2025 K-movies I'll watch ₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

This movie made me smile like an idiot. Park Se Ri with her messy, frizzy hair, her desperate little “confession project,” her bumbling around like a malfunctioning Roomba with a crush, her awkward little heart beating too fast... yeah, that was me, that was you, that was a lot of us at some point. I was cringing and swooning at the same time because wow, teenage me really jumped out.

The vibe was very 20th Century Girl. Nostalgic, youthful, a little dreamy. The music + soft cinematography had me floating in that in-between space of memory and fiction. Up until halfway through, I kept bracing myself for pain (because 20th Century Girl scarred me for life lol), but nope! This one doesn’t go full trauma, except… there’s this sudden dramatic plot point in the second half that felt like it wandered in from another script. I literally tilted my head like a confused puppy. Of course, it didn’t wholly sink the ship, but it did feel like someone tripped and dropped it just to create a conflict.

The best parts weren’t even the “romantic project,” but Se Ri herself... her insecurities, her friendships, her chaotic little energy. She felt like a real teenage girl, not some perfectly lit mannequin who wakes up with glass skin and 17 Chanel handbags. Shin Eun Soo nailed it. Gong Myung looked good with her, they were fluttery together, though… yeah, him as a high schooler? Bit of a stretch. Still, it worked enough that I forgave it.

Cha Woo-min didn't get much screen time, but wow, the directing made sure his presence popped. After the movie I was like, “Wait, that was it?” But impact > minutes, babes.

And then, THE CAMEOS! PURE. SEROTONIN. Every time one popped up my face twisted into the dumbest grin imaginable. When Gong Yoo and Jung Yu Mi appeared, I could feel my brain physically lighting up like a slot machine.

8/10 for me

A faithful, heartfelt adaptation that knows what to keep, what to trim, and what to transform

8.5/10 for me.

A one-time watch. Nothing much

7/10