Song Kang and Park Min-young brave the weather and workplace romances
Nothing beats a lighthearted K-drama to beat all sorts of blues. From the cheesy and cheeky premise of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo to the tooth-rotting fluff of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, a lot of fans love to settle down with a feel-good premise. So if you’re looking to catch up on a title for your weekly dose of romance, there’s a long list of options to select from. One of the popular titles taking over this part of the year is Forecasting Love and Weather. Need evidence? Since its premiere, this K-drama has continued to top TV ratings in South Korea. The leads are Song Kang (Nevertheless) and Park Min-young (What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?), an unlikely pair with a lot of chemistry.
Forecasting Love and Weather follows 35-year-old Jin Ha-Kyung (Park Min-young) and 27-year-old Lee Shi-Woo (Song Kang) as they break down, fall in love and rise up again. All the while, their romantic inconveniences happen at their jobs in the Korea Meteorological Association. Despite the seemingly serious-sounding premise, this K-drama is light, airy and sweet with some chance of torrential rain (read: confusion). Nonetheless, let us list the reasons why it’s still worth a watch.
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The lead characters
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Of course, everyone knows Song Kang—AKA The Son of Netflix. How can we forget the red flag-bearing art major Park Jae-eon from Nevertheless? However, his newest character, Lee Shi-woo, is entirely different. Here, he's earnest and sweet, attentive but daring. But of course, he hides a complicated past under his optimistic demeanor—more layers the drama ought to peel back as the episodes go.
Meanwhile, Park Min-young returns as another firm, girl boss woman who’s out to do more. From career to romance, she’s prioritizing her growth (sometimes to a fault). In Forecasting Love and Weather, she deals with a sour breakup while juggling her career. Call it cliché, but that just might be a reality for a lot of us. They might be an unlikely pair, but their chemistry onscreen will have you hooked. Song Kang continues to charm and swoon with his little gestures, while Park Min-young represents all of us trying to keep our feelings under wraps.
Its analogies are too real to ignore
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Maybe this is just the humanities graduate in me, but it’s interesting to see love’s similarities with the skies as shown on Forecasting Love and Weather. Both can be turbulent, sunny, bright, tumultuous and unpredictable. Everyone thinks they’re well-equipped to spot the signs and prepare for the worst. But it still pours on sunny days; sometimes, the rain just doesn’t fall at all. That’s how love really is. It takes you by surprise, and sometimes you’d have to go through a whole lot of hoops before you get your happy ending.
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It’s informative
K-dramas have always explored different settings and premises, such as hospitals in Hospital Playlist and the world of mixed martial arts in Fight For My Way. So Forecasting Love and Weather offers a sneak peek behind the scenes of meteorology offices. This drama makes a case for another unique take on the office premise, one that keeps us on our toes. Conflict exists everywhere, we know. It’s just interesting to see how these play out in such an ever-changing and fast-paced industry.
It shows the reality of workplace romances
As much as the workplace seems like the best place to find romance, the unhappy endings definitely make it complicated as hell. Both Ha-Kyung and Shi-Woo had the worst experiences in that department. Keeping up a façade of professionalism can only be compared to a chore, especially when the breakup is anything but amicable. But hey, if someone’s worth a second shot at an office romance, why not try it out again? We just don’t recommend following Shi-Woo’s path, though. You’ll know why if you watch it.
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We’re all expecting ten more episodes from Forecasting Love and Weather. How big is the storm brewing after episode six? The rest of us can only find out every weekend.
Stream “Forecasting Love and Weather” on Netflix. New episodes drop every Saturday and Sunday at around 11PM.
Art Alexandra Lara
