“Queen of Tears” pulled off a delicate balancing act

With a viewership rating of 14.1% in just 6 episodes, it’s showing signs of becoming a hit, and it even ranked first in the “Koreans’ Favorite Broadcast Video Program” survey conducted by Gallup Korea from March 19th to 21st.

This marks the reunion of writer Park Ji-eun and Kim Soo-hyun after 9 years. Previously, they achieved great success with “My Love from the Star” and “The Producers”. The positive response to their collaboration this time suggests a high likelihood of 3 consecutive successes.

“Queen of Tears” depicts the dizzying crisis and miraculous rekindling of love between Hong Hae-in (Kim Ji-won), a third-generation chaebol heiress of Queens Group, and Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun), the son of farmers from Yongdu-ri, and their three years of marriage. Although Baek Hyun-woo is also a lawyer who graduated from Seoul National University, from the chaebol’s perspective, he is merely a commoner.

The reversal of conventions is often cited as the reason for the story’s popularity. It starts with the couple already married, which is contrary to the typical setup of romantic dramas. Marriage usually marks the end of a romantic drama, symbolizing the fulfillment of perfect love. In contrast, in “Queen of Tears”, the story begins with the married couple going through a rough patch. The male lead’s wish is to get a divorce, and thus, a Korean romantic drama starting from the keywords of marital discord and divorce is unprecedented.

Furthermore, the roles of the two protagonists are also reversed. Typically, the male lead appears as a prince riding a white horse, while the female lead comes from a poor or ordinary family. However, here, as mentioned earlier, the male lead is an average man. In a departure from convention, it’s the woman who initiates the kiss. Additionally, when their faces draw close, anticipating a kiss, it’s usually the female lead who closes her eyes, but here, it’s the male lead who does so.

Expressions like “I’ll never make you cry” are usually spoken by the male lead, but here, it’s the female lead who says it. Even flying by helicopter to meet the partner is initiated by the female lead, not the male lead. In traditional dramas, the female lead suffers at the hands of her in-laws. In contrast, here, it’s the male lead who feels nervous around his in-laws.

By flipping these conventions while still adhering to core elements, the drama manages to create a fresh yet familiar narrative structure. This is the key to its success. Writer Park Ji-eun excels at striking this delicate balance, and the anticipation is high to see if she can once again create another international syndrome as she has done with previous works.