Romance is a Bonus Book

Welcome back to *Hallyu Reviews!* We hope you enjoyed Sabrina’s review of **"You Drive Me Crazy"** last week. If you missed it, be sure to go back and have a read!

This week we take a look at “Romance is a Bonus Book.”
**SPOILERS AHEAD!!**

Synopsis

“Romance is a Bonus Book” is the story of Kang Dani (Lee Na Young) and Cha Eun Ho (Lee Jong Suk), who have been friends ever since Dani saved Eun Ho’s life as a child. Dani is a 37-year-old divorcee and mother, who left her successful job in advertising to become a housewife and raise her child. Eun Ho is an author, a professor at Hanguk University, and a founding member and Editor-in-chief for Gyeoroo Publishing. Dani and Eun Ho are each other’s emotional support, and yet are hiding painful experiences from one another. Eun Ho has always had romantic feelings for Dani, but has hidden them because Dani only sees him as a brother. After Dani’s divorce, she is left jobless and homeless, struggling to re-enter the workforce, but no company will hire her because of her 12-year gap in employment. After lying about her level of experience, Dani accepts an entry-level temporary position with Gyeoroo Publishing as one of Eun Ho’s subordinates. Dani cannot keep the truth of her situation from Eun Ho and ends up living with him. In their time together, the two grow even closer, and Eun Ho admits his feelings for Dani. While Dani is initially shocked by Eun Ho’s confession, she gradually begins to return his affections as she realizes that Eun Ho has always been her “home.” Dani is able to secure a full-time, permanent position with Gyeoroo Publishing in the Marketing Department and the two face their future together.

Noona Romance

Dani is 37 and Eun Ho is 32, making “Romance” a noona romance K-drama, or a romance where the female lead is older than the male lead. According to Jan Omega of the Inquisitr, noona romances have risen in popularity over the last 5 years and “are being featured in some of the most popular and highly-anticipated K-dramas.” Noona romances are popular in K-dramas because they are still viewed by much of society as a risqué, therefore making them a “forbidden romance.” Because of this, both partners in the relationship have to overcome their fears that society will not accept their relationship. “Anything outside society's limits usually make great material for shows,” Omega stated. “A testament to this can be seen through premier channel shows like ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Dexter’, or ‘True Blood.’”

A potential obstacle for a noona romance, however, occurs when one of the leads fails to see the other as anything other than a noona (older sister) or donsaeng (younger brother). This pitfall is evident in “Romance,” as Dani repeatedly refers to Eun Ho as her little brother. We see this when Dani is teaching Eun Ho how to drink and when she asks a friend if her brother can join them for Udon. Dani also constantly calls Eun Ho gross. She tries to wipe his face when they are eating breakfast, like a mother would a child. She also teases him relentlessly and makes him blush whenever she talks about relationships.

Gradually, though, Dani does begin to see Eun Ho as more than a younger brother. Working with him at Gyeoroo allows her the opportunity to see him differently, as the tables are turned and he is her senior. When the employees of Gyeoroo spend time volunteering at an orphanage, Dani witnesses the kindness and love that Eun Ho shares with the children. Though Eun Ho has always experienced the same affection from Eun Ho, she took it for granted.

But things really begin to shift for Dani when Eun Ho says he is hurt and in pain after she tells him she is going to start dating book designer, Ji Seo Jun (Wi Ha Joon). Dani misunderstands and immediately kneels down in front of Eun Ho’s chair and puts her head to his forehead. Angrily, Eun Ho moves Dani’s hand from his head to his heart. Dani is shocked by Eun Ho’s chest muscles and immediately begins to tease him about being a man - something she has clearly never considered before. Out of frustration, Eun Ho turns the table, swiftly launching off of his chair and pinning Dani to the floor underneath him. “Yes, I am a man,” he says. “Actually, a really great one.” After a few moments of staring into one another’s eyes, Eun Ho gets up and walks away, leaving a stunned Dani lying on the floor in silence, her pounding heartbeat the only sound.

Mr. Right

While he has moments of indifference and narcissism when it comes to work or the countless number of women who wish to be in a relationship with him, Eun Ho has a sweet disposition when it comes to his beloved Dani. We learn that Eun Ho has not revealed his feelings to Dani because he does not want to stand in the way of her love. Nevertheless, we learn that whenever he would get drunk, he would take a taxi to her house, because he missed her so much. He would stand outside of her house and listen to her voice and laughter carry through the windows. On the days when he witnessed her crying, however, his heart would crumble, too. He admits to an old girlfriend, “When Dani smiles, I’m happy. When Dani cries, my heart breaks and it drives me crazy. When she struggles, I struggle, too. I miss her when she’s not with me.”

Dani’s relationship with Eun Ho is so close that she takes it for granted. But for most of their relationship, simply having Dani’s friendship is enough for Eun Ho. Dani says there is only one person in the world that she needs and who knows her very well. Eun Ho asks her, “That’s me, isn’t it? The one who knows you so well.” Dani answers simply, “Who else could it be?” Her nonchalance exemplifies her lack of awareness of what Eun Ho’s relationship is, but Eun Ho’s cute little song and dance down the hallway following Dani’s words speaks volumes of how much her words meant to him.

For Eun Ho, his relationship with Dani really begins to shift following her revelation of her desire to start dating Seo Jun. Eun Ho begins to be visibly upset whenever discussing her relationship with Seo Jun. This is evident when Dani refers to her and Seo Jun as “we.” Eun Ho, appalled, corrects Dani, saying “You and I are a ‘we,’” not you and Seo Jun. “I’m your home,” he says. “You always come to me.” It is a very sweet and honest moment, but Dani, unable – or unwilling – to see Eun Ho’s words for what they are, admonishes him for being “corny.” It is not long after this moment, however, that Eun Ho decides to reveal his true feelings to Dani.

And let’s be honest, he IS Lee Jong Suk – former model turned actor and bonafide cutie pie. If you have read my review of “W: Two Worlds,” you know that he is one of my absolute favorites, and hard to beat!

Stigma of being a mom

One of the issues that “Romance” addresses is the stigma of being a mom in the workforce. Despite the rise of feminism in recent years (with the insulting exception of the overturning of Roe v Wade – I’m looking at you Supreme Court), when Dani attempts to re-enter the workforce after a 12-year employment gap of working as a housewife, she meets significant opposition. She is told that during those years, while other women were fighting to advance in their careers, she was “lazying around.” This attitude represents a common societal attitude towards women who are housewives and/or stay-at-home-moms, despite their significant contribution to society in many areas, including the economy. When in fact, according to Marripedia, a married mother at home’s contribution to the economy is significant. Her “impact on the economy is three-fold: She raises the future labor force; Her at-home labor saves the family money; By tending to details on the home front, she both allows and motivates her husband to be fully committed to his occupation, job, or profession.”

Attempting to jump back into the workforce after a significant gap is an uphill battle for anyone, particularly without significant connections and a healthy dose of luck. The disdain with which mothers are shown, however, is particularly offensive and shameful. In “Romance,” no one is willing to take a chance on Dani because of her “career break,” regardless of her educational background, previous experience, and skill level. Despite all of her previous accomplishments and accolades, Dani is viewed as having “accomplished nothing.” A headhunter tells Eun Ho that not hiring a woman with an employment gap due to raising a family is “discrimination and illegal,” but companies cheat the system by posting that anyone can apply, accepting the applications, and then filtering out anyone with a gap in employment. The overriding opinion is that while Dani is more than qualified for the positions to which she applies, she should not be considered as an equal to those of her age who never left the field.

Power of Attitude

Despite the stigma against her, Dani’s attitude is incredible and allows her to overcome any obstacle she faces. Realizing that no one is willing to hire her for the positions for which she is qualified, she decides to omit her experience and credentials from her resume and applies for a temporary position with Eun Ho’s company. Even though she is tasked with menial jobs that are below her skill level, she does them happily and with a positive attitude. “Everything I learn will come in handy one day,” she tells herself. Dani quickly realizes that everyone works hard, doing the best in their situations. She understands that she has to do the tasks assigned to her as part of the Task Support Team, even if she desperately wants to participate in marketing full-time, because being a part of the Task Support Team is her job. She humbly realizes that to prove herself, she needs to start from the ground up.

When the opportunity arises for Dani to pitch her first marketing idea, she realizes that many things have changed in the world of marketing during her absence. “I’ve decided to come to terms with the fact that the world changed while my life stayed the same,” she admits. The life of a homemaker can be monotonous at times, and that can be challenging for someone with ambitions. Society assumes homemakers have no dreams, skills, or goals, but Dani - like many homemakers - was not at home because she was not qualified to be part of the workforce, but because she chose to use her skills to benefit her family. Once she re-enters the workforce, her skills and desire to do well are put to good use and she is quickly able to demonstrate her talent, as she works overtime closing the gap created by her absence. And when her first marketing idea is accepted, you cannot help but rejoice with her as her hard work and perseverance finally pay off! She has such a great attitude and is clearly capable.

Ji Seo Jun

“Romance” has a bit of a Cinderella-story element to it in the form of Ji Seo Jun, an artist and book cover designer, who rescues Dani at the beginning of the K-drama on a day when she is in desperate need of a kind face. Seo Jun literally rescues Dani’s shoes, one from traffic and one from a trash bin, and kneels before her to put them back on her feet. Dani, does not believe in “a far-fetched fairytale” and is not looking for love, but begins to form a friendship with Seo Jun, whom she seems to run into whenever she is in need of a friend.

Seo Jun’s mother was ill when he was younger, so he vowed to become a more caring and attentive son. That same attitude can be seen in his relationship with Dani. He takes her to good restaurants, he buys her gifts unexpectedly, and he rescues her when she’s in a couple of tough situations. These are all behaviors that Eun Ho also does for Dani, but Dani, blind to the reality of her relationship with Eun Ho, fails to see them. Dani’s friendship with Seo Jun begins to blossom into something more, but its most important function for “Romance” is that it is the impetus for Eun Ho to admit his feelings to Dani and for Dani to begin viewing Eun Ho as more than just a little brother.

For the Love of Books

In “Romance,” a genuine love and appreciation for books and reading is evident. Gyeoroo President Kim Jae Min (Kim Tae Woo) says numerous times that his goal is for more people to read. Dani and her fellow new hires are filled with sorrow when they visit the paper shredder where books are destroyed. One of the editors gets upset when a new hire’s mistake requires corrective stickers to be added to books that are like her “flesh and blood.” And Dani quotes poet Amy Lowell saying “books are the quintessence of our lives.” (Author’s note: The full quote is “For books are more than books, they are the life / The very heart and core of ages past / The reason why men lived and worked and died / The essence and quintessence of their lives.”)

Throughout the K-drama, there are many parallels made between books and life. Just like a person, no book comes into this world and survives alone. A book is a collaborative effort of many different people with different skills. And just as books require the love and support of different people to be developed, written, edited, published, and marketed, Dani and Eun Ho rely on one another to navigate through the ups and downs of life. When Dani speaks to Seo Jun about her evolving relationship with Eun Ho, she makes an analogy to an old book whose lines she had once memorized, but now feel like a stranger. Seo Jun continues with the book analogy in his response, saying that “That’s how good books are” - their meanings evolve as you evolve. It is not the book that has changed, he says, but the reader’s heart.

The last scene of the K-drama shows Eun Ho and Dani running hand-in-hand, a perfect bookend to the K-drama which shows Eun Ho and Dani running hand-in-hand in the first episode. That day in the first episode was the day when Dani’s life went wrong. In contrast, the day in the last episode is the day when her life is finally back on track. She is working at a job she loves and is committed to a man she loves and who loves her in return. The episode ends with Dani’s voiceover. “I opened up an old book of mine again. It was good when I first read the book. But when I read it for the second and third time, this book made me underline the sentences over and over again. I find new sentences in this book every day. It’s a book that stayed with me the longest.” The book analogy paints a beautiful picture of the evolving love she shares with Eun Ho.

Final verdict: WATCH

“Romance” is a sweet noona romance that demonstrates how friends can make the transition from long time friends to lovers. The acting is great and the storyline moves without much unnecessary interruption. “Romance” addresses the specific issue of the unfair treatment of women who return to the workplace after an employment gap, but also the general stigma of women who stay home to raise their children - both very much relevant issues for today. In a digital age, “Romance” upholds the value of traditional books, as well as those who work to bring them to life. As a lover of books, I enjoyed the parallel “Romance” made between a good book and life itself. If you like noona romances, friends-turned-lovers stories, or cohabitation dramas, “Romance” is definitely a K-drama worth watching!

So there it is, our review of “Romance is a Bonus Book.” What did you think?! Thank you for joining us on this journey.

Have a favorite K-drama you think we should review, comment down below!! We look forward to seeing you back again next week!

Up next, “My Roommate is a Gumiho”

My Roommate is a Gumiho

You Drive Me Crazy

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