January just hit and Korean Dramas are getting started this early. When I say this early, I’m saying this is actually trying to impress me so much that I can’t actually sit down here and not share my thoughts about it. I know this is too early to react but it is actually interesting how we are actually starting the 2023 with a bang!

Before we start this, we should have a disclaimer that this series or rather, this article doesn’t mean to trigger any emotions; if you feel any signs of trigger, please stop watching the series and breathe a little. The series is actually showing events related to bullying, murder, suicide and revenge. And this is kind of a spoiler because we’re gonna talk about some theories that can actually happen in the series or in the future.

The story revolves around Moon Dong-eun, played by Song Hye-kyo, was repeatedly bullied every day when she was in high school, resulting to her dropping out the school and working at an early age to live because aside from being bullied, she was also left by her mother behind to suffer and survive life alone.

The story fast forwarded 18 years after, now that Dong-eun is a teacher while her perpetuators are living their best lives. However, all of the sleepless nights she spent studying just to reach where she is right now were only survived because of her eagerness to avenge for her young self and also the other victims that were bullied by the group.

Her greatest enemy was Park Yeon-jin played by Lim Ji-yeon, the leader of the group, the queen bee. Dong-eun has planned all her steps by starting with Yeon-jin and ending with her as well. But it is not easy to get to her because she is now a famous weather caster and her husband has an influenced. As planned, Dong-eun has her ace, her one card shot that can ruin everything. Dong-eun knows so much about Yeon-jin that she also discovers how she and her friend, Jong Jae-jun has a living secret of their own.

Dong-eun decided to create an ally, Kang Hyeon-nam who serves as her spy for all of her perpetuators. is a helper whom noticed Dong-eun’s secret tasks; she threatened her at first but she then offered a deal, which will benefit both of them. She will help Dong-eun and Dong-eun will have her husband killed. Yes, Hyena-nam herself is a domestic violence victim. With a daughter still living with her, she needs to move smart to protect her daughter and herself from her husband.

The two (Dong-eun and Hyena-nam) because allies, one is the watcher and one is the planner. However, they both need an executer and that’s how Son Myeong-o came into the spotlight, however, not as an executor but also a part of the plan in dragging Yeon-jin and her friends down. Myeong-o is somehow ready to play with Dong-eun, but his loyalty will still be a problem if one day he just tell everyone what Dong-eun is really capable of.

While doing all of this, Dong-eun managed to get the attention Ha Do-yeong, Yeon-jin’s husband, he doesn’t know it yet but turns out, Dong-eun learned to play Go because she knew that he will get noticed by Do-yeong that way and while in all these troubles, she also met her Go tutor, Joe Yeo-jeong, played by Lee Don-hyun, they met when he was still an intern and he is the son of the hospital chairman where he is working for and has a dark past himself. His father was killed by a mentally-ill patient whom his father cured before.

Most of the characters played an important role in Dong-eun’s life and so she wanted to grace them with her presence by making all of them suffer, eventually, Yeo-jeong becomes her executor and is willing to kill for her no matter what.

The series has total of 8 episode but it didn’t end in the 8th episode yet, instead, it has more to come and this time, most of the secrets were revealed. Season two was actually rumored to be released on March of this year so it’s not that of a long wait. The series didn’t end even though most of the viewers they expected it to end.

There are also theories and speculations that lingered upon the release of the series; Will Do-yeong become Dong-eun’s ally too? After all, he has some weird look towards her and I think that was actually desire in his eyes and he has to prove it or else he will just go insane thinking how he really feels.

There were also moments of shock when we saw Yeo-jeong’s side, the dark one. We still don’t know what was the reason but the only thing we know is that Yeo-jeong is also a victim and I think revenge also lingers in his skin. But what can he do with Dong-eun’s character? Will it actually help her succeed or fail?

Obviously, we all know by now that Yeon-jin is the one who killed Myeong-o however, there might still be a twist on it, like maybe she has more deeper reason aside from keeping who her daughter’s real father is or the fact that she actually killed Yoon Son-hee. This lady has a lot more to keep.

They have also shown Dong-eun’s mother, is Yeon-jin gonna use her against Dong-eun? If she is, I don’t think she will succeed because Dong-eun actually hate her mother and I think her revenge goes extended to her mother; after all, she left Dong-eun for money.

The last thing that was seen before that last episode was Yeo-jeong going to the mortuary to check So-hee’s frozen body, but it turns out that it is not there. The question is, where is it?who took it? I hope we really get the answers as soon as possible. Coz I really cannot wait.

The series is focused on how bullying affects someone who gets bullied and even how bullying can result to suicide. I myself lived a life with bullies around me, they have bullied me because of my weight and appearance, I am lucky enough to have fought the anxiety in my head whenever they call me names, the result of that is I learned how to love myself but not everyone of us is somebody like me, some of the kids who are experiencing bullying just wishes to disappear because of the mere fact that they cannot live another day getting bullied.

I myself is a product of bullying and that caused a social anxiety, I remember when I cannot even sit in a room full of people because I feel like they will just judge me or worst I will do something that will embarrass me and make everyone laugh at me. These kind of things don’t go away, I may not have been bullied physically but I was bullied emotionally. The bruises and scars may not show on the outside but they are still painful inside. I never get revenge though, my line of revenge is to prove people that I can be confident and proud with what I have. I can be whoever I want to be no matter my size is or whatever I look like. Most of the people who bullied me are not even confident as me by now. So I guess, I don’t even need to do a revenge, guess Karma is doing a good job after all.

All in all, I’m excited for the season 2 of the series because I really need to see a happy ending on Dong-eun’s life. a happy ending where she gets to smile and laugh without worrying that she might forget all the bad things happened to her. I really wanted to see answers for all the questions I have while watching it. The series just showed us how imperfect the system is. The bullies get to grow the same with the world wrapped around their hands while the bullied are still crawling their way up to be able to stand up again.

2023 just definitely gave us a reason to see some motivation in life. I’m gonna give this 95% wonderroanne rating.