Dealing with the scars of the past has never been easy, yet Love All Play reminds us to try moving forward and keep striving for the better.
The accident Park Taeyang (Park Ju Hyun) unintentionally caused made her limelight as a star badminton player dim. Relentlessly blaming herself, Taeyang quit playing and chose not to be happy at all. Coming back after three years, she then encounters people who lead her to regain happiness, help her get back on track, and win in life.
With its simple yet inspiring plotline, the romance-sports drama was able to impart important lessons of love, acceptance, forgiveness, grit, and perseverance that the audience truly can learn from.
- Main Cast: Park Ju Hyun | Chae Jong Hyeop | Park Ji Hyun | Kim Moo Joon | Seo Ji Hye
- Supporting Cast: Jo Han Chul | In Gyo Jin | Lee Seo Hwan | Choi Seung Yoon | Jo Soo Hyang | Moon Dong Hyeok | Kwon So Hyun | Bin Chan Wook | Jeon Hye Won | Lee Chae Min | Kim Nu Rim | Jeon Bae Soo | Lee Ji Hyun | Sung Ki Yoon
- Streaming Site: Disney+
- Romance/Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
- K-Dramas of Similar Vibe: Twenty-Five Twenty-One | Racket Boys |Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
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Love All Play Plot Recap (Finale Spoilers!)
Facing the judgmental eyes of society, fallen badminton star Park Taeyang became the talk of the town as false rumors of her committing bribery spread uncontrollably. Athletes in the same field thought that was why ‘Mighty Taeyang’ suddenly disappeared in the limelight. They barely knew it was because of the unfortunate accident which made her step outside the court.
The Accident and Its Aftermath
One night, when snow poured so hard, Taeyang and her co-players were advised not to go outside nor drink alcohol for their safety. Despite the given warning, Taeyang persuades her role model, Park Jun-young (Park Ji Hyun), to drink and go to a ski resort.
Sadly, Jun-young lost her balance while skiing, leading her to have a severe injury that was impossible to treat through rehabilitation. Without the public knowing the truth, Taeyang felt guilty as Jun-young ended her career earlier than expected.
Jun-young’s boyfriend, Park Jung-hwan (Kim Moo Joon), relentlessly blamed Taeyang and pushed her to stop playing badminton. Taeyang then decided to go on a hiatus while Jun-young went out of the country. Their lives have changed ever since.
Taeyang’s Return After Slump
After working as a fishmonger in a coastal town for three years, Park Taeyang made up her mind to deal with the scar of her past and go back to do what she loves.
Taeyang joins Yunis Badminton Team, expecting worst-case scenarios. She experienced bullying and discrimination, but she chose not to speak up, stayed unbothered, and constantly put a smile on her face. She thinks she deserves all the hate she is getting. Nevertheless, even frustrated with her rusty skills, she trained non-stop.
Tae-joon’s Career Uncertainty
Also joining the team is the newest recruit Park Tae-joon (Chae Jong Hyeop), who lacks appreciation for his talent and potential as a badminton player. Since childhood, he keeps getting overshadowed by her sister’s achievements.
Her sister later revealed as Jun-young, an Olympic gold medalist, made Tae-joon feel smaller and invisible in the family. Although living with it is the choice he knew he had to take, his sadness which he fails to express continues to pile up. Even so, he cannot let go of his love for badminton.
Opening of New Doors
Tae-joon teaming up with Taeyang, they venture into a fresh start. As a new yet strong duo, ‘Park Twins’ got an opportunity to play in a tournament where their skills and potential were unleased.
Unfortunately, Taeyang had an injury in her ankle which made them finish the competition, bagging a bronze medal. After the unexpected result, the two were motivated to do better; thus, they even trained harder.
Finding Unconditional Love
As Taeyang and Tae-joon get to know each other, their relationship as partners in court leveled up as partners in love. As the story progresses, they confess their feelings for each other and keep their relationship private as their company prohibits players from dating. They were constantly there for each other, especially in times of uncertainty.
Tae-joon later knew that Taeyang was the girl his parents blamed for her sister’s sudden retirement, but his love for Taeyang did not waver. He lent his ears to her and understood her feelings as she went through a difficult time.
Taeyang and Jun-young Crossing Paths
Just as they thought things were going well, Park Jun-young, all of a sudden, goes back to Korea. After meeting without notice, Taeyang tries to approach Jun-young, whom she still considers her big sister.
However, Jun-young’s heart is not yet completely healed as she still remembers the pain she went through during the accident. She treated Taeyang coldly, but care continues to manifest in her actions.
Accepting The Past and Moving Forward
Nearing the finale, Taeyang, Tae-joon, and Jun-young finally opened up to their families about how much pressure they put up with living reaching their parents’ high expectations.
After that, Park Taeyang’s father, Park Man-soo (Jeon Bae Soo), meets Jun-young to apologize. He realized how hard he pushed his daughter to be the best and blamed himself for what happened to Jun-young. Despite the damage the accident has brought to Jun-young, she also understood what Taeyang had gone through.
The anger of Tae-joon and Jun-young’s parents slowly subsided when Taeyang saved Tae-joon from having a severe knee injury.
In the end, they all chose to accept the past, forgive one another, and move forward. Park Jun-young went back to study in college while Park Jung-hwan found his new love, Lee Yoo-min (Seo Ji Hye), who is also a badminton player. Taeyang and Tae-joon, who broke up, then got back together, continuing their journey as partners in court and in life.
Love All Play Series Peak Points
A Story with a Taste of Reality
The series displayed scenes relatable to the audience. In addition, the characters were imperfect, as they all have their own stories showing their flaws and failures, which are realistic. The athletes experienced dealing with problems such as physical injury, stress, bullying, discrimination, employee mistreatment, and even a failed marriage.
Moreover, this drama also exposed the sad truth of winning parents’ approval. Taeyang, Tae-joon, and Jun-young tried their best since they set foot on the court to achieve what their parents hoped for them to fulfill.
Yet, despite all these hardships, their grit and perseverance as badminton players remained. The story has undoubtedly captured the lives of athletes who do not only need to care of their physical bodies, but also their mental health.
Winning inner battles is indeed as tough as winning a gold Olympic medal.
Supportive Relationships
In the drama, supporting characters, like the Yunis Badminton coaches Lee Tae-sang (In Gyo Jin), Joo Sang-hyun (Jo Han Chul), and Kim Shi-bong (Lee Seo Hwan), played a significant role in helping the athletes to get back on track.
They helped them in training and straightforwardly gave constructive criticisms to improve their skills. Most importantly, they led them to become a better version of themselves.
On the other hand, Tae-joon as a boyfriend did not fail to listen and give his support to Taeyang, who suffers from guilt for her past decisions.
Meanwhile, Taeyang tries to push Tae-joon to become a better athlete. She recognizes his great potential and encourages him to appreciate himself. Even though Taeyang keeps resisting happiness because she thinks it is wrong for her to feel loved, she is still grateful for Tae-joon who loves her endlessly.
Certainly, the story vividly highlighted the value of having a strong support system. Not all the time, people can handle their battles. Having someone, a friend or a loved one, who will be there to listen and help is of utmost importance.
Love All Play Series Musings
Love All Play enlightens the audience that failures are bound to happen in life. It is just a matter of taking these failures into learning.
Experiences, either good or bad, can make you grow as a person. And despite the challenges encountered through these experiences, as long as you stay passionate and determined, nothing can stop you from achieving your dreams.
Even if you lose in a competition, whether on the court or in life, you must not forget that not giving up — that persevering is also equivalent to winning.
Predictable yet Inspiriting Plotline
Compared to other sports-romance dramas, the story of this series is considered generic. Viewers can predict what will happen as the story progresses.
An accident occurred, and the life of the characters involved changed. They all then try battling their inner struggles and later find love.
Someone came back, and the conflict starts to arise. After countless arguments, they still forgave each other and moved forward. It is a typical series to watch.
However, we cannot leave out the fact that this drama inspires people in all fields to continue grabbing opportunities and live without regrets in achieving their dreams and aspirations in life.
Overall, it is still a relatable drama. It taught viewers who face difficulties that it is okay to pause and breathe but never quit to win and succeed.
You can watch Love All Play on Disney+. For more K-drama reviews, visit Kdramadiary’s official website!
Photos: KBS Drama
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