TVING’s Original ‘Transit Love 3’ is set to conclude its grand finale on the 19th. This season 3 has been a major turning point in the ‘Transit Love’ series in many ways. It was a season to gauge whether it could continue the fame of Seasons 1 and 2, and it saw the welcoming of a new director, Kim In-ha PD, after the successful launch of the program by Lee Jin-joo PD, who moved to another broadcaster (JTBC) and now running its another reality dating show ‘My Sibling’s Romance.’
‘Transit Love’ series has been a leading work and a flagship program of TVING. Therefore, the new director’s position was a burdensome one where doing well meant just breaking even, and doing poorly meant facing criticism. Ultimately, ‘Transit Love 3’ did quite well. Based on the first week of release, it broke records for the highest number of TVING paid subscribers, and by the 12th week, related video clips had surpassed 200 million views. Influencers, including past season participants, popularized fresh review content, forming a new consumption culture. If no issues arise, the production of Season 4 is expected.
YTN met Kim In-ha PD at the end of the broadcast. Having started the program in March last year, it’s been a year, and as she said, “I’m more accustomed to tracking time by episodes than by dates,” she has devoted everything to ‘Transit Love 3’. By now, she should have finished editing the final episode, but she’s still doing his utmost until the end. Facing the journalist, she answered all questions about ‘Transit Love 3’ with dedication, as if writing an introduction for an ex-lover.
I still felt the pressure every episode. Before broadcasting, it was scary because it hadn’t been released yet, and during the broadcast, I continuously felt judged by each episode. That’s why I can’t let go of the final episode editing. I should have finished editing long ago due to the schedule, but every time I look at it, I see something else to tweak. That keeps me coming back. I thought it would be relieving, but I can’t stop.
‘Pink Lie’ feels like a past life. (Laughs) ‘Transit Love 3’ was so intense that ‘Pink Lie’ feels very distant. When I did ‘Pink Lie’, it was my first romance show, so I approached it with more vigor. While that had been fun, ‘Transit Love 3’ felt different because it involved stepping into an already existing program. It was more frightening, perhaps because I had done it before, and a romance show requires more detailed emotional lines, especially since ‘Transit Love’ involves ex-partners, which made it particularly delicate.
The approach was not to change too much. There’s a definite identity that ‘Transit Love’ has from previous seasons that we needed to maintain. However, without some variations, the flow could become too predictable. I thought the viewers and the participants needed some twists. If the participants could predict the flow, like ‘they’ll read the ex-partner’s letter at this point’, it would interfere with emotional engagement. So, we added mechanisms to break the familiar flow. The items returned through ‘Breakup Delivery’ had more impact than expected due to their symbolism. I was doubtful about the ‘Group Chat Room’ actually being used. As a director, it was a secretly joyful moment when three suitors gathered for Seo-kyung.
It’s true we received sponsorships. Hwi-hyun had difficulty preparing many outfits due to family circumstances, so he was the only one supported with sponsored clothing. It was disappointing for the production team if a participant kept wearing the same outfit, so we got sponsorships, and only Hwi-hyun wore those clothes. From the first episode, we conscientiously included sponsorship disclosures in the subtitles. Min-hyung’s clothing was truly his own and filled with their personal stories, separate from any sponsorships.
First of all, the synergy between the four was really good. They clicked and understood each other. There were worries since we were new to the production team, but they welcomed us well. Thanks to them, we were able to sync up quickly, which I’m grateful for. Lee Yong-jin seems like a genius. He sharply points out details and expresses them humorously. Yewon reads the big picture well. She doesn’t just look at a phenomenon but analyzes characters and their pasts comprehensively. Yura watches episodes three or four times at home and meticulously monitors them, so she explains the previous situations better in the next episode. As for Sam-d, he’s sincere and has a deep emotional range. However, it’s a bit regrettable that his tears became a point of laughter.
For Da-hye and Dong-jin, it was not only their 13-year long relationship but also the intriguing story of their secret relationship due to their professional characteristics. Hwi-hyun and Hye-won had the fresh charm of a campus couple and the nostalgic feeling of a first love. Ju-won and Seo-kyung seemed like a prototype of a relationship. It felt like, ‘We had such sweet relationships too,’ or ‘I wish I could date like that.’ Yu-jung and Chang-jin had relatable stories that couples could experience during job preparation times, and Kwang-tae and Jong-eun had the unique chemistry of a couple with an older woman and younger man, and the pain of not being loved. Sang-jung and Min-hyung felt genuine about their consideration of marriage.
We did consider it initially, as there were couples who had been together for a long time. We thought of including a variety of couples. There were people who had broken up a year ago, a month ago, those who had been in short relationships, and those in long ones. But this couple had a solid story of preparing for marriage, and they were sure about their breakup. Although they had many arguments, others might think they are fighting over trivial matters, but to them, it’s their entire story, so we captured it as such.
We were initially hesitant because she’s from the entertainment industry, but when we approached her for a meeting, Da-hye was actually reluctant to participate. However, she decided to join thinking it might be an opportunity to reunite with Dong-jin, wondering if they could get back together. Through our interviews, we realized that their relationship was more important than her professional background. Dong-jin said he would participate if Da-hye did. His genuine care for her was palpable.
It was about the balance between someone who still had feelings for their ex and someone who didn’t. If both had no lingering feelings and played individually, or if both had too many lingering feelings, it wouldn’t work. So we chose Min-hyung, who had the most lingering feelings, and Jong-eun, who had the least. Although Jong-eun didn’t have lingering feelings, he still wanted to remain friends with Kwang-tae. There were feelings of regret and a mix of complex emotions.
When we conducted the interviews, we heard about their love lives, personal lives, and various stories. From these, we were confident they were really good people. I want to clarify the character controversies; it’s really not like that. It’s because this is a very special situation. The way they express themselves or their behavior can be different from usual due to being so immersed in a scenario that’s almost impossible in everyday life. In Seo-kyung’s case, perhaps it would have been different if she had said, ‘Vote for me’ instead. Her resolute state of not reuniting with Ju-won might have sparked jealousy, causing many emotions to clash. It was a process of discovering her feelings.
Ju-won’s “This damn Transit Love” and when Hwi-hyun asked Dong-jin if there was someone keeping an eye on him, and he replied, “Me? You”. Also, before revealing Da-hye’s profession, saying “a ray of light” initially shocked me, but I admired the deep consideration behind it. It was a refreshing shock.
Probably because it’s real. Each format might have different purposes for participation, but once filming starts, ordinary people play it out themselves. There are no scripts, just a true sense of reality that has become its own genre. Love is a universal emotion. While humor codes or preferred genres can vary greatly among individuals, romance is something everyone experiences at some point, making it easier to empathize with.
Previously, I did a women’s variety called ‘Weekend User Manual’, and afterwards, I co-planned a global project called ‘Cashback’ with an American company. That experience led to me directing ‘Pink Lie’ for global OTT, Disney+. Variety is really interesting. There are so many unpredictable situations, and even though it’s stressful at times, it’s fun as a director. I personally like showing relationships and chemistry between people. In ‘Weekend User Manual’, I wanted to show a sister-like relationship among the four cast members, similar to the movie ‘Our Little Sister’. I think I’ll continue with that theme.
I want to say thank you to the participants. They must have had a hard time emotionally here, but they were really honest, which made us laugh and cry a lot. I’m thankful to the viewers for loving these participants. The 20th episode will involve a farewell with either X or NEW. Things are so intertwined that we don’t know how it will end until the last moment. Please watch to see what beginnings and farewells there will be.
Source: YTN
