I did not read the webtoon so I have no reference but I liked this one. I was a bit hesitant to start it as I mostly avoid high school dramas. The premise however led me to believe that this one might be different. Of course it still had the typical hs stuff but at the core of the story is a woman whose grief has consumed her and put her life on pause because of it.

What I really liked about the show is how it went to the past for flashbacks and back to the future. That way it was easier to see how previous words and actions affected the lives of the characters involved. I knew Hamin was gonna die but I got the cause of his death spoiled for me online. I don't think that impacted the story for me as I still felt strong emotions.

Kim Mingyu and Kang Hyewon were ok. It was clear they were just there for visuals but Hyewon was rather decent and natural for the role she was in. Mingyu widened his eyes too much and often came off stiff. He has room to improve though. I've heard some people criticize the kind of relationship he had with So Mang and how their "closeness" was a little inappropriate. I somewhat agree as there were times when their grief caused that line between teacher and student. The excessive touching and intimate moments between them were understandable but So Mang is still in a position over Jaemin and should act accordingly. I really liked Hamin's character. I think the events leading up to his demise could've been tweaked for more emotional impact, especially the argument scene between him and So Mang. That part kind of made his decision look petty when in reality his situation was much more complex than that conversation. At least from the perspective of the drama, it was unclear as to what exactly pushed Ha Min to that point of no return. Maybe the webtoon is more focused. Ju Yeon brought the emotion and tenderness that was needed for this role and she got me teary-eyed at times because of her performance. My only other complaint with her character is the fact that she didn't read that last letter Ha Min had for her. It would've been painful, but it felt right for her to have unpacked the contents and accepted whatever last words Ha Min left behind. It was interesting for me to see how the characters dealt with loss differently. Ha Min's parents seemed to avoid the topic all together whereas So Mang constantly lived within the days leading up to the tragedy.

I think the ending is relevant to real life when So Mang is forced to really move on and let go of what once was with Ha Min and begin living her life in a way that would make him smile. Even upon going back to her old school she was still living in the past and refused to move forward. Doing right by Jaemin on behalf of Ha Min was a part of the grief process and that in itself was nice to watch.

Overall I liked this one. Def gonna check out the webtoon now :)