Seeing Clearly

The Korean drama series Twenty-Twenty might seem like a typical college romance story, but it surprised me in a lot of ways. While the romance is understated and elegantly slow, it is woven through with weighty issues like bullying, Tiger moms and familial disintegration, and how that affects those who experience it as they cross the threshold into adulthood.

New college freshman Chae Da Hee (Han Sung Min) has a very strained relationship with her mother (Bae Hae Sun), whose strict rules and demanding expectations have made her perpetually miserable since middle school. Mom, who is unmarried, doesn't allow Da Hee to date, socialize or even think for herself. While she exhausts herself trying to please her mother, by the time she begins college Da Hee is on the brink of emotional collapse. She tries to fit in with the other twenty-year-olds, but Mom won't even allow that and barges in trying to control everything.

Da Hee also has two other problems: Jung Ha Joon (Park Sang Nam), a popular guy at school who shadows her all the time and in his own way is as over-protective and controlling as her mother, and Lee Hyun Jin (Kim Woo Suk), a very quiet boy she knew in middle school who accidentally witnesses an ugly scene with her mother. It's obvious both boys like Da Hee, but only Hyun Jin seems to understand and respect her (we find out why during flashbacks of their middle school days.) Things get even more interesting when Da Hee begins to finally rebel against her Tiger Mom and think for herself.

I thought Han Sung Min was superb as a confused and miserable girl trying to find her place as a new adult despite huge obstacles. Kim Woo Suk really surprised me with his performance as the son of indifferent career-obsessed parents, too. His acting seems almost too low-key at first, but is really beautifully subtle. Park Sang Nam is actually a little scary in his part; he does a great job showing a huge range of personality without being obvious. My only complaints are that I thought some of the bullying backstory could have been explained a little more clearly, and Ha Joon's motivation for aggressively shepherding Da Hee justified a little better.

There are twenty episodes of this drama (no surprise there), all under 25 minutes in length, so it's easy to watch. The story-telling is nicely done, and the very chaste but heartfelt romance between Da Hee and Hyun Jin charmed me. All of the actors all do a great job with their roles, too. Available to watch on Viki.com.