Anticipation Heats Up For The Noona Romance In “Secret Love Affair”
A poor but talented pianist. A beautiful older woman. These are the ingredients of the upcoming cable drama "Secret Love Affair," starring Kim Hee Ae and Yoo Ah In. Viewers have only a few weeks to wait before this story of a dangerous passion airs.
Netizens have already described 2014 as a banner year for noona romances. In the first few months of 2014, Sung Joon has played the younger romantic partner to Park So Yeon in "I Need Romance 3." Jun Ji Hyun is older than Kim Soo Hyun in "You Who Came From The Stars," although he is supposed to be 400 years old. Ha Ji Won is nine years older than Ji Chang Wook in "Empress Ki."
The last few years have delivered quite a few noona romances with "I Hear Your Voice," "I Do, I Do," "The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry" and "Flower Boy Ramen Shop."
But most noona romances either have an element of comedy to them or make light of the less-than-a-decade age difference. This drama treats the subject of a significant age difference in a serious way. While a few years age difference in dating has become acceptable, two decades is still somewhat taboo.
It can be very difficult for a young man to own up to dating a woman that much older than himself. It can also be difficult for a much-older woman to accept the fact that the younger man might really love her. Both run the risk of ridicule from their peers.
That adds the element of emotional danger to this drama's plot and has viewers eager to see how passion overwhelms reason.
After seeing pictures of the upcoming drama, netizens expressed mixed reactions. The reactions ranged from "she looks to old for him," which was the point, to "I thought they'd have chemistry but that's smokin'."
And some have said the character's affair will be more interesting than the usual chaste noona romance.
In the jTBC drama, Kim Hee Ah plays Oh Hye Won, a competent woman working in planning department at the Seo Han Arts Foundation. Yoo Ah In plays struggling genius pianist Lee Sun Jae. Kim Hee Ah is a successful society woman who has never been in love before and her passionate love affair changes her life. Together they will have to face the backlash that their affair evokes.
Jung Sung Joo and Ahn Pan Suk, who wrote "A Wife's Credentials," also wrote this drama. Kim Hee Ae o starred in "A Wife's Credentials" and was recently seen in the variety show "Noonas Over Flowers" with Lee Seung Gi.
Yoo Ah In last starred in "Jang Ok Jung" with Kim Tae Hee.
The drama begins on March 17.
