3 Ways "When The Camellia Blooms" Breaks Romance Drama Stereotypes

KBS 2TV’s “When The Camellia Blooms” is subverting romance drama tropes with its fresh take on the genre!

“When the Camellia Blooms” tells the stories of three couples in different stages of love. The drama focuses on the romance that blossoms between Dong Baek (played by Gong Hyo Jin), a woman who is trapped in a certain perception of love, and Hwang Yong Shik (played by Kang Ha Neul), who shows undying support and love for her.

Here are three ways the drama is breaking the trend of handsome, rich, and arrogant male leads and spunky Cinderella-type female leads to make for a captivating tale.

Honest comments that don’t beat around the bush

There may be times that your head starts hurting from the endless push-and-pull between the main leads of a drama. However, you won’t get that from Dong Baek and Hwang Yong Shik, who approach each other honestly without calculation.

Hwang Yong Shik expresses his blooming feelings for Dong Baek through instinctive and unsophisticated words, while Dong Baek, who normally cannot speak badly of other people, says frankly to his face, “That guy makes me strangely angry.” The two show their feelings as they are without trying to look cool in front of each other.

Unprecedented level of romance

Hwang Yong Shik’s honest way of speaking leads him to show a unique type of romance. After realizing that a person’s heart can change in just three seconds, Hwang Yong Shik shows unlimited displays of love towards Dong Baek within just a couple hours of their first meeting. With his unyielding resolve, he doesn’t give up no matter what troubles face him or what Dong Baek says to him. Although it’s far from the sweet confession of a typical male lead, Hwang Yong Shik’s words, “I have fallen for your spring-like face and gotten a cold from the fine rain” are actually more honest and perfectly encompass his unrefined charm.

Encouragement that is even sweeter than the romance

Hwang Yong Shik does not just stop at being romantic. Whenever he approaches Dong Baek, who is held down by the sharpness of the world, something lights up inside his heart. He is firmly on Dong Baek’s side and showers her with encouraging words like, “From now on, if you get slapped, come rant to me,” and “Don’t be soft like tofu, be a chisel.” He conveys his sincerity by saying, “Being kinder than others and living steadily is something that everyone should respect and applaud.” Hwang Yong Shik moves viewers’ hearts with his belief that a person can be changed by helping them discover their true worth and constantly reminding them of it.

What are your favorite things about the drama?

“When the Camellia Blooms” airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 10 p.m. KST.

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