If you like love stories and reading, Romance Is A Bonus Book will be a perfect gift for you.
Brimming with life, love and career-encouraging messages, Romance Is A Bonus Book ran an impressive healing-romance drama.
- Main Cast: Lee Na Young | Lee Jong Suk
- Network & Episode Count: tvN | 16 Episodes
- Streaming Site: Netflix
- Romance/Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
- K-Dramas of Similar Vibe: I Need Romance 2 | Something in the Rain | Because This is My First Life |
For people who genuinely like to read, Romance Is A Bonus Book is a perfect treat. In its 16-chapter run, it abundantly goes through the challenges of adult living, whether someone may be single or raising a family.
Mostly woman empowering on the majority of its airing, it has managed to leave contemplative lessons about human interaction, friendship, and the concept of family and belonging for people who are not blood-related.
Topping up the engaging plot is the romantic story between two friends, who have transitioned from the love-that-was-there-all-along to the-love-meant-to-be-there-always.
Romance is a Bonus Book Plot Recap
Kang Dan Yi (Lee Na Young) claims the last ray of hope in securing a job in a company where her male best friend, Cha Eun Ho (Lee Jong Suk) works. She has reached rock bottom after a divorce and eventually loses her house. Secretly living at Eun Ho’s house, she was later found by her younger male friend, who has long been harboring a one-sided love for her.
Coming from a career break, it is especially hard for her, who was once a promising copywriter. Refusing to dwell on her situation, she hides her true credentials to apply to a publishing company as a task assistant supporting the business.
As she slowly picks up from what she has missed in her life, she gets another chance in love with someone, who has been loving her all along.
Romance is a Bonus Book Series Highlights & Musings
Soothing Screenplay
There are plain rom-com dramas, and there are rom-com dramas that inspire. Romance Is A Bonus Book joins the cluster of rom-com series which does not rely on overflowing lip-lock frames and cheesy lines to boost the story.
On that note, Lee Jong Suk and Lee Na Young’s starrer draws strength from how the series as a whole can be watched at different years of our lives, with us getting different insights from how we perceived it before. Just like how our favorite book keeps surprising us with newfound ideas after reading it again.
Bringing out the idyllic beauty of lyrical memorable lines remarked by the characters has been one of the many good things about the series. I like that the workplace setting makes it easy for me to settle into understanding the stories of the lead couple, along with the moments when the supporting characters were highlighted.
It also touched a brooding moment for the women audience seeing the focal character’s journey to muster her strength. From there, she rediscovered the brave woman inside her, which she lost along the way while raising a family of her own.
A few love and dating pep talks were also sprinkled, specifically targeting people in their early 30s to mid-40s. An age group, which has relatively experienced being in a relationship, whether it may be good or bad. Hence, loving in the spur of the moment is not a viable option, but being sure that long-time commitment is a topmost priority.
Delightful Noona Romance
Eun Ho and Dan Yi’s noona romance will go down as one of my favorites owing to their genuine on-screen chemistry. If only Eun Ho is sold as a happy pill or a man straight from a genie lamp whom ladies can summon in times of despair and vulnerability, the world will be a happy place.
Lee Na Young, portraying the central character, embodied a broken yet brave woman, who refused to dwell on her problems. Meanwhile, Lee Jong Suk complemented the obvious age disparity in real and imaginary life, with a natural take that did not force him to act beyond his age to make the pairing believable.
That’s actually why I like it more because he did not play the “oppa card”. His character sketch was more of a supporting-my-girl-all-the-way kind of feel, which should be the case for the role he played.
Because the plot movement relatively highlighted three major bends, fillers were inevitable. While I liked the Gyeoroo employees, I had a hard time processing why most of the fillers took in Ji Yul. It could have taken more of CEO Kim, Seo Joon, Hae Rin, or Miss Go’s life, but it always featured Ji Yul.
Specific to late 20s to middle-aged career people, Romance Is A Bonus Book boasts introspective aftereffects. It might not appeal to the younger generation, who prefers oppa-romance-themed stories, but it is saccharine nonetheless.
From lessons about women’s strength, individualism and friendship, its ultimate message is finding one’s purpose. Romance Is A Bonus Book has presented a beautiful tale of life and romance, which is honest and reassuring.
Photos: tvN
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