Romance in the House

Potemkin Family Villa

"There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman. Some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me. Only an entity. Something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours, and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable, I simply am not there." -from the opening monologue of "American Psycho"

While no one in "Romance in the House" is chopping unsuspecting victims to bits with an axe while jamming to Huey Lewis and the News, this drama is not hip nor square nor a shape of really any kind. It's an amalgamation of scenes and characters and workplaces and drinking scenes and backstories that not merely don't add up, but don't make any semblance of an impression at any point.

No actor and character, whether lead or supporting or guest, connects convincingly with any other. Perhaps it's a function of how stock the roles are - the driven, young, humorless corporate salarywoman, her flippant younger brother, the cute boyfriend that's both connected to power & money and with a tragic family backstory, the collection of stereotypically nosy supporting characters, the office gossipers and the former hero athlete. To his credit, Ji Jin Hee goes full tilt to bringing Mu Jin to life, but there's nothing to connect him to. Kim Jee Soo's Ae Yeon is so busy being resigned to her fate that their rekindling romance never feels credible. Meanwhile, Son Na Eun thankfully gets a role that isn't the petulant pretty girl but she overcompensates by being so grim and cranky that she comes across as an unpleasant scold. And Choi Min Ho is simply not a lead actor. He's a cute and chipper supporting gem, but he simply can't express any emotion other than wide-eyed aw shucks surprise. Even when he's acting out a scene where he's supposed to be in a rage or inconsolably sad, he looks like, on the inside, he's just jazzed about the mint chocolate chip ice cream cone with extra sprinkles on top that he'll get as soon as the director yells "CUT!"

The plot attempts to gin up tension by concealing the mystery of Mu Jin's whereabouts for years, his reason for suddenly returning and how he acquired new wealthy status during his absence. The issue is that the tone of the production makes it impossible to imagine that all the hints and speculation of possible illicit means being involved could be true. With no believable mystery of whether Mu Jin has a dark side, there's just a lot of aimless and circular meanderings until the inevitable pairings and reunifications conclude.

The result is much like Patrick Bateman's description of himself - an empty shell - only without the catchy 80's pop tunes and exquisitely crafted business cards.

Not recommended.

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Even though i was expecting it, i am mad at the ending

So there seems to be a bit of bad blood between fans of the dad's actor and the fans of the young leads, not sure why, apart from complaints about him not being in enough scenes. Personally i think all the lead actors are pretty good.
The show itself is shot pretty well and overall solid execution.

Spoilers (rant) ahead:
Personally though i just hate the dad character and from the first episode i knew that the "happy ending" was gonna be him being accepted by the family. I have seen some people mention how its nice that the family is healing and stuff, but like how? He was gone for over a decade then he came back and just forced himself into their lives. They were strugling for so long without him, the daughter basically had no life trying to help with the family. Then he comes in after he has money and tries to win them over. But like he didnt do anything, besides flaunt his money, to make them like him. They tried to redeem him by showing that he got scammed and then he tracked down the scammer and beat him up and then got money from a family member of another scam victim. Like ok, so what? He did that while his family was alone for over a decade. He could have spent that time working and sending them money at least, but he just needed to heal his ego. Like there was zero redeeming qualities about him,
The mom still loves him, ok, thats fine i guess, she knew him before he became a fuck up. But the way the son acted clingy to the dad was pretty annoying, though maybe a bit understandable, since he was small when the dad left and didnt know much.
But the daughter accepting him being back towards the end was so terrible IMO, there was no redeeming actions from him. If anything he acted so smug with her, if he at least was humble and apologetic (there were a few scenes, but too few and too little) there might be something, but as it was he should have been kicked out. And the last scene of them eating together all happy was like a slap in the face.
Also the gossipy neighbours were annoying.
Her love interest being the CEO's "son" was unnecessary IMO and didnt really lead to much of anything"

The show is watchable for the relationship of the young couple and the relationship between the mom and daughter, but IMO anything to do with the dad is very disappointing.

Honestly if the ending was that at least the daughter didnt accept the dad i would have scored this show much higher

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every single one of the characters

even though i knew for a moment the drama was about the parents somehow i forgot and kinda started watching it because of minho ??? so i was still pretty sad they didn't come out that much AND I KNOW WHY

looking at my rate y'all would know that i'm gonna say bad things because it's not that i hated it BUT it wasn't my fav drama so far and i have A LOT to say about it

aeyeon and moojin: i didn't root for their relationship lmao it was good that they just decided to live separately but i dont think they should have got back💀 moojin was kinda like a d*ck, must because he called aeyeon a sl*t the first time he asked her for a second chance and she told him no. aeyeon... i think she was pretty okay but it looked like she didnt know how to be authoritarian and almost let mirae do everything about what aeyeon should do and wasnt the best mom. btw i kinda have a love-hate relationship with the moment she decided to kick out mirae because i understood the reason she did it but also made me feel like wtf was wrong with her but okay

mirae: i kinda hated her. even in the first moment. because i dont think there was a good reason to dislike (hate???) her father. yeah, he was a d*ck and listen, i did relate to her because of my daddy issues but the "reason" she had to dislike him wasnt that deep in my opinion. although i think it was quite stupid to not want her parents to get back ??? like,, why??? its none of her business, even if her father was an assh0le her mom was a mf grown adult- dont you think she was old enough to know what to do or not???💀

hyunjae: sigh. he stressed me out. A LOT. i think he was SO immature. their parents didnt let him start his own business and he wanted to run away??? how old are you?? one time, he told someone (i cant remember if it was mirae or aeyeon) that nobody asked him what was his opinion when their parents got divorced/separated... he was a mf child, and even if he was old enough, why would his parents even ask him his opinion??? you know nothing, and you dont have any right to give your opinion. yes, he is their child but it was something between his parents. again, as the youngest child, i relate to him but i understood the thing he couldnt at idk, 13??? at least they made him get a job🙄

taepyeong: the only good thing about this drama was minho <3 his character was so good and full of green flags, he really took care of mirae <3 and also, the relationship between him and mirae was so cute ngl even tho i just said sh*t about her :3

i think the 6 i gave to this drama was because i pretty much cried at some scenes, when mirae and moojin talked after mirae had hurt herself in the bicycle and when mirae and aeyeon talked after her mom kicked her out. its something i could rescue about it

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Roupers in the House...

This is one of those dramas that is a little bit hard to rate as it has a lot of good but is cluttered by annoying characters and low, really low humour that at times made me cringe as well as could be interoperated as a bit offensive.

As the drama has lots of gossipy over the top characters . those who like the tenants n Vinchenzo, and the village people in Hometown chacha chat will probably love these too. I on the other hand get really annoyed by them. And my oh my there is so much gossip in this dram that you may come to the conclusion that the best move in life is moving out to a desserted island to live alone...

However I do like the Gilmore girls dynamics between the mom and the oldest daughter. I especially love the daoughters stubborness, coffee addiction and the way she interacts with her male lead.

The dog is cute as a button,

While I say I like the daughter the most all 4 leads as well as the relationships, flirting, dynamics and what not are relly, really good... Give or take, as a few moments that made me a bit mad and oh how I wish to see someone stick to the hate... but overall these are not bad,.. not bad at all.

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I loved watching Byeon Mu Jin's hijinks to win over his family!

The mystery has been solved, and we now know how Byeon Mu Jin became rich!

Many might think that the answer to this question is the premise to this storyline, sadly it isn’t. The show focuses on the changing times and its direct or indirect effect on familial ties. Although the show is hugely centered around Byeon Mu Jin’s attempts to reconcile with his family, “Romance in the House” is not just a love story. Its atypical melodrama that revolves around a father-daughter’s estranged relationship. The drama tries to reconnect a disjointed family who were separated because of unlikely circumstances. That doesn’t mean, they start living together; the Byeon family exists as individual units as they find their own “Happily Ever After”. The show seemed to hint at the precursor that families don’t always need to stay close; they can exist individually, as each of them seek their own happiness.

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/09/19/romance-in-the-house-series-review/#more-1189

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healing show with realistic family dynamics

I really think the people rating it so lowly just don't empathize with the characters. I truly saw myself in this show. While my life is not exactly like the characters in the show, the family dynamics were like looking at a mirror. I truly empathized a lot with the daughter, and it made me understand and view the perspectives of my own family members differently. There isn't heavy plot twists or exciting drama, it's just real. Don't expect this show to be any more than it is, and I think you'll enjoy it.
Its not a perfect drama, but I think it was an enjoyable watch all around for a family melodrama. The pacing is a bit slow sometimes, and the romance is a bit boring, but in a way it's more realistic because of that. There isn't petty conflict between the FL & ML added just to add drama, it really is just focused on the family dynamics and self-discovery of each of the characters.

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Unlikely story but with lovely and consistent characters

A friend recently told me "it's not that most men are evil and bad, just that a lot of them somehow become incompetent when they get married"

And while watching this drama, the dad's character Mu Jin reminded me of what my friend is saying. He can have the best intentions, but it has exhausted his family.

This drama is not your typical kdrama, hence it got quite a bit of hate from kdrama lovers that prefers a bit of melo and tragedy in their comedies as is usually expected of com-com kdramas. I really enjoyed every bit of it and am happy they didn't drag on to the usual 16 episodes length. It kep being light and fun throughout while approaching different family dynamics and its long term side effects on its members. My only critism would be that they managed to resolves all issues that usually would take years to unravle without truly diving enough. However, it would've lost its light touch if they did.

There's a lot of critism about the mom character Geum Ae Yeon but she was the one I was able to understand most. Did I condone all her actions? Certainly not! But her actions her consistent with her character. The daughter's character Mi Rae annoyed me numerous times throughout the drama but given her character history, it just made sense. At the end of the day it was a family that had love there, but did not do well in the communication department which caused the damages it did.

The ending was a good as things can get. It might not be to everyone's taste but made sense to me. The only thing preventing me from giving this rama a higher rating is how it all felt synthetic. I just feel like the ideas were there, the conversations reveal a meaningful going into the creation of the characters. It just could have dived a bit more for authenticity.

It's a flawed drama with flawed characters but overall but and worth the watch.

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A family towards healing and reconciliation

finished 8.5/10 💞✨
A drama focused on family and healing... overall there were things I liked and things I didn't like so much.
Mirae was my favorite character, I identified a lot with her because I have also gone through the same thing of taking care of and taking care of my family.
Her romance with Tae Pyeong was another thing that I also liked... a couple nothing problematic with a very good chemistry 🤍
The mystery plot surrounding the dad and how he earned the money bored me a lot.
Also the character of the father at first seemed super heavy to me and with a huge ego.
It kind of got better in the end and I liked that everyone stayed as a family and the parents weren't forced to get back into a relationship.👏

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I personally liked it and was looking forward every week for the new episodes. It wasn’t a masterpiece, but light and enjoyable to me. It was mostly a family healing drama

No big angst or problems and absolutely no annoying love triangle. I think it had some good funny moments and the mystery was intriguing me at first with the landlord death and the dad money.

The young couple :
I actually loved them. I liked watching their scenes and the development of their relationship. I also think they got good chemistry. For me, I think it was refreshing to see a couple when the characters meet for the first time and slowly fall in love. Not friends (when they already know each other or were friends when the drama begins) to lovers or childhood friends like we often see.

The parents :
I was interesting in how their story would turned out. In the end, I think we could say they were both kinda bad parents… but they both know they made mistakes

The families relationship:
- I liked the bound between mother and daughter.
- I like Tae Pyeong and his father : I really like this 2 and their relationship, we could see how they cared for each other and I liked their ending/last scene together
- the brother was annoying most of the time, but I think we got to understand why he was like that.
- the development with the 4 was okay. I liked the scenes in the restaurant where they said they believe the dad.

The ending :
- I liked that the dad became the coach for the kids baseball team. Suitable ending for him
- just like Tae PYeong ending, doing what he likes by teaching taekwondo to kids
- the mom doing her thing and the daughter too. They spend a lot of screen time with the jobs of everyone, but it’s okay. Maybe we could have gotten more romance for both couples
- the son : he matured and looking for a job
- the parents ending: I actually liked it and I think it fits. Her wanting to leave alone for now, I think that’s good. They are still dating and they still live in the same building, so not a problem to see each other often. Maybe later on they will live together again after some time
- the younger couple : it was okay. I found it weird Mi Rae thinking though. She wants to date for the rest of her life ? Doesn’t it also mean for her to keep living alone in the future ?
- the last scene, a meal with the family and everyone being happy and the little bickering, I think it wasn’t bad. I was thinking her boyfriend could have been there. The picture with all of them at end :)

Other comments:
- loved the dog ahah he was a paid actor and so cute
- I think the couple with the hairdresser and the tax accountant was cute
- the neighbors were mostly annoying
- the reveal for the secret behind the money was a bit disappointing, maybe I was expecting a big twist after all the mystery. Like the mystery with what happened to the landlord too
- I’ve seen comments, I don’t think the acting horrible
- I like that it was only 12 eps, I think the flow of the drama was good.

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recensione

Quanto mi mancherà questo drama che si è concluso in maniera stupenda e per nulla scontata ❤️

Mi ha piacevolmente sorpreso, incentrato su una famiglia ma in particolar modo su madre e figlia e di come negli anni abbiamo dovuto cavarsela da sole nonostante mille difficoltà... una figlia che caccia via il padre di casa per proteggere sua madre dai fallimenti costanti del marito ... un uomo che per dieci anni sparisce per poi tornare carico di soldi...

Ci hanno fatto credere di tutto ...è stata una storia molto comica ma anche molto profonda ...il tono utilizzato in questo drama è stato costante e ci ha portato grandi soddisfazioni ...

Il padre che non è mai riuscuto a realizzare nulla ma ha portato la sua famiglia a sfasciarsi per i suoi continui errori si è riscattato perché comunque nel suo cuore ha sempre avuto solo la sua famiglia al primo posto e torna per loro per dargli finalmente ciò che meritano..

La figlia che è cresciuta troppo presto e per sopperire alla mancanza di un padre ha dovuto perdere la sua fanciullezza e diventare presto adulta dimenticando la gioia dell'essere semplicemente una giovane ragazza con sogni e desideri ...

Una madre che ha sempre vissuto solo per i suoi figli e mai per sé stessa, che ha perso di vista i suoi sogni e le sue passioni senza più avere ambizioni per la sé...

Un figlio che potevano valorizzare meglio ma nell'ultimo episodio anche lui apre il cuore alla sua sofferenza e all'essere sempre stato messo da parte perché ritenuto troppo piccolo ...

Una famiglia che alla fine si ritrova finalmente unita scoprendo il perché di tante parole non dette e la necessità di fidarsi l'un l'altro dialogando per essere di nuovo uniti...una famiglia che ritorna a rispecchiare i proprio ruoli e a vivere la vita che desideravano per sé stessi ..facendo diventare piccole cose ricordi importanti ...

Tanti attori di contorno che hanno reso il tutto più armonico, divertente e intenso come il nostro choi min ho ❤️

Un 8 più che meritato ❤️ avrei dato qualcosa in più ma...un po' più di Romance non mi sarebbe dispiaciuto ?

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