K-Drama Reaction: Come and Hug Me

Officer: Whom do you respect the most?

Chae Do-jin: Those who survived.

Romance, thriller, and melo all rolled into one, Come and Hug Me is here to serve us varying emotions in a single drama. And with the first two episodes looking more than promising, I believe we’ll have a good ride with this one.

Let’s list down five reasons why you should join the Come and Hug Me camp-out.

Jang Ki-yong, Jang Ki-yong and Jang Ki-yong.

Minus my obvious bias for Jang Ki-yong oppa since watching him in Go Back Couple, this actor has been able to prove what he is capable of in the several minutes he was shown in Episode 1. Jang Ki-yong’s small gestures and the movements of his eyes during his interview as an aspiring cop slowly introduces us what type of character Chae Do-jin/Yoon Na-moo is.

The manner he confronted his fellow interviewees regarding his father’s serial murder case and the way he suddenly teared up after seeing Han Jae-yi/Gil Nak-won on TV tells us how multi-layered and complex Do-jin will be.

Nam Da-reum and Ryu Han-bi’s outstanding performance.

Come and Hug Me adds to the list of Nam Da-reum’s proof that he is the future of the K-Drama world. Nam Da-reum’s portrayal of the quiet and protective Na-moo is spot on that my heart can’t help but go pit-a-pat whenever he’s on the screen. Can the K-Drama genies make him the lead in the next School installment, pretty please?

Ryu Han-bi’s portrayal of Nak-won, on the other hand, is just so shamelessly daring and cute. She’s so adorable when she “collapsed” to get out of their punishment. I can’t help but smile when she asked Na-moo if he has already fallen for her.

These young stars’ performance and chemistry is impressive that I’m secretly asking for the flashback episodes to be extended.

Heo Jun-ho’s out of this world stares.

Time stands still for me every time Na-moo’s father, Yoon Hee-jae appears on the screen.

Also, my heart dropped when his face changed in this scene and I instantly felt scared.

His chilling stares felt like the definition of nightmare.

Not to mention his creepy smile while hearing the news on his latest victim.

A different point of view on thriller dramas.

Police procedural and thriller are my favorite genres. And whilst nothing feels more satisfying than knowing who the killer is or figuring out how the crime is done, Come and Hug me gives us a fresh angle to tackle.

Commonly, the show follows the perspective of the victim or the suspect, Come and Hug Me takes us to the world of the survivors and the family of the killer. I appreciate how the society’s prejudiced view on the kin of convicted criminals are brought to light.

I like how Do-jin addressed his fellow interviewees bigotry against him as the son of a psychopatic serial killer. I believe Come and Hug Me is trying to show us the other side of the coin, that the suspects’ family members are also victims.

Fantastic cinematography.

I can’t help but fall in love with the town where Na-moo and Nak-won met. The cherry blossom-filled street felt like you are being transported to an enchanting world.

The way PDnim compared how different Na-moo and Nak-won’s lives were is also brilliant. The immediate cut from Nak-won’s beautiful and warm home to Na-moo’s dark and cold house is sending us some strong message.

Tipsy Musings

The following thoughts and questions are born out of this K-Drama drunkard’s curiosity and/or slight kookyness.

I have this feeling that Na-moo and his older brother, Hyun-moo, are somehow aware of their father’s wickedness but are afraid to confront it.

Are the three siblings not biologically related? Hee-jae mentioned at dinner that Na-moo’s sister has been living with them for two years already, does that mean that she has a different dad, or maybe the eldest son is the only biological child of Hee-jae?

There’s something unsettling in the way Nak-won’s older brother, Moo-won, cares for her. Is it me or the way he put the headphones on her felt romantic? Why is he giving me second lead vibes? Hmmmm.

Tipsy Findings

Since I can’t help but be mesmerized by Nak-won’s captivating eyes, let’s take a look at some of Ryu Han-bi’s previous works.

In 2015, child actress Ryu Han-bi appeared in MBC’s Scholar Who Walks the Night as tribute girl Bong-hee.

She also starred in tvN’s remake of Hollywood series Entourage in 2016, where she played the role of Kim Yoo-bin.

Did you know that she and Nam Da-reum both took part in this drama?

Ryu Han-bi was also a cast member of tvN’s 2017 program Argon.

❤ Why do I have this feeling that Lucky won’t bring any good fortune after crossing paths with Hee-jae? How will Na-moo save Nak-won from his father? Let’s find out in the next episodes.