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Log in to Dramanice
Log in with GoogleWho Are You—School 2015: Episode 15
As the show nears its end, our students and teachers gain perspective on their relationships facilitated through the constant of school. We see children face their parents, friends confronting friends, and rivals supporting each other — all with maturity and compassion. While 18 is an age of rebellion, ambiguity, and urgency, these youths have the capacity to find value, friendship, and wisdom even in a school occasionally inundated with meaningless hierarchy and incompetency.
EPISODE 15 RECAP
Looking on with disapproval, Yi-an watches Tae-gwang planting a quick peck on Eun-bi’s cheek. Mortified by his instinctual kiss, Tae-gwang cringes and asks Eun-bi to hit him or go home. He can’t look at her properly, so she takes it as her cue to head home.
After the awkwardest parting ever, Tae-gwang walks away with a spring in his step. Broody Yi-an watches the giddy boy walk away, taking another look at the medal Eun-bi gifted him.
At school the next morning, Yi-an brings Tae-gwang to the roof to admit his feelings for Eun-bi. He doesn’t hate her; in fact, he likes her. Tae-gwang responds that he’s liked Eun-bi from the beginning, but Yi-an doesn’t care who was first. He’s starting now. Last minute love triangle?
Even with Director Gong taking full responsibility for Soo-in’s death, Teacher Kim insists on his resignation. He doesn’t feel confident in teaching his students. The vice principal respects his decision, and Min-joon overhears this information as he drops by the office.
The new English teacher has arrived (cameo by Sam Hammington), and students are entertained by his thorough understanding of Korean and slang. His comic relief juxtaposes the tension between Tae-gwang and Yi-an, both sitting with their arms crossed.
Eun-byul interrupts Tae-gwang’s nap to confirm her suspicions about his interest in Eun-bi. Seeing that he went all the way to Tongyeong, she knows that he likes Eun-bi. But does she like him back?
Eun-bi works at Mom’s shop as she waits to transfer schools. She asks Mom to send her to tutoring to make up for missed time in class, and Mom gladly agrees. As Mom greets a customer, Eun-bi picks up a call from Tae-gwang.
Tae-gwang waits nervously for Eun-bi, his legs trembling. She sits down next to him with an awkward buffer space. He starts to apologize about yesterday, but she stops him. Her mind is racing, so she doesn’t know what to tell him. Tae-gwang smiles at her lack of response — or her lack of rejection — and quickly catches up to Eun-bi, teasing her for blushing. How cute.
During lunch, So-young sit next to Ki-tae and Hae-na. They throw out backhanded compliments about her confidence and shameless attitude. Ki-tae even goes to call her a criminal. So-young merely glares at the group and chokes down her food.
So-young throws up in the bathroom from indigestion, and she runs into Eun-byul. She threatens Eun-byul with more nonsense about revealing the truth about the twins, as if it were still relevant. Eun-byul responds by advising So-young to take a look at herself in the mirror and reflect. “Can you hide your guilt by acting aggressive? I know that feeling of wanting to erase the past and run away from everything.”
Eun-byul’s pointed comment seems to hit home, and So-young stares at herself, brimming with rage. She throws something at the mirror and looks angrily at her broken reflection.
So-young nervously sits with her father and starts to bring up Eun-byul. He stops her and quotes Shakespeare (really?) to make his point: “Weeds spread because the gentle wind. Improper care will result in dense weeds. If you don’t want to get stepped on, there’s only one alternative. Step on them first.”
She shakes her head and asks to transfer, but her father won’t risk his political nomination. He’s already had enough trouble because of her, so she can either step on others or live quietly. She won’t have her way this time.
Yi-an finds Eun-bi on her morning bike ride and asks for her phone. He reminds her that they agreed to be comfortable with each other, and to do that, he needs her number. As he returns her phone, he sees a message from Tae-gwang asking about her search for tutoring academies. Yi-an offers to help her, but she quickly declines, which tells Yi-an that she’s going with Tae-gwang.
Yi-an shrugs it off, saying that he briefly considered skipping practice to accompany her. He adds that Eun-bi needs to keep her promise until he wins his gold medal, which confuses her. What promise?
In class, Min-joon announces Teacher Kim’s leave. Ki-tae suspects that it’s because of Soo-in’s death, and this catches Tae-gwang’s attention. Min-joon suggests that they do something. They can’t just let Teacher Kim leave, right?
Tae-gwang meets with Teacher Kim on the roof and confronts him about his leave. Teacher Kim tells the story about when he decided to become a teacher. In his second year of high school, his homeroom teacher was the kind of person who didn’t keep the expected distance between himself and his students. He struggled overnight in the countryside searching for a student who ran away from home. That teacher was Tae-gwang’s father.
Teacher Kim visited Director Gong at the police station and tells Tae-gwang that his father worries about him. He admits that he doesn’t know if he’s a good teacher, let alone a good person. So he’s taking time off to reflect. Tae-gwang understands but still complains: what about him? Teacher Kim headlocks him and tells him to call whenever.
A rude man accuses Yi-an’s father of causing the dent in his car, and though Dad tries to talk it out, things start to get rough. Yi-an interferes, and as Dad tries to hold Yi-an back from fighting, he gets hit. Beyond all good judgment, Yi-an’s strong sense of loyalty prompts him to throw some punches.
Tae-gwang attempts to his father at the police station, but just as he reaches the cells, he stops. He can’t get himself to go further, and he walks back out.
Dad tries to calm Yi-an’s temper, which continues to be provoked by the rude man. They try to come to a mutual agreement, and Dad uses his extreme patience to get through.
Yi-an walks outside and sees Tae-gwang talking to Detective Park. Tae-gwang asks the detective to take care of his father, and as all the pieces come together, Yi-an realizes that Director Gong is Tae-gwang’s father.
As Yi-an walks out with his father, their paths cross with Tae-gwang. Dad recognizes the school uniform and confirms with Yi-an that Tae-gwang is a friend. Unaware of the rivalry, Dad suggests that Tae-gwang join them to eat and drags the two reluctant boys out for food.
So-young goes to the store to get her cracked phone replaced. The salesperson asks if she needs her data backed up, and she nods. She lists the photos and the videos… then she’s suddenly reminded of something on her phone and asks that every single thing be backed up.
Dad thanks Yi-an for stepping up for him, even though he’s done very little for his on. He reminds Yi-an to take care of his body before jumping in a fight, but Yi-an shakes his head. He’d do the same thing if this happened again. Tae-gwang watches their interaction with a deep longing in his eyes.
Turning to Tae-gwang, Dad asks why he was at the police station. Did he cause trouble? Tae-gwang says that’s usually the case, but this time… He doesn’t finish his sentence and continues to eat.
As they part ways, Yi-an talks with Tae-gwang separately. He asks Tae-gwang if he’s okay, to which Tae-gwang looks back in confusion. Yi-an reminds him that he’s just started, and he doesn’t want his competition to weaken so fast. He tells him to keep his spirits up and leaves with Dad.
At home, Tae-gwang changes his father’s contact name from “Legal Guardian” to “Father.” He says it out loud, with a change of heart.
Mom gives Eun-bi the information for her new school, which concludes her Sekang High School memories on a bittersweet note. Eun-bi talks to her sister in bed and requests that she have one more day at Sekang to apologize to everyone.
Eun-byul agrees to switch out for a day and then apologizes for taking out the bear in the room without her permission. Eun-bi says that it was from Yi-an, before he knew she was Eun-bi. Eun-byul nods, saying that if he knew it was Eun-byul, he would have never bought the furry bear.
So-young goes through her phone’s new data, looking specifically for a video. She seethes that Eun-bi and Eun-byul have yet to find peace. She’s just making this harder on herself.
A girl runs into class with the latest gossip: Director Gong’s son goes to their school. Tae-gwang and Yi-an overhear the conversation as Ki-tae speculates Director Gong’s son as Gong Tae-gwang. They laugh off that possibility, and another girl insults Director Gong’s two-faced nature.
Tae-gwang gets up, and Yi-an quickly follows to ask where he’s going. He nonchalantly answers that he’s going to the bathroom and heads out. Ki-tae and his posse breathe a sigh of relief when Tae-gwang walks out without any confrontation.
In the facility, Director Gong overhears a fellow inmate bragging about a letter from his son, who’s ranked at the top of his class. He thinks back to Tae-gwang’s dilemma about revealing the evidence, regretful of his assumptions about his son.
Eun-byul reads a book, and Yi-an sits by her. He reminds her of their younger days, when they would do the same thing. Eun-byul would read, and Yi-an would bother her while waiting. They reminisce over old times, and Yi-an echoes Eun-byul’s words: “We’ve outgrown their younger days, and a lot has changed.” He hesitates to tell Eun-byul something and decides against it. He ruffles her hair and says he’s headed to practice.
At Soo-in’s grave, Eun-byul apologizes and asks if she can visit her occasionally, since they’re friends. Teacher Kim and Min-young watch from afar. She asks him what he’ll do after leaving his teaching position, and he responds that he’ll work on becoming a person worthy of being a respectable teacher before returning.
Teacher Kim addresses his class about his departure. He first apologizes and gives them a nugget of advice. “The times you are experiencing now are at times lonely, difficult, and uncertain. But it’s all okay because you all are still 18.” He ends the class there and receives one last parting bow from his students.
When Teacher Kim gets to his car, he stops in his tracks. He sees his windshield covered with notes from his students thanking him for instilling wisdom and encouraging them. His students yell out of the window, wishing him the best and begging him to come back. He can’t help but spill some tears of gratitude as he waves back at his students one last time.
Yi-an finally gives Eun-byul his gold medal as promised in their youth, and Eun-byul commends him for remembering after all these years. He tells her that he’s here to break off his 10-year-long one-sided love for Eun-byul. She confesses that she’s been confused about their friendship as well, and Yi-an nods that he knew. It’s one of the reasons why he’s waited so long.
He then adds that no matter how much you think about it, your heart already knows. Eun-byul admits that she may look back and regret this in retrospect. She may belatedly realize that she liked Yi-an, especially without him by her side after 10 years with each other. But she’ll deal with the consequences of her decision. This is his decision, his feelings.
Yi-an reminds her that they’re not breaking up forever, he’s just breaking off his one-sided love. Of course they’ll still see each other. Eun-byul agrees and jokingly asks why she would cut ties with a friend who’s willing to work hard for her. They poke and tease, both relieved that their friendship remains intact.
Tae-gwang dresses up to visit his father and adds the one missing element to his outfit: the tie gifted by his mother. Father and son exchange smiles when they see each other, and Tae-gwang tries to lift the mood by reporting his good behavior at school. Dad nods and apologizes for excessively intervening when Tae-gwang would have done fine if left alone.
Dad compliments Tae-gwang’s tie, and Tae-gwang tells him that it’s from Mom. Tae-gwang admits that the house without Dad feels empty and that he doesn’t feel embarrassed by him. Dad elaborates on his apology, “I used to think that I had a lot to protect. But in the end, I only needed to protect one thing. That was you, Tae-gwang.”
The visiting time runs out, and Tae-gwang wonders where all the time went. He promises Dad that he’ll visit again and calls him “Father.” On the car ride home, Tae-gwang cries thinking back to Dad’s words.
Yi-an sees Eun-bi on the bus and jumps on to accompany her. Their friendly rapport is back, and Yi-an seems adamant about spending more time with Eun-bi. On their walk home, Eun-bi tells Yi-an that she’ll be going to school one last time as Eun-byul tomorrow to say goodbye. She says that under her sister’s name she’s gained Mom, a teacher, and loving friends so effortlessly. She even gained Yi-an’s admiration as Eun-byul.
Looking around, Yi-an asks if Eun-bi remembers where they are. She nods, since they’ve visited this park quite often. But Yi-an clarifies that it’s the first time he’s here with Lee Eun-bi. He says that there will be many firsts with Eun-bi to come and asks that she stay. Or he could go to her. Yi-an walks towards her and hugs her.
Eun-bi arrives on her last day at Sekang, and Tae-gwang does a double take. To make sure that it’s Eun-bi, he pokes her forehead and quickly shields himself. When he doesn’t get a smack, he happily greets Eun-bi. Ha, is that how you distinguish the two?
So-young watches their interaction from afar, and having confirmed Eun-bi’s identity, she calls Eun-byul. She tempts Eun-byul with a “fun” video from Tongyeong and claims to have an event planned to reveal it today. Eun-byul immediately rushes out to grab a cab to school.
Eun-bi steps up to the podium and asks for the class’s attention. She nervously begins, and So-young watches intently, waiting for Eun-byul’s appearance. “The truth is…”
Eun-byul bursts into the classroom, and all eyes shift from one twin to the other. They’ve been played. So-young steps up to the front and announces to the class that she was right. Lee Eun-bi from Tongyeong is alive.
COMMENTS
I’m completely done with So-young. She’s our one source of pure evil and lacks complexity to convince me that she has a chance at redemption. No one cares for her antics anymore, and she’s come to the point of sad irrelevance. Anything you do will mean nothing. Do you hear me? No one cares! The only reason I want her to continue on with her mad behavior is so that Eun-bi can get a chance to crush her. It was satisfying to see Eun-byul look into So-young’s soul and call her out, but again, I wish Eun-bi would do something. I know Eun-byul has the personality and experience to deal with So-young, and maybe she is the best person for the job. But if this series ends without proper closure with Eun-bi and her notorious bully, I will be sorely disappointed.
As for our other source of evil, Director Gong, I’ll just let him pass. I do agree that the turnaround was way too fast to be convincing and that Director Gong’s redemption came too late to be believable. I’ll take Teacher Kim’s word for it, but I actually don’t believe that Director Gong could have been that dedicated teacher he described in the past. Maybe a few flashbacks or more cracks in his character may have convinced me, but alas, all we got was a stoic Director Gong who prioritized his school’s prestige over all. I’m just letting that slide for the sake of Tae-gwang’s solace. After a lifetime’s worth of misunderstanding and resentment, Tae-gwang deserves some parental love and support. Although I’d like to say that Eun-bi’s support and possible growing affection may make up for it, there’s nothing like sincere apology and acknowledging your wrongs to make amends.
I was such a fan of Yi-an’s character in the beginning, and I was so hopeful for his performance. But the character just fell flat. It seemed like Tae-gwang’s character grew and developed at the expense of Yi-an’s arc. He finally decides to speak in today’s episode, and while he makes his position pretty clear, I still feel like I’m in the dark about his reversal. Like Director Gong’s reversal, I think it came too late in the game for it to be really believable.
I did think that Yi-an’s candid conversation with Eun-byul was poignant and mature. Eun-byul is a winning character, and I was blown away by how she handled Yi-an’s confession about his expired feelings for her. She’s self-aware and knows she’s responsible for her own decision to retreat from a romantic relationship with Yi-an. Every decision will have its consequences, and she’s aware (not necessarily prepared, but aware) of her responsibilities. Now, why can’t ever damsel in distress have this awareness? I would totally watch a drama with Eun-byul as the main character, or better yet, I would watch Eun-byul and Yi-an be friends forever and then suddenly realize one day that they’re actually the ones for each other. Or maybe if they remain BFFs for 17 more years they’ll be stars of another drama.
I’m left longing for more Teacher Kim. His run was too short and condensed in the latter third of this drama, and I can only imagine how much better the series would have been with more of his wisdom and struggles. I like how he brings it full circle by reminding the students that they’re only 18. Their struggles are real, but with some perspective, they need not wallow in their current misery. The lessons Teacher Kim taught Eun-byul and Min-joon were particularly impactful, and you can see these lessons manifested in the student’s decisions. It’s not embarrassing to make mistakes, but it’s wrong not to acknowledge your mistakes. It’s better to take the right way than the easier way. It’s rewarding to see the students really understand the meaning behind his advice and thank him for his guidance. It’s a shining moment in this series. I only wish there were more opportunities for Teacher Kim to shine because when he does, he shines bright like a diamond.
Heading into the finale, I find this School installment lackluster in comparison to its previous ones. If we’re going to compare this to its immediate predecessor, there was significantly less teacher involvement, teen angst, and bromance. It’s difficult to live up to previous installments, especially with the expectations that come as baggage — it’s just the nature of this series. The show did have flaws in its swift acknowledgement of details (like Tae-gwang’s mother gifting the tie: too late and too fast to have it register) and belated plot developments; however, as an individual drama, the twin set-up was compelling, and the budding relationships were heartwarming to watch. Kim So-hyun delivered convincing performances as both Eun-bi and Eun-byul, having a clear understanding of both characters. For a show that’s always one step behind where it should be, I hope that the finale will catch us up and leave us with uplifted spirits amidst the darkness of high school.
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Jump to navigationJump to searchWho Are You: School 2015 | |
---|---|
Genre | Teen Mystery |
Written by | Kim Min-jung Im Ye-jin |
Directed by | Baek Sang-hoon Kim Sung-yoon |
Starring | Kim So-hyun Yook Sung-jae Nam Joo-hyuk |
Composer(s) | Gaemi |
Country of origin | South Korea |
Original language(s) | Korean |
No. of episodes | 16 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Jung Sung-hyo Han Sung-ho |
Producer(s) | Lee Gun-joon Yoon Jae-hyuk |
Cinematography | Oh Jae-sang Lee Min-woong |
Editor(s) | Choi Joong-won |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production company(s) | School 2015 Culture Industry Co., Ltd. SM Life Design Group[1] |
Release | |
Original network | KBS2 |
Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) |
Audio format | Dolby Digital 2.0 |
Original release | April 27 – June 16, 2015 |
Chronology | |
Followed by | School 2017 |
External links | |
Website |
Korean name | |
Hangul | |
---|---|
Revised Romanization | Huayu: Hak-gyo 2015 |
McCune–Reischauer | Huayu: Hak-kyo 2015 |
Who Are You: School 2015 (Hangul: 후아유: 학교 2015; RR: Huayu: Hakgyo 2015) is a South Korean television series, starring Kim So-hyun, Yook Sung-jae, and Nam Joo-hyuk. It aired on KBS2 from April 27 to June 16, 2015 every Monday and Tuesday at 21:55 KST for 16 episodes.[2][3] It is the sixth installment of KBS's School series which premiered in 1999.[4]
Unlike the previous School series, the drama received criticisms for its plot and suffered with poor ratings, with only 6.3% average audience share in its run.[5][6][7][8][9] However, it established a following among young viewers worldwide and led to increased recognition for its cast.[10][11][12][13]
- 2Cast
- 4Soundtrack
Synopsis[edit]
Go Eun-byul and Lee Eun-bi (both played by Kim So-hyun) are identical twins, separated after one is adopted at the age of 5. Eun-bi lives at the Love House, an orphanage in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, where the younger residents look up to her as a mother figure. However, she hides the fact that she is bullied at school by a gang of mean girls led by Kang So-young, while teachers turn a blind eye.
On the other hand, Go Eun-byul is studying at Sekang High School, the most prestigious private high school in Seoul's Gangnam District. Eun-byul's best friend is Han Yi-an (Nam Joo-hyuk), the school's star swimmer.
However, only Eun-byul is aware of the other's existence. Unlike the cheerful Eun-bi, Eun-byul is prickly and secretive.
One day, on a school field trip to Tongyeong, Eun-byul mysteriously disappears. At the same time, Eun-bi is unjustly expelled from her school and jumps off a bridge in a suicide attempt. Ten days later, the injured and amnesiac Eun-bi is mistaken for her twin, Eun-byul, and her adoptive mother takes her home to Seoul, where she starts living as Eun-byul. However, her memory soon returns.
Eun-bi faces many challenges as Kang So-young transfers to Sekang High School and tries to reveal her real identity, as well as using her Dad's authority to make Eun-bi transfer from the school. Luckily, Gong Tae-kwang (Yook Sung-jae), Eun-bi's classmate and the school troublemaker, protects her whenever So-young tries to bully her. Eun-bi also stands up to So-young and disproves her claims about her identity, as well as ruining her plans to have her transferred. Eun-bi tells Tae-kwang her real identity, and he eventually begins to develop feelings for her but Eun-bi sees him only as a friend. At the same time Eun-bi has developed feelings for Han Yi An although she cannot confess it to him as she is living under the guise of Eun-byul and worried that she might lose Han Yi An if she tells the truth. Han Yi An grasps the truth in his heart but not yet ready to face it. Eventually they both find their way to each other after finding out their true selves and feelings.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
- Kim So-hyun as Lee Eun-bi (Go Eun-bi) / Go Eun-byul
- Kang Ji-woo as young Lee Eun-bi (Go Eun-bi) / Go Eun-byul
Go Eun-byul and Lee Eun-bi are identical twins. Lee Eun-bi lives in an orphanage whereas Go Eun-byul, Eun-bi's twin sister lives with a woman who adopted her. Due to bullying, Eun-bi decided to end her life but she was saved by her twin sister. Eun-bi had amnesia after that. When Eun-byul's adoptive mother mistook Eun-bi as Eun-byul, she starts to assume the identity of her twin sister. She likes Han Yi An and confesses her love to him in the end.
- Yook Sung-jae as Gong Tae-kwang[14]
Described by his father an idiotic and problematic child, Gong Tae-kwang is widely known as a troublemaker in school. His father is the director of Sekang High School and his mother is a famous actress, but his classmates don't know about this. He is portrayed as a happy-go-lucky person who just wanted to cause trouble, but behind his smile, he was actually a struggling child with a painful life. He suffered a lot but everything changed when he met Lee Eun-bi and stood by her side, even when Kang So-young decided to make her life hell. He developed one sided feelings for her and confesses to her later on.
- Nam Joo-hyuk as Han Yi-an[14]
A star swimmer at Sekang High School. He was great childhood friends with Go Eun-byul, and had feelings for her. He is loyal to his friends and although from a poor background, works really hard to help his father at the same time to become a national champion in swimming. He starts to question the identity of Eun-byul (who is actually Eun-bi in disguise), but as time goes by, he falls for Eun-bi unknowingly.
Supporting[edit]
- Class 2–3
- Lee Pil-mo as Kim Joon-seok (homeroom teacher)
He is pricked by his guilty conscience after a massive cover-up involving the death of one of his students.
- Lee David as Park Min-joon (class president)
An intelligent and hardworking student who is always at the top of his class. Pressured by his study-centric mother to do well, he feels overwhelmed.
- Kim Hee-jung as Cha Song-joo
Go Eun-byul and Lee Shi-jin best friend. She is torn between staying loyal to Eun-byul and accepting So-young's friendship advances. After finding out Lee Eun-bi's real identity she also became best friends with her.
- Lee Cho-hee as Lee Shi-jin
She is best friends with Go Eun-byul and Cha Sung-joo. She is jealous of her friends who seem to have a passion and tries to seek out one of her own. After finding out Lee Eun-bi's real identity she also became best friends with her.
Watch Who Are You School 2015
- Cho Soo-hyang as Kang So-young
A school bully who found pleasure in bullying Eun-bi. Her transfer to Eun-byul's school soon leads to mistrust and problems between the students.
- Park Doo-sik as Kwon Ki-tae
- Yooyoung as Jo Hae-na
- Jang In-sub as Sung Yoon-jae
- Kim Bo-ra as Seo Young-eun
- Kim Min-seok as Min-suk
- Choi Hyo-eun as Hyo-eun
- Lee Jin-kwon as Jin-kwon
- Ji Ha-yoon as Ha-yoon
- Park Ah-sung as Ah-sung
- Seo Cho-won as Cho-won
- Jo Byung-gyu as Byung-gyu
- Kwon Eun-soo as Eun-soo
- Oh Woo-jin as Woo-jin
- Jung Ye-ji as Ye-ji
- Lee Seung-ho as Seung-ho
- Han Sung-yeon as Sung-yeon
- Sekang High School faculty
- Lee Hee-do as Vice principal
- Shin Jung-geun as Dean of students
- Jung Soo-young as Ahn Ju-ri
- Lee Si-won as Jung Min-young
- Choi Dae-chul as Swimming coach
- Kim Jin-yi as Health teacher
- Parents
- Jeon Mi-seon as Song Mi-kyung (Eun-byul's adoptive mother)
- Jeon No-min as Director Gong Jae-ho (Tae-kwang's father)
- Jung In-gi as Park Joon-hyung (Min-joon's father)
- Kim Jung-nan as Shin Jung-min (Min-joon's mother)
- Kim Se-ah as Shin Yi-young (Shi-jin's mother)
- Jo Deok-hyun as Prosecutor Kang (So-young's father)
- Jung Jae-eun as So-young's mother
- Lee Dae-yeon as Han Ki-choon (Yi-ahn's father)
Extended[edit]
- Yang Hee-kyung as Park Min-kyung (House of Love administrator)
- Lee Kang-min & Yoo Se-hyung as Han Yi-an's swimming seniors (episode 2, 4–5, 11, 16)
- Yoo Yeon-mi as Yeon Mi-joo (episode 5–7, 12)
Special appearances[edit]
- Lee Hyun-kyung as Nuri High School teacher (episode 1)
- Lee Jae-in as Ra-jin (episodes 1, 5, 14)
- Kim Bo-ra as Kim Kyung-jin (episode 1)
- Shin Seung-joon & Lee Ho-geun as announcers (episode 1)
- Park Young-soo as noraebang owner (episode 2)
- Kim Min-young as Lee Soo-mi (Eun-bi's bully; episodes 1, 4–6)
- Lee Jung-eun as Seo Young-eun's mother (episodes 2–3)
- Choi Su-rin as Song Hee-young (Tae-kwang's mother; episode 4, 12, 14)
- Yum Gyung-hwan (episode 6)
- Kim Ga-young (Stellar) as school uniform model (episode 6)
- Sam Hammington as Sekang High's new English teacher (episode 15)
- Bae Soo-bin as Sekang High 2–3 class' homeroom teacher (episode 16)
- Kim Min-kyu as a swimmer.
Ratings[edit]
- In the table below, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
- NR denotes that the drama did not rank in the top 20 daily programs on that date.
Episode # | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
TNmS Ratings[15] | AGB Nielsen[16] | ||||
Nationwide | Seoul | Nationwide | Seoul | ||
1 | April 27, 2015 | 4.8% (NR) | 5.1% (NR) | 3.8% (NR) | 3.4% (NR) |
2 | April 28, 2015 | 4.8% (NR) | 4.8% (NR) | 4.2% (NR) | 3.8% (NR) |
3 | May 4, 2015 | 6.5% (NR) | 6.6% (NR) | 4.1% (NR) | 4.1% (NR) |
4 | May 5, 2015 | 6.3% (NR) | 6.8% (NR) | 5.9% (NR) | 5.7% (NR) |
5 | May 11, 2015 | 6.7% (NR) | 7.4% (NR) | 5.0% (NR) | 5.6% (NR) |
6 | May 12, 2015 | 7.1% (NR) | 7.8% (20th) | 6.0% (NR) | 6.5% (NR) |
7 | May 18, 2015 | 7.3% (NR) | 8.0% (NR) | 6.0% (NR) | 6.4% (NR) |
8 | May 19, 2015 | 7.6% (NR) | 8.0% (NR) | 6.7% (NR) | 7.2% (NR) |
9 | May 25, 2015 | 7.8% (19th) | 8.9% (18th) | 6.8% (NR) | 7.0% (NR) |
10 | May 26, 2015 | 7.4% (17th) | 8.2% (15th) | 7.1% (17th) | 7.1% (19th) |
11 | June 1, 2015 | 8.2% (17th) | 9.2% (15th) | 6.9% (NR) | 7.9% (NR) |
12 | June 2, 2015 | 8.1% (17th) | 8.9% (14th) | 7.0% (19th) | 7.6% (18th) |
13 | June 8, 2015 | 8.9% (16th) | 10.3% (14th) | 7.7% (19th) | 8.1% (15th) |
14 | June 9, 2015 | 8.6% (14th) | 9.9% (11th) | 8.1% (14th) | 8.6% (18th) |
15 | June 15, 2015 | 9.2% (16th) | 10.0% (12th) | 7.5% (NR) | 8.1% (18th) |
16 | June 16, 2015 | 9.7% (10th) | 11.7% (6th) | 8.2% (16th) | 8.5% (15th) |
Average | 7.4% | 8.2% | 6.3% | 6.6% |
* The series aired on KBS World, two weeks after its initial broadcast, with English subtitles.
Soundtrack[edit]
OST Part 1[edit]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | 'Reset' (Tiger JK feat. Jinsil) | 4:02 |
2. | 'Reset (Inst.)' | 4:02 |
Total length: | 8:04 |
OST Part 2[edit]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | 'Blow Away (바람에 날려)' (Baechigi feat. Punch) | 3:11 |
2. | 'Blow Away (바람에 날려) (Inst.)' | 3:11 |
Total length: | 6:22 |
OST Part 3[edit]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | 'I'll Listen To What You Have To Say (너의 얘길 들어줄게)' (Yoon Mi-rae) | 3:14 |
2. | 'I'll Listen To What You Have To Say (너의 얘길 들어줄게) (Inst.)' | 3:14 |
Total length: | 6:28 |
OST Part 4[edit]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | 'Remember' (Byul) | 3:37 |
2. | 'Remember (Inst.)' | 3:37 |
Total length: | 7:14 |
OST Part 5[edit]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | 'Pray (기도)' (Younha) | 4:18 |
2. | 'Pray (기도) (Inst.)' | 4:18 |
Total length: | 8:36 |
OST Part 6[edit]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | 'Named (그 이름)' (Jonghyun and Taemin (SHINee)) | 3:37 |
2. | 'Named (그 이름) (Inst.)' | 3:37 |
Total length: | 7:14 |
OST Part 7[edit]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | 'Return' (Wendy(Red Velvet) feat. Yuk Jidam) | 3:48 |
2. | 'Return (Inst.)' | 3:48 |
Total length: | 7:36 |
OST Part 8[edit]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | 'Love Song' (Yook Sung-jae (feat. Park Hye-soo)) | 3:25 |
2. | 'Love Song (Inst.)' | 3:25 |
Total length: | 6:50 |
Awards and nominations[edit]
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Best New Actor | Yook Sung-jae | Nominated | [17] | |
Nam Joo-hyuk | Nominated | ||||
Best New Actress | Cho Soo-hyang | Nominated | |||
Star of the Year | Kim So-hyun | Won | |||
Best New Actor | Yook Sung-jae | Nominated | |||
Nam Joo-hyuk | Won | ||||
Best New Actress | Kim So-hyun | Won | |||
Cho Soo-hyang | Nominated | ||||
Best New Actor | Yook Sung-jae | Nominated | |||
Nam Joo-hyuk | Nominated | ||||
Netizen Award, Actress | Kim So-hyun | Won | |||
Popularity Award, Actor | Nam Joo-hyuk | Won | |||
Best Couple Award | Yook Sung-jae and Kim So-hyun | Won | |||
Nam Joo-hyuk and Kim So-hyun | Nominated | ||||
2016 | Best New Actor (TV) | Yook Sung-jae | Nominated |
References[edit]
- ^Choi, He-suk (March 19, 2015). 'FNC Entertainment's drama production drive continues'. K-pop Herald. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
- ^''Who Are You' to deal with mysteries of youth'. The Korea Times. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^Yoon, So-hee (April 6, 2015). '후아유-학교2015' 남주혁·김소현·육성재 환상호흡의 대본리딩 현장 공개. TenAsia (in Korean).
- ^Jones, Julie (April 2, 2015). 'Who Are You – School 2015 Has A Cast'. KDramaStars.
- ^''후아유-학교2015', 첫방송 시청률 3.8%' ['Who Are You' Premieres with 3.8%]. Star News (in Korean). April 28, 2015.
- ^''후아유-학교2015' 김소현의 흥미로운 1인2역…아쉬운 시청률' [School 2015: Interesting Roles of Kim Sohyun, Paltry Ratings]. news1 (in Korean). April 28, 2015.
- ^''발칙하게 고고', 2015 KBS 월화극 최저시청률.'위기'' [The Unfortunate Ratings of KBS2's 2015 Programs]. Star News. October 6, 2015.
- ^'종영 '후아유', 한뼘 성장한 김소현x남주혁, 사랑 ING[종합]'. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^'Can't trust KBS Mon/Tue dramas?'. Sports Chosun.
Poor ratings of KBS Mon/Tue dramas in 2015 Healer - 8.6% Blood - 4.7% Who Are You - 6.3% I Remember You - 4.7% Eccentric Daughter-in-Law - 5% Sassy Go Go - 3.4% Oh My Venus - 8.6%
- ^'Nam Joo-hyuk to meet fans in China'. The Korea Times. October 9, 2015.
- ^'BTOB′s Yook Sung Jae Appears in 8 Ads in 3 Months'. enewsWorld. September 24, 2015.
- ^''Who Are You- School 2015' OSTs Has A Hot Popularity In Taiwan'. Yahoo!. June 3, 2015.
- ^''후아유', 방송 한 달 만에 시청률 두 배.인기 요인 뭘까'. News Chosun. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
- ^ abKim, Min-ji (March 31, 2015). 'Nam Joo Hyuk Confirmed as Male Lead of School 2015'. enewsWorld.
- ^'TNmS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu'. TNmS Ratings (in Korean). Retrieved April 27, 2015.
- ^'AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu'. AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Retrieved April 27, 2015.
- ^'Korea Drama Awards 2015 – Nominees List'. Beatus Corner. September 9, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
External links[edit]
- Official website(in Korean)
- Who Are You: School 2015 at KBS World
- Who Are You: School 2015 at HanCinema
Who Are You—School 2015: Episode 16 (Final)
Go figure, I was happy to be able to come back and write the final recap for Who Are You—School 2015. It’s a franchise near and dear to my heart and I had hopes that it would pull through in the final hour, to at least wrap up our characters’ arcs in a satisfying manner before sending them off. Yeah. So then I watched the episode. And then this happened…
SONG OF THE DAY
Yook Sung-jae – “Love Song” for the School 2015 OST [ Download ]
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FINAL EPISODE RECAP
It’s the moment of truth, literally—Eun-bi stands before the class ready to confess that she’s been pretending to be her sister for the last few months, when suddenly Eun-byul bursts into the room, guns blazing. Okay, it’s more like laser eyeballs blazing, but she’s here to save to the day.
So-young has got the twins right where she wants them—together in front of everyone, so that she gets to prove that Eun-bi is still alive. Way to go. You drove a girl to suicide but she survived. Yay, you?
Eun-byul steps closer and tells Eun-bi to go ahead and say what she wants, and tells So-young to follow her outside. So-young won’t go willingly, but Eun-byul doesn’t care what she wants and drags her out, leaving her classmates reeling.
Eun-byul demands the video (I’m presuming it’s the one where the bullies forced Eun-bi to undress at the start of the series) from So-young, who scoffs that the game would end if she handed it over so easily. Eun-byul demands to know what the video is and what she did to her sister, and So-young actually has the nerve to say, “Don’t worry, it’s not like she’ll die if it gets out.” Are you freaking kidding me right now?
Instead of slapping her like I would, Eun-byul has the good sense to reach into her bag calmly, hopefully to do something smart like record their conversation. So-young says that she just wants people to see the video and talk about the two sisters with the same face, and Eun-byul presses for her to admit that she took the video herself.
Back in the classroom, Eun-bi admits who she really is, and her friends quickly put together that Amnesia Eun-byul was Eun-bi all this time. Jaws drop, and Song-joo asks Yi-an if he knew. He says yes, and they feel betrayed all over again.
Eun-bi tells them that she really thought she was Eun-byul, and by the time she had recovered her memories, too much had happened. She says that whatever the reasons were, she lied to them and deserves their anger: “I’m really sorry.”
Meanwhile, Eun-byul drags So-young by the hair into the bathroom, where she plays the recording she just made of their conversation. God, I love that Eun-byul is a badass. She warns So-young to go ahead and make her video public, and Eun-byul will make sure she goes down with it.
So-young makes a grab for the phone so Eun-byul pins her up against the window and snarls, “As long as I remember, the only way for you to live is to not appear before my eyes. To not do a single thing. That’s the only way.” So-young sheds a tear as she trembles in fear.
Yi-an finds Eun-bi sitting outside and she admits that it feels irresponsible to cause others pain because she wanted to apologize—it feels like a way for her to feel better when she has no way of knowing if they’re hurting worse because of her. Yi-an says that’s what he must’ve felt towards her, and why he couldn’t say he was sorry.
She tells him that it’s okay because you should be able to refrain from saying the things you don’t want to say. She wonders how nice it would be if you could refrain from hearing the things you don’t want to hear.
Yi-an puts his headphones over her ears, and from a distance Tae-gwang watches them with a defeated sigh.
The next day, Eun-byul runs up to her friends, who eye her suspiciously and ask, “Who are you?” They’re just teasing her though, and soon Shi-jin is suggesting that they call Eun-bi to hang out in a foursome, and Song-joo is demanding that Eun-bi call her. Aw.
So-young feels a little vindicated when she overhears some of the other students admitting that she was right about a lot of things, but Song-joo comes up to her and asks, “Why is it that once I found out you were telling the truth, I find it even harder to understand you?”
When So-young is confused, Song-joo asks if she really doesn’t know why the kids are colder to her than to Eun-bi, who lied to them all this time: “Do you make friends because you need someone to validate you as the best and strongest? I’m saying this sincerely for your benefit: Don’t live that way.” It’s satisfying because it’s calm and mature and spot-on, and So-young starts to shake as the other kids give Song-joo a slow clap.
Mom comes to school and demands that So-young be punished for threatening her daughter, and So-young’s mother insists that the video in question was never discovered, and asks why they’re getting so worked up over kids playing pranks on each other. Oh you have got to be kidding me.
Eun-byul’s mom says that she always thought So-young was scary, but now that she’s met her mother, she can see why. Dayum. The principal says that they have no choice but to open a disciplinary hearing for So-young, so her mother demands that one be opened for Eun-byul as well, because she won’t go down alone.
The class gets their new homeroom teacher (cameo by Bae Soo-bin), who announces that he doesn’t care about anything except grades, and anyone who doesn’t keep to themselves and study won’t be tolerated. Ack, he’s scary! Bring Teacher Kim back!
Teacher Kim is currently working as a tutor at an academy, and he gets up to lecture that day and finds Tae-gwang sleeping in the back row. I luff this bromance. After class, Teacher Kim asks if he missed him that much to come to tutoring, and Tae-gwang says he really did: “Your voice is better than a sleeping pill. I just had the sweetest nap.”
Yi-an begs his coach to let him compete in the next swim meet, and promises not to strain himself trying to win a medal or anything. He just wants to be back in the competition now that he’s feeling better.
After practice, Yi-an sits in the locker room trying to figure out what to text Eun-bi, and he erases a few attempts before accidentally sending the curt and shouty, “Hey! Come outside this instant!” He cringes at the mistake, but lights up the second that Eun-bi replies, saying that she’s at tutoring.
But it’s Tae-gwang she sees first after class, because he’s enrolled here as well. He asks if she’s doing okay, and Eun-bi says that she is, because she doesn’t have to lie to anyone anymore.
Yi-an waits outside for Eun-bi to come out, and his face hardens when he sees her walk out with Tae-gwang. Yi-an scoffs to hear that Tae-gwang goes to tutoring, which I would agree is rather transparent, given his notorious rebel ways.
Yi-an says he’s here to take Eun-bi home and takes her away by the wrist, only to have Tae-gwang grab the other one and say it’s not necessary. OMG. THIS AGAIN? Why are we still doing this? Eun-bi, make up your mind, before these boys rip you in half!
She decides to break free from both and says that she wants to go home alone. Not a bad choice, after that caveman display.
Mom sits the twins down to suggest that they move and start over at a new school together, and they both agree. Eun-byul adds that she’s found something that she wants to study, which sounds like she means to go far away.
At school, Eun-byul stops Tae-gwang and invites him (er, orders him) to sit down at their lunch table. She tells her friends that she’ll be transferring and moving soon, and studying abroad soon after that. Tae-gwang stomps off, and Eun-byul considers her message delivered.
Tae-gwang goes to see Eun-bi that night, and he tries to keep the mood light as he asks if she wants to see a movie this weekend. He insists that it doesn’t matter where she moves to, but asks if it matters at all to her that she’ll be far away from him. *sniff* I’m not sure I want to hear the answer to this…
Eun-bi starts, “Tae-gwang-ah, every time I see you, I’m thankful and sorry. I wanted to be as good to you as you were to me.” Oof. That doesn’t sound good. He cuts her off and says that she doesn’t have to answer—he’s fine with things just the way they are.
But this time Eun-bi calls him out on it: “That’s a lie. That’s why I’m saying this now. I can’t look at you the way you look at me.” Saaaaaaad. He stands up abruptly and says this is all stuff he already knew, and leads the way out. Augh, puppy.
So-young ends up having to transfer as well, and it’s unclear what the source is, but we get a diagnosis in voiceover that she suffers from anorexia. And don’t forget bulimia—we’ve seen her throwing up her lunch in the bathroom.
She looks up her new school online and finds that people are already talking about her there because they’ve heard all about her trouble at Sekang and Tongyeong, and she cries.
Eun-byul sits with Yi-an by the pool like they used to, and she tells him about moving and preparing to study abroad once the semester is over. She tells him to do well so that she can brag about being his friend even when she’s abroad, and he counters that he’s been bragging about being her friend since they were eight.
Eun-byul says that she’s thought a lot about herself and her friends since everything happened with Soo-in, and she wonders why it took her this long to realize that other people’s eyes don’t matter, only what’s in her heart.
She says that’s why she’s decided to spend more time chasing her dream. Yi-an tells her to be well and that he’ll always be cheering her on, and she says the same to him. She asks if he’s met with Eun-bi, and when he grows silent, Eun-byul sighs that they’re both super frustrating and totally not her style. Dude, right there with you.
So-young’s father comes bursting into her room in a fit of anger, screaming at the top of his lungs that he told her to lie low or squash the problem, but because she couldn’t manage to do that, he’s lost his nomination for public office. And that’s not at all your fault? I mean, she’s scum, but you’re worse.
He’s enraged that they had to start all over because of what she did in Tongyeong, only to have it happen again. Uh, that’s kind of what happens when you cover up crimes instead of dealing with the root of the problem, buddy. He screams that if she does something stupid like this again, he’ll just disown her. So-young collapses on the floor in sobs.
Eun-bi goes to a sleepover with Shi-jin and Song-joo, and they promise to hang out like this often, even after she moves. She gets a text that night that surprises her—it’s So-young, with one last thing to say.
They meet up the next day, and Eun-bi asks why she called her here. So-young says that Eun-bi is stupid and always runs to help pitiful people, no matter what it costs her: “You said you felt sorry for me, from the start.”
She admits that she doesn’t have the video—it was lost when Eun-byul crushed her phone, and So-young scoffs that she’s so grateful she could cry: “I think I forgot a long time ago how to stop.”
She says she’s not going to apologize or ask for forgiveness, and she knows that nothing would change even if Eun-bi forgave her. But Eun-bi turns to her and says, “I know you regret what you did. The only thing I can offer to you in comfort is the fact that I’m alive.”
Eun-bi thinks of her sister and asks how horrible it would be to realize what you did wrong, only to know that you can’t apologize to someone who’s dead. She’s a bigger person than I am, and says that she hopes the fact that she’s alive and well is some comfort to So-young, when the day comes that she wants to say something to her. She gets up to go and So-young calls out her name, but can’t bring herself to say anything else. Eun-bi walks away and So-young breaks down in tears.
Tae-gwang is lost in thought at tutoring, and Teacher Kim asks what’s wrong to make him stay awake all the way through class. Heh. Tae-gwang asks if it’s possible to live without seeing the person you like most in this whole world, and Teacher Kim says wistfully that yeah, living is possible.
He asks why Tae-gwang would have to, though, and he answers, “Because… she likes someone else most in this world.” *craaaaack* Yup, there goes my heart.
Teacher Kim says that he can avoid seeing her, but that won’t stop his feelings from existing. He gives him the advice that it’s possible to endure, but adds honestly that it isn’t a happy way to live. And then he teases Tae-gwang for growing up and liking girls, and chases after him asking about the crush.
But when he goes home that night, Tae-gwang’s question lingers in his head: “Teacher, what is it that you like most in this world?” He opens up a website for a high school looking for a math teacher.
Tae-gwang waits outside for Eun-bi to get out of class, and they sit in a playground feeling awkward for a while. Eun-bi says that she’s moving in a few days, and Tae-gwang asks if she plans to avoid him until then.
He puts her at ease by saying that he’s going to clean up his feelings so she needn’t be uncomfortable around him, and lightens the mood by joking, “You’re definitely going to regret it later—rejecting me!” I KNOW, RIGHT?
He tells her that he’s not even going to walk her to the bus stop and tells her to go, but as soon as she starts to walk away, he changes his mind and goes running after her. He stops just behind her and holds onto her shoulders to keep her from turning around and looking at him, and with her back turned, he screws up the nerve to tell her the truth.
He admits that Teacher Kim told him that it’s possible to endure if you really like someone, so he was planning to lie tonight about being able to stop how he feels about her: “But now I don’t want to. So I’m just going to be honest. No matter how I think of it, I can’t come up with a way not to like you, so I’m just going to stay like this. You don’t have to be sorry and you don’t have to do anything… Just know my heart.”
Tears roll down Eun-bi’s cheeks but she gives no answer, and Tae-gwang tells her she can really go now, and lets go of her shoulders. She walks away without turning back.
Eun-byul finds Eun-bi staring at the Yi-an Bear and asks her outright if she likes him. Eun-byul tells her not to look so shocked and calls her stupid. Eun-byul says that all she’s ever wanted is for them to be a family with Mom—she has what she wants, and Yi-an has always been and will be a good friend to her: “Whether or not you accept his feelings is your choice.”
Eun-bi goes to meet Yi-an to say goodbye before the move, and he deflates to hear that she can’t come to his swim meet because it’s her first day at her new school. He asks why she’s acting like she’s never going to see him again, and Eun-bi finally admits, “Han Yi-an, I like you.”
But she says that right now she needs to figure out who she is before thinking about the person she likes, so that when she’s loved she knows it’s for her, just as she is. She thinks she can accept his feelings then.
He tells her that he’ll wait as long as it takes, and she puts her hand out for a shake to say goodbye. He takes it and puts her medal in her hand, and asks her to give it back to him when she’s found herself as Lee Eun-bi and is sure about her feelings for him. He makes her promise to return it though: “It’s my most prized possession.”
A few days later, Eun-bi is lost in thought as Mom drives her to her first day of school, and she keeps nervously checking her watch. Yi-an steps up to the platform to begin his first race after his injury, and all eyes are on him to gauge how his recovery went.
He leads the race at the start, and the commentators note that it hardly seems like he was injured and out of training at all. But then he suddenly stops dead in the water mid-race, clutching his shoulder in pain. The crowd comes to a still as they wait for him to move, and Eun-bi races to the stands, here to cheer him on after all.
She thinks to herself, “Be strong,” and Yi-an finally begins to move. He keeps going with only one arm to make his strokes, even as the other swimmers lap him. But he refuses to quit and finishes out the race in last place, bringing the crowd to resounding cheers.
Six months later.
Teacher Bae Soo-bin leads a new transfer student into class, and everyone gasps: “Go Eun-byul?” “No, Lee Eun-bi?” “Who are you?” Eun-bi breaks out into a huge smile and answers proudly, “My name is Go Eun-bi.” Aw, she took unni’s last name.
Tae-gwang saunters into school late that day, and breaks into a grin when he gets a familiar text from Eun-bi: “Roof!” He races up there and beams when she turns around to face him, and he realizes from her uniform that she’s transferred back.
But she suddenly hits him on the head in a classic Eun-byul move, and his smile disappears. He stares at her, confused: “Is it not you? No I’m right! You’re Lee Eun-bi!” The attitude is all Eun-byul, but she corrects him: “I’m Go Eun-bi!” She finally smiles and shows off her new nametag. I don’t know whether to be happy that you guys are friends again, or go cry in a corner.
Teacher Kim is teaching high school math again at a new school, Min-joon is learning new hobbies like playing the guitar, Shi-jin has finally discovered something that interests her and buries her nose in a book about cake decorating, and Song-joo does a photo shoot.
Eun-bi narrates in voiceover: “Eighteen. It’s too early to realize your dreams, but the perfect age to begin dreaming. Falling down hurts, but it’s the perfect age to learn a hundred ways to get up again.”
We see Yi-an winning races again, and Tae-gwang greeting his father who’s been released from prison and is back at home. They sit down to dinner together and Tae-gwang puts a piece of tofu on Dad’s spoon (to make sure he stays out of jail, per the old superstition), and they laugh.
Eun-bi runs to Mom with a postcard from Eun-byul, and they light up to hear that she’s coming home soon.
The next morning, Eun-bi sees Yi-an on the bus and sneaks past him undetected. She peers over his shoulder as she texts him about how his meet went. She lies that she didn’t watch it and he lies that he didn’t do so well, so she calls him out on the lie and dangles her medal right in front of his eyes. He whirls around and smiles, and they tease each other on the way to school.
Eun-bi laughs with her friends as they head into class, and then she stops to look into the camera as the narration closes:
Eun-bi: We’re eighteen, so we live every day as if it’s our last—loving and hating fiercely. It’s an age where we falter and get hurt easily, and are hurting more than anyone. Despite that, the reason we can look back on that time and say we were happy is one person’s warm outstretched hand. Not more, not less, but just one person—if we each approach one friend who’s crying and stretch out a hand like this, there’s nothing that I—we—can’t endure. It’s okay. You can hurt. Because you’re eighteen.
COMMENTS
Yes, but what about MY PAIN?! WhatEVER, Eun-bi. All I’ve gotta say is, there’s no accounting for taste in this world. I have no idea why anyone would like Han Yi-an over Gong Tae-gwang, but I guess to each her own. Oh, who am I kidding. That’s just CRAZY. My problem with the resolution isn’t simply her choice—Eun-bi has been consistent from the start in liking Yi-an, so I get that it’s the obvious choice for her and I honestly didn’t expect her to waver, even when I was screaming at my screen, How can you not love that adorable friend who’s been by your side all this time?! Because I understand that it would’ve been just as strange to suddenly have her change her mind this late in the game, despite her feelings being alien feelings from another planet.
My problem is with the way Yi-an’s character was plotted from the start, because I’m still confused as to when he stopped liking Eun-byul and started liking Eun-bi. I feel like they hastily gave him a way to sort out his feelings retroactively, without bringing us along for the change in the moment. So at the end of the day, Yi-an says he likes Eun-bi, and I’m like, I guess I’ll take your word for it? It’s not very satisfying narratively, seeing as how he began the series so completely to devoted to Eun-byul that I was rooting for them to find their way back, even after all the hurt feelings. It’s mainly due to the writing that Yi-an’s character motivations didn’t always click for me, but he also wasn’t helped by Nam Joo-hyuk, who’s still too green to play a leading man(boy). I could feel his limitations when he was trying to convey complex emotions, and it was difficult at times to look past that when seeing his character as a whole.
Maybe they thought it’d be too pat for the two sisters to each get one boy instead of making as many triangles out of four people as possible, but I found Eun-byul’s wrap-up dissatisfying too, given that she just gets written off the show after saving the day and gives Eun-bi tacit permission to date Yi-an as if it’s no big deal. I don’t see why she had to go abroad when all I ever wanted was for the two sisters to go to school together and be best friends. And it pains me to think that Tae-gwang is left pining away after Eun-bi at the end, even when YOU HAD THE MATH TO MAKE IT WORK. Two boys, two sisters, no brainer, right?
The thing is, I might not be this focused on the lovelines had the show developed anything else. But the story was essentially reduced to the love triangle (and you couldn’t even manage to do that right), and everything else ended up feeling incidental. Truthfully the love triangle was compelling and it’s what sucked me in early on, but it kept going, and going, and going… and soon I started to feel like they were just dragging poor Eun-bi around by the wrist to prolong the romantic angst. And of all things, I’m pretty sure it was mostly at the expense of Yi-an’s character development, which seems to be shooting yourself in the foot if he’s your endgame. Hello. You did it wrong. Not to mention the fact that I don’t want to be mad at my heroine for not being clearer about her feelings or for choosing the boy who seemed to be in love with her sister, over the one who basically declared he’d love her till the end of days. Augh.
Had any of these things been cleared up sooner instead of being prolonged for the sake of the love triangle, we could’ve had time left to focus on Eun-bi’s growth and change, and on So-young. I feel like their storyline got shafted for the lovelines, which is a crying shame. I wanted more for So-young—both more punishment and more resolution—partly because the character was so layered and interesting at the start, and partly because Jo Soo-hyang was so phenomenal in the role. In comparison to the pain she’s inflicted all series long, I didn’t feel like it was enough to see that she just had to live with the guilt (welcome to life) or that she had terrible parents (which we knew). Yes, it’s somewhat satisfying to know that she can’t keep running away to a new school and wipe her slate clean because her past follows her, but I’m pretty sure she needed to be sent to juvie or at least an asylum. You can’t write her to be that much of a sociopath and then just have her feel sorry.
I saw so much potential in the setup where Eun-bi suffers as the victim of So-young’s bullying and Eun-byul mirrors it in the reverse with Soo-in, but the resolution left so much to be desired. The one thing that would’ve made it satisfying is what we never got: We needed Eun-bi to be the one to stand up for herself and put So-young in her place. Isn’t that obvious? Why did we not get this? I love when Eun-byul shows up like the badass she is and sticks up for her sister, but then they skipped the all-important part where the two sisters actually influence and change one another, and Eun-bi grows strong enough to stand up for herself. That’s the character arc I wanted, and I’m actually confused as to how someone could set this story up and not give us that penultimate moment of triumph.
We basically spent the entire series with Eun-bi being meek, and only in the last five minutes do we get to see the new Go Eun-bi, who’s finally figured out how to adopt her sister’s sass but stayed true to herself. Five minutes. Sixteen hours, and five minutes is all you give me. It’s a good thing that I love Kim So-hyun as much as I do, because I think she tempered my frustration with Eun-bi whenever she remained passive (or loved Yi-an for some unknowable reason). It helped when Eun-byul showed up, though again I feel like her character was mishandled and only brought in to save the day and then leave so that the Eun-bi Show could go on, which made me sad. I wanted way more sister love, which perhaps wasn’t on the menu because Kim So-hyun would’ve had to play both sides of that relationship. Even still, I loved her performance as both sisters—she always makes me feel for her in the moment, and it was great to see her carry a drama on her young and talented shoulders, because she’s certainly capable of it.
It’s no shock that Yook Sung-jae is the breakout star of the series, and deservedly so. He was already good in Plus Nine Boys, but nobody saw that drama—thankfully School has a way of catapulting people to stardom, and here he got to really play up the angst, and of course the epic puppy love. I guess if he couldn’t get the girl, it’s some consolation that he walks away the more empathetic character in the end, with all the fan love and praise for his performance. Sometimes it pays to be the Chilbongie, even if the path is littered with heartbreak.
I thought this installment of School an interesting departure from the usual slice-of-life focus in the franchise, and honestly enjoyed it a lot as it was airing. There was a much bigger dramatic pull in the setup of twins with swapped fates, and amnesia—it had the melodramatic works, and it sucked me in completely. But it fell short in developing the story that I found so intriguing at the outset, and in bringing that narrative to a satisfying close. In that regard I can’t help but wonder if they tried to do too many things by adding the high drama and lost on both fronts.
I remember feeling the angst of School 2013 down to my bones, but this time around I feel like things were resolved too swiftly, too easily, and without carrying me along for the moments that really hit home. It was slickly directed, beautifully scored, and on the whole well acted. But there’s a distinct lack of depth and follow-through on the writing that you can’t gloss, no matter how much the other stuff shines. Still, what it couldn’t manage to do as a whole doesn’t negate that I did love its parts, sometimes a great deal. I just wish there were a B-side to this drama that followed Teacher Kim and Tae-gwang around. What I wouldn’t give for that reset. Get on it, School 2017.
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- Judul: Who Are You: School 2015
- Jenis Drama: Romantis, School, Komedi
- Durasi Epsiode: 60-65+ menit/Eps (16 Episode)
- Jadwal Rilis: 27 April hingga 16 Juni 2015
- Jadwal Tayang: Setiap Senin dan Selasa Pukul 10 Malam
- Negara: KorSel
- Channel: KBS2
- Sutradara: Baek Sang-Hoon
- Penulis: Kim Hyun-Jung
- Drama Sebelumnya: Blood
- Drama Selanjutnya: Remember You
Pemeran Utama:
- Kim So-hyun menjadi Lee Eun-bi atau Lee Eun-byul
- Nam Joo-hyuk menjadi Han Yi-ahn
- Yook Sungjae menjadi Gong Tae-kwang
- Kim Hee-jung menjadi Cha Song-joo
- Lee Cho-hee menjadi Lee Shi-jin
- Lee David menjadi Park Min-joon
Pemeran Pendukung:
- Lee Pil Mo menjadi Kim Jun Suk (Guru matematika)
- Kim Jung Nan menjadi Shin Jung Min
- Kim Se Ah menjadi Shin Yi Young