Now, We Are Breaking Up – Full Review
Welcome to Now, We Are Breaking Up – Full Review. A team leader for a famous fashion company falls in love with a free-lance photographer, but a secret from their past could make it impossible for them to be together. If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
Now, We Are Breaking Up
♥ Aired: Nov 12, 2021 – Jan 8, 2022
♥# of Episodes: 16
♥Where to Watch: Viki
♥Genre: Romantic Drama
♥Starring: Song Hye Kyo and Jang Ki Yong
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The Story
Ha Young Eun leads the design team at a successful fashion company. After her first love ghosts her with no explanation, she devotes her life to her career and avoids any emotional commitments. One day she meets a handome photographer who threatens to tear down the walls she has built around her heart. But the two of them share an ill-fated past that could make it impossible for them to ever be together. Is their love strong enough to stand against social and family pressures?
The Leads
Song Hye Kyo as Ha Young Eun
Ha Young Eun is a successful team leader who designed her own fashion line at a big company. Her friend’s father is the CEO of the company, and while Hwang Chi Sook is a director there, Young Eun has spent years doing Chi Sook’s work and cleaning up her messes. Young Eun meets a photographer in Paris while working, and the two have a one-night stand. When he shows up in Seoul and begins to pursue her, she is tempted for the first time in years to give love a chance. But things get complicated when she finds out that he is the brother of her first love. And while she has spent years thinking that her first love had abandoned her without any explanation, she discovers he was actually killed in an accident on his way to see her. Young Eun quickly realizes that her feelings for Jae Guk are more important than his connection to her past, but unfortunately, neither of their mothers are willing to overlook their sad history.
After having her heart broken in her youth, Ha Young Eun has become cold and reserved. She has no interest in long-term relationships. Instead of romantic love, she is devoted to her two best friends and her job. Song Hye Kyo has played this kind of emotionally distant role in other dramas so it’s nothing new. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like playing this same kind of role over and over again gives her the chance to grow as an actress or show off the complexities of her talent. For me, the character was flat and uninteresting and I never felt like I understood the motivation for her decisions.
Jang Ki Yong as Yoon Jae Guk
Yoon Jae Guk is a free-lance photographer whose work is in high demand. He goes by “J” in the fashion world and everyone is familiar with him and his art. After meeting Young Eun in Paris, he decides to spend some time living and working in Seoul. He leases a studio and sells portraits and ID photos. When he finds out that Young Eun is the woman his brother had been in love with, he is curious about her. But he is also afraid of her reaction when he tells her who he really is. He becomes determined to win her heart, regardless of her connection to his brother or his mother’s strong disapproval.
As an illegitimate son, Jae Guk grew up in the shadow of his older brother. When his brother died in an accident, he was left feeling alone and guilty. I really love Jang Ki Yong, but I feel like we have seen this overly optimistic guy in love with an older woman before. There was nothing new in this performance, and while at first I loved his stubborn optimism, the forced smile seemed to become more strained as the story went on.
Supporting Characters
Choi Hee Seo as Hwang Chi Sook
Hwang Chi Sook is one of Young Eun’s best friends. She is rich and spoiled and constantly requires Young Eun to come in and fix her problems. She is a director in her dad’s fashion company. She falls in love with Jae Guk’s best friend, who runs his own PR company, Vision PR. Though she is very immature in the beginning, the events of the drama help her to become more responsible.
Kim Joo Heon as Seok Do Hoon
Seok Do Hoon is Jae Guk’s best friend. He owns Vision PR Firm. He is organized, mature and meticulous. He falls for Hwang Chi Sook but in the beginning, Chi Sook isn’t interested in him at all. Fortunately, his charming personality eventually wins her over.
Park Hyo Joo as Jeon Mi Suk
Jeon Mi Suk is Young Eun’s other best friend. She is the only one of the three who is married and has a young daughter. She finds out that she has pancreatic cancer. Once she accepts the idea that she is going to die, she helps her friends and family embrace the time they have together.
Things I Liked
♥ Friend Trio
While many of the relationships in this drama felt unrealistic and forced, I did enjoy the friendship these women share. Their interactions seemed sincere and honest. Especially after they find out that Mi Suk is sick. The way they band together to make the best of a painful situation was touching and sweet. Their interesting perspectives on love and loss made their conversations thought-provoking, even if I didn’t always agree with their opinions.
♥ Fashion Show
While I didn’t find the fashion industry backdrop of this show to be very interesting, I really liked the online fashion show. Watching Mi Suk proudly strut her stuff while her friends looked on tearfully was one of the few times I felt sincere emotions for the story. Mi Suk was able to make her modeling dream come true and contribute to her friend’s success along the way.
♥ Ji Min
The young actress who played Mi Suk’s daughter, Ji Min, was a bright spot in this otherwise dreary drama. Her innocent bravery was inspiring to watch. If all adults could roll with their punches the way this sweet girl does, the world would be a better, stronger place. The joy she showed while visiting her mom to show off her award at the end was so bittersweet and beautiful. I hope to see much more of her in the future.
Things I Didn’t Like
Chemistry
As I said earlier, I really love Jang Ki Yong, which is why this drama was so disappointing. He and Song Hye Kyo never seemed to find a natural chemistry that made their relationship feel real. Recently, in an interview, Jang Ki Yong himself called their interactions awkward, and I would have to agree. I just never felt it with these two.
Shin Yoo Jung
Another character I really disliked was Shin Yoo Jung. It seemed to me that Young Eun was much more a victim of Soo Won’s secrets and accident than the villain. Blaming Young Eun for Soo Won’s actions is ridiculous, especially after so much time has passed. While I understand that Yoo Jung must have been hurt by all of it, her actions were unreasonable and petty.
Moms
These moms were all horrible in their own way. Even Mi Suk’s mother-in-law, who we only see briefly, is cruel and selfish, while having no idea how sick Mi Suk is. I couldn’t understand any of them. They were short-sighted and didn’t seem to care at all about their own child’s happiness, all the time using their age to somehow justify a wisdom that was sorely misguided.
The Ending
“Now, We Are Breaking Up” doesn’t end any stronger than it began. Young Eun and Jae Guk agree to peacefully go their separate ways, even though Young Eun is very tempted to accept his invitation to move to Paris with him. So Jae Guk goes off to have a show in Europe and Young Eun starts her own label. Hwang Chi Hyung and Jung So Young join Young Eun at her new label while the rest of the gang stays at SONOS to carry on their work. Chi Sook and Do Hoon finally make up and things seem to be going in the right direction for them. Two years later, we find Soo Ho adjusting to life as a single parent. For now, Min Kyung has decided to step in as a big sister for Ji Min when she needs it, but she and Soo Ho are not romantically involved. Ji Min visits her mom’s grade and proudly shows off an award that she won. Chi Hyung and Do Hoon are taking the next step and moving in together. Jae Guk is back from Paris and goes to another fashion show in Busan, where he is hoping to run into Young Eun. As he walks through the city, watching for any sign of her, the crowd splits and she is standing in front of him. The two stand smiling at each other and that is it. The end, or maybe the beginning?
Should I Watch
“Now, We Are Breaking Up” is a romantic drama revolving around the fashion industry. The story is meant to show the ups and downs of love and relationships. If you like heavy, modern love stories that focus on angst and troubled relationships, this might be an interesting watch. But, for me, I felt like the drama really wanted to be poignant and full of feeling, but the characters lacked the development to pull it off. Although the cast brings some big names, I found both the stories and characters to lack any relatable, emotional depth. I give “Now, We Are Breaking Up” an 6 out of 10 ramen.
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