Park Seo Joon’s long-awaited return to melodrama, Surely Tomorrow, has landed with a thud. Airing its first episode to disappointing ratings of just 2.7%, it struggled against competitors like Taxi Driver 3 and Moon River. Viewers quickly took to social media to voice their disappointment—some even joked the cinematography felt like it was shot “in a bao bun steamer.”
The drama begins with Gyeong Do (Park Seo Joon), a journalist who accidentally ignites a scandal by exposing a celebrity affair—only to realize the woman at the center is his unresolved first love, Ji Woo (Won Ji An), now the wife of one of the actors. The story flashes back to their university days filled with innocent banter, emotional tension, and unspoken trauma.
Despite the emotional setup, critics say the plot follows an old, predictable formula without introducing anything fresh. The reunion of Gyeong Do and Ji Woo, now steeped in regret and “what-ifs,” does little to reinvigorate the genre.
Many viewers criticized the sluggish pacing, calling the first episode “a test of patience.” Static scenes linger too long, characters barely emote, and story beats crawl forward. Worse, the color grading opts for muted, washed-out tones, giving the visuals a lifeless, repetitive look.
In a strange attempt to de-age Park Seo Joon—now 36—the production applies heavy soft-focus filters during flashbacks. While intended to smooth wrinkles, it backfires. “Did they film this inside a steam room?” quipped one viewer. Others joked they had to check if their TV was broken due to the blurred visuals.
Netizen Reactions:
- “Not sure if I’m watching a drama or a misty trip to Sapa. Thought my glasses were fogged up.”
- “Park Seo Joon under this filter? Even he can’t escape looking like he’s in a sauna.”
- “Pretty actors, but every frame feels like there’s a bao steamer in front of the lens.”
- “Slow pacing isn’t a sin, but this is painfully slow. I’m out.”
- “Finished episode 1 thinking my TV had a resolution issue—turns out it was the show.”
Sources: kenh14