[First Thoughts] Secret Love Affair

I'm finished with school so I was looking for a drama that would keep me busy for awhile. Recently I haven't heard any rave about any dramas so I looked up which ones are airing currently and there aren't very many that looked interesting to me. I tried to watch Hotel King but it seemed slightly lame so I stopped and kept looking; I was between starting Angel Eyes and Secret Love Affair, and decided on Secret Love Affair because of Yoo Ah In.

[contains spoilers]

I was first exposed to Yoo Ah In when I watched Fashion King, but loved that drama because of Lee Je Hoon, Ah In's character didn't appeal to me as much. Then, I recently watched a Running Man episode with Ah In which is why I kind of wanted to watch him in a drama again. I read up about the plot and knew it was about a romance between a married woman and a male lead who is much younger, and I also read that he was a pianist but I wasn't expecting the plot to be centered on his piano skills or the fact that they are in a teacher / student relationship.

After watching the first episode I was more drawn to the drama because the lead female is tolerable and likeable, and the lead male is so well acted by Yoo Ah In that I was kind of surprised; I was expecting him to be bold, like his character in Fashion King but instead he's awkward, shy, nervous, and very immature which is the complete opposite of his character in Fashion King. So I think just the fact that I appreciate his acting here makes it more interesting to watch, but I'm not sure if I really like his character. He's so far very immature and hotheaded and I can't tell if I feel sorry for him or not.

Also, being someone who played violin for almost my whole life, I was drawn to the musical aspect of the drama; I obviously do not play piano but can appreciate the things that they are talking about in terms of music and I really like the fact that I can listen to good music while watching the drama. Also, there is a scene where the kid is chatting with the woman online, not knowing it is her, and describing the way that he played piano with her as an orgasm, and for some reason I love the way that he describes it. That whole scene of them playing the instrument together is so full of passion and he says he "gave her his all" which is just such a great way of putting it. I can't describe it exactly but I feel like things like this, where characters don't speak but say so much in terms of their emotions and just let it all go, are such powerful moments, especially in dramas where they can dramatize it a bit.

As far as the plot goes; it's a little confusing. They leave some things out to where I thought, "Did I accidentally skip a part?" and they move really quickly in terms of his love interest and the professor and his wife's interest in his playing. I kind of like when after the first couple episodes things are well developed and the plot starts to move smoothly but it doesn't feel that way yet. I'm about half way into the fourth episode and I still don't quite have a good feeling for the central conflict. They're still trying to develop some things, which also makes it kind of boring to watch. I mean, it's all very interesting but there's no real excitement, save the kiss in the third episode that was supposed to be surprising but thanks to allkpop I was expecting it. So far there's nothing that has been going on to where I am excited to continue watching, or want to know what happens next. I don't feel very attached to it.

Also, there is a lot of drama between the characters that work in the Arts Institute, which is fine, but it seems to consume most of the drama, rather than the male character which I thought was supposed to be the main character. So, basically I'm kind of confused as to what is the main story and what isn't, it all kind of feels messy but hopefully it will settle down soon.

I'm not quite sure what I think of the drama yet and might start Angel Eyes anyway just to have something else to do because I don't have that eagerness to watch Secret Love Affair yet. But, I'll keep giving it a chance and we'll see where it ends up.