Summary
The premiere of You Are My Spring is intriguing and exciting — this very could be the series that competes well with the rest of the competitive K-Drama Original slate.
This recap of Netflix K-Drama Series You Are My Spring season 1, episode 1 contains spoilers.
Joining Racket Boys on the Monday/Tuesday spot is You Are My Spring, which has the same amount of sinister outlook as the beginnings of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. I’m beginning to realize that I must prefer the darker K-Drama to the light ones. I was hooked on this premiere from the start.
“When I ran over, he wasn’t there. He was nowhere” is the opening narrated line of the premiere. It then flits to a smashed-up car with blood spilling on the frame. What happened here? Well, it’s episode 1 — we will not find out for a long time, I imagine.
December 1994, Seoul – a childhood of hardship
We learn about one of our lead characters when younger, Kang Da-jeong; no Christmas presents at an important time of the year, an abusive alcoholic father, and a mother who had to live with pride as much as she could. The young girl Kang Da-jeong is told that books are more valuable than bread, and she took that seriously, basking herself in different narratives.
The premiere sells a story of hardship for our character from a young age. A trying family making ends meet. Kang Da-jeong had the task of looking after her younger brother when her father had a violent episode with her mother. She wished for very little and wanted to run away as far as she could.
December 2020, Seoul – a new start
After that dark, cinematic opening, with the K-Drama series demonstrating its production quality, it flits to Kang Da-jeong in the present day. She’s starting afresh, but her friend tells her she always gets involved with “trash,” referencing her romantic history — like mother, like daughter? But Kang Da-jeong does not care — she has a new opportunity, a new start in her career and life.
There’s a murder
But then the series turns dark quickly again, as we witness a local murder, but the suspect is unknown. Ju Young-do, a psychiatrist, leads a press conference, highlighting how the killer may have acted ( he’s the consultant on the new murder investigation). He’s asked if the murderer is mentally ill or acted with a discriminatory notion, but it’s too early to tell. The series zooms in on a file of the murder of senior officer Lee Jeong-beom in 2018. It’s then revealed that Ju Young-do has Jeong-beom’s heart — it was a transplant after the man was murdered. A weird twist.
An intuitive Ju Young-do
Through mutual friends, Kang Da-jeong and Ju Young-do are introduced to each other. He senses that Kang Da-jeong is a hotel concierge manager, and he’s correct. Kang Da-jeong asks what else he can do, and he tells her that everyone has stories that they want to hide, which piques her interest. Her friend says she wants to understand why Kang Da-jeong only picks trash men. Ju Young-do tells her she’s scared of settling down, fears emotional commitment, reads the ending of mystery novels first, doesn’t watch a new TV show unless she knows it has a happy ending, and always wants a fresh start but attracts trash like a magnet to create the misery and abuse she went through. He uses the example of dating an alcoholic in the hope she can fix him.
Kang Da-jeong is shocked as Ju Young-do continues to micro-analyze, and she tears up and grabs him to stop his analysis. She tells him to leave her family out of it. He finishes his point by saying that Kang Da-jeong knows she is pretty, which softens her face.
The latest romantic interest
Kang Da-jeong introduces Ju Young-do to Chae Jun, a potential romantic interest (and stalker), but then the psychiatrist leaves abruptly. Kang Da-jeong and Chae Jun walk together. Chae Jun asks why she keeps turning him down and starts analyzing her, which irks the elusive character. He tells her she has commitment issues and that she should date him before walking off.
Chae Jun immediately gives us the creeps.
Dating what you hate
Later on, the man she’s presently dating clearly has alcohol issues, and he asks her if she’s sick of him. She doesn’t answer his question and gives him a glass of water before leaving. When she leaves, she hears the man throw a glass of water against the wall, bringing traumatic memories of her father abusing her mother.
“The One”
On the way home, Kang Da-jeong’s stalker Chae Jun tells her to go for a meal with him. She asks if he’s ever being called trash. Believing he’s different from the other men she considers, she agrees to go for a drink. Chae Jun tells her that the first time he saw her at the hotel, he knew she was the one, which is extreme to say, but his words touch her.
An instant red flag, though, right? He has love-bombing tendencies.
Famous Ahn Ga-yeong
Ju Young-do’s ex-wife Ahn Ga-yeong shows up, and he’s concerned about her mental health and sleeping. He refuses to treat her, so she states she will leave without telling him what’s wrong, so he worries about her. She’s clearly a famous person that has the hotel staff, including Kang Da-jeong, excited. She learns that Ju Young-do used to be married to her.
Is this a strange love triangle?
From a distance, Ju Young-do sees Kang Da-jeong on a bench with Chae Jun, and he observes. Chae Jun is curious about her life and routine, even flipping her laptop around to be nosey. Ju Young-do intervenes in their conversation, believing they had finished — he asks her about a water leak at the hotel. He shows her the bathroom but underestimates the water pressure in the showerhead and slips on the floor.
Ju Young-do is confronted by Chae Jun
Chae Jun (weirdly, with a cap on) confronts Ju Young-do and tells him he thinks he’s surveilling him. Ju Young-do asks if he’s here as a patient, and Chae Jun tells him he has to give him a service. He then asks Ju Young-do if he likes Kang Da-jeong because he does. Ju Young-do had written anti-social personality disorder regarding Chae Jun, but there’s a sinister undertone. It feels more serious than that.
“Don’t date him.”
Ju Young-do notices how Chae Jun constantly badgers Kang Da-jeong, so obviously feels she’s at risk. Late at night, he returns to her a replacement shower head. Kang Da-jeong tells Ju Young-do that she didn’t know he was divorced. The psychiatrist overanalyzes Kang Da-jeong again and then tells her not to date Chae Jun. This stumps Kang Da-jeong, and she says she was never going to do anyway.
The ending of You Are My Spring season 1, episode 1
On his way out, Ju Young-do sees Chae Jun’s car outside. He then analyses the murder case in the office. He reimagines the crime scene, and then it flits to the scene between the psychiatrist and Chae Jun (with a cap), and Ju Young-do narrates — “The culprit always returns to the scene of the crime.” The series is implying early on that Chae Jun is the potential murderer…
When he heads back outside, he faces Chae Jun, and he tells him to stop seeing Kang Da-jeong. In the distance is Kang Da-jeong and Chae Jun whispers to Ju Young-do, “hey, it’s her” before walking off. Ju Young-do mutters, “sociopath.”
The premiere of You Are My Spring is intriguing and exciting — this very could be the series that competes well with the rest of the competitive K-Drama Original slate.
What did you think of You Are My Spring season 1, episode 1? Comment below.
