“My First First Love” (첫사랑은 처음이라서): Season 1

By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
April 24, 2019

☆☆☆☆
Yoon Tae-Oh (played by Ji Soo)
Han Song-Yi (played by Jung Chae-Yeon)
Seo Do-Hyun (played by Jung Jin-Young)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

Mild spoilers are in this review.

Five friends, four of them living together in one house. It becomes clear early on that the writers are setting up the premise for the roomies to pair off romantically.

But because this is a K-Drama, there’s a hitch and, in this case, it’s the fifth friend who lives at home with his hard-working father. (Less of a storytelling inconvenience is a snooty rich girl who dates the male lead.)

“My First First Love” is divided into two seasons. The first eight episodes were released last week. Fans of the series are patiently waiting for Netflix to drop the final eight episodes — aka Season 2. Because most Korean dramas air as episodes with a finale that ties the series up, Netflix’s season concept is a bit offputting. The season one finale just ended. There was no real cliffhanger to carry into the next season.

All that being said, the actors and actresses share great chemistry with one another. And as with almost all K-Dramas, viewers have a vested interest in whether the lead male or the secondary lead will get the girl. I will predict that by the time this series is over, the male and female lead will end up together.

But, I have been rooting for the secondary lead since his first interaction with the lead actress.

!!

What’s that, you say? I know. I surprised myself, because the male lead is Ji Soo (“Strong Woman Do Bong Soon,” “Angry Mom“). Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the secondary lead is B1A4 frontman Jung Jin-Young (“Miss Granny“). But just as a FYI, looks have nothing to do with my decision, because both obviously are drop-dead gorgeous. To me, it’s a matter of who the female lead is best suited for.

Tae-Oh comes from a wealthy family. While still in college, he moves into his late grandfather’s home. His hope is that while he has the freedom of being a bachelor with his own pad, he can get a girlfriend. While he’s away on a blind date, three friends show up at his home and become the roommates he never asked for or wanted.

Song-Yi has been living alone in her family home, which has no running water. Her father died while she was in high school and her mother moved away and is avoiding her calls. When her family home is foreclosed, she drags her suitcase to Tae-Oh’s home. But once there, she finds that his childhood friends Oh Ga-Rin (played by Choi Ri) and Choi Hoon (played by Kang Tae-Oh) are there as well. Ga-Rin is a rich heiress who wants a taste of freedom that her mother won’t allow. And Hoon was kicked out of his home after his parents discovered that he was pursuing a career in show business instead of something they consider respectable.

Seo Do-Hyun, who is one of Tae-Oh’s friends in college, lives with his father and works multiple part-time jobs to pay for his tuition. Unlike Tae-Oh, he doesn’t have the luxury of deciding what he wants to do, because what he needs to do is survive. Unlike his rich friends who don’t have to worry much about the future, Do-Hyun’s goal is to become a civil servant. It doesn’t sound like a sexy career (because it’s not), but it offers job security and a steady income. This doesn’t mean that Do-Hyun has no dreams. Rather, he can’t allow himself to wish for things he can’t afford at this point in his life. But it’s obvious that he will build a good life for himself (and his future family) and that he will be able to offer his future children an easier life than he has.

Though you can see that Song-Yi and Tae-Oh have had little crushes on each other since their childhood, they also refuse to pursue that relationship for a variety of reasons — the most important being that they have been friends since they were toddlers. Yes, a romance could be euphoric and fun. But most first-time relationships end. If theirs should end, how would they retain the familial friendship that has been such an important part of both their lives?

So, Tae-Oh dates Ryu Se-Hyu (played by Hong Ji-Yoon), who is two years his senior. Why does he like her? Mainly, because she’s pretty. Coincidentally, her family bought Song-Yi’s house. The way she treated Song-Yi when the latter had to rush to pack her belongings says all I need to know about her. It is with contempt, because Song-Yi is poor and in need of assistance. Instead of feeling empathy for her, Se-Hyu treats her like dirt. She also uses boys, including Tae-Oh, to get her schoolwork done. And she views Tae-Oh as more of a fling than a real boyfriend.

But Tae-Oh doesn’t see any of this yet, because … pretty.

Meanwhile, Song-Yi finds herself attracted to Do-Hyun, who is a stand-up guy and reciprocates her interest. Even after he tells her that he cannot afford to take her out on the type of dates most people think of as normal, she says it’s OK, because she likes spending time with him. One of the sweetest scenes is set at the convenience store where he works. The two sit next to each other eating instant ramen, talking and enjoying the company of one another.

Yes, it’s exciting to be romanced with flowers, fancy dinners and nights out at clubs or the movies. But in the end, you need to be friends with your partner and able to discuss even the most uncomfortable subjects with each other.

At this stage, neither Song-Yi or Tae-Oh can be honest with each other about their true feelings for one another. I know that this will come out in the upcoming episodes. But my heart aches a bit, because I don’t want Do-Hyun’s heart to be broken, either.

Airdates: Netflix released all eight hour-long episodes on April 18, 2019.

Spoiler Alert:

Song-Yi’s mother is made to sound like a cold woman who abandons her child. She tells her daughter that she became a mother too soon and spent her entire adult life being a wife and mother — and now she wants to follow her dreams. But the tears she sheds after her phone call ends with her daughter indicates that there’s more than meets the eye. I am guessing that in the second season, the writers will flesh out her backstory and provide answers as to why she left her daughter to fend for herself.

My review of the second season of the series is here.

© 2019 JAE-HA KIM | All Rights Reserved