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“Turning a blind eye, playing dumb and pretending like everything is fine is just to cruel”
Right from the first minute, I knew this show was going to be a hard watch. The story is so intense, filled with heavy scenes and bleak, apathetic characters who seem like they’re just surviving day by day rather than actually living, just trying to bear their own pain, conflicts, and the circumstances they’re trapped in.
Ki-woo and Hyun-jae are two lonely, wounded souls who, in different ways, have become prisoners of their own circumstances and the emotional walls they built to survive them. Ki-woo is trapped by the fear of being judged, which is why he puts up this front of having it all together as a flawless adult. Meanwhile, Hyun-jae is trapped by rejection and a deep sense of unfulfillment and emotional hunger. Both of them just want to be seen for who they really are, not who everyone else expects them to be. And their worlds get completely shaken up when Ki-woo gets hired as a temporary teacher at Hyun-jae’s school.
Hyun-jae is the character who impacted me the most because he’s someone who’s already been written off by others as “problematic.” When people keep treating you like you’re unwanted, you start second-guessing genuine affection or testing the limits of anyone who tries to get close. He craves intimacy, but he doesn’t entirely believe it’s possible to be loved without having to earn it.
Characters I hated the most: Hyun-jae’s dad and his goon, plus the whole school faculty.
Cutest moment: When Seong Won asks Jeong Ha to give him time to fall in love with him, promising he won’t run away anymore.
Scenes that moved me the most: Hyun-jae’s hugs with Ki-woo.
Out of all the themes the series tackles, the strongest criticisms for me were how people treat rumors like proven facts, how judgment always comes before understanding, and how people care way more about saving face and maintaining a good reputation than actually finding out the truth of what happened.
The entire cast delivered such a raw, visceral performance, especially the four main leads. They let all their inner conflict and emotional weight bleed through, making it feel deeply human, physical, and impossible to ignore. Honestly, it had me crying multiple times.
As for the ending: Do they end up together? In my opinion, yes. After both of them finally take control of their lives, they cross paths again at the bus stop where Hyun-jae used to wait for Ki-woo, but this time, it’s Ki-woo waiting for Hyun-jae.
Ki-woo and Hyun-jae are two lonely, wounded souls who, in different ways, have become prisoners of their own circumstances and the emotional walls they built to survive them. Ki-woo is trapped by the fear of being judged, which is why he puts up this front of having it all together as a flawless adult. Meanwhile, Hyun-jae is trapped by rejection and a deep sense of unfulfillment and emotional hunger. Both of them just want to be seen for who they really are, not who everyone else expects them to be. And their worlds get completely shaken up when Ki-woo gets hired as a temporary teacher at Hyun-jae’s school.
Hyun-jae is the character who impacted me the most because he’s someone who’s already been written off by others as “problematic.” When people keep treating you like you’re unwanted, you start second-guessing genuine affection or testing the limits of anyone who tries to get close. He craves intimacy, but he doesn’t entirely believe it’s possible to be loved without having to earn it.
Characters I hated the most: Hyun-jae’s dad and his goon, plus the whole school faculty.
Cutest moment: When Seong Won asks Jeong Ha to give him time to fall in love with him, promising he won’t run away anymore.
Scenes that moved me the most: Hyun-jae’s hugs with Ki-woo.
Out of all the themes the series tackles, the strongest criticisms for me were how people treat rumors like proven facts, how judgment always comes before understanding, and how people care way more about saving face and maintaining a good reputation than actually finding out the truth of what happened.
The entire cast delivered such a raw, visceral performance, especially the four main leads. They let all their inner conflict and emotional weight bleed through, making it feel deeply human, physical, and impossible to ignore. Honestly, it had me crying multiple times.
As for the ending: Do they end up together? In my opinion, yes. After both of them finally take control of their lives, they cross paths again at the bus stop where Hyun-jae used to wait for Ki-woo, but this time, it’s Ki-woo waiting for Hyun-jae.
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