K-Drama Flashback: ‘Tune in for Love’

A period of romance—soaked in tension amid 1997’s IMF Crisis and the strains of teenage years between an industrious Kim Mi-soo (Kim Go-eun) and a reticent Cha Hyun-woo (Jung Hae-in) who meet at a bakery—steadily seeps in. But unfavorable circumstances are foiling them, yet they keep running into each other while also parting ways routinely.

Essentially, for the lovers to be together, “time” plays a big part in Tune in for Love (2019)—time that persists in playing hard and rocking the boat. But then again, time is healing things while they keep crossing paths on and off. You’ll find insight in good measure in the story. It surely encourages introspection—in its portrayal of life, career struggles, love, and its many layers. How it makes you empathize with them is one of the film’s distinct traits, I’d say.

Jung’s credibility as an actor skyrocketed, in large part due to his intuitive work in it, once again establishing that instinctive acting is his strong suit. His prowess at building moments with Kim aside, his sense of mining emotions—brooding, anxiousness, repressed melancholia stemming from a secret, a tragic past, and that he’s striving to conceal the truth from the one he truly loves—brings out a brilliant Hyun-woo—the role that gave Jung a Popularity Award at the 2019 London East Asia Film Festival and the 56th Grand Bell Award for Best New Actor in 2020, alongside myriad nominations.

Kim, likewise, her knack for imparting an air of veracity to her roles invariably catches the eye. Here, how she releases Mi-soo’s inner state is worth noticing. Her feelings for Hyun-woo, her uneasiness when he fails to meet expectations, but again stirs her emotions when they reunite after a time gap, how she seeks him, the misunderstandings, later reconciliation, and all that comes in between are etched out in vivid hues.

I’m not giving bigger spoilers here for those who haven’t seen the movie, but it is, for one, a great watch. Director Jung Ji-woo has made a subtle gem; nothing uber-complex is happening here, but as mentioned before, a lot of the situations may ring true. For me, the scuffles and quandaries of my professional life, especially the first leg of my career that kicked off right after college, were aspects I could relate to strongly in the film. That made a difference for me. It is also a supple love story, mellow and moody, still pulsing with sentiment—a classic romance rich in theatrical and bluesy charms.