Cheese in the Trap (TV series)
| Cheese in the Trap | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring Hong Seol and Yoo Jung | |
| Genre | Romance Drama |
| Based on | Cheese in the Trap by Soonkki |
| Written by | Kim Nam-hee Go Sun-hee |
| Directed by | Lee Yoon-jung |
| Starring | Park Hae-jin Kim Go-eun Seo Kang-joon |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Production companies | Eight Works Kross Pictures, Inc. PGood Media |
| Original release | |
| Network | tvN |
| Release | 4 January – 1 March 2016 |
Cheese in the Trap (Korean: 치즈인더트랩) is a South Korean television series starring Park Hae-jin, Kim Go-eun, and Seo Kang-joon.[1][2][3][4][5] It aired on the cable network tvN on Mondays and Tuesdays for 16 episodes between 4 January–1 March 2016. The series is based on the webtoon of the same name, serialized on Naver from 2010–2016, although it featured an original ending since the webtoon had not been completed at the time of filming.
As of August 2016, the series is in the process of being adapted into a film version, starring Park Hae-jin opposite a new lead actress.[6] The Korean-Chinese production team are holding open casting auditions for the female lead in advance of shooting, which is scheduled to commence in early 2017.[7]
Plot
The drama focuses on the life and relationships of a group of university students, particularly the difficult relationship between Hong Seol (Kim Go-eun) and her senior Yoo Jung (Park Hae-jin).
Jung is the rich heir to Taerang Group and seemingly has the perfect life, but also displays psychopathic tendencies, which causes Seol to take time off school to get away from him. When she returns through a scholarship that was intended for Jung, he is unexpectedly nice to her and asks her on a date. They begin an awkward relationship which is further complicated by the arrival of Baek In-ho and his sister Baek In-ha, childhood friends of Jung who were both adopted into his family after running away from their abusive aunt as children. In-ha is in love with Jung, but he dismisses her feelings. She leads an extravagant lifestyle funded by other men's money, and often behaves antagonistically. In-ho moves into the area while he is being pursued by gangsters, but strikes up a friendship with Seol and begins to work at her parents' restaurant.
As well as managing her conflicted feelings towards Jung and In-ho, Seol tries to cope with everyday struggles in her school and work life, such as unwanted advances and classmates that make her do their work for them. She is helped by her two best friends Jang Bo-ra (Park Min-ji) and Kwon Eun-taek (Nam Joo-hyuk), who begin to date each other.
The drama escalates towards the end of the series, when Seol is injured in a car crash and becomes hospitalised. The circumstances of the crash lead to In-ha being put in a mental institution. Such events have seemed to follow Jung around ever since he was a child, and looked on as In-ho damaged his hand in a fight that ruined his dreams of becoming a concert pianist. In the end, In-ho gets back on track with piano lessons, having been helped by Seol. Jung gives him a piano score that he had intended to gift him years ago, before they had fallen out, and they mutually resolve their differences. Jung settles In-ho's debts with the gang and, realising that Seol has been suffering during their relationship, breaks up with her and leaves the country for three years.
Three years later, Seol is working at the company job that she wanted, and has realised that she still has to deal with the everyday problems of her school life, only in a different setting. Her friend Bo-ra now owns a clothing store and is still with Eun-taek, who is a model. In-ha has been released from the mental hospital and changed her ways, falling in love with a humble, nerdy character. While the absent Jung has not responded to Seol's emails to him, the open ending reveals one of the email statuses changing to "read".
Characters and cast
Central
- Yoo Jung (Park Hae-jin), Seol's senior. He is intelligent and successful, but secretly harbors a dark side to his personality. He is sometimes cold or manipulative, and has trouble forming relationships with others because of his uncertainty that they are not using him. However, he is attracted to Seol.
- Hong Seol (Kim Go-eun), a hardworking college student who struggles to figure out Yoo Jung's true intentions, but sees an innocent side in him against the advice of his childhood friend Baek In-ho. She has naturally curly, red hair.
- Baek In-ho (Seo Kang-joon), a talented pianist who is adopted into Jung's wealthy family by his father. He and his sister come from a difficult background, but he is good-natured and finds it easy to get along with Seol, later developing feelings for her. He and Jung were friends as children, although they later develop a bitter rivalry as he believes that Jung was responsible for a instigating a fight that damaged his hand, ending his dreams of becoming a concert pianist.
- Baek In-ha (Lee Sung-kyung), In-ho's melodramatic and materialistic older sister. She was also adopted into Jung's family as a child, and is in love with Jung, although he does not reciprocate her feelings.
- Jang Bo-ra (Park Min-ji), Seol's supportive best friend.
- Kwon Eun-taek (Nam Joo-hyuk), Seol and Bo-ra's loyal friend, in love with Bo-ra.
Hong family
- Hong Joon (Kim Hee-chan), Seol's younger brother who returns to Korea from the United States.
- Hong Jin-tak (Ahn Gil-kang), Seol's father.
- Kim Young-hee (Yoon Bok-in), Seol's mother.
Yeon-yi university
- Oh Young-gon (Ji Yoon-ho), a delinquent who is obsessed with Seol.
- Son Min-soo (Yoon Ji-won), a shy classmate who gains confidence by assuming Seol's identity.
- Kim Sang-cheol (Moon Ji-yoon), a lazy senior in Seol's class.
- Lee Da-young (Kim Hye-ji), a girl in Seol's class who dates Young-gon.
- Nam Joo-yeon (Cha Joo-young), a girl who obsessed with Jung at the beginning of the series.
- Kang Ah-young (Yoon Ye-joo), Joon's love interest.
- Ha Jae-woo (Oh Hee-jun)
- Kim Kyung-hwan (Go Hyeon)
- Min Do-hyun (Shin Joo-hwan)
- Heo Yoon-seob (Lee Woo-dong), Seol's boss at her university admin job.
- Professor Kang (Hwang Seok-jeong)
- Professor Han (Kim Jin-keun)
Other
- Yoo Young-soo (Son Byong-ho), Jung's father.
- Kong Joo-yong (Kim Ki-bang), Seol's neighbour and Yoon-seob's boyfriend.
Original soundtrack
The soundtrack of "Cheese in the Trap" was released in six parts.
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "어쩌면 좋아" ("Maybe") | Cosmos Hippie (우주히피) | 3:40 |
| 2. | "치즈인더트랩" ("Cheese In The Trap") | Twenty Years Old (스무살) | 3:54 |
| 3. | "Golden Coconut Club" (Sentimental Scenery Mix) | Tearliner | |
| 4. | "우리 소곤소곤" (Sentimental Scenery Mix) | Tearliner |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Am Love" | Tearliner ft. Yozoh (요조) | 2:41 |
| 2. | "Einfühlung" | Tearliner | 2:44 |
| 3. | "고양이와 낮잠" ("Taking A Nap With A Cat") | Tearliner | 1:08 |
| 4. | "따뜻한 겨울라떼" ("Warm Winter Latte") | Tearliner | 2:58 |
| 5. | "오늘도 맑음" ("Today Also Sunny") | Tearliner | 1:24 |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Such" | Kang Hyun Min ft. Jo Hyun Ah of Urban Zakapa | 4.22 |
| 2. | "말 없는 슬픔" ("Silent Sorrow") | 사람또사람 (People And People) | 3.46 |
| 3. | "사랑과 연애 어디쯤" ("Somewhere Between Love And Romance") | Tearliner | 2.05 |
| 4. | "이 길 지나 너" ("Passing This Road, To You") | Tearliner | 1.28 |
| 5. | "삼각김밥 사용법" ("How To Use A Triangle Kimbab") | Tearliner | 1.48 |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "너와 나의 시간은" ("Our Time") | Vanilla Acoustic | 3.30 |
| 2. | "너를 채운다. 너를 지운다." ("Fill You. Erase You.") | Tearliner ft. 5urprise | 3.22 |
| 3. | "슈가파우더가 내리면" ("Sugar Powder Is Falling") | Tearliner | 1.26 |
| 4. | "오늘도 지각" ("Today Is Late Too") | 우지해 (Woo Ji Hye) | 1.20 |
| 5. | "그 남자의 꿈" ("That Man's Dream") | Tearliner | 3.11 |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Go (Korean ver.)" | 솔튼페이퍼 (SALTNPAPER) | 3.11 |
| 2. | "그냥 좋은데" ("I Like You") | 테테 (Tété) | 3.46 |
| 3. | "Go (English ver.)" | 솔튼페이퍼 (SALTNPAPER) | 3.11 |
| 4. | "The End is Near" | Tearliner | 2.53 |
| 5. | "방황하는 파도" (Wandering Wave) | Tearliner | 2.18 |
| 6. | "First Kiss" | 센티멘탈 시너리 (Sentimental Scenery) | 2.22 |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "조금만 더" ("A Little Bit More") | 스웨덴세탁소 (Sweden Laundry) | 2.53 |
| 2. | "사랑인가 봐요" ("Maybe It's Love") | Monkeyz | 3.43 |
| 3. | "장화 속 무당벌레" ("Lady Bug In Boots") | Tearliner | 2.20 |
| 4. | "밤의 편의점" ("Convenience Store At Night") | Tearliner | 1.37 |
Ratings
In the table below, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
| Episode | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AGB Nielsen[8] | TNmS Ratings[9] | ||
| 1 | 4 January 2016 | 3.6% | 2.6% |
| 2 | 5 January 2016 | 4.8% | 2.9% |
| 3 | 11 January 2016 | 5.2% | 5.8% |
| 4 | 12 January 2016 | 5.7% | 5.8% |
| 5 | 18 January 2016 | 6.5% | 6.2% |
| 6 | 19 January 2016 | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| 7 | 25 January 2016 | 6.0% | 7.0% |
| 8 | 26 January 2016 | 6.8% | 7.1% |
| 9 | 1 February 2016 | 7.1% | 7.2% |
| 10 | 2 February 2016 | 6.6% | 7.6% |
| 11 | 15 February 2016 | 5.6% | 7.3% |
| 12 | 16 February 2016 | 5.8% | 7.2% |
| 13 | 22 February 2016 | 6.2% | 6.9% |
| 14 | 23 February 2016 | 6.5% | 7.2% |
| 15 | 29 February 2016 | 5.9% | 6.4% |
| 16 | 1 March 2016 | 6.9% | 7.5% |
| Average | 6.0% | 6.3% | |
Note: This drama airs on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC & EBS).
Reception
Cheese in the Trap was a success in both South Korea and China.[10][11][12] It won praise for its realistic depiction of the life of university students, but was criticised for diverging from the source webtoon by placing undue focus on the second male lead[13][14] and including an original ending "that was rushed and left many viewers baffled".[15]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Best Actor[16] | Park Hae-jin | Won | |
| Best New Actress (Television) | Kim Go-eun | Won | ||
| Most Popular Actor (Television) | Park Hae-jin | Nominated | ||
| Most Popular Actor (Television) | Seo Kang-joon | Nominated | ||
| Most Popular Actress (Television) | Kim Go-eun | Nominated | ||
| Most Popular Actress (Television) | Lee Sung-kyung | Nominated | ||
| Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Park Hae-jin | Nominated | ||
| Best New Actress | Kim Go-eun | Nominated | ||
| Excellence Award, Actor | Park Hae-jin | Nominated | ||
| Best New Actress | Kim Go-eun | Nominated | ||
| Made in tvN, Actor in Drama | Seo Kang-joon | Nominated | ||
| Best Artist Award, Actor | Park Hae-jin | Won | ||
| Best Entertainer Award, Actor | Seo Kang-joon | Won |
International broadcast
References
- ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (20 May 2015). "Park Hae Jin Cast as Lead for Drama Cheese in the Trap". enewsWorld. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ^ Ghim, Sora (20 May 2015). "Park Hae Jin Joins Cheese in the Trap". BNTNews. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ^ Ko, Ji-seon (28 July 2015). "Kim Go-eun to star in Cheese in the Trap". K-pop Herald. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ^ Jin, Min-ji (29 July 2015). "Kim confirmed for Cheese". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ^ Lee, Hye-won (3 August 2015). "Nam Joo-hyuk to appear in Cheese in the Trap". K-pop Herald. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ Kim, Ji-young (28 March 2016). "Kim Go-eun not offered role in 'Cheese in the Trap' movie". Kpop Herald. The Korea Herald. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ Lee, Jin-a (22 July 2016). "'Cheese in the Trap' seeks actress for lead role". The Korea Times. 2016-07-22. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ "AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "TNmS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". TNmS Ratings (in Korean). Archived from the original on 28 November 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Herald, The Korea (24 January 2016). "TV series 'Cheese in the Trap' sets sights on new record". Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ "'Cheese in the Trap' attracts 1.9 billion views on Weibo". The Korea Herald. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ Baek, Byung-yeul (27 January 2016). "Webtoons emerge as source for dramas, films". The Korea Times. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ Kwon, Ji-youn (23 February 2016). "Park Hae-jin disappears from 'Cheese in the Trap'". The Korea Times. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ Woo, Jae-yeon (3 March 2016). "(Yonhap Interview) 'Cheese in the Trap' actor dismisses rumors of interfering with script". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ Jung, Eun-jin (2 March 2016). "[Herald Review] 'Cheese in the Trap' caught in deluge of complaints". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ Park, So-jung (25 March 2016). "Actor Park Hae-jin named best actor at cable awards". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
External links
- 2016 South Korean television series debuts
- 2010s South Korean television series
- Television programs based on South Korean webcomics
- Korean-language television programming
- South Korean romance television series
- South Korean slice-of-life television series
- TVN (South Korea) television dramas
- Television series set in universities and colleges
- 2016 South Korean television series endings