Reel Tastes & Travels – a light dose of entertainment to wake you up

‘The College Hero‘

From a chaebol romance fantasy to the blush of first love, Mi-rae’s next foray into virtual dating takes her back to a college campus where she catches the eye of Big Man on Campus, Seo Eun-ho. Eun-ho is the star of the college kumdo team and the object of almost every girl’s crush on campus. But unlike the previous scenario, here Mi-rae has to work to gain his affections. So we get to see her go full cringe, simpering at him every chance she gets and flipping her hair left, right and center (and sometimes bang in his face) to get his attention. Someone should teach her Elle Wood’s Bend-and-Snap technique!

But the cringe is also kind of the point of this fantasy. In the real world, we so often hesitate on actively pursuing what we want in fear of being embarrassed. But in the virtual world, Mi-rae is freed from that constraint. And in pursuing Eun-ho so fearlessly, she also gets back in touch with an old part of herself that she had locked away after the end of her previous relationship with Se-jun. 

The virtual romance is quite sweet, as Mi-rae eventually settles down and builds a friendship with Eun-ho, allowing the romance to develop more naturally as they spend time together. In the real world she is struggling with the emotional aftermath of finding out that Se-jun is now engaged. Eun-ho provides a refuge where she can escape from that turmoil. And yet by experiencing the first bloom of a relationship again, she is reminded of the good times with Se-jun.

Every relationship has its ups and downs, and the end of a relationship doesn’t negate the good memories. After breaking up with Se-jun, Mi-rae had shied away from any of the positive memories and in so doing, closed off a part of herself. Her final conversation with Eun-ho however helps her come full circle and start healing. 

Back at office, Kyoung-nam still remains on the periphery of Mi-rae’s world. But seeing her a bit more from his perspective, it is clear that the professional rivalry between them is more from her side than his. If anything, he seems a bit intrigued by her and unsure of how exactly to engage with her outside of work.

Stray Musings

• Although Boyfriend on Demand is helping helping Mi-rae, it is also turning into an emotional crutch. Increasingly, she’s depending on it to run away from work/personal challenges and is unable to manage the time she spends on it in a healthy way. Her free trial has now concluded but I imagine she’ll go for a full subscription soon enough.
• Sadly, Yun Song’s webtoon is on hiatus so we don’t see much of Mi-rae’s work. I might have to revise my expectations on that front