Edited by Kim Won Hee
Translated by Kim Hoyeun
As a follow-up to the controversial drama Snowdrop, Forecasting Love and Weather had its premiere recently. The meeting of “rom-com queen” Park Min Young and heartthrob Song Kang in the Korea Meteorological Administration (hereinafter KMA) had made headlines from the start, and as if to wash off the stigma of the previous drama, the show started a plain sailing with favorable reviews from episode one. Starting off at 4.5% ratings, it soared to 7.8% in the most recent episode, episode four. What is the charm of this drama that has captivated the viewers?
Forecasting Love and Weather depicts the brutal(?) romance between four distinct characters within the KMA in a realistic yet dramatic, romantic yet plain way. Moreover, the story moves at a brisk pace and much faster than expected, so there is no room for boredom, presenting viewers with a fresh and gripping shock.
There are four main characters – Jin Ha Kyung (Park Min Young) and Han Ki Joon (Yoon Park), the couple that met at work and is about to get married, and Lee Si Woo (Song Kang) and Chae Yoo Jin (Yura), who have been dating for a while and living together. Both couples hit a rough patch in their relationships and end up breaking things up when Jin finds Han and Chae having an affair at the home she prepared for her newlywed life. The end of their relationship takes an unexpected shift when Jin gets furious at the blatant attitude of Han, who secretly took the things from the house he handed over to Jin as compensation then demands her to go halves the profit made from selling the house since the market prices have spiked high. And surprisingly, all of this happened in just one episode.
Even from then on, the story doesn’t slow down, making it impossible to take your eyes off the show. Without ever feeling frustrated with the development, Jin lays into Han in front of all the KMA employees, pointing out his silliness. The romance also unravels in warp speed. Jin and Lee, who start to have feelings for each other, kiss while being drunk and even spend the night together, heralding a change that’s to come in their relationship. Going back and forth between the spicy soap opera and refreshing office romance, Forecasting Love and Weather captures the attention.
While illuminating the intertwined relationship of the characters, Forecasting Love and Weather also adds freshness different from the other office romance dramas through the place called KMA that we barely know about. It presents various weather problems such as hail, sudden heavy rains, storms, and abnormal temperatures, and the characters do their best in their respective positions by predicting and carefully forecasting weather changes through the collected data. The drama delicately showcases how the KMA is closely related to the survival of farmers and fishermen and its important role in ensuring citizens’ safety, such as traffic problems.
It’s also intriguing to see how lines related to the weather start and end every episode and describe the changes in characters’ relationships. Like a small signal in the data foretelling an upcoming weather anomaly, the four characters’ relationships reveal signs of warning from the beginning. While explaining how every person feels wind chill temperature differently, Forecasting Love and Weather shows how the same memories remain at completely different temperatures for the people. And through the line “the wind leaves a trace, no matter how big or small,” it tells how the “affair” left a scar on Jin and Lee. As such, the theme of weather has adequately melted into the story of Forecasting Love and Weather, making the show even more appealing.
From the heart-fluttering start of a romance to the nasty breakup, being in a workplace relationship means even the things you never want anyone to know are bound to spread throughout the company. And unless you transfer to a different department or change your job, you have to face your ex every day. Jin, who got the worst taste of office romance, has vowed to never get involved romantically with her co-workers. But she admits to being attracted to Lee and begins this “damn office romance” once again. Han and Chae, who got married after dumping their longtime partners, will strike a snag as they continue to collide with their exes. The path waiting in front of them; is it sunny or rainy? We look forward to the upcoming stories unfolding in the unique combination of KMA and romance. (8/10)
Edited by Kim Won Hee: I am a person who needs more than 24 hours in a day because there are so many things I love. I am amassing various genres in the jewelry box in my heart.
Translator Kim Hoyeun: If you are a fan of K-drama, K-movie, and K-pop, I am your guy. I will continue to provide you with up-to-date K-entertainment news.
