Strong Start, Weak Finish
Cheese in the Trap was a drama that started off really strong for me...but ultimately fizzled out toward the halfway mark. I never read the webtoon so I went into this with zero context. CIIT is not the worst drama I have ever watched. Despite its low rating I don’t vehemently loathe everything about it.Going into this I knew the plot was going to be not that exciting since it’s main focus is around college students. Even though they tried to add drama with Seol’s classmates or the plot around Jung’s borderline sociopathic tendencies everything was grounded in reality. And I loved it. As a college student I definitely related to Seol and her struggles. It felt so good to watch a drama where college is the setting and they actually show the struggle of juggling classes, friendships, jobs, and everything else. Nothing was happening plot wise but I was unable to stop watching it. Which leads to my main issue with this whole entire drama: the romance.
I want to start out by saying this: the acting in this was amazing. Everyone gave it their all and it was flawless. However, the characters are what I have an issue with, more so than the messy plot. Seol was a somewhat relatable character (as was Eun Taek and Bo Ra) but no matter how much I tried to force myself I couldn’t root for Jung. In the webtoon I’m sure we got to learn more about his character but in CIIT he felt like a minor character. I was unable to feel anything more than annoyance with his character. His psyche is super fascinating but because the drama pushed the romance I kind of forgot how intriguing he was at the start. Kudos to Park Hae Jin because he played Jung very well.
As for the side characters I adored Baek In Ho. He’s not somehow better that Jung morally or perfect for Seol but he was interesting. He was fleshed out. I grew to love and root for his character early on. I know fans of the webtoon was complaining because In Ho got too much screen time but since he was my favorite character I was okay with it. That’s probably why I didn’t like Jung at all, if he was the lead he should of had more screen time so that the audience can give him a chance.
Baek In Ha was a truly complex and messed up character but once again I found her interesting. In my opinion, The Baek siblings stole the show from their very first scene. With dramas I never ask for perfect characters who never do anything wrong. I just want properly fleshed out characters. We had 16 hours to flesh out Seol and Jung’s relationship but it was not that believable to me. Again, this solely lies in the messy plot.
As for the controversial ending: I liked it. I won’t spoil it but I was okay with what happened because sometimes an open ending is better. It would of felt rushed if they tried to give every character their fairytale ending.
Anyways, Cheese in the Trap was just an okay drama for me. The only thing it had going for me is the side characters (such as Seol’s friends/family + the Baek siblings), the acting, and the emphasis on showing what a college life is actually like. This might be the first drama in awhile where I actively was rooting against the leads to not get together so...do with that what you will.
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I’m not a fan of the show, but the actors were great
I dropped this show twice before I just powered through it on my third try so I could feel like my review is legitimate.At least half of these actors are flat out sociopaths: they feel basically nothing for anybody outside of themselves and (sometimes) those they care about. The mental gymnastics to turn themselves into victims are astounding.
As far as the male lead is concerned: I’ve always been a big sucker for the stoic/angry male lead falls for the hardworking female but this guy has absolutely no redemption arc, he just stays shady. I feel bad for the FL over and over that she doesn’t get out of his web, she seems like she should be smart enough to.
The only redeeming points for this show are Hong Seol’s best friends because they are amazing, and the fact that many of the really bad people *eventually* do get them comeuppance in very satisfying ways.
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It's a trap!!!
Cheese in the trap.Don’t fall for it, it’s not just lactose-free cheese, it’s actually a bad, vegan imitation. (Please, excuse the wordplay but it definitely boils down my disdain).
How is it possible that so many deeply problematic people are gathered in one drama, is beyond me. Like, not your average behavioural issues or mistakes - to even help the plot move forward and create suspense - we’re talking about eerily disturbed people.
Warning: If you are a first-time Kdrama watcher, skip it and watch something else instead. Otherwise, give it a shot only if you’ve reached your limit and have nothing else to watch.
The questionable morals, principles and good/bad deeds will be very much intertwined throughout. It is a weird drama, that you will keep watching in hopes that all this will lead to some type of catharsis or deeper meaning or….somewhere, at least for the protagonists.
Certainly, it is a drama where second ML syndrome is unavoidable.. Seo Kang Joon is praise worthy for his acting skills, apart from the fact that he is extremely good-looking and a very likeable character, who has his flaws but surely, he is not disturbing.
Other than that, over the top acting from some actors or just plain boring from others. Was it the acting itself, the fact that the characters were so unlikable or the scenario/direction combo?
Bottom line, no-one really shines.
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Could have been better!
I don’t know what happened with this drama? Why are there more scenes with the SKJ (2nd male lead) as compared with PHJ (male lead)? The first few episodes were intriguing that’s why I got hooked on it. However as the drama progresses, I’ve noticed that the story focuses more on Seo Kang-joon (Baek In-ho) rather than on Park Hae-jin (Yoo Jung). With the male lead’s fewer scenes, it was no surprise that audience had difficulty recognizing his character and its development. It would have been better if more scenes were given to the leads. The few romantic scenes between them were not enough to build a solid chemistry. I’ve read some BTS drama regarding CITT. I think this behind-the-scenes drama affected the quality of the show.This would have been a good drama if the characters were established properly. There should’ve been more scenes that showed the development of male lead character as well as the romantic scenes between the leads. Good ending for the support cast but not for the leads. I was disappointed with the ending. It’s ambiguous and it felt rushed. It just showed the past romantic scenes of the leads as fillers. A simple interaction between them will suffice to give audience a decent ending.
Acting was good. I find Jang Bo-ra and Kwon Eun-taek’s romance cute as well as their friendship with Hong Seol. Character devt for male lead is poor. Too much focus on the 2nd male lead. Few romantic scenes between the leads. Music is alright. Will not rewatch this.
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The characters really brought this story to ahead. If that was a good or bad thing, I don't know at this time. They all had flaws. There was no perfect character, in fact none of them were close to being perfect and I think that was by far the biggest challenge the writer had to make because you have all these characters with separate goals and motivations and it's hard to gel them into one coherent message or theme.
At the base, you have college students that are trying to get by and shape who and what they want to be. But then there are characters that have emotional baggage they've been carrying and haven't really expressed to others and if you combine that with all the external elements like family and love then things tend to get blurred.
Was the message that everyone should understand each other? That everyone shouldn't keep things bottled up inside so not to hurt others or that everyone should express themselves freely even if knowing it would turn out bad. There was really no answer and it was severely needed to give some sort of closure to the story given how absurdly abrupt it ended.
Overall, it needed a clear message and a clearer answer and because it didn't. You get mixed reviews and confusion and even anger because an audience watched for 16 hours and never got a pay off.
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the most frustrating drama i’ve ever seen
when i first started this drama i had high hopes but as i continued watching i couldn’t help but resent and hate some of the characters .jeong gives off a sort of vibe that you like in the beginning and then it slowly fades into a vibe that you can’t stand because and i swear i can’t put this nicely even if i could , a crazy psycho . but not the kind of psycho that makes a scene . his moves are calculated and he knows which buttons to push in order to manipulate people and situations so that he can have his way . he puts people in dangerous situations and then claims he does it because he cares about them and what frustrates me the most is that seol ends up believing that more so after he tells her his story .
he didn’t understand what he did was wrong and he wasn’t willing to understand at all . he claims people always blame others yet he does the same .
another character that absolutely pisses me off is in ho’s sister . she does whatever the hell she wants and shows zero willingness to grow up . i mean yeah she had it tough but how can she have such disregard towards her younger brother who has to do every single thing for her even when she stabs him in the back multiple times . the yelling , the manipulation , the gut tripping just makes her insufferable .
in all my years after having referred to my drama list for something to watch i have never not once agreed with a review but the ones under this drama are spot on . i don’t know if this whole thing is a spoiler or not but i just said what i felt and saw while watching .
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Every Monday and Tuesday I was so excited to see each episode
excellent performance
All the actors had an excellent level of performance
I had never seen this level in any Korean series.
I want second season
I miss them Park hae Jin and Kim go eun <3
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Beyond my expectations ~
Beyond my expectations ~ my own opinion that may or may not others agrees with ....I like dramas that goes not like what I thought it'll be~
I had nice time watching , which I didn't expect~ I'm glad it was one from the type of drama that kept me day and night watching hehehe till last ep ^^
Kind of typical kromance but so well presented , the acting the osts and the filming I liked all
And so puzzled by how low the rating ? It deserves more at least at least over 8 but why ?? It deserves more ...
I liked the way how she questioned the feelings and the acts by him , and how he do revenges that woah loved it
And ofc I fell for the main although I like the sec but the main ( heart eyes emoji ) XD
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An “ Cheesy” Drama With A Surprising Ending For Getting Out Of The “ Trap”..
Cheese In The Trap is based on the webtoon of the same name. The drama centralises upon hardworking university student Hong Seol ( Kim Go Eun), who takes a year out of education for a study break partly due to tensions arising between herself and fellow manipulative classmate Jeong ( Park Hae- Jin). After nearly a year, she returns back to school only to find more tension between Jeong and herself. With the support of her friends Jang Bo-ra ( Park Min- Ji) and Kwon Eun-taek ( Nam Joo Hyuk), Seol hopes to guide a sense of normality within her hectic life, however, the arrival of troublemakers Baek In-ho ( Seo Kang- Joon) and In- Ha ( Lee Sung- Kyung), the deceitful natures of her classmates , school life and a strange proposal from Jeong could threaten everything Jeong’s hope for normality and an easy school year.Before I begin my review, I must emphasise that my criticism does not come from like most drama reviewers, from the ending of the series. In fact, it was somewhat refreshing to break out of the escapist cliche of romance dramas in which the female lead and Male lead live happily ever after and never have to worry about anything ever again. Cheese In The Trap instead offered a reflection of reality in the series; a chance for Seol to escape her controlling and toxic relationship with Jeong and to learn a weary lesson of being cautious around those who ask too much , and for the other two main protagonists ( Jeong and In Ho), to continue onwards with their lives.
It may not have been the ending that we entirely wanted as viewers, but even after reading the original webtoon ending; it still rose to my attention that the drama series offered possibly the best outcome for Seol as an individual, rather than a plot device.
On the other hand, I’m not going to say that Cheese In The Trap was a either . Where my criticism really lies is with the events that lead up to the ending and more importantly, the cliche choices by the scriptwriters with dealing with the characters. First of all, I must comment that Kim Go Eun truly matched up to the expectations of Seol. Whilst Go Eun is memorable within her youthful looks in Goblin, Go Eun was perfectly cast not as you’d expect as a glamorous goddess , but your everyday student, something which was refreshingly portrayed by Go Eun’s stylist within her everyday clothing, her slightly roughed hair and Go Eun’s quiet mannerisms as well. Anyone who has experienced being like Seol as a hardworking , introverted or a fairly studious student in higher education at high school, college or university , can probably easily relate to the same experiences as Seol around fellow classmates and teachers .
Park Hae- Jin could seem a lacklustre at times within the show, something , which even before we got into the plot, dragged me into the gnawing suspicion that Hae- Jin had been typcasted again to play the brooding quiet type. Hae- Jin, however, did exceed my expectations at times within the show by his portrayal as Jeong; the cliche “ rich heir” ( thankfully was not induced too much in the plot, until later, however , it’s entire purpose did make me question why it hadn’t been picked up previously apart from dodgy scriptwriting), who is exceedingly disturbing and manipulative. Hae- Jin could truly make the hairs on the back of your neck stick up at time’s within his portrayal as Jeong, during his nearly sociopathic traits and manipulative nature. Undeniably, Jeong was a horrific character on all grounds especially over his control of Seol during their relationship, however, this did not take away the fact that he was additionally intriguing as a result of this.
Park Seo Joon was undeniably top-notch as In- Ho ; fairly parallel to Go Eun as Seol. He was able to portray In Ho with a surprising level of comical brilliance during his moments with Seol and his flirtatious teasing of her “ natural curls”, and levels of sincerity around his complex relationship with his sister and their abusive childhood at the hands of their aunt, Jeong’s actions and giving up the piano as a result. It was fair to say that In- Ho played upon the countless cliches of the “ nice second Male lead” ; yet he was also portrayed as an individual as well, something which was somewhat refreshing as a Korean drama. This is additionally where I point out one defence for the drama not allowing In - Ho and Seol to be together as many fans complained about within the ending of the series. Just as Jeong was manipulative, In- Ho carried a lot of emotional baggage especially in regards to what his sister In- Ha did to Seol at the ending of the series. Whilst I agree it would have been more touching for the either the drama writers to have induced more establishment of In- Ho’s feelings for Seol ( and vice versa) or simply written their relationship as a platonic friendship rather than beating around the bush, In- Ho’s relationship with Seol would have demeaning for both characters as individuals and their ability to move on with their lives, rather than stay weighted to their pasts.
This moves us onto our next female lead; Lee Sung- Kyung as In-Ha, the materialistic sister of In Ho and head over heels with a crush on Jeong. I’ve always admired Sung- Kyung as an actress after her ability to break out of the “ pretty girl role” in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo as the titular protagonist ( not forgetting the irony here that Joo- Hyuk is also in this drama) , however, I’m not going to hide that Sung- Kyung’s acting was unbearable at times within the show from overreacting and yelling moments . Of course, this is also on part of her character as well, who became questionably despicable over the course of the series. Whilst there’s no doubt that In- Ha has some moments of genuine emotional vulnerability such as her abuse at the hands of her aunt, her actions upon leeching on her brother, manipulating Seol and of course being able to walk on a light sentence despite her crimes in the series, seemed untrustworthy cruel by both the scriptwriters and the lacking lessons given to In- Ha’s characterisation. Although the show delivers a great casting selection and plot themes of relationships, education and youth problems ( including a refreshing portrayal of a gay couple), the show is often too lost certainly near the middle-point of the series upon the characters as plot devices rather than individuals and the drama between Seol and her classmates at times, grows to the point of stupidness especially in regards to some students such as Kim Sang-cheol ( Moon Ji- Yoon), who would have undeniably been a raise of concern by the teachers over some of his actions . Whilst this is naturally to add drama more than anything else, it did devalue a lot of the show as we soon became lost within tropes of trauma and romance which took away a lot of the possibility of how the drama could’ve built up this good ending without falling onto the cliches.
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Where should i start? The whole story was so dispersed and non-sense. Let's start from the main lead yo jung. The only main lead whom i disliked and eventually hated from the very first episode to last. His personality was so disturbing and so problematic. I just hated him throughout and skipped his scenes. I just didn't want to see him anymore.
Baek in Ho was such a good character. His acting was awesome too. He was the kind of person who was so loveable but i don't understand the logic why he had to go through so much for no reason. He was enduring everything even his love like a one man army. He was a perfect person,friend and brother.
Baek In Ha's acting was just too good. I felt pity for both siblings. They were used by yo jung and his father and then thrown away like a tissue paper.
The most useless thing was their love story. I couldn't understand this love story tbh. The chemistry was so weak and i just couldn't get why they was LOVE out of nowhere. It felt like a forced and dragged lovestory. Hong seol kept on being with him even after his wrong doings and she was like i get you why you did that don't worry. Like what the hell. Honestly i wanted seol to be with baek in ho.
Lastly, the story was so dispersed that i wasn't able to get what was the story actually and why there was baek in ho actually and why he had to go through so much. I don't recommend it to anyone. It's just waste of time and mood
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There is so much about this show I need to talk about, let me air my feelings out in this not strictly review but review-ish rant about this show. I have a fair bit to say about the main characters so bare with me.
Yoo Jung
Yoo Jung is the 1st male lead, he is manipulative, cold and distant at best of times, a clear psycopath at worst. He is selfish and petty to the point of cruelty and I don't know why anyone would ever fall for him or why the first female lead would find him interesting at all (unless she was studying his case for criminal profiling). He comes off as the kind of guy who would kill someone because they inconvenienced him.
I mean he actually had some guys beat his best friend up (Baek In Ho) because he told some half-hearted lie about him when he was momentarily jealous of his relationship with another friend. Those guys broke Baek In Ho's hand - thereby ruining his future as a pianist, and Yoo Jung just stood by and did nothing.
I bothers me so much that he not only ruined his relationship with his best friend forever, but he also ruined his best friend's life for a very long time.
He's continually set people up for failure and manipulated his surroundings. One of the most disturbing flashbacks from when he was a kid was when he let a little girl drink alcohol to pacify her and manipulate her into being docile and then he maliciously broke her toy - look I'm no psycologist but that screams psycopath to me.
He constantly hurts people around him and he should NOT be the romantic lead. Or at least, he's not a good rolemodel for what a romantic lead should be. The kindest thing he ever did in the entire show was to break up with Seol.
Baek In Ho
He is the second male lead and the most wonderful guy to ever exist. He's warm, kind, genuinley a good person, he's super handsome and honest. It eludes me why he isn't the 1st male lead. It genuinely astonishes me that he isn't treated better. Now, I like a punky lookin' dude with angsty problems, but it's kind of ONLY suffering for him. I feel so sorry for him that I cry almost every episode. And the real question is; why isn't this story about him?? He clearly has the most interesting backstory, certainly main protagonist-worthy.
Fuck Seol and her school problems and crush on a psycopath. I want a good happy-ever after for my boy Baek In Ho. He's so perfect, bless actor Seo Kang Joon who played him with such sensibility! My heart was stolen by him and I am just 100% watching this JUST to see if Baek In Ho will ever have a happily ever after.
Yoo Jung's dad
I will refer to him as ajusshi from now on. Yoo Jung's dad is as much of a psycopath as Yoo Jung. He's just better at hiding it. He pretty much raised the Baek siblings since their teens, them being orphans were thrilled their best friend's dad wanted them to be his kids. Turns out he never loved them at all and just used them as tools to "normalize" his son's behavior. As opposed to say, actually TALKING to his son about good moral behavior. No, he's leaving it up to a pair of grief-stricken orphans to raise his kid for him!
Again people: HE USED ORPHANS FOR HIS OWN SELFISH MEANS!!
Meanwhile he's pretending he wanted to take them in because he cared about their father as a friend. The notion that he ever cared is superficial at best. When In Ha (Baek In Ho's sister) is publicly humiliated, courtesy of Yoo Jung) he treats her less like a daughter and more like some trash in the streets.
Yes she is loud and obnoxious, but to humiliate someone like that is beyond me, and allow it to happen in front of your eyes with less consideration than a stranger when you were supposed to adopt them is unspeakably cruel.
Him telling both In Ha and In Ho at separate occations that their usefulness has reached an end and that he wants nothing more to do with them is heartbreaking.
Seol
This is supposed to be the main character, but honesly her story isn't that engaging as the people around her. She's not nearly as good a character as I thought she'd be. Yes she tells Yoo Jung off for his psycopathic behavior at first, but as soon as she turns her back he goes and does despicable things anyway - but then half way through the drama she kind of just gives up??
When Yoo Jung sets his overbearing clasmate up for failure at an interview for a job (as retaliation for pestering Seol) she hugs him and says it's ok. Like, what?? It was this kind of behavior that made her break up with him in the first place. But because it happened to someone else it's "ok"??
No to mention that his manipulations in the past led to her being stalked by a guy. And she is mad at him to the point that she puts their relationship on a break. But then eventually forgives him. I'm sorry but being stalked by a guy isn't something a woman should forgive, actually if you meet a guy who had another guy stalk you for ANY REASON, run far, far away! It's not up to him who approaches you, that's a matter that is only up to you. So, for Seol to take him back like that was really disappointing, especially since she seemed to have more moxy in the first episodes.
What really gets me though is as soon as she's back with Yoo Jung she avoids Baek In Ho (who is by now her loyal friend) - like they can't even be friends just because her boyfriend (who should have no say in the matter after the things he's done) disapproves. The look on In Ho's face when he overhears Seol say "I won't spend ANY time with him outside of studying" is frankly soul-shattering, and at that moment I was so angry and disappointed. Why can't she hang out with Baek In Ho as friends just because her boyfriend is a jealous asshole? So yeah, Seol -our supposed heroine has some problems of her own.
Baek In Ha
In Ho's sister may be vapid, inconsiderate and a drama-queen, but she's not evil. She's been treated with as much disrespect as her brother by the foul Yoo Jung and his asshole father.
All she wanted was to be ajusshi's daughter, to have a family (and yeah brag about being rich and spending money) but who doesn't, lol. She's a bit rash and her emotions tend to run hot like her brother's, but she could probably be easily directed in the right path if she had someone with a firm hand to show her he really cares, like say ajusshi. So it breaks my heart that ajusshi just used her like that and he was the one who treated her the worst. He even had her committed into an insane asylum for crying out loud!! My heart breaks for the Baek siblings. They continually face injustice and I just can't..
Summary:
My final thoughts on Cheese In The Trap are that Yoo Jung the first male lead treats Seol the first female lead like shit and she's in love with him for it??
This one is a hard abusive relationship warning!
Main romantic lead is a stalker and a psycopath and possibly a sadist and I just don't get why someone would choose him over a passionate friendly guy (like Baek In Ho) who would treat you well and respect you and love you sincerely. Seriously? What is up with that??
The ONLY reason to watch this drama is because Seo Kang Joon's performance as Baek In Ho is F A N T A S T I C <3 - honestly he's the only reason to watch this show! His character is amazing! In Ho is unfailingly kind, so freaking gorgeous, has this deeply intriguing backstory and I would have been so much happier if this entire story was just a Baek In Ho revenge story of how he got his hand back to playing piano and his road to success.
I mean, I'll give Cheese In The Trap that it at least wasn't boring. But to put a psycopath as a romantic lead is so wrong on so many levels, and then have the girl he's pursuing constantly be hurt physically or emotionally over him is a very damaging depiction of a romantic relationship.
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