Kim Tae-ri takes on singing, dancing, and girls love in ‘Jeongnyeon’
Girls Love or GL in Korean drama is a very niche genre that you have to actively seek out. You’d be lucky to find a few titles on YouTube with one or two episodes each. GL is a genre centered around romantic relationships between women.
“Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born” doesn’t explicitly advertise itself as such, but it doesn’t shy away from its LGBTQ+ theme, either. This is not to say the drama is misleading viewers. The show is exactly what its trailer promises: It follows the journey of Jeongnyeon (Kim Tae-ri) as a trainee in an all-female theater company in the 1950s.
Initial viewers, including this writer, were drawn in by Kim (“Mr. Sunshine,” “Twenty-Five Twenty-One”). The actress has proven to be very adept at choosing scripts with compelling story lines that fit her and her acting style. “Jeongnyeon” is no exception.
The drama is based on the webtoon of the same title by Seo Yi-re and is directed by Jung Ji-in. It has 12 episodes or acts, as written in the Disney+ description.
We are quickly introduced to Kim’s character, her motivations and obstacles. Jeongnyeon is a girl who grew up in the fishing town of Mokpo. She makes a living by collecting clams with her mother and selling them at a fish market with her sister. One of those market days, chaos ensues when goons terrorize the vendors. She decides that the best way to diffuse the situation is by singing.
Gifted
The girl is gifted vocally, but singing is the one act her mother forbids her to do. It’s not explained to her why. Thankfully, Jeongnyeon is not only willful; she is also happiest when she’s earning and money comes easy when she sings. Hence, she dreams.
Maeran Theater’s top talents, Okgyeong (Jung Eun-chae) and Hyerang (Kim Yoon-hye), happen to be in town for their performance tour. They are coincidentally in the market when Jeongnyeon starts singing.
The two are considered the royalty of female theater productions, but Okgyeong is more sought-after, being top choice for male lead. She’s talented, yes, but it’s also the way she carries herself on and off the stage. When she’s not wearing her costume, she wears a custom suit, keeps her hair short and her sideburns thick and pointed. She looks refined and dashing with her sharp jaw, piercing stares and bright, friendly smile.
Clear intention
Maeran operates like a modern talent agency where trainees receive lessons in the arts of dancing, acting and singing. All the members should perform exclusively for the company. Their performance style has elements of pansori, an art form that combines singing, narration and dramatic expression.
Okgyeong immediately takes an interest in Jeongnyeon and sweeps her off her feet. You can feel Jeongnyeon vibrate with excitement through the screen as Okgyeong prepares her for an audition. Okgyeong’s intention is clear from the start: She wants Jeongnyeon to become her replacement and rival in playing male lead characters.
Jeongnyeon successfully enters the company, where she meets other girls and gets to know their dreams. Immediately, she is pitted against the haughty Youngseo (Shin Ye-eun), who was trained by a famous teacher and comes from a family of opera singers. She also befriends Juran (Woo Da-bi).
The show is very refreshing in this way. It’s dominated by female characters of all shapes, ages and sizes. You are immersed in a female production, as if you are watching Maeran artists. Male characters are often relegated to the background as faceless extras. So far, there are only two male supporting characters with a considerable amount of exposure. Both are scumbags.
The ladies are by no means portrayed as angels. Some are petty, deceitful and most have tendencies to act cruel. But part of their complexity is how they protect each other against outside forces despite all the mean things they say and do to each other when they’re on their own.
Vocally trained
This drama explores the world of pansori. The songs and the way they are performed are very traditional, very different from the K-pop and trot we hear in mainstream media. Tae-ri is spellbinding as a pansori singer or sorikkun and you will not want to stop listening. In one interview, she said she started her vocal training three years ago. This meant she was working on other dramas and films while preparing for this role.
All the characters move to build hers up. Youngseo challenges her, pushing her to be a better performer. Juran keeps her grounded. She will develop a very strong attachment to both. If you view her relationships with them through the LGBTQ+ lens, you will see that the three are circling each other like you would a first love.
It’s unclear who Jeongnyeon has a crush on, but she’s bothered that they’ve become closer. She looks at them woefully as they stand on the edge of the stage and when they perform their parts. It prompts her to act thoughtlessly when it’s her turn, presumably in an effort to gain their attention back.
But her jealousy is child’s play compared to Hyerang’s. Six episodes in and it’s still not verbally established what her exact relationship with Okgyeong is. They live together, away from the rest of the trainees in a pretty house provided by the company. Again, this is very much like how modern agencies give their bigger acts better accommodations. Their home has a huge portrait of them together in a loving embrace.
Lovesick
Onstage, there are no doubts. The two are partners in making the audience gasp whenever they pretend to kiss. Offstage, they are very comfortable with each other. Okgyeong acts like a lovesick boyfriend who will follow the wishes of Hyerang. They have been best friends since they were trainees. Sometimes a niece comes over and it’s easy to mistake her as their child.
The curious part is that Okgyeong never hides her fascination for Jeongnyeon, which irritates Hyerang a lot—and for good reason.
The chemistry between Kim and Jung is electrifying. There’s tension in the way Okgyeong holds back and the way she observes Jeongnyeon as if nobody else exists for her. It’s “My Fair Lady,” but Professor Higgins is a woman. Jeongnyeon also openly admires Okgyeong.
However, this is a Korean drama. It remains to be seen if the lesbian undertones will continue to be deliciously hinted at, feeding the imagination of its viewers until the end, or if they will be clearly denied completely. Everybody could be just best friends. That, or they could give another unhappy ending to the gay characters.
But even if none of the characters’ relationships develop romantically, this drama has already provided a platform for LGBTQ+ representation in South Korea’s mainstream media. It’s a small win, but still a win.
