Setting off on an impromptu journey to the countryside, a mother-daughter duo is up for some healing and finding love. Be it rekindling an old flame or a youthful love blooming amidst some self-discovery.
Joining them is a father-son pair who may also have some growth to achieve.
Bunny S. watches Love Take Two on Viki
Opening Week Ratings:
Love Take Two Opening Week Story
“I ran away from home. Don’t look for me.”
Taking us aback with a somber opening sequence, we meet our mother-daughter duo amid a medical consultation. One of them is diagnosed with a brain tumor, though it isn’t clear which. Backing up a few days prior, the mother, Lee Ji-an (Yeom Jung-ah), works as a construction site manager, holding her own in this male-dominated field. Having raised her daughter as a single mother, Ji-an takes pride in her medical student daughter, Lee Hyo-ri (Choi Yoon-ji). But it is palpable Hyo-ri is stressed and has reached her limit.
Between chasing after a coworker who fled with her money and being suspended for a missing supplies case, the former manager is to blame for, Ji-an scrambles to secure money for Hyo-ri’s tuition. Except, Hyo-ri dropped out of school after speaking her mind to a mean professor who bullies his juniors. Learning that, Ji-an is shocked and calls Hyo-ri, who says she ran away from home before blocking Ji-an’s number.
Driving to a seaside village, Hyo-ri feels like she can finally breathe. But it doesn’t take long for Ji-an to track her down and assert they should return home. Yet Hyo-ri refuses to budge. On the surface, this appears to be a typical case of a nagging mother and a rebellious daughter. But then, Hyo-ri drops a bomb. She has a brain tumour.
Rewinding to the opening scene, Ji-an suggests they visit other hospitals, but Hyo-ri has already done that. She is sick of living tenaciously and needs some time alone to sort things out. For now, Ji-an lets Hyo-ri return to the village. But neither of them is fine. They put on a strong facade but are holding in the sorrow and curbing their tears. Ji-an feels bad about taking it for granted that she will die first, and it breaks her heart that Hyo-ri had to go through this alone. And Hyo-ri is afraid of death but tries not to let it show lest her fear come true.
“It is so crazy that we met like this.”
Visiting another doctor, Ji-an learns the tumor is operable, yet the surgery is exorbitant. Desperate for money, Ji-an tries to hold out at work, but unfortunately, she gets blamed for her predecessor’s wrongdoing and is fired. Jobless, Ji-an heads to the village to see Hyo-ri, where she runs into her first love, Ryu Jeong-seok (Park Hae-joon), on the bus. Ironically, Ji-an first met Jeong-seok on a bus during their high school days and instantly developed a crush on him.
Jeong-seok is a single father to his son, Ryu Bo-hyeon (Kim Min-kyu). As luck would have it, Jeong-seok and Bo-hyeon got acquainted with Hyo-ri while helping her fix her camper. So, he is pleased to tell Ji-an about her runaway daughter’s whereabouts, the yard of his house, where she parked the camper.
Through the upcoming argument sequence, we delve into Ji-an and Hyo-ri’s dynamics. They love each other dearly, but miscommunication is the root of their problems. Ji-an is a doting mother, yet she struggles with expressing her feelings. She wants to drag Hyo-ri to Seoul to start treatment, worried her condition might worsen. But she doesn’t stop to consider how Hyo-ri feels or what she needs.
Hyo-ri only wanted to take a breather for a few days and figure out her feelings. Yet, instead of supporting her, Ji-an nags her. Hyo-ri tried to tell Ji-an about her condition earlier, but couldn’t because Ji-an went on about how Hyo-ri should become a successful doctor and treat her well. Ji-an might be misguided, but she suffocated Hyo-ri with her high expectations and forced her to attend med school against her wishes.
In another instance, Hyo-ri snaps at Ji-an for telling Jeong-seok and Bo-hyeon she is a single mother. Hyo-ri hated it when Ji-an told people about their situation, yet she pretended to be fine with it so it wouldn’t become a weakness. Instead, Hyo-ri studied tenaciously and got good grades so people wouldn’t look down on or gossip about her.
On the other side, Ji-an didn’t know her actions hurt Hyo-ri and thought revealing the truth first would protect them from the murmuring whispers. Both sides are valid. Yet, Ji-an and Hyo-ri need to communicate better and find a middle ground.
“It is Hyo-ri’s house.”
Lastly, Hyo-ri gets mad after hearing about Ji-an’s money-lending issue, arguing they should barge in and collect the money. (Coincidentally, he is at the village to celebrate his sick mother’s 80th birthday.) Seeing the man’s poor situation, Ji-an walks away, but not without asserting that he should survive long enough to pay her back. Hyo-ri might deem Ji-an a pushover, but she is a romantic who believes in miracles.
In a miracle of sorts, hearing about Hyo-ri’s condition, the man hands over the deed to a house his mother owns to Ji-an. It might be a small and shabby house, but the man wants to help. Earlier, Hyo-ri took a liking to Jeong-seok’s home. There is a high ceiling, stairs, and a garden. And she has always wanted to live in a place like that. The light bulb goes off in Ji-an’s head, and she heads with Jeong-seok to check out the house. Instead of selling it, she will build Hyo-ri her dream house.
Love Take Two Opening Week Musings
We got blindsided by the terminal illness. There wasn’t a single hint about it in the promos, and it felt like an afterthought. The drama has enough going for it: the tense relationship between Ji-an and Hyo-ri, their dreams and love lives, and Jeong-seok and Bo-hyeon’s character arcs. Also, the countryside setting and the kind-hearted farmers go well with the healing concept, making for a heart-warming tale of family and love. However, the drama went for terminal illness, despite being explored in many dramas before.
We appreciate the message not to take your loved ones for granted and that sometimes life strikes us with unforeseen situations when we least expect it. But did the drama have to go this far? Anyway, what is done is done, and we can only hope it doesn’t deviate too much from its premise.
On a lighter note, Hyo-ri and Bo-hyeon are adorable. Unlike Hyo-ri, Bo-hyeon chose his career path, dropping out of high school and running a flower farm. It is his sixth year already, and he seems to enjoy his work. Bo-hyeon is also a sweetheart, following Hyo-ri from afar when she takes off after arguing with Ji-an and saving her from drowning after she gets hit by a strong wave. Hyo-ri would act rude at times, but he doesn’t take it to heart, as if he sees through her facade. It is too early to call it love, but Bo-hyeon seems quite interested in Hyo-ri.
As for our reunited first lovers, it is more about the high school memories than any present-day feelings. But perhaps, those buried feelings will be rekindled along the way as they bond over being single parents. There is an ongoing theory that Hyo-ri is the daughter of Ji-an’s late friend. And Ji-an adopted her. So, we might not have to worry about the double-in-laws issue or dating a possible step-parent’s child. And hopefully, Hyo-ri will get treated and survive, so our quartet will have a happy ending.
Photos and Videos: tvN Drama
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