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This post is by guest writer Anu Roy.

Sweet Then Sour

One of 2016's most highly anticipated adaptations, Cheese in the Trap is a 16 episode series based on the popular webtoon. The series follows a tempestuous relationship between the meek and shy Hong Seol (Kim Go Eun) with fourth year all-rounder and extremely popular yet mysterious Yoo Jung (Park Hae Jin). As they journey through the intense ups and downs of dating for twenty-year-olds amidst the chaotic life that college students face.

Cheese in the Trap had so much potential.

The first phrase that comes to mind when I'm reviewing this drama is — had so much potential — which is always a bittersweet feeling because I definitely enjoyed certain aspects of the show, yet I feel like it could have been so much better. Cheese in the Trap has a compelling storyline and gifted actors, but it still felt like a show that "almost" got the formula right.

Episodes 1-5 Review

The intro episodes of Cheese in the Trap quickly establish the cast of main characters through their behaviors and interactions. Hong Seol is timid, quiet, and afraid to openly express her thoughts. However, being quiet earns her the accolade of being secretly observant among her loud group of friends. The series immediately begins with a tense scene, where Hong Seol notices a sinister smile across Yoo Jung's lips as he spills water on a friend's skirt. So she immediately treats him with suspicion and distrust, especially when he's so admired and popular at their university.

It's also clear that Hong Seol always ends up in tricky, troublesome situations. In one instance, she gets dropped from a class she signed up for, and she suspects Yoo jung for pranking her. But she's awkward with Yoo Jung as acquaintances so she cannot openly bring it up with him.

Next, we meet the Baek siblings — the blunt and thuggish Baek In Ho (Seo Kang Joon) and his larger-than-life, obnoxious, over dramatic sister Baek In Ha (Lee Sung Kyung). The Baek siblings have ties with Yoo Jung's family, but have been cut off, so they must fend for themselves. The tension between them and Jung escalates when In Ho crosses paths with Seol and warns her against dating Jung, who is known to be cold and unresponsive while interacting with the Baek siblings.

Slowly, there is positive progression for Hong Seol and Yoo Jung's relationship. And because other girls are jealous of the attention Yoo Jung shows Seol, she's always put in uncomfortable situations. One night, one of the jealous classmates directs a drunkard towards the desolated building that Hong Seol is studying in, and the police arrive to see Hong Seol's arm bleeding from the wound left by the drunkard waving his bottle around. However, Yoo Jung is always trying to help Seol get out of these problems and goes out of his way to protect her. As Seol notices him trying to get closer, she eventually gives in and accepts his offer to spend time together.

However, the flirtatious unpredictability of her time spent with Yoo jung will have to wait as Seol continuously has problems of her own. She's always doing other people favors — be it her mother's plea to move four hours away from her apartment to reduce household costs or forsaking sleep to finish a presentation that no one else in her group is motivated to do. I particularly enjoyed Hong Seol's self-narrations; they provide the viewer with insights into her mind and her personality. She's constantly stressed from the slack she cuts everyone else, and she does so partly out of benevolence and partly because she's not assertive.

Soon, we also see the triangle between In Ho, Seol, and Jung begins to emerge. As In Ho moves into Seol's neighborhood and spend more time together, they develop an open, honest friendship that is refreshing to watch compared to the intense, unpredictable relationship she shares with Jung, despite the fact that they start dating.

The first few episodes definitely pack in a lot of interactions between the various characters, but its true merit lies within its focus on the lead pair, Seol and Jung. I really enjoyed how Cheese in the Trap juxtaposes the moments they spend together, where Jung is polite, soft-spoken and gentle, against the moments he deals with others in a cold, emotionless way. It makes Jung a complicated but intriguing lead with an unanswered question of which is the real him.

Episodes 6-10 Review

These episodes of Cheese in the Trap dig deeper into the character transformations and the complications of Seol and Jung's relationship despite the obvious chemistry they share. Seol is constantly caught between feeling affectionate towards Jung for helping her and caring for her, and feeling upset when she un