iildbdx

if there's one underlying theme in this drama that i really appreciated, it would be that. in each of the conflict the kids went throughout the series, all of it stems from the problematic dumb things adults do.

from kim gil-soo's gambling scam that preys on students to si eun's absentee parents to beom seok's abusive stepdad. these children are fruits of what they see and what they dont see at home. this was emphasized at the climax of the last ep where beom seok says "i don't really know" in response to si eun asking why he did those terrible things. because if we're being honest, he doesn't really have an ultimate agenda against his friend. he was a kid who grew up in an environment that treasures power, politics, and abuse.

the drama further implicated that si eun and beom seok are the same in a way that they are kids who lacked parental supervision and affection. with their difference exhibiting that while they both have absent parents, si eun did not grow up in an abusive environment unlike beom seok (the drama also did really well to showcase this - beom seok only using hostile aggression through kicking the same way his father does to him.)

while this drama had so many social issue to uncover, i applaud the consistent way they honor this theme. they were very careful in crafting conflicts faced by these kids that even if it's hidden in plainsight, you as a viewer could trace its roots back to the adults involved.