Spring Fever- Episodes 1-2
A Small Town, a Scary Tattoo, and the Beginning of Something Unavoidable
Spring Fever opens with an unsettling dream that refuses to let go. In it, a woman confidently writes on a classroom chalkboard, only for another woman to storm in and slap her without warning. The image is sharp, humiliating, and vivid enough to jolt Yoon Bom awake, a nightmare she’s been having for months.
Once upon a time, Bom was a celebrated teacher in Seoul, boldly nicknamed the “Story Slayer” for her sharp tongue and sharper mind. Now, she’s a very different person. Living quietly in the small town of Sinsu, she teaches ethics at a local school, dressed entirely in black and doing her best to fade into the background. Her coworkers gossip about her freely, so absorbed in their chatter that they don’t even notice she’s standing right there. It’s clear Bom is hiding from something, or someone.
That fragile calm shatters the moment Seon Jae-gyu arrives at the school. He’s tall, broad, intimidating, and sporting a dragon tattoo that immediately sends the teachers into a frenzy. Whispers spread fast: he’s a violent thug, a man who can lift cars and dig graves without breaking a sweat. Jae-gyu, however, is there for a very specific reason. His nephew, Seon Han-gyeol, a top student, was denied a school award because he supposedly “has no parents.”
Jae-gyu shuts that down instantly. He raised Han-gyeol himself, and he demands to be recognised as the boy’s guardian. It’s a firm, unyielding moment and one that quietly challenges every ugly rumour circulating about him.
While everyone else is busy being terrified, Bom finds herself curious. After an awkward, tense encounter outside her rental house late one night, she starts to wonder if Jae-gyu is really the monster people claim. Her suspicions deepen when she spots him eating lunch at a local market with his supposed “gang,” who turn out to be ordinary, harmless locals. Even that fearsome tattoo begins to feel less convincing.
Still, nerves creep in during their parent-teacher meeting. Jae-gyu, meanwhile, seems oddly drawn to Bom. He suggests they may have met before, something she can’t remember at all. The moment lingers, raising questions Bom doesn’t seem ready to face.
Elsewhere, the episode introduces a darker thread. In Seoul, lawyer Choi Yi-joon files a lawsuit against Jae-gyu. Through fragmented hints, we learn Yi-joon was brutally bullied in high school and believes Jae-gyu was responsible. Whatever happened back then clearly hasn’t stayed buried.
The episode closes on a quiet but charged note. As Jae-gyu leans in close to discuss Han-gyeol’s grades, Bom is visibly flustered, caught off guard by his presence and intensity. It’s subtle, but unmistakable, the kind of moment that signals this story is only just beginning, and nothing in Sinsu is going to stay simple for long.
Flowerpots, Instant Coffee, and a Chase That Raises Alarms
Episode 2 of Spring Fever picks up right where the awkward sweetness left off. During the parent-teacher meeting, Jae-gyu presents Yoon Bom with an enormous flowerpot, a gift meant to thank her as his nephew’s homeroom teacher. The problem is obvious by the next day, Bom has absolutely no idea how she’s supposed to get it home.
Her fellow teachers try to help her lug the massive pot out of the school, only for Jae-gyu to spot the struggle. Without hesitation, he takes charge, carefully loading the pot into his car and insisting Bom sit inside as well. He drops her off at home and even carries the oversized gift all the way to her terrace, making it clear that this intimidating man is far more considerate than he looks.
When Jae-gyu jokingly says she should at least offer him a cup of coffee, Bom panics and claims she’s out. Unfazed, he promptly produces instant coffee, leaving her flustered and caught off guard by his readiness. On the way back, Bom receives a call from her father. His voice is apologetic, weighed down by regret, while Bom stays silent before ending the call. Jae-gyu notices the tears she’s trying to hide and gently hands her a macaron.
“When you feel down, sweets are the best cure,” he says casually. The words strike something deep in Bom. She’s heard that voice and that line before. But from where, she still can’t remember.
The episode shifts back to school as Bom pushes through another gloomy day, this time teaching her students about solar energy. Wanting to make the lesson more engaging, she plans a visit to a nearby solar plant. Since Han-gyeol’s uncle works there, the suggestion comes up naturally, but Bom refuses. It doesn’t take long for Jae-gyu to find out. Soon enough, he shows up at Bom’s house with Han-gyeol, and the three of them end up heading toward the plant together anyway.
Things take an unexpected turn when Han-gyeol receives a phone call mid-journey and asks to be let out. He rushes to the bus stop to catch Se-jin, who’s leaving town. She admits she’s desperate to be first in class but keeps coming in second because of him. Conflicted and shaken, Han-gyeol boards a bus to Seoul to stop her from leaving.
Once Bom and Jae-gyu realize what’s happening, they rush after him. Before the tension fully sets in, the episode treats viewers to lighter moments, a shared lunch, Jae-gyu breaking out in facial rashes from a food allergy, and the unforgettable scene where he lifts the entire bench Bom is sitting on as if it weighs nothing.
The mood darkens again near the end when Bom finally finds Se-jin. She’s not alone, she’s with an adult man whose face Bom can’t see. Se-jin speaks to him familiarly, which immediately raises alarm bells. Se-jin is still a high school student, and no one knows who this man is or what his intentions might be.
As the train begins to pull away, chaos erupts. Jae-gyu chases after it on foot, stunning everyone when he actually catches up. In a heart-stopping moment, he grabs Bom just in time, steadying her before she loses her balance. Episode 2 closes with tension in the air and far more questions than answers, proving Spring Fever isn’t done surprising us anytime soon.
DramaZen's Opinion
The Kind of Drama That Slowly Pulls You In
Watching the first two episodes of Spring Fever felt like easing into something gentle, but emotionally heavy at the same time. It’s not a drama that tries to hook you with shock value or dramatic twists right away. Instead, it quietly draws you in, almost without you noticing, until you suddenly realize you’re fully invested in these characters and the weight they’re carrying.
From the very beginning, Yoon Bom stood out to me. There’s something deeply sad and relatable about the way she’s trying to make herself invisible, as if she believes staying quiet and unnoticed is the safest way to exist. The recurring dream immediately made me curious about what she’s running from, and every small interaction afterward, especially the way her coworkers talk about her as if she isn’t even there, made me feel protective of her. It’s hard not to root for a character who’s clearly hurting but still showing up every day.
Jae-gyu, on the other hand, surprised me in the best way. At first, I understood why everyone was afraid of him, but it didn’t take long for that fear to feel unfair. The moment he firmly defended his role as Han-gyeol’s guardian was when my perception of him completely shifted. I found myself admiring how straightforward and unapologetic he was about loving and protecting his nephew, even when the entire room had already judged him.
What really got me, though, was the chemistry between Bom and Jae-gyu. It’s subtle, almost awkward at times, but that’s exactly why it works. I loved how their connection wasn’t forced; it grew through shared silences, small acts of kindness, and moments that felt unexpectedly intimate. The flowerpot scene made me smile, the instant coffee moment felt endearingly awkward, and the macaron scene genuinely stayed with me. That line about sweets being the best cure when you’re feeling down felt so simple, yet it hit emotionally, especially watching Bom struggle to place where she’d heard it before.
Episode 2 added moments that made me laugh without breaking the emotional tone. Jae-gyu’s food allergy, the casual lunch together, and especially the bench-lifting scene were surprisingly charming. Those scenes made the characters feel real to me... not just dramatic figures in a story, but people with odd habits, flaws, and soft spots.
At the same time, I couldn’t shake the sense that something darker was looming. The hints about Jae-gyu’s past and the lawsuit made me uneasy, and Se-jin’s storyline genuinely worried me. By the time we reached the train scene, my heart was racing. Watching Jae-gyu chase after the train and catch Bom just in time felt intense and emotional, not because it was flashy, but because it felt earned.
By the end of episode 2, I realized Spring Fever had quietly won me over. It made me feel calm, curious, amused, and anxious... sometimes all at once. It’s the kind of drama that doesn’t demand your attention, but gently earns it, and those are often the ones that stay with you the longest. I’m walking away from these episodes feeling invested, emotionally curious, and genuinely excited to see where this story goes next.
