Have you ever watched a movie and said, “this drama is not going anywhere,” but somehow you kept watching?
That was me with Love on the Menu, I mean the first episode did not impress me at all. In fact, I was already thinking of abandoning it.
But something made me continue, and now I'm on episode 16 wondering how a movie I almost dropped has managed to keep me this hooked
At first, I thought it was just going to be another ordinary love and romance story, but watching it, I realised that the real story is about family responsibilities, sacrifices, lost love, deep buried secrets and the things people do in the name of protecting the people they love.
And believe me, Gyu Rim's story is enough to make you sit down and watch this drama as a first daughter or first child
Gyu Rim is the first daughter no doubt, but she didn't really get the chance to enjoy the privileges of being a daughter, we know being the first daughter(first child) comes with a heavy responsibilities
But her mother abandoned the family, and Gyu Rim was left to take the motherly responsibility for her siblings. She had to grow up quickly and become almost like a mother to them.
While everybody was busy living their own lives, Gyu Rim was busy making sure her family survived, she didn't have any help at all, even her sister didn't help out
And the sad part? She sacrificed herself, she couldn't freely do the things she wanted, she couldn't just think about her own happiness.
Even when love came into her life, family still came first, she even gave up on the man she loved because of everything happening around her.
Then came Mu Jin into the picture.
Mu Jin started working as a part-timer in a restaurant, hiding his real identity, he wasn't just an ordinary guy trying to survive. He came from a wealthy family, but he wanted to live his own life without people treating him differently because of his background and also to learn management tips
And then he met Gyu Rim
These two slowly fell in love, and honestly, I thought, finally! Gyu Rim will get something good for herself.
But no, before these two could enjoy their relationship, Mu Jin's family entered the wheel
Mu jin's mother approached Gyu Rim and asked her to leave her son and even offered her money as she thought that she was a good digger.
But Gurim didn't take it, she wasn't with Mu Jin because of his money, so why would she accept money to walk away from him?
Mu Jin got kicked out of his house as he choosed love over wealth and came, working in a construction site and also staying in a studio. But while working, came in a terrible accident that changed everything.
Munji was involved in a serious accident, and Gyu Rim eventually disappeared from his life.
Why?
Gyu Rim didn't just wake up one morning and decide she didn't love him anymore, what Munji's mother and sister said to her played a big part in why she walked away.
And this is where I started asking myself, what would make someone leave the person they love so deeply? Family...
Years passed, eight years, eight whole years!
Gyu Rim and Mu Jin met again
Can you imagine meeting the person you once loved after eight years and pretending that nothing happened?
Can you look into the eyes of someone you once wanted to spend your life with and act like you have completely moved on?
Gyu Rim did something that shocked me, she lied to Munji that she was married.
Meanwhile, she wasn't married.
She was only trying to make him believe that she had moved on with her life. And Mu Jin eventually discovered the truth.
Now, tell me something, after eight years of separation, after everything that happened between them, can those old feelings really disappear?
That is one of the things keeping me glued to this drama.
Because sometimes people leave each other, but their hearts don't leave at the same time.
And just when you think the love story is complicated enough, the family story becomes even more confusing.
Gyu Rim's mother abandoned her children and later married another man, and that man is connected to Mu Jin's family.
So imagine two people falling in love while their families are already connected by a complicated past.
You will watch some scenes and just say, wait, so these people are connected too? 😂
Let's not forget we have Gyu Rim siblings.
Her brother is struggling and trying to make money to survive by dating older women.
Her sister(Han Gyu Ho) on the other hand, is much more materialistic, she doesn't really understand the sacrifices of her older sister and sometimes treats her badly. Insulting and hurting her and even getting involved in a life of deception.
At one point, she even distances herself from her own family
And I'm watching Gyu Rim carry all these people on her back and thinking, Gyu Rim when are you going to think about yourself?
Because this is what makes her character interesting.
She isn't perfect, but has spent so much of her life putting everybody else first.
Then comes Han Gyeol, and this is where the story takes another turn
For a while, we think we understand Gyu Rim relationship with Han Gyeol, but suddenly, questions about his real mother and his birth start coming out.
Ooops their blood types don't match, secrets start appearing, and things we thought we understood suddenly don't make sense anymore.
And I'm like, okay, what exactly happened here?
Who is really connected to Han Gyeol?
What has been hidden all these years?
What about Mu Jin's child? Cause when they broke up, she was pregnant
Then there is Seo Hyun, who has admired Mu Jin since they were young.
So now we have old love, lost love, family pressure, deep secrets and people who are still hiding their true feelings.
This is why Love on the Menu surprised me
I started watching it thinking it was going to be boring.
Now, I'm on episode 16 and I genuinely want to know what happens next.
Will Gurim and Munji find their way back to each other after everything that happened between them?
After eight years, can the feelings they once had for each other still be there?
And if they are, will their families allow them to be happy this time?
And that is not even the only thing I'm waiting to discover.
What really happened to Han Gyeol, whose child is he?
What other family secrets are still hiding?
And when everything finally comes out, will this family finally come together or will the truth tear them apart?
I won't spoil anything because, like I said, I'm still watching too
But one thing I will say is this, don't judge Love on the Menu by the first episode I almost made that mistake.
The beginning may not immediately pull you in, but once you start understanding Gyu Rim's sacrifices, Mu Jin's story, the accident, their painful separation and all the secrets connecting these families, you will want to know what happens next.
For me, the biggest question is not even just “Will Gyu Rim and Mu Jin end up together?”
It is, after everything they lost, can two people who once loved each other find that love again?
I need answers, so I'll keep on watching...
If you haven't started Love on the Menu, maybe this is your sign to give it a chance.
Watch it and come back to tell me if you also thought the first episode was boring, because I did too