This review may contain spoilers
โOnly If I Die...โ
Story & Plot
---
"A Love to Kill" is unapologetically intense, tragic, and emotionally exhausting, exactly what I expected from a 2000s Korean melodrama. Having grown up seeing trailers and clips of this drama as a child, it almost felt inevitable that I would come back to it one day. I grew up on Korean melodramas, and watching this now, I completely understand why it left such a strong impression back then.
The plot is very much "Romeo & Juliet". The doomed lovers, misunderstandings, revenge, and a love that feels destined to end in tragedy. Although the overall trajectory of the story is predictable, the drama constantly throws emotional surprises. Just when I thought I knew what was coming, it managed to surprise me again. Even knowing how these stories usually end didn't lessen the impact.
The pacing is slow and, at times, genuinely exhausting, but that is the entire point. This is a melodrama in its purest form. Everything is dramatized to make the viewer sit in discomfort. I cried a lot while watching this drama, but one scene in particular absolutely destroyed me: when Eunseok's father visits Minku and talks about the things Minku bought for him. That moment made me cry a lot.
I was impressed how well the drama did when it comes to balancing the romance, tragedy, and revenge. It never felt super frustrating or repetitive. Instead, it felt like a deliberate emotional spiral. By the end, I cried after finishing the final episode. Despite how heavy it was, the story was gripping enough that I finished the entire drama in just four days, which says a lot about how invested I was.
Characters & Acting
---
Bokgu is, without a doubt, the standout character for me (maybe it's because it's Bi Rain...). He is incredibly complex and intentionally hard to read. As a viewer, you're never fully sure what he's going to do next, and that unpredictability keeps you constantly on edge. Even Bokgu himself doesn't understand why he feels like this. That emotional confusion is the core of his character.
When the viewer first meets Bokgu, he doesn't come across as particularly likable. He seems rough and somewhat mean towards his ex, and it's clear that this isn't his first time casually messing around with women. That aspect of his character is important. Bokgu isn't presented as a morally clean or purely sympathetic male lead. He knows how to charm people, and we see that repeatedly in the way he draws Eunseok in throughout the drama. It's like second nature to him.
He spends most of the drama bottling up his emotions, torn between revenge for his brother and his growing love for Eunseok. Having been abandoned by his family, Bokgu is accustomed to loss. Because of that, he keeps people at a distance. Whenever his feelings for Eunseok begin to surface, he immediately pushes her away or clings harder to the idea of revenge. What makes him so tragic is that he's actually quite selfless. Despite his cold exterior, you rarely see him act purely for himself.
One of my favorite aspects of Bokgu's characterization is the physical detail. The way his tongue presses against his cheek whenever he's angry/annoyed. How he rubs his face to stop himself from crying. The gradual shift from lollipops to cigarettes. Even small one-off moments, like spitting foam after drinking beer in Episode 2. Moments like this make his character come to life.
Eunseok, on the other hand, is the emotional core of the drama. She is a victim in almost every sense. She's used by Junseong for public opinion, by her family for her career and image, and by Bokgu as part of his revenge plan. She carries deep trauma from losing her mother as a child and being abandoned by her boyfriend of five years. While the drama positions her as a victim, she isn't passive or brainless. She lies to herself often, struggles with intense self-doubt, and makes emotionally driven decisions that aren't always rational, but they are human.
Eunseok is an emotional thinker. She is brave, stubborn, and willing to risk her fame and even her life for Bokgu. Unlike some characters, she shows clear growth. In the beginning, she exists largely as a tool for others. As the story progresses, she reflects more, pushes back, and begins making choices for herself, even when those choices hurt others and herself.
Eunseok doesn't have that much characterization like Bokgu, but she does have a few unique traits. Some physical details that occur often are her heels breaking. She also tends to "eat" her feelings.
Rain and Shin Min-ah were both at their peaks during this time and were somewhat kind of new to the acting scene. Rain fits Bokgu visually well. Rain has always had this "bad boy" look to him in the 2000s. Though there were moments of overacting, which was very common in the 2000s, his acting was great. Especially some of his crying scenes. He was crying hard and he had snot and everything. It felt so real. Shin Min-ah completely shined. Her crying scenes are phenomenal. Whenever she cried, I cried (a majority of times). Her performance felt so raw and deeply sincere. The entire cast was strong, especially Lee Ki-Woo as Junseong. His character's drastic personality shift was shocking, but surprisingly believable, especially as his styling softens alongside his emotional change. No character felt completely flat or one-dimensional. Everyone felt morally gray and human.
Music
---
The OST is one of the most memorable parts of this drama. It is deeply nostalgic and takes me back to my childhood. Songs like โ์ด ์ฃฝ์ผ ๋์ ์ฌ๋โ by Lee Soo Young, โ๊ฟโ by K.Will, and โ๊ทธ๋๋ ์ฌ๋์ด๋คโ by Shin Seung Hun play constantly throughout the series. While they are undeniably overused, that repetition is exactly why they stick in your head.
โ๊ฟโ playing during cliffhangers made me desperate to watch the next episode. The background tracks are just as beautiful, filled with piano, classical guitar, and strings. I love that kind of instrumentation, and it elevated every scene. There were moments where the characters were being emotional, and once the OST kicked in, I found myself crying even harder. The music doesn't just enhance the drama, it emotionally anchors it.
Rewatch Value
---
Emotionally, this is not an easy drama to revisit. It's incredibly heavy and draining. While I would rewatch it for the story, the characters, the acting, and especially the OST, this is very much a "watch once and suffer" kind of drama. It is far more powerful on the first watch, when the emotional blows land unexpectedly.
Overall
---
"A Love to Kill" is a devastating, emotionally heavy melodrama that fully embraces tragedy, moral ambiguity, and emotional pain. The casting was done perfectly, and Lee Kyung-hee's writing shines through in the way each character feels flawed, human, and painfully real. While the drama shows its age with odd camera angles and sudden cuts. It adds a certain charm from the 2000s. There are times where the boom mic is visible in some shots that kind of break the immersion, but still, the drama aged quite nicely.
This drama is for viewers who enjoy emotional rollercoasters, tragic romance, morally gray characters, character lore, and nostalgia. If you're sensitive, prefer newer dramas, or want faster pacing, this likely isn't for you. But if you're willing to suffer emotionally, this drama delivers completely.
---
"A Love to Kill" is unapologetically intense, tragic, and emotionally exhausting, exactly what I expected from a 2000s Korean melodrama. Having grown up seeing trailers and clips of this drama as a child, it almost felt inevitable that I would come back to it one day. I grew up on Korean melodramas, and watching this now, I completely understand why it left such a strong impression back then.
The plot is very much "Romeo & Juliet". The doomed lovers, misunderstandings, revenge, and a love that feels destined to end in tragedy. Although the overall trajectory of the story is predictable, the drama constantly throws emotional surprises. Just when I thought I knew what was coming, it managed to surprise me again. Even knowing how these stories usually end didn't lessen the impact.
The pacing is slow and, at times, genuinely exhausting, but that is the entire point. This is a melodrama in its purest form. Everything is dramatized to make the viewer sit in discomfort. I cried a lot while watching this drama, but one scene in particular absolutely destroyed me: when Eunseok's father visits Minku and talks about the things Minku bought for him. That moment made me cry a lot.
I was impressed how well the drama did when it comes to balancing the romance, tragedy, and revenge. It never felt super frustrating or repetitive. Instead, it felt like a deliberate emotional spiral. By the end, I cried after finishing the final episode. Despite how heavy it was, the story was gripping enough that I finished the entire drama in just four days, which says a lot about how invested I was.
Characters & Acting
---
Bokgu is, without a doubt, the standout character for me (maybe it's because it's Bi Rain...). He is incredibly complex and intentionally hard to read. As a viewer, you're never fully sure what he's going to do next, and that unpredictability keeps you constantly on edge. Even Bokgu himself doesn't understand why he feels like this. That emotional confusion is the core of his character.
When the viewer first meets Bokgu, he doesn't come across as particularly likable. He seems rough and somewhat mean towards his ex, and it's clear that this isn't his first time casually messing around with women. That aspect of his character is important. Bokgu isn't presented as a morally clean or purely sympathetic male lead. He knows how to charm people, and we see that repeatedly in the way he draws Eunseok in throughout the drama. It's like second nature to him.
He spends most of the drama bottling up his emotions, torn between revenge for his brother and his growing love for Eunseok. Having been abandoned by his family, Bokgu is accustomed to loss. Because of that, he keeps people at a distance. Whenever his feelings for Eunseok begin to surface, he immediately pushes her away or clings harder to the idea of revenge. What makes him so tragic is that he's actually quite selfless. Despite his cold exterior, you rarely see him act purely for himself.
One of my favorite aspects of Bokgu's characterization is the physical detail. The way his tongue presses against his cheek whenever he's angry/annoyed. How he rubs his face to stop himself from crying. The gradual shift from lollipops to cigarettes. Even small one-off moments, like spitting foam after drinking beer in Episode 2. Moments like this make his character come to life.
Eunseok, on the other hand, is the emotional core of the drama. She is a victim in almost every sense. She's used by Junseong for public opinion, by her family for her career and image, and by Bokgu as part of his revenge plan. She carries deep trauma from losing her mother as a child and being abandoned by her boyfriend of five years. While the drama positions her as a victim, she isn't passive or brainless. She lies to herself often, struggles with intense self-doubt, and makes emotionally driven decisions that aren't always rational, but they are human.
Eunseok is an emotional thinker. She is brave, stubborn, and willing to risk her fame and even her life for Bokgu. Unlike some characters, she shows clear growth. In the beginning, she exists largely as a tool for others. As the story progresses, she reflects more, pushes back, and begins making choices for herself, even when those choices hurt others and herself.
Eunseok doesn't have that much characterization like Bokgu, but she does have a few unique traits. Some physical details that occur often are her heels breaking. She also tends to "eat" her feelings.
Rain and Shin Min-ah were both at their peaks during this time and were somewhat kind of new to the acting scene. Rain fits Bokgu visually well. Rain has always had this "bad boy" look to him in the 2000s. Though there were moments of overacting, which was very common in the 2000s, his acting was great. Especially some of his crying scenes. He was crying hard and he had snot and everything. It felt so real. Shin Min-ah completely shined. Her crying scenes are phenomenal. Whenever she cried, I cried (a majority of times). Her performance felt so raw and deeply sincere. The entire cast was strong, especially Lee Ki-Woo as Junseong. His character's drastic personality shift was shocking, but surprisingly believable, especially as his styling softens alongside his emotional change. No character felt completely flat or one-dimensional. Everyone felt morally gray and human.
Music
---
The OST is one of the most memorable parts of this drama. It is deeply nostalgic and takes me back to my childhood. Songs like โ์ด ์ฃฝ์ผ ๋์ ์ฌ๋โ by Lee Soo Young, โ๊ฟโ by K.Will, and โ๊ทธ๋๋ ์ฌ๋์ด๋คโ by Shin Seung Hun play constantly throughout the series. While they are undeniably overused, that repetition is exactly why they stick in your head.
โ๊ฟโ playing during cliffhangers made me desperate to watch the next episode. The background tracks are just as beautiful, filled with piano, classical guitar, and strings. I love that kind of instrumentation, and it elevated every scene. There were moments where the characters were being emotional, and once the OST kicked in, I found myself crying even harder. The music doesn't just enhance the drama, it emotionally anchors it.
Rewatch Value
---
Emotionally, this is not an easy drama to revisit. It's incredibly heavy and draining. While I would rewatch it for the story, the characters, the acting, and especially the OST, this is very much a "watch once and suffer" kind of drama. It is far more powerful on the first watch, when the emotional blows land unexpectedly.
Overall
---
"A Love to Kill" is a devastating, emotionally heavy melodrama that fully embraces tragedy, moral ambiguity, and emotional pain. The casting was done perfectly, and Lee Kyung-hee's writing shines through in the way each character feels flawed, human, and painfully real. While the drama shows its age with odd camera angles and sudden cuts. It adds a certain charm from the 2000s. There are times where the boom mic is visible in some shots that kind of break the immersion, but still, the drama aged quite nicely.
This drama is for viewers who enjoy emotional rollercoasters, tragic romance, morally gray characters, character lore, and nostalgia. If you're sensitive, prefer newer dramas, or want faster pacing, this likely isn't for you. But if you're willing to suffer emotionally, this drama delivers completely.
Was this review helpful to you?
