We were talking about this just yesterday @hanie, @wakimary and @ohhaeyoung!

I don't think him wanting to learn to love himself is noble idiocy, I think no one of us had a problem with that but with the way it happened! Jung needed to understand why his ways were wrong, he needed to understand what was wrong with his thinking and why shouldn't Seol forgive him every time, he needed to learn to accept that he had problems and him wanting to fix that was everything we wanted, at least everything I wanted, but having it all happen somewhere offscreen, that's what angered and frustrated me, we had 16 episodes and we never got enough insight into his character, I read the webtoon so I know why he's like that but those who were only watching the drama couldn't understand him and the motives behind his actions, I hated that all the development we wanted to see in him happened in the last episode and was done in such a unsatisfactory way that I was left bitter!

That said, I still love this show to bits, heartbreaks and all, one of my favorite shows ❤

Personaly, I liked it because I didn't have any expectations (even if I read the manga) and I didn't think Yoo Jung had to date Seol. But I think his character was too much mysterious to be understood, so he was not very endearing.

When I think about my favourite scenes, those are scenes between Seol and In Ho. I really loved their friendship.

For the end, it was a college love story, so the end didn't bother me. It's an open end, we can imagine all we want :)

I have to say that I liked Cheese In Trap but I would have loved it if Jung character was better handled. And that's precisely what frustated me. Just like you, I myself for most of my life, cared immensely about grades and maybe less about what people thought of me because I've always been an outcast.
Anyway, just to say that I was also completely smitten by Hong Seol. She seemed to be like a mirror of my own life. I knew where she was coming and could easily understand her. And above all, I started falling for Jung when she also did the same.

I was team Jung all the way so I couldn't stand it that by the second half of the show everyone was criticizing him calling him psychopath, sociopath or whatever you want due to what I think was a lack of development of his character. He indeniably had issues but what I find unfortunate is the fact that throughout the drama, viewers lost their ability to empathize with the first lead. He came to us as a complex character but went as an even more complex character.

I remember hateful comments about Jung being out of control here. It only stopped when the behind the scenes drama was revealed and the focus shifted. And I can't help but think if we spent less time on that damn piano, Jung arc and by extension Hong Seol's could have been more satisfactory.

Finally, thanks for this nice write-up. I do share your opinion when you think it didn't derserve all the hate.

The ending, I should say, is satisfying enough for me. He was always in denial that he is "strange", but in the end he finally has come to realize that he indeed is, to the expense of Seol being in grave danger as a chain result of his actions. I would have loved it more if the show gave the audience an introspection of his thought process as he decided to leave and asked for a time to figure out who he really is. We know for a fact that Jung is actually a clinically diagnosed psychopath displaying a highly manipulative and deceptive personality even at a very young age. He gets an annoying girl drunk, convinces her to rip her doll into two and basically make it look like it was all the girls fault. It was a simple conversation with an older boy about smiling that convinces Jung that you are meant to wear a mask of good nature in order to be accepted into society. This initiation... socialization is what makes the Jung at the present timeline and why the audience find him so intriguing. Of course, at this point, it's logical to suspect that Jung has psychopathic tendencies, since he can be extremely mean and lack guilt and conscience. In one of the episodes, it's revealed that he is having issues of proving to his father that he is "normal". He also lacks any meaningful relations. His friendships are shallow and superficial at best. Seol ended up accepting Jung all battered personality disorder and all is sweet, but at the same time too idealized. I like her restrained giddyness over him, and liking him to the point of being transparent to him. What I like about Seol is that she always knew what Jung is. Her skepticism and her honesty is what sold her for me. If she accepts him blindly and selflessly, it would take away from her character and that would ultimately really sad. That is why I liked this show with all it's could-have-beens.

Cheese in the Trap came in sort of when I needed it the most. It was a college drama. Finally, a drama that could understand my struggles as a student. I saw myself a lot in Seol, and to be able to do that in dramaland where most characters where chaebols or high schoolers or princes are the main characters, it really was a breath of fresh air. It hooked me from episode 1.

I was most interested in Jung's character though, because he was the most not-like-me. I wanted to see why he was doing what he was doing, the motivations behind it. And I wanted to see how he and Seol can grow together. Episode 13 was the last episode I liked, because before that, he gave himself that vulnerability to Seol. He told her his fears and his story, and when he started being more honest in episode 13, I was happy because it felt a lot like growth. But episode 14 happened, and he's back to the manipulating again and he was given lesser scenes to atone and grow from those mistakes again. It felt like he didn't change at all! I was hopeful until the end, and I guess that's why I'm disappointed, because although he was given that time to be better, we didn't get to see it. Jung, as the central male lead of the story, deserved more growth onscreen than what he was given, and that's a shame.

I only got through about four episodes before permanently putting it on hold (not sure why), but now I'm tempted to pick it up again. Seen through the lens of realism, a break-up makes sense tbh. The only question is, do I want so much realism in my drama. Hahaha - I've got enough of it in real life.

Thank you for the lovely write up. I've only every read about the behind-the-scenes issues, and the abrupt changes in the story, and poor Park Hae Jin's reaction to it all. So, I haven't really had any desire to watch it. (Actually, I've actively avoided it.) Also, I don't really come to kdramas for the realism, which is why I like fantasies better. I like to shut my brain off for the most part and bask in the cute and pretty. However, I'm glad you wrote about this as there is something to be said about a drama that has this much drama associated with it.

So yay someone wrote about Cheese in the Trap! This is one of my favorite dramas ever (in my top 5) and I am actually currently rewatching it as I like to rewatch my favorites especially when I'm not all that into the dramas I am currently watching. Anyway this is my first rewatch and this drama is still just as good as I remember it. The heart of this drama is Hong Seol who is played in such a relatable manner by Kim Go Eun. All the little moments of a new relationship are in this drama (the weird texting, the weird after you start "dating" moments, even that really weird attempt at a first kiss that happens in ep 7 LOL). Like all of that is real and relatable yet somehow this couple smooths things out on the second try and they become happy and comfortable with each other. Also Hong Seol's inner narrative was what provided the heartbeat to this drama and this was not kept in the second half of the drama which is part of the disappointment for many people. I still enjoyed this drama all the way through the non-happy ending. I think since I binged it months after it had aired that I saw the ending as realistic too. YooJung as willing as he was simply was not ready to love Hong Seol. I wish we could've seen a scene of meeting again after he reads her emails though. That would've made this drama have a much better ending. Alas, I enjoyed it for the feelings that I felt and the way that I related to the protagonist and how sweet all her interactions with YooJung were,

Nice write up!

So what's the unmentionable cheesy romantic comedy?

@justme Thanks for your gallant defense of CITT. I also loved it mainly for Hong Seol. Yoo Jung intrigued me and I thought I finally understood him in episode 11-12. I didn’t need to see him undergo treatment and I did not expect him to turn into a cinnamon roll. So my take on the ending was: he is never going to change completely, but Hong Seol knows what she’s in for and runs to him regardless. This is not a popular interpretation but for me it is true to life.

I'm glad someone came to the defense of CITT, albeit for different reasons to my own. It's the only drama ever where I hated the ending, felt the characterization and pacing was really problematic, but still pretty much loved it as a whole and want to rewatch it - quite an impressive feat, really. One thing that remained consistent throughout was the tone: a kind of lovely golden autumnal sadness, punctuated with dark, dry humor. That alone makes it memorable and special.

One day I will be brave enough and watch this drama. I hate it when the ending is a let down and knowing this I always try to stay away from dramas like this one.

Thanks for your essay on CHEESE IN THE TRAP, @JustMe. I recall there was a lot of hollering while the show was airing, and was put off by the controversy.

I find your approach to the drama appealing. In real life, relationships don't always work out. Or they have to go on hiatus, possibly to pick up again further down the road less travelled. Sometimes you have to make time and space in your own life to get your head together. In essence, you have to put the focus on yourself, and purposely avoid getting too involved with others. Although no man is an island, there are times when interludes of purposeful solitude are necessary and even therapeutic.

This is a great take on it, and I'd have to agree with most of your points! :)

The first two episodes of the drama showed realistic quirkiness that the Webtoon wasn't able to do, and in that way people lauded the production and writing. And you're absolutely right, I've yet to see an adaptation that lives up to fan expectations... which is also why I love that people judged Cheese in the Trap as a stand-alone drama, and in doing so they are able to judge it a bit more friendly.

To be honest, one thing that made me a bit uneasy about this story was that there were so many "purposely 'evil'" antagonists. It's been so long since I was in college, so I sincerely hope that the young ones here don't face as much drama. :)

I was about to defend Cheese in the Trap but you beat me to it and I'm thankful for that @justme!

I'm also an avid "hater" of the second half of the show, but it doesn't change the fact that Cheese in the Trap is one of my favorite dramas ever. You said that this drama is all about realism, and I totally agree with you. I think it's not fair to completely despise the drama because it's given us so many things to think about.

I won't deny that I don't really enjoy the second half, but the way it ended still felt real for me. Seol managed to get a job, but at her workplace she met another Minsoo, another Sangchul sunbae, another Oh Younggon. I think it's a nice reminder in life, there are always things that will bother you.

I was a university student when I watched the drama, and like Seol, I'm also able to somehow see what other people don't see in someone. When she noticed how Yoo Jung loved to "punish" others, I thought, "Well, it'd be nice to have this girl as a friend in real life. She'd understand me."

I also read the webtoon so while I was satisfied with a lot of things, there were some things that I wish were better represented. Regarding Jung's struggle and decision, I think the show could've tried harder to make viewers understand. I read the webtoon so I understood, but many didn't, and to them, it could be a real problem.

The ending might be underwhelming, but I always find myself rewatching some scenes of the drama, just to remind myself that there are people who are dealing with the same things I'm dealing with. There people who feel the same things as I do, that I'm not alone or weird.

SORRY NO PLANS OF WATCHING IT.

So my friend and I watched this together and we were livid at the ending. Since we both majored in film/media, we began to pick the story apart and realized what made us so upset. While the male lead realized he needed to grow and love himself more, we saw no progress from Seol. When it showed her living with out him, she went back to being the exact same way as before. Letting people use her, her getting "trampled over", and not voicing her own opinion. Also, we didn't understand why he never responded to one email. Did he think if he read them, he would want to come back as quickly as possible?

I can live with this explanation. There are a lot of distractions in the story to pull them apart, and some would argue they did, but it is clear that the couple have only eyes for each other and there is no doubt they will find their way back to each other.

I have had second lead syndrome for other dramas, but definitely not this one. It is entirely manufactured. As you’ve said, it’s one-sided. Anyone who root for Inho to win the girl obviously has no concept of who Seol is and what she cares for, and the desire to see them together seems unreasonably superficial. And anyone who justifies Inha’s behavior should have a frontal lobotomy.

I also agree that, despite of all its imperfections, this is a prefect story about a girl who meets a boy, learns about him while learning about herself, and falls completely in love with the boy. Life is a journey and theirs has just begun. I just wish there was a drama special with the same actors to realize all these fantasies for us.

One of my favourite drama despite some criticism points since I loved the actors. Didn't like the second part as it was mostly focused on Baek In-How.
I re-watched it few times since it ended and I always skip the middle part and go straight to the last part. Watched it after watching other college drama but Kim Go Eun and Park Hae-jin beat them all in acting.