What Is The Story Of “The Trunk” K-Drama About?

I sat down with my trusty bowl of ramen, expecting a breezy, feel-good K-drama experience—the kind where I could swoon over slow-burn romance and maybe shed a single delicate tear. But instead? The Trunk grabbed me by the soul, shook me like a rag doll, and hurled my emotions into the abyss.

Did I get a sweet, relaxing romance that lets me sleep at night? Please.

Not a chance. Ha! Not even close. Nope.

What I got was an emotional rollercoaster that dragged me through contract marriage chaos, psychological warfare, and a trunk with more secrets than my browser history.

I should’ve known better, but did that stop me? Absolutely not.

Contract Marriages, Corporate Secrets, and Absolute Chaos

Anything with contract marriages and deep, dark secrets is never just a fluffy romance. Instead, The Trunk toyed with my emotions like a cat batting around a helpless mouse, then threw me into a blender of suspense and cranked it up to maximum chaos.

This K-drama isn’t just a show. It’s a full-blown emotional ambush filled with contract marriages, psychological chess matches, and a trunk so mysterious it might as well have a curse on it.

Let’s talk about contract marriages—because this drama takes them to a whole new level.

Sure, we’ve seen fake relationships in K-dramas before, but The Trunk taps into something deeper: Korea’s societal pressure to marry, maintain a picture-perfect life, and avoid becoming the dreaded ‘aging single.’

In real life, there are actual matchmaking services in Korea—not quite like NM, but close enough to make you wonder.

The idea that love can be bought, arranged, and neatly contracted? It’s not just a dramatic trope—it’s a sharp commentary on cultural expectations, and The Trunk doesn’t shy away from exposing the cracks in that system.

In Korea, marriage is often seen as a family obligation rather than just a romantic decision, which is why matchmaking agencies exist in real life—not exactly like NM, but similar!

The pressure to marry before a certain age or to maintain social standing makes this concept more than just a fictional plot device—it’s a commentary on real-life expectations in Korean society.

At the center of The Trunk is New Marriage (NM), a company that arranges temporary marriages for clients who want all the benefits of companionship—without the lifelong commitment.

At the center of The Trunk is New Marriage (NM), a company that arranges temporary marriages for clients who want all the benefits of companionship—without the lifelong commitment.

Sounds harmless, right? WRONG. Because the deeper you go, the more twisted this whole operation gets.

Enter Han Jeong-won (played by Gong Yoo), a successful yet emotionally unavailable music producer.

He’s forced into a contract marriage with Noh In-ji (Seo Hyun-jin), who, get this, is a professional field wife working for NM. Her job? Marry men temporarily, no emotions attached.

If that wasn’t chaotic enough, enter Lee Seo-yeon, Jeong-won’s ex-wife, who treats emotional manipulation like an Olympic sport and is going for the gold.

She’s got one goal: win him back after a year—except nothing goes as planned.

And then. Oh, then. The trunk appears. And suddenly, everything spirals.

The Mysterious Trunk That Ruins Lives

You know how curiosity supposedly killed the cat?

Well, in The Trunk, curiosity doesn’t just kill—it kidnaps, interrogates, and emotionally destroys anyone foolish enough to dig too deep.

A mysterious trunk is fished out of a lake, and its contents threaten to expose NM’s darkest secrets.

Suddenly, what seemed like a quirky take on contract marriages turns into a full-blown thriller with conspiracy, manipulation, and a touch of “who’s gonna make it out alive?”

As Jeong-won and In-ji try to piece things together, their fake marriage starts feeling a little too real.

Nothing screams ‘romantic bonding experience’ like unraveling a dark conspiracy while possibly fearing for your life.

The Slow Burn That Will Emotionally Wreck You

K-dramas have mastered the slow burn, and The Trunk delivers in spades.

The chemistry between Jeong-won and In-ji? Insane.

At first, they’re just two strangers stuck in a ridiculous situation. But as they start peeling back each other’s layers (and dodging manipulative exes and stalkers), real feelings begin to creep in.

But of course, peace is a foreign concept in this drama.

There are stolen glances. Lingering touches. Moments where you just know they’re both screaming internally but refuse to admit it.

Just when you think, ‘Okay, maybe they’ll finally catch a break,’ the drama laughs in your face and throws another plot twist like a rogue meteor.

Just when you think, ‘Okay, maybe they’ll finally catch a break,’ the drama laughs in your face and throws another plot twist like a rogue meteor.

At this point, all we needed was a chaebol heir reveal, an amnesia twist, or maybe a long-lost twin—because why not? Would I have questioned it? Not for a second.

Manipulative Exes, Unhinged Stalkers, And People Who Need Therapy

A good drama isn’t complete without a villain (or two), and The Trunk serves up some grade-A antagonists.

• Eom Tae-seong is a full-blown stalker with an obsession for exposing NM’s dirty secrets. He’s convinced the trunk holds the key to his revenge, and he’s not wrong. But his methods? Unhinged.
• Lee Seo-yeon, Jeong-won’s ex, takes manipulation to an art form. She doesn’t care if he’s in a fake marriage. She doesn’t care if he’s moved on. She just wants to win.
• Yun Ji-oh, Seo-yeon’s contract husband, starts off as an innocent bystander but ends up in a moral crisis that leads to, well… let’s just say someone doesn’t make it to the end credits.

By the time this drama is done with you, trust issues won’t just be through the roof.

They’ll be orbiting the moon. I’m talking full-blown detective mode, analyzing every character’s micro-expression like it’s my job. Red string. Frantic notes. The whole thing.

You’ll start side-eyeing every character like they personally owe you an explanation.

Do We Get A Happy Ending? Well … That’s Complicated

Well… kind of.

Jeong-won and In-ji don’t officially end up together. But let’s not kid ourselves.

That maybe someday energy? Strong enough to power an entire K-drama franchise.

They take time apart to heal, which, let’s be honest, they desperately need.

But the way their story closes? Hopeful.

And you know what? I kinda respect it. Sometimes love is messy, and sometimes a drama decides to punch you in the heart instead of wrapping things up with a neat little bow.

Some love stories aren’t meant to be wrapped up neatly, and The Trunk gives us an ending that actually makes sense.

Should You Watch The Trunk? Absolutely. Right Now.

If Flower of Evil, Stranger, or Mine kept you up at night, then The Trunk is about to wreck your sleep schedule all over again. These dramas all feature suspense, layered characters, and plot twists that will leave you questioning everything.

If you’re a fan of suspenseful romance dramas with unpredictable twists, this one’s for you.

Think Flower of Evil meets Mine, but with contract marriages and a mystery trunk that ruins lives.

You’ll scream at your screen. You’ll clutch your chest like you’re in a tragic sageuk. You may even shed a single, dramatic tear.

And then you’ll binge it all in two days, swearing ‘just one more episode’ like it’s not the biggest lie you’ve ever told yourself.

And when you do, come back so we can scream about it together.

Oh, and don’t forget to comment, subscribe, and join the K-drama chaos—because honestly, we all need a support group for these plot twists! Drop your theories, heartbreaks, and existential crises in the comments!