Review: ‘Would You Marry Me?’ – Fake Marriage, Real Chemistry (Episodes 1 & 2)

A fake marriage, light comedy, and endless couple banter — our new K-drama obsession has arrived!

SBS’s new romantic comedy is making waves for all the right reasons. Usually, lead pairings in K-dramas can be either a hit or a miss. If you keep up with ongoing shows and recent releases, you’d know that one highly anticipated pairing didn’t live up to the hype and left many viewers disappointed. However, the pairing of K-world’s rom-com king and marriage queen in ‘Would You Marry Me?’ has quickly become the talk of the town.

Cast: Jung So-Min, Choi Woo-Shik, Seo Bum-June, Shin Seul-Ki, Bae Na-Ra

Episodes: 12

New Episodes: Airs every Friday and Saturday at 21:50 KST (18:20 IST)

Airing on: SBS

Available on: Disney+

This 12-episode show tells the story of Yoo Me-Ri (played by Jung So-Min), who faces a series of hardships following her broken engagement due to her ex-boyfriend’s affair and a housing scam. Left alone and in debt, she receives the good news that she has won a luxury townhouse as a gift from a famous department store. The bad news? It’s only given to newlyweds. So, she takes a bold step and asks Kim Woo-Joo (played by Choi Woo-Shik), who happens to share the same name as her ex-fiancé, to play the role of her fake husband.

So, as the hot-tempered and quirky Me-Ri clashes with the perfectionist Woo-Joo, we get to enjoy a fresh romance and irresistible new chemistry. Let’s dive into some more details.

The Characters

Meet Yoo Me-Ri (Played by Jung So-Min)

Is it just me, or do I always end up loving every character played by Jung So-Min?

From the first two episodes, it’s clear that Yoo Me-Ri wasn’t born with a silver spoon but rather comes from a modest family background. Yet, she never compromises on her values or principles — something that’s evident from the opening scene, where she’d rather give up a job than lose her sense of integrity. As the CEO of a small-scale design company, her hard work and dedication truly shine through.

Moving on to her personal life, we get a small glimpse into Yoo Me-Ri’s relationship with her fiancé, Kim Woo-Joo (played by Seo Bum-June), through a few photos found in their apartment, hinting at a warm, family-like bond (especially since Me-Ri’s mother appears in them as well). However, things take a dark turn when she finds an earring in their bedroom that isn’t hers. After a bit of social media digging, she uncovers a heartbreaking discovery: her fiancé is having an affair with a wealthy colleague.

What I really, really liked about Me-Ri was that, despite this harsh reality, she didn’t plead or turn a blind eye to the guy’s red-flag attitude. Instead, she took the necessary step and chose to call off the wedding. (Oh, and here’s a small but important detail — they had already registered their marriage, so technically, that makes Yoo Me-Ri a divorcée.)

Kim Woo-Joo (Played by Choi Woo-Shik)

As the heir to a famous bakery in South Korea, Woo-Joo comes across as a very talented and confident individual — the kind of person who values logic and perfectionism. But honestly, the moment we see him helping an elderly lady on the airplane escape her greedy, money-hungry son, an empathetic and kind-hearted side of him shines through.

And since this is a Korean drama, it wouldn’t be complete without the classic “suspense” subplot — the one where a family member might turn out to be a traitor. Or, in this case, a murderer, as we see Woo-Joo’s parents getting killed by a white truck (it’s always a white truck!). Hmm, I can’t help but think that it could be his uncle. 

The First Meeting

First encounters in K-dramas have taken many forms — sometimes very dramatic, sometimes too cringey, or sometimes completely unexpected — but this one was definitely on the funnier side. Of course, the female lead being drunk is a given, but the way Me-Ri crashed into the side of Woo-Joo’s car with that loud thud, followed by their chaotic banter, was pure chaos and comedy. Mistaking Woo-Joo for her ex-fiancé, she started hitting and swearing at him. She was also venting her frustration over falling for a housing scam and the fact that Woo-Joo (the red-flag guy) wasn’t helping her out — because he was too busy enjoying his days in Hong Kong with his ‘colleague.’

Yet beneath that messy encounter, we saw — once again — a softer side of Woo-Joo, as he took her to the hospital (apparently, Me-Ri mistook a cactus for a stool) and drove her back home. To sum it up, the leads’ first encounter was definitely chaotic but felt both real and sweet.

The Deal

Despite winning a luxurious townhouse, Me-Ri finds herself helpless, as she needs Woo-Joo to accompany her to the event ceremony. However, after several failed attempts to contact her miserable ex and being badmouthed by her ex–mother-in-law (man, I’d give anything to have seen Me-Ri actually slap her!), our female lead contacts Woo-Joo and asks him to play the role of her fake husband. Despite having rejected her initially, Woo-Joo ends up accepting the deal after they cross paths again due to a packaging-copyright mistake made by the former market leader, Jang Eung-Su (played by Go Geon-Han), who is also Woo-Joo’s cousin.

Although they face a few challenges, they manage to receive the key to the townhouse and fool people at the department store. I must admit, the scene where they had to take a picture of the winners was hilarious — Me-Ri was hiding behind a bouquet of flowers, and Woo-Joo behind a cap and mask!

However, no matter how much they try to hide, in the end, as the secretary of the department store’s CEO explained, they can only sell the townhouse after three months. So, that means if Me-Ri decides to stay in the house, Woo-Joo would have to as well. Why? Well, since the secretary, Baek Sang-Hyeon (played by Bae Na-Ra), lives right across the street, he would immediately catch on to their lie if anything seems suspicious.

Final Thoughts

I must say, the premiere was really addictive and I can’t wait for the next episodes.

One thing that I really wanted to talk about is the childhood connection — another very common trope in the K-drama universe. The little girl who gave Woo-Joo a teddy bear when he was a child was obviously Me-Ri, but I want to know how the writers will reveal that. I mean, will it happen before or after the romance starts to bloom?

Anyways, what are your thoughts about this new rom-com? Love it? Or, not too much?

Written by Diksha Gangadeen

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