Finally, Kim Jojo faces her own truth. In the long-awaited second season of Love Alarm, Jojo comes to terms with what is inside her own heart.
Will she follow the ringing of the Love Alarm, or will she finally follow her heart?
Love Alarm is a timely story. People can no longer express their feelings freely and rely on the app instead. They date only people who ring their alarm. Consequently, free will is no longer a factor in who a person can love. But is it beneficial? Is it true?
Viewers were left with a cliffhanger from season one. Moreover, the long wait kept everyone in the dark. Will the drama stay true to the webtoon? Will Sun Oh get his happy ending?
- Main Cast: Kim So Hyun | Song Kang | Jung Ga Ram
- Streaming Site : Netflix
- Romance/Addictive Meter :
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
- K-Dramas of Similar Vibe: Reply 1988 | She Was Pretty
Love Alarm Season 2 Peak Points
Kim Jojo Comes To Terms With Her Past and The Ringing World
This drama is primarily Jojo’s journey of self-discovery. She has isolated herself all her life after her parents’ suicide because she no longer wants to be hurt. Furthermore, she blames herself for what happened, thus she opted not to hurt others. Because of this, she chooses to install the shield on her Love Alarm, not realizing how this will eventually affect Hye Yeong and Sun Oh.
Jojo chose to install the shield because of Sun Oh. Because of this, she opened herself up to the possibility of loving someone else. Hye Yeong has always been by Jojo’s side secretly. The quiet boy with an intense crush on Jojo, he was always in the background. That steady devotion most likely won Jojo over.
But then, Jojo realizes that she was always aware of Hye Yeong. For her, he was always on her mind. In Season 2, she realizes that out of her own free will, she wanted to express her love that grew for Hye Yeong. In the new world of the Love Alarm, one can only express their love for another by ringing their Love Alarm. This posed a problem for Jojo who had the shield installed.
Jojo had to face Sun Oh’s anger when he realized she installed the shield. He realized the shield stopped Jojo from ringing his Love Alarm, Similarly, when Hye Yeong found out that Jojo used a spear to ring his alarm, this upset him. The spear enabled Jojo to ring the alarm of anyone she chose. Jojo chose Hye Yeong, and this initially made him happy.
But after overhearing Brian’s conversation with Jojo, it only confused him. Furthermore, he was kept out of the dark when he found out even Sun Oh knew about the shield. The spear was a surprise to Sun Oh too. He asked only for Jojo’s sincerity, even if it took a long time to build their relationship. Because of their reactions, Jojo had no choice but to be truly honest with herself.
During the Jeju marathon, she reunites with her younger self. In a touching scene of acceptance, Jojo frees herself from the burdens of her past. She lets go of all the blame she placed on herself and allows herself to finally heal. Thankfully, Hye Yeong is at the end of the marathon waiting for her. Their love story can finally begin for real.
Sun Oh’s Road To Maturity And Honesty
For most of season 2, Sun Oh was angry. He kept Yuk Jo by his side but his parents were fighting, and he still loved Jojo. When he discovers the shield, he tells her that he will no longer want to let go. Effectively, his decision hurts Yuk Jo, who has always been by his side.
Jojo tells him that it was out of her own free will that she installed the shield, and if ever, she would do it again. She implores Sun Oh to look into her eyes so he can see who she really loves.
Finally, Jojo admits that she’s been thinking of Hye Yeong all the time. When a video of Sun Oh and Jojo goes viral, Jojo immediately thinks of Hye Yeong instead of herself. She knew that out of her own free will, she wants to ring Hye Yeong’s alarm.
Once Sun Oh accepted the truth that Jojo loves Hye Yeong, he starts to change. It signals in him that it’s also time to let go of the past he was waiting for with Jojo and start to create a path on his own. Sun Oh remembers when he was locked up by his parents, and he mourns the consequential loss.
However, he becomes a stronger person. He becomes successful in his acting career he was once destroying. Furthermore, he is honest with Yuk Jo, who left his side when she realizes that Sun Oh will never get over Jojo. He tells her that he will continue coming back to her until one day he can ring her alarm.
Hye Yeong : The Person in the Mirror is a Good Man
Ever since he was a child, Hye Yeong was told to look in the mirror whenever he’d want to see who his dad is. Because of this. Hye Yeong strived to be a good person. Effectively, if he was a good person, that made his dad a good person too.
But when a letter of an appeal to parole arrives, Hye Yeong must come to terms as to who his dad really is. It was his inner struggle as a son to reflect on who he is as a man and separate the reality of who his father is. As difficult as it was, he chose to reject his father’s parole.
Jojo’s choice to ring his love alarm should have made him happy. But instead, he was looking for her sincerity. He was dedicated and his heart was pure. For this reason, he would expect the same from Jojo.
Throughout season 2, he was steady, always there for Jojo, always understanding her. He continued to keep his promise to ring her alarm 10 times a day.
Love Alarm Season 2 Musings
I am positive that like me, many viewers are currently going through the stages of grief. In fact, I am still approaching acceptance. I understand why Jojo chose Hye Yeong. Not only that, I appreciate that she chose him.
If it were real life, I would also encourage her to choose Hye Yeong. The drama stayed true to the webtoon. As much as I wanted the drama to change the ending and have Jojo choose Sun Oh in the end, this is something I will have to accept.
But why do I feel unsettled? Maybe because I don’t feel the chemistry between Jung Ga Ram and Kim So Hyun? Song Kang was powerful in his portrayal of Sun Oh. In both seasons, his love for Jojo was palpable. It was intense, just as he was when he found out about the shield. He was angry because he was still madly in love. In comparison, Hye Yeong is a steady and dependable stream. A person’s first love must be passionate as it sweeps you off your feet, but the love that will last should be dependable.
However, it was Sun Oh and Jojo’s love story that drew me to Love Alarm. In fact, I loved it so much that I watched it three times. To not have my happy ending gives me a sad and troubled feeling. For me, Sun Oh and Jojo will always be my perfect Love Alarm couple.
As much as I appreciate Hye Yeong, I feel like he had his chance when they were younger and in high school. He wasted it and only when Sun Oh appeared did he become vocal about his feelings.
The Love Alarm Effect
Gul Mi’s quest to get into the Badge Club throughout season 2 was entertaining, but it was also sad. It was telling of how people nowadays long to be accepted on social media, to be part of the “in” crowd. To emphasize, she went through so much just to belong in the Badge Club. Why is it important to gain approval of others to see your worth? Only to come face to face with a recovered Duk Gu. The boy she despised in high school is behind everything that she longed to be a part of. Duk Gu kept his end of the bargain and gave Gul Mi the credit of being the muse behind Love Alarm. However I don’t see how that will change her or make her better. Instead, I would think that she would continue to be self-centered.
As witnessed by the mass suicide of the 23 people whose love alarms never rang, Love Alarm can also be dangerous. Duk Gu was not visible during most part of season 2. In his place, his older brother Brian took over as CTO of Love Alarm. He often clashed with Jojo because of the shield and the spear. In Duk Gu’s place, Brian took over Love Alarm even when it took away the free will of its users. Duk Gu managed to convince his older brother to give up on Love Alarm 2.0 because of Kim Jojo’s story.
Overall, Love Alarm Season 2 is a highly-anticipated installment to a beloved first season. However, I am sure that like me, many people will be disappointed in its ending. It’s a surprising twist when the second lead syndrome hits you hard, but only in reverse. I fully expected Sun Oh to be the first lead.
Love Alarm Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
