Dear Hyeri (2024)

A Story That Doesn’t Know What It Is

Honestly disappointed. This story was supposed to be about a woman dealing with trauma and healing from that. Instead it became a love story - one for a toxic couple at that. The drama started to go wrong the more it started to show Hyun Oh’s life. The story isn’t supposed to be about him, it’s about her. The final couple was clearly incompatible, and it also really got on my nerves how he kept shaming her for wanting to eat. Honestly her with Joo Yeon was a much better pairing (although maybe not 100% healthy, it had more potential). And the 3rd male lead - WHY IS THIS CHARACTER THERE AT ALL???
Don’t get me wrong; this drama had a lot of really powerful scenes that are worth watching! And Shin Hye Sun is honestly a goddess when it comes to acting. What I would have liked to see, is more of a focus on the female lead healing herself and her trauma with her sister, and her multiple personalities becoming one again. Instead of giving Hyun Oh’s storyline so much screen time, they should have given more time to explore Hyeri and which side of the female lead’s personality she represented. It would have been nice to have seen the female lead start to integrate some of Hyeri into her life, and start to make relationships with the good people Hyeri had brought into her life. She could have become friends with the girls much earlier rather than 10 mins before the end. This had so much potential but the writer didn’t know what the story was really about. It was beautifully filmed though! Although I really have to say that the sound mixing was terrible for this drama. Why did the background noise keep coming in and out? It was extremely off putting.
Still, I would recommend you watch it, just with the expectation that it will be disappointing at the end and the last 2 episodes are completely not needed.
I really wish she had ended up with Joo Yeon. I mean it wasn’t the healthiest relationship, he did become a bit obsessed with someone he didn’t know for that long, but the basis of their relationship was good - they both felt they could be their authentic self with the other person, and felt seen and supported. Also what he said was really beautiful - how he will love her no matter what form she takes. Is this true? Or realistic? I don’t know, but I would have liked to have seen this relationship play out. It had a lot of potential. And honestly their goodbye was great as well - although Hyun Oh had to keep interrupting like a child (another toxic behaviour of his).
This had a lot of potential, and some parts were executed very well, but I think the story arc wasn’t well thought out, and the writer made rookie mistakes - the main one being not understanding what the true heart of the story was. I hope the writer’s future project can be one where she implements the changes she has learned from this drama.

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Don't watch this with 2X play speed, Not the best drama ever but definitely not the worst.

Edited after I completed watching it for second time:
Alter Hyeri represents only the happy positive characteristics of EH. Though EH was living a life as her younger sister, she didn’t behave as the real HR. Rather she just dressed up as her and did what Real HR dreamt of doing. However while she lived as EH, her EH personality represented her sadness, loneliness and negative characteristics of herself. So her personality fractured into two selves. As HR, she could live a carefree happy life. She didn’t earn any money, she seems confident about her looks and life. She even chose the ideal dream life partner for herself, JY who is only nice to those whom he cares for. On the contrary, as EH, she was dealing with guilt, facing career problem, she was told she was too old or not accomplished enough.
Surprisingly as HR, EH was able to console both JY and his mom. JY was bitter about life and his loss wasn’t acknowledged by anyone, especially by his mom who even blamed him, causing him more pain. Therefore EH also knew how to solve her own issues. The journey of seeking answers often leads us back to ourselves, where the answers have quietly waited all along.
To be happy she decided to live as HR, even moved to the forest where real HR was lost. But ultimately she discovered how wrong her decision was and how she should process her grief. Most importantly her happiness lies in being with the person she loves. And when she poured out her grief, HO listened patiently, holding space for the weight of her sorrow.
After 12 long years, HO ultimately opened up to EH about the burden of his responsibilities and dysfunctional family situation. It seemed so easy that one might wonder, ‘Then why did he wait so long? Why was he so fearful?’. But isn’t fear supposed to be irrational as it often doesn’t follow any logic? And EH knew how to console him. She knew how to handle him when he was overwhelmed.
And to be honest, the real EH possesses uniquely quirky personality that some people might find it irritating or off-putting. But HO finds her endering, he doesn’t hold her back from being herself; instead, he playfully engages with her while attentively tending to her needs.
And even though if JY didn’t win the girl, his healing began after meeting her. He played a vital role in her healing journey as well.

SHS nailed the character as there was four different personalities : 1. Sad EH, 2. Happy EH as HR, 3. EH pretending to be HR and 4. The real EH who exhibits both the positive and negative characteristics of herself.

SHS and LJW shared such a natural chemistry between them. Their chemistry depicted how comfortable EH and HO are together. The portrayals mirrored the warmth and intimacy of their connection and bond.

What truly disappoints me is the abrupt shift in tone within the storyline. The drama was detail-oriented but there was a redundancy of unnecessary details. There were supporting characters who just wasted time, served no purpose. Some were unbearable. The production team just wasted money on them as these characters just annoyed the viewers. EH's healing should've shown with more details. I wouldn’t mind if the story showed jumps forward in time, at least a few months. And her career suddenly seems to go well. So does it mean she was sabotaging her own career by leading a double life?
The proposal scene doesn’t seem to fit there. It could've been implied some other ways.
Though I don’t dismiss his improvement, HO will need input from those around him from time to time, as he still needs to work on his emotional intelligence.He should see a therapist for his own issues. Fortunately he is surrounded by people who adore him. They will surely guide him.

Lastly I really admired Jion as one of the few sane characters in the drama.
Nevertheless, the writer should not feel disheartened. It is a deep story which requires understanding and maturity. She presented a unique story that I found intriguing enough to invest my time in.
9/10.



Review after 1st watch:
The major issue I found in the drama is the pacing and supporting characters.
1. Some characters are not needed, they just annoyed me and wasted time. They didn’t contribute to the storyline at all.
2. Number of episodes is correct as the storyline didn’t require more episodes.But, in episode 9-10 the whole drama became so dark. EH's pain was portrayed in such a raw way that any viewer can feel it deeply. The anticipation felt so unbearable only to meet the sudden shift of tone. From episode 11-12 drama was filled with lighthearted moments which I find unsettling. These episodes are also enjoyable but I couldn’t enjoy them properly as I still remembered what happened in previous episodes. If one binge watches it in the future, s/he might not feel same way. But a person who was waiting for the episodes for a week may feel the frustration. I think the major problem of a drama should be depicted in the middle of its storyline. So, it should have been shown in episodes 6-7, and then the tone should have started to shift gradually. Then it would have become more believable.
Summary:
The main story is about 3 people with their past trauma. Though there are 4 lead characters, 3 of them got more importance and one character didn’t develop at all ( since that character was perfect all the time, had past issues but overcame them already). The story main focuses on JEH, a 37-year-old with her own issues of childhood and adult life. It is a story of her grief, loneliness and career problem in a male-centric job industry. She is seen without any family or friends. Her EH personality is suffering with responsibilities of life. On the other hand, her HR personality is happy with leading a simple tension free life. She is confident with her looks, straightforward and most importantly happy. I find EH is an extrovert and her EH personality stopped being herself and through HR personality she revealed those latent traits. Also EH is an wise character. Though as EH, she couldn't solve her issues, she knew how to console JY and his mom as HR personality. Later she realised what she herself wants in life to be happy. Sometimes we are already capable of solving our own issues, we are just not aware of that.
Then there is JHO. He is a flawed character. He loves EH and has a pretty bad way of expressing it. I found him an introvert. He has problem in communicating his emotions. He is not a book boyfriend material, not a green flag character mostly shown in many dramas nowadays. But also he is not narcissistic, abusive, toxic blah blah blah. This character had to grow up pretty fast as he was neglected by his father and abandoned by mothers. He surely made mistakes but those are not so bad that he can't be forgiven.
And then there is KJY. He seems very reserved. Deep down we know he is barely living his life. After the death of his elder brother, his grief stricken mom blamed him. From then he is living just to carry the responsibility of his late brother. He fall in love with HR very fast which is unlikely as he is handsome and highly accomplished but again, his good looks or success in job field doesn’t lessen the burden on his heart. He is not a green flag either. He was engulfed in his grief and anger for so long until HR enters into his life as a ray of sunshine.
This drama shows a realistic approach of their character growth. Suppose a character has issues to overcome but certainly s/he will require time to do so. Their progress can't be denied just because the person couldn’t become the ultimate best version of them. S/he still has miles to go but they should be encouraged and guided by others.
Now what I loved:
1. SHS. You can watch it just for her. She was brilliant. She depicted the journey of EH in such a lovely way. EH is not a very likeable character, rather a broken soul. But you can feel her pain, you can't stop falling in love with her.
2. SHS and LJW chemistry : Though I found LJW underperforming here, the chemistry between them felt natural as a couple who were dating for a long time. You can feel the angst and longing between them as a couple who can't move on from each other.
3. Kang Hoon's emotional scenes.
4. Cinematography and details.
Honorable mentions: BHY and her antics, Supervisor Kim and lastly Min Young.

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THIS KDRAMA IS IN MY TOP -BEST KDRAMAS THAT I NEVER SEEN-

Idk why so many people is haiting this kdrama i think that they didn't understand the past/history about the manlead jun hyun-ho (they're haiting him so bad, the reason that he broke with her was because he dont wanna be married, BUTTT IS A FACT ABOUT THAT is that he dont want that his futute wife feel with the responsibility of taking care of his grandmas, he think that's unfair)This kdrama is so good,the plot and the history is so interesting, this is the first kdrama that i see about this topic and my congrats 👏 on point, and FOR THAT PEOPLE THAT WANT SEE kang joon-yeon as menlead i'm so so sorry, the fact that she stay with him is the fact that she dont be JOO EUN-HO, joo eun-ho is her true personality and kang joon-yeon LOVE hyeri not eun ho, so i feel a lit bit confused to all that people wanting that ending, the kdrama is about that she can be happy with herself and she can pass the trauma of losing her little sister ❤️ i recommend this kdrama so much if u wanna see something diferent and with a beautiful history, i'm every monday and Tuesday waiting for the new episode.

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normalizando el abuso entre parejas

Muy buenos actores, el concepto pudo haber sido muy bueno como la sanación, el perdón, trabajo terapéutico y colocar al segundo protagonista como la verdadera persona que se quede con la protagonista femenina, quien ha sido real en todo momento, le ha brindado apoyo y respeto.

Sin embargo, luego de ir bien fue cayendo la serie, normalizar el abuso entre pareja, no es lo correcto para mostrar al mundo. El ML insulta a FL y esta continua con su amor firme por el; 8 años de relación asfixiante, ignorando la independencia de cada uno se mantenían enganchado reclamando amor; sin comunicación sincera entre ambos llevando al ML a maltratar de cualquier manera posible pero cuando ella enfermaba o estaba en peligro el aparecía a cuidarla como puro codependiente.

Parecía más una serie de la relación adicto y codependiente. Esa danza entre ambos difícil de identificar al menos que hagan terapia.

No la recomiendo al menos que alguien necesite entender visualmente lo que es la codependencia.

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A drama with wasted potential and wasted actors

A drama with wasted potential and wasted actors, the first few episodes seemed very promising, a plot that deals with split personalities and childhood traumas, I thought I was going to see something like "Hyde Jekyll, Me (starring Hyun Bin)" or "It's Okay Not to Be Okay" or "Kill Me, Heal Me" (which were excellent dramas) As the episodes progressed, the cruelty also arrived, the whole plot went wrong into one big mess, there is no focus in the plot, I love and appreciate the actress Shin Hye Sun very much, and here too she demonstrated her professional and versatile abilities, but her acting alone cannot hold up the messy plot. The music was mediocre and there was a lot of background noise bordering on annoying. All in all, a plot that had tremendous potential and somewhere along the way it was wasted, such a shame

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Boring & Awful Story

This is the first review I’m ever going to write after 101 kdramas watched. This show was just awful. I only continued watching until episode 10 bcs of the female lead bcs I admire her as an actress and I’m a fan of hers. Some nice cinematography but that’s about it. This story could have been great. Not being enough that the ML constantly berates her, wastes 8 years in which she could’ve been building a family, dumps her for four bcs somehow he’s decided that he can decide for her what’s best for her life rather than give her the agency to make her own decisions, he then has the audacity to go back to her. And she takes him back when she already had someone that loved her for who she is. Absolute waste of a drama budget.

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A lovely story

Joo Eun Ho finds herself falling apart at the sudden breakup with her boyfriend Hyun Oh. She starts taking shelter in her alter ego Hye ri who is vocal about her feelings and quite positive which is the opposite of her characteristics. The situation takes a salty turn as Hye Ri falls for the very neat Joo Yeon.
It's been a while since Korean dramas work on a mental disorder at such a crucial level. Unlike the journey of Kill Me Heal Me, the journey of Hye Ri is more complicated than it is supposed to be. With each passing episode, the conflict between Eun Ho and Hye Ri makes life and emotions difficult for Hyun Oh and Joo Yeon. Unaware of the existence of the alter ego, Joo Yeon falls hard for Hye Ri. This arc within the story is the biggest twist which never leaves the car park at its proper place.
As the story progresses and the scenes start resolving a new unplanned situation appears. This keeps the aura alive.
What say....are you looking for a parking spot? Hye Ri is there to help you.

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Pleasantly surprised

Given some of the other reviews I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw. This is not a drama without flaws, and I can appreciate an ick factor at having the ML be an actor with a past including allegations of sexual assault. I was relieved that there isn't THAT much skinship and kissing going on, so I could push it slightly to the side while watching.

I think the cast as a whole is good, even the minor roles have suitable actors making each character pretty distinct.

The story arc of the 2nd ML is good, something I didn't really expect given some of the previous reviews.

These are pretty quick 12 episodes (I just came off binging a 50 ep drama before thistle one so my view might be slightly skewed) and worth the watch.

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Disappointing tbh...

Overall 6/10
🌟🌟🌟

This drama really ended up disappointing me. It had potential in the first 2 episodes but it fell through pretty fast. Before I started watching I knew that the drama would either be a hit or miss regarding the mental health part. I was really hoping it would hit since Park Shin Hye starred in it, however it not only missed but completely derailed in that regard. I would not recommend watching this if you wanted to watch it for the mental health aspect. ML was an idiot and nothing, no excuses would make me forgive/like him. I did not like the way they showed the relationships. SL deserved better and I'm glad that is somewhat resolved at the end. Wrapping up, I'd say the last episode was really enjoyable if you disregard the whole story before that...💀

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