Son Ye-jin, and her raw portrayal of love and heartbreak: From Something in the Rain with Jung Hae-in, to Crash Landing on You with Hyun Bin

While this series as addictive as it was propelled her further to international fame, Son Ye-jin was an already established star in South Korea, with several high-profile films and television shows under her wing. One of them being Something in the Rain with Jung Hae-in. A saccharine story, it follows an older woman falling in love with a younger man—a taboo in South Korea. ‘Noona’ (the trope of the older woman in love with a younger man) K-dramas find strong favour ironically in the country. It did have its own set of problems as the tale dragged on and became repetitive at points, yet the stellar performances somehow kept the show sailing. 

It is an unusual addition in Son Ye-jin’s filmography that ranges from heart-rending romances to horror-comedies and downright disturbing thrillers. To her credit, Son Ye-jin doesn’t make it quite so easy for her fans to guess her next move.  Something in The Rain might be too treacly for even the most committed romantic to digest—but it had a poignant story underneath all the mush, if you can muster some patience. Son Ye-jin played the role of the wearied Jin-ah, a woman in her mid-thirties, who has just suffered a traumatic break-up. She finds solace in Jung Hae-in’s Joon-Hee, a free-spirited soul. The only catch—he’s around ten years younger than her. Yet after the initial hesitation, they realise that they do have feelings for each other and age isn’t a hindrance for them. Both Jung Hae-in and Son Ye-jin draw you into their own little bubble of comfort and peace—where it is just them and no one else. Their relationship slowly grows from awkwardness, affection and finally into something far deeper and profound, blended to perfection with jazzy background music as the two leads struggle to understand this new affection and what trouble it could bring. The bubble slowly bursts, as their friends and families get involved—and they have to fight to protect what’s theirs. 

Son Ye-jin’s power has always been her emotional range. In Something In The Rain, she portrayed the raw emotions of a woman, who is held responsible for falling in love with a younger man. Sometimes the outbursts were loud, and sometimes they were slow tears. The exhaustion and frustration with dealing with Joon-Hee’s mother as well as her own begins to weigh her down, combined with her own diabolic ex. She showed herself as a woman, as broken as she was—-who was still vainly holding on to hope of being loved unconditionally. She’s far from perfect and makes several frustrating mistakes throughout the show—sometimes being rather unlikeable as well. There are many heart-breaking scenes in the series, primarily with Son Ye-jin—-where she sinks into a sense of wearied resignation, to ending the relationship out of sheer frustration. It is one of the most excruciating scenes in the series, as she goes into the room and locks herself in, while Jung Hae-in stands at the door for hours, almost on the verge of beating it down. 

Something in the Rain might not be everyone’s cup of tea–but it is a gentle, even if deeply flawed story, that is held together by powerful performances of both Jung Hae-in and Son Ye-jin, playing very messy characters, who are sometimes exasperating, but somehow endearing because they just feel so real.