“Why are our actors trying so hard!”
Coupang Play’s series ‘Absolute Value of Romance’ is creating a delightful storm on screens. As episodes progress, it has earned the nickname “cute crazy drama,” perfectly triggering the fan hearts of viewers. With twist charms that exceed a value of 10 million won, here are the top 3 “polar opposite” twist moments between reality and the novel that you shouldn’t miss.
For context, ‘Absolute Value of Romance’ (directed by Lee Tae-gon and Kim Jun-hyung) is a tumultuous high teen comedy series about a high school girl who writes romance novels featuring handsome teachers and becomes entangled with them in real life. It stars Kim Hyang-gi, Cha Hak-yeon, Kim Jae-hyun, Son Jung-hyuk, and Kim Dong-gyu.
# “Is the teacher’s visual for real?” Reality-defying visuals completed by insane hair, makeup, and styling
The strongest point for falling in love with ‘Absolute Value of Romance’ is the 180-degree visual shock that occurs whenever the story shifts between reality and the novel. The characters in the novel appear with bold and unconventional styling that is unimaginable in real life, leaving viewers completely stunned.
In particular, Jung Ki-jeon (played by Son Jung-hyuk) transforms into Kang Tae-ha in the novel ‘We Were Friends,’ completing a “frustratingly” fatal look with a suit over a bare chest and a chain necklace. Meanwhile, Ga Woo-su (played by Cha Hak-yeon) takes on the role of Joo Si-on, delivering an overwhelming impact with a bright red leather coat and an extraordinary hairstyle. The sight of teachers, who are the students’ role models in reality, running wild with twist tension in the novel brings explosive laughter.
# “Why am I not the lead?” A goldmine of “Internet Novel vibe” lines
Another highlight is the process where the indifferent words of the teachers in reality are reborn as fatal lines in Yeo Ui-ju’s (played by Kim Hyang-gi) novel. A real-life moment where Woo-su looks at his broken glasses and says, “My glasses broke, so a value of 10 million won is gone,” is transformed into a legendary “internet novel” style line: “My lips tore, so a value of 10 million won is gone,” dropping a laughter bomb.
Additionally, the scene where Woo-su suddenly and seriously asks, “Why am I not the lead?” after checking his screen time is strangely addictive. This leads to Joo Si-on’s rough line in the novel, “Because I’ll be a jerk only for Choi Yoon,” reaching the peak of an immersive narrative. The process of trivial real-life words becoming fatal through Ui-ju’s imagination filter produces gem-like lines every episode.
# A wallflower in reality, a “Cider Bomber” in the novel! The extreme gap
Above all, the core of the work is the contrast between the ordinary student Yeo Ui-ju and her other persona, the novelist ‘Lee Muk.’ While she is a quiet student who hides the fact that she writes novels at school, she transforms into a bold “Cider Bomber” the moment she equips the persona of writer Lee Muk.
In particular, scenes where she explodes with writer’s pride, saying, “Where do you get off talking back? I’m the writer and you’re the character,” and “Even a single dot in my lines has soul,” provide a cute sense of catharsis. It’s also delightful to see Ui-ju, who was unfairly scolded by Woo-su in reality, carry out a proxy revenge through Joo Si-on in the novel. Ui-ju’s imagination, which reinterprets ordinary situations as fatal romances, is a unique weapon of this drama.
