For this week’s Exclusive Patreon Review, we’re writing about the 2019 K-drama ‘Chocolate’. This was a JTBC production written by Lee Kyoung-Hee and directed by Lee Hyeong-Min.
Lee Kyoung-Hee also wrote the popular cryfest drama ‘Uncontrollably Fond’. If I ever need a good cry, I just rewatch a couple of the scenes because it still gets me. The director worked on ‘My Dangerous Wife’, ‘My Horrible Boss’ and ‘Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon’. They worked together for the drama ‘Sorry, I Love You’.
The way the drama was shot especially for the food and the scenery was absolutely stunning. If you want to pick up some recipes, go ahead and watch it because the food scenes remind me a lot of the movie ‘Little Forest’. I could watch that for ages.
The plot
The drama ‘Chocolate’ tells the story of Lee Kang, portrayed by Yoon Kye-Sang who is a neurosurgeon. He lives with a super rich family that doesn’t want him there. So complicated family bonds aside, he’s not having the best time of his life.
On the other side we have Moon Cha-Young, played by Ha Ji-Won who is a chef and tries to clean up after her frivolous brother Moon Tae-Hyeon. Their mom left them with rather big debts because she can’t seem to stop scamming people. Cha-Young is really the only responsible one in that family.
They meet as children, because of course they do. Lee Kang gives Cha-Young food and she loves him for it. They don’t meet again until they’re both in the same hospital.
I’ll be honest, the love story didn’t really grab me in this one. They had chemistry sure, but the other part of the drama was so much more gripping. First there’s the food being cooked that looks absolutely amazing. The second part is when they’re both working in a hospice where people spend the last months of their lives before inevitably passing on. So of course you should expect literal buckets of tears, because my god. Some of their stories are heart wrenching and you just wish you could tuck them in a blanket and hide them from the world and their sickness. Expect to be sobbing for at least half the season.
Setting and Love Triangle
Some of the season was filmed in Greece, because in the storyline Cha-Young flees far from her guilt. At one point there was a man, Kwon Min-seong who was in love with her. The man portrayed by Yoo Teo was Lee Kang’s best friend. She had been carrying a torch for Kang ever since she met him. That’s partly why Kang and Cha-Young’s relationship takes forever to develop.
She knows that he’s the boy she met as a child, and ends up dating his best friend for a while even though she had no idea until it was too late. Kang thinks she’s a horrible person because Cha-Young breaks up with Min-Seong. Min-Seong eventually ends up in the hospice because he’s sick and there’s no hope for a cure.
Honestly, the whole love side of the story was a bit much in my opinion. I was far more interested in the stories of the people in the hospice or the dynamics between the two cousins Lee Kang and Lee Jun. They’re not necessarily good, because the rich grandmother sort of sets them up to compete between each other.
Their arc is really interesting to watch though.
The K-drama ‘Chocolate’ is available on Netflix. Go ahead and watch the trailer.
