Timing is a jerk. You’ve probably felt that before—meeting the right person at a moment when your career is a literal dumpster fire or your head just isn't in the game. That is essentially the heartbeat of Temperature of Love. It’s not your typical "chaebol meets poor girl" fairy tale. It’s messy. It’s slow. It’s remarkably human. If you’re tired of the high-octane drama of revenge plots or supernatural beings, this 2017 SBS gem directed by Nam Gun and written by Ha Myung-hee (who also wrote Doctors) is a masterclass in the "push and pull" of actual relationships.
Most romance dramas rely on amnesia or secret birth identities to keep the leads apart. Not here. In Temperature of Love, the biggest villain is just life. The way we prioritize our dreams over our feelings. The way we assume the other person will just wait.
The Optimal Temperature: Why Lee Hyun-soo and Ohn Jung-sun Work
It starts with a chat room. Lee Hyun-soo, played by the incredibly relatable Seo Hyun-jin, is an aspiring screenwriter who hides behind the username "Jane." She’s practical, maybe a bit too cynical for her own good, and definitely older than Ohn Jung-sun (Yang Se-jong). Jung-sun is a chef with a French soul and a username "Good Soup." When they finally meet in person during a running club meetup, the sparks aren't some cinematic explosion. It’s a flicker.
Jung-sun asks her out almost immediately. It’s bold. It’s kind of terrifying. But Hyun-soo, being the logical person she is, rejects him because she doesn't believe in "love at first sight." She thinks love is something you build, like a career. She’s wrong, of course, but her hesitation is so grounded in reality that you can’t even be mad at her. They have different "temperatures." He’s hot; she’s cold. He’s ready; she’s terrified.
The drama uses the culinary world as a gorgeous metaphor. Cooking requires precise heat. Too much and you burn the sauce; too little and it never thickens. The same goes for their relationship. They spend years drifting apart and coming back together, trying to find that 100-degree boiling point where they finally sync up.
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The Problem With the Second Lead Syndrome
Let's talk about Park Jung-woo. Kim Jae-wook plays this role with so much charisma it actually hurts. He’s the CEO who supports Hyun-soo’s career when no one else will. In any other drama, he’d be the perfect guy. But Temperature of Love does something interesting here. It shows that being "perfect" and "supportive" isn't a currency you can trade for love.
Jung-woo isn't a villain, at least not at first. He’s a man who thinks he can win by being patient. He waits five years. Five. That’s a long time to stay in the friend zone. But the drama reminds us that love isn't a reward for good behavior. It’s a connection. Watching the friction between the chef’s raw passion and the CEO’s calculated stability creates a tension that is way more compelling than your standard love triangle.
Realism Over Tropes: What People Often Get Wrong
A lot of viewers complained that the middle of the series felt "slow." Honestly? That’s the point. Real relationships have plateaus. There are weeks where you just argue about who didn't call whom or why one person is prioritizing work over dinner. The dialogue in Temperature of Love is incredibly dense. It’s wordy. People talk past each other. They use subtext.
One of the best scenes involves a simple conversation about a refrigerator. It sounds mundane, but it’s actually a battleground for their domestic boundaries. Writer Ha Myung-hee specializes in these types of scripts where the "action" is all in the verbal sparring. If you go into this expecting a kiss every episode, you’re going to be disappointed. But if you want to see how two people actually navigate the trauma of their pasts—Jung-sun’s complicated relationship with his mother is a heavy, realistic burden—then this is your show.
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The Visual Palette of Romance
The cinematography deserves a shout-out. There’s a specific "look" to this drama. It’s soft, slightly desaturated, and uses a lot of natural light. It feels like a crisp autumn morning in Seoul. The kitchen scenes in Jung-sun’s restaurant, Good Soup, are filmed with a tactile quality. You can almost smell the truffle oil and the searing steak. This sensory approach helps ground the "poetic" dialogue so it doesn't feel too pretentious.
- Seo Hyun-jin’s Acting: She is the queen of the "everywoman." Her breakdowns feel private, not performative.
- The OST: "You Are" by Seung-hee (Oh My Girl) captures that melancholic yet hopeful vibe perfectly.
- The Pacing: It covers a span of years, showing how people evolve (or don't) over time.
Navigating the Emotional Lag
Why do we keep coming back to this story years later? Because it tackles "emotional lag." In the digital age, we’re more connected than ever, yet we constantly miss each other’s signals. Hyun-soo and Jung-sun are the poster children for "right person, wrong time."
When they reunite after his stint in France, the power dynamic has shifted. He’s successful; she’s struggling. The drama doesn't shy away from the ego and jealousy that can creep into a relationship when one person is doing better than the other. It’s uncomfortable to watch, but it’s honest.
Jung-sun’s mother is perhaps the most divisive character. She’s flighty, selfish, and emotionally draining. While some fans found her scenes frustrating, she serves a vital purpose: she explains why Jung-sun is so guarded. He’s spent his life being the "adult" for his parent. When he meets Hyun-soo, he has to learn how to be a partner, not just a caretaker.
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Actionable Takeaways for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re planning to dive back into Temperature of Love, or if you’re a first-timer, keep these things in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Pay attention to the color grading. Notice how the "temperature" of the screen changes based on the characters' emotional proximity.
- Don't skip the subplots. The secondary romance between the assistant writers and the kitchen staff provides much-needed levity when the main couple gets too heavy.
- Focus on the dialogue nuances. This isn't a "background noise" drama. The logic of their arguments is the core of the plot.
- Look for the mirrors. Notice how Jung-sun’s cooking style mirrors his approach to Hyun-soo: meticulous, devoted, and uncompromising.
Temperature of Love stands out because it refuses to give us the easy way out. It insists that love is a choice we make every single day, often in the face of career failures and family baggage. It’s a slow-burn journey that reminds us that while we can’t control the timing, we can control how much of ourselves we’re willing to give when the temperature finally hits that sweet spot.
To truly appreciate this drama, watch it during a quiet weekend when you can actually sit with the emotions. It’s not a show to be rushed. It’s a show to be savored, much like a perfectly prepared meal at Good Soup. Look for the small gestures—the way they hold hands, the way they look at each other across a crowded room—and you'll realize that the "slow" parts are actually where the most growth happens.