Live On (2020) 라이브온
Directed by Kim Sang-woo, starring Jung Da-bin as Baek Ho-rang, Hwang Min-hyun as Go Eun-taek, Noh Jong-hyun as Do Woo-jae, Yang Hye-ji as Ji So-hyun, Yeon Woo as Kang Jae-yi, Choi Byung-chan as Kim Yoo-shin, and Lee Se-hee as Jung Hee-soo.
Watched 12 — 14 July 2026 — 8 episodes (KISSKH)
*Unlike my lengthy review notes on the previously watched Always Home, I can be pretty brief about this drama. I chose it because of the high school setting and for its short runtime of only 8 episodes. And I've seen Hwang Min-hyun as the lead in Study Group and like him. Though it's an entertaining and short watch — a series that actually gets better with the final episodes — the bullying storyline with the mystery element is weak and, in fact, a bit messy. The romance between our leads (Jung Da-bin as Baek Ho-rang and Hwang Min-hyun as Go Eun-taek) is the strongest part of the drama, also the reason why I kept watching. Baek Ho-rang and Go Eun-taek are not the most likeable lead characters in K-dramaland but once they find comfort in each other's company, they get more likeable.
*Go Eun-taek is the manager of the high school's broadcasting club who is strict and overly time-conscious. In episode 4, he confesses to Baek Ho-rang that he likes her. I like the fact that she already knows early on how he feels about her, yet she's not ready to admit her feelings or tell him about her past. He's willing to wait, and I like how the waiting bit draws a parallel with his relationship with his estranged mother.
*I've never seen Jung Da-bin in a drama before, and though she won't be a favourite of mine, she is well cast as Baek Ho-rang. Ho-rang is a high school student and popular social media influencer, with an often cold and standoffish demeanour, and joins the broadcasting club in order to catch the person who is trying to reveal her secret linked to a traumatic past. Jung Da-bin strikes the right balance between being haughty and vulnerable.
*The side characters grew on me, though Yeon Woo as Kang Jae-yi and Choi Byung-chan as Kim Yoo-shin are really annoying at first. The second romantic leads Kang Jae-yi and Do Woo-jae had their sweet moments, but it's mainly because of Do Woo-jae's quiet and serious character that I found their romance tolerable. The fact that their personalities are so different is the greatest appeal of their pairing.
*I liked how Kang Jae-yi supported Baek Ho-rang, but I really didn't like how badly Ho-rang treated Jae-yi when Jae-yi offered her a sandwich and Ho-rang brushed her off. I sometimes didn't get Ho-rang at all.
*Some emotional beats land well, especially the storyline of Eun-taek and his mother, and the friendship between Ho-rang and Ji So-hyun. I loved how Ji So-hyun was trying to resolve the mystery and confronted the bully Jung Hee-soo (a role played by Lee Se-hee, recently seen in My Royal Nemesis).
*So ... watch it for the nice romance between Ho-rang and Eun-taek, but be prepared for an underdeveloped mystery/bullying plot.
*Nice upbeat OST.