K-Drama Rewind, Crash Course in Romance: Top marks for chemistry, zero for murder twist

Forgive me for my food metaphors, but sometimes they’re the only way to explain K-Dramas. Crash Course in Romance feels like biting into a warmed-up chocolate donut — there’s a lovely cream filling, and you keep munching away… until suddenly, you taste an elaichi. Wait, what’s that doing there?

The elaichi, in this case, is an unnecessary serial killer subplot — out of place in an otherwise comforting love story, layered with pressures of academia and grades.

You quite don’t understand why that angle is needed in the middle of a comforting love story between a single mum and a celebrity math tutor, who is trying to train children for prestigious exams, while battling exhausting academic pressures.  

Granted, grisly thrillers somehow make their way to romantic Korean comedies, and actually make sense while doing so: For instance, Strong Girl Bong Soon and Suspicious Partner. Yet, the arc of a seething ex-student, brimming with revenge and obsessive hatred for his math idol, jarred the symphony. It distracts from the main plot, which carries enough weight already.

The story stands strong on its own. Jeon Do-Yeon plays Nam Hang-seon, an upbeat banchan shop owner and former handball player, who seeks help for her daughter — actually her niece — after being abandoned by her mother years ago. Hang-seon lives with her brother, who is on the autism spectrum, and together they form a small but loving family.

Without the distraction of a serial killer subplot, the details feel fresh and vivid — from Hang-seon’s lovingly prepared side dishes to her steadfast loyalty and affection. The romance unfolds as a delightful slow burn: Cho Chi-yeol (the fabulous Jung Kyung-ho), a stern and seemingly cold math tutor, is at first irritated by Hang-seon’s persistence about her daughter’s academics, but gradually softens. Their friendship blossoms into a tender romance, even as society looks disapprovingly at a couple in their 40s. Both actors are raw, real, and irresistibly endearing in this unconventional love story.

And while the adults have more than their fair share of romance, why should the children be left behind? Hae-yi, Hang-seon’s niece, has to confront her own feelings about close schoolmate Sun-jae, (Laee Chae-min). In the midst of these complicated love stories, lies the real story: The stressful pressure of studies. 

 The theme of academia brims with energy, taking you straight into the heart of migraine-inducing exams and harried parents pushing their children to study until they’re stretched thin. These are the moments that make the story pulse with life — the emotional equivalent of a parent WhatsApp group in overdrive. It’s unflinchingly real and at times visceral, capturing the mindset that drives it all: Without your studies, who are you really? 

But you’re more. And that’s the crash course you need take.