Our Unwritten Seoul

One of those series whose true beauty unfolds only gradually

Happily, another jewel in the KDrama sky of 2025. Our Unwritten Seoul is one of those series whose true beauty unfolds only gradually—like the secret bloom of an evening primrose, opening quietly under the cover of dusk, revealing its radiance only to those who wait with patience.

Many voices have called the series emotionally profound, poetic, introspective, healing… It spent weeks in the global Netflix charts and entered the Top 10 in more than 28 countries. At its heart, it is a drama about identity, self‑perception, and familial wounds. And within it, Park Bo‑young surpasses herself in a dual role as Mi‑ji and Mi‑rae.

What first appears to be a quiet drama reveals itself as a finely woven net of fate, self‑deception, transformation, and quiet hope. It does not show a world that is better, but one that is honest. A world where dreams fail, families grow weary, people live side by side without listening to each other. And yet: there are strawberries. There are warm embraces. There is the possibility of beginning again.

The story of twin sisters who exchange roles may sound familiar, but here it becomes a meditation on identity, self‑worth, and the longing to be someone else.

Park Bo‑young does not merely carry the series—she shapes it. As Mi‑ji and Mi‑rae—and, in truth, as four substantial versions of them: each as herself, and each as the other in disguise. She grows through the subtle distinctions of expression, the quiet shifts in tone and posture, the evolving body language. Rarely has a double role been so convincingly embodied.

Lee Ho‑su (Park Jin‑young) is not the typical love interest. He is a man marked by scars, visible and invisible. Half deaf, half estranged from his own body, he becomes a mirror of imperfection—the very quality that makes the series so valuable. His relationships with mentor, mother, past, and with Mi‑rae and Mi‑ji are told without pathos.

The cafeteria jobs, the small‑town life, the broken dreams—these make Our Unwritten Seoul a counterpoint to dramas suffocated by glamour. Even though its stars come from the KPop orbit, their performances reach a new level: restrained, reflective, human. Even the supporting characters carry their own stories, which gradually draw us in. This makes the world believable and layered. The supporting actresses Cha Mi‑kyung, Kim Sun‑young, and Jang Young‑nam add depth without overshadowing.

And then the deliberate contrasts: city and countryside, high‑rise and strawberry farm. The farm scenes are almost meditative—a place of healing. Han Se‑jin’s departure from the hedge‑fund world is more than symbolic: it is about rediscovering a way of life that does not need to be efficient.

The theme of self‑compassion also finds its place here: the series asks not only how we see others, but how we treat ourselves when no one is watching.

The OST serves as an emotional companion. The visual design is carefully attuned to the story. The series employs a chiastic structure, working with opposites and reflections so that the characters’ development and healing become visible. Even the colors shift gradually, reflecting the inner states of the protagonists.

In the end, the story closes a circle. The characters return to places where they began—changed, grown, carrying their old wounds, which now can begin to heal. Subtle, beautiful. And, indeed: valuable.

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Overrated but still enjoyable.

The Good
⌲ I don't think I have ever seen a triangle-less romance drama that involves twins.
⌲ Park Bo Young 's acting.
⌲ The OST songs
⌲ The moms (how rare, especially with these veteran actors)
⌲ There is a lot less loud shouting in this one than what I expected based on the setting, in general the drama is just not very annoying outside of that one predictable hiccup in e11.
⌲ The drama not only has child actors for the flashbacks but they were also rather great! (and the flashbacks in general were also rather okay)
⌲ The office related scenes were immensely more tolerable than I thought imaginable, that considering the initial events that led to the switcheroo situation.
⌲ The gay character (I don't care much about LGBTQ stuff beyond the principle of "live and let live", but this was quite well done, especially for South Korea)


The Average
⌲ The acting (other than Park Bo Young)
⌲ The strawberry couple
⌲ The smarter twin's story in general (and I guess her characterization could have been more interesting as well)
⌲ I feel this drama could have used more comedy. (there is very little of it & it's not a too serious show)
⌲ The drama had some really emotional scenes that felt formulaic & manufactured to me. (Tangerines happened not that long ago & the contrast is clear)
⌲ Dancing around the topic of success without higher education & then still sending M to college even after her failing SATs 2-3 times in a row.
⌲ The excessive use of childhood misunderstandings
⌲ The overall plot could have been more interesting, but I guess it's not really the focus in the show, so it's forgivable.
⌲ The meh ending.


The Bad
⌲ I knew from early on that a noble breakup is 99%+ chance, but it was nearly as disappointing as usual.
⌲ The second worst supercar product placement in my kdrama history
⌲ `Take the spare room once your lease is up` (sure some ambiguity is present in this sentence, but why..)
⌲ Kim Rosa
⌲ The "not leaving the room for months/years" thing (If you think about what all that would imply, then it's clear the whole she has not left the room for a long time thing just doesn't work & being lenient about various aspect of this doesn't work either, because they really went all in with this concept at various parts of the show)

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