[Mouthwatering] Complicated, Near-Touching Love — Could It Be as Pure as Oysters in a Steamy Bowl of Gukbap?
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
The K-drama "Understanding Love" follows four young colleagues at a bank whose differing backgrounds complicate their romances. Lead characters Ahn Soo-young, Ha Sang-su, Park Mi-kyung, and Jung Jong-hyun each face class, ambition, and insecurity as love choices clash. Soo-young’s family runs an oyster soup restaurant (gul-gukbap), a humble reality she hides while Sang-su is a regular customer; the seaside city of Tongyeong becomes the setting where feelings are finally confronted. The article highlights Tongyeong’s seasonal oysters—grown by suspended-line farming (suha-sik) that produces plump shellfish—and local dishes like raw oysters, oyster rice, pancakes, and especially oyster gukbap with its milky, savory broth. It also guides viewers through filming locations: the winding Seopirang-gil steps, the Tongyeong cable car up Mireuksan for archipelago views, and the quiet Suruk beach where the pair reconnect. The piece ends with an invitation to visit Tongyeong now to taste and see before the season passes.
