A winsome heroine, an earnest hero, and post-breakup enemies-to-lovers — what’s not to love? Soundtrack #2 is off to a great start, introducing our setup with zippy humor and lovely music. We’re only a third into the story, but I’m already rooting for these characters and their happiness.
EPISODES 1-2
The first thing we learn about DO HYUN-SEO (Geum Sae-rok) is that she has an aptitude for music, evidenced by how she quickly manages to play a song by ear despite hearing it for the first time. Unfortunately, even with her illustrious achievements during her academy days, music hasn’t been able to pay the bills. After folding her dreams, Hyun-seo now makes a humble living doing food deliveries, taking odd jobs, and running a quaint snack bar. The only connection Hyun-seo has left to her musical passion is her piano tutoring job.
Meanwhile, our man of the hour JI SOO-HO (Noh Sang-hyun) is the esteemed CEO of a successful streaming company. Everything is going well, until all of a sudden it’s not — a sudden bout of tinnitus sends him fainting to the office floor. Turns out Soo-ho’s workaholic tendencies have gotten the better of him, and his doctor prescribes him a dose of rest supplemented with a recommendation of classical music.
Soo-ho’s best friend and business partner CHANG-SHIK (Kwon Seung-woo) has his back, which means he puts on his best sad-puppy-eyes look to convince Soo-ho into a month of rest and piano lessons. On Soo-ho’s behalf, Chang-shik contacts Hyun-seo through a mutual acquaintance, unknowingly reconnecting the two exes.
When Hyun-seo arrives at Soo-ho’s luxurious house, she’s appalled to find out that he’s her new employer. Never mind the double-time pay that she’s already received in advance — she’s outta here! Soo-ho isn’t any more enthused about the situation than she is, and a flashback tells us why.
Four years ago, Hyun-seo stood Soo-ho up at the airport moments before a romantic getaway. She hadn’t seen a future beyond their shaky financial situations, and she told him as much over the phone. It’s over between them. A glimpse into their past reveals that the pragmatic Hyun-seo had been nursing such concerns for a while, and Soo-ho’s efforts to cheer her up had come across as naive and idealistic, causing the rift between them to grow.
In the aftermath of their breakup, Soo-ho had wallowed in misery. Yet in the years since, he’d managed to get back on his feet and climb out of his humble semi-basement home, progressing all the way to the financial security Hyun-seo had aspired towards. Now, Soo-ho doesn’t miss any chance to flaunt his wealth in Hyun-seo’s face, his wounded pride triumphing over any gentlemanly etiquette.
It’s that same pride that has him following Hyun-seo out to assert that he’ll proceed with the lessons, just as Hyun-seo strides back in to declare that she’ll continue teaching him. What feelings? What breakup? They’re just teacher and student, no strings attached at all! (We’ll see how long that lasts.)
Both Hyun-seo and Soo-ho may claim that they’re one-hundred-percent over their past romance, but neither their friends nor their hearts are that easily convinced. When Hyun-seo digs out an old music book to use for their lessons, she accidentally rediscovers a memento from their past. Back when they’d been in love, Soo-ho had scribbled corny jokes in the margins of Hyun-seo’s sheet music — and they bring a smile to her face in the present, just as they had all those years ago. Aww.
Also, can I just say that I love the humor in this show? For all his suave posturing, Soo-ho’s a giant manchild who eats cereal straight out of the box and blows on window panes to doodle on them (much to Chang-shik’s fond exasperation). Not only does Chang-shik have to literally pry Soo-ho’s laptop out of his grubby hands, but he also has to confiscate every last electronic device to prevent Soo-ho from sneakily doing work while his back is turned.
At least Soo-ho gets to keep his phone, which he uses to mindlessly scroll through social media until he chances upon someone that catches his eye. It’s the singer-songwriter “K” (Sohn Jung-hyuk, a.k.a. Demian), crooning a melodious tune, and Soo-ho immediately contacts him with a business proposal.
K winds up meeting our heroine too — they’ve coincidentally taken up the same temp job of queuing in line on someone else’s behalf. He helps Hyun-seo retrieve her lost AirPod from a ditch, she adds piano harmonization to his latest composition, and just like that they’re huddling together through the overnight cold and striking up a friendship.
When Soo-ho listens to the piece, he’s amazed by how much better it sounds with the piano chords. Excited, K asks if his “piano friend” can join the project, and Soo-ho doesn’t give it much thought before agreeing. After all, this project was K’s request — he wants to complete it together before finalizing a contract.
Since K will be temporarily returning to the States in a week, he hasn’t quite figured out accommodation yet, so Soo-ho offers him a room in his sprawling abode. K gratefully accepts, which means he’s strumming away on his guitar when Hyun-seo arrives for Soo-ho’s piano lesson — resulting in a three-way point-and-stare of confusion, hee.
Looks like we’ll be getting the fallout — and the hijinks — next week, and I can’t wait! With both episodes clocking in at less than an hour each, the drama is short and sweet with none of the filler and all of the feel-good joy. I love that both our leads formed genuinely good relations with K independent of each other, which gives me hope that the love triangle will remain wholesome and not devolve into irrational jealousy. (Plus, I don’t think K’s puppy crush even stands a chance, lol.)
Also, I’m enjoying the “bonus track” epilogue scenes! What a cute way to offer a little more insight into our characters, and to end each episode off on a pleasant note. Unbeknownst to each other, our leads are already reconnecting on a deeper level, sharing a heartfelt conversation through anonymous comments that eases them into a peaceful sleep. They may get on each other’s nerves, but they also know the way to each other’s hearts.