27dramafun

A realistic love story between two former lovers who meet again after years apart and finally discuss their past. The film moves between the present and memories, gradually showing how their relationship unfolded and why it ended.

Moon Ga-young is very good at mature romance dramas and movies, and I think she should do more of them. This is the first role of hers that I truly loved, although I haven’t watched all of her projects. So far, I’ve seen True Beauty, The Interest of Love, Law and the City, and My Dearest Nemesis. While The Interest of Love also dealt with realistic relationships, it didn’t feel the same to me. In fact, I didn’t find it nearly as realistic as this film.

As Jeong-won, Moon Ga-young was excellent. It felt as if she was playing a real person rather than a character. You could feel her desperation, discomfort, pain, happiness, anxiety, and hope. Every emotion felt genuine, and she delivered a wonderful performance.

I also think this is the best chemistry she has ever had with a co-star, at least among the dramas and films I’ve watched. She has good chemistry with all of her co-stars, but I believe every actor has that one acting partner with whom everything clicks perfectly. For me, that person is Koo Kyo-hwan. I know many people ship her with Cha Eun-woo, but for me, her chemistry with Koo Kyo-hwan was on another level. They felt natural and comfortable together, and their interactions never seemed forced.

Koo Kyo-hwan is also a fantastic actor. I recently watched We’re All Trying Here and loved him in it. His chemistry with Go Youn-jung was good, but his chemistry with Moon Ga-young was extraordinary. Of course, this is a melodrama where their relationship is the heart of the story, but they completely carried it.

The story itself follows a friends-to-lovers trope. Eun-ho was sweet from the beginning. He became Jeong-won’s friend, fell in love with her, and supported her dreams. He cared deeply about her, and together they built a happy relationship. However, after they moved, things changed. Work pressures overwhelmed him, and he gradually became toxic. He grew nervous, easily irritated, and sometimes said hurtful things. Even small moments, such as turning the fan toward himself without thinking about her, made Jeong-won realize how much he had changed.

Eventually, she left. Eun-ho realized what was happening and ran after her. He reached her at the station, but in the end, he didn’t get on the train. That was the moment their paths separated.

During the years apart, both of them achieved their dreams. In the present, they discuss different “what if” scenarios and come to the conclusion that, despite loving each other deeply, they probably would have broken up eventually no matter what. I found that idea both heartbreaking and realistic.

I also loved the symbolism involving the video game. Earlier, Jeong-won says that when the girl leaves the boy, everything turns black and white. The director reflects that idea in the present-day scenes, which are shown in black and white. Then, after Jeong-won reads Eun-ho’s father’s letters and experiences the ending of the video game, color returns. It felt like a visual representation of closure, healing, and acceptance.

What I loved most is that this is a love story without a traditional happy ending. They do not end up together, but they become the people they are because of their relationship. They found comfort in each other when they needed it most, drifted apart when life changed them, and eventually forgave one another. They accepted their pain, found closure, and embraced the memories they shared.

In the end, they may no longer be together, but they can look back and say: “Once, we were us.”