Binge-worthy: Gong Yoo shows fragile, vulnerable side in The Trunk

The Trunk (M18)

Netflix
★★★☆☆

A gunshot and sinking of the titular trunk set up this psychological-romance drama led by South Korean star Gong Yoo. He plays Han Jeong-won, a music producer with looks and money to boot.

Unable to accept that his wife Lee Seo-yeon (Jung Yun-ha) left him for a much younger man, Jeong-won numbs himself with sleeping pills. In desperation, he even agrees to Seo-yeon’s ridiculous divorce proposition: If he fulfils the one-year marriage agreement with a stranger that she set up for him, Seo-yeon will return to Jeong-won.

Jeong-won reluctantly agrees to marry wife-for-hire Noh In-ji (Seo Hyun-jin). While the early days of the pretend marriage are awkward, he slowly finds himself opening up to the enigmatic In-ji – much to Seo-yeon’s chagrin.

Here are some reasons to watch the moody and intriguing eight-episode series.

1. Star attraction

The Trunk has received much attention because it is Gong’s first project in three years. His last small-screen outing was the science-fiction series Silent Sea (2021). And he is the glue that pulls the show together.

His Jeong-won is a pitiful and fragile character, under so much stress that he threatens to crack at the slightest pressure. Not only is he haunted by childhood trauma, but he is also trapped in a toxic relationship with Seo-yeon.

The script does not reveal more about Jeong-won and his motivations, but you are drawn into his world and feel much empathy for him. Gong delivers a beautifully nuanced performance, skilfully portraying his character’s hurt, loneliness, vulnerability and struggles.

2. Winning chemistry

Seo, also a versatile performer, is known for her roles in medical drama Dr Romantic (2016 to 2017) and legal series Why Her (2022).

She is fantastic as In-ji, who has her own set of skeletons in the closet. At times calculated and cold, at times warm and welcoming, this is a complex character, and Seo plays the ambiguity well.

In the masterful hands of Gong and Seo, the transformation of Jeong-won and In-ji’s relationship, though expected, is beautiful.

The Trunk moves at a deliberate snail’s pace, enabled by Gong and Seo’s top-notch chemistry.

3. Hateful villain

K-dramas have given viewers myriad villains, such as the bullies in The Glory (2022 to 2023), and Seo-yeon joins their ranks.

An expert in gaslighting, she is a cold, manipulative and jealous woman who revels in Jeong-won’s misery. She is not shy about updating Jeong-won about her sexual escapades with her new lover. And her desire to keep Jeong-won under her control sees her pushing sleeping pills and other drugs to her former husband.

Jung, a relatively new actress, makes one bristle at how cruel and despicable Seo-yeon is. And though the big reveal for her character is a bit underwhelming, you find yourself cheering when Jeong-won is finally freed from her talons.