The story is moving faster, and we are finally seeing the romance aspect of “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon” more and more. Even though episode 10 focused more on afterschool politics, both episodes portrayed Seo Hye Jin (Jung Ryeo Won) and Lee Joon Ho’s
(Wi Ha Joon) honeymoon phase quite nicely. So, here are four moments that made viewers all giddy in the recent episodes of “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon.”
Warning: spoilers for episodes 9-10 ahead!
Hye Jin and Joon Ho not being able to stay away
It is normal for couples in their honeymoon phase (the happy early stage of a new relationship) to not be able to stay away from each other. This is exactly what happens with Hye Jin and Joon Ho. After spending the entire day at work together, they arrive at Hye Jin’s apartment building and don’t want to part ways. Joon Ho gets a call from his friend and has to go home immediately, but as soon as he finishes, he runs back to Hye Jin’s apartment, where she is patiently waiting for him. No matter how much time they spend together, it seems they would fight the gods themselves to increase the number of hours in a day just to have more time with each other.
Often, after the honeymoon stage is over, the excitement fizzles out. However, based on the intensity of Hye Jin and Joon Ho’s relationship, it is doubtful that they will ever not want to be within arm’s length of each other.
“Hye Jin, I Love You”
There are two main confession scenes that happen in a romance drama or film: one is when either one or both main leads confess their feelings towards each other and start dating, and another is when they confess their eternal love for each other. As viewers, we have the opportunity to look into Joon Ho’s innermost feelings, so we already know that he is in love with Hye Jin. However, despite them dating, Hye Jin does not know about his love for her.
All of her lingering doubts were cleared in last week’s episode when Joon Ho confessed his love to her. It was not a dramatic moment nor a grand gesture; he laid out his heart in front of her in the calm of Hye Jin’s apartment, a metaphor for how their life onward is going to be: peaceful and together.
Sneaking around like teenagers in love
As we found out in the previous week’s episodes, Hye Jin never got to experience teenage love. She had the responsibility of paying off her parents’ debt and earning a living for herself. Under all that pressure, she never had the time to act like her peers. While her classmates were going on dates and figuring out their preferences in partners, Hye Jin was working multiple jobs to save up money. Because of all the lost time, she now feels out of place and does not fit in. This is why the scenes of her and Joon Ho sneaking around like teenage lovers feel extremely sweet.
In episode nine, after spending the night together, Joon Ho goes home in the morning to get ready for work. But as they were both missing each other, they sneak into one of the empty classrooms to meet before going to the staff room. Their plan is to leave the room separately to avoid raising any suspicions. One thing leads to another, and one of their coworkers is about to figure out that Hye Jin and Joon Ho were in the same empty classroom hanging out, but Hye Jin saves the day.
Even though the situation could have had somewhat serious consequences, it seems to be healing Hye Jin’s inner teenager, who did not get to experience first love and all its giddy moments.
Joon Ho learning to be a better partner
In terms of K-drama boyfriends, Joon Ho is by far one of the greenest flags out there. He respects Hye Jin and is always ready to do anything for her. However, Joon Ho is an imperfect human. One of his flaws is thinking that Hye Jin is invincible and the strongest person ever. Even though his intentions are good and he just sees Hye Jin in a positive way, his perfect perception of her leads him to give her space when she actually needs support the most.
Ms. Nam (So Ju Yeon) explains to him how he has been in the wrong, and even though Hye Jin is a strong woman, she also needs to lean on someone. Intervention scenes are not uncommon in dramas, but Joon Ho takes the advice immediately and implements it. This shows that he indeed wants to work on becoming a better boyfriend and a better person for Hye Jin in general.
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Hello Soompiers! Do you think Hye Jin and Joon Ho are moving too fast in their relationship? Let us know in the comments!
Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of cliches are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres but believes no one can top the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN. You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs.
Currently watching: “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon”
Looking forward to: “Squid Game Season 2”