Usually, a rom-com starts with a generic but proven formula: boy meets girl, they fall in love, conflict arises that forces them apart, which ultimately reveals their true feelings for each other. And after the credits roll past their happy ending, the couple is married with kids, conveniently off-screen. But “Positively Yours” flips the script right from its opening scene. Instead of a meet-cute, the drama begins with its female lead staring at a pregnancy test showing two straight lines.
Based on Lee Jeong’s web novel, “Positively Yours” tells the story of Kang Du Jun (Choi Jin Hyuk) and Jang Hui Won (Oh Yeon Seo), two adults whose one-night stand results in an unplanned pregnancy, and, eventually, love? Here’s what you can expect from the premiere episodes!
Warning: spoilers ahead!
For many people, a positive pregnancy test would be the happiest moment of their lives. For Jang Hui Won, however, a single woman who has firmly sworn off marriage, it’s nothing short of terrifying. The drama wastes no time plunging viewers into her emotional turmoil before rewinding the clock to carefully unpack the chain of events that led to this life-altering moment.
A few weeks earlier, Hui Won walks into a matchmaking party designed for young, wealthy elites. She’s dressed in a sleek black dress and sporting striking red hair, courtesy of a wig her friend insisted she wear. This isn’t a bold style experiment or an impulsive attempt at reinvention; rather, she’s attending the event in her friend’s place so the latter can attend a concert.
Instead of spelling out the female lead’s thoughts on marriage through clunky exposition, the drama cleverly uses a survey conducted at the party to reveal Hui Won’s stance on marriage and her long-term plans. Her answer is blunt, refreshingly honest, and unintentionally hilarious: she plans to get married, but maybe in her next life.
On the other hand, the male lead, Kang Du Jun, is not a fan of this social institution either. He even justifies her stance by calling marriage an inefficient system with high costs and low rewards, neatly establishing her pragmatic, no-nonsense worldview.
Naturally, both main leads, Kang Du Jun and Jang Hui Won, cross paths at this blind-date event and immediately get off on the wrong foot. Their personalities clash, sparks fly in the worst possible way, and neither walks away with a favorable impression of the other. However, a series of coincidences eventually lands them at a bar, where Hui Won surprises Du Jun with her impressive knowledge of beer. Alcohol lowers inhibitions, conversations grow more honest, and emotional walls slowly come down. Before either can fully process what’s happening, the night unfolds exactly as rom-com logic predicts: the two end up sharing a bed. As the synopsis makes clear, that single impulsive night changes everything.
At first glance, both leads appear staunchly anti-marriage for reasons that border on the absurd. But as the story unfolds and viewers peel back the layers, it becomes clear that their aversions stem from deeply rooted emotional scars. For Kang Du Jun, his resistance to marriage is tied to unresolved guilt surrounding his brother’s death in a tragic accident. Since then, he has stepped into the role of a father figure for his late brother’s daughter, shouldering responsibility quietly. For Jang Hui Won, despite her professional success and emotional independence, her past is marred by the trauma of growing up in a household shaped by her parents’ dysfunctional marriage and eventual divorce, an experience that left her terrified of repeating the same fate.
When Du Jun learns about the pregnancy, he does something so unexpected it almost feels surreal: he proposes. This isn’t a grand, romantic gesture, but a practical contract marriage in which both parties commit fully to raising their child. While the decision initially feels extreme, it aligns seamlessly with Du Jun’s character. He’s a man who takes responsibility without hesitation. He’s already done so for his niece, so stepping up for his own child feels like a natural extension of who he is. Adding to this is the fact that his feelings for Hui Won aren’t sudden or shallow; they were solidified during that drunken night when both allowed themselves to be emotionally vulnerable.
What makes the leads’ dynamic especially entertaining is the stark imbalance in their feelings. Du Jun is hopelessly, unabashedly smitten with Hui Won, while she, despite him being the first man she’s ever been intimate with, feels absolutely no romantic attachment to him. Oddly enough, this emotional disconnect feels realistic. Hui Won is cautious, guarded, and deliberate when it comes to love. Watching how someone like her might gradually develop feelings for a man she initially disliked becomes one of the drama’s most compelling questions. How does love grow between two people who have both sworn it off entirely?
One noticeable missed opportunity, however, lies in the drama’s abandoned use of chapter titles. The first episode introduces both leads with distinct chapter cards, a clever stylistic choice that nods to the series’ web novel roots. Unfortunately, this device is quickly dropped. Had it been used consistently, chapter titles could have served as a creative way to highlight emotional arcs and character growth, making its absence all the more disappointing.
Overall, “Positively Yours” delivers a refreshingly unconventional opening, grounded characters, and a premise that feels sincere beneath its rom-com exterior. Its first impression suggests a story less concerned with instant romance and more focused on responsibility, emotional healing, and discovering love in the most unexpected circumstances.
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Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of clichés are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres and stans the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN. You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs.
Currently Watching: “IDOL I” and “Positively Yours”