Seo Hyun-jin and Gong Yoo, who became a ‘temporary couple’ in the Netflix series ‘Trunk’, foreshadow a mystery hidden beyond their secret marriage.

‘Trunk’, which will be released on November 29, is a mystery melodrama that depicts a secret marriage service that begins to be revealed due to a trunk floating on the lakeside and the strange marriage story of a man and a woman inside it.

Director Kim Kyu-tae, who directed the dramas ‘Our Blues’, ‘It‘s Okay, That’s Love’, and writer Park Eun-young, who wrote ‘Hwarang’, have joined forces to create a drama that deeply and densely portrays the relationships and emotions of various characters involved in ‘temporary marriage’, such as love, compassion, salvation, obsession, desire, loneliness, and emptiness.

Amidst growing expectations for the drama, the main poster released on the 12th shows the subtle relationship between the ‘temporary couple’ Noh In-ji (Seo Hyun-jin) and Han Jeong-won (Gong Yoo), who are close but have a sense of distance. In particular, the empty and lonely gazes in the two people‘s conflicting gazes add to the curiosity about their story. The light shining on the two people surrounded by darkness makes us guess at the changes they will bring to each other.

The main trailer that was released together amplifies the mystery by foreshadowing a mysterious murder case surrounding a trunk that surfaced on a lakeside. Han Jeong-won takes Noh In-ji, a temporary marriage matching company from NM (New Marriage), as his new wife at the recommendation of his ‘ex-wife’ Lee Seo-yeon (Jung Yoon-ha). And soon after his married life with her, a familiar trunk puts Han Jeong-won at the center of the case. The detective’s dialogue with Han Jeong-won, who says that the trunk belonged to his ‘wife’ when asked “What is your relationship with the owner of the trunk?”, and Han Jeong-won responds with “Which wife?”, piques curiosity.
Han Jeong-won‘s sharp tone when he asks “What’s the point of a ‘temporary marriage’ based solely on a contract and manual when he asks “It‘s a fake marriage, so what’s the point?” And Noh In-ji‘s answer, “I guess there are a lot of people who don’t want to get caught being lonely, even if it means holding on to that fake thing”, is also meaningful. In the end, Noh In-ji steps into Han Jeong-won‘s closed heart. Han Jeong-won’s complicated and subtle gaze as he thinks of Noh In-ji, saying, “That woman is annoying. It bothers me,” leaves both excitement and lingering feelings.

However, the “secret marriage where the real and the fake, resentment and longing are all entangled,” becomes more and more chaotic. As if trying to control everything, Lee Seo-yeon, who had forced the marriage, starts talking about Han Jeong-won and Noh In-ji‘s divorce. Noh In-ji’s sharp response, saying, “Aren‘t you doing this because you’re afraid that the fake will become real, Seo-yeon Lee?” foreshadows the changed situation between them.

More than anything, Han Jeong-won‘s heartbreaking voice saying, “I need you. Maybe we have something like fate,” makes it impossible to know the end of this secret marriage. Here, the secret of the lost trunk found instead of a body, and what does the unidentified man who appeared in front of Han Jeong-won mean when he says, “Do you think that old man is your real wife?” - the mystery that is gradually revealed increases the curiosity about ‘Trunk’.


Reporter Seung-mi Lee smlee@donga.com