This review may contain spoilers
The story of friendship, obsession and co-dependency
Their friendship starts when they’re children, too young to understand what it will do to them in the future. The pattern of mutual jealousy starts with Eun-jung towards Sang-yeon’s seemingly glamorous life, then Sang-yeon towards Eun-jung’s lovable personality. The emotions might be the same, but the manifestations are different. Eun-jung’s jealousy is expressed more like admiration. Sang-yeon’s jealousy becomes quiet animosity towards Eun-jung that builds up throughout their lives.
Everything that happens in their lives past that point is because of each other. This is the start of their co-dependent relationship.
Eun-jung is the kind and empathetic one, especially towards Sang-yeon. Sang-yeon is distant; nice enough while still hiding her emotions. This is shown in her disappearance after her brother’s death and cutting contact with Eun-jung. Despite this, Eun-jung is the one to reach out to her first when they reconnect in university.
This starts the second cycle of their friendship. This is where the line between love and hate becomes blurred.
Fate seems to always bring them together. But this time, it has a name, Sang-hak. Sang-yeon’s deceased brother, and Eun-jung’s now boyfriend with the same name. This continues the theme that, no matter what they do, they are forever intertwined.
In the beginning, their friendship is seemingly normal, filling in the gaps of their lives, but the cracks start to form when Eun-jung’s reaching out is not being reciprocated by Sang-yeon.
Driven by their competitive dynamic, they keep finding qualities in one another that they themselves lack. Eun-jung’s jealousy of Sang-yeon’s natural talent and Sang-yeon’s of Eun-jung’s natural warmth and everyone’s gravitation towards her keeps them in this vicious cycle. None of them are willing to admit to this, in fear of confirming this inferiority.
The fate that brings them together is the exact thing that breaks them apart. When an additional bond between Sang-yeon and Sang-hak forms, Eun-jung’s well-hidden insecurities are brought to the surface as she becomes obsessed with their suspicious friendship. Sang-yeon has found a confidant in Sang-hak, sharing the trauma of her brother’s, his friend’s, death, but this comes at the expense of her and Eun-jung’s friendship.
Eun-jung reaches breaking point, ending both her relationship and her friendship. Sang-yeon has given Eun-jung an emotional ultimatum that ruins their friendship for good. That ends the second cycle.
The third cycle starts years later when the three of them reconnect through a film they’re shooting. Their connection runs so deep that, even their careers intertwine. Forced to work together, they must put their differences aside. Once again, Eun-jung is confronted with the fact that Sang-yeon excels in all that she does, reminding her of that jealousy she once held onto. When Sang-hak reappears, Sang-yeon is reminded of how Eun-jung is so much more loved than she is. Old feelings silently resurface, uncovering the resentment buried by time.
In this cycle, Sang-yeon is the one who has her breaking point. Unable to express her emotions normally, they manifest into obsession. Her feelings for Sang-hak turn into the need to possess him and keep him away from Eun-jung, blurring the line between love and obsession. Her inability to be loved by Sang-hak grows into a resentment towards Eun-jung because, in her eyes, that love is something that was stolen from her. In all this, Eun-jung still deals with Sang-yeon with care and refuses to rekindle her and Sang-hak’s relationship for her, and this seems to aggravate Sang-yeon even more.
Something in Sang-yeon snaps, and her goal becomes to ruin Eun-jung the way she, herself, is ruined. Her pure evilness is the last straw for Eun-jung who vows to never forgive her again.
This brings us to the fourth and final cycle. Sang-yeon is sick and asks Eun-jung, her only friend, to spend her last days with her. Eun-jung, still unable to forgive Sang-yeon, refuses. But Sang-yeon plays on Eun-jung’s kind nature and eventually convinces her. Seeing how fragile she is, Eun-jung’s heart is softened towards her. Despite everything, the prevalent link is their love and need for each other.
This is a story about two women who ruin each other when they’re together, but can’t bear to be without one another.
Everything that happens in their lives past that point is because of each other. This is the start of their co-dependent relationship.
Eun-jung is the kind and empathetic one, especially towards Sang-yeon. Sang-yeon is distant; nice enough while still hiding her emotions. This is shown in her disappearance after her brother’s death and cutting contact with Eun-jung. Despite this, Eun-jung is the one to reach out to her first when they reconnect in university.
This starts the second cycle of their friendship. This is where the line between love and hate becomes blurred.
Fate seems to always bring them together. But this time, it has a name, Sang-hak. Sang-yeon’s deceased brother, and Eun-jung’s now boyfriend with the same name. This continues the theme that, no matter what they do, they are forever intertwined.
In the beginning, their friendship is seemingly normal, filling in the gaps of their lives, but the cracks start to form when Eun-jung’s reaching out is not being reciprocated by Sang-yeon.
Driven by their competitive dynamic, they keep finding qualities in one another that they themselves lack. Eun-jung’s jealousy of Sang-yeon’s natural talent and Sang-yeon’s of Eun-jung’s natural warmth and everyone’s gravitation towards her keeps them in this vicious cycle. None of them are willing to admit to this, in fear of confirming this inferiority.
The fate that brings them together is the exact thing that breaks them apart. When an additional bond between Sang-yeon and Sang-hak forms, Eun-jung’s well-hidden insecurities are brought to the surface as she becomes obsessed with their suspicious friendship. Sang-yeon has found a confidant in Sang-hak, sharing the trauma of her brother’s, his friend’s, death, but this comes at the expense of her and Eun-jung’s friendship.
Eun-jung reaches breaking point, ending both her relationship and her friendship. Sang-yeon has given Eun-jung an emotional ultimatum that ruins their friendship for good. That ends the second cycle.
The third cycle starts years later when the three of them reconnect through a film they’re shooting. Their connection runs so deep that, even their careers intertwine. Forced to work together, they must put their differences aside. Once again, Eun-jung is confronted with the fact that Sang-yeon excels in all that she does, reminding her of that jealousy she once held onto. When Sang-hak reappears, Sang-yeon is reminded of how Eun-jung is so much more loved than she is. Old feelings silently resurface, uncovering the resentment buried by time.
In this cycle, Sang-yeon is the one who has her breaking point. Unable to express her emotions normally, they manifest into obsession. Her feelings for Sang-hak turn into the need to possess him and keep him away from Eun-jung, blurring the line between love and obsession. Her inability to be loved by Sang-hak grows into a resentment towards Eun-jung because, in her eyes, that love is something that was stolen from her. In all this, Eun-jung still deals with Sang-yeon with care and refuses to rekindle her and Sang-hak’s relationship for her, and this seems to aggravate Sang-yeon even more.
Something in Sang-yeon snaps, and her goal becomes to ruin Eun-jung the way she, herself, is ruined. Her pure evilness is the last straw for Eun-jung who vows to never forgive her again.
This brings us to the fourth and final cycle. Sang-yeon is sick and asks Eun-jung, her only friend, to spend her last days with her. Eun-jung, still unable to forgive Sang-yeon, refuses. But Sang-yeon plays on Eun-jung’s kind nature and eventually convinces her. Seeing how fragile she is, Eun-jung’s heart is softened towards her. Despite everything, the prevalent link is their love and need for each other.
This is a story about two women who ruin each other when they’re together, but can’t bear to be without one another.
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