Some K-dramas start out poorly before developing their premise. Others make a powerful initial impression before fading away. The Interest of Love does both of these things inexplicably. This program not only gets off to a horrible start, but it also manages to fight its way back into relevance with a surprising number of excellent episodes before utterly losing it by the end.
When it comes to K-dramas, JTBC has a very tumultuous past, perhaps having produced both the best and the worst shows in recent memory. Sadly, The Interest of Love belongs to the latter group. It’s a pity though because, after a rocky first few episodes, this romance drama actually has a lot of anxiety and suspense, good character development, and some excellent progress.
To go back a little, The Interest of Love is set at KCU Bank and features four people attempting to find love. Sang-su, a hopeless romantic, has been smitten with his coworker Su-yeong ever since he first lay eyes on her. Su-yeong, however, isn’t sure what she wants and swings back and forth in her feelings for Sang-su, especially after a first date that doesn’t go well.
Soon, Su-yeong develops a love relationship with the bank’s security guard, Jong-Hyeon, while tenacious newcomer Mi-gyeong, a childhood friend of Sang-su, develops a relationship with Sang-su. However, the two begin to understand where their true hearts are.
The narrative makes an effort to depict the realism that comes with fleeting feelings and how one cannot avoid doing what the heart desires, yet the way this play presents its tale leaves more to be desired. To be fair, the characters do develop, but there isn’t nearly enough of it, and the program moves at such a glacial pace that you’ll feel your time has been wasted by the time you reach the disappointing conclusion.
But this story really shines in the middle run of episodes. There are some excellent lessons about working hard, enduring, and doing the right thing, as well as taking a chance and being open about your genuine feelings, but the lack of clear direction makes everything muddy.
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However, the soundtrack is the one aspect of this that really stands out. An outstanding OST for The Interest of Love features some wonderful songs that perfectly portray the drama and angst that this show dabbles in throughout the course of its 16 episodes. The songs Dice Game and Symphony stand out in particular.
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This is undoubtedly not your standard cliched romance, but it also isn’t a very realistic slice-of-life drama. The show makes an effort to be cerebral and express something profound, but symbolic allusions and visual imagery only get you so far. You will become disinterested if they don’t have strong arcs and you aren’t invested in their adventures.
And that really sums up this show. The show The Interest in Love had a lot of potential and the potential to be fantastic. However, a mediocre story that never quite lives up to its potential squanders that opportunity. This is a drama you should probably avoid even though it does include some insightful and deep truths that get buried in a sea of indifference and tedium.
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