New K-drama “Make Me Tingle” is off to a provocative start, pairing conservative marketing executive Gong Yeon Su (Nam Ji Hyun) with free-spirited startup CEO Dokgo Dal (Kim Jae Yeong) — a man who manufactures sex toys and believes there is no set formula for feelings. The opening episodes ask a question most dramas won’t touch: do love and desire have to go hand in hand?
Nam Ji Hyun as Gong Yeon Su in Make Me Tingle (Credits: Soompi)
Yeon Su comes from a family that has, as she puts it, “retained a slice of Joseon in the heart of Seoul.” Her grandfather’s word is law, gender roles are rigidly drawn, and the only rebel is her aunt Gong Mi Young (Jeong In Ji), who committed the unthinkable: getting a divorce.
A successful ad agency executive nearing 30, Yeon Su has been secretly dating her boyfriend for close to a year — but refuses to sleep with him, unsure whether their love is enough to take that next step. For her, there can be no desire without love; love must be the foundation of everything.
Opposites Collide on a Disastrous Blind Date
Dal couldn’t be more different. The CEO of Loand, a sex toy startup, treats sex as communication and his products as tools to meet individual needs. He has a nonchalant attitude toward love and judges no one’s desires.
So what happens when Yeon Su’s family-arranged blind date turns out to be Dokgo Dal himself? She is horrified — she has already spotted him with his company’s VP, Yoon Ji Oh (Kang Tae Joo), and assumes they are a couple. When Dal tells her what he does for a living, her shocked look puts him off completely. Both walk away wishing they would never meet again.
Fate, Business and One Awkward Transfer Student
But business has other plans: Dal’s company hires Yeon Su’s agency for marketing, and Yeon Su — needing to shake up her life — volunteers for the assignment. She walks into Loand calling herself “a transfer student who has landed in a classroom where everyone seems to know what is going on except her.”
As she researches the products and studies primal human needs, her conservative conditioning gets a serious workout. Her divorced aunt becomes an unexpected mentor, suggesting women’s self-consciousness about sexuality is all about conditioning. Despite being at odds with Dal and his unconventional approach, Yeon Su can’t contain the tingling feelings she experiences around him.
“Make Me Tingle” is shaping up as a refreshingly frank romantic comedy about unlearning shame — and it asks its viewers the same question Yeon Su is asking herself: does love always have to come first?
Also Read: 3 Relatable Office K-Dramas to Watch If You Loved “The Ordinary Jackpot”
Source: Soompi — read the full story there.
