The Trunk

The show had perfect pacing!! It did such a great job discussing trauma and toxic relationships. This is what I wanted to see for Mr.Plankton. I see that many new directors of this genre are doing abnormal camera shots and music which is great because it's good to see something new. Though I disagreed with some of the characters, especially the original wife, I sympathized with everyone. I loved how the writers addressed being apart of the LGTBQ in a non cliché way(I even think the female lead friend liked her). It made the movie feel real. I thought the first wife would kill herself, but I'm was glad she stuck through. This was really a solid 8.5. This genre is hard to execute well, but the director in my opinion did a good take on it. I loved that the leads were not the typical lovey-dovey couple — that would be unrealistic. Everything about this drama was raw and real, not forced at all in my opinion.

Reading other reviews, I understand why people would think it was dull or drawn-out, but I think it's because they went in with high hopes. I went in knowing nothing, and I guess I was in the perfect mood for this drama.

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Lofi vibe of slow pace actually refreshing

Overall I loved this show, different from what we are used to in other kdramas. Yes the pace is slow but I kinda found it relaxing
Not all storytelling needs to have the same pace or be full of stimuli, or have lots of stuff going on.

Intriguing plot and character arcs, stunning acting, smart use of symbology (trunk, chandelier, house, slippers).

The only thing I found out of place was the explicit nudity (for me it was unnecessary) and the ending, which could have been more impactful. That bit I agree with the mainstream opinion that it was boring.

A one time watch, but worth it!

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It was just Ehhhhhh

So the story of this drama is quite different from the cliche rom-coms, yet it just wasn't fulfilling. The contractual marriage plot did not make any sense and the obsessive ex-wife of the male lead was just a bad character with good acting. The plot just did not make a lot of sense, with many loopholes. It was just a high-budget drama with a not-so-likable plot. Casting I would say is the only thing that stood out in this drama as all the actors did justice to their roles. Other than that it was just ehhhh.

To anyone wondering whether to start it or not, I would say this drama is something that you can pass on. There are much better shows you can watch in the meantime.

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Started strong and fell off midway

Acting was excellent. I saw that this was based on a novel which leads me to believe they shoved too much of the plot into 8 long episodes instead of the usual 16. This leads the show to have a strange pace that increased the further into the show I went. By the end, I started skipping forward in a rush to combat losing interest but wanting to know how it ends. The story is interesting but was not delivered in a way that compelled the viewer to care about certain things - like the murder that takes place. By the end of the show, I felt puzzled and wondered how the main divorced couple even ended up together as they seem like such an unlikely couple. There is definitely a hint of mystery and desire to root for the new wife and husband yet i'm not sure if it's because I liked their characters or because I want to save them from the shitty characters (ex wife, stalker, ex husband of FL) in the show.

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It could have been only 6 episodes

The trunk had a good premise when I first heard about it, but going through these 8 episodes was definitely tiring. Like going around circles every time. The acting did kind of the impossible job to keep this show moving forward, even if it seems like there's no direction at all.

One of the scenes that were kind of cringey for me was the fight in the elevator between the 2 wives. Unnecessary and it's mostly there to show how one of them is worth of his love and the other isn't. I'm not even sure how he got to a relationship with his first wife, since she's this terrible monster. Didn't we miss something? How things happened the way it did? She's apparently just there to be a villain.

Some people mentioned the OST being so good as if that could save this show but honestly it was boring. Maybe 1 or 2 songs are likeable but that's it.

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The series wasn’t bad, but I can’t say it was a good work. As a viewer, it had no meaning or concept for me. The story lacked engagement, and I only agreed to finish it because it had few episodes. The actors and the skills they needed to portray their roles, as well as the connection that should be established with the characters, were handled well. The OST and the music were beautiful and pleasant to listen to, and they were often played at appropriate moments. The relationships in this series were extremely hollow, aimless, and harmful. The characters were selfish and irrational. Humans are not flawless, and I did not expect that from these characters, but at the very least I expected some degree of character development. The characters showed no personal growth; in the end, they simply surrendered to their habits and destructive behaviors and accepted them.

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The Trunk: I Came for the Mystery and Stayed for the Way Gong Yoo Looked at Her

I started The Trunk almost by accident after abandoning another drama because I was bored, and somehow ended up watching five episodes in one night. That probably tells you everything.

This is a slow drama, but I was never bored. And I think The Trunk helped me realise that there is a difference between slow pacing and a story with no momentum. Every episode gave me another question, another piece of someone's past, or something that changed how I understood what I'd already seen. The jumping between timelines worked incredibly well for me because I was constantly trying to piece everything together.

But somewhere along the way, I stopped watching just for the mystery and fell completely in love with the relationship between Jeong-won and In-ji.

Gong Yoo and Seo Hyun-jin's chemistry is incredible, and so much of it is in their eyes. These aren't two characters constantly telling us how they feel. Sometimes it's just the way he looks at her.

Jeong-won starts off almost bewildered by In-ji. She's so guarded and difficult to read, and you can practically see him thinking, Who is this woman? Then that curiosity becomes concern. He wants to know whether she's eaten. He wants to know what food she likes, what music she likes, just these ordinary little details about her that nobody seems to think matter.

And eventually you realise: he wants to know her.

That's what got me.

He isn't looking at her with simple lust. He's fascinated by her. He worries about her. He notices her. When she's in danger, his concern becomes almost frantic. And yet, despite how badly he wants to get through those walls, there's also this understanding that she has to choose to let him in.

In-ji, meanwhile, is so tightly controlled that I spent half the drama wanting to shake her and say, Woman, kiss that man! 😂 But her restraint makes sense. She's been hurt, she's carrying enormous emotional baggage, and she's spent years participating in marriages governed by contracts and rules. Jeong-won becomes something completely different: someone she might choose when there is no contract telling her to.

And I think that's ultimately what The Trunk is about for me. Two deeply damaged people don't magically fix each other. They simply create a place where the other person can begin to heal.

Even the ending worked for me. I actually support them separating and ending the marriage. Their relationship began under bizarre circumstances, when both of them were incredibly vulnerable. They needed to heal separately and discover whether what they felt was real or merely something created by their situation.

So when they eventually run into each other again and Jeong-won reminds her of his idea that if they meet twice by chance, it's fate, and she finally agrees and tells him they only need one more, I loved it.

It's open-ended without feeling unfinished.

And then there's the ex-wife.

Ma'am.

You arrange a contract wife for a husband you claim you don't want, have a gorgeous younger man of your own, secretly watch your ex and his new wife, and THEN decide you want your husband back because he has developed feelings for somebody else?!

That woman stressed me OUT. 😂

But even she was part of what made the story so compelling. The Trunk is full of people trying to control relationships—through contracts, manipulation, obsession, surveillance, rules, and then Jeong-won and In-ji quietly develop the one thing nobody planned for: genuine affection.

It's not My Mister or Hospital Playlist level for me. Those are sitting at the grown-ups' table. 😂 But I'd put The Trunk around my Queen of Tears tier: beautifully acted, emotionally engaging, mature, intriguing and memorable.

And yes, apparently I have fallen in love with Gong Yoo again.

Goblin Gong Yoo was one thing. The Trunk Gong Yoo looking at a woman like he's simultaneously worried about her, confused by her and completely fascinated by her?

Yeah.

That'll do it. 😂

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The Trunk is lost.

Bittersweet, chaotic, and at times confusing—that’s how the marriage dynamics and overall plot of The Trunk come across.

My initial reaction to The Trunk is mixed, leaning both positive and negative. On the brighter side, I appreciated the messy, emotionally charged relationships between the characters. The angst I was hoping for was definitely there. Marriage, as portrayed in the series, is meant to be sacred—a mutual commitment between a man and a woman. However, the story complicates this by intertwining it with greed, and as a result, the characters’ lives become just as tangled.

I truly loved the cast—Seo Hyun-jin, Gong Yoo, Jung Yun-ha, Jo Yi-geon, and Kim Dong-won. The five of them delivered powerful performances, bringing out the emotional weight of one-sided love, obsession, and romance. They gave me the depth and intensity I was looking for. However, even with such a strong cast, the drama itself fell short in some areas. The biggest issue for me was the plot’s overwhelming messiness.

While I understand that the story aimed to explore complex and layered relationships, there were simply too many subplots. Because of this, the drama struggled to clearly define its main focus. Was it about marriage? Obsession? Crime? Even the crime aspect felt disconnected from the characters, making it seem unnecessary. For me, these elements didn’t fully come together, and I found it difficult to grasp how the “trunk” itself tied into all the complications. Everything felt oddly contained despite the chaos.

The drama only truly gained momentum in its final two episodes. That’s when I finally felt the emotional intensity I had been waiting for—through strong dialogue and satisfying confrontations. Unfortunately, those moments came too late, as I wish that same level of engagement had been sustained throughout the entire series.

Still, it was a worthwhile watch. While the plot may have disappointed me at times, I stayed for the actors—and they delivered what the story could not.

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Came for Gong Yoo and Seo Hyun Jin, then left with Jo Yi Geon

The gist of the story would have you go 'Okay, that sounds interesting...' and that is what happened to me. Then I got more enthusiastic after seeing Gong Yoo (Silenced) and Seo Hyun Jin (Why Her?) in the cast. The first episode's opening moments got me hooked and at its end, I was feeling for Jeong Won (Gong Yoo) the most.

IMO the writer and its director struggled with the backstories. The presentation just did not flow seamlessly which made my experience with the series quite unsettling and unfulfilling. Like how episode 2 opened with a totally new character and you're thrown in the past grasping at straws to make sense of it all.

Then there is Yun Ji Oh (Jo Yi Geon/ Cho I Geon) who was forgotten in limbo land for most of the episodes. He was, for most of the time, the a$$holic man candy who was quickly shoved into a hero position to save every one.

Then there's the abusive father. His hospital bed scenes were so unnecessary. It would have been more effective had he been in his virile and vile self, in Jeong Won's and Seo Yeon's (Jung Yun Ha) flashbacks.

The acting I enjoyed. No surprise there. It's what carried me through to the last episode. I just will specially mention that as much as No In-Ji raged to protect Jeong Won, it was her soft moments that I find special. I melted every time No In-ji smiled. But I still enjoyed her several displays of physicality.

The music is enjoyable too. Now where is that rock music available?

Unfortunately, there is little chance I will rewatch The Trunk. But I will look out for a spin off. I am curious about Yun Jin Oh. His transition from keeper to husband-for-hire for one. Also, he was tagged by the writer as cruel. To me he was the most straightforward character amongst the lot. He knew what/who he liked and he expressed it. He also was loyal to the very end. There's very few people in the world like that and I am intrigued how he came to be and why he is so devoted to the crazy selfish bish.

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