Something in the Rain (2018): When Love Feels Like a Soft Drizzle… Until It Doesn’t

Something in the Rain (2018), a name I had heard in passing… and never really added to my watchlist… and then recently, I just decided to watch it for no apparent reason. Last week, I was dealing with a lot of health issues and was forced to stay in bed all day long—this show took my mind off the physical pain and discomfort I was going through at the time.

---

The Cast:

---

1. Son Ye-jin as Yoon Jin-ah: Our soft, conflicted, emotionally tangled protagonist. Son Ye-jin brings a quiet vulnerability that feels painfully authentic. I loved her in Crash Landing on You (2019), and it made me a little curious to see her in another drama.

2. Jung Hae-in as Seo Joon-hee: Soft boy energy? Check. Warm smile? Check. Emotional depth? Oh… absolutely.

Jung Hae-in doesn’t act—he exists in the role. And honestly… Joon-hee is the kind of man that makes you rethink your standards a little… 😭 It doesn’t matter why I started watching the show, but I definitely stayed till the end for Hae-in’s warm smile—it just brightened my mood…

His other works include:

• D.P. – intense, gritty, completely different vibe (I watched this immediately after finishing the show, review coming soon)
• One Spring Night – another quiet romance, but more mature (watching this right now!)

---

The Detailed Plot of “Some in the Rain”

---

The story begins with Jin-ah, a woman in her mid-30s, going through a mundane life, tackling a soul-sucking job and desperately holding on to a dysfunctional relationship. She lives with her parents and a younger brother who’s in college. Jin-ah’s lifeline is Seo Kyung-seon, her best friend of more than 15 years.

Jin-ah’s workplace is a swamp of middle-aged pervs who regularly harass female employees during team dinners. Jin-ah has played along with it for 10 years… just like her peers, all afraid of being punished for speaking up. Her relationship is no better; her boyfriend, Lee Gyu-min, comes from an aristocratic family and has no real respect for her.

When Jin-ah tries to save the relationship one last time, Gyu-min breaks it off, citing a “lack of excitement.” It doesn’t take long for her to discover his side chick: another young and clueless woman. Jin-ah strategically causes their breakup… but it does nothing to fill the emptiness inside her.

Then she reconnects with Seo Joon-hee, her best friend’s younger brother—who has just returned from the States after three years. Joon-hee is clearly smitten with Jin-ah but hasn’t found the right moment to confess. For Jin-ah, he becomes a safe space, someone she can lean on, someone who understands her like no one else.

Unable to directly ask her out, Joon-hee keeps playfully asking her to treat him instead… and those small, seemingly insignificant interactions slowly pull them closer—without either of them fully realizing it.

They work in the same building, on different floors. Meanwhile, Jin-ah’s colleague wants to pursue Joon-hee, and his bachelor friend keeps trying to set him up with Jin-ah.

At the same time, Gyu-min starts reappearing in Jin-ah’s life—but instead of being decent, he becomes increasingly invasive. From harassing her at work, sending intimate photos to her office, to physically forcing himself on her… it just keeps escalating. To push him away, Joon-hee pretends to be her boyfriend and pulls her out of his grip.

Unaware of his behavior, Jin-ah’s parents invite Gyu-min over to discuss marriage. The dinner turns ugly, and to finally shut him down, Jin-ah confesses that she has feelings for Joon-hee. No one takes it seriously, it’s seen as just a tactic.

But then… in a casual dinner setting, when someone questions Joon-hee’s relationship status, Jin-ah instinctively holds his hand… and he holds hers back. Quietly. Without a grand declaration… a love story begins.

Being with Joon-hee makes Jin-ah feel secure, loved, and admired in a way she has never experienced before. She grows—becomes stronger, more confident. Joon-hee, on the other hand, is completely devoted—living in a dream after finally being with the woman he has loved for years.

This transformation also spills into her professional life—she starts standing up against workplace harassment, challenging the toxic system she had silently endured for years.

But Gyu-min continues to stir trouble.

And things truly begin to unravel when people around them find out about their relationship.

Kyung-seon, Jin-ah’s best friend and Joon-hee’s sister, initially feels betrayed… but eventually chooses to stand by them. Jin-ah’s father and brother, though shocked, accept it.

But her mother… Mi-yeon… is a different story.

Obsessed with status and social image, she had no issue overlooking Gyu-min’s cheating because his family fit her “ideal.” But Joon-hee—who lacks wealth and family prestige—is unacceptable to her. She does everything in her power to separate them.

Exhausted, Joon-hee applies for a job in the US, hoping to take Jin-ah with him. But he doesn’t consult her beforehand—and when he finally brings it up, Jin-ah refuses to leave everything behind.

Her mother threatens her. Jin-ah moves out… but eventually breaks up with Joon-hee after his transfer gets approved.

Years pass.

Joon-hee returns to Korea and shows up at her brother’s wedding uninvited. Jin-ah is now in another relationship—one her mother approves of—but there’s no love there. At work, she continues to face the consequences of standing up against harassment.

Seeing Joon-hee again stirs everything she tried to bury.

He, too, is heartbroken—watching her settle for a life that doesn’t value her.

Finally, Jin-ah breaks up, quits her job, and moves to Jeju Island for a quieter life.

And then… on a rainy evening… just like old times… they meet again.

---

💌 My Fangirl Commentary

---

1. Unlike many other K-dramas, I connected more with the OST of this drama—probably because the main tracks are in English. Since there are no subtitles for the songs, they work more as mood than meaning.
   
2. Notable tracks by Rachel Yamagata: “Something in the Rain”, “Be Somebody’s Love.” I was completely hooked in the first half… The chemistry between Son Ye-jin and Jung Hae-in was insane. I had already seen Ye-jin in Crash Landing on You, but this was my first time watching Jung Hae-in—and his portrayal of the charming younger brother of a best friend? Chef’s kiss.
   
   I giggled. I blushed. I kicked my feet watching them sneak around. Jin-ah, though older and more mature, is shy and easily flustered… while Joon-hee is carefree, playful, yet deeply protective.
   
   That umbrella scene?? When he brings just one umbrella so he can stay close to her… even if just for a few minutes… yeah, I melted.
   But then… the second half happened.
   
3. Jin-ah’s mother, Mi-yeon, was already overbearing; but the way she ignored Gyu-min’s cheating and then turned absolutely vile toward Joon-hee and his family? It was exhausting to watch. She masked everything as “a mother’s duty,” but it was really about her own ego. Jin-ah’s father and brother, on the other hand, were far more reasonable. Her father standing up for her; especially after hearing the truth from Gyu-min; was genuinely satisfying.
   
4. Jin-ah herself… was frustrating at times. She’s a 35-year-old working woman, yet she lets her family dictate her life. Some of her decisions made me want to scream.
   Getting into a car with an abusive ex who already violated her boundaries??
   Lying to Joon-hee repeatedly??
   Agreeing to a blind date while still in a relationship??
   Even if she apologized later… it didn’t always feel enough.
   
5. I loved how Joon-hee’s friends treated Jin-ah. There was no mocking, no judgment about her being older. That sleepover scene? So wholesome. The girls bonding with her instead of judging her, it felt refreshing.
   
6. The workplace harassment subplot had so much potential. The build-up was strong, and Jin-ah standing up for herself was powerful… but the resolution felt rushed and underwhelming.
   
7. And the ending…
   The second half was repetitive, frustrating, and dragged a bit. Their reunion at the very end—less than 10 minutes—felt too short for everything they went through.
   So many questions remained…
   Do they make it work long-term?
   Does she move abroad?
   Does he return?
   We’re just… left wondering.
   
8. I didn’t realize that I had already seen Hae-in in 2 different shows as cameo. In Goblin: The Lonely and Great God (2016–17) he played a short role of Ji Eun-tak’s (the female lead) childhood crush, his handsome face was enough to make Goblin feel jealous. He also appeared in Reply 1988 (2015-2016): A Love Letter to Simpler Time as an admirer of Deok-sun. How did I NOT see him?!
   

---

Final Verdict

---

All in all, I’d rate the show a 7.8/10.
The cast did an excellent job; I’m already on a mission to watch everything Jung Hae-in has ever worked in. I loved Ye-jin’s portrayal of Jin-ah… the story had so much potential.
It just… fell a little flat in execution.
But still… it lingers. 🌧

---

My Recommendations

---

---

That’s all for today, see you in another one!