K-Drama Rewind, Encounter: How Park Bo-gum and Song Hye-kyo's mature love story spoke most in silences

It seems to be the month to celebrate Park Bo-gum, an actor who selects his projects with surgical precision—rarely ever missing the mark.

 Before teaching us how to make tea from life’s bittersweet tangerines, Park Bo-gum had already built an eclectic repertoire, with a little ‘Bo-gummy’ twist in it as fans are wont to say---romance, but not just a run-off-the-mill romcom or staid romantic drama, psychological thrillers such as Hello Monster,  coming-of-age tales like Record of Youth, and even a historical drama like Love in the Moonlight.

A little gem that lies in his filmography is the wistful Encounter, which stars Song Hye-kyo, who plays a reserved and rather restrained CEO, trying to navigate the minefield of falling in love with a bright and cheery Bo-gum, her employee. The show reverses the normal K-Drama tropes with panache, and yet differs from other romantic dramas that follow similar patterns. It isn’t a light comedy; neither is it heavy with profound themes, either. It doesn't have the excessive saccharine sweetness of Something in the Rain, either. Encounter lies somewhere in the middle, displaying a rather rare maturity—or at least for the time of 2018, where it quietly tells the story of two people in love, while trying not to drown in societal expectations.

Bo-gum’s Jin-hyuk is a free-spirited soul who runs into Hye-kyo’s Soo-hyun in Cuba, and helps her out as she encounters a series of minor misfortunes and wraps up her stressful day with a dance. The two expect to never meet again, but of course they do, Jin Hyuk has just been accepted as an employee in the business that Soo-hyun runs. It’s an uneasy life that she leads: Her every move is watched and questioned---it generates headlines. Of course, his association with her leads to ripples of discomfort in their professional and personal lives. She holds back; but he doesn't want to.

Yet, it’s the little things that the young couple do for each other, which makes them realise that this relationship can’t be fractured by the mutterings of society. If Jin-hyuk travels to Cuba later to ensure that Soo-hyun doesn’t lose a deal, she surprises him in one of the most wholesome scenes of the show, by turning up for dinner and turning down a dangerously high-profile event where her presence is a must.

 A visibly emotional Jin-hyuk looks at her and says, “This is bad.”

 She asks, “Why?”

 “There’s no exit now.”

And that’s all that is said. It is one of the gentlest declarations of love, in the show,  outshining their actual confession by a mile.

 Nevertheless, there is the mandatory and noble separation that occurs around Episode 14---but after much tears---be warned there is an episode full of it, the two find their own version of a happy ending.

 Encounter is for the most part, a quiet show, with strong undercurrents, imbued with themes of love, contemplation, the ability to move beyond one’s own reservations and the actual fear of living in the spotlight. It feels like listening to a series of gentle instrumentals—calming, even lulling you into a dreamy haze. Everyone just speaks politely to each other, even the villains.

It is rather slow and whimsical at points and that’s where the storytelling relies entirely on Bo-gum and Hye-kyo’s acting heft to carry the show forward. And, they do, with little moments of softness, which include video calls, bookstore dates, walks through parks, or just sitting and reminiscing in an old playground.

 So, if you enjoyed When Life Gives You Tangerines, and wish to see Bo-gum as a green flag---a role that he plays so convincingly, then watch Encounter.