This drama makes us viewers think af the first two eps until we finally get along with the story. I like the progression, the character development. It’s something like slow pace drama. I love it that when a drama has a good script and I think The Midnight Romance in Hagwon has it.
It’s a slice-of-life drama with background story is an academy for students. Seo Hye Jin (Jung Ryeo Won) is a Korean Language turtor/teacher at Daechi Chase Academy in Hagwon. She is the face of Daechi Chase. Actually I knew about school and academy in S. Korea since The Sky Castle drama, how having a good tutor is very important to enter a good university. Now it opens my eyes from another perspective. The story behind a school academy is so cool and it’s interesting because the writer makes it very good.
Hye Jin meets his student from her early era of being a tutor in Daechi. It’s Lee Jun Ho (Wi Ha Joon). He’s back after 10 years. Hye Jin was the one who tutored Jun Ho so he can join to prestigious university. It also made Hye Jin to become famous tutor. Appearantly, Jun Ho just resigned from a big company where he was working and applies to Daechi Chase. They work together and the romance begins.
I thought at first this drama, whose director is the one who directed Something in The rain, will become a romance drama with academy as background. But I think this is different, it’s a slice-of-life drama, about the life of a Korean Language Tutor at an academy + her romance with a younger guy. Actually they both are adult now but the image of teacher-dating-ex-student somehow can be a bad news for the academy. For sure that’s the sub-problem of this drama.
The main issue of this drama I think about how every academy is trying to be the best in bringing their student to the best universities in korea, and in this case, about other academy, Daechi Choiseon Academy is trying to get Hye Jin to be their tutor to raise their popularity and income, as well as to become the best academy. Daechi Choiseon is under Ms Choi Hyung Sung (Seo Jung Yeon) who is very ambitious and a typical of director who’s doing eveything to get what she wants.
Hye Jin and Jun Ho’s romance is not easy of course. Choi Hyung Sung uses their relationship to make Hye Jin down in Daechi Choiseon. But eventually I love that both Hye Jin and Jun Ho so mature in handling their issue. I even can’t watched episode 14, about their romance finally is going public.
Hye Jin spent her life teaching at the academy but Thank God she has her best friends, and she can share everything to her bestie. Jun ho coming to her life is something she’s grateful for because he’s there when she’s in her hardest times. The supporting characters are also important in this drama, the characters of tutors from Daechi Chase, the director of Daechi Chase, are all relatable like we can feel the life as tutors in an academy.
About their acting, no doubt about it. Jung Ryeo Won’s acting is so so good and the chemistry with Ha Joon is just superb. I can say that this is one of the best slice of life drama for me with good romance, a mature romance.
Watch on viu
Pictures: hancinema | Trailer: CJ ENM