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A story about toxic yet forgiving friendship, toally carried by leads' acting
Honestly, I was ready to drop it at episode 3 when I realized it's gonna turn into a mess. I continued hoping to watch more of Sang Yeon's side of story which actually never happened. There was about 1-2 minutes of script reading about her life but I wouldn't count that as her side of story.The writers really couldn't justify the way she acted. Not sure if it's just me but the portrayal of her character was giving a hint that everything she was doing was ultimately for Eun Jung. Turned out, it wasn't. The writers really made her a "patthetic bitch".
Sadly, it only tried to show the exploitation of human emotions and kindness and never tried to prove otherwise. There were many instances of such, not just Eun Jung's emotional abuse. Sang Yoen accepting the proposal of that boy during her uni days, marrying the director, Lee Seung Jae's actions and violence during the shooting, their apologies despite being the victim and so on. I also had a gripe about the writer's reasoning behind their brother's suicide. The writers kept trying to drag the story, earlier with their brother's death, later with love triangle and finally with terminal illness.
I couldn't find anything positives in any of it. It's a frustratingly depressing story with nothing to learn from. I know it's typical of dramas to drag the misunderstandings to make the whole story but it was a lot worse.
If it wasn't for their acting, I doubt I would have completed the drama at all. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Not sure why people are hyping about it. Maybe, I'm just different. I don't enjoy a story just because it makes you bawl your eyes out.
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it wasn’t easy to watch
It was so raw and emotional that I couldn’t stop watching, even though it made me feel heavy inside.I kept thinking about how real the actors felt, how perfectly they showed emotions I can’t express myself. It made me wonder how I’d react if I were in their place — probably not as strongly, maybe even awkwardly.
It reminded me how disconnected I feel from others, how I stay in my safe corner, away from everything that could hurt me. But even that safety feels heavy sometimes
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it could be a great drama until it lost me towards the end
What an emotional rollercoaster. From the very first episode, I was completely drawn in. The first four or five episodes hit me so hard—I was crying like a baby. I especially loved the childhood and high school era. Back then, Eun Jung and Sang Yeon's relationship felt so pure. I also loved her time with her boyfriend—it was such a joy to watch because they were perfect together.But as the story unfolded, I couldn't ignore how terrible of a friend Sang Yeon really was. Because of her, Eun Jung lost everything she ever loved. Eun Jung herself is such a kind soul—poor, gentle, always giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. That's what made it so frustrating to watch her constantly let Sang Yeon back into her life, while someone like Sang Hak never got a second chance. Honestly, if that last encounter with Sang Yeon hadn't happened right before she was supposed to meet him, I think Eun Jung would have said yes.
Their relationship was undeniably toxic. Sang Yeon consistently took advantage of Eun Jung's kindness and manipulated her emotionally. I could go on and on about it.
Performance-wise, this drama shines. Go Eun, as always, was absolutely incredible. The acting across the board elevated the material.
Unfortunately, the story lost its way toward the end. What started as deeply emotional became more frustrating than enjoyable. I was especially upset with Eun Jung's decision in the final episode. Sang Yeon finally got her karma—or did she? In some ways, I feel like she still ended up getting what she wanted. Again. The last episode dragged so much that I ended up skipping scenes.
It's such a shame. This drama had the potential to be a perfect 10/10. If only the final episodes hadn't missed the mark.
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A puzzling friendship
I have to say, I dont really understand what this show is trying to convey.This isn't a story about great friendship or great love. It seems to be mostly about a woman who is gracious to the point that the word "pushover" comes to mind. With a bit of family and romantic drama sprinkled in.
Eunjung is just average in most respects, but has an innate ability to draw people to her. Sangyeon is intelligent and tenacious, but also prickly and unable to get out of her own way. This makes for a complex decades-long friendship.
There are many raw, intensely realistic moments portrayed between friends, family and loves.
But where this show really messed up, imo, is 1. not showing enough moments, particularly past childhood, of Sangyeon behaving in a way that warranted Eunjung's loyalty and kindness, & 2. continuing a blasted love triangle from college years into their 30s. Surely there are other methods to explore a complex female friendship than putting a man in the mix.
The drama ends with these women in their 40s, and gives proper closure to the friendship, but not to the life of present-day Eunjung.
Do I feel it was worth the watch? I honestly don't know.
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sangyeon wasn’t evil, she was empty. and emptiness hurts everyone around it.
sangyeon broke me. at first she seemed cruel and a bitch, but then i saw her loneliness. she never got love, always felt useless, and hurt her bestfriend bc it was the only way to release her pain. when she said “he told her goodbye and smiled at her but not at me, it must’ve been me, i was the reason for his death” 💔 you feel her emptiness. park ji hyun made her human, layered, tragic, she just needed someone to stay by her side, every girl needs her mother’s presence, or else she learns to live unloved“sometimes we feel like we’re ruining our own lives, but what can we do when we don’t even know the right move? all we need is a hug, some love… not revenge. she was truly one of the best written female character or chaarcter generally I’ve ever seen. I love how complex they made her and explained everything she did :((( this drama rlly ruined meWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I enjoyed this intense, moving drama that deals with friendship, rivalry, and love. The main character, Ryu Eun-jang, may be one of my favorite characters in dramaland and the actor Kim Go-eun does an amazing job bringing to life all of her character's charm, ambivalence, and insecurities. Park Ji-hyun, who plays her prickly frenemy, by and large succeeds in portraying a complex, selfish, and aggravating, but understandable, character. And the love interest acted by Kim Gun-woo is immensely likeable.(Mild Spoiler: Some people may be disappointed with the redemption arc of the rival but I have no problems with it because this story is ultimately about Ryu Eun-jang, not Cheon Sang-yeon, and Ryu Eun-jang’s compassion and love are what make this drama special.)
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Best drama of the year!!! (with wlgyt)
I was sceptical at first, cause i thought we would see the two girls going on trip while one was sick. Thankfully that’s not what happened!!! We got to see their life story, two childhood bestfriend who ended up as completely strangers left with a heavy heart. I LOVE to watch these kind of dramas. Getting to know their own story and reflecting on it.. It’s so me. I’m constantly thinking about the characters and the choices they made. It’s been weeks but I cannot seem to get ovet it. Seeing how relationship can be super difficult and toxic, but somehow still can’t go without each other it so.. human. This counts for both romantic and friendship relationships. Seeing how this drama stumbled my firm opinions blew my mind away. I love it when a story can make a impact on me. This one did it for sure.I love photography, cameras and stuff. The emotional aspect to it made it even more special for me! Adding personal touches and including emotions is everything I look forward in dramas!!!!!!
I also want to point out how beautifully they portrayed the brother,,,
!!!SPOILER!!!
Grief is such a difficult emotion. I always feel they cannot express it in dramas but this drama did this sooo well. How they never left his presence throughout the whole show.. It felt super realistic and emotional. I always teared up, like if he was also someone I knew and lost too. This made the whole show so much more special.
This drama was overall one of the best i’ve watched (and i have watched MANNYYY) You should definitely watch this too. I hope to see more dramas like this. It is my favorite type of show to watch and I would love some recommendations!
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i spent 2 days watching this 15 episode series and was just shook to my core about how good it was and how directly it hit me. it touches on all relationships you could think of - between friends, family, first love, and lovers.
this is the epitome of a well-written, well-produced show with a strong cast.
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An award-deserving drama!
This is frankly an award-deserving drama where both female leads perform on a truly exemplary level. The only criticism was that of the irritatingly pesky male lead, whose acting felt incongruous and somewhat banal; thankfully, his presence became an afterthought towards the finale. Overall, this was my standout drama of 2025—a production I’ll be recommending to all my friends and family, and one I will surely rewatch in the years to come.Was this review helpful to you?
Best K-Drama in existance
Months have passed since I have watched this series, but every other week I have a moment where I stop, and have to think about this series.It is hard to put into words, what this series is: It is about everything, every drama is about. Love, jealousy, hatred, betrayal and so on.
However, this drama feels "real". Not only that, it makes you empathize with the characters. You are happy when they are happy, you are unhappy, when they are unhappy. There are no "cheap effects" that are plaguing so many K-Dramas.
There is nothing more to say without spoiling anything.
Watch it!
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TOXIC, SLOWBURN, ANGST, VERY HEARTBREAKING BUT WORTH WATCHING
Sang Yeon is such a b*tch she doesn't appreciate everything that Eun Jung is doing for herEun Jung idk what to say she even sacrificed her love for Sang-Hak and chooses that b*tchy Sang Yeon over and over again everytime they cross paths. While all Sang Yeon didwas playing the victim all throughout the 15 episodes. SY is so pathetic. Since her life is so miserable from the start, she always targets EJ and put the blame on her. Like if she(SY) will suffer she wants EJ to suffer 100x more and she is so envious,selfish and insecure pathetic b*tch. I really hate her sooo much
As for SangHak, all through the years apart with Eun Jung he still loves her.
I cannot blame EJ if in the end she doesn't want to rekindle her relationship with SH.
Because the scar that he left on Eun Jung's heart cannot be easily mended given that EJ has insecurities and anxiety issues. Their relationship could be better in the end if they have a proper communication and SangHak could've been honest with EJ in the first place given that he loves EJ from the start but his feelings was swayed temporarily with what that b*tch SangYeon did and he hide everything from EJ. For me if you really love your girl, you need to be open to her and never hide anything from her eventhough SY b*tch asked him to hide it. I got it's very complicated on how SY's brother's suicide reason is but atleast SH told EJ that he's been helping SY.
This series is very toxic, slowburn, angst and very heartbreaking but every episode is worth watching. Not all can appreciate this but I can say I enjoyed watching this.
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The story of friendship, obsession and co-dependency
Their friendship starts when they’re children, too young to understand what it will do to them in the future. The pattern of mutual jealousy starts with Eun-jung towards Sang-yeon’s seemingly glamorous life, then Sang-yeon towards Eun-jung’s lovable personality. The emotions might be the same, but the manifestations are different. Eun-jung’s jealousy is expressed more like admiration. Sang-yeon’s jealousy becomes quiet animosity towards Eun-jung that builds up throughout their lives.Everything that happens in their lives past that point is because of each other. This is the start of their co-dependent relationship.
Eun-jung is the kind and empathetic one, especially towards Sang-yeon. Sang-yeon is distant; nice enough while still hiding her emotions. This is shown in her disappearance after her brother’s death and cutting contact with Eun-jung. Despite this, Eun-jung is the one to reach out to her first when they reconnect in university.
This starts the second cycle of their friendship. This is where the line between love and hate becomes blurred.
Fate seems to always bring them together. But this time, it has a name, Sang-hak. Sang-yeon’s deceased brother, and Eun-jung’s now boyfriend with the same name. This continues the theme that, no matter what they do, they are forever intertwined.
In the beginning, their friendship is seemingly normal, filling in the gaps of their lives, but the cracks start to form when Eun-jung’s reaching out is not being reciprocated by Sang-yeon.
Driven by their competitive dynamic, they keep finding qualities in one another that they themselves lack. Eun-jung’s jealousy of Sang-yeon’s natural talent and Sang-yeon’s of Eun-jung’s natural warmth and everyone’s gravitation towards her keeps them in this vicious cycle. None of them are willing to admit to this, in fear of confirming this inferiority.
The fate that brings them together is the exact thing that breaks them apart. When an additional bond between Sang-yeon and Sang-hak forms, Eun-jung’s well-hidden insecurities are brought to the surface as she becomes obsessed with their suspicious friendship. Sang-yeon has found a confidant in Sang-hak, sharing the trauma of her brother’s, his friend’s, death, but this comes at the expense of her and Eun-jung’s friendship.
Eun-jung reaches breaking point, ending both her relationship and her friendship. Sang-yeon has given Eun-jung an emotional ultimatum that ruins their friendship for good. That ends the second cycle.
The third cycle starts years later when the three of them reconnect through a film they’re shooting. Their connection runs so deep that, even their careers intertwine. Forced to work together, they must put their differences aside. Once again, Eun-jung is confronted with the fact that Sang-yeon excels in all that she does, reminding her of that jealousy she once held onto. When Sang-hak reappears, Sang-yeon is reminded of how Eun-jung is so much more loved than she is. Old feelings silently resurface, uncovering the resentment buried by time.
In this cycle, Sang-yeon is the one who has her breaking point. Unable to express her emotions normally, they manifest into obsession. Her feelings for Sang-hak turn into the need to possess him and keep him away from Eun-jung, blurring the line between love and obsession. Her inability to be loved by Sang-hak grows into a resentment towards Eun-jung because, in her eyes, that love is something that was stolen from her. In all this, Eun-jung still deals with Sang-yeon with care and refuses to rekindle her and Sang-hak’s relationship for her, and this seems to aggravate Sang-yeon even more.
Something in Sang-yeon snaps, and her goal becomes to ruin Eun-jung the way she, herself, is ruined. Her pure evilness is the last straw for Eun-jung who vows to never forgive her again.
This brings us to the fourth and final cycle. Sang-yeon is sick and asks Eun-jung, her only friend, to spend her last days with her. Eun-jung, still unable to forgive Sang-yeon, refuses. But Sang-yeon plays on Eun-jung’s kind nature and eventually convinces her. Seeing how fragile she is, Eun-jung’s heart is softened towards her. Despite everything, the prevalent link is their love and need for each other.
This is a story about two women who ruin each other when they’re together, but can’t bear to be without one another.
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