“The Midnight Romance in Hagwon” is a Korean drama series released in 2024, with 16 episodes, and categorized as Romance.
♦ Should You Change Your Career Path to Pursue Love?
In “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon”, a young man named Lee Jun Ho, sees the face of his teacher on an advertisement at a bus stop. Maybe he did not know it at the time but because of her success in teaching him and getting him admitted to a prestigious university she became famous. He was the highlight of her career and a mark of success. His teacher was Seo Hye Jin and she is well-known and respected in the educational circles, particularly among the academies. She currently teaches at Daechi Chase Academy. People even know the name of her student, Lee Jun Ho.
Lee Jun Jo noticed a sign advertising a Lecturer Competition and decided to enter. Seo Hye Jin, his old teacher, asked him why. He said it was about ownership and economics. In short, the wealth people say he has belongs to his parents. It’s something they worked for. He wants to be able to say his gains are his own.
It sounds sensible but his teacher doesn’t understand his logic. He attended a top university and now he is working at a company most people would die to work for. Why would he do something so ridiculous as drastically changing his career path? She asked for further explanation. He said the company he worked for did not acknowledge 100% of his ability. She tried to talk him out of it, but he told her that he was 100% confident that he had made the right decision.
There was no point trying to discourage him. He as going to participate in the Lecturer Recruitment Exam. Furthermore, if he did pass the first time, he would keep trying until he did. He said he was going to create another highlight in her life.
Seo Hye Jin was so sure that Lee Jun Jo was making a bad decision that she went behind his back and asked one of the recruiters to reject him. She thought perhaps if he were rejected he would give up and return to his corporate job. That was something she should not have done but she felt compelled to save Lee Jun Ho from making a terrible mistake. It wasn’t bad enough that she went behind his back to persuade the hiring officials. She went a step further. She invited him out to speak with him privately.
She started explaining why he was making a bad decision but she was talking about how her life had changed because of her success in teaching him. He told her bluntly that she was crossing the line. He said he never asked her how she felt. Just because she has enjoyed success in teaching him, what does that have to do with his decision? That’s in the past and her success has no bearing on him working as a lecturer.
Suppose he were to tell the hiring officials that she had called him aside privately and pressured him to quit. How would that make her look? She couldn’t really argue with that logic. When she walked away from the conversation, she felt embarrassed.
Well! If he had told her that she was his first love and that he intended to become involved in a romantic relationship with her that kind of bold approach would have been shocking! So when Seo Hye Jin asked Lee Jun Ho why he changed his career path, he responded by explaining his short-term goal. His short-term goal was to get a job as a lecturer. He stopped short and did not add so that he could be close to her. His long-term goal was to get her to fall in love with him and also achieve his financial goals.
Lee Jun Ho was hired and put on Seo Hye Jin’s team. On his first day on the job the director called him into his office and told him that he wanted him to become the “face of the academy”. Lee Jun Ho was surprised as that was Seo Hye Jin’s job. It was her face that he saw in the advertisement at the bus stop for Daechi Chase Academy.
Seo Hye Jin’s story was that she took a trouble-making student like Lee Jun Ho and turned him into a top student who was admitted into a prestigious university. Lee Jun Ho’s story is that he was once “the academy’s treasure”, it’s “symbol and identity” and now he has returned to the academy as a teacher. He asked the director if he was qualified to become the face of the academy and the director said: “Your story itself qualifies you”.
Lee Jun Ho thought for just a minute and said “Sure! I accept!” This was his second thought which he immediately presented to the director: “How about a double attack? A miraculous teacher and student. That’s an even more moving story.”
He suggested the “double attack” without asking for Seo Hye Jin’s opinion. The director was happy with the idea. But how is Seo Hye Jin going to react?
Main Characters:
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Seo Hye Jin (played by Jung Ryeo Won, “Castaway on the Moon”, “Wok of Love”)
- Lee Jun Ho (played by Wi Ha Joon, “Squid Game 1 and 2”, “Gyeongseong Creature”, “The Worst Of Evil”, “Bad and Crazy”)
Where to Watch
Viewership and Rating:
- IMDb: 8.7 out of 10 stars
- My Drama List: 8.2 out of 10 stars
- Viki viewers rates this series 9.4 out of 10 stars
My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewers: 8.6 out of 10 stars.
“The Midnight Romance in Hagwon” is a sweet romance K-drama series. It got added to my watch list because of Wi Ha Joon. Whether he is the male lead or part of the supporting cast, a good guy or a bad guy, who doesn’t love this guy?
KOREAN FOOD MENTIONED IN K-DRAMAS:
Continuing my hobby of searching out food recipes mentioned while watching a K-drama series. The food mentioned in this series is “pajeon”.
This is a savory vegetable pancake. But there is a variation of pajoen which is a Korean-style seafood pancake, made with shrimp.
LINKS OF INTEREST:
- “The Midnight Romance In Hagwon” Premieres To No. 1 Ratings | Soompi
- K-drama ‘Midnight Romance in Hagwon’ claims top spot in ratings | News Bytes
- Love Is Part Of The Lesson Plan In ‘The Midnight Romance In Hagwon’ | Forbes
TRAILERS/TEASERS:
Viu Philippines. “Highlights | the Midnight Romance in Hagwon | Viu.” YouTube Video. YouTube, May 12, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxkHOeNQ8UA.
