[Ishani's Picks] "Link: Eat, Love, Kill" Has Mastered The Element Of Surprise & Here's How

June of 2022 has come along with some incredible K-Dramas to occupy our watchlists. One such extraordinary series that is stealing fans' hearts left, and right is Yeo Jin-goo and Mun Ka-young's "Link: Eat, Love, Kill".

Advertisement

"Link: Eat, Love, Kill" is a fantasy romance on the surface, a suspense thriller if we go a layer deeper, and a tragicomedy in essence. It tells the story of two simple individuals whose lives are complexly intertwined and orbit each other inadvertently yet indefinitely.

Eun Gye-hoon, played by Yeo Jin-goo, is a successful young chef, who suddenly finds himself in the midst of criticism owing to his unpredictable moods. To avoid further damage to his reputation, his colleagues suggest taking the chance to open up his own restaurant, far from the public eye. Gye-hoon is quick to grab the opportunity and soon moves to Jihwa-dong with his junior colleague and dear friend, Cha Jin-hoo, played by Lee Suk-hyeong. While it is definit

ely not the ideal place for a celebrity chef to open up a bistronomy, Gye-hoon has more than one reason to settle down there.

Firstly, it is Gye-hoon's hometown where his twin sister disappeared. Ever since he was a child, he could feel his sister's emotions as if they were his own. However, he lost that connection when she went missing, leading him to assume that she had passed away. After leading a normal life for 18 years, one fine day, he could feel that connection reawaken. Partly out of wish-fulfilment and partly due to his curiosity, he sets out to do something about this " link ".

As it turns out, he had been experiencing the feelings of a woman named No Da-hyeon, played by Mun Ka-young. No Da-hyeon is an ordinary young woman who has particularly bad luck with men. The first instance we see of the same is when her co-worker/stalker attacks her and, in turn, gets murdered. Perhaps, it was at this point that viewers realized the significance of the title: "Eat, Love, Kill".

One doesn't normally expect a murder mystery in a romantic comedy, but here we are, faced with both and none at the same time. Thus begins the subversion of genres and expectations as romantic moments are constantly undercut by confessions and speculations of gore. When our leading characters should be talking about their hearts, they're left surmising about knives. There's vulnerability involved either way, but it definitely won't make your heart flutter.

The crime is not really taken too seriously, and the strange town of Jihwa-dong and its people get more and more suspicious by the day. There is an implication of past criminal activity, especially with respect to the disappearance of Gye-hoon's sister, Gye-yeong (played by Ahn Se-bin), and there lies the second reason for why Gye-hoon has come back.

In episode 4, Gye-hoon details that he hasn't really come back to find his sister, but it is true that he is looking for someone. Through several veiled hints, we are to believe that the townspeople are collectively guilty of his sister's passing and that some sinister secret lies behind Da-hyeon's family.

The idea that Da-hyeon could be Gye-hoon's sister is dismantled with just as much urgency as it was established, leaving scope for romantic interest to bloom. However, that opens up another mystery as to the link between the two. Just when you think you've solved one question, there are ten more that come to light, revealing the unfathomable depth of the matter. Now that's certainly some clever storytelling.

"Link: Eat, Love, Kill" fires up our imagination, throwing us for a loop when the truth, more often than not, is lurking in plain sight. This isn't just your run-of-the-mill whodunnit, riddled with distractions, but rather a genuinely intriguing thriller premised on fantasy yet powered by mystery. In addition, the adorable and electric chemistry between Yeo Jin-goo and Mun Ka-young is truly a delight that I just can't get enough of.

As the plot thickens, it will be interesting to uncover the secrets of Jihwa-dong, but we must, at all times, be prepared to be bamboozled by what the writers have up their sleeves. It is this ability to keep viewers on their toes that makes "Link: Eat, Love, Kill" such a refreshing masterpiece.

By Ishani Sarkar.

___________

"Link: Eat, Love, Kill" is directed by Hong Jong-chan, written by Kwon Do-hwan, Kwon Ki-yeong, and features Yeo Jin-goo, Mun Ka-young, Park Bo-kyung, Ahn Se-bin, Kwon Hyuk, Woo Mi-hwa. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2022/06/06~Now airing, Mon, Tue 22:30 on tvN.