This review may contain spoilers
When Love and Hatred Exist together
"I hate you to the core but still i love you the most." This single line perfectly captures the essence of the drama. At its heart, its a story about the toxic yet unbreakable friendship between Eunjeong and Sang Yeon. No matter how destructive their relationship seems, they remain each other’s one constant.
Sang Yeon is clearly toxic but i never found myself truly hating her. Maybe its because her backstory was portrayed so convincingly or maybe because deep down, Eunjeong never stopped needing her. Thats what makes their bond so fascinating, it defies simple labels. To call it mere friendship feels inadequate. Its the kind of connection where they shouldnt be together yet they cant exist apart.
Romance and especially the love triangle, was also a big part of the drama. The triangle was complicated, but after finishing drama you couldnt really hate anyone in it. At times you might get angry on characters like Sang Yeon or Sang Hak and at other times you could even understand where they are coming from. In the bigger picture, i dont resent any of them for how the story unfolded. The romance between Eunjeong and Sang Hak was touching but her love-hate bond with Sang Yeon absolutely stole the show.
The drama leans heavily into melodrama and it had me in tears multiple times. The first real breaking point for me was Sang Yeon’s brother’s backstory, which was devastating and then the last two episodes hit just as hard. They were painful to watch, but in the best possible way.
What i liked most was how the drama never painted their relationship in black and white. It didnt glorify Sang Yeon’s behavior but it also didnt make her a complete villain. It showed how love, anger, insecurity, jealousy and dependence can all exist together in one relationship. That made the characters feel very real, even with their flaws.
I personally think that in real life no one should have a friend like Sang Yeon. But in this drama, i dont know maybe its not for me to decide whether a toxic friend like Sang Yeon should stay with Eunjeong or not. What i felt after finishing the drama is that Eunjeong herself needed her. And because of that, i still accept and even approve their toxic friendship within the story.
The drama also had a very strong atmosphere. The music, the pacing and the way side characters were written all added to the heaviness of the story. The subplots didnt feel extra, they actually made the drama deeper and showed how Eunjeong and Sang Yeon’s choices affected everyone around them.
In the end, even with its unusual and heavy storyline, i loved it a lot. For me, its a solid 9.5/10.
Sang Yeon is clearly toxic but i never found myself truly hating her. Maybe its because her backstory was portrayed so convincingly or maybe because deep down, Eunjeong never stopped needing her. Thats what makes their bond so fascinating, it defies simple labels. To call it mere friendship feels inadequate. Its the kind of connection where they shouldnt be together yet they cant exist apart.
Romance and especially the love triangle, was also a big part of the drama. The triangle was complicated, but after finishing drama you couldnt really hate anyone in it. At times you might get angry on characters like Sang Yeon or Sang Hak and at other times you could even understand where they are coming from. In the bigger picture, i dont resent any of them for how the story unfolded. The romance between Eunjeong and Sang Hak was touching but her love-hate bond with Sang Yeon absolutely stole the show.
The drama leans heavily into melodrama and it had me in tears multiple times. The first real breaking point for me was Sang Yeon’s brother’s backstory, which was devastating and then the last two episodes hit just as hard. They were painful to watch, but in the best possible way.
What i liked most was how the drama never painted their relationship in black and white. It didnt glorify Sang Yeon’s behavior but it also didnt make her a complete villain. It showed how love, anger, insecurity, jealousy and dependence can all exist together in one relationship. That made the characters feel very real, even with their flaws.
I personally think that in real life no one should have a friend like Sang Yeon. But in this drama, i dont know maybe its not for me to decide whether a toxic friend like Sang Yeon should stay with Eunjeong or not. What i felt after finishing the drama is that Eunjeong herself needed her. And because of that, i still accept and even approve their toxic friendship within the story.
The drama also had a very strong atmosphere. The music, the pacing and the way side characters were written all added to the heaviness of the story. The subplots didnt feel extra, they actually made the drama deeper and showed how Eunjeong and Sang Yeon’s choices affected everyone around them.
In the end, even with its unusual and heavy storyline, i loved it a lot. For me, its a solid 9.5/10.
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