If you are a frequent Korean drama viewer or even just starting out, you may stumble upon a drama that really makes you boil, question your morality, and be bewildered. You may think that drama is utterly garbage but that story is made with a reason. There is a term for this type of drama: "makjang." which according to Halyupedia, Makjang is a general term for dramas that develop into excessive situations that cannot be comprehended through common sense or moral standards.The most notable makjang drama would be a Korean series called Empire and World of the married. Strangely, despite their nature, these makjang dramas are so popular and have high ratings. In this post today, I am going to talk about the appeal of Makjang and also showing you a potential Makjang story that is currently on-air on Viu. Remember, set your expectations accordingly. They often lack the sense of realism and logic found in other types of dramas. This series is titled Red Balloon that has just been released a few weeks ago. This is now on-air on Viu every Sunday & Monday. At the moment, it has reached six episodes.

Red Balloon (2022)

The story follows Jo Eun-Gang, a private tutor, and her relationship with her younger boyfriend. After dating for four years, the boyfriend breaks up with Jo Eun-Gang, citing her nagging and his desire to focus on his new job as a civil worker. However, Jo Eun-Gang refuses to accept the breakup and instead tries to reconcile with her ex. Meanwhile, the ex has already impregnated another woman and is planning to marry the new girl. The situation becomes complicated when her ex accuses Jo Eun-Gang of having feelings for her husband's friend, Go Cha Won, while still acting friendly towards Han ba Da.

Han-Ba-da is another female protagonist in the story. She is successful and owns a luxury jewelry company. While she and Jo Eun-Gang are best friends, their relationship is complicated and Han-Ba-da sometimes belittles Jo Eun-Gang through her actions. Despite this, Han-Ba-da is also kind to Jo Eun-Gang. There is a sense that the two are hiding secrets from each other and their friendship is not straightforward. The story involves other characters as well, creating a complex web of relationships.The drama also features adultery, age-gap relationship, relationship with an older married man, and abuses done by in-laws and parents. Some of the things that happened in the drama are also over-the-top and just don't even make sense. It is borderline fantasy but we can’t call it a fantasy either.

Even after watching this, I have become convinced that it’s the emotional drives that could possibly attract people to watch it. I get attached to the character and hope that things will turn out well but at the same time, curious of the potential twist and even more drama. Sometimes, Makjang is even more unpredictable compared to regular drama which adds another appeal to it. Red balloon also makes you curse because Jo Eun-Gang is persistent and her hidden agenda is difficult to tell. She appears calm on the surface, but her actions and behavior can be annoying, causing me to become frustrated with her. Even on asianwiki, people also mentioned how they became annoyed with the characters in the series. However, it just means this drama managed to capture people’s emotion and soon it will be all over the place just like the world of the married, a successful makjang series.

I don’t particularly watch Makjang but I like to watch it from time to time to keep up with the latest trends as this type of drama can get pretty popular. I think it just shows human complexity and emotions that are sometimes unexplainable by the morality of a certain culture. personally, adultery is wrong , yet there are parts in that drama where it shows how that happens in a more emotional way that makes us sympathize with the character and the reasoning behind it. In that sense, makjang drama explores the gray area of life where various factors can influence an individual's reasoning and actions. While the actions may be considered wrong by others, they may seem justified to the person carrying them out. If you are into this type of series, you can check out some of that I have mentioned including Red Balloon.