January 27, 2025
SEOUL – Marriage is still often idealized as a once-in-a-lifetime occasion — a joyous celebration surrounded by loved ones, filled with blessings, cheers and the promise of a happily ever after.
But here, in the quiet wedding hall with only an officiant and a witness, this couple stands apart. The groom, his hands shoved into his pockets, stands with a clear look of discomfort. The bride, with an unreadable expression, keeps her emotions hidden behind a stoic facade.
For him, it’s his second marriage; for her, it’s her fifth.
The scene is from “The Trunk,” a Netflix series starring Gong Yoo and Seo Hyun-jin, which premiered in November. It’s based on the novel of the same name by Kim Ryeo-ryeong, now available in English.
At the center of the narrative is Noh In-ji, an employee at a high-end matchmaking agency specializing in exclusive, time-limited marriage contracts for VIP clients.
The series takes bold liberties with its source material, retaining only the premise of a secretive marriage service.
Directed by Kim Kyu-tae, the Netflix series introduces a whirlwind of high-stakes drama, including an obsessive stalker and murder, domestic violence and a complex romance involving a manipulative ex-wife.
Darkly convoluted romance with manipulative ex-wife
As the director describes the series as a “mystery romance,” the narrative unfolds into a high-stakes, brooding love story ensnared in the manipulative schemes of one man’s ex-wife.
Jeong-won (Gong Yoo) is heartbroken and bitter over his ex-wife, Seo-yeon (Jung Yun-ha), who left him for another man. Struggling with his feelings of betrayal, Jeong-won finds himself in a new marriage — but it’s not by his choice. Seo-yeon has orchestrated his union with In-ji (Seo Hyun-jin) through a secretive service called New Marriage, where In-ji is hired as a “field wife” or a woman assigned by NM to high-profile clients under a contract to appear as if she is married to them.
Seo-yeon’s plan is clear: both she and Jeong-won will live with their respective new spouses for one year, giving him time to get himself back together. Then, they’ll remarry each other.
What starts as a strange business arrangement soon evolves into something that is also psychologically complex. Jeong-won and In-ji develop genuine feelings for one another, while Seo-yeon grows increasingly unsettled.
In a press conference for the series launch, director Kim highlighted the psychological complexities of the characters and encouraged viewers to follow their emotional undercurrents.
The novel, on the other hand, starts with Jeong-won and In-ji already in their second year of their contract marriage. Jeong-won has reapplied to marry In-ji, with subtle hints suggesting that he may have developed feelings for her. But their relationship is far lighter and more casual, with no manipulative ex-wife interfering.
The story centers more on In-ji’s perspective, offering her commentary on marriage and relationships. It delves into the corporate side of the NM agency, how the service operates, revealing the dry, bureaucratic nature of the strange job.
The narrative covers its guidelines, for example, if you reject a marriage assignment three times you get fired, tips for remaining undercover, navigating work stress and managing relationships with colleagues.
Traumatic past adds layers to characters
The series delves into the traumatic pasts of In-ji and Jeong-won, the deep scars left by domestic violence and their troubled family histories.
For In-ji, her past is overshadowed by a broken engagement, the result of her mother’s obsessive, intrusive behavior after discovering her fiance was bisexual. This past provides some context for why she starts working as a field wife and reflects her journey to come to terms with her past and her skepticism about the institution of marriage in general.
On Jeong-won’s side, the series portrays him as a man battling depression and insomnia, constantly popping sleeping pills. He is haunted by the domestic violence his father inflicted on his mother, even going so far as to use in-house CCTV to spy on her.
In contrast, the novel focuses more on In-ji’s relationships, particularly the dynamics with her flirtatious best friend, Shi-jeong, and the mysterious death of their mutual friend, Hye-yeong. The narrative includes flashbacks to their high school days, particularly around the College Entrance Exam Day when they went to a club afterward. Following a traumatic incident, the trio begins to drift apart, unresolved past issues lingering in the background.
Stalker, murder fuel the thriller
The series opens with an enigmatic scene: a traveling trunk sinking into a lake, later washed ashore and discovered by investigators. From the first episode, viewers are thrust into a murder investigation as detectives search the scene, adding an atmospheric suspense with the eerie setting.
Questions linger: Who is the victim? Whose trunk is it? And who is the murderer?
Another thriller element is Tae-seong, a stalker who has been following In-ji for several years, recently released from a mental institution. He starts stalking In-ji again, now threatening to expose both her and NM.
The novel does feature a stalker, but no one dies. Instead, another incident occurs involving Tae-seong, with NM’s management team handling the emergency situation to protect their reputation and clients.
While both the book and the series operate under the contract marriage trope, each ventures into entirely new territory — the book explores a spin on the peculiar business, while the series delves into a convoluted romance and thriller.
The series “The Trunk” is available on Netflix, and an English=language edition of the book has been published by Hanover Square Press, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, translated by The KoLab, a group of 13 students from across Australia, led by Adam Zulawnik of University of Melbourn and Paik Yon-jae of Australian National University.