Love Affairs In The Afternoon

There is nothing better to speak about on Valentines Day than drama about cheaters and finding love 🙈😆 But unfortunately at least 4 times I was about to drop Love Affairs In The Afternoon. I've started  it in late spring 2023 managed to finish it almost 10 months later. I literally plowed through each episode, struggled with every minute of it and completely abused the "+10sec" button, just to reach the end. I have honestly prayed for VIKI to introduce in meantime "watch faster" option as Netflix has. I think I would enjoy LAIA more if I could watch it on 1,25s of speed.

What is Love Affairs In The Afternoon about?

As the title says it's all about affairs. How different they can be, how various beginnings (and endings) they can have and what you can gain and loose by holding them. 

We follow here life of 2 housewifes. Son Ji Eun works as a part-timeer at a mart. She is quiet, shy and visibly unhappy. One day, she meets biology teacher Yoon Jung Woo and her heart starts beating again. On the other side there is Choi Soo Ah who is also lonley in her marriage. She worked out a system to see her lovers between shopping and picking up kids from school. They both know that only ruin will await them, yet they cannot seem to stay away from their secret happines.

Wanting to try something new I've googled for dramas with mature content. A little bit more down to earth, heavier and cutting down drama cliches. This is how I found Flower of Evil, this and Lies Buried In My Garden, which is next show I'm struggling to push forward. As Flower of Evil is excellent in every direction, that LAIA (short for Love Affairs In The Afternoon) is mediocare at best. 

Some say that drma is "magnificently crafted series with emphasis on love". I can only agree with the later part of the sentence. All affairs have started with lack of live in marriage. Wifes were forgotten, granted and equalize with a wall paper in a house - it's there and always will be. Husbands forgot that they are human being with needs. And this part, actors shown incredibly good. I bet this is why drama was so slow. To show their lack of activity, boredom 😶

Apart from that .... I cannot find anything that would be magnificent. Show might be slow but it must be engaging too.... and this is there LAIA is lacking 😞 Heavily. I was not eager to start next and next episode. I literaly wanted to finish it. Just go through. If I wouldn't be a person that once starts to watch something, gives billion chances to actually finish it, I wouldn't see even 3 episodes. I have never expected that pace has such a significant role in a show. Because here we have a unique storyline, really good actors, good shots and even then drama is weak. Not even semi-happy endings could save it.

I was always searching for realizm, I got it here and it was even too realistic. To the point that it made me want to live faster, do more, do better, do happier. To do more to be happy and without regrets later. This is the only thing I am thankful to this drama. I hate to say that but if not this, I would hate myself for .... wasting 😟 my time to watch LAIA. By recommendations I found I was expecting slow but fruitful with events drama. Just got the first one. Therefore as long as you do enjoy this type of dramas, go ahead and watch Love Affairs In The Afternoon 😉 But if you are more like me, please skip it 😕

It's few days later after I wrote this review and I just realized that Choi Soo Ah is played by the dame actress as Jin Sook Kyung in Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol. Actress has quite a bad luck to reach me only in 6/10 points dramas. Ye Ji Won seems to have a talent but both dramas couldn't bring it up at all.