There’s a gripping second within the opening of Like to Hate You the place Kim Okay-vin’s character strides confidently by empty metropolis streets at night time, earphones plugged in. Out of the blue, a motorbike messenger whooshes by to rob a drunk man. However earlier than he can act, Kim enters the scene, unleashing a flurry of exact punches and kicks. On this second, she’s greater than only a hero. She’s a power of nature, shattering expectations and setting the stage for a drama that’s all about feminine energy and energy.
Probably the most compelling facets of Like to Hate You (2023), directed by Kim Jung-kwon, is that it tackles societal sexism head-on. But, what makes it so fascinating is that beneath its sharp wit lies a young, unconventional love story. What begins as a well-known dance of disdain progressively blossoms into one thing refreshingly actual—a romance that leaves you breathless and possibly even slightly modified.
The plot follows Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-vin), a feisty lawyer and an MMA-trained powerhouse who’s spent her profession preventing to dismantle the patriarchy. Witty and sharp, she’s all about justice, girls’s rights, and unapologetically proudly owning her wishes. Her life takes a sophisticated flip when she joins an elite regulation agency that caters to celebrities. Out of the blue, she’s thrust right into a world of glamor, scandal, and Nam Kang-ho (Teo Yoo)—a sizzling film star and family title famend for his swoon-worthy portrayals, who occurs to be one of many agency’s prime purchasers.
Mi-ran quickly discovers that Kang-ho’s on-screen attraction belies his misogyny, making her keen to provide him a chunk of her thoughts, particularly when he enlists her assist in studying struggle strikes for the function of his desires. Little does she know, an image is about to ignite controversy, forcing them to fake to be in a relationship. And whereas they’re faking this romance, their preliminary animosity blossoms into one thing extra significant.
It’s a wonderful journey of progress, respect, and empowerment. Kang-ho’s preliminary biases slowly soften into admiration for Mi-ran. He finds himself enamored together with her daring and blunt nature, her capability to face as much as males, and her unapologetic confidence. He additionally realizes that, in contrast to different girls, she’s the one one who makes him really feel comfy. Mi-ran retains capturing his creativeness, which is punctuated by the best way he seems at her each time—curious, impressed, nearly in awe. That look turns into a mirrored image of how he’s altering as an individual: he’s not simply falling for her, but additionally studying to respect her. When Mi-ran’s mom, who has lengthy felt unseen and unappreciated in her marital life, will get emotional at Kang-ho’s phrases of respect for her daughter, it’s a reminder that mutual respect in a relationship will be extremely highly effective, and that validation can profoundly influence these round you.
One dialog between Kang-ho and Mi-ran after she saves him from an accident is so easy but so highly effective, reflecting the standard expectations that usually suffocate girls. Kang-ho’s query, “Why did you, a girl, have to do this?” is met with Mi-ran’s fast response: “If somebody saves you from hazard, are you actually going to argue why a girl got here to avoid wasting you?” Her phrases slice by the noise of assumptions that ladies are weaker or much less succesful. And as Kang-ho grapples with the implications of her phrases, they problem his personal biases, paving the best way for a deeper connection.
Mi-ran units a precedent as a girl who’s unabashedly herself, even when her sexual life turns into a public spectacle and she or he’s referred to as a hypocrite who loathes males however loves intercourse. The societal hypocrisy is, actually, clear right here: whereas males are sometimes not questioned for philandering, girls like Mi-ran are shamed for a similar. When her ex tries to malign her for her previous relationships, she assertively says, “I’ve lived my life alone phrases,” clapping again at a society that’s typically making an attempt to restrict a girl’s freedom of alternative.
Kang-ho, nevertheless, proves to be a terrific man who loves Mi-ran above all else. Beneath the floor of his fame lie complicated vulnerabilities, challenges, and private struggles. When his company tries to regulate the narrative round his relationship with Mi-ran, it reveals the tough realities of stardom. In Korea’s leisure business, relationship scandals will be career-defining, and the strain to evolve to a sure picture is intense. This scrutiny forces celebrities to calculate each transfer they make. Even so, amid all of the chaos, Kang-ho and Mi-ran’s relationship turns into a supply of therapeutic and progress for each of them.
Like to Hate You can be about lovely friendships, resembling Mi-ran’s regular bond together with her greatest buddy, Shin Na-eun (Go Gained-hee), and the unlikely camaraderie between Kang-ho and his supervisor, Do Gained-jun (Kim Ji-hoon). Whereas the world is busy judging Kang-ho and Mi-ran, Gained-jun and Na-eun’s fixed help proves to be the uncommon type of non-judgmental friendship that provides a distinction to the criticism that surrounds them. So, if you happen to haven’t watched them but, you’re undoubtedly lacking out. Like to Hate You is a superb K-drama, a scathing critique of gender stereotypes, a considerate story about human connections, and a wonderful romance that feels remarkably actual when completely different people problem one another’s views.
