KDramas To Watch

CHEESE IN THE TRAP

CHEESE IN THE TRAP ㅡ a South Korean television series starring Park Hae Jin, Kim Go Eun, Seo Kang Joon and Lee Sung Kyung. The series is based on the webtoon of the same name , serialized on Naver from 2010–2016, although it featured an original ending since the webtoon had not been completed at the time of filming.

The drama focuses on the life and relationships of a group of university students, particularly the difficult relationship between Hong Seol (Kim Go Eun) and her sunbae, or her senior, Yoo Jung (Park Hae Jin).

Jung is the rich heir to Taerang Group and seemingly has the perfect life, but also displays psychopathic tendencies, which cause Seol to take time off school to get away from him. When she returns through a scholarship that was intended for Jung, he is unexpectedly nice to her and asks her on a date. They begin an awkward relationship which is further complicated by the arrival of Baek In-ho and his sister In-ha, childhood friends of Jung who were both adopted into his family after running away from their abusive aunt as children. In-ha is in love with Jung, but he dismisses her feelings. She leads an extravagant lifestyle funded by other men's money, and often behaves antagonistically. In-ho moves into the area while he is being pursued by gangsters, but strikes up a friendship with Seol and begins to work at her parents' restaurant.

As well as managing her conflicted feelings towards Jung and In Ho, Seol tries to cope with everyday struggles in her school and work life, such as unwanted advances and classmates that make her do their work for them. She is helped by her two best friends Jang Bo Ra (Park Min Ji) and Kwon Eun Taek (Nam Joo Hyuk), who begin to date each other. Meanwhile, she also tries to find out the reason why Jung and In-ho hate each other. It is revealed later that Jung looked on as In Ho damaged his hand in a fight that ruined his dreams of becoming a concert pianist. In the end, In Ho gets back on track with piano lessons, having been helped by Seol.

The drama escalates towards the end of the series, when In Ha physically attacks Seol and pushes her into the street. Seol is then run over and hospitalised, and In-ha is put in a mental institution. Jung, realising that Seol has been suffering during their relationship, breaks up with her. After giving In Ho a piano score that he had intended to give him years ago, before they had fallen out, and settling In Ho's debts with the gang, Jung leaves the country for three years.

Three years later, Seol is working at the company job that she wanted, and has realised that she still has to deal with the everyday problems of her school life, only in a different setting. Her friend Bo-ra now owns a clothing store and is still with Eun Taek, who is a model. In Ha has been released from the mental hospital and changed her ways, falling in love with a humble, nerdy character. While the absent Jung has not responded to Seol's emails to him, the open ending reveals one of her email's statuses changing to "read".

ORIGINAL NETWORK; tvN

GENRES;
ㅡ Romance
ㅡ Drama

NO. OF EPISODES; 16

CAST;

(Main)
ㅡ Yoo Jung (Park Hae Jin)
ㅡ Hong Seol (Kim Go Eun)
ㅡ Baek In Ho (Seo Kang Joon)
ㅡ Baek In Ha (Lee Sung Kyung)

(Supporting)
ㅡ Hong Joon (Kim Hee Chan)
ㅡ Hong Jin Tak (Ahn Gil Kang)
ㅡ Kim Young Hee (Yoon Bok In)
ㅡ Jang Bo Ra (Park Min Ji)
ㅡ Kwon Eun Taek (Nam Joo Hyuk)
ㅡ Oh Young Gon (Ji Yoon Ho)
ㅡ Son Min Soo (Yoon Ji Won)
ㅡ Kim Sang Cheol (Moon Ji Yoon)
ㅡ Lee Da Young (Kim Hye Ji)
ㅡ Nam Joo Yeon (Cha Joo Young)
ㅡ Kang Ah Young (Yoon Ye Joo)
ㅡ Ha Jae Woo (Oh Hee Joon)
ㅡ Kim Kyung Hwan (Go Hyun)
ㅡ Min Do Hyun (Shin Joo Hwan)
ㅡ Heo Yoon Sub (Lee Woo Dong)
ㅡ Professor Kang (Hwang Seok Jeong)
ㅡ Professor Han (Kim Jin Keun)