K-dramas have seen a dramatic evolution in the past few years. They have carved a unique niche for rom-coms and have set the bar quite high. Love to Hate You (Season 1) is yet another K-drama with the same “enemies to lovers” trope. The female protagonist, Mi-ran, is a feisty attorney who dislikes every single man and treats them as if they are unworthy of respect and love.
As for the male lead, Kang-ho, he is one of Korea’s most-loved celebrities and has a good reputation among his fans. With prejudice in their hearts for the opposite sexes, this show is dull and tedious. It’s as if the show is addressing misogyny and sexism through the lens of a teenager. In simple words, Love to Hate You is ten hours of irritating characters who act like caricatures in this poorly-written script.
Love to Hate You (Season 1) Recap:
Episode 1: Bad Girl
In the first episode, Mi-ran is seen coming out of a hotel room with a man and runs into her boyfriend. They are both cheating on each other. Mi-ran shows no remorse for this and breaks it off with her boyfriend in the flick of a wrist.
She fights with her family and announces she wants to live alone. Subsequently, Mi-ran meets Kang-ho, a closeted sexist. She overhears him disparaging his female coworker and women in general. Mi-ran deliberately trips him, and he falls on his face embarrassing himself in a room full of lawyers.
Episode 2: Bad Boy
Mi-ran is interviewing for a job at Gilmu Representatives, which works mainly with celebrities. Kang-ho meets her again in the attorney’s office, where he is seen limping because of the fall. Mi-ran bags the job, and she is surprised to see her ex-boyfriend working at the same office.
They all attend a party, and Mi-ran ends up tired and sleeps in Kang-ho’s car. When they halt, she sneakily gets out of the car. Kang-ho is seen hugging a random woman and handing her cash. Soon, the cops arrive because somebody (probably his crazy friends) has broken his CCTV camera.
Episode 3: Nice Guys Get a Pass Bad Boys Have It Coming
Mi-ran suspects that Kang-ho is using a minor for his sexual pleasure. The cast of Kang-ho’s movie holds a press conference where they answer the media’s questions. Meanwhile, Mi-ran is sitting in the conference room and is furious when she finds out a woman aborted her baby when she got impregnated by a famous celebrity. Later, she reaches Kang-ho’s place and shows him her Taekwondo skills. They have a duel, and she trips him again.
Episode 4: You Are Not What I Expected
She shows him the contract she drew before she started working as a lawyer. Mi-ran also offers him to become his training partner and train him to protect himself. After their first training session, Kang-ho takes her out to dinner, and they have a good time telling each other stories of their childhood.
At the end of the date, he wishes her a happy birthday while hugging her. He leans in to kiss her, and they share a moment.
Episode 5: Love is Just an Experiment, Life is the Real Thing
The investors are threatening to withdraw their funds, and they want to divert the limelight to Kang-ho’s past relationship. She goes to a party to get rid of the feelings she is starting to develop for Kang-ho.
Meanwhile, a reporter photographs Mi-ran and Kang-ho kissing and blackmails him. His manager apologizes to her and calls it a “mistake.” However, the pictures go viral, supposedly proving he isn’t gay.
Episode 6: Femme Fatale vs Homme Fatale
Mi-ran’s friend recognizes Mi-ran from those pictures and finds out that they are in a “dating contract.” She will be compensated 100 million dollars if she dates him for three months.
They make public appearances and hang out together as a couple. She visits his movie sets, and moreover, she does a small cameo for Kang-ho.
Episode 7: Trigonometry: The Love Triangle Edition
It looks like Kang-ho has already fallen for her. The stunt director is mighty impressed with her athletic skills and wants to cast Mi-ran as a stunt double. Subsequently, Mi-ran brings her friend along to the shooting set because Kang-ho tells her she might get bored because of the standby time.
She gets injured during one of the scenes and gets 14 stitches. He insists she stay in her suite and that he’ll take care of her.
Episode 8: The Way You Change Me
Mi-ran sleeps on his bed, and Kang-ho can’t stop admiring her. He says he hasn’t met a woman like her before. Later, he falls asleep holding her and says, “What have you done to me this time? Do you want to stay together like this?” He even admits to a sleeping Mi-ran that he likes her. She wakes up and pushes his hand away.
Later, he meets her family, and her father is a little suspicious of the whole affair. He confesses he truly respects Mi-ran and has learned a lot from her. During the ride back home, Mi-ran tells Kang-ho he is the only guy to have ever met her family. Soon, they reach their apartment and spend the night together.
Episode 9: You Made Me Who I Am
Episode 9 begins with enemies turning into lovers. Kang-ho shares his insecurities and vulnerabilities with her. Furthermore, he talks about his parents and talks about his parents’ loveless marriage. His mother married his stepdad less than two years after his father’s death.
That’s perhaps the reason behind his hatred toward the opposite sex. His ex-girlfriend finally comes to terms with the fact that he is over her, and the relationship can’t be saved. There is suddenly an uproar in the media regarding Mi-ran’s past life and all her one-night stands.
Episode 10: A Passionate Goodbye
Mi-ran is all over the news, and Kang-ho’s fans throw eggs at her and humiliate her. They don’t like the fact that he is dating an “unlikeable woman” because she had had multiple affairs before she dated Kang-ho.
He holds a press conference that is being streamed live and says he won’t give up on Mi-ran and asks her to marry her in front of the entire world.
Love to Hate You (Season 1): Ending Explained:
Do Kang-ho and Mi-ran end up together?
When Kang-ho proposes to the love of his life in front of the entire world, Mi-ran shows up and rejects his offer. She says, “everyone grows apart over time, and our time is now.”
Subsequently, she boldly confronts the media and says she is not ashamed of her past and is proud of herself. Mi-ran’s ex appears on a talk show and speaks ill of her. At the show’s end, they end up together, and she even gets her job back. Furthermore, Kang-ho’s manager, who is also his best friend, starts dating Na-eun, Mi-Ran’s best friend. Everyone gets their happily-ever-after.
Love to Hate You (Season 1) Review:
Love to Hate You is full of half-baked characters. The show introduces the audience to Mi-ran where she is seen punching and kicking a thief. She appears as a fair woman who doesn’t tolerate injustice. A hardcore feminist who despises men and uses them to fulfill her sexual urges. In fact, she hates such male bullies.
On the other hand, Kang-ho is seen pathologically suspecting women with wrong intentions. All his suspicions fade when he meets Mi-Ran. The patriarchy and misogyny could have been handled better, and the story didn’t offer its viewers anything new and original. This show has no humor, and it’s as bland as it can get. Save your time and watch some better K-dramas.
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