If you were lurking around the K-drama forums back in 2010, you remember the absolute meltdown when Lee Min-ho followed up the massive success of Boys Over Flowers with a show about a guy pretending to be gay just to move in with a girl. It sounded risky. It sounded like a mess. But Personal Taste (also known as Personal Preference) became this weirdly cozy, architectural rom-com that somehow defined an era of MBC programming. Looking back at it now, through the lens of 2026's hyper-polished streaming hits, it’s a fascinating relic. It’s messy, the fashion is questionable, and the central lie at the heart of the plot is objectively terrible. Yet, people still watch it. Why?
The Architecture of a Lie: What Personal Taste Got Right
Park Kae-in is a mess. Portrayed by Son Ye-jin—long before she was the sophisticated heiress in Crash Landing on You—Kae-in is a furniture designer who lives in a literal historical treasure called Sanggojae. She’s clumsy. She’s too trusting. She gets her heart pulverized by a boyfriend who marries her best friend without even telling her. Enter Jeon Jin-ho. He’s a stiff, perfectionist architect played by Lee Min-ho. He needs to get inside Sanggojae to win a museum project bid. Because of a series of ridiculous misunderstandings, Kae-in thinks he’s gay. He doesn't correct her. He moves in.
This setup is the quintessential "forced cohabitation" trope that the Korean series Personal Taste rode to the top of the ratings. It works because it forces intimacy without the immediate pressure of a "standard" romance. Jin-ho isn't just a love interest; he becomes her roommate, her mentor, and her "gay best friend" who helps her gain self-respect. Of course, the ethics are murky. In 2010, the "fake gay" trope was a common, if clumsy, way for dramas to explore male-female friendships. Today, we’d call it problematic. Back then? It was the engine for some of the best chemistry on screen.
Son Ye-jin vs. The "Damsel" Archetype
Most people forget how brave Son Ye-jin's performance was here. At the time, she was a serious film actress. Taking on a role where she looked disheveled, wore baggy overalls, and acted completely oblivious was a pivot. She played Kae-in with this raw, vulnerable desperation that made you want to yell at the screen. You've probably seen the memes of her eating out of a giant bowl or crying in the rain.
What’s interesting is how the show handles her growth. Jin-ho doesn't just "fix" her. He pushes her to be better at her craft. There’s this specific scene involving a chair design that actually focuses on the labor of furniture making. It's rare for an older drama to spend that much time on a female lead's professional competence. The show suggests that for Kae-in to be loved, she first has to stop being a doormat. It’s a classic arc, sure, but Son Ye-jin makes it feel earned.
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The Sanggojae Factor
We have to talk about the house. Sanggojae is basically a character in the Korean series Personal Taste. The name translates to "a place for mutual love," and the mystery of its construction—why there are no windows on one side, why the father stayed away—provides the only real "mystery" in an otherwise light plot.
Architectural fans actually looked up the filming location, which is a real Hanok in the Bukchon Hanok Village. The way the show uses the traditional Korean architecture to reflect Jin-ho’s modern design sensibilities was ahead of its time. It wasn't just a set; it was a metaphor for the barriers people build around themselves. When the walls literally and figuratively come down, the payoff feels massive.
Why the "Gay" Trope Is Controversial Now
Looking at Personal Taste today requires a bit of nuance. The show treats the "gay" label as a plot device, which was common in the late 2000s (think Coffee Prince, but reversed). While the drama is generally sympathetic toward the one actual gay character, Director Choi, it still uses the identity as a costume for Jin-ho.
Ryu Seung-ryong, who played Director Choi, gave a heartbreakingly dignified performance. His character was genuinely in love with Jin-ho, and the show didn't make him a caricature. That was revolutionary for 2010 South Korean television. However, the humor often relies on Jin-ho’s discomfort with being perceived as gay, which feels dated. If you're watching this for the first time, you have to view it as a time capsule. It shows a society grappling with visibility, using the only tools the writers felt they had at the time—romance tropes and slapstick humor.
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The Lee Min-ho Effect
This was the drama that proved Lee Min-ho wasn't a one-hit-wonder after Gu Jun-pyo. He traded the curly perm for a sleek, professional look. His Jin-ho is repressed and arrogant, but the moments where he breaks—like the famous "Game Over" kiss—are what cemented his status as a Hallyu king.
The "Game Over" kiss is legendary. If you know, you know. It happens at a party, it’s a declaration of ownership, and it effectively ends the "he’s gay" charade in the most dramatic way possible. It’s the peak of the Korean series Personal Taste, and honestly, it’s still one of the most satisfying romantic payoffs in K-drama history. The tension leading up to it is a masterclass in "slow burn" writing.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
People often complain that the last four episodes of K-dramas drag. Personal Taste isn't immune. Once the secret is out, the drama shifts into high gear with corporate espionage and family trauma. Some viewers felt the shift from "funny roommates" to "architectural rivals" was jarring.
But if you look closer, the ending isn't about the museum project. It’s about forgiveness. Kae-in has to forgive Jin-ho for the initial lie, and Jin-ho has to forgive himself for using her house as a career stepping stone. It’s a more grounded resolution than the fairy-tale ending of Boys Over Flowers. They don't just ride off into the sunset; they build a life based on the honesty they lacked at the start.
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Production Trivia You Probably Missed
- The Cameos: Look out for Yoon Eun-hye (from Coffee Prince) appearing as Jin-ho’s ex-girlfriend. It was a massive meta-moment for fans of the "gender-bender" genre.
- The Wardrobe: Lee Min-ho’s "man-pri" (man capris) sparked a brief, terrifying fashion trend in Seoul. He wore cropped trousers with no socks, which was considered "peak architect chic" in 2010.
- The Script: The drama is actually based on a 2007 novel by Lee Sae-in. The book is significantly more "adult" than the TV version, which had to be sanitized for broadcast standards.
- The Soundtracks: Younha’s "Can't Believe It" is still an absolute banger. It captures that upbeat, slightly frantic energy of early 2010s Seoul.
How to Watch It Today
If you're revisiting the Korean series Personal Taste, or watching it for the first time, don't expect the high-octane pacing of a Netflix original like Squid Game. This is a "vibes" drama. It’s meant to be watched with a bowl of ramyun on a rainy Tuesday.
- Check the subtitles: Older Viki or Fan-subbed versions often have better cultural context notes than the generic ones on larger streaming platforms.
- Pay attention to the furniture: Since the leads are designers, the background props are often high-end mid-century modern pieces that are still trendy today.
- Skip the "evil" second leads: Han Chang-ryul and Kim In-hee are classic, one-dimensional villains. You can fast-forward through their scheming without losing much of the plot.
Actionable Takeaways for K-Drama Fans
If you loved the dynamic in Personal Taste, you should definitely branch out into these specific sub-genres to find your next binge:
- The "Healing" Rom-Com: If it was the emotional growth that got you, check out Because This Is My First Life. It’s a modern, more mature take on the "forced cohabitation" trope.
- Architectural Storytelling: For those who liked the Sanggojae plotline, Our Beloved Summer uses filming locations and space in a similarly poetic way.
- The Son Ye-jin Deep Dive: If you only know her from CLOY, go back and watch A Moment to Remember. It shows her range beyond the "clumsy girl" archetype of her early career.
The Korean series Personal Taste isn't a perfect show. It’s a product of its time—flawed, funny, and deeply sentimental. It reminds us that before K-dramas were a global billion-dollar industry, they were just stories about messy people trying to find a place to belong, preferably one with a nice courtyard and a heated floor.
To get the most out of your rewatch, focus on the "Game Over" arc starting in Episode 10. That’s where the chemistry peaks and the show transitions from a sitcom into a genuine romance. If you’re a writer or a creator, study the way they use the physical space of the house to mirror the characters' emotional states; it’s a masterclass in visual storytelling that many modern shows overlook. Keep an eye on the lighting in the workshop scenes—it’s some of the best cinematography from that era of Korean TV.