1 week Ago By andyzar
There are moments in life when things are too much to handle, when it feels like you’re carrying the world on your shoulders and that you are all alone with no one to look after you. In those moments, having a friend by your side can be the best consolation of all. However, when that friend is none other than your first love, things can become tricky.
What’s even worse is if that person happens to have died long ago, which is exactly what happens in “ Way Back Love .” Warning: spoilers from episodes 1-2. Jung Hee Wan (Kim Min Ah) is a college student with an exhausting and lonely life, something many Korean young people can relate to, but things weren’t always like that.
The show quickly transports us to her high school days, where we see her exactly as any teenager should be: cheerful, energetic, and cute. She spends her days having fun and being brave and carefree, a striking difference from her current circumstances. There, she meets Kim Ram Woo ( Gong Myoung ), a newly transferred student who is the complete opposite of Hee Wan.
He is a model student who is quiet and shy. He enjoys playing board games with his one and only friend, Lee Hong Seok ( Jung Gun Joo ), and the last thing Ram Woo is looking for is getting entangled with the eccentric Hee Wan. However, in order to play a prank on their teacher during April’s Fools, they switch names for a whole day.
And that’s how their peculiar relationship begins. In less than 24 hours, Hee Wan makes enough fuss to even drag Ram Woo into a fight with some bullies. But that is exactly why it is all the more exciting and memorable for both of them.
Hee Wan comes up with the idea to change their names for good. In the beginning, Ram Woo opposes the idea, but Hee Wan proves to be a force of nature, and he has no choice but to accept. And so, he becomes Hee Wan and she becomes Ram Woo, even to the point where everyone at their school calls them like that.
And eventually they develop a special bond. During all this time, we get enthralled with the dynamic and refreshing spirit of a girl who isn’t afraid to face life head on, so you can understand why Ram Woo gets pulled into her skims. But also, you can tell she hasn’t experienced that many hardships at a young age, and her easygoing character makes her very charming to the people around her.
This makes the evident difference between her past and present self more heartbreaking. Because whatever happened to her, she is still carrying the pain and scars from it in her heart. Back to the present, she seems very affected by the mere mention of April Fool’s Day and even refuses to ask for a copy of her yearbook as if avoiding having anything that could bring back her memories at some point.
All of these things make the sudden visit of Kim Ram Woo all the more shocking. We quickly find out that he actually died four years ago and has returned as a Grim Reaper to warn her about her imminent death in one week’s time. Although they don’t show us exactly how Ram Woo died, it is clear it had a big impact on Hee Wan’s life as she simply can’t accept that he’s the one standing in front of her, let alone that he is there to tell her about her death.
At this point, you better prepare your tissues because they are ready to make you bawl your eyes out. Star-crossed lovers’ stories are never an easy watch, especially for the hopeless romantics or those who are weak of heart. However, things go beyond the angst and the roamnce of this show.
There’s something in the nostalgia that the show portrays, the autumn vibes, the reminiscing of the youth, and the grief of losing not only a dear one but also yourself that makes this K-drama all the more impressive. Once Hee Wan accepts that she isn’t actually hallucinating and that Kim Ram Woo really came back to her as a Grim Reaper, she makes a deal with him to complete 10 things on his bucket list, many of which look like simple and common dates. After that, he must disappear from her life forever.
But while doing all of this on her own—since nobody but her can see Ram Woo—she can’t help but remember when he was alive and the feelings she had for him. While Ram Woo insists that she shouldn’t have any regrets before passing, it looks like the only true regret in her life was losing him in the first place. It is mind-blowing the way you can feel the yearning, longing, and affection between the main leads in their different times.
It starts out as a pure friendship between innocent high schoolers, too inexperienced and shy to express their true feelings, to young adults who are broken after they literally get separated by life and death. Furthermore, by the end of these first episodes, we can see that their exchange of names could have something to do with Ram Woo’s death. This definitely complicates the feelings that Hee Wan might still be harboring for him and that will mark her life-path.
Although this K-drama will only have six episodes, it is already gifting us with intense emotions, perfectly comical timing, and an endearing story that will touch your heart in one way or another. So stay tuned for the next episodes, where we will continue watching Hee Wan and Ram Woo through their past and present, hoping they both can find peace in their future. Watch the first episodes of “Way Back Love” here: Watch Now Hey Soompiers! Are you watching “Way Back Love”? What are your thoughts on this K-drama? Let us know in the comments below! Andy zar is an avid drama watcher, from K-dramas to C-dramas, she believes any weekend is a good weekend to enjoy 12 hours of binge-watching dramas.
She loves romance, web comics, and K-pop. She is a declared “Subeom” and “Hyeppyending.” Her favorite groups are EXO, TWICE, and BOL4.
Currently watching: “ Way Back Love ” Plans to watch: “ Crushology 101 “.
