First Impression: Drinking Solo

From the same team that brought you the food porn series "Let's Eat" they present it's sibling show, "Drinking Solo" a slice of life drama which explores the various reasons why residents in Noryangjin choose to drink alone.

Ha Suk Jin plays Jin Jung Seok, a famous civil service exam instructor who is paid an insane amount of money because of the huge classes he draws in. He's pretty much the perfect guy - good looking, well educated, and pretty well off except that no one actually likes him. His nickname is 'High Quality Trash' which is a nod to his good credentials and his nasty personality. Jung Seok is famous among his co-workers for his arrogance and having no hesitation when it comes voicing his negative opinion about those around him. In conclusion, he's an asshole who needs to taken down a peg or 100. I do admit wanting to fast-forward through some of his scenes because he's being unnecessarily mean to people he deems inferior, but it will be fun to watch him fall. One person he's chosen as his current "punching bag" is Park Ha Na (Park Ha Sun) who is a newbie teacher at the academy where Jung Seok works. She's made a few hiccups during her first day, but obviously it's no reason to be rude. Ha Na can be seen as a bit of a pushover because she appears to always try to bend over backwards to please others whether it's with her boss or trying to keep students in her class. She's not a total pushover since she has stood up to Jung Seok before regardless of the outcome, she's shown him that she's not going to suck up to him like so many others. This is where the conflict will come since it bothers him that she shows confidence in front of him and challenges everything he says. He's been like this for so long, it'll be hard for him to open up to others again, but if anyone can do it, it'll be the one person who irritates him the most.

This drama isn't just about the instructors, but the student as well. We have a fun trio of friends who are all studying for the exam and their interactions are what makes most of this light. Dong Young (Kim Dong Young) has been studying for the exam for a few years and can't seem to pass it, it's very stressful for him since he's relying on his family and to some extent his girlfriend, Ju Yeon ( cameo by Ha Yeon Soo). Then we have Kim Ki Bum (SHINee's Key, who's real name is Kim Ki Bum) who is also living off of his parents, but the only difference is that he's pretty well off so somehow he's just coasting through life when it comes to his exams. He feels they're more of a marathon than a sprint so he doesn't push himself and would rather buy expensive tracksuits. Aside from being witty, Ki Bum is a pretty straightforward and thoughtful person, he's always the one to remind us that it's the media who spreads untrue stereotypes of students.To round out this trio, we have Jin Gong Myoung (5urprise's Gong Myoung) who is currently unemployed and is being pushed to take the exam by his mother. He appears to be levelheaded, just unsure about what exactly he wants to do and it seems his hatred for his brother (Jung Seok) probably has a lot to do with it.

Soon we will see the other teachers and students interacting more with each other to give this a more cohesive feel, now that we're done with introductions. Although we haven't gotten much on a very popular student at the academy, Jung Chae Yeon (DIA's Chaeyeon) who has a cold personality and Ki Bum seems to dislike her.

It's too early to tell whether this will be a hit or miss, but so far I am enjoying it. I know there are some who can't watch because Jung Seok is a jerk, but it's something I can deal with for now as long as Ha Na continues to push his buttons and force him out of his voluntary isolation. I am glad that we got some insight into why Jung Seok purposely secludes himself from others, it'll make his budding romance with Ha Na that much better and also it will be a nice touch to see him getting closer to Gong Myoung. What I do love is how this is so much more than about alcohol and drinking, it's showing how each character differs and chooses to spend their alone time. Whether it's to console yourself after a breakup or simply because you'd rather just be alone, everyone's reasons for "Drinking Solo" are different and is something I really look forward to seeing.