Business Proposal: Drama vs Webtoon - Which one did it better? + Review!
Purely my opinion, and I'm aware that not all of us will be on the same page. But I can't help sharing my take on this ㅋㅋㅋ
Taemu and Hari's blind date
My pick: DRAMA
Well, I guess Samantha and Rachel are enough reasons why the drama version is superior. Who would ever forget the iconic Hari acting as the fake, femme fatale Jin Youngseo in the drama's blind date scene and how Taemu subtly but funnily retaliated all her antics? I also liked the fact that the lines in the drama are less explicit than in the webtoon. I would cringe big time if I hear drama Hari say these lines, "Screw a threesome. I think I want you ALLLLL to myself. I hope you like getting spanked."
The fake relationship contract
My pick: WEBTOON
I don't know how to sensibly explain this, but I enjoyed how webtoon Taemu and Hari came to terms in this part more. In the webtoon, there's no such thing as the intimidating contract signing, unlike the one in the drama. Webtoon Hari and Taemu just verbally agreed to it over a fancy dinner. The exchanges between the two in the webtoon are hilarious too, especially this line by Taemu, "The same way you want to marry the man you love, I want to marry the woman I went on the arranged date with. What makes your desire normal and mine abnormal?"
When Hari got busted + HaTae couple's love confirmation
My pick: DRAMA
It's hard to choose between the webtoon and the drama because the two versions are appealing in their own ways. But I'm picking the drama this time, maybe because there are lots of dillydallying in the webtoon on this part. It took a few chapters before Taemu and Hari affirmed their feelings for each other - there's even a scene in the webtoon wherein Hari thought Taemu's advances were parts of his big revenge plan to make her fall for him, a scene wherein she agreed to become Taemu's part-time girlfriend, as well as Hari feeling wronged 'coz she thought her and Taemu are just getting permission from Grandpa to date but turned out, Taemu is asking for Grandpa's permission to marry her. The drama laid this out more straightforwardly. There's no reason to delay the good thing though.
Getting Grandpa's approval
My pick: WEBTOON
Webtoon Grandpa definitely won me over, although I think the circumstances on how Taemu introduced Hari to him played a huge factor here. In the webtoon, Taemu introduced Hari to Grandpa as she is, unlike in the drama wherein Grandpa first knew Hari as Geumhee. Webtoon Grandpa didn't fall to any form of deception, so his acceptance of Hari was more plain sailing. Grandpa even referred to Hari as the true big catch for Taemu!
Getting down to business... Proposal!
My pick: DRAMA
The drama showed us a simple yet earnest proposal, in comparison to the over-the-top proposal in the webtoon by Hari, who did it in the middle of an executive meeting (ikr, what could get more exaggerated than that haha). I'm not sure if I remember it correctly, but I read an interview of Sejeong wherein she said that they decided to skip the get-down-on-one-knee type of proposal for the drama and instead, depict that Taemu and Hari's relationship should naturally/expectedly lead to marriage. Indeed, the drama proposal came out smoothly and adorably. I tend to cringe a lot whenever things between the main OTP arrive at this point, but the way drama Taemu put a ring on it in such a beautiful scenery is nothing but heart-fluttering, implying that Taemu and Hari will only walk on the flower path from then on.
The ending
My pick: WEBTOON
Although there's already an implication of wedding in the drama, I still would want to see them doing the act. That said, I prefer the webtoon ending more - Taemu and Hari got married and then spent a lovely honeymoon afterward. Another thing that wrapped up beautifully in the webtoon is the public reveal of HaTae's relationship. Everyone congratulated, supported, and wished them happiness after their engagement, in comparison to the drama wherein things took a complicated turn after their relationship got publicized. The going-overseas and time-skip tropes even got me slightly appalled. None of us signed up for an LDR, y'know! And I guess I have to say this as well, but the drama did our Line Couple (Sunghoon-Youngseo) quite dirty.
In the webtoon, Youngseo's father approved her relationship with Sunghoon with the help of Grandpa Kang, and Youngseo eventually agreed to take management lessons for her father's company, much to her father's delight. Isn't this a much better ending than seeing her cutting ties from a controlling father as what's shown in the drama? So yeah, I was sort of dissatisified with the closure the drama gave to our main characters.
I started my Kdrama year with a heartbreak because of The Red Sleeve. I barely recovered from it until after 3 good months. Well-timed, because that's when Business Proposal arrived like a ball of sunshine on a gloomy day... And I never knew I needed this drama until it actually came.
Story - 8/10
I only gave an 8 because this isn't the most original plot we've seen. Lots of tropes were re-used here; although I admit every once in a while, I crave for commonplace stories like this. But let me tell you... The best thing about Business Proposal is the timing when it was aired. This drama's arrival is a breath of fresh air during that time when the entire Kdrama realm was amid seriousness. Its amiable plot cheered us up like an old friend, and soon, we cozily swung along with its predictable narrative. Overall, it was a fun and easy watch - no tugging at our heartstrings, nothing mind-boggling, just pure fluff.
Acting/Cast - 10/10
We should be expecting a cringe-fest, but thanks to the perfect casting, Business Proposal proved itself as a "cliche done right" type of Kdrama. Seriously, whoever casted Ahn Hyo Seop and Kim Sejeong as the main leads definitely deserves a raise. The two rocked their characters so much, especially Sejeong whom I initially had second thoughts with! Yes, I owe Sejeong an apology for saying that haha, but I really couldn't picture how she'd do a romcom at first. After I watched the pilot episodes, I was then convinced why she received the Korean Emma Stone moniker. It is Sejeong's doing that we were able to see Hari as a competent and optimistic woman rather than a damsel in distress. Hari may have lots of crazy and embarrassing moments in the story, but they became peak comedy, executed handsomely through Sejeong's portrayal. And the way Ahn Hyo Seop's acting as Kang Taemu jived well with hers? What a synergy these two built!
The wonderful chemistry Hyoseop and Sejeong created was truly unexpected. Even in the behind-the-scenes - their sporadic adlibs, the way they tease and laugh at each other, their confidence in sharing opinions on how to deliver a scene - the two of them are just oozing with that couple charisma! Anyone can tell the high level of comfort they had on the set because it is positively emanating through the output of each episode.
Moreover, of course, our gorgeous second couple played by Kim Min Kyu and Seol In Ah impeccably gave life to Sunghoon and Youngseo. Through them, Line Couple's romance also got me invested, on top of the cute bromance and womance they formed with our main OTP. It's a pity we never had a lot of moments of the four of them together. I was also even expecting a double wedding. Figures, how can you insert all that when we only got 12 episodes?
Music - 10/10
It is not an overstatement if I say I am tempted every day to buy the OST album. Only a few Kdramas give me this kind of urge, and I can't blame my intuition because Business Proposal's OSTs are top-tier! I think I appreciated the OSTs more after the drama ended. Listening to each of them feels nostalgic that I instinctively reminisce a specific moment in the drama - Love, Maybe reminds me of the concert and the fireworks scene, Closer evokes my memory of when Sunghoon and Youngseo finally crossed the line, It's Up To You takes me back to HaTae couple's steamy night, etc.
Rewatch value - 10/10
Needless to say, it's a 10 'coz rewatching this drama won't hurt! I have this habit of stacking feel-good series meant only for rewatch when I'm feeling under the weather. One on my list is Something About 1%, which is also an awesome, cliche, contract-relationship drama. And I'm happy to share that I have now added Business Proposal to the top of that pile.
Overall rating: 9/10
Business Proposal is neither a perfect drama, nor made to be perfect, but it's charming enough that we willingly embraced all its imperfections. If anyone asks for my opinion about it, I will only remember the good things and tell how happy and excited this drama made me feel, and how this drama made me look forward to Mondays for 6 weeks (when I normally couldn't ㅋㅋㅋ).
I'm still not over Business Proposal and currently in the process of taking off my attachments from it so I would be less lonely. Let's see how long it will take me this time...