Heyo! Hope you’ve had a good two weeks! We’re much closer to 2022 - there’re so many memes out there about how we’ve barely processed 2020 and are already approaching 2022 - I wholeheartedly agree with all the memes 😂
So! I’d originally planned on writing about Hometown Cha Cha Cha (HomCha) this time around. Besides the meh dynamic of the main OTP, I was also frustrated with the misogyny in a couple of other OTPs.
(I’d already formed these opinions way way before Kim Seon Ho’s scandal broke earlier this week. As far as the scandal goes, I don’t think whatever he did should take away from the efforts that the rest of the cast and crew put into the show.)
HomCha is about a Seoul-based dentist, Hye Jin (Shin Min Ah), moving to Gongjin, a seaside village to set up a dental clinic. There, she meets the local handyman, Du Shik (Kim Seon Ho), and they fall in love. Because the show is set in a small town, we also have a lovely ensemble cast of characters who bring the town to life toooo yayyy. Onto the OTP Watch!
The main OTP - Hye Jin x Du Shik
I never really got on board with this OTP. I’m not sure why but I do think they were kinda toxic at first. I guess they resolved their issues by the end of the series – though I’m not sure if they resolved them or if their issues just disappeared. Initially, I found Du Shik annoying because he kept making Hye Jin do things she did not want to do. And then they got together and they were really cute but also there were these strange undertones of how she wanted him to be someone else – we saw them shopping to give him a makeover and how she needed him to be different in front of her friends. On top of that, there was the implication that his backstory was really traumatic (and omg it was). But his backstory was shrouded in mystery for so much of the narrative that when it eventually resurfaced in the final few episodes, it felt like just a convenient plot device to suspend the OTP for just a biiiiiit longer before giving them their happy ending in episode 16.
Anyway, once Du Shik's backstory was revealed, Hye Jin was there for him in the way he needed…and that was pretty much it. Suddenly she wasn’t going back to Seoul because she loved Gongjin so much – and yes, I can kind of connect the dots in my head to see how she eventually arrived at this decision but…I wish the dots were connected for me instead? It just didn’t really feel like the show actually resolved the other issues they had; they were simply brushed away. This was reflected in two other OTPs in the show too.
The misogyny in 2 other OTPs (Hwa Jung x Yoong Kook and Yoon Kyung x Keum Chul)
Both Hwa Jung (Lee Bong Ryun) and Yoon Kyung (Kim Joo Yeon) had similar OTP arcs where the two women were waiting for their misogynistic partners to notice them. Hwa Jung still had feelings for her ex-husband, Young Kook (In Gyo Jin), who was, arguably, trashy and never able to properly appreciate her. Yoon Kyung was pregnant with her second child and her husband, Keum Chul (Yoon Seok Hyeon), was this blubbering dude who really is that stereotypical Dude who thinks he’s funny when he cracks jokes about how pregnant women sit around and do nothing all day.
Young Kook spent the first half of the series putting Hwa Jung down and treating her like she was actual trash because he thought she was preventing him from achieving happiness with his first love and their mutual friend, Cho Hee (Hong Ji Hee). He and Hwa Jung had been married for over a decade prior to that and he felt like he had wasted his life by settling for her after Cho Hee had left town all those years ago. He spent so much time being unappreciative of how Hwa Jung had essentially spent the same amount of time being his wife, caring for him, their son and their home. Suddenly, in the 2nd half of the series, he experiences some kind of moral awakening when he decides to be good to her again. He runs to her, begs for forgiveness and tells her he really loved her all along. SORRY BUT THAT TOOK HOW MANY YEARS AGAIN?
Meanwhile, Keum Chul goes on with his shitty jokes that everyone in town just listens to and lets slide because everyone’s accepted that he’s some immature Dude who just dudes about saying dude things without thinking about it. He only wakes up and smells the coffee when Yoon Kyung loses her temper one day, which also happens to be the day she gives birth. Thing is, I have no idea why Keum Chul needed her to give birth to experience his own coming-of-age moment when THEY ALREADY HAVE A KID TOGETHER? WHY DID SHE NEED TO GIVE BIRTH TO A SECOND KID FOR YOU TO REALISE GIVING BIRTH WAS TOUGH??
But, of course, both men suddenly realise that they’re bad partners and decide, just like that, to change for the better and everything is tied up in a nice little bow, just in time for the finale.
Which is really annoying because really misogyny IS something that needs to be addressed and I’m glad the writers addressed it but they just make it seem like one apology or just waking up and deciding to be a non-shit man is enough to make up for all the trauma and loneliness the women experienced. I wish we saw an example of how women can actually leave their husbands – like Hwa Jung did – and live a happy life, without the writers needing to also make it seem like preserving a traditional family unit is more important than either of the woman’s mental health. There are enough women in the world making excuses for shitty men and I really just found it so annoying that I had to sit through these scenes with these trash men and was supposed to feel happy for the women at the end because their husbands ‘changed.’
An almost-OTP (Cho Hee x Hwa Jung) and the best OTP of the show (Mi Seon x Eun Cheol)
Speaking of the Hwa Jung x Young Kook OTP though, Cho Hee’s development was probably one of my favourites. It turned out that she was in love with Hwa Jung instead and it turned out that Hwa Jung knewwwwwwwwww. They shared a sweet moment where Cho Hee had finally, after so many years, found the courage to confess her feelings and Hwa Jung just sat, listening to her, before telling her that she knew. SHE KNEW ALL ALONG. It was a sweet moment of acceptance and love between the pair and I was all for it. It did make me think about how, sometimes, we might need to verbalise our acceptance of people more because Hwa Jung had accepted Cho Hee for who she was a long, long time ago – but how would it have impacted Cho Hee if she’d known about this acceptance years ago too? I wish these two were the OTP instead 😭😭
The OTP I truly loved was PYO MI SEON’S (Kong Min Jung). She was probably my favourite character throughout the whole series. She just breezed into Gongjin with her comfy clothes and her relaxed vibes and she totally fit in, unlike her bff Hye Jin. I get how Mi Seon was meant to be a foil but YOU BEST BELIEVE, SHE WAS MORE THAN JUST A FOIL. Pyo Mi Seon is a mood, a lifestyle, a vibe. I LOVE HOW SHE OWNS EVERY PART OF WHO SHE IS. I know self-acceptance doesn’t come easy but omg, she verbalises her insecurities and expresses herself clearly. Her OTP is Eun Cheol (Kang Hyung Suk), this quiet police officer who is unlike her in every way – there’s an Austen novel in here somewhere, I’m sure. But her openness and courage to just be herself inspires him to take steps towards her. These two are really really cute hehe.
Despite my dislike of *most* of the male characters in the show, HomCha felt like a holiday. I think the setting itself had a lot to do with it. Watching HomCha on the television instead of my laptop was a must because I just wanted to feel like I was there, in this little seaside village. The trio of grandmothers were also absolutely lovely. My favourite kdrama halmeoni (grandmother) has to be Kim Young Ok. I love her in every role she plays but she was particularly endearing as Kam Ri Halmeoni in HomCha and there was just something about her demeanour that reminded me of my own grandpa.
I’m curious to know what you thought about the show! Do hit ‘Reply’ or drop a comment! :)
Until next time, stay safe, my friends 🤎
Coming up next on My OTP Watch (in no particular order):
Part 3.2 of my series on queer representation in kdrama (Check out Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.1!)
My favourite OTP meet-cutes!
Like what you’ve read? Share it with your friends! ESPECIALLY the ones who don’t like kdrama muahahahahaa
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