WHILE waiting for the next episodes of a drama, which netizens—nearly the entire K-drama world for that matter—have been following close to midnight on Wednesdays and Thursdays, there is one very light rom-com that is still on Netflix, and trending.
Backstreet Rookie featuring a zany Ji Chang Wook (JCW a.k.a. Wookie) and the lovable Kim Yoo Jung (KYJ), was first aired mid-2020, but Netflix, perhaps as a “teaser” of sorts to forthcoming dramas starring JCW and as if to show netizens that these two stars are still at it, has been streaming it again. Watching it a second time, more closely now, reveals why this drama is trending.
Its story line is simple enough. Wookie (to his loyal fans) is the manager of a convenience store with a soft spot for helping a new hire, Jung Saet Byeol (KYJ), to stay in night school while keeping her job. Initially suspicious of Saet Byeol, Choi Dae Hyun (JCW) warms up to her as the series moves along. In the face of challenges and equally suspicious people around them, the duo manages to keep the store afloat in the rough neighborhood.
Pairing the older JCW (this did have a bearing on the series’ ratings midway into its first run, but more on this later) with the younger but equally seasoned KYJ, was a masterstroke of casting. The drama is also the perfect vehicle for the two as it maintains a precarious balance between comedy, a bit of drama, some zany turns, and street fighting by a pretty wisp of a girl who, with a few well-aimed high kicks, sends the bullies who make life hard for people she loves (a younger sister, among them) flying across the alley.
Summing up, what are the other reasons Backstreet Rookie is the drama to watch, especially for those who are getting antsy waiting for the next two episodes of Extraordinary Attorney Woo?
Here goes:
Wookie is in his element here, whether getting sentimental with his parents, hamming it up and looking silly in some episodes, looking lovelorn while frantically trying to reach Yoo Jung who had left the convenience store to work in a vegetable farm in the countryside.
We see the same handsome actor who is not afraid to look silly
We get none of the muscled JCW that fans young and old drooled over in the megahit K2. Instead we see the same handsome actor who is not afraid to look silly, who does not mind going all out in those wacky scenes. Netizens love him all the more for this.
Kim Yoo Jung, forever frozen in the eyes of netizens as Korea’s Sweetheart— the child star who grew up before their eyes—has made a delightful turn as an actor essaying grown-up roles. And, she does it with such energy. Picture those flying kicks in the alleys near the convenience store and the bullies flat out, battered and beaten, unable to run.
There is no skinship (love scenes and torrid kissing) in this zany, wholesome romantic comedy, but netizens of all ages squeed (kinilig in Pinoyspeak) each time Wookie and Yoo Jung did a scene together, especially as they began to grow on each other. Their chemistry is very palpable and those scenes where they are on the verge of a kiss, the look in their eyes, all add up.
The OTP also gets able support in the zany characters in the rough neighborhood as well as their friends and families.
The retro fashion of Yoo Jung and the other characters (special mention: Wookie’s friend with the dreadlocks) and the overall production design of Backstreet Rookie also contribute much to why the series works and appeals to its audience.
Korean netizens make a big deal about this
Now, the controversy on the disparity in the ages of the OTP in this drama. Even if Yoo Jung is now in her twenties and beginning to take on more mature roles, she is forever frozen in the eyes of netizens as Korea’s sweetheart. It may not matter much to local audiences, especially if the leads have such chemistry as Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung, but Korean netizens make a big deal about this. The series started with very decent ratings but midway, viewership in Korea dropped.
However, it is to the credit of the actors, writer and director that after a few episodes the drama’s ratings picked up again, reaching double digits as it moved on to its last few episodes.
The decision not to include love scenes—JCW and KYJ never even kissed in the entire drama—must have been a way to neutralize such reactions. But, the way the director managed to show the two developing feelings for each other was so deftly executed that viewers found themselves falling for and rooting for Saet Byeol and Dae Hyun. As netizen thephamle_508 said: “This is a drama. Why are some people so bent out of shape about the age difference? It is acting and the OTP are oozing with their chemistry. I applaud their acting chop—so convincing that makes my heart flutter (with no kiss!!) Laugh a little people.”
A critic said: “It’s been a rocky ride and the show has certainly had its ups and downs…Backstreet Rookie has been an acquired taste. However, there is no denying the characters have done a great job in their roles and there’s a warm, fuzzy feel to the way this one ends.”
Credit: Viu Singapore/YouTube
