"Long Time No Sex," a drama with only six episodes, has sparked immense discussion. While being an adult-only show is one of the drama's selling points, its primary reason for gaining popularity lies in revealing the struggles of love and desire in Korean society, and by extension, East Asian societies, touching on the pain points of contemporary young people.
The main character, Samuel (played by Ahn Jae-hong), is a talented student at Seoul University who works as an ordinary taxi driver after a failed business venture. His wife, Woo Jin (played by Esom), is a front desk receptionist at a hotel and they jointly own an apartment through a mortgage. Seven years ago, during their passionate courtship phase, they were deeply in love and passionate. Still, soon after their marriage, they lost interest in their intimate life and have lived together like roommates for the past seven years.
How did the desire disappear? The couple tried various methods but found nothing effective. Perhaps reality is the root cause of the dissipation of desire. When property prices in Seoul were high, the couple borrowed from the bank at a high-interest rate to purchase a 70 million won apartment. To repay the mortgage, they lived frugally - the wife often had rice with kimchi for meals, the husband would be reprimanded by his wife for having coffee outside, and on hot days, they couldn't bring themselves to turn on the air conditioning to save electricity.
Being a ‘mortgage slave’ isn't scary - if the housing price is in an upward cycle. Samuel and his wife weren't so lucky, they caught the downward cycle of housing prices in Seoul. The apartment they bought for 700 million won was being lowered in price again and again by the real estate agent, who even offered to sell it for 550 million won. For ordinary working-class people, such a price decrease is hard to bear. Like Woo Jin complained: "We used to work hard, all our money went to pay interest, we couldn't enjoy life properly. Don't you feel wronged if this is the reward for working hard? Look at us now, to be honest, there's no future." The couple entered a state of "low desire" both actively and passively.
The scriptwriter reveals the more extreme direction of low desire - not only do they not live their lives as a couple or have children, but after having children, they worry about the high cost of raising excellent children, and parents secretly hope their children are not too excellent. Woo Jin's niece has an outstanding talent for piano, but Woo Jin's sister is not happy at all, hoping her daughter doesn't get first place in the piano competition. "She should also consider her younger siblings. Is it the time to be a genius now? I'm almost going crazy trying to feed three mouths. To me, her talent is not a gift, it's a disaster... If I had known earlier, I should have used contraception." This young mother no longer believes in "a boy from a poor family becoming a scholar", although her daughter is indeed a piano genius, she doesn't even want the hope of social mobility.
"LTNS," despite its brevity, effectively portrays the class rigidity of South Korean society. For instance, a young granddaughter from a chaebol family invests her pocket money in stocks and can earn 1 million won every month before starting primary school. When Samuel and his wife begin their "catching cheaters" business, the first person they catch is a prosecutor. However, they quickly realize they can't extort him, as "he's someone we can't afford to mess with..." This illustrates the stark divide between the wealthy, who have promising futures, and the poor, who are resigned to minor roles. It's no wonder South Korea has one of the world's lowest birth rates.
Desires have diminished, but have desires truly disappeared?
"LTNS" has a seemingly contradictory aspect. On one hand, Samuel and his wife have entered a state of low desire early on, while on the other hand, they engage in "catching adulterers." By chance, they discover that extorting those who cheat on their families can make money - how come there are still so many people cheating in an era of low desire?
There is no real contradiction here. The low desires of some people can coexist with the great desires of ordinary people; more importantly, the show intentionally uses this setting to move beyond the framework of a mere social problem drama and delve into a deeper exploration of gender relationships. Some people do have desires, but the act of cheating precisely shows that they have lost love in their intimate relationships.
Love is a deeper layer of desire. Love not only includes the irresistible physical attraction towards a specific individual, but also encompasses emotional affection, a strong sense of belonging, and mutual reliance. The term "lovelessness" often mentioned nowadays refers to people gradually losing the ability to explore and practice love. The essence of this ability lies in mutual investment, possession, and sharing between two individuals - it is the key to love, and it is precisely this territory that many modern people are unwilling to cede.
Love is a deeper layer of desire. Love not only includes the irresistible physical attraction to a specific individual, but also emotional affection, a strong sense of belonging, and mutual dependence. The term "lovelessness" that we often hear nowadays refers to people gradually losing the ability to explore and practice love. The essence of this ability is the mutual investment, possession, and sharing between two people. It is our willingness to let each other occupy the territory of life and heart - this is the key to love, and this territory is precisely what many modern people are unwilling to cede.
The act of cheating signifies a loss of basic loyalty to one's partner. Instead of valuing their relationship, cheaters seek excitement outside. The film provides a nuanced exploration of "how love becomes powerless" through the intertwined stories of various cheaters. The main characters, the Samuels, who make a living by exposing infidelity, find themselves grappling with it in their own marriage. Their relationship, once strong, starts to falter due to the trials of life. They find they have less in common, fewer topics to discuss, and a diminishing emotional connection. Woo Jin strays physically out of frustration, while Samuel becomes emotionally entangled with someone else. Despite returning to their routine and even spending more time together catching cheaters, their marriage remains strained. Even after surviving this crisis, Samuel feels deeply lonely and considers reaching out to his former partner, if only to chat and connect with her.
After revealing each other's secrets, the argument scene between the Samuels in "LTNS" is reminiscent of similar scenes in films like "Marriage Story" or "Anatomy of a Fall." They are consumed by anger, venting their pent-up dissatisfaction and unconsciously saying hurtful things to each other, striking at each other's deepest pain points... Both feel aggrieved and seek to prove that they have sacrificed and given more, but marriage often presents an impossible ledger that cannot be balanced. Mutual communication, understanding, and love enable them to overlook these accounts. However, when they start to take these accounts seriously, marriage becomes a transaction and wears itself down, leading to a state of "lovelessness."
"LTNS" is a sex comedy, or more precisely, a social satire comedy. In the end, whether it's love or desire, reality is the essential soil for their existence. To truly awaken the desire of young people to strive and their capacity to love, reality cannot become a barren and serious saline-alkali land where no matter how much effort is sown, it cannot bear any fruit.
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