Do-han’s father wants him to marry Yoon Chae-won (Bae Yoon-kyung), another corporate heir, but to avoid this and to claw back a semblance of freedom, he asks A-jeong to join him in a fake marriage for three years.
Wedding Impossible: Jeon Jong-seo leads romcom with an LGBTQ twist
Wedding Impossible: Jeon Jong-seo leads romcom with an LGBTQ twist
The irony of this “leading role” is that it leads to even more difficult performances as the web of lies grows around her and her feelings begin to take an unexpected turn.
First, there is the fact that, early in the fake courtship, she is cast in a real leading role in a drama series. This happens thanks to Ji-han, who pulls some strings to get A-jeong away from his brother.
When A-jeong learns on set that she only got the part after someone else was fired, her pride takes over and she walks. However, she does not have the heart to reveal this disappointing turn of events to her family, to whom she had bragged about this career break.
Yet A-jeong’s most difficult performance is still to come. After spending an inordinate amount of time with Ji-han, who keeps trying to convince her not to marry Do-han, she develops feelings for him. But since she has made a promise to her friend, she has to bite down hard on them and pretend otherwise.
A-jeong can pull off just about any kind of performance on set. She can ride a horse, she can scuba dive for underwater scenes and she is trained in all kinds of action, but she finally encounters her limit in the climax of episode eight, when her inner feelings overwhelm her duties as an actress and compel her to kiss Ji-han.
Earlier in the show, A-jeong met a fortune-teller who told her that she will be the bee that sucks the honey from her husband. Could the honey mean the payment she is receiving for the fake marriage she is entering into, or might it be Ji-han, Do-han’s doting sibling?
Ji-han may not be an actor, but his circumstances force him to act as well. Since Ji-han, like Do-han, is an illegitimate child, he has to work twice as hard to prove himself more worthy than their odious half-siblings.
He knows how to put on the charm, because he has to, and he can suppress his true desires if it means helping him and his brother secure their future within their family.
7 of the best new Korean drama series to watch in March 2024
7 of the best new Korean drama series to watch in March 2024
We saw these contrasting performers at the wedding at the beginning of the series, where A-jeong was hired to pose as the bride’s best friend, and Ji-han charms the groom’s family out of a land deed.
Just like A-jeong, Ji-han also has his limits as a performer. As he grows closer to A-jeong, he uses her lie about how she feels about Do-han against her, telling her that he likes her so much that it is painful and that he can no longer act any more.
Now that A-jeong and Ji-han have finally been honest with one another, all that remains is for them to be honest with those around them. Given how much remains in the balance, that is likely to be a messy process which will provide ample fuel for the remaining third of the season.
The mirroring of the personalities of the show’s leads is deftly handled, but Wedding Impossible has not always been a satisfying viewing experience.
After being introduced as a major element early on, Do-han’s queerness has been relegated to the back burner, save for the disappointing emergence of a former lover as an antagonist.
Meanwhile, Chae-won has been such a weak romantic rival for Ji-han’s affection that her frequent appearances feel increasingly superfluous.
Wedding Impossible is streaming on Amazon Prime.