Love triangles are nothing new in K-dramas, but imagine watching one that involves a romantic pentagon with tons of sneaky cat fights instead. Enter Remarriage & Desires ‒ Netflix’s latest original Korean series that gives viewers a sneak peek of the dramatic lives of the upper class.
Fans of Penthouse might also take a liking to this drama, as the 8-episode series showcases similar concepts like infidelity and revenge. While I admitted I watched the series for the tea and mind blowing scandals, the drama nonetheless also taught me lessons on life and love. Read on to find out just what they are.
Warning: Spoilers for Remarriage & Desires ahead, proceed at your own risk if you’ve yet to watch the series.
Crossing paths with the wrong person in life can affect you significantly, as shown by the affair Kang Namsik had with antagonist Jin Yoohui. To put it simply, Jin Yoohui made a move toward Kang Namsik despite knowing that he had a family and used him as a pawn.
Not only did she trick him into the embezzlement of the company’s fund, but she also put all the blame on him when she was almost caught. As a consequence of his infidelity towards his wife Seo Hyeseung, Kang Namsik ended up losing all his money and job, and was even wrongly accused to be a rapist.
Pushed to a corner with no one believing his words, Kang Namsik ended up committing suicide because he couldn’t bear the consequences of his actions. While he might have put an end to his hardship, he left his wife Seo Hyeseung to clean up his mess. Plus, his death also resulted in Seo Hyeseung and their daughter bearing the shame of crime associated with their family.
No matter how desperate you might be, ending your life is never the best solution. The show serves as a reminder that loved ones would be the ones who also suffer from such actions.
Yes, Kang Namsik indeed had his faults such as having an affair. But he was wrongly framed when Jin Yoohui accused him of sexually assaulting her. She left him with no way to escape from the accusation, which eventually caused his loved ones to turn their backs on him.
This shows that in such tricky situations, some people would play the innocent card to their advantage. Be careful of who you trust as not everyone is as innocent as they appear to be.
There’s no better nickname to describe Yoo Jinhui than “femme fatale”. She charmed the men who attended the masquerade party organised by Rex ‒ the remarriage and matchmaking agency ‒ easily with her “perfect” figure and alluring dance moves.
Lee Juhyung was one of those who fell for her charms when they went on a date later ‒ he succumbed to his desire and had a one-night stand with her. If he had only withheld himself, he wouldn’t be warped into a sticky situation that caused him to almost lose his entire company and ruin his reputation.
Having Lee Juhyung wrapped around her finger, Jin Yoohui manipulated him by spreading false rumours of Seo Hyeseung who “coincidentally” became the tutor of his son. Eventually, he believed those rumours and confronted Seo Hyeseung, questioning if she approached him because of his wealth without even hearing her side of the story.
It was only later in the drama did he realise that he made a mistake and apologised by asking for her forgiveness.
During the masquerade party, Yoo Jinhui only had one goal in mind ‒ to catch the attention of the ‘super black’ aka the richest member. After learning the nickname of her target, she approached him with an ulterior motive by dancing seductively and flirting with him.
Her effort eventually went to waste because she was hitting on the wrong person due to a last-minute nickname switch by the staff. That said, she didn’t hesitate to give a cold shoulder to the supposed ‘super black’ after learning the truth ‒ she immediately switched her target to the actual ‘super black’.
As true as it might be, there are actually people IRL who would approach others with an ulterior motive or cut ties especially after they learn about their background.
The goal of the masquerade party was for members to mingle without learning each other’s backgrounds. This way, they would choose a person they were interested in based on the interactions they had to go on a future date.
However, as the CEO of Rex ‒ Choi Yoosun ‒ looked through the final results of the voting, she noticed how most women picked ‘super black’. Although she recalled them saying that they valued love the most, the result showed otherwise. Likewise, there are people in this world whose sole priority is money.
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For 15 years, Choi Yoosun devoted her life attending to her husband who was almost 30 years older than her. Despite getting mistreated and abused, she didn’t complain and stayed loyal to him ‒ all in the hopes of inheriting his assets when he passed on.
When she found out that he left her with nothing in his will, she revealed her true colours to him out of rage.
There are many practical reasons why some people remarry, and one of them is to provide their children with a stable financial future. While that might be the case, there are also a lucky few who are blessed with a second chance at love like Seo Hyeseung and Lee Juhyung.
Initially, they had no plans of finding a new SO and remarrying despite being members of Rex ‒ their respective mothers signed up for the membership without their knowledge. Plus, they shared the same strong-headed personality and felt that they didn’t need to rely on anyone other than themselves.
It was only after spending time together with each other’s family that they realised the mutual feelings they had for each other. Not everyone gets this lucky, so I was glad that they eventually ended up together.
Even in the 21st century, there are still people who marry to climb the social ladder. Despite not having any love between the two, they stay together simply to enjoy the benefits that come from the marriage.
Lee Juhyung initially didn’t have thoughts of remarrying, but after speaking to Choi Yoosun, he seemed to get a better picture of having a trophy wife ‒ someone who had the qualifications, background, and beauty to make him look good. As his company landed in hot water at that point in time, he took advantage of having a publicised marriage as a solution.
Yoo Jinhui might have lost “Round 1” and ended up being incarcerated, with Seo Hyeseung proving that she was the culprit behind her ex-husband’s death and embezzlement. But being a lawyer herself, she knew the loopholes and had all the connections she needed to get herself out of jail.
The latter was only possible because her father Son Pilyoung ‒ a powerful politician running for the president ‒ was “indebted” to her for not revealing the fact that she was his illegitimate child. Threatened by Yoo Jinhui, her father also had no choice but to follow her orders if he wanted a smooth election.
Thanks to Son Pilyoung, she returned with even more confidence and was set on bringing Lee Juhyung and Seo Hyeseung down.
Jin Yoohui might be a vicious woman, but she was not the only character who wouldn’t hesitate to kill others, especially if they got in her way to achieve her ultimate goal. For the uninitiated, Jin Yoohui paid a driver to kill Seo Hyeseung’s daughter.
Go Aeran was another such character, and she wanted her daughter to be the one that Lee Juhyung married. But because her plans were disrupted, she decided to take things into her own hands by ordering the killing of another person. She even mentioned that her previous victim won’t be the last to go. Yikes.
Despite losing everything and possibly being sentenced to jail for life, Jin Yoohui showed no remorse when Seo Hyeseung went to visit her. She even boldly asked if she was wrong to feel that way.
As a character who lacked empathy and was willing to go to great lengths to attain her dreams, I was not surprised by Yoo Jinhui’s behaviour. After all, she believed it was justified for her to commit such evil actions because of her suffering when she was a young girl.
It seems like Lee Juhyung’s closest friend didn’t get the “bros before hoes” memo, as he betrayed him by sleeping with his ex-wife. Not only did he backstab Lee Juhyung, but he even played dirty by trying to take over his company through the stocks he bought using different names. Not cool bruh.
Viewers could easily tell that Cha Seokjin never forgot about Seo Hyeseung ever since they broke up during their university days. He was always there helping her in times of need and was even willing to take care of her child. However, because of that love, he let her go because he knew that her heart only had space for another person ‒ Lee Juhyung.
It’s not easy making such a decision, and it showed how Cha Seokjin was a man of class and respect.
While the dramatic scenes and mind-blogging storylines of Remarriage & Desires accelerated the pace of the drama, it nonetheless ended on a wholesome note with justice well served. The drama was a fervent reminder for myself that what comes around goes around, and no good deed goes unpunished.
All images courtesy of Netflix.
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