Cheese in the Trap is a Horror Story (A Review on my First KDrama)

Cheese in the Trap is a horror story disguised as romance. Before I delve into that, let me tell you how I've come to watch my very first Korean drama. 

(note: this is a long blog because I feel very passionate about this. Also, I'm not talking about the webtoon version - I'm talking purely about the tv series.)

photo from hitc.com

MY FIRST FORAY INTO KOREAN DRAMA 

I've recently rekindled my friendship with my college best friend. Among the many things and life events we talked about, the subject of Korean dramas came up - from her side. 

I, who have never watched a single kdrama, skimmed through the Netflix posters of the list of dramas she stated... with very little interest at first. 

I've seen the posters before. I could never get the hype. I could never comprehend the kind of joy people get from these stories. 

I liked my crime shows and mysteries. I liked my guessing games. I liked my thrillers and my action flicks. I liked my Dark and my Harlan Coben shows and my Broadchurch. I liked my superhero shows. 

Romantic shows usually made me... uncomfortable. Any show that was relationship-focused stressed me out; I'd cover my eyes with my hands every time an aloof boy shows too much interest in a girl, or when a couple heads off for their first date, just as some cover their eyes in thrillers or horror movies. And then I'd click away from the show entirely, leaving them forever in my "continue watching" list. 

But there has been one romantic exception to all this - Twilight. 

Twilight has always been the one romantic series I liked to endure; the very idea of an Edward Cullen - unrealistic, majestic, so utterly obsessed with Bella... it was too compelling. Any other romantic movie or series, I needed time to warm up to, or else I'd just ignore it completely. But Twilight? Ugh. I never did care if other people made fun of it. I just wanted an Edward. The idea of a boyfriend like Edward Cullen was all-consuming and powerful, and most of all, impossible. Edward Cullen, to me, will always be the ultimate dream boyfriend - and ever since, there's been no reason to seek for other dream boyfriends from other stories. 

So how did I end up watching my very first Korean drama?

Cheese in the Trap was one of the shows my friend mentioned. Among the many titles she had stated, I just had to check this one out. I needed to see the poster on Netflix because the title sounded... strange and therefore intriguing. 

What was it about and what could this 'cheese' be referring to?

photo courtesy of Netflix.com

The poster added to my intrigue: it was attractive. The colors drew me in; they made me hungry for cheese and ham sandwiches. I thought the fashionable girl (whom I now know as Baek In Ha) looked a lot like Jennie from BlackPink... and despite never having watched Korean dramas before, I've been a big fan of BlackPink and Jennie for over a year now. 

But I wasn't only drawn in by the visuals.

The Netflix synopsis was interesting to me; the words "college life", "wealthy upperclassman", and "dark side" caught my eye. I've been drawn to University stories lately - even if I barely finish them (again, due to relationship tensions I cannot take). I just want a taste of that University life again, a life focused on feeding the brain and reading textbooks. I don't know why, but in the last couple of months, it's the kind of environment I've been craving for, where a sense of accomplishment could be found in studying and receiving grades. 

I also wanted to do something about my personal issue with romantic relationship tensions... 

So one day, I finally clicked on Cheese in the Trap.. 

YOU JUNG IS NO EDWARD CULLEN 

photo courtesy of https://channel-korea.com/cheese-in-the-trap-drama-review/

It's just a few minutes in, and I certainly got the University air I've been craving for: the school rush, the work, the dorm life, those after school hours at some hole in the wall near school, the stress with deadlines and group projects, the friendships, the rivalries. I enjoyed it. 

I liked the inner monologues included, too; usually, these types of things made shows look silly, but in this series, it worked wonderfully. There were also moments where characters talked to themselves out loud, expressing internal struggles so viewers would know what they were mentally and emotionally processing, which would be strange in real life and probably ridiculous in American and European shows - but in here, it just worked really well. It didn't feel awkward at all.

You Jung (why is he called 'Jeong' in the Netflix subtitles though?) initially felt like a Korean Edward Cullen - mysterious, quiet, tall, handsome, placed on a pedestal by his peers, and very much aware of our leading lady, Hong Seol. 

I would later learn that this awareness for Seol started out as dislike at first, which gradually turned into 'care' - an element that reminded me so much of Twilight. The difference was, it's difficult to figure out when exactly Jung's dislike became care and affection - his blank expressions, tone, and actions when he was supposed to be disliking Seol were exactly the same as when he started courting her, and then when he became her boyfriend. 

Admittedly, I liked Jung at first - the mysterious aspect to his personality felt piquant, his dark side was intriguing, his focus on Seol seemed very Edward Cullen-ish. It was difficult to read him, to understand his motives, to figure out if he was sincere with his growing affections with Seol, to gauge his emotions. 

He was interesting, even endearing, when he was still trying to pursue a bewildered Seol; like his classmates, I put him on a pedestal earlier on. From that pedestal, I expected a progression similar to Edward Cullen's character development - deepened affections, some personal sacrifice - the kind of sacrifice that would lead to some inconvenience on his part, and some deliberate, heartfelt, self-induced change to a negative aspect of his personality. A willingness to become a better man - both for himself and for Seol.

And then two things happened that truly put him as far away as possible from any comparison to Edward Cullen: 1.) he became Seol's boyfriend, and none of those character developments happened, and 2.) Baek In Ho - his enemy, a 'punk' who was supposed to have been his step-brother - showed up as the better man - both as an individual and as a potential partner for Seol. 

photo courtesy of youtube.com

YOU JUNG VS BAEK IN HO 

Over a week later, my college best friend asked me who I preferred: You Jung or Baek In Ho? 

But I still wasn't far into the series, so I still couldn't make up my mind. 

I was still early in the show, and I still liked Jung. He was always behind the scenes, helping Seol with her goals, never letting her know he was the person responsible for them. He got her a scholarship, unbeknownst to Seol. He kept handing her drinks from the vending machine. He kept assisting her with schoolwork. He even lent his laptop for her to borrow. He got her a job --- later on, we'd find out he had achieved this through threats and blackmail. But earlier on, Jung's assistance to Seol seemed sweet. His calculated actions always seemed like efficient gears working behind the scenes for her sake. 

But then, in the back of my head, I knew that I was starting to feel indignant towards Jung, mainly for the way he was treating Baek In Ho over petty things, but I'll talk about that later. Add to that, I was starting to feel drained whenever the screen showed Seol and Jung together. It was as if I was the one getting tired from these tense, forced excursions. There were these awkward, constrictive dates... 

These dates between Seol and Jung were like long, drawn out paragraphs with a thousand blank spaces all throughout; they always seemed to struggle to figure out what to talk about. The discomfort oozed from the screen. Every time they were together, Seol looked like she could not wait to get as far away from him as soon as possible. 

And then he asked her to be his girlfriend. And there was nothing sweet or touching about it. It even seemed... forced. 

"Seol."
"Yes?"
"Would you be my girlfriend?"
(a long pause)
"What's your answer?" 
"I don't know why you said that."
(meanwhile, Seol's awkward hand seems to want to pull away as fast as possible from Jung's grasp)
"Are you sure?" 
"Yes. And I never thought that I would or could start dating anyone."
(Jung nods his head hesitantly while pulling his grasp away.) "I see."
"No it's... It's not because I don't like you. It's because..."
"Then say yes."
(pause)
"I think you should."
(pause)
"Say yes. Come on."
(meanwhile, Seol looks like she is being held hostage. And then she nods like a scared person in a horror story.)
"Okay?"
"Okay."
(Jung smiles with great satisfaction.) "Good."

That was their romantic moment. It truly felt more like a hostage situation. 

The next day, Seol tried to catch his attention, and Jung greeted her in school just like he'd greet any other passing student - a gesture which effectively befuddled our leading lady. To me, it screamed "mind game". But then I felt warm towards him again when I realized that he was the person behind the job she got at the faculty later on. I understood that that's just probably the way Jung expressed his affections.

Then they went on to their first official date as a couple - it started out at the arcade, where an enthusiastic Seol attempted to play around with a stiff Jung; then they went to the movies, where Seol's inner monologue expressed boredom and dislike, since she preferred action movies; when Jung asked her if she was bored, she couldn't even be honest.

"Are you bored?"
"No, it's interesting."

Then they went on to some fancy dinner: the dryness and awkwardness was piercing, but the drama forcefully tried to pass it as 'cute' by adding 'cute background music'. Seol felt so stiff and insecure about the place's grandeur, as well as the prices, that she chose the cheapest option: soup. Then he drove her home, and their interactions continued to flow so dryly. There was simply zero chemistry between them. 

A depleted Seol returned to her room, where she went on talking to herself out loud.

"Are all dates this exhausting?"
"It's just so uncomfortable."
"I'm so hungry."
"I'm starving."
"I need food."

And from there, she headed over to the convenience store, where she bumped once more into Baek In Ho. 

This pivotal scene with Baek In Ho did it for me: he was the one, the better man for Seol. Their chance meeting at the convenience store was perfectly placed: Seol's agitated, constricted date with Jung was juxtaposed with her easy, comfortable, and teasing interaction with Baek In Ho. From this juxtaposition, it felt as if the drama was saying: notice the difference between the two guys? This is the clue! This is where its headed to! This is the REAL romance you've been looking for in this drama!

              

Gifs from https://seokjinings.tumblr.com/

Baek In Ho. The "punk". The second lead who first met Seol through chance encounter, and who maintained subsequent chance encounters with her afterwards. As if destiny kept pushing them together. 

Baek In Ho. My first impressions of him were varied: I thought he seemed like a lost, young boy with scant resources, with a good head on his shoulders nonetheless - which were all true. Then I thought he looked like he listened avidly to Jimmy Eat World and Yellowcard, emoted to Fall Out Boy, and kept a collection of skateboards - which might still be true. Or not. But he was much, much deeper than I would have anticipated. 

Baek In Ho: musical genius with a tactless mouth that couldn't be helped; except his heart was so pure, with motives that remained so unsullied and selfless. Unlike Jung. 

Before that scene at the convenience store mentioned above, Baek In Ho's previous interactions with Seol already warmed me up to him: the first time they really interacted well was during their second meeting, a few episodes back (ep. 2); it was when Baek In Ho had saved Seol from a pompous blind date, a date who had hurled a string of insults her way. Baek In Ho had just ended a disastrous job interview at the restaurant they were in, and on the way out, he had spotted Seol with this date.

the ff screenshots from youtube.com

"Then what have you actually done in life?" (pompous dude asks) 
"Well, I took piano lessons when I was young." 
"If that's the case, you must know what's playing now. It's the piano quartet by Franz Schubert, "The Mullet"... (pauses to see Seol's blank expression) You don't even know it. It sounds like you've been living a boring life. I can't really talk to you --" 
(Baek In Ho finally comes in to save Seol, who was by then practically a stranger.) 
"Gosh, I can't listen to this. You're so vain and full of yourself. You look like a pervert, you jerk." 
"You -" (Seol pauses in surprise) 
"You treated me like a beggar, so I was curious about who you are. (turns to pompous guy) But you're nobody. Where'd you meet this guy who looks like a loach?"
...
"Shall I teach him a lesson?" 
(After a few more aggressive exchanges, Baek In Ho's intrusion allows Seol to leave, but not before standing up for herself) 
"Yes. I've been living a boring and unsophisticated life. So what? Does it have anything to do with you? What? The piano quartet? The Mullet? You look so slimy and scummy. And your English pronunciation is horrible. Don't ever talk in English again. I was embarrassed listening to you." 
"That girl is totally crazy." (Baek In Ho says this with an awed grin before stopping pompous dude from going after Seol. Then he says something that clues us in on his musical expertise.) 

"...If you want to be a show-off, do it properly. First of all, what's playing now is Schubert's piano quintet. It's "The Trout", not "The Mullet", you idiot. I guess you didn't study. Even a crummy looking punk like me knows."

What an entrance that was for Baek In Ho! This uncomplicated act of defending Seol spoke volumes about his character; it was a far more touching gesture for our leading lady compared to the complicated manipulations Jung preferred, where lives of other people must be ruined along the way. 

As I mentioned before, one of my first impressions of Baek In Ho was correct: that he was a lost, young boy with scant resources, with a good head on his shoulders nonetheless. 

He didn't fit the category of "crummy looking punk" without goals and dreams; he was responsible and sensible - this was already obvious from the way he had scolded his sister during their very first scene in the drama, where he had expressed disgust with the way Baek In Ha - the sister - kept mooching off other men, including Mr. You, Jung's father. Also, the fact that he spent his daily life looking for jobs, and later on, even refused help from Mr. You - his powerful, almost-stepfather - told a lot about his responsible, hard-working, independent nature. Yes, he was struggling, but he was working on pulling through. 

"Small things come as ripples. But they are just ripples. Like everybody else, we can and will pull through." 

- Hong Seol 

That's where my vexation with You Jung started trickling in: You Jung, who had everything handed to him - wealth, the security of inheriting his father's large company in the future, friends who fawned over him, and now, even a girlfriend - was intent on ruining whatever Baek In Ho worked so hard for. 

In the gifs above, Baek In Ho and Seol could be seen walking side by side on the way to their respective homes. It's supposed to be normal and even expected - they were neighbors, and they have become fast friends. Even early on in their relationship, there already seemed to be an air of genuine concern, care, and protectiveness coming from Baek In Ho over Seol. They kept running into each other, and they had an easy, natural companionship. 

Behind them stood You Jung, the man dressed in white polo and dark pants, a man who wasn't even Seol's boyfriend yet in this scene. Yet he had followed Seol from his car; and there, down the street, he stopped and stood and remained, in that position, watching the two with apparent disdain, from that distance. 

It was this scene that drove his twisted mind into action once more: right after this, he called his father, intent on ruining In Ho's life. He could not do that directly because Baek In Ho never wanted help from his father anyhow; and so, in Jung's own words, he stated, "We'll start with In Ha". 

In Ha was a hopeless moocher, but she was still In Ho's sister; In Ho felt very much responsible for her. 

Now because of that scene above, Jung persuaded his father to cancel Baek In Ha's credit cards. The reason? Baek In Ho could not "stay away from the people in his life" - as if Seol was Jung's personal property. So because Jung could not directly cause harm over In Ho's life, and because he could not control who Seol hung out with, he targeted In Ha. It was petty, childish, vindictive, and extremely disgusting. 

And that was what he had admitted to Baek In Ho over the phone in that pivotal convenience store scene, right after Seol and Jung's cringey first date, and right before Seol came in. 

And that was why that convenience store scene changed everything for me: the phone call proved what a disgusting human being the main lead, You Jung, truly was. And the easy companionship between In Ho and Seol as they ate their noodles showed who the worthier couple in the series truly was; it also showed me just how far superior their chemistry was compared to Jung and Seol's. 

Another scene that truly put me off You Jung: it was when he was waiting outside Seol's place, and In Ho and Seol came walking in together. That moment was positioned right after Seol and In Ho's rain scene: they had raced through the rain for the convenience store, where the loser was supposed to buy the umbrella. 

Jung's presence outside Seol's room was an instant downer from that happy, relaxed, and lighthearted scene above, that sweet rain race between In Ho and Seol. It was as if all the weight of the world returned the moment the screen focused on his blank, serious, quietly enraged face. Jung then admitted to In Ho that Seol was his girlfriend.

"Is she the reason why you suspended In Ha's credit cards? ... Is that the reason? Because I hang out with your girlfriend? I guess I forgot. I forgot how you deliberately mess with people." 

"In Ha will need to move out by the end of this month. She can't afford to live in a luxurious apartment when she doesn't work." 

"Watch your tongue, you jerk." 

"Quit your job at the academy, then. Then I'll reconsider."

Where was the logic in this? Shouldn't it be -"persuade her to get a job" and not "quit your job"? 

So Jung just asked this hard working man to quit his job at the academy, this man who - without any help or outside influence - landed that job through his own sheer will and grit. The reason? Because he was becoming alarmed and increasingly insecure about the growing closeness between In Ho and Seol. Because Seol also worked at that very same academy. 

It was maddening, it was repulsive, and I couldn't understand how this drama expected me to take Jung's side when he was acting like a true narcissist. 

And then Jung would later demand that Seol must stay away from him, and then at another, later time - when Seol had started helping In Ho get back on his feet and hands so he could start playing the piano again - that she must stop being friends with him. These were all red flags; the moment Jung said them, Seol should have started running as far from him as possible. 

"I told you to stay away from him. And you let him walk you home?"

She shouldn't have to explain the circumstances of their constant togetherness; Seol wasn't Jung's property. And yet she allowed herself to be treated by Jung like a toy that nobody was allowed to play with, especially not Baek In Ho. He felt so entitled to Seol's affections - even if from the very beginning, she never made it clear that she possessed any actual affection for him - that it made me nauseous with disgust. 

From thereon, every scene with Jung and Seol became more and more toxic: if he was not demanding her to cut Baek In Ho off her life, they were fighting about his lies, and the lives he had ruined for her sake. Meanwhile, their "sweet scenes" made me uncomfortable - right after that convenience store scene, the "cute and sweet" companionship between Seol and Jung started to look like some sick farce. They were so forced, I simply could not imagine any sort of genuine happiness from that relationship. 

The most frustrating part, however, was how Seol kept finding out about Jung's manipulative and psychotic behaviors - over and over again - and yet she kept coming back to him, inventing excuses to his behavior. It was as if she believed that as long as she wasn't at the receiving end of his quiet wrath, it was all okay - which was insane. 

Returning to that convenience store scene: it was the time Baek In Ho revealed to Seol how Jung had wronged him in the past. 

(Seol) "Are you ambidextrous? It's uncommon." 

(Baek In Ho) "Is it?" ... "I used to be left handed, but became like this after an accident... The accident... was Jung's fault." 

"You mean... Jung hurt your hand?"

Later on, we'd learn that although Jung did not directly smash Baek In Ho's hand, it was he who had manipulated the people and the events that had led to that 'accident': 

Jung had heard Baek In Ho badmouthing him to a fellow pianist right after his concert backstage. This fellow pianist wanted to be close to Jung, but In Ho warned him away, saying Jung was 'pathetic'; Jung felt immediately betrayed and hurt, and did not bother asking other possibilities like - what if In Ho was only protecting him from weasels like the fellow pianist? What if In Ho was aware that a lot of people wanted to be close to Jung so that they could use him? What if this was his way of keeping moochers off his friend and almost-stepbrother?

So Jung, whose anger was forbidden from lapping onto the surface by his father, began working behind the scenes: he became friends with that fellow pianist, giving him the autographed pamphlet Jung had initially intended for his almost-stepbrother, the autograph of In Ho's favorite pianist; then he manipulated events around other people. He especially recognized the jealousy and quiet wrath brewing within In Ho's fellow pianist. He manipulated the workings of his mind thus; when this fellow pianist and a group of thugs got in trouble later on, he acted on this hate and jealousy, and convinced a group of thugs to believe that In Ho had snitched them to the police. These thugs, along with that weaselly pianist, attacked In Ho. And the fellow pianist, as a finale, smashed his left hand with a bat. And Jung looked on blankly as In Ho realized what had just happened. 

photo from https://aminoapps.com/

This manipulative psycho was the one people were supposed to root for. And no matter how messed up he was, or how understandable the reasons behind his behaviors were - there was simply no excuse for his kind of murderous, psychopathic actions. We'd later learn that the reason behind Jung's darkness laid on a father who forbade him from showing his anger - a father who possessed no empathy, just like his son - and ever since, Jung had been working his anger behind the scenes, pulling the strings instead. A lot of people began to understand him after this confession - but I couldn't. This reasoning was too shallow. In Ho had more right to be angry at the world, to turn psychotic - and yet he carried on and became a responsible, mature adult with a pure heart. 

Okay I'm really getting exhausted talking about Jung, I couldn't even stand watching him in the drama anymore. 

But I still have to explain why Cheese in the Trap is a horror story. So let's move on to that - 

but also... *spoiler coming up*

CHEESE IN THE TRAP IS A HORROR STORY 

- because Seol chose the psychopath, while cutting ties with the worthier man, in the end. 

In romances, we're usually supposed to fall in love with the leading man as the female falls in love with him; in here, we're falling in love with the second lead, while the leading lady falls in love with the leading man. Meanwhile, we're continually becoming more and more horrified by the kind of person this leading man truly is - in other words, we are simply watching a woman become more and more entrapped by a narcissist's psychological and emotional clutches over her -

SHE'S IN THE TRAP - 

In romances, we're usually supposed to fall in love with the leading man as the female falls in love with him; in this series, the female lead - who had started out as this relatable person - becomes more and more distant from the audience as she becomes more and more smitten with Jung, a person we're becoming more and more horrified by. It's like watching a hostage develop Stockholm Syndrome. 

As time went on, it became clear that she really started developing serious feelings for Jung - all the while discovering more of his dark, manipulative side. She started realizing that it was his nature to ruin people. And somehow, in some absurd way, it made her more smitten with him - because she started to believe that only she could understand him. So I started asking, "who is this girl becoming?" She was turning distant, I didn't want to follow her story anymore - but I kept on watching for In Ho. 

Finally - the 'accident.'

In Ha pushed Seol towards the highway, and Seol ended up getting badly hurt. Why? Because Jung tore In Ha away from Mr. You - again, through his manipulative tactics. There was a long string of events that led to In Ha getting disowned by Mr. You - and all of it was Jung's doing. 

It enraged me to no end how everyone blamed In Ho for In Ha's actions - just because of blood relation. The real person to be blamed for this was Jung - he had started the domino effect - it was he who had pushed In Ha too far with his vengeful tactics. IT WAS JUNG WHO HAD CAUSED HER TO SNAP - and yet people blamed Baek In Ho just because he was related to In Ha. 

The ending gave me a little satisfaction: I liked how Jung and Seol broke up, I liked how Jung realized that he needed to find out what kind of person he truly was, I liked that he felt repentant. I only wished it was Seol who had broken up with him and not the other way around - and I only wished that Seol realized that it was In Ho who truly loved her all this time - but a girl can only dream...

Much of the ending made me like Jung a little better; it doesn't mean I would ever want him for Seol. I did like how Jung and In Ho patched things up, how Jung paid In Ho's debt and even threatened In Ho's enemy to stay away from him. It showed how there was still some hope for his character, how there might be more behind that facet who delicately handled snails from leaves, that part of him that gazed at little creatures with a twinkle in his eye. But I just wish Seol had gotten over him fast - and opened up her eyes about In Ho.

This ss reddit post below totally summed up the whole thing I just wrote about up there :

In my next blog, I'll talk about best part of the story - Seol and In Ho - and why Baek In Ho truly deserved the leading lady.

Next blog : BAEK IN HO AND SEOL SHOULD HAVE ENDED UP TOGETHER

Note: I have nothing against the actor of You Jung. In fact, I like him, especially after seeing this behind-the-scenes photo below. It's purely the You Jung character I have issues with.