K-drama ‘Cheese in the Trap’: A romance everyone should watch
When you’re adapting anything into a TV show, be it a video game, book series, or in the case of Cheese in the Trap, a webcomic, you have to be careful. There’s a group of devoted fans that most likely won’t be happy no matter what you do, but you still need to make this media appealing to those who aren’t familiar with the source material.
Luckily, those who fell in love with Jung and Seol through the LINE Webtoon were pleased to see the couple brought to life in Cheese in the Trap. The 16 episode K-drama captivated fans, and wrote their own ending since the comic didn’t have an ending by the end of the show.
Bringing the magic of two university students going from enemies to lovers to life, Cheese in the Trap is an adorable rom-com that anyone who loves K-dramas should watch.
Taking down a cocky man by a few pegs
When the show stars, Yoo Jung (Park Hae-jin) is far from a nice guy. He has spent his university years rising in popularity, and becoming so powerful he can basically tear down anyone he doesn’t like with a snap of his fingers. When Hong Seol (Kim Go-eun) gets in the way, it’s over for her.
But when Seol returns to university on a scholarship Jung was supposed to get, a different Jung greets Soel and gets closer to her. Through their relationship, it’s clear that Seol is trying to help Jung realize his privilege and help him try to be a nicer person. Granted, she’s not always nice about it, but Jung wasn’t nice to her to begin with so who cares?
Friends finding each other again
A big part of Jung’s plot into becoming a better person is the return of childhood friend Baek In-ho (Seo Kang-joon). An adopted brother into the Jung family, In-ho was a child prodigy at the piano, with dreams of becoming a full-fledged concert pianist. But at some point in childhood, an accident that badly damaged In-ho’s hand happened.
When he returns to their hometown, it’s revealed that In-ho believes Jung caused this accident and ruined his dreams. The two had a falling out at some point in the past because of this, and went their separate ways. Naturally, In-ho coming back to town is going to lead to some spicy drama.
But as the two slowly but surely reconnect, it’s clear there’s still some brotherly love there. Plus, as the truth about this accident is revealed, it’s interesting to find out how much the two didn’t know about each other.
Ball to the wall insanity
Probably the biggest thing you’ll hear from people who have watched Cheese in the Trap though is how psychotic the supporting characters are. From In-ha being insanely in love with her step-brother Jung, the friends of In-ho constantly talking crap about Jung, and honestly the entire show being stacked against Jung, it’s a mess.
But that’s part of the charm of Cheese in the Trap. It’s not your normal love triangle K-drama, or some dumb high school drama. There’s a lot going on to keep you entertained from episode to episode. It’s not just hitting a bunch of obligatory marks, it’s telling a unique story. There’s a reason so many people loved the original webcomic.
You can check out Cheese in the Trap for yourself on Netflix or Amazon Prime, as well as read the original webcomic on LINE Webtoon.
