With this being a melodrama I believe she isn’t just one sided and harsh; I want to see why she gets cold and harsh and how she can thaw out.

This drama isn’t too amazing /yet/. The trailer makes it look like it will be dramatic in the right places and tugging at the heart strings for others. I’m looking forward to see how this show develops and so far it’s a gorgeous modern drama with bright scenes, like likeable characters, and an easy going script to back it up. Yoo Yeon Seok is such an amazing actor. Honestly saying that is an understatement. Even in the first episode he’s already got me feeling just as anxious and down bad as he is

None of the main characters are bad people actually which is refreshing. But they fumble the bag with the resolution between the characters. It’s just. It engaging.

A sore spot of this drama is that the conflicts revolve around relationships. Which is something I don’t usually like and it tends to drag a bit. But with the addition of new characters coming in it keeps things interesting and keeps you wondering. The longer time you have with the characters.. it just makes you not like them as much. There are decisions made that don’t have to. I understand that it doesn’t exactly make it bad writing.. but as for engaging me it wasn’t doing it.

Finishing up the drama I must say it really dragged. Like I had to skip a majority of the last two episodes because it was just going over old things. What needed to happen took so long. I honestly grew to not care and it’s too bad because aesthetically I was really enjoying this drama at the beginning. The last three episodes just lost its touch. It was just boring.. and I usually like the dumb and stupid dramas- but this one just wasn’t fun to me anymore. It’s too bad.

I did really like the osts and I wouldn’t go as far as to say don’t watch it. I wouldn’t tell someone to watch it either honestly.

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An imperfect story about imperfect people

This drama is not for everyone, especially if you’re looking for a definitive happy ending. This is a tale of love and love lost. It’s thought provoking and challenges you to question your own willingness to take risks for the sake of love and happiness. It evokes deep emotions and makes you reminisce on all the missed opportunities and what if’s in your own life. The pace of the story is well suited. There’s no timeline on love. If you’re destined to be together, fate will find a way to bring you back to each other.

Kudos to the actors and production team for putting together a piece of work that I’ll continue to enjoy. The ensemble cast was fantastic and their character portrayals were skillfully executed. The OST was perfection and captured every emotion of these flawed characters.

Highly recommend.

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Mature and emotional drama: More of a character study rather than romance

My rating of a drama really depends on how engaged it kept me, if the characters were compelling, and the story is unconventional. I kept coming back to The Interest of Love every single week. It’s a well-written show with great direction and well-developed characters. The last few four episodes especially the finale dragged out, but still not so much that I couldn’t watch it anymore. Although I admit that I came to the ending after a gap and that ways I was able to look at it from a fresh perspective. I wanted my rating to reflect my overall experience with the drama and not just the ending. I’ve watched so many k-dramas, where I’ve been really excited in the beginning but watch it fizzle out toward the end. I wanted to follow the story of IOL till its end and rate my experience throughout. It is a complex and mature love story, and unlike anything I’ve ever watched in the romance world of K-dramas. I feel that the drama is underrated on MDL, but that’s my opinion since I was completely hooked on to the show. The interesting part about this show is that it’s essentially a love story, but it also considers social class and hierarchy, and how that can affect personal and professional relationships. It also portrays the leads in a refreshing and nuanced manner. I’d a good time watching this show and if you’re in the mood for watching a serious romantic drama, give this one a shot! One drawback may be that there’s not much levity or comic relief, so at times the show can feel intense or emotionally heavy and draggy, but if you enjoy the angst and longing, you will probably like the show.

Comments on MDL have been hugely divisive around the lead characters, particularly the FL. Although, the characters were sometimes frustrating, I still found them mostly relatable and realistic…their emotions raw and messy making them very human. What I appreciated about the show is that none of the characters are good or bad, they are all flawed and vulnerable, who sometimes make terrible decisions. So, the FL is a diligent worker who’s really good at her work but has been overlooked for promotions due to her educational background. She’s kindhearted, loyal, and compassionate, yet she can also be stubborn and not communicate her feelings well, to the extent of being self-destructive. Then, there’s the SFL, who’s wealthy, manipulative, and slightly obsessive. Yet, she also takes pride in her work and wants to make it on her own professionally without her father’s support. So, these characters are very nuanced, and that’s what I loved and appreciated about the show. Just like in the director’s other show (Do you like Brahms?) the FL is complex, she’s quiet, fiercely independent and strong. I loved Ahn Soo Young, and Moon Ga Young plays the role like a queen. A quieter and more serious turn for her after her role in True Beauty. I admit that at times, I questioned Soo Young’s motivations and decisions, but the more I thought about it, the more I could see how her past influenced her romantic decisions. I think her fiercely independent and serious character didn’t go well with some audiences because the writers don’t justify who she is by using a mental health issue or a really traumatic history. Even though she’s had some trauma, I think the reasoning behind her actions is perhaps too simple and too real for audiences to grasp why a FL should be so unpredictable. Even if, not all of her decisions made sense to me, I still found her relatable in many ways. The relatability was in small things, such as her taking time off whenever she was struggling, or her looking for more space in her relationship when she was feeling low, to me these characteristics were very comforting. But again, that’s why I love about K-Dramas, good writers put a lot of thought into the characters. Ultimately, the show is about Soo Young’s growth and her finding what she truly loves to do ~ a path that is true to who is. More power to Ga Young and the writers of this show, I hope they continue to bring such female leads to life on the screen. The ML is also unconventional, in the sense that he’s cautious and not aggressive. This is different from other dramas, where the ML almost always takes charge and beats the SML and takes every chance to get close to the FL. The ML here is relatively quieter and lets go of the FL, and respects her decisions for the most part.

The complexity of the characters in the show also extends to their relationships. Unlike most dramas, the second leads are just not there waiting for their chance, but they actually get a chance and then things happen…as it would in real life. All four characters’ situations are truly entangled, and they feel real and complex emotions. I think this drama is out of the norm in the way that the FL is truly conflicted in her feelings towards the male leads, which is refreshing. Most dramas I’ve watched are too scared to explore this, and the leads are typically oblivious to what the second leads feel for them. In that sense, this drama is mature and realistic. Although, the drama still plays it relatively safe and is not as bold as it may appear at first. I felt the makers couldn’t commit to what they were going for at first and spent a lot of time in the last few episodes trying to clean up the leads’ acts. As realistic as the show is, I felt that some characters were holding on to their relationships as if they were in a marriage, so that part to me was unconvincing. In real life, break-ups can be more brutal than how it was conveyed.

Of course, Moon Ga-Young and Yoo Yeon-seok sparkle in this show, but I also enjoyed Moon Tae Yoo as Kyung Pil and Seo Jung Yeon as Sang Soo’s mother. I also really liked the OST and just the overall vibe of the show. I would recommend this show if you’ve liked Something in the Rain or some other quieter shows. I personally, didn’t find the show to be as slow as some other shows like One Spring Night and My Liberation Notes, and to me those shows were really slow. The Interest of Love has decent pacing, except in the end, which for some reason happens to almost every other K-Drama, which is pretty annoying and disappointing. If you haven’t watched this drama, this is a great time to binge watch the show. The director does rely on cliff hangers to keep the audience hooked, so at least now you won’t have to wait for a week racking your brain as to wtf is going to happen next!! Also, I wish the makers would have promoted the show as slice of life drama or character sketch rather than romance, as I feel the viewers would have then appreciated the non-romantic aspects of it more and been more forgiving towards it.

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Is This Really Love? Or Interest In Love?

Ahn Soo Young is a beautiful, hard-working 4 year employee as Chief Bank Teller at KCU Bank. Due to her past experiences and personal difficulties whilst growing up, she does not believe that she is destined to be happy.

Even with her stone face and distant demeanor, Ha Sang Soo under her mentorship when he first joined the bank, gradually found himself drawn to her as he grew through the ranks at the workplace. One day, he finally musters his nerves and asks Soo Young for a date. However, he was late arriving the dinner venue and was seen by Soo Young hesitating for a moment before entering the restaurant. Soo Young re-acts in a devastating manner and hence the possible relationship between her and Sang Soo spirals off to different directions. They then inadvertently paired themselves with respective partners whom I found were really well suited to them. However, like a ‘moth to the flame’, Soo Young and Sang Soo continues to be drawn to each other.

Soo Young has self-esteem issues and does not easily give herself permission to be happy. Sang Soo is a guy who takes life and relationship seriously, making him cautious in his thought process. Will such two un-confident energy ever find love?

I found this drama really angsty as I yearned to see the two main leads coming together. One might even find many moments really slow, but these are the moments where this type of drama requires one to sink into the scenes and emotions, which had my attention. Whilst waiting for that moment, I thoroughly enjoyed the stories with the second leads as well as the entire ensemble of family, bank colleagues and office politics. The entire drama was cleverly weaved in these really complicated relationships. Moon Ga Young was ‘horribly’ good as Soo Young and Yoo Yeon Seok (normally, whom I always enjoy watching his macho go-getter roles) was ‘horribly’ good as the mild, cautious and hesitant Sang Soo. So frustrating to watch and yet able to make me appreciate the flow and the tension.

This is not your normal love story drama, and this is why I enjoyed this so much.

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