Destined With You Review: Rowoon, Jo Bo-ah’s ‘love-sick’ drama is irresistible
The new K-drama, ‘Destined With You’, starring Rowoon of SF9 and Jo Bo-ah is a blend of traditional Korean folklore with modern romance. The series is about a legendary cursed lawyer whose redemption lies with a outcast civil servant. Read our review:
In Short
- The new K-drama series ‘Destined With You’, starring SF9's Rowoon and Jo Bo-ah, has been praised for its blend of comedy, vulnerability and an intriguing premise involving a cursed lawyer and an outcast civil servant falling in love after a mishap.
- Rowoon’s significant evolution since ‘Extraordinary You’, showcasing a wide range of emotions, while Jo Bo-ah's portrayal of Hong-jo's character is mature and immediately empathetic.
- The series, crafted by experienced writer No Ji-sul, manages to balance humour and romance effectively.
Fantasy and K-dramas hardly go wrong! The new K-drama ‘Destined With You’, starring Rowoon of SF9 and Jo Bo-ah of ‘Tale of Nine-Tailed' fame, blends traditional Korean folklore with modern-day romance. But it isn’t all that simple!
‘Destined With You’ is about a lawyer, Jang Shin-yu (Rowoon), who is tortured by a centuries-old curse. The key to his freedom lies with Lee Hong-jo (Bo-ah), a civil servant, almost an outcast. On the other hand, Shin-yu is anything but an outcast. He is famous, a recluse and amongst one of the most sought-after lawyers.
Hong-jo is an upright person, but her personality doesn’t go down well with people around her. While Shin-yu deals with a never-ending curse, Hong-jo deals with a modern-day curse of being an outcast. Together, they get entangled in a ‘love-sick’ drama propagated after an accidental mishap.
The buildup for the story of ‘Destined With You’ is funny and makes for an interesting start. The layering of the characters is also intriguing, which adds to the interest in their individual story alongside their relationship together. For now, the writing does a good job at maintaining a balance between comedy and delicate vulnerable moments.
Watching Rowoon act like a love-sick male lead is such a delight. As Shin-yu, the actor finally gets to explore an array of emotions. From appearing cold and straight-forward as a lawyer to transitioning into a romantic hero who has no control over his emotions, Rowoon has certainly evolved since the ‘Extraordinary You’ days.
On the other hand, Jo Bo-ah truly brings a lot of vulnerability to Hong-jo. Her scenes really tug at your heartstrings. Bo-ah's mature portrayal of Hong-jo makes you empathise with her character almost immediately. What also helps is her camaraderie with Rowoon, who is exceptionally comfortable and light. This makes them a fun pair to root for.
Writer No Ji-sul, who has had experience of blending history with romance and comedy with ‘100 Days My Prince’, does it again with this series. There are moments where the writer uses meta cinema to poke fun at the absurdity of the situation. In scenes like that, Rowoon really shines. Imagine having no control over your emotions and saying lines you don’t mean, but also mean! Yes, the absurdity is funny and likeable, so far!
The only drawback as of now is the OST, which hasn’t left a tingling aftertaste, like ‘King The Land’ perhaps did. But, there have only been four episodes. As the drama unfolds, and Shin-yu and Hong-jo tackle unexpected situations, it will be interesting to see them overcome their personal hurdles!
This review is based on the first four episodes. The drama is currently streaming on Netflix, every Wednesday and Thursday!