K-Drama Review: ‘Kiss Sixth Sense’ A Rom-Com that Failed to Make Good Use of Its Fresh Material

Edited by Hong Hyun Jung
Translated by Kim Hoyeun

Disney Plus Korea, desperate for a hit, has released Kiss Sixth Sense, a drama adaptation of the web novel of the same name. So far, Disney Plus has released Rookie Cops, Grid, and Soundtrack #1 one after another but gained no noticeable results. The disappointing performances of the projects the platform had ambitiously unveiled have obviously led to a drop in people’s interest. Some even say that Disney Plus’s low-performing state is what changes HBO Max’s strategy to enter Korea. Under these circumstances, Disney is in desperate need of a series that’ll enthrall the viewers.

Unlike its previously-released series, Kiss Sixth Sense is based on a hit web novel of the same name. The original novel written by “gatnyeo” was made into a webtoon in six languages, and the cumulative number of views for the novel and webtoon have reached 160 million. The secret to its popularity is its fresh material. The romance between a woman who sees the future when her lips touch another person’s body and a man with overdeveloped five senses stimulates curiosity. Seo Ji Hye and Yoon Kye Sang were cast to paint out the dizzying romance as the two lead roles with abilities.

AE (account executive) Hong Ye Sul (Seo Ji Hye) of Zewoo Planning has a mysterious superpower – she can see the future. This ability kicks in under unique conditions: her lips have to touch someone else’s body. One day, while preparing for a shoot, Ye Sul gets into an accident and ends up kissing Cha Min Hoo’s (Yoon Kye Sang) lips, which shows her an awkward future. The vision she saw was her spending the night with Min Hoo, who had tormented her for the past five years. All the while feeling flustered by the future that she saw, Ye Sul finds herself wondering about him. Around this time, Lee Pil Yo (Kim Ji Seok), her ex-boyfriend from three years ago, returned as a successful film director.

A love triangle between a man and a woman, who bicker nonstop, and the woman’s ex is very familiar, but the unique abilities they have differentiated this one from the others. The theme of seeing the future through a kiss is sexy. But the plot of her accidentally kissing her boss, whom she had zero romantic feelings for, and seeing the steamy romance between the two offers dizzying and ironic fun. It’s only natural to wonder what kind of twists and turns the relationship between Ye Sul and Min Hoo, who showed zero signs of romance, will change in the future. On top of that, the role that Min Hoo’s overdeveloped five senses will play between the two is also a key feature.

However, the overall mood of the play has failed to support this interesting setting. While the drama mysteriously portrays Ye Sul’s ability, it places more weight on the wounds she had to suffer because of it. This is because the show focuses on spotlighting the realistic story rather than the fantasy-based storytelling. However, the problem arises from the fact that the elements of a serious storyline and the lightness of a rom-com don’t blend in smoothly. While Ye Sul and Min Hoo, the two characters with special abilities, are quite serious because of the inconvenience and pain they had to endure, the characters surrounding them are plain and light. This makes the relationships between the characters unattractive, and the temperature of the play is erratic. The dragging development makes Ye Sul and Min Hoo’s romance, which should be suspenseful and thrilling, quite dull. Moreover, the oh-so-obvious comedy scenes are not only so typical but also old-fashioned. Considering how Business Proposal, a webtoon-based TV series released this spring, made a huge hit by emphasizing the cliches, it makes me wonder what it would have been like if Kiss Sixth Sense had boldly underlined its unique material. Or, using good use of the surrounding characters like Beauty Inside is another great choice.

The characters also lack the charms. Ye Sul is a career woman who knows what she’s doing, but I can’t shake the image of her getting dragged around. Especially after that day she saw the steamy future, the way she tries so hard to prove herself to Min Hoo is incomprehensible. It’d have been easier to follow Ye Sul’s changes if the characters were portrayed in a more cartoon-like style. Above all, the existence of Ye Sul’s ex-boyfriend Lee Pil Yo is outdated. How he proposes to his ex-girlfriend out of nowhere is not heart-fluttering at all.

The development up to episode 4 is generally disappointing. If this continues, Kiss Sixth Sense will be another letdown for Disney Plus. But there are plenty of stories left, so it’s not too late to turn the table around. In particular, the trailer for episode 5 showed the love triangle intensifying and the changes being made to Ye Sul and Min Hoo’s relationship. I hope that the show successfully conveys the excitement unique to a rom-com genre so we can enjoy the romance to bloom. (5/10)

Edited Hong Hyun Jung: I am a K-content guide who publishes various articles for people to enjoy Korean movies and dramas deeper and richer. I’ll introduce you to the works that you can laugh, cry and sympathize with.