Reviews

Skip it if you can...

What an incredibly frustrating show to watch - didn't even finish it. I'm sure this is a reflection of modern day social heirarchy so it's accurate I give it that. When I first started watching this show it reminded me of the north american movie "platform" but as the show progressed, didn't end up that way. It was all by luck the top floors got all the privileges while the lower floors suffered very true in the real world. All this show had was the top 4 floors beating, literally beating the sh*t out of the lower floors. Even when the lower floors got the upper hand, there's always one person that screws it all up and in this one it's god damn ajumma of the 5th floor. With all her nice nice attitude and stupid hallucinations. The only character that was amusing to watch was floor 3 dude.

I got up to the 7th episode (there was a total of 8 for this show) and didn't even bother finishing it coz the top floors once again started beating the crap out of the lower floors. Just annoying all around.

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Unexpected series

This series wasn't even on my list of drama, but i unexpectedly stumble on this. So i watch it, and the rest is history. I was hooked that i wanted to finished it in 2 days but couldn't because i have a job the next day, so finally finished it tonight. The storyline in this series is about second chances in love , fate, justice and reconciliation for the broken family . I enjoyed watching this series from beginning to end. The cast delivers every emotions powerfully. Both the leads has chemistry , the supporting cast is amazing as well. The ost ♥️
Congratulations to the cast and crew 👏

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Came for Benz and Garfield — they couldn't quite deliver here

I found this series through Pit Babe, where Benz and Garfield caught my attention as a side pairing and left me wanting more of them. This felt like the obvious next step.
It wasn't quite what I hoped for. In Pit Babe their dynamic had something that made me curious — here that something didn't translate in the same way, and the chemistry between them never convinced me the way I'd expected it to. Worth noting too that they've since gone their separate ways as a BL pairing, which adds a certain weight to watching this in retrospect.
The main couple actually has more chemistry between them, which is its own kind of irony given why I was there. But the story around everyone didn't pull me in either — I skipped large portions and finished what I did see mostly out of stubbornness rather than genuine engagement. Functionally closer to dropped than completed.
Sometimes a pairing works in one context and doesn't transfer. This was one of those times for me.

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Started with promise — then lost me somewhere along the way

The opening had my attention. A drinking game that ends in death, anonymous threats, a murder investigation — as a setup it works, and JoongDunk as a pairing gave me a reason to stay past the premise.
But by episode three the series had already started losing its own thread, or at least losing me trying to follow it. The focus shifted in a way that left me uncertain what the show was actually most interested in, and when a series stops feeling like it knows what it is that early, I stop feeling like I need to find out. I dropped it without much hesitation and I don't plan to go back.
JoongDunk have something together, and I don't doubt there are moments further in that deliver. But a pairing alone isn't enough reason to push through a story that's already stopped making sense to me.

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I'm not Korean, but I was bullied throughout my entire school career. I wish I could say that everything in Episode 1 is exaggerated and ridiculous... but not really. Students who insult, hit, and humiliate other students, with no one coming to the victims' aid, and sometimes even with the teacher's support (yes, really), well, that's the reality. Episode 1 isn't that far-fetched.

Violence doesn't solve anything in this case. But the series suggests that it does, that it would be the ultimate solution to everything. No, the bullies will take revenge on their victim. All it does imply that if violence comes from the stronger people (adults), then it's valid. And consequently, adults have complete authority over minors... because ? Because, period. Thus, violence in school would simply be an educational problem caused by the parents alone. I'm not sure I support that. (I believe above all in the collective responsibility and individual courage proposed by philosophers like Arendt or Sartre. At some point, we must act even if we stand to lose something, even if we aren't personally responsible : we are.)

That said… it's hard not to find it thrilling when a teacher goes to the home of a privileged bully (the son of a high-ranked politician) just to piss him off. And he couldn't care less about threats from a potential future president of the Republic. I admit it.

There are also some very serious issues that aren't handled all that badly. It goes beyond just school. We seek revenge for the powerless. And these "teachers" are only there for a specific mission.
Well, here I go complaining again… I love revenge in movies or TV shows, but in real life, it accomplishes nothing. I wouldn't be any less devastated if I learned of the death of my bullies or attackers. It doesn't make things right. And it's individualistic, too. An individual solution for every systemic problem ? No. (Or else we must expect that many of our relatives and family members will disappear in prison or be executed...) And it happens after the problem. It's already too late. Neither violence nor the death penalty dissuades people from committing crimes !

The series takes on a cartoonish tone starting in episode 2. The students are total thugs straight out of the worst mafia movies. How many times have they repeated a grade ? Paradoxically, it becomes much more watchable. From that point on, it takes on a satirical approach, the ideology takes a back seat, and you can watch it as a usual action comedy. If the whole series were like that, it would be just fine. But, it's not.

Episode 3 and its false accusation of a teacher sexually harassing a student. I just can't handle that. What about the real accusations ? Do we just ignore them ? It leaves me completely dumbfounded, I can't stand it. And Jin Ki-joo finally shows up ! Finally ! (My main reason for watching this series) But I couldn't appreciate her absurdly authoritarian approach as much as I'd have liked. I dropped the series right there. That's my limit. It's probably a shame, but I refuse to waste my time on stories about false accusations.

(Ignore the note. It's just for my own reference, so I know not to try again.)

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Soulmates on screen — I just wished the series had trusted itself to go a little deeper

The foundation of this story is genuinely moving. Two best friends, a shared love of photography, years of quiet feelings that one of them didn't know how to hold. That scene with the private exhibition, just the two of them, their photos, their world - chefs kiss! That detail alone made me feel something. This is what soulmate energy actually looks like when a series takes the time to build it properly rather than just declare it.
The fear of losing the friendship felt completely earned to me, and the series handles that anxiety with real care. What I found particularly strong is a question that gets raised near the end — Wataru asking whether he's now split between two roles, best friend and partner, and which one he's supposed to be. That moment quietly points at something we don't talk about enough: the way we still categorise relationships into separate boxes, as if love and friendship can't exist in the same space without one replacing the other. For a relatively gentle series, that's a sharp observation.
The romantic relationship in the final episodes feels genuinely healthy — unhurried, warm, mutual. I appreciated that.
My personal sticking point is that the series stays a little too safe given the emotional depth it clearly has access to. I'm not asking for explicit content — that's not the point. But I think there's something to be said for a story that has built this much intimacy between two people and then keeps a certain distance from what that actually means for them as a couple, including any reckoning with identity or what loving each other changes about how they see themselves. The foundation was there for something more layered. I wish the series had walked a little further into it.

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Similar to Taxi Driver but could've been better

Teach you a lesson series shares lot of similarities with Taxi Driver, watching it feels like watching some sort of a spin-off of that show but with a different plot and actors.

Both shows present a small group of people (heroes) who punish criminals and save the day although a bit different in this show but it's still the same idea. The group (just like Taxi Driver) also consists of an old guy (a boss figure) with relations and money who makes anything possible which also happens that he shares a special relationship with the ML (how they met and what led them to create what calls the protection of education laws or special Taxi service in Taxi Driver), a smart guy who hacks computers and another friend who helps in his/her own ways. Their jobs are to talk to victims and save them from whatever they're facing.
And many other things this show did that were similar to one of my favorite shows Taxi Driver. it was exciting and full of action and comedy, It was cool to watch overall. The acting and action scenes were also good.

But most importantly, despite some flaws that you can read them below, the show tackled one of the most non-talked about sides of education. A profession that looks easy on the surface but so difficult in reality, and as someone who's heading to that path, i can fully understand those hardships especially dealing with kids and their stubborn parents. How the bureau of protection dealt with every situation seemed a little bit unrealistic in some instances but it was worth it.

Now, speaking of flaws and negatives of the show, something i personally felt and didn't like is the lack of a big main story.
The mini side stories of schools and so on were good on their own but the show needed a main story, something cooking up slowly that leads to something big for the heroes to deal with.
We saw this with Taxi Driver in S1 and 2 (S3 had some issues as well) and how they faced a bigger threat, a bigger bad boss at the end of each season they struggled to defeat but they eventually did. We didn't see that with Teach you a lesson though. It felt like the director had some stories in mind, he put them together without any direction which isn't bad but if you're trying to do the Taxi Driver formula, at least do it the right way.

Also, the romance thing wasn't really my cup of tea. It felt forced and dumb.

That was my opinion on the show overall, it wasn't as good as Taxi Driver to be fair here but it was worth the watch. I enjoyed it.

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Brilliant- a fun and breezy watch that also does not pull punches!

Admittedly, I am in a bit of a drama slump right now. Nothing has been able to retain my interest for longer than the first 2 episodes, so I started Fake Fact Lips without any high expectations.

Wow, this show has me HOOKED. They waste no time establishing the setup, the dynamics between Ryo and Zen are clear from Ep 1, and the chemistry is chemistrying. The actors know their assignments and bring their A game when it comes to the skinship and the kisses, but their emotional connection is very well developed as well. Zen is a very well written "cat" character, the cold, aloof one who secretly cares a lot. I love that we see his affection for Ryo immediately.
And Ryo, omg, the actor and the character are absolute cuties.
They are able to build a lifetime's worth of existing tension between Ryo and Zen— and they have fantastic actors who portray their younger selves. This is such an easy and fun watch that I find it easy to recommend. I can easily see myself re-watching this yearly!

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A true love story

One of my favorite dramas from the last five years has been Queen of Tears. This drama is based on a true love story. It tells the emotional love story of Baek Hyun-woo, a man from a small village who works for the powerful Queens Group as a lawyer, and Hong Hae-in, the heiress to a luxury department store empire. Their relationship is filled with love, heartbreak, misunderstandings, and sacrifices, but no matter what challenges they face, they continue to fight for each other.

At the beginning of the drama, we see a couple whose marriage appears completely broken. They sleep in separate beds, rarely talk, and when they do, it usually ends in an argument or is about the business and money. Yet through flashbacks, we see how deeply Baek Hyun-woo once loved Hae-in. He would do anything for her, and although Hae-in often appeared cold and distant, she showed a softer and gentler side whenever she was with him. Their was a cute scene while she is sitting in back of a car and asking her driver to follow up to admire Baek from a distance. Their wedding felt like a fairy tale, and Baek even promised that he would never make Hae-in cry. Everything seemed perfect until we slowly discover what drove them apart.

The turning point in their marriage was the loss of their baby. Hae-in shut herself off emotionally, while both of them buried their grief instead of communicating. Now Baek decides he wants a divorce, even though he fears the reaction of Hae-in’s powerful family. Just as he finally works up the courage to tell her, she reveals that she has a brain tumor and needs surgery. Baek is shocked, and although his initial reaction is relief that he won’t have to divorce her if she dies, he quickly begins treating her with more kindness and care.

As the story progresses, Hae-in’s former classmate enters the picture, creating tension and jealousy. Baek’s feelings for Hae-in become impossible to ignore, and moments like him saving her from a wild boar attack show just how much he still loves her. Hae-in was taken back that he would risk his life for her. Slowly, the feelings they buried begin to resurface, she even catches him researching places to help with her cancer treatments.

The most emotional part of the drama is Hae-in’s illness. Her health deteriorates, she suffers memory problems, and she sometimes collapses unexpectedly. We had an emotional moment where she forgets she is sick and that Baek and her aren’t on good terms and she’s happy, but it breaks Baek. During this time, she also discovers that Baek had planned to divorce her, which causes even more pain and distance between them. Despite this, the story beautifully portrays two people falling in love with each other all over again.

There are so many unforgettable moments: their passionate kisses, emotional embraces, and the devastating car crash scene where Baek believes Hae-in has died. That moment perfectly captures the depth of his love. Another powerful scene is when Hae-in says she no longer wants to live because of her suffering, followed later by her decision that she wants to keep living and experience life with Baek by her side. “All I ever wanted you was by my side”



The drama was already emotional because of the promises they made to each other and the admiration they shared. However, once Hae-in’s condition worsened, the emotions became overwhelming. Whenever they cried together, it felt impossible not to cry along with them.

My favorite moment comes after Hae-in’s surgery when she can no longer remember Baek. Watching her read the journal she had written and slowly regain her memories of him was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. The amount of crying, longing, and love throughout this drama made every emotional scene hit even harder. The ending was perfect of them having a kid and showing many tears later when they are old of baek at Hae-in grave. A memorable moment in the drama is when he said ""If you die before I do, I'm going to live one more day and then follow you. How will I ever live without you?"Hae-in responds with an equally touching promise: "Let's say a lot of time passed, and you died. Then I'll become an angel to pick you up. If I show up, it'll be less scary for you."

While I loved most of the drama, the murder and villain storyline wasn’t my favorite part and I do wish we had 1 or 2 episodes of them 10-20 years later in life. I was much more invested in the romance and emotional healing between the main couple, even though all characters brought something to this drama. What stood out most to me was how deeply Baek loved Hae-in. He consistently sacrificed everything for her, and I have rarely seen a male lead portrayed with that level of devotion. His emotional breakdowns, drunken scenes, and moments of vulnerability were heartbreaking but also provided some of the show’s funniest moments.


Overall, Queen of Tears is one of the most emotional romance dramas I have ever watched. It is a story about grief, forgiveness, healing, and finding your way back to the person you love. Despite a few plot elements that didn’t work for me, the love story between Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in is one that I will not forget anytime soon

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