“The Trunk” is a 2024 Korean drama TV series, that has 8 episodes, and is categorized as Psychological Drama, Romance, Crime, and Murder Mystery; streaming on Netflix. It is based on a 2015 novel titled “Trunk”.
SUMMARY: That’s a very expensive trunk. What does it have to do with murder or contract marriages?
♦ It’s a Contract Marriage With Possibility and Also Mystery
In “The Trunk”, Han Jeong-Won is a tormented soul. He had an abusive father and feels guilt for not being able to protect his mother, even though he was just a child. Now his father is dying and the only good thing is that he now has his father’s wealth. He bought a music company and pretends to be an employee. His life at home and at work is nothing but misery.
He was married to Seo Yeon, someone he has known since Kindergarden. His entire life revolves around her. He can do nothing without her. But … they got divorced. Even though she’s now his ex-wife, in his phone contacts she is still named as his “Wife”. He begs Seo Yeon to come back to him but she has already moved on and remarried. She tells them there is a way they can get back together. He has to get married.
He has to get married? To who? When? Whatever! If that’s what it takes, Han Jeong-Won will do it. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get his ex-wife back. ENTER Noh In-Ji. She works for a company that arranges contract marriages for a fixed term of one (1) year. Only one year? Han Jeong-Won heaves a huge sigh.
If Seo Yeon will come back to him after that, then he can handle one year. At least, he thinks he can. All he has to do is stay in the same house with his fake wife and … ??? … not sure what he’s supposed to do. Noh In-Ji tells him if he has any questions he can read the manual. There’s a manual? Oh yeah!
Han Jeong-Won bravely enters into a contract marriage with Noh In-Ji. You could say they are “two peas in a pod” in that their lives have similarities. They have both suffered trauma and have been psychologically damaged as a result. For Noh In-Ji something happened with her real marriage. So she decided fake marriages that end in a year was an easy way to make a living and not get hurt ever again. But as they live under the same roof together, they begin to open up to each other. Uh oh! That wasn’t the plan. Well! That wasn’t Seo Yeon’s plan.
Han Jeong-Won may not have realized it but his ex-wife, Seo Yeon is very controlling and manipulative. How could he know that? He has never compared her to anyone else. She has always been his whole life. That’s why he insists that he can’t live without her and is willing to do anything to get her back, including participating in a contract marriage for a year. The problem is Seo Yeon never thought that Han Jeong-Won would open up to Noh In-Ji. But there was an accident. A chandelier fell from the ceiling and Noh In-Ji got hurt.
Han Jeong-Won called Seo Yeon and said he and Noh In-Ji could not live together. She got hurt because of him. Seo Yeon was surprised at his reaction. He expressed genuine care and concern for Noh In-Ji. Seo Yeon and Noh In-Ji have history. They knew each other because they went to the same school and their history was not a pleasant memory. But now there is an unexpected rivalry between them. That wasn’t Seo Yeon’s plan.
But getting involved with Han Jeong-Won wasn’t Noh In-Ji’s plan either. Noh In-Ji has her own intense personal problems, like keeping track of the whereabouts of a very dangerous man who darkened her life. He was released from prison and she doesn’t know what his plans are. It’s just supposed to be a contract marriage for a year. Nothing complicated. She’s already been married four (4) times. Han Jeong-Won is her 5th contract marriage.
As if this unplanned complication of “real attraction” developing from a “fake relationship” isn’t a huge problem, another huge problem occurs. Several murders have taken place and a very expensive trunk was recovered from a lake. The police believe that Noh In-Ji is the owner of the trunk and their investigation is leading them to secrets behind the NM company, the contract marriage company that Noh In-Ji works for.
The plot thickens? The plot darkens? What the flip? Is this a contract marriage with benefits or a whole lot of trouble? Han Jeong-Won has had a bad childhood, a broken marriage with a conniving manipulative wife, and now he has a woman with a complicated past, who has “secrets”?
Main Characters:
- Han Jeong-Won (played by Gong Yoo, “Seobok”, “The Silent Sea”, “Wonderland”, “Squid Game”)
- Noh In-Ji (played by Seo Hyun-Jin, “Why Her?”, “Dr. Romantic”, “Another Miss Oh”)
- Seo Yeon (played by Jung Yun-Ha)
Viewership and Rating:
- IMDb: 7.5 out of 10 stars
- My Drama List: out of 10 stars
- But Why Tho?: 8.5 out of 10 stars
My personal rating is 9 out of 10 stars
I love Gong Yoo. I don’t care if the series is crap. I’m watching it anyway! LOL. It gets 2 stars for him being the male lead and another star for the awesome soundtrack. That being said, “The Trunk” gives off a kind of creepy vibe. It’s dark and slow-moving but you stay interested because the two main characters are so complex. Plus you want to know the story behind that trunk. I’m kind of sorry they broke that chandelier though. A luxury crystal chandelier can cost over $100,000 and it was very pretty. But the chandelier had a story too, and it had to go! LOL. Final Note: The nudity scenes were pointless.
LINKS OF INTEREST:
The Trunk Review: Visually, Gong Yoo’s Series Is Nothing Short Of Spectacular | NDTV Movies
I’m Confident Gong Yoo’s Long-Awaited Comeback Will Be One Of 2024’s Best K-Dramas | Screen Rant
The Trunk (2024) Netflix Series Review – An Attractive Mystery | But Why Tho? (“Above all else, the actors make this Netflix drama succeed.”)
The Trunk K-drama ending explained | Lifestyle Asia Malaysia
TRAILER/TEASER:
Netflix Asia. “The Trunk.” YouTube, 29 Oct. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qd8mqLpv38.
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