[Dispatch=Lee Myung-joo] "Is infidelity the problem? Then what exactly is the problem?"(Kim Hye-soo)

The title itself is unusual. The Coupang Play series "Infidelity Is Not the Problem Now" (hereinafter "Infidelity Now") is not a conventional melodrama.

If infidelity is not the problem, then what is? The moment you grow curious, you're caught off guard. It races forward at a frenzied pace and bewilders with shocking twists.

A long-awaited (dopamine) crazy drama. As episodes progress, the presence of infidelity fades. Instead, only the fates of those spiraling out of control become of interest.

What choice will Kyung-hee (played by Kim Hye-soo), who discovers her husband's secret, make? Will Jae-hong (played by Lee Jihoon) and Su-jung (played by Cho Yeo-jung) continue their dangerous meetings?

And what ripples will the events of that day bring? Will the truth of the incident that no one foresaw until episode 4's ending remain buried?

(※ This article contains spoilers.)

"Infidelity Now" is a chain-reaction black comedy. The story unfolds as an influencer couple and a neighboring doctor couple become entangled in unbearable secrets.

In the era of OTT, a customized drama. The subject matter itself is provocative. It begins with gossip about a celebrity's affair and deals with actual infidelity. Corpses in a demolition area, hit-and-run accidents—all appear.

Director Lee Chang-hee completes a madcap black comedy through paced direction. Only 3 minutes are devoted to the influencer couple's success journey upon entering a luxury home.

The same goes for the neighboring couple's circumstances. A few lines of dialogue from Kyung-hee organize the situation.

"Her husband from that house ran away, didn't he?" "They've been separated for months."

The relationship between Jae-hong and Su-jung is implied through a sponsored photo hanging on the dermatology clinic wall. The womanizing of Su-jung's husband Bo-sung (played by Kim Jae-chul) is also compressed into a few video clips.

Rather than explanation, scenes are thrown at the viewer. The audience fills in the blanks.

The multi-plot structure is the drama's charm. Different episodes appear to flow independently, but converge into one massive incident. Each person's choices affect another's life.

A prime example is when Kyung-hee's couple are invited to Su-jung's house for dinner. While Kyung-hee cleans up spilled wine in the bathroom, Jae-hong and Su-jung engage in reckless behavior.

At the same moment, the children are given time for deviation. They drink secretly and share secrets. In the room where they're alone, thrilling physical contact and dangerous promises are exchanged.

The result of that promise is 'bang'. An unexpected accident occurs. After urgent damage control, an unexpected blackmailer appears, and eventually a (real) murderer emerges.

A story that started with infidelity escalates into a murder case. At this point, the meaning of the title comes across differently. Indeed, infidelity was not the problem.

The actors bring out the taste of this brutal play. Kim Hye-soo takes on the role of influencer Kyung-hee. Like the line "It would've been better if it were infidelity," she's a character plunging into chaos.

Kim Hye-soo wears bespoke clothing from head to toe. Confident Kyung-hee, who climbed the social ladder entirely by her own strength. She implements that sturdiness without wavering on screen.

But facing the greatest crisis of her life, things change. The will of a mother who even accepts disposing of a body for her family. Simultaneously, the guilt felt as a human being. Kim Hye-soo expressed the gap between these two emotions through bloodshot eyes.

Cho Yeo-jung showed another face in her role as doctor Su-jung. She freely navigated conflicting emotions—frustration from divorce proceedings with her husband, disappointment in her child, desire toward Jae-hong.

Kim Jihoon's transformation also stands out. From a party to infidelity to Jae-hong, caught up in an incident larger than infidelity. He portrayed complex facets through continuing secret meetings with Su-jung amidst family crisis.

Bo-sung, played by Kim Jae-chul, is a variable in the latter half. The scene where he exchanges numbers with Kyung-hee after a chance encounter foreshadows the beginning of a new relationship. It's a moment that raises anticipation for his role.

Above all, what makes "Infidelity Now" interesting is that it directly confronts imperfect human beings.

Behind seemingly perfect families lie secrets no one can tell. In relationships thought to be love, desire creeps in, and for family's sake, people cross lines they shouldn't.

That's why infidelity is not a destination but the starting point of an incident. Individual choices shake others, and each person's secrets become entangled in one event. Eventually, they create massive ripples that all must bear.

For both families, there remains a problem greater than infidelity. And that problem has already slipped from their hands.

Meanwhile, "Infidelity Now" is an 8-part series. One episode airs each Friday.

<Photo provided by Coupang Play>