It seems K-Dramas centered around wholesome relationships and charming romance have been the it genre for most of 2024. However, if you’re looking for a battered romance dynamic with more trauma dumping and characters fighting through realistic issues, The Trunk will be up your cup of tea.
Released on November 29th, the Netflix series revolves around the secrets of an eccentric contract marriage service made public after a mysterious trunk linked to someone’s murder was found floating by a lakeshore. Although the trunk doesn’t become much of an issue until the end of the series, depression, loneliness, drug abuse and complex emotions are the centerpiece of this series.
The Trunk highlights the complex dynamic between the “temporary spouses” No In Ji (Seo Hyun Jin) and Han Jeong Won (Gong Yoo), who are forced to marry due to a contract marriage prepared by Jeong Won’s wife Lee Seo Yeon.
The rather adult storyline doesn’t shy away from exploring the tangled emotions of love in toxic relationships: selfish desires mistaken as compassion and obsession portrayed as devotion. Unlike most K-Dramas, this series is littered with mature content involving drug abuse, suicide, sex scenes (a lot of butts) and sexuality. While this isn’t much of a jaw-dropping topic in the West, for Korean society this drama can be sensitive and trigger others. With that in mind, it is enjoyable to see more dramas like The Trunk delving deep into the intricate relationships the characters are bound by with all these topics in mind.
The ever-so-handsome Gong Yoo’s character Jeong Won battles with childhood trauma due to the abuse of his father and the indirect cause of his mother’s death. Jeong Won is also a drug addict mixing his prescription medications and frequenting nightclubs for escapism which soon turned him into an irrational insomniac seeing hallucinations. He seems to be so broken and desperate around his wife but cynical and reserved when it comes to his arranged partner. He evolves and escapes this staggering state and Gong Yoo portrays this development well but he has had better character roles. It doesn’t mean this character is bad, especially on his part, but that roles like Guardian were more appealing.
Lee Seo Yeon has been a human crutch for Jeong Won since childhood and ultimately the real inescapable drug. Constantly being there to support him she tires of his needs even saying “It be better if you were dead” on more than one occasion and uses Jeong Won’s clingy behavior against him throughout the contract marriage. She strings Jeong Won along with the ultimatum that if he can survive one year without her as a spouse she will come back to him. At first, she seems quite abusive but she has dealt with various traumas and is carrying a lot of baggage (like the death of her child) due to Jeong Won’s overwhelming dependency. Still, there is little to grow fond of over this character.
One character who takes the spotlight is No In Ji. Jeong Won, albeit hesitant at first, falls hard for the reserved and sharp-tongued No In Ji because she doesn’t hold back in sharing her realistic thoughts and cares for Jeong Won without coddling him. Of all the characters No In Ji seems to be the most interesting as her character appears put together and resilient but her previous love life drags her down now and again. Her previous husband is bi-sexual (still taboo in Korean society) and the failed marriage was also hard for her to part with and caused conflict between her and her mother as well. No In Ji soon found the contract marriage service and began this strange work hobby as a shallow form of freedom- until her deranged stalker resurfaces. He causes trouble and the intensity towards the final episodes leading up to his death keeps viewers captivated. Especially when the murderer who disposed of the trunk is revealed! A very great plot twist involving Seo Yeon unexpectedly.
Although the romance tension between No In Ji and Jeong Won is good it does feel forced at times. Jeong Won treats their relationship as a business deal, with robotic responses, shallow conversations and often references an imaginary manual regarding what is allowed in their pretend romance. No In Ji is sincere in caring for him and he becomes enamored in playing pretend too. Their kiss during the tango scene is sweet but could have been either more romantic or more consensual at least. Jeong Won is quite rash and unpredictable at times, so the unexpected kiss can be his way of preventing No In Ji from rejecting his feelings since he quotes himself as being a “shy and sensitive man.”
Overall, the relationships portrayed in The Trunk are red-flag coded and severely contrast the perfect romance flaw K-Dramas are traditionally known for. Yet, these relationships do exist and having radical themes brought to the surface for discussion is important. Again, it isn’t a groundbreaking drama and Gong Yoo has had better roles but the character is self-loathing and even Gong Yoo stated he “pitied” his life story as it progressed. Abused, lonely despite being married, a walking cliche of “love makes you do crazy things.” His relationship with Seo Yeon should be healthy, but the need to be saved complex mixed with drug abuse forced her into a villain role and prevented Jeong Won’s ability to be a functioning adult. It makes for a good watch and arouses introspective thoughts and standards we have in relationships.
Despite the mysteries surrounding the trunk and the abusive stalker reappearing, these plot devices, unfortunately, aren’t as unique as expected. The mystery behind the trunk is more compelling towards the final episodes as the detectives uncover more information surrounding the owner and the killer but the highlight comes from seeing the character growth. Jeong Won can learn to be independent, even after parting ways with No In Ji and she finds closure with her previous marriage that left her pained for five years. The deep dive into No In Ji’s troubled past as she helps dig Jeong Won out of the depression hole he dug for himself (symbolized through him still living in the childhood home where his mother died) is more satisfying than the trunk the series is named after. ( 7/10)
>> ‘The Trunk’ Receives Mixed Reactions From Viewers Just One Day After Its Release
