K-DRAMA REVIEW: THE PACKAGE

Nandhini Lakshmi. M, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Travelling can make us experience the things that we could never experience at home, and we can learn a lot about ourselves through it. We may try activities that we have never tried before and meet some people who can change our lives. “The Package” is a multi-starred television Korean drama which aired in 2017, it has a dramatic combination of romance, family, love, life, culture, and comedy. The entire drama takes place in France where the story revolves around a group of strangers who encounter each other on a premium package French tour, as a part of it but end up learning and finding out more about their own lives. As the journey unfolds, they reflect on their current life and their love life which results in the beginning of a new chapter of their lives.

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Characters and their backstories

Yoon So-so (Lee Yeon-hee)  is a Korean, settled in France pursuing her Ph.D. who makes money for living as a tour guide at a Travel agency. She always does her best at her work so that the tourists can create great memories and enjoy their vacation. Against her family’s wish, So-so left for France with her boyfriend but after a couple of years, the circumstances get complicated as her boyfriend leaves her behind and moves back to Korea. To make a living she starts working at a travel agency. Though she doesn’t make enough money in her job, she is happy to guide the tourists as she loves to wander around the streets of France. As a guide, she leads a group of tourists on the “Luxurious Premium Tour Packages: 1 Week in France.” A group of seven tourists from Korea travel to France with the above tour package. This particular group became troublesome for her as they were different-aged people with different attitudes and personalities. 

The tourists included San Ma-roo (Jung Yong-hwa) a young solo male traveller who joined the tour during his vacation, Kim Gyung-jae & Han So-ran (Choi Woo-sik & Ha Si-eun)  who have been dating for the past 7 years and an older couple with an arguing and stubborn husband (Jeong Gyu-su) and his wife (Lee Ji-hyeon) who spent most of her life taking care of her family and was detected with cancer. Lastly, Jung Yeon-sung (Ryu Seung-soo) joined the tour with a younger woman Na Hyun (Park Yoo-na). People cannot guess her age and her relationship with Yeon-sung. Meanwhile, a mysterious man (Yoon Park) from Korea has been searching for So-so in France.

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Plot

So-so takes care of everyone and keeps engaging at her best. As Ma-roo becomes a trouble to the group from day one, she keeps an eye on him all along which ends in getting to know each other better. They became close and comforted each other by sharing the pain from their previous relationships and started developing feelings for each other. All the members did not want to be involved in each other’s personal lives, but while travelling as a group and spending time together they became close and start to develop and understand relationships. Though a lot of misunderstandings happened during their tour they supported and learnt more from each other. As the package tour comes to an end, they bid farewell at the airport and leave for Korea with a clear mind. Will there be any changes in their life after their vacation? Will So-so and Ma-roo be able to meet again?

With picturesque, France as the designated spot with beautiful sites through the fantastic cinematography, I felt like I was part of this tour too. From showing all the fascinating customs, historic places, cuisine, and culture to fashion this drama can be a complete guide to the people who wish to visit France.

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Why should you watch it?

Lee Yeon-hee delivered the compromises, responsibilities and promises of a tour guide and did a wonderful job of explaining the French history and customs. Her French fluency attracted me more. I became fond of her character when she chooses to take some time to heal, by loving herself more. Jung Yong-hwa portrays the honest and innocent character of San Ma-roo who was devasted and got a breakthrough in his journey which changed his life. There were hilarious comedy scenes where he embarrassed himself. Yoon Park, the twisted character of this drama becomes the person to love the most.

The supporting characters appear like jumbled puzzle pieces which are meant to complete the entire picture of the plot. They felt like real people who we meet in our daily lives. Not knowing that her husband is aware of her cancer illness, Grandma struggles to enjoy her first & last vacation while Grandpa, takes care of her everywhere in all the circumstances. Choi Woo-shik and Ha Shi-eun showcased to us the ups & downs of a longtime relationship where it only needs a reason does not promise to realize why we are in love with someone. Ryu Seung-soo and Park Yoo-na an interesting pair, whose relationship was really hard to figure out, is another source of the heartwarming lesson that mainly focuses on the relationship of a sacrificing dad and his daughter who wants her dad to be happy with his choices.

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Initially, all the characters develop certain impressions of each other but at last, tend to relate each other at some point to each other throughout the drama. There weren’t grand stories, but this drama made me feel comfortable with their story and screenplay. The soundtrack was also good, and it was easy to figure out the hardships faced by the production crew. This under-rated 12-episode drama taught “In every relationship trust and care is as important as love.” “The world becomes happier the happier you become.”

Do let us know in the comment section if you have watched this drama and what are your thoughts on this slice-of-life drama.