Something in the Rain 밥 잘 사주는 예쁜 누나 Review

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The 2018 Korean drama starring Son Ye-Jin as Yoon Jin-Ah and Jung Hae-In as Seo Joon-Hee. Also known as “Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food.”



Brief summary: Yoon Jin-Ah is a troubled businesswoman who considers herself unlucky in love. Seo Joon-Hee in Jin-Ah’s little brother’s best friend and has returned from the US after 3 years determined to satisfy his long-term crush. His persistence does him merit, because this pretty noona (who takes him out to eat occasionally) is ready to fall for his charms. But their relationship path may be a little more difficult than either of them expect.



We have to applaud this drama because it marks the return of Son Ye-Jin to dramaland after a five-year hiatus and is also Jung Hae-In’s long awaited lead drama role. These are reasons enough to watch “Something in the Rain” in the first place!



The romance and feel-goods pick up pretty quickly in this drama. This is probably because the majority of the drama is really about how to keep that relationship going in the face of opposition. It’s understandable, although I’m sure most k-drama viewers like me are used to expecting longer development.

The main characters did confuse me a little. Seo Joon-Hee seems to be the perfect guy, so selfless and kind. And yet our main female character Yoon Jin-Ah struggles so much to make the relationship work! At first I liked Yoon Jin-Ah, but by the end of the drama I don’t think she really deserved Joon-Hee. It seemed like she was less willing to invest in the relationship than he was. If he had asked ME to run away to America with him, I’d have said yes in a heartbeat. I think a lot of this dram is about balancing self-sacrifice and self-gratification in a relationship. I tend to idealize relationship as all about the sacrifices you make for your significant other, but I realize that in a healthy relationship you can’t keep giving and giving and yet get nothing in return. Watching the main characters in the last part of the drama must have been irksome for me because both characters were looking for that part of the relationship to take with them instead of that part to give.



This drama’s OST seemed to be based on two songs that made me feel like I was watching an American 90’s film: “Stand by Your Man” by Tammy Wynette (AND the Dolly Parton version) and “Save the Last Dance for Me” by The Drifters. Both were fitting considering the content of both songs and the plot line, but we could add Phil Collins’s “You Can’t Hurry Love” to the mix as well :).



“Something in the Rain” also has a considerable amount of long, quiet pauses. I’m only putting this note in my review to tell you DON’T WORRY, the camera IS still rolling.



We also see some cameos from stars like Z.Hera, Heo Jung Do, and Seo Jeong-Yeon. Watch for them!



I think the one reason I’m not giving this drama that final star is because of the nature of the plot (especially in the second half). Seo Joon-Hee and Yoon Jin-Ah’s relationship faces so much hostility for what seems too trivial to cause real concern. It’s not like Seo Joon-Hee is a kid with a dangerous past, or the families are like the Montagues and Capulets, or that the age difference is even that big (I’ve seen BIGGER gaps). Both Seo Joon-Hee and Yoon Jin-Ah are consenting adults and they are not blood-related in any way. That’s enough. And yet the drama focuses SO much on the families’s resistance to their dating. I believe it was just a bit excessive and the writers could have done other stuff with the screen time wasted on that part of the plot.



This drama was well produced and contained a lot of talent! A cute one, especially if you’re in the mood for a romance. 4/5 stars!