Secret Relationships Review: Three Rivals, Zero Boundaries
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Red flags fly high in the Korean series “Secret Relationships”, which follows handsome-cute salaried man Jung Daon, caught in a confusing web of love, deceit, lies, and manipulation.
Directed by Yang Kyung Hee (The Time of Fever/Love Tractor/Kissable Lips), the eight-episode series is based on the webtoon Secret Relationship (비밀 사이) by McQueen Studio. Kim Junseo plays the primary protagonist, Jung Daon, an ambitious young man who has worked hard to leave his impoverished past behind. Daon is in love with his college senior, Shin Jaemin (Kim Ho Young), and just when he believes they might finally be happy together, Jaemin’s abusive ex, Kim Su Hyeon (Jung-Woo Cha), returns to wreak havoc.
Will Daon remain trapped in this toxic love triangle, or will he find romance in the arms of his new colleague, Ju Seong Hyeon (Cha Sun Hyung), who clearly has a massive crush on him? The choice isn’t as simple, because Daon’s feelings for Jaemin run deep, and their shared history has a lot of baggage. ‘Secret Relationships’ serves a messy, crazy love story which operates on inexplicable obsessions.
First off, credit to the casting directors for bringing in Kim Junseo for the lead role of Jung Daon, he’s both handsome and adorable, making it entirely believable that multiple people are chasing after him. However, having been raised in a poor family with an alcoholic father, Daon suffers from severe imposter syndrome that cripples his self-worth, making it difficult for him to navigate his romantic life despite his evident good looks.
Jung-Woo Cha is highly entertaining and despicable as the wealthy, aggressive, violent Su Hyeon, who often huffs and puffs like a wounded, mad animal. He’s constantly flying off the handle, screaming throughout the series, to the point where it becomes almost hilarious how out of control he is. Unfortunately, his character progression makes little sense. “I’ve been running around like an idiot,” Su Hyeon says at one point in the show – and that line perfectly sums up his character.
On the other hand, Kim Ho Young as Shin Jaemin has a more sinister character arc. While many of his actions also defy logic, they still feel in sync with his underlying personality. He seems calm, charming, kind, lovable on the surface, but is scarily manipulative behind the scenes. Brief university flashbacks display how his friendship with Daon evolves over the years, and the kind of influence he wields over Daon’s personal life.
Cha Sun Hyung, as Seong Hyeon, plays the most ‘normal’ character in Secret Relationships. He’s cheery, cute, and a hopeless romantic, head over heels in love with Daon. Seong Hyeon’s screen presence is like a pretty sunflower, he lights up the screen with his smile. Unlike his rivals, he never tries to manipulate Daon, simply offering to stay by his side. Although at times, Seong Hyeon’s behavior borders on low-key creepy, like when he patiently waits for Daon or seems to be following him everywhere. If someone without his cute face and disarming smile did the same things, it would definitely come off as stalkerish. But well, regardless, most of Daon and Seong Hyeon scenes are romantically fluffy and cute, offering sunny breaks in the otherwise dark grim relationship drama.
The importance of communication is probably the biggest takeaway from ‘Secret Relationships’. Most of Daon’s problems stem from his reluctance to talk things out with people in his life, he chooses avoidance over communication. Same goes for the hot-headed Su Hyeon, whose character is under-explored in the show. There’s a lot of university history between him and Daon that needed more screen space for viewers to grasp the complexity of their dynamics.
The onscreen chemistry between the protagonists is great, and all the actors portray their characters convincingly. So, despite a story that starts making less and less sense as it progresses, ‘Secret Relationships‘ is worth a watch if you enjoy messy love triangles. The climactic episode is completely unhinged, violent, but finally brings Daon’s turbulent romantic life to a not-so-messy conclusion.
You can watch ‘Secret Relationships’ on LineTV and GagaOolala.
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