Director Kim Kyu-tae shared his thoughts on the mixed reactions to “The Trunk” during an interview on Dec. 3 at a bar in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Speaking about the feedback, he said: “I’ve seen comments saying it’s polarizing. I find it interesting to see how everyone sees it differently.”
Released on November 29, “The Trunk” depicts two people bound by a one-year marriage contract and a mysterious trunk, combining mystery and melodrama. It is based on the novel of the same name by Kim Ryeo-ryeong.
The series follows Noh In-ji (played by Seo Hyun-jin) and Han Jeong-won (played by Gong Yoo), who embark on a somewhat unusual married life as a “contract couple”. The story also delves into the tangled desires of Lee Seo-yeon (played by Jung Yun-ha), who exposes her distorted ambitions through marriage; Yoon Ji-oh (played by Jo Yi-geon), who loves Seo-yeon despite knowing everything; and Eom Tae-seong (played by Kim Dong-won), who reveals an abnormal attachment to Noh In-ji. These five characters form a complex network of desires and relationships.
Unlike the original story, “The Trunk” was adapted with a completely different tone, presenting a dark and mysterious atmosphere. The extreme psychology of the characters, the explicit bed scenes early in the series, and the unresolved arcs of the secondary characters divided viewers, and some found these elements unappealing.
Kim Kyu-tae admitted that he had hoped viewers would find “The Trunk” entertaining, but admitted: “This is not a one-time job. Its unfamiliarity with typical mystery melodramas and the concentration required could explain the polarized reactions.”
He clarified that he did not aim to create a conventional love story, saying: “The unusual dynamics and contradictory psychologies of the characters fascinated me. People often don’t fully understand themselves. Exploring such extreme and unhealthy individuals and their paths to recovery felt meaningful to me.“
Kim added: “I wanted to talk about universal values. By depicting distorted relationships formed by loneliness and isolation, I hoped viewers could relate and build empathy through their own experiences..”
Responding to criticism of the secondary characters’ unresolved arcs and open-ended ending, Kim explained: “I had to focus on the main characters. Subplots involving secondary characters were necessary for the story but could not be fully developed due to time constraints. If it had been a 16 or 20 episode series, I might have explored these details further.“
He also stated: “I wanted the series to make viewers uncomfortable. It’s not about events but about psychological mystery. I focused on duality in relationships and emotions. I also wanted the expression to be twofold: simultaneously unknown and intriguing. This duality (“Why do I feel this way?”) was intended to be a key point of engagement for viewers.”
Source: Nate
