MaryMeKpop

This drama review is about 2 months late and it’s only now being posted because I finally remembered that it was in my drafts, haha. But it is here nonetheless and I wanted to share my thoughts on Lee Na-young’s latest drama ‘One Day Off.’ She plays the main character in the drama, Park Ha-kyung – a teacher who teaches Korean literature at a high school. When she’s overwhelmed with work and needs a brief break, she takes a day off by traveling to different regions or areas of Korea and interacts with a variety of individuals along the way. The drama centers around the message of healing and the idea of letting one’s mind and body wander. It’s meant to be a healing drama that comforts viewers as you follow Ha-kyung on her mini-adventures. So how exactly did I feel about it?

I wasn’t as enamored and invested in ‘One Day Off’ as I would have liked.. At first. But I do have to admit that it took me a while to warm up to the drama and to get accustomed to its style of storytelling. It was a very unique drama in that it was healing and comforting as you watched Ha-kyung travel and interact with different people but it wasn’t the typical drama that one would expect when you think of a drama within this genre. Each episode is only about 20-25 minutes long and focuses on a different guest and town. Because the themes, guests, and locations varied per episode, each story was unique in its own way and you didn’t want to get too attached because you knew the next episode would be about something completely different. Even with the short episodes and the small amount of episodes (there were only 8 episodes total), I generally enjoyed the themes and messages that each episode conveyed.

My experience watching this drama was quite.. the experience. I wasn’t really feeling the drama when I watched the first episode. I couldn’t quite comprehend or grasp what type of drama it was. But maybe this was also the thing about ‘One Day Off’ that was charming. You read the premise and you think it’s supposed to be pretty simple and straightforward; you think all you’re going to do is watch Ha-kyung visit different locations and meet different people. And while you did essentially watch her do these things, the drama told the story in a way that was a bit odd and unconventional. Yes, it was fun and interesting to watch Ha-kyung’s mini-adventures and travels but the storytelling as well as the editing was put together in a way that didn’t scream “Ha-kyung-goes-here-and-meets-this-person-there.’ The drama was shot and edited in a way that was quite unique. The simplicity and minimalistic aspect was evident throughout the drama but there was also so much more that went on in each episode.

While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the execution, the biggest strengths of this drama for me was 1) the guests, 2) the cinematography and 3) the themes/messages per episode. Some notable actors and actresses who made an appearance in the show included Han Ye-ri, Koo Gyo-hwan, and Shim Eun-kyung. Combine these actors with Lee Na-young and who wouldn’t want to give this drama a try? I had to remind myself to not be too attached to the episodes because I loved Han Ye-ri and I loved Koo Gyo-hwan and I wished their time on the show wasn’t so short-lived. So I enjoyed their episodes (and the rest of the episodes) as best as I could but I also remained cautious and wary. My favorite episodes in the drama actually were the ones with Han Ye-ri and Koo Gyo-hwan. Han Ye-ri’s episode was touching in that Ha-kyung was her high school teacher who always believed in her and years later when they reunited, Ha-kyung was still the very same person who believed in her.

Then, of course, Koo Gyo-hwan’s episode was more focused on romance and you bet I was smiling like an idiot during the entire episode. I never knew I needed a drama with Koo Gyo-hwan and Lee Na-young together, but after seeing them play a one-day ~couple~ in the drama, I realized that I might just need to see them in another drama or movie together again. They’re such an unlikely pairing but that’s also what makes them incredibly charming and they had great chemistry with each other. When I say my heart was fluttering during the entire episode, I really meant that. I just couldn’t stop smiling and squealing and screaming (internally) throughout the brief episode. The two were so magical and the craziest thing was.. they were just doing normal common mundane things. They watched a movie together and they went on a night walk together and they happened to bump into each other at a small restaurant. It’s not like there was anything grand or huge or dramatic but yet, it was so charming and adorable and sweet. It really hurt that their relationship – like all the other characters – only lasted for one episode. I would have loved to see more of their relationship as well as the chance for them to meet again. Since the two were movie lovers, it only seemed fitting that the ending to their relationship was open-ended.

Once I accepted and became accustomed to the style of the drama, I grew to enjoy the themes and messages explored in each episode. There was an episode where Ha-kyung went out of her comfort zone and did something new. There was another episode where her trip didn’t go as planned but she was okay with it and still got something out of it. And then the last episode focused on grief and the loss of a friend. The last episode was probably another one of my favorite ones because I liked the way that the drama sort of wrapped everything up. Ha-kyung returned to her hometown where she grew up and she reminisced memories of her and her high school friend, Jin-sol, who unfortunately passed away. Grief and the loss of a friend or loved one is never an easy thing to portray but ‘One Day Off’ does it in a way that doesn’t feel manipulative. It hits you the more you watch adult Ha-kyung spend time with the young version of Jin-sol who she recalls from high school and it was such a bittersweet episode. For Ha-kyung, she enjoyed some time with her really good friend who played a big role and impact in her life. But her friend is no longer alive so all she has are these memories of when they spent time together back in high school and she imagines that this is what Jin-sol would have been like if she was still alive. At the end of the trip, Ha-kyung bids farewell to Jin-sol and Ha-kyung tells her “see you again.” This entire episode was heartbreaking but this specific scene made me cry waterfalls. It’s so sad that Ha-kyung lost her friend but there’s comfort in knowing that Jin-sol will forever be remembered by Ha-kyung. This is how Ha-kyung will forever remember her good friend.

‘One Day Off’ was about Ha-kyung’s mini-adventures and travels, but you also learned something new in each episode. I had to remind myself to not get too attached because each episode with its special guest wasn’t going to last forever but I did enjoy the messages and themes and concepts that the drama explored. ‘One Day Off’ wasn’t the most entertaining or amazing drama but it made for an easy and relaxing watch. Combine the talented cast with the beautiful cinematography and easy-going premise and it was easy to understand why this drama was likable. Now I’m definitely inspired to travel and who knows, maybe I might just take up Ha-kyung’s idea and suggestion on doing solo one-day trips. As shown by Ha-kyung, it’s healthy for the mind, the heart, and the soul.