Get ready to be hooked on the new drama “When the Camellia Blooms”!
I can honestly say, it’s been a while since I’ve been this captivated by a new series…
Upon its release, it immediately soared to the top of the viewership charts.
It boasts an impressive 9.2 rating on Douban, making it the dark horse of the year…
The story, devoid of the typical female empowerment trope or exaggerated melodrama, manages to hook you from the very first episode, leaving you craving more.
Let’s dive into what makes it so special.
What Makes This Pure Love Story So Explosive?
First off, the drama stars South Korea’s top talents, Lee Ji-eun (IU) and Park Bo-gum. These two actors, known for both their popularity and acting prowess, reunite after 12 years since their advertisement collaboration, instantly generating buzz.
Moreover, the team behind the scenes is equally impressive.
With writer Lim Sang-chun (“When the Camellia Blooms”) and director Kim Won-seok (“Signal”) joining forces, this dream team of top-tier talent is a rare sight, practically guaranteeing success.
Secondly, if you think this is just another run-of-the-mill Korean romance, think again.
“When the Camellia Blooms” uses the changing seasons as a metaphor for life’s ups and downs, telling the story of a Jeju Island girl’s struggle to survive in difficult circumstances. While it features sweet romance, it’s also a period drama with a strong focus on female empowerment.
A Glimpse into the Story
The story begins with little Ae-soon anxiously watching the sea, waiting for her mother to surface.
Her mother, Gwang-ryeol, is a “haenyeo,” a very common occupation among Jeju Island residents. They primarily make a living by diving underwater to harvest seaweed and abalone.
Haenyeo typically start training in their teens, and one haenyeo can support an entire family.
However, the job is dangerous, with the risk of drowning. Many haenyeo also suffer from lung diseases, eventually losing their source of income and dying in poverty.
Ae-soon’s biggest wish is for her mother to quit this job, spend more time with her, and live a healthy life.
But for the people of Jeju Island, almost all livelihoods are tied to the sea: men become fishermen, and women become haenyeo.
If their husbands can earn money, it’s fine, but Gwang-ryeol is a woman with a difficult life…
Her first husband, Ae-soon’s father, passed away. Her second husband is lazy and relies on Gwang-ryeol to provide for the family.
She is forced to send her daughter to her former mother-in-law’s house, where at least she will have something to eat.
However, Ae-soon’s life as a dependent is not easy.
Her uncle blames Ae-soon for his son’s poor grades, accusing her of always being first in class and stealing his son’s luck.
Even though there are six people in the family, they only buy five fish each time and never give any to Ae-soon.
Unable to bear it any longer, Gwang-ryeol finally takes Ae-soon back home, but she is determined not to let Ae-soon become a haenyeo. She only hopes that her daughter can leave Jeju Island and do what she loves in a wider world.
Ae-soon is also very promising, always coming first in class. A passionate reader, she dreams of becoming a poet.
She cherishes the time she spends with her mother, but unfortunately, it doesn’t last long. Her mother develops the common disease of haenyeo.
But in order to leave more money for her children, she insists on diving, losing her life at the young age of 29…
Ae-soon is not welcome in her grandmother’s house, and her stepfather only treats her as a nanny. After finding another wife, he wants to kick Ae-soon out, even refusing to give her the money he promised to save for her college education.
In despair, Ae-soon thinks of Gwan-shik.
Yang Gwan-shik and Oh Ae-soon are childhood sweethearts , and it’s obvious to everyone that Gwan-shik likes Ae-soon.
As a child, Gwan-shik always stood silently by Ae-soon’s side. Ae-soon wanted to be “president,” and his dream was to be the first gentleman.
As they grew older, he would secretly bring Ae-soon fish to eat, and then gradually started giving her hairpins.
He would sell fish next to Ae-soon’s cabbage stall, selling fish while helping her sell cabbage. Ae-soon only needed to sit next to him and read.
Even though Ae-soon always said that she would never marry an islander, Gwan-shik always followed her. You could always see Gwan-shik wherever Ae-soon was.
Ae-soon is not unaware of Gwan-shik’s feelings, and in fact, she has long harbored feelings for him.
Finally, the two declare their love in a field of canola flowers.
This scene is overflowing with hormones, and the young couple’s love is just too sweet…
So, when Ae-soon has nowhere to go, she finds Gwan-shik and asks him to take her in.
But Gwan-shik’s family has always been against them being together, so the two underage children make a bold decision: to elope!
They pretend to be a married couple and board a ship to Busan, but they don’t realize that someone has been watching them…
The hotel owner pretends to take them in, even providing them with food, but secretly steals their luggage while they are asleep.
Their first elopement ends in a humiliating failure.
After this, their relationship is even less tolerated by both families, and the islanders gossip about them behind their backs.
Even though it was an elopement between two people, only Ae-soon is expelled from school. Everyone accuses her of “kidnapping” the family’s eldest grandson.
Gwan-shik’s mother, who they thought was on their side, uses the gentlest tone to say the most hurtful things, making Ae-soon believe that she is blocking Gwan-shik’s path to go out of town to run and pursue his future…
So, Ae-soon chooses to break up with Gwan-shik and decides to marry a divorced, wealthy man.
In utter despair, Gwan-shik has no choice but to leave by ship. On the ship, he confesses to his coach that he doesn’t care about the peninsula or the gold medal. The only reason he kept mentioning it before was because of Ae-soon.
For him, Ae-soon is the whole world. Even if he were given a box of gold, he would only fight for Ae-soon.
On the other side, Ae-soon, who is trying on her wedding dress, can’t let go of Gwan-shik at all. At the last moment, she runs to the pier.
Perhaps their true love moved the heavens, and even though the ship had been gone for a long time, Gwan-shik heard Ae-soon’s call.
After failing to persuade the captain to turn around, he simply jumps into the sea and swims back…
After that, the two get married as they wished and have a lovely daughter.
Like her own mother, Ae-soon is determined not to let her daughter become a haenyeo.
Even though she spends her days around the stove, is disliked by her mothers-in-law for not being able to give birth to a son, and Gwan-shik’s grandmother asks Ae-soon to kneel and worship every day, even sprinkling red beans on her, Ae-soon endures it all.
She doesn’t want Gwan-shik to worry about her, and she doesn’t want to have conflicts with Gwan-shik’s family.
But when she sees her mothers-in-law wanting to make her daughter a haenyeo, her maternal instinct drives her to “flip the table” for the first time and have a big fight with them.
Gwan-shik, who rushes back, stands firmly on Ae-soon’s side after seeing this scene and immediately takes his wife and daughter away from that house.
In fact, in order to support his family, Gwan-shik has been working under the divorced man that Ae-soon almost married, and is therefore verbally and physically abused every day, covered in injuries.
After Ae-soon finds out, she runs to Gwan-shik again like she did when she was a child, kicks the divorced man hard, and pulls her husband away with her own hands.
The mutual love of the parents is just too good to watch…
More Than Just Entertainment
“When the Camellia Blooms” is not only a good drama, but also one that cannot be ignored.
It doesn’t have the same old satisfying moments, the fairytale-like reversals, or the emotional manipulation to cater to the audience, but it can make people feel heartache, anger, and even suffocation.
Because what it reveals is not a special fate, but the real lives of countless women.
Ae-soon tries her best to be first in class, but loses to gender and her original family;
Her mother trades her life for money, is appreciated, but not respected;
No matter how much Gwan-shik loves her, he can’t really change her fate. Ae-soon, who dreamed of becoming a poet since she was a child, is ultimately trapped by the stove, and ultimately does not escape the fate of poverty…
The reason why this drama is so captivating is not because it is sweet or heart wrenching, but because it is so real.
Even today, there are still people who hope that women will sacrifice their careers, give up themselves, and dedicate their lives to their families, believing that this is the “right choice.”
Of course, this drama does not simply sell misery, but allows us to see that even in desperate situations, there are still people willing to go against the current, fighting for love, for freedom, and for a better life.
Change may be difficult, but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible…
Finally, I would like to say that this drama has only updated four episodes so far. Fans who don’t want to wait for updates can wait a little longer.