People think that Jeon Do Yeon needs to act at least 10 years younger.
Crash Course in Romance on tvN is everyone's new favorite comfort K-drama.
Jung Kyung Ho plays Choi Chi Yeol, a famous math teacher at Pride Academy. Jeon Do Yeon plays Nam Haeng Seon, a former national handball player who now runs a banchan shop.
"A woman with a golden heart finds her way through the tough world of private education when her daughter wants to take a math class from a famous teacher." — What Netflix says about "Crash Course in Romance"
People who watch K-dramas call it a "breath of fresh air" and a reminder of why they started watching them in the first place.
Still, some viewers don't understand why Nam Haeng Seon was chosen. KD Confidential, a popular K-Drama creator (@kdramaconfidential on TikTok), told her followers what she thought.
"I wish dramas would celebrate women of all ages instead of trying to force them into roles that don't fit them." — KD Confidential
In Episode 3, Choi Chi Yeol finds out that Nam Haeng Seon is the mother of one of his students. This surprises him because Nam Haeng Seon looks "too young" to be the mother of a teenager.
Haeng Seon is technically her daughter's aunt, and when the girl was left alone, she raised her as her own.
"I just got to the part where the main character finds out that she is the mother of one of his students. And both he and his assistant are like, "Oh, she looks way too young to have a daughter that age." She doesn't, though." — KD Confidential
What worries KD Confidential viewers is that Haeng Seon's whole character is based on the fact that she became a mother before she was ready. So, she would be young, but the actress who plays her is the right age to be a mom.
The age of Jeon Do Yeon is 49. (soon to be 50 on February 11). Jung Kyung Ho, who plays the male lead, is ten years younger than her.
"Like, if I can be honest for a second, I'm not sure why these people were chosen. Because if you want a character whose whole personality is based on the fact that she gave birth to her niece when she was too young, you need to cast an actress who looks too young. "— KD Confidential
She is a great actress, as everyone agrees. So, instead of finding someone younger to play her, the script could have been changed so that we don't have to try to convince ourselves that she's 30 when she's more like 50.
"And if you don't want to cast an actress who is too young, if you want to cast an actress who is 50, that's great, but then you have to change the character. You have to, because if you don't, people like me will keep getting pulled out of the story and wondering, "What are they talking about?" — KD Confidential
In a flashback scene in Episode 2, we see the main characters when they were young. This shows that they were meant to be together.
Lee Yeon, an actress, plays the younger version. She is 27 going on 28, but she looks like she could be in her early 20s.
"And it started with the flashback. The girl who played her in the flashback was way too young. This character is supposed to be in her early 30s, but she's obviously not. She’s 50." — KD Confidential
Since most of the K-Drama gives the impression that Haeng Seon is in her 30s or 40s at most, the choice of actress is confusing.
Even though Do Yeon's character shouldn't look like the other "moms" on the show, she does because she's at least as old as them.
"She is the same age as or older than all the other women on this show who play mothers. So, like I just don't get it. I don't understand why they would change the role if they wanted to hire her. You need to change the person. "— KD Confidential
People on the Internet have mixed feelings about what's going on. Most people agree that the actress is not the problem; they just wish she could act her age instead of pretending to be younger.
They don't understand why the K-Drama wants us to think that she and the main male character are the same age when they are not.
Some viewers, though, don't care either way and just want to watch the K-Drama.
How do you feel?
Look at the TikTok video below.
Watch this TikTok video
