100% agree with the fact that this was a relationship between consenting adults (I mean, case in point, CZ Jones and M Douglas: 25y age gap, 24y together). Also, the age issue was explicitly dealt with and was a core part of the plot (and frankly, very clearly advertised in the drama description, so if one went to watch all the episodes only to complain, they have only themselves to blame, and zero credibility). Not that I would have objected if they had decided to leave it at "two consenting adults, nothing none of anyone's business, move along", as in other cases of age-gap romances. In that respect, I personally tend to enjoy Noona romances very much, and the secondary couple in this drama helped scratch that hitch for me.
To be honest, though, that's not something that I saw much complaint about in general, in fact pretty much any mainstream publication I saw praised it for the incredible chemistry, and the way the writer/director succeeded in her goal to give a realistic portrayal of female desire. In this respect, related to "power imbalance", one thing the writer/director said in her interview was that she wanted to make ML the economically weaker party, and give the FL the economic power, breaking with the traditional CEO dating their subordinate schema.
I do have to point out that the secondary couple was a Noona romance where there was a power relation/dependence, in that on top of an age gap there was also a boss/subordinate relationship. Personally, I was completely unbothered by it: the "CEO dating their subordinate" pattern is just so common in cdrama/kdrama, and frankly it's part of the complication of the relationship that made watching their relationship in the drama appealing.
In fact, I can think of various examples with power relations where one party is dependent on the other where I found that the romance/relationship was handled okay: the classic example would be the critically acclaimed Secret Love Affair, where the older partner holds the economic and educational future of the two decades younger lover in their hands, pretty much the biggest power imbalance I could think of. Also, plenty of other couples with such a power imbalance, from Marry My Husband to other Noona cdramas where FL was dating the intern, to the couple in Queen of Tears, etc. Not to mention examples such as Grey's Anatomy: it's clearly not only about the CEO plotline in kdramas/cdramas.
At the end of the day, as a show viewer, this is not really a deal breaker for me, as long as the power imbalance is not exploited, the same way the potential to get a bribe does not equate to actually getting a bribe. I mean, I guess it depends on what we are talking about exactly. Obviously a situation where one of the parties lived in fear and walked on egg shells around the other because they feared that if they offended them they would lose their job and their livelihood would be in danger would not be a desirable situation for anyone involved, and it couldn't really be called "love". I must say that would also point to a fundamental lack of trust. On the other hand, realistically speaking, under other definitions of power imbalance, Jeff Bezos, etc. would never be able to date another human being if we looked for power parity, or there could be cases such as a stay at home dad or mom who is economically dependent on their partner, or wouldn't be able to live the same life if they split up, a problem that is only partially addressed by alimony during divorce, given that that applies only to marriages, etc... I guess that what I am trying to say is that, as in any aspect of consensual relationships between adults with agency, it is pretty hard to give some hard and fast rule (consenting adults being, of course, the non negotiable premise: by definition someone under the age of consent cannot... well, consent). It's good to be aware of the potential for exploitation, but to me it was simply not a deal breaker in this drama's secondary couple, etc.
I do acknowledge that there is probably some cultural difference here in that in the US people tend to frown on workplace relatiosnhips, which is very much not the case in places like Germany (I mean, one just has to look up the Walmart case where the multinational company tried to butt in, and was promptly put in its place by the court).
Though, I have to say that, again, the CEO with subordinate plot line is so common in cdrama/kdrama that it simply comes with the territory. Again, personally I had absolutely no problem with the secondary couple's relationship.
Actually, again, in contradiction to the point about US views of workplace relationships, I'll have to point to series like Gray's Anatomy and say: well, it's not just about the CEO plotline in Korean/Chinese dramas.
Agreed, it's just common sense: we are talking about a relationship between two consenting adults (and I find…
The writer/director mentioned how, for example, she had wanted to make the ML the financially weaker person, and to make the FL the one with more economic power in the relationship, a contrast with the usual CEO cdrama/kdrama.
Not that I have anything against the CEO plotline. I was going to make a comparison between the US and other nations such as Germany in terms of workplace romance (in Germany, it's safe to say that the attitude is much more relaxed in that regard, Walmart learned in court not to interfere in their workers' personal life), but then I remembered about Gray's Anatomy... Clearly not a question of just CEO plotline in cdrama/kdrama. Not that I have anything against the CEO plotline, to be clear.
To be honest, though, that's not something that I saw much complaint about in general, in fact pretty much any mainstream publication I saw praised it for the incredible chemistry, and the way the writer/director succeeded in her goal to give a realistic portrayal of female desire. In this respect, related to "power imbalance", one thing the writer/director said in her interview was that she wanted to make ML the economically weaker party, and give the FL the economic power, breaking with the traditional CEO dating their subordinate schema.
I do have to point out that the secondary couple was a Noona romance where there was a power relation/dependence, in that on top of an age gap there was also a boss/subordinate relationship. Personally, I was completely unbothered by it: the "CEO dating their subordinate" pattern is just so common in cdrama/kdrama, and frankly it's part of the complication of the relationship that made watching their relationship in the drama appealing.
In fact, I can think of various examples with power relations where one party is dependent on the other where I found that the romance/relationship was handled okay: the classic example would be the critically acclaimed Secret Love Affair, where the older partner holds the economic and educational future of the two decades younger lover in their hands, pretty much the biggest power imbalance I could think of. Also, plenty of other couples with such a power imbalance, from Marry My Husband to other Noona cdramas where FL was dating the intern, to the couple in Queen of Tears, etc. Not to mention examples such as Grey's Anatomy: it's clearly not only about the CEO plotline in kdramas/cdramas.
At the end of the day, as a show viewer, this is not really a deal breaker for me, as long as the power imbalance is not exploited, the same way the potential to get a bribe does not equate to actually getting a bribe. I mean, I guess it depends on what we are talking about exactly. Obviously a situation where one of the parties lived in fear and walked on egg shells around the other because they feared that if they offended them they would lose their job and their livelihood would be in danger would not be a desirable situation for anyone involved, and it couldn't really be called "love". I must say that would also point to a fundamental lack of trust. On the other hand, realistically speaking, under other definitions of power imbalance, Jeff Bezos, etc. would never be able to date another human being if we looked for power parity, or there could be cases such as a stay at home dad or mom who is economically dependent on their partner, or wouldn't be able to live the same life if they split up, a problem that is only partially addressed by alimony during divorce, given that that applies only to marriages, etc... I guess that what I am trying to say is that, as in any aspect of consensual relationships between adults with agency, it is pretty hard to give some hard and fast rule (consenting adults being, of course, the non negotiable premise: by definition someone under the age of consent cannot... well, consent). It's good to be aware of the potential for exploitation, but to me it was simply not a deal breaker in this drama's secondary couple, etc.
I do acknowledge that there is probably some cultural difference here in that in the US people tend to frown on workplace relatiosnhips, which is very much not the case in places like Germany (I mean, one just has to look up the Walmart case where the multinational company tried to butt in, and was promptly put in its place by the court).
Though, I have to say that, again, the CEO with subordinate plot line is so common in cdrama/kdrama that it simply comes with the territory. Again, personally I had absolutely no problem with the secondary couple's relationship.
Actually, again, in contradiction to the point about US views of workplace relationships, I'll have to point to series like Gray's Anatomy and say: well, it's not just about the CEO plotline in Korean/Chinese dramas.
Not that I have anything against the CEO plotline. I was going to make a comparison between the US and other nations such as Germany in terms of workplace romance (in Germany, it's safe to say that the attitude is much more relaxed in that regard, Walmart learned in court not to interfere in their workers' personal life), but then I remembered about Gray's Anatomy... Clearly not a question of just CEO plotline in cdrama/kdrama. Not that I have anything against the CEO plotline, to be clear.