If Hyun Bin’s fans were disgruntled with the paucity of romance in “Memories of the Alhambra,” then they must be thrilled to bits with the lovefest in “Crash Landing on You.” As its acronym, CLoY, suggests, this kdrama is rather cloying. But then, what do we expect when Hyun Bin is paired off with his *rumored* girlfriend, Son Ye Jin? 🙂

There’s a feeling of easy familiarity whenever SYJ’s character, Seri, teases Hyun Bin’s Capt Jung Hyuk. Seri definitely knows how to push Jung Hyuk’s buttons, like when she cajoled him to act loverlike and pat her hair as well as wave goodbye to her. Her outward aegyo, especially, her “eye-smile,”

was contradicted by her threatening tone of voice,

and JH had no choice but to comply.

SYJ’s acting was so spot on that I couldn’t help wondering whether there was a similarity between her portrayal of Seri and her behavior in real life toward Hyun Bin. Of course, I’m doing a disservice to SYJ’s acting chops when I blur the lines between the reel and real. My excuse is this couple’s chemistry on-screen had caused my mental lapse.

Kdrama viewers and critics often extol the “chemistry” of an OTP, so let me explain my understanding of chemistry. To me, good chemistry is present when a couple’s dialogue flows naturally and organically, and their gestures appear unscripted and seamless. Their encounters must be so believable that I no longer see actors playing a role, but individuals living *in* the moment.

I’ll give an example: the boat trip.

When the boat captain asked if Seri was going alone, Jung Hyuk look at her and she looked back up at him. Then, she looked away. It was obvious from the pinched expression on her face that she wasn’t looking forward to sailing on the boat alone, so Jung Hyuk answered the captain, “Two of us.”

As romantic as he was, Jung Hyuk’s glance looked 100% scripted. Boooo.

Jung Hyuk had to get on the boat because one, the kiss scene had to occur, and two, he had to bring her back.

Thus, that look he gave her didn’t move me because I was waiting for it to happen. There was no way these two people could part ways so easily like two ships passing in the night.

In contrast, their scene on the fishing boat showed a more instinctive interaction. Although we knew that Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin were acting in front of green scene, and that the sea in the background was only computer graphics, her acting struck me as realistic.

SR: Although it has only been a few days, it feels like I’m returning after a few years.
JH: I’m sure it feels the same for those who await you. A second feels like an eternity when you don’t know if your family member is alive.

She suddenly paused and looked away.

Note: This remark of Jung Hyuk would have different interpretations. For one, it would be shown in the next episode that when Seri was a child, she had stood alone, on an empty beach, under a moonless sky. She’d been counting.

Jung Hyuk’s off-the-cuff remark would have hit close to home because she’d known, as a child, how a second felt like eternity while waiting for a family member to come for her.

On the other hand, Jung Hyuk could have been speaking from experience. I’m speculating here: he, too, could have endured waiting to hear of news about his brother’s murder.

SR: I don’t know… (then she made up her mind) I doubt that. (he studied her face) I will know once I return if my safe return makes them happy or flustered. (her voice mellowed down as she became lost in thought, then she sighed) I’m quite loose-lipped today. (she perked up) I simply told you because I know I won’t see you again. (she grimaced)

I liked YSJ’s delivery here. Despite these words being memorized, the she conveyed a sequence of emotions — from skepticism to resignation, then regret, embarrassment, and finally feigned perkiness — without overacting. She convinced me that, while Seri was looking forward to going home, she anticipated that her family’s reception to be mixed, at best. Seri should have been excited about seeing them again, so her sadness was at odds with her homecoming.

Jung Hyuk noticed her subdued and pensive reaction and stepped in.

JH: Since I won’t see you again, let me tell you this. Don’t say you can play the piano very well just because you can play “Für Elise.” Don’t say that anywhere else. (clearing his throat)

I also liked Hyun Bin’s almost imperceptible throat-clearing here. He correctly read Seri’s sad mood and nagged her about “Für Elise” to change topic and get her out of her blue funk. His throat-clearing, combined with his averted eyes, suggested that he didn’t really feel comfortable telling her off but he did it as a distraction.

However, here’s my take on Jung Hyuk’s comment.

+1000. Like Jung Hyuk, I felt embarrassed earlier when Seri bragged about being able to play that Beethoven bagatelle. But unlike Jung Hyuk, I place the blame on her piano teacher. With so many musical compositions to pick from, only a vacuous piano teacher would assign that piece for a student’s recital music.

-500. But I must deduct points for his posturing. He considered himself superior because he had the good taste to avoid bragging about “Für Elise.” But didn’t he play Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” for his recital? If he wanted to showcase his virtuosity, he didn’t have to perform such an overplayed music, either.

SR: (puffing in indignation) Since I won’t see you again, let me tell you this. My name is Yoon Seri.
JH: My name is Ri Jung Hyuk.
SR: (realizing something) I’m a member of the Haeju Yoon Clan. Haeju is in North Korea, right?
JH: I’m a member of the Jeonju Ri Clan.
SR: (laughing) What the?? This is ironic.

To me, that “pfft” expression of Seri was very much on point. The actress didn’t roll her eyes but when she puffed air, she showed her true opinion of him. Although he couldn’t help being condescending, she knew he had a good heart. She wasn’t offended when he mocked her piano skills because she’d got him figured out. He was a softy.

That’s why, in a spirit of honest disclosures, she told him her name, and he gave his.

This whole friendly interchange between Seri and Jung Hyun revealed a few things about them.

One, they were already attuned to each other. He knew when she was feeling sad and how to offer her comfort without being too obvious. He knew she was a proud woman. Likewise, she knew that his gruff manner belied a gentle and thoughtful disposition.

Two, chemistry didn’t need an overt display of skinship, kisses or fireworks. I realized Seri and Jung Hyuk had chemistry in subtle moments when they ceased to exist like scripted characters and began connecting like real people would. Her forced gaiety, his throat-clearing, and her “pfft” gave nuance to their vulnerability in quiet ways. For me, their conversation on the boat’s prow exhibited more chemistry than their kiss in the cargo hold. The kiss was a fan-service. lol.

And three, the discovery that her clan was originally from North Korean while his was in South Korea highlighted how oddly circumstantial AND “fated” their whole encounter was. In an alternate reality, their circumstances could have easily been switched around. And yet there they were: a Seoulite and a North Korean soldier whose future lives are now indelibly linked by an accidental – and plainly ridiculous – tornado.

Now, another couple scene I liked in this episode was their drive down to the harbor for their rendezvous with the fishing boat.

Inside the car, Seri folded his handkerchief, returned it, and offered her sincere thanks for his hospitality. To me, the meticulous way she folded his handkerchief and pressed it down on the car console indicated her state of mind. She too was folding away and tamping down her memories of this strange incident in her life.

Then, making small talk, she asked him, “I won’t see you again, right?” He answered, “Probably.” She sighed, “I can go to Africa and even Antarctica, but not here. It’s a shame that you live here.” He breathed in and parried, “It’s a shame that you live there.”

Without dwelling much into the politics, I thought that “shame” was an appropriate word, but NOT in the sense that Seri and Jung Hyuk used it. It’s indeed a shame that for families who separated after the 1950-53 Korean war, reunification is still a long-distant dream. Since many family members are in their 80s now, there’s an urgency to reunite these aging folks for humanitarian reasons.

That’s why, on a different, non-romantic level, Jung Hyuk’s words on the boat were extra poignant. To me, this is the second interpretation of his observation that “a second feels like an eternity when you don’t know if your family member is alive.” To put it in context, if a brief second in time could feel like an eternity for those who wait, then what about seven decades? Those separated family members have been waiting for news from their parents, children and sibling for 70 years.

Last but not least, a couple of notes on the tomato plant.

Seri told Jung Hyuk to speak at least ten nice words to the tomato plant every day. Much to my surprise, Jung Hyuk obeyed her. His list of words? Sea, sunlight, azalea, dewdrop, fleecy cloud, calico cat, kite (for some reason, he reversed himself and took it back, saying, “Maybe not. I take the kite back”), rose, breeze, first snow, piano.

This whole tomato plant scene reminded of that book, “Little Prince.” The Little Prince took responsibility for one needy and temperamental rose in his small planet. In this kdrama, Jung Hyuk demonstrated his kindred spirit with that Little Prince. He too became unwittingly responsible for one capricious girl named Seri, and one fragile tomato plant. Like the Little Prince who protected his rose from weeds and a stray sheep, Jung Hyuk had to protect Seri from the bad commander and his minions. lol. Frankly speaking, I’m waiting for Kim Jong-un (or rather, his look-alike) to make a cameo.

Also, we know the significance of the piano. When he named it one of his ten nice words, he revealed that he still cherished and missed his musical days. But adding on to this, in classical music, the word “piano” has another meaning.

Piano also means to perform a music composition quietly and softly.

Now, when we examine Jung Hyuk’s word list, we can discern his predilection for imagery associated with serenity and gentleness. Look at these words again:

Sea. It’s calming to watch the horizon, waves and the rolling tide.
Sunlight. Watching dappled sunlight (or sunlight through trees) is soothing.
Azalea. A garden full of beautiful flowers in bloom always relaxes me.
Dewdrop. Dewdrops on flower petals remind you that a new morning has come.
Fleecy cloud. Watch these fleecy clouds float in the sky and your worries will fade away.
Calico cat. Lazy cats? No problem.
Rose. The smell of roses reduces anxiety.
Breeze. We all need a gentle breeze, not a tornado, to blow our troubles away.
First snow. A cup of hot cocoa and first snow = heaven
Piano.

If you were to take a photograph of all these things and hang them on a wall, like in an art gallery, the overall impression would be that of an idyllic moment.

Like all the other gifts that Seri had given to the four men, this tomato plant shows that she had put in a lot of thought and knew Jung Hyuk’s personality. She knew that the world had become a dreary place for him. And this gift of hers was a reminder for him to get in touch again with all the beautiful and fascinating details in life which he had forgotten.

I didn’t think she could have come up with a better parting gift to be remembered by.