Lazy Unnie’s Couch: Love In Contract

Undeniably attractive, talented, and charming, Choi Sang Eun is the living definition of the perfect partner. This is exactly why instead of marrying, she chooses to employ her skills as a contract marriage master. Transforming herself into the perfect partner for each of her clients, Sang Eun allows those who employ her services to live the perfect single life, without having to agree to a committed, life-long relationship. A long-term client, Jung Ji Ho has been using Sang Eun’s services every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, for the past five years. A man shrouded in mystery, Sang Eun knows virtually nothing about Ji Ho but that doesn’t stop her from developing some rather unexpected feelings for him. Making her life even more difficult are the equally unexpected feelings she’s recently developed for one of her newest clients, Kang Hae Jin. A popular actor who employs her services on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, Hae Jin often makes Sang Eun’s heart flutter. Torn between her professional obligations and the feelings she harbors for both Ji Ho and Hae Jin, Sang Eun finds herself in an unexpected predicament. How can she possibly maintain her professionalism when her heart is leading her in two different directions?
mydramalist

Starring: Park Min Young | Go Kyung Pyo | Kim Jae Young
Episodes: 16 (60 mins. )
Aired: September 21 – November 10, 2022
Network: tvN
Where to Watch: Viki

Know when you have a taste for something, look at the menu and the item you pick just sounds amazingly good? Then when it comes it is stale and leaves a bad taste in your mouth? Well that is Love in Contract for me. The ingredients that were promised and initially shown were amazing. Basically, it was a rom-Com about a woman who has made a business out of marrying people. It was like a call girl but no sex was involved. I was hella intrigued. Even after the first few episodes, I was still with the concept of her falling for one of her clients but he was too socially awkward to realize it. But by the time we were heading to the second act of the show, they lost me with the random plotlines with no clear direction.

At this point, I really want Park Min Young to give it up. I felt like her character had the potential to be something dynamic but because of the poor writing and the choices she made with Choi Sang Eun just felt flat. When we were supposed to feel sympathy for her being this abandoned child forced to basically marry for the sake of business, I couldn’t care. I legit gave not one fuck and that’s hard because I usually care too much. Even when it came to Kim Jae Young playing this disgruntled chaebol who wanted nothing to do with rich family, I wanted to feel bad for him. Even when he was in this one-sided love with Sang Eun after not even knowing her besides seeing her at a dinner, ONCE, I should have cared, but I didn’t. I think this all suffered from the lack of chemistry between all of the characters.

I lie, there were some slightly good things about the chemistry. I really enjoyed Sang Eun’s roommate and ex-husband Woo Gwang Nam. He was probably the only character with some real depth being the LGBTQ+ representation on the show. I gave them one star for that. But I wanted to take it away because they underutilized him for the sake of the more boring contract relationship I have ever seen. Speaking of, I love Go Kyung Pyo as an actor and I really liked Jung Ji Ho at first. His socially inept judge was interesting to watch but there wasn’t any real explanation for him and I never fully understood why he liked Sang Eun.

In the end, I was left confused about why I should care about ANY of these characters and what the point of any of the things was. If I had to pick SOMETHING that was good about this show was probably the wardrobe because bitch slayed, and the cat. The cat that they apparently forgot but I didn’t. I LOVE YOU JAMIE!