I’m writing this One Spring Night review almost as if it was me just talking to you. Like we just finished it and we’re meeting up at a coffee shop to talk about it. So it’ll be very free form and not very structured compared to my usual Korean drama reviews. I’ll try my best to make it some what structured.
Okay okay…so overall…first thoughts
Loved it. 9/10.
Easily top 5 (maybe even top 3) Korean dramas of all time.
I seriously just felt so pulled into the story because of how real it felt. And I’m going to be repeating this word and idea of how “real” it was because that’s what made this drama so addictive and memorable for me. The romance development felt so natural and all the character interactions felt so genuine. I’ll go on more about this later, but those were like some big points that came to mind.
I typically write down notes for each episode, but after episode 3, I just put the pencil down and watched for pure enjoyment.
Dramas like this or My Mister are good examples of why I love Korean dramas – despite being fictional, the drama feels real enough where it gives me perspective on my own life’s problems and instills hope that my life can turn out better. And I sure as heck hope that I’ll meet somebody like Jeong-In…somebody who won’t judge my own life and would protect me as much as I would want to protect her.
What were your overall thoughts?? Please write them in comments below! I would love to know!
More on my favorite things…
Man…where do I start. The acting, story telling, romance, music…let’s start with the storytelling.
An almost realistic story of love and relationships amongst flawed people
What was realistic to me? The family drama. The pride and ego fights between the boyfriends. The walking on egg shells between friends. The night time conversations between characters.
Aside from the abuse, everything felt relatable. There’s no coincident backstory. No flashbacks. An almost pure storytelling about navigating love and relationships. I say pure because nothing felt like unnaturally inserted. The story just flowed.
I also felt like there was an uncanny emphasis on each person’s weakness or flaw. There’s nobody that’s portrayed as perfect in this drama, and that’s makes the story feel so much more relatable and hopeful. One Spring Night was a hopeful escape in that as I navigate through my own life of love and relationships, I can find somebody who can accept me and love me for who I am.
Some personal analysis on the romance
In one of the later episodes, Jeong-In tells her Mom that Ji-Ho’s son is a big reason why she wanted to be with Ji-Ho, but then I thought…it had to be more than that. But I couldn’t pinpoint it at that moment. So I took an unhealthy amount of time just thinking about their love story…like why were they so in love only after 2-3 episodes?
And I believe what made their romance work was that Jeong-In and Ji-Ho both gave each other what they were missing in life – patience and acceptance.
Jeong-In gave Ji-Ho this non-judgmental love that he thought he could never receive because of being a single parent. She accepted him and his kid with this warm love.
Ji-Ho gave Jeong-In this sort of patience. She was being suffocated with having to fake her love and be forced into marriage. Her boyfriend didn’t care about her feelings. Ji-Ho was the first person to notice her desire to just be happy without needing to feel like she had to get married. He said he would wait for her. And that patience is what felt like a breath of fresh air for Jeong-In.
Was it really cheating?
I personally didn’t see Jeong-In’s situation as cheating, but I can see why people thought that was the case. The breakup wasn’t mutual, so she technically was still with Gi-Seok when she was dating Ji-Ho.
The drama addresses real-life, socially relevant themes
This one is sort of relevant to my first point on realistic storytelling because I felt like the drama did a great job of addressing real life social issues in Korean culture. For example, the drama challenges the idea that single parents are “baggage” when it comes to dating. Another real and relatable example is showing how kids are expected to maintain harmony and marry for stability and pride rather than love.
I’m not Korean, but I see a lot of these issues like social stigma around dating single parents and emotional abuse/toxic relationships in Chinese culture as well.
The deep conversations between Jeong-In and Ji-Ho
I loved loved loved the deep conversations between Jeong-In and Ji-Ho. Having deep conversations is my cup of tea. And hearing them talk their minds out felt like therapy for myself.
It just made their characters feel so much more real and relatable because we truly see why they struggle so much. Their emotions for each other goes against what society, parents, and friends think is right for them.
The one conversation that was iconic for me was in episode 7 – them talking about their feelings for each other and how Ji-Ho would wait for Jeong-In to come to him, even if she got old and wrinkly. And then they shortly did that phone call where Jeong-In tells him not to turn around or else she’ll really fall for him and not let him go.
Like UGH. Why can’t this shit happen to me lmao.
Han Ji-Min as Lee Jeong-In
She seriously did such a great job acting as Jeong-In. She really brought her character to life with her emotional range. I’m not even surprised that she won best actress for that role.
Han Ji-Min was the reason I picked up One Spring Night. I watched her in Love Scout and her character was similar to the one in One Spring Night: a fiercely independent and brave woman who falls in love with a man who has a kid.
But even though the situations sound similar, she made the two characters feel totally different. I couldn’t see a single trace of her Love Scout role in Jeong-In, and that’s what makes her acting so good. She just disappears into the character
Han Ji-Min is becoming one of my favorite Korean drama actresses.
Jung Hae-In as Yu Ji-Ho
This was my first time seeing Jung Hae-In act, and I have to say…I am impressed. His acting really brought the writing to life and captured the realism of a man trying to navigate love while being weighed down by outside judgement.
At first, I thought his facial expressions were sort of boring, but eventually, as the drama went on, those sort of lackluster expressions became important for his character.
Kim Jun-Han as Kwon Gi-Seok
Props to Joon-Han really making Gi-Seok such a great antagonist. He made me pissed off but also feel pitiful for his character, which is interesting because in some way, I would’ve acted similarly if I lost my girlfriend to somebody I thought was ‘less’ than me.
I look forward to watching him in other dramas where he’s not rejected by his love interest. The last time I saw Kim Jun Han was in Hospital Playlist and he was rejected in that drama too.
The open ending for the Father
I liked that the drama didn’t give Jeong-In’s father a clear resolution. We never see for sure whether he accepts Ji-Ho, and I actually think that was a great choice because it gives us two things: first, the freedom to choose whether we believe he does; second, a reminder that parents need time to understand and learn how their children think.
Just because Jeong-In’s mom accepted Ji-Ho doesn’t mean the father would too. Change like that doesn’t happen overnight.
THE MUSIC…how did the music work so well?
I seriously can’t explain what I liked about the music. Every song felt so right and just fit with the drama.
The funny thing is like I thought the music was meh at first. I sort of noticed how small the soundtrack was. They kept repeating the same 5 songs (No Direction, Spring Rain, Is It You, We Could Still Be happy and Spring Waltz) over and over, but eventually, I just found them pleasant to listen to because all the songs seemed to fit any emotion during the drama…sad or happy…even during the deep conversations between Jeong-In and Ji-Ho…
I know for sure that I could 100% identify the songs if I heard the soundtrack years later.
Was there any particular song that you really liked from One Spring Night? I normally pick one as part of my Korean drama reviews, but this time around…I just can’t.
Life Themes
Here were some of my takeaways from the drama that I think really apply to my life.
If you don’t choose your life, somebody else will
We see this so clearly in Jung-in’s family. Her dad is the definition of a traditional patriarch. He’s proud, status-conscious, and obsessed with “saving face.” He pushes his daughters into marriages they don’t want. Seo-in, her older sister, wasn’t able to push back, but Jung-in fights desperately for her own life and happiness because she knows that she would just end up miserable if she married Gi-Seok.
So fight for your life. Choose your path and vision that would make you feel not just happy but also fulfilled. If not, somebody else will, and it may leave you bitter and resentful.
Be patient with your parents
Our parents didn’t grow up with the technology, culture, or choices we have today. So it makes sense that they might not understand why we live differently…like why we pick certain careers, relationships, or ways of thinking that go against what they believe is “right.”
But they’ve been patient enough to deal with us growing up. They see past our mistakes, our phases, and our stubborn moments. So maybe it’s our turn to be patient with them.
Be up front with your feelings
This drama showed that hiding your feelings can backfire badly…like when drunk Ji-Ho suddenly asked Jeong-In if she was going to leave him. Thankfully she forgave him, and we see how him confessing led to a more open and honest relationship.
This is definitely one of those ‘easier said than done’ actions. I 100% need to tell myself this everyday. I don’t know where I got this from or why I do it but I hide my feelings when it comes for having feelings for somebody else. Doing it has backfired on me every time…
Have friends who can challenge you
It’s important to have friends who can support you, but it’s also important to have friends who will challenge you when making tough decisions. They are the ones who provide perspectives to help you better evaluate a decision.
We see this so well with Jeong-In and Yeong-Ju and Ji-Ho and Hye-Jung (his fellow pharmacist).
One Spring Night Quotes
I typically write down quotes as I watch dramas, but this time around, I barely did any of that. I still got some good ones, which I’ll share below. Let me know if you found any solid ones! I love me some good quotes 🙂
Episode 1
“Fun is something you find, not wait around for.” – Yeong-Ju to Jeong-In
Episode 7
“I don’t know what I want in terms of a boyfriend or a husband. All I know right now is that I’m not happy with my current situation. I know very well that no relationship burns passionately every day and it’s impossible for couples to never hurt each other. You can call me immature if you want, but I still long for those things. A relationship that I’m not the only passionate one and the kind of love where I don’t get hurt. ” – Jeong-In to Ji-Ho
Episode 10
“I’m not one to put on a calm face when I’m exploding in the inside. Just like who you don’t hold back when it comes to Eun-u, I can’t sit by and take it while others trample on my feelings and decisions. I’d rather face it and let it shatter than avoid the situation.” – Jeong-In to Ji-Ho
Episode 12
“Only the person itself ever changes. Feelings can shift depending on the moment, but not human nature.” – Yeong-Ju to Jeong-In
Episode 16
“When it comes to children, the more you expect, the more you’re let down.” – Jeong-In’s mom to Jeong-In’s dad
Final thoughts
I am so incredibly glad that I watched One Spring Night. Fantastic story telling through raw and beautiful acting, writing, and music.
It’s something I definitely will re-watch in the future…whether its because I’m going through relationship issues or just wanting something to watch. I just know there are other aspects about the drama that I missed in this review.
Also, I think I might be sticking to more…like realistic dramas…dramas that explore real life situations. Maybe it’s just the trend I’ve been on recently…
I know that this isn’t a final goodbye to One Spring Night. It’s just a see you later.
I hope you enjoyed my One Spring Night review.
Cheers!
