Now We Are Breaking Up (2021)

Quick Take: Now We Are Breaking Up (2021).  Starring Jang Ki-yong and Song Hye-kyu.  8.2/10.   16 episodes of 70 min. each.

Synopsis:   A South Korean fashion designer has a one-night stand with a fashion photographer.   He wants to have a relationship, but she resists when she finds out that he is the younger brother of her first love, who was killed in a car accident while driving to meet her.  Other impediments include opposition from both families and issues with her career.

Review: After a strong start, this drama quickly devolved into tedium.  Jang Ki-yong is attractive, but he matches  Song Hye-kyu with a low-key, emotionless approach.   At least the second-lead couple offers some relief from the yawn-worthy plodding of the leads.

I watched it so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.

Rewatchable - 1, Compelling - 3, Plot/ Story/Writing - 7,  Acting/Casting - 9, Production - 10,  Bonus -  2.   Bonus points for visuals.

Notes:

Jang Ki-yong

made his debut as a model at age 20; he has been acting since 2014. He had a supporting role in The Liar and His Lover (2017) and My Mister (2018), among others, and lead roles in the movie Sweet & Sour (2021) and the series My Roommate is a Gumiho (2021). After filming Now We Are Breaking Up (2021), he began his mandatory military service.

Song Hye-kyo

is a top Hallyu star, ranked 6th on the Forbes’ magazine Korean Power Celebrity List in 2018. At the age of 14 she was chosen as a model for a school uniform company. This led to small acting roles. Her breakthrough role was Autumn in My Heart (2000). Among her best-known dramas are Descendants of the Sun (2016), opposite Song Joong-ki, and Encounter (2018), opposite Park Bo-gum.

Kim Joo-hun

has been active in theater and film since 2008 and in television since 2016. Once you recognize him, you’ll notice him in supporting roles in Dr. Romantic 2-3 (2020-2023), It’s Okay Not to be Okay (2020), Start-Up (2020), Our Beloved Summer (2022), and Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022).