Dear Hyeri

Because even in unrequited love, I loved myself - Hye Ri

I added this to my list because of Shin Hye Sun, I know not a lot of people enjoyed her in Welcome to Samdalri but that was my second Shin Hye Sun drama and I liked it. So far this one is even better. I have always enjoyed dramas, movies, and books that tackle dissociative identity disorder, so this was bonus for me.

With the way their relationship unfolded I wouldn't have been surprised if they hadn't ended up together. What I wanted to see was the moment the other personality (Hye Ri) came into existence.

Eun Ho & Hyeon O's relationship was such a tangled mess, both stuck in that love-hate relationship since they can't get over each other. Poor Kang Ju Yeon, I like him better because he has been much kinder to Eun Ho (Hye Ri), but at the same time Hyeon O is kinda fun to watch. I like watching Kang Ju Yeon & Hye Ri together, they are so adorable but with the intense feelings between Hyeon O and Eun Ho, he might loose and it is going to be sad. I am okay with her ending up any one of these two as long as they decide to communicate well in the future.

When it comes to Shin Hye Sun's characters here, I do prefer Eun Ho to Hye Ri. But all of them are interesting.

The one thing that I can't get over is Hyeon O being unnecessarily mean to Eun Ho.

Is it absolutely necessary to humiliate her like that when she is already down?

If you have broken up, then move on and stop dragging her down. If her work is not up to the mark then whatever critic he has, he can do it officially instead of going mean girl outside office hours.

At times, I want to dissect Jung Hyeon O's brain so bad, we get that you are trying to help her in your own way but my boy it doesn't hurt to say nice words. It is so easy to say all those mean things why not just put in some effort and say something nice to her.

Eun Ho and Hyeon O are such a hot mess. They have such a strange and toxic dependance going on, on the plus side, at least he was there for her after the breakdown she had while anchoring. What he said wasn't wrong, since they both wanted different things in life, it made sense to break up. But they were together for 8 years, none of them thought to sit and talk about where there life was headed? He was harsh when breaking up but that seems to be his personality trait.

I might have liked Hyeon O a bit better if the creators had showed her more of his side after the breakup, we barely got a glimpse. I wanted to see how his life went on after their break up, the raw emotions and not the mask he puts on. But we can't deny that whenever she was with Hyeon O she seemed more like Hye Ri than Eun Ho.

I would have rated it 10 if not for the sloppy hair on Hye Ri, it bothers me so much I feel as if it were on my own face. Also, I just feel that they should have discussed all the hurtful words he threw at her, it just seemed like that was glossed over.

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So Much Potential, Completely Wasted

If you’re like me and you care about emotional intimacy, devotion, being let into the couple’s relationship, and watching a love story actually be built on screen, this drama will frustrate you endlessly. This drama itself does not properly build the relationship it asks you to root for, and that’s the core problem.

LIKES:
— Hyeri was hilarious, charming, warm, and had zero boundaries in the best way — I completely fell in love with her personality
— The makeup, fashion, cars, and overall modern aesthetic were gorgeous; I missed this kind of polished, contemporary drama so much
— The workplace scenes where the male colleagues actually stepped in to protect her instead of humiliating her were refreshing and well done
— The production value was excellent, and the cast as actors are very strong


DISLIKES:
— The side characters, especially Hyeri and second male lead, were far more emotionally engaging than the main couple which was a problem if they were not the main couple
— I got intense second lead syndrome, which I almost never get, because the second male lead and the version of her he fell in love with had a relationship that felt gentle, mutual, and earned
— I genuinely loved the dynamic between the “poor” hyeri version of her and the boy grieving his brother; their story felt like it deserved its own drama
— The male lead treats the female lead like an object that waits for him to return whenever he feels ready
— He is emotionally closed off to an extreme degree — not “quiet,” not “reserved,” but withholding, even after years together
— He never lets her into his life, his family, or his grief, which is insane after an eight-year relationship
— The female lead becomes anxious, dependent, and emotionally diminished around him in a way that felt uncomfortable and humiliating to watch
— I hated that the person who truly fell in love with the good man was her other personality, not her — that felt cruel
— Each personality should have been given her own story; combining them robbed both of depth and respect
— Watching her live as her sister and slowly erase herself felt like a betrayal, not growth
— I stopped rooting for the main couple entirely because the relationship felt toxic, unbalanced, and emotionally negligent
— The drama lets us get incredibly close to the second personality, then removes her abruptly without dignity, closure, or a goodbye
— The second male lead also never gets closure, which makes everything feel unfinished and cruel
— The drama constantly keeps us at a distance from the main couple — we’re watching from hallways, doorways, or faraway angles, never inside their emotions
— We’re told to root for the main couple without ever being allowed to feel with them
— The male lead repeatedly centers himself, even in situations where he’s clearly hurt her, and never truly acknowledges his damage
— Scenes feel manipulative, like fake-out accidents and emotional gimmicks designed to keep viewers watching instead of earning investment
— It makes no sense that she continues working under extreme stress without intervention, consequences, or realism
— The reunion felt forced, emotionally empty, and completely unearned
— Casting was wrong: the female lead actress is too inherently strong to convincingly play this level of emotional collapse, and the male lead lacks warmth, emotional range, and vulnerability
— By the end, the only people I cared about were the second male lead and second female lead — everyone else lost me
— This drama handles dissociative identity far worse than other dramas that have tackled it with more care and respect

CONCLUSION:
This drama looked like it should have been incredible. The production, the cast, and the early promise were all there — but the writing and structure completely failed the story. It made me emotionally invest in characters it discarded and asked me to root for a relationship it never properly built.
I didn’t feel moved, healed, or satisfied. I felt frustrated, distant, and honestly upset by how careless the story was with the characters I loved most.
For me, this is a 3/10. Not because it lacked talent — but because it wasted it.

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When Shin Hye Sun's journey to healing feels like a relapse

Well, that was bad. A mediocre k-drama could even do better because atleast the characters have common sense albeit predictable actions.

I have a lot of bad things to say about this show so let's start with the good ones first.

The pilot episodes have that whimsical energy and dream-like, poetic style cinematography. The director is very skilled and he has helmed Twenty Five-Twenty One and Search WWW. He has proven time and time again that he can depict age gap romance properly and without the ick. Shin Hye Sun's acting prowess also drew me into watching this. She usually picks memorable characters, one that will stick with you long after watching it.

So one might ask—what went wrong? Everything went wrong from the moment common sense flew out of the window for our main character Eun Ho (played by Shin Hye Sun), an unknown announcer with 14 years of experience.

Hyun O (played by Lee Jin Uk) is Eun Ho's ex-boyfriend (don't get me started with how their names practically sound the same). Unfortunately, they work in the same broadcasting company PPS and unlike Eun Ho, Hyun O is more renowned and has moved up the career ladder a bit. They dated for 8 years but broke up 4 years ago.

Looking back, it still annoys me how there is not a single reason why Hyun O and Eun Ho should get back together. From the get-go, Hyun O is ambiguous and evasive towards Eun Ho. He still shows that he cares for her yet he denies that he still loves her. Perhaps, this is just a result of poor writing. If writernim wants to show that two people are inevitably meant to be despite their differences and misunderstandings, maybe she should have sustained their character arc. To be honest, I don't see any growth from the characters. They didn't heal or grow by the end of the story, they just relapsed (Ju Yeon is an exception).

Let me introduce the dashing and brooding Ju Yeon (played by the ever-charming Kang Ju Yeon) who works as an announcer in a different broadcasting company Media N Seoul. The only catch? He's emotionally unavaible haha I agree with the comments of some viewers that he's not yet ready to commit into a relationship given that he tends to be emotionally dependent on his significant other. He confuses love with deep care for someone. He is also the very definition of brooding male lead because he keeps to himself and constantly thinks of negative and distressing thoughts.

Of course, there is one character who is able to see through his facade and that is Hye Yeon, his co-worker. She seems unfazed even when he answers her questions half-heartedly or completely avoids her when she shows up unannounced. Her bubbly personality does not rub off on him. Hye Yeon has a big crush on Ju Yeon, hence she took her time to memorize him and so the tiniest change of emotion and mood can surprise her. Sadly, he never looked her way and he considers him as the annoying colleague that never leaves him peace.

Going back to Shin Hye Sun, she played such a commendable performance of playing two roles: Eun Ho and Hyeri. Possibly due to the stress of her breakup and the uncertainty of her career, she developed dissociative identity disorder (DID). In the morning at exactly 4 AM, she would go to work as announcer Eun Ho in PPS. Then in the afternoon at 4 PM, she works as parking attendant Hyeri in Media N Seoul. During her stay as the parking attendant, her other identity Hyeri developed a crush on Ju Yeon, constantly saving a parking spot on him but goes into hiding whenever he is near. Hyeri has this childlike wonder yet is wise with words perhaps a thing she got from Eun Ho's eloquence. On the other hand, Eun Ho is very much grounded in reality and self-critical especially even when her dreams are crumbling right before her eyes. Hyeri is the very reason I enjoyed the first few episodes. The moment she diseappeared and never resurfaced again still baffles me. Was Hyeri just a clickbait? Did they just add Hyeri to make the plot sound more interesting? Putting a character in the background out of the blue will never not annoy me. Her symptoms suddenly stopped the moment Hyun O started paying attention to her again. This just made it harder for me to connect with the character and understand the mental health issue.

Let's also talk about how they poorly handled the mental health condition. The conclusion felt like a quick fix and merely a stereotype of Eun Ho's sickness. I am by no means an expert but the portrayal felt less authentic and more stigmatizing. Putting a therapist in the show does not instantly make the story accurate and nuanced. The pyschiatrist appears to be merely an accessory rather than someone who is willing to help and support Eun Ho throughout her treatment and recovery. In addition, the mental health issue was used a plot device for Eun Ho and Hyun O's reconciliation. The story was so focused on their romance that the mental disorder functions more as a tool for their reconnection. Her DID comes across as decorative or secondary element rather than a central conflict driving the plot. This should have focused more on help-seeking behavior and recovery rather than showing how her sickness made her romantic relationship even complicated.

Can I also just say that the art direction does not suit Jin Uk's face card? I mean I have a bone to pick with his acting as it feels stiff and pained. His face is not as expressive as Shin Hye Sun's. His acting felt monotonous and robotic and he looks like he just recites his dialogues. It cringes me everytime the camera pans to him because wtf is that acting. His face does not give away any emotions except for being red flag and manipulative lol. I know he has personal issues that's why he thinks he and Eun Ho don't belong together. But for fuck's sake, just man up and clear the air between you two. Is that too much too ask? Perhaps the title should have been Dear Hyun O, Please Fuck Off. I also didn't resonate with his torment and internal conflict. All of the characters' emotions just feel superficial and barely scratched the surface.

Is this an office version of Nevertheless? Absolutely. Both kdramas ditch the good boy to an unpredictable, lackluster bad boy. But atleast Nabi sure knows how to pick her pretty boy 😪😪 and she didn't use her mental health just for the clout. She's just irrational and under the spell of manipulative sad boy and that worked better for me than Dear Hyeri. Can't believe this is the same writer who wrote When the Weather is Fine which is such a healing and warm drama. Dear Hyeri on the other hand is the total opposite, very traumatizing and glamorizes toxic relationships.

Overall, Dear Hyeri is just a second chance romance kdrama that exploits mental health for their own gain. The pilot episodes are intriguing but by the time you reach the last four episodes it's all convoluted and messy. The characters' backstories lack connection with their character arc, resulting to a baffling thought process and questionable decisions. This glorifies toxic, obsessive relationships and instills that love brings pain and sadness which is not the main point of love. The premise tries to depict that people tend to isolate themselves because of their traumatic pasts. In the end, the story failed to deliver this message and came across as an enabler of toxic behavior because of the lack of characters' growth. They all relapsed and went back to their old ways. This was supposed to be a journey of healing, not falling back to the very person who caused you pain and heartbreak. Dear Hyeri was unforgettable but for all the bad reasons.

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A severe but interesting mental case turned into a brew of nonsense

After all the good things I wrote about Dear Hyeri, while watching it, I can finally say only one thing - don't bring it on yourself!

A drama that had amazing potential and great acting from Shin Hye Sun, for which she deserves both a nomination and an award, was shamefully killed in the last two episodes. In episode 11 I wasn't even sure what was going on, and episode 12 spoiled the story definitively. Something that had depth and layers finally took on a trivial appearance, topped off with a crown of total pointlessness. It's rare for me to get so angry at the writers. They would have been better off coming up with something with a heavy but meaningful ending, rather than the concoction we were served at the end.

Until episode 10 my personal rating was 9, after the last epiosde is already 7.5. I would even give 7 but there were actors who acted very well.

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Wish this one had a Better Ending

This was one of those shows that started phenomenally and end up frizzled and disappointing!

Despite its exemplary casting, abysmal storytelling led this show astray. I never thought I had see the day when a “Shin Hye Sun” show would turn boring, but it did. While the special focus on mental ailments was praiseworthy, the constant back and forth between the two male protagonists was jarring. Shin Hye Sun does his best to portray two different identities, that are as different as the day and night. As Joo Eun Ho, she plays the role of a burned out announcer struggling to make ends meet; as Joo Hye Ri, she has a sunny disposition while working as an ordinary parking lot assistant. There were a lot of times when I questioned this inconsistency; no matter how insignificant she was, how can an announcer from a popular broadcasting channel be so unrecognizable? How was she able to juggle two different jobs in different timezones without getting exhausted?

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/10/31/dear-hyeri-series-review/#more-1286

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where to begin

Lots of spoilers ahead ... proceed with caution.

I was so incredibly disappointed by this series. The stars I did give it were for Kang Hoon's acting, despite the character of Ju Yeon being selfish and frustrating. Also, a bit of the stars go to Jo Hye Joo's character Hye Yon, who was funny and unflinchingly honest ... which leads to her being reprimanded after she (grown woman) had a drink with a man (another adult) in her hotel room. She had to write an apology and got demoted. He? Nada. Nor did he stand up for her.

In a time when mental health is getting the attention it deserves, let's get it right. DID doesn't work that way. At all. DID is something that happens to a child who has experienced horrific, sustained abuse and trauma. It doesn't happen when a woman gets tossed aside by a cruel, manipulative asshole, who says he won't marry her and walks off. Does it suck? Absolutely. But I think we can give women a bit more credit in handling a break-up, no matter how brutal. F*ck that guy!

After that ... it's just a mess. What actually did happen to Hye Ri? Did she wander into the field and die? Get lost? Live in that random cabin, and assumably went somewhere to get the things she needed to survive? How old was she? Nine? Thirteen and at a pool party? Maybe I missed something. Somethings? Doesn't anyone tell Eun Ho that what happened was not her fault, poor kid? Where were the search and rescue teams? Helicopters? Normally, I love Shin Hye Sun. But what was going on with the character of Hye Ri? Why was she so infantilized, looking up through her bangs with her mouth slack, huh-huh-huh laughter, while covering her mouth. Going from complete shyness and naivité (crying and unable to even speak to her crush Ju Yeon) to a quirky, happy woman who can solve decades of animosity between Ju Yeon and his mother, by telling her it's good to be alive. What? The Hye Ri personality doesn't resemble the real Hye Ri in flashbacks at all.

One of the hardest things to watch (the acting lopsidedly in Kang Hoon's corner), was when Eun Ho decides that she and Ju Yeon should have a "good breakup," despite the obvious fact that he was in a shit load of pain, his heart breaking while she smiled, even laughed at one point, and insisted that they shake hands. Then cue over-protective pos boyfriend (whom she's taken back). He shows up, adds to the blow by also shaking Ju Yeon's hand, links arms with Eun Ho, and the two skip off laughing and flirting ... directly in front of Ju Yeon who is shattered. Kang Hoon has a flawless grasp on subtle emotions in his acting. So even though I didn't know what he saw in her, and he was a jerk for demanding that Hye Ri come back for his own sake, I could really feel his heartache in losing her.

And then ... Eun Ho is totally fine with the idea that Hye Ri might come back ... she'd be happy to see her. With actual DID, that would mean that she is facing something that has triggered her trauma to such a degree that her brain takes over and brings Hye Ri back to help handle it. Yeah, not a "happy" thing at all.

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HYUNOH, the walking RED FLAG

I liked Shin Hae Sun and Kang Hoon in this, but Lee Jin Wook? Couldn’t stand him.
The more I watched, the more I hated his character.

1) He had the same expression no matter the scene. Even in what should have been emotional moments, there was just… nothing. ZERO!
2) Hyunoh is toxic. By the last few episodes, it’s obvious he KNOWS how attached Eunho is to him and how “important” he is to her, and he abused that.

The doctor Eunho’s been seeing? Completely useless. She didn’t do a thing and honestly looked so unconvincing the whole time. And then there’s Jeon Jae Yong—what was even the point of his character? Totally absurd and added nothing to the plot.

There were also some really odd camera angles that were just distracting. Like when someone was talking, instead of showing their face, we were shown the back of their head..?? What kind of information and emotions should I get from the back of their head?

Overall, the storyline fell flat and was just boring. Safe to say, I wouldn’t recommend this one.

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Good girls get ill because of bad boys

Eun Ho is joyful girl but I think she never show this side to her sister. Her sister felt alone. She never excepts her sister and then regretted. Also she felt their grandmother has never felling for them. Grandmother has to take care of them, but grandmother loved them. She just care Hyeon Oh…
Hyeon Oh, selfish, narcissistic and stupid Hyeon Oh. He acts like he is miserable man in the world. But actually he has a lovely family, money and girlfriend who loves him in the world. He never says his family background to Eun Ho. 8 years relationship 8 and they never talk about their family background. How can this happen? Do you think it is a real relationship?
I didn’t watch episode 12’s but I think Eun Ho left and Hye Ri return. Hye Ri should return. She should be happy with Ju Yeon. They deserve it. I prefer to eun Ho and Hyeom Oh’s toxic relationship then Hye Ri and Ju Yeon’s sweet love.
Eun Ho and Hyeon Oh’s love is toxic.

And in the end they added a useless character to make something painful. Why we have to watch car crush? It’s ridiculous. It’s totally different story. Didn’t we watch healing drama. I didn’t feel any healing now. Scenario la very complicated. They show us grandma’s life, Eun Ho’s life, Hyeon Oh’s story, Ju Yeon’s life… others life. Somuch stories. For example a girl came out and said wants to marry with Hyeon Oh. And then disappeared. Any story about her. Just screen time.
My favorite character is Sin Jung,Announcer department leader. He is very funny.
And they can’t even imagination what happened real Hye Di. They build a story about her and then leave her. In the beginning they shoed the picture two sisters, after episode 9 we never see the picture again.
They wasted Shin Hye Sun effort. I had a big expectation about this drama-_-

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TOXIC RELATIONSHIP PROMOTION

RELATIONSHIP ABUSE PROMOTION ✓
TOXIC RELATIONSHIP PROMOTION ✓
EVIL WON OVER GOOD ✓
ML CAN DO ANYTHING. ✓
FL is fake and spineless. ✓
FL has not self-esteem or self respect for herself. ✓
Woman should be treated like Garbage promoted. ✓
WOMAN LOve ABUSIVE MAN PROMOTED. ✓
WOMAN LOVE BEING HUMILIATED. ✓
SICK CONTROLLING STALKING JERK ARE ATTRACTIVE PROMOTED. ✓

If you read Description it already told whole story,
from the ep 1 they are showing a SML, love triangle while they have already given answer to that nothing is gone happen with that love triangle
two ex just mess things up for two other people by failing to decline them properly and start using them ( Advantages)
what is point of creating a love triangle when they even told in there description that ML and FL going to end together
just to make viewers feel PITY for SML ( and by the way SML is and will be going to be super super GOOD guy )
so everyone can have a second lead syndrome even after reading description.
ACTING LEVEL 9/10 always SHIN HYE SUN is best
Joo Eun Ho is an unknown announcer with 14 years of experience. She struggles to get the chance to have her name recognized by the public. She also has another personality, Joo Hye Ri, due to a deep wound in her heart. Her alter-ego, Joo Hye Ri, is super positive and works as a parking attendant.

Jung Hyeon O is Joo Eun Ho's ex-boyfriend; they dated for a long time but broke up. He became a star announcer as soon as he joined the broadcasting station and is the most-liked announcer by the public, but Jung Hyeon O also carries a hidden wound in his mind that he has never shown to anyone. Somehow, Joo Eun Ho and Jung Hyeon O reunite and help cure each other's wounds.

Episode 2

its not a serious mistake but CRIME,
and she thought he would be nice to her when she just wanted to confuse him with no sincerity at all ?

but i want that SML to get dumped really dirty, he act like his mom did not breastfeed him this morning,
did his co worker killed his Older brother ?

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