[Happily never after] When the other guy’s just better

by Guest Beanie

By GEMSTAR

Editor’s note: This post contains spoilers.

To the Beautiful You: It was my first drama, and it hooked me on Korean shows—but it really shouldn’t have. The plot contradicted its own logic and the two main leads were not exactly compelling. The heroine Jae-hee was flat and boring from a narrative and acting perspective; the other main lead left me unable to watch anything SHINee-related for a good three years because of how much I despised his character Tae-joon and his unjustified meanness to everyone around him, especially Jae-hee. Yes, Tae-joon got “nicer,” but he spent a good portion of the drama being violent (the sheer amount of times he grabbed someone by the shirt!) and overly closed off. There is nothing I hate more than someone who won’t just talk about stuff, especially if it’s not for a good reason. In other words, I am not recommending To the Beautiful You.

Yet, I will never forget this drama; I even still watch bits of it.

Why? Because the second lead stole my heart.

Cha Eun-gyul was not only played by probably the best actor in the cast, the underrated Lee Hyun-woo, (a close second for best actor was Kang Ha-neul, who played Hyun-jae) and his character was just better than the first lead on so many levels. He and Tae-joon were rivals in love for Jae-hee and Eun-gyul was the one who just got along with and understood Jae-hee better. He helped her feel at ease in a strange world while being her friend, her confidante, and her shoulder to cry on. He could read her mood when she was down, and they had an easy rapport that made me both smile. When I saw them together, I just wanted to throw things at my screen–why couldn’t she see Eun-gyul was better for her? When Tae-joon raged at her and made her cry (frequently), she would turn to Eun-gyul for solace. I think if she hadn’t been written as such a stubborn stan, she would at least have recognized some of the attractive qualities in her best friend at Genie High.

Besides, I think Eun-gyul just naturally had more depth than most of the other characters on the show. I mean, a guy who struggles with his attraction to his “male” friend and has to deal with all his insecurities because of it? Automatically more compelling! While Tae-joon had the safety net of knowing for most of the drama that his stan roommate was a girl, Eun-gyul fell for Jae-hee without that knowledge. Who cares about a boy who’s only figured out he likes the girl after he’s been a jerk to her when you have someone who falls in love with a person he thinks he shouldn’t? Eun-gyul’s struggle was often funny, but it was also palpably painful. You really felt for him as he struggled with what to do about his growing crush on Jae-hee. You felt the confusion, the doubts, the insecurities, and finally the resolve when he acted on his feelings and confessed. I also loved that his confession had no strings attached. There was just honesty, which was hard since he probably knew even then that he was a little too late.

I really wanted Eun-gyul to get the girl. If I had been Jae-hee’s friend, I would have fully supported Eun-gyul. He treated her better, he understood her, and he cared for her as both a friend and a crush, regardless of what he thought her gender was. Plus, he was adorable. What’s not to love?

Sadly, that was not enough for our stan (not even enough to properly reject him until the final episode!), and Jae-hee went to Tae-joon, condemning our Eun-gyul to the Han River and the friend zone. I know, I know, you can’t force a heart. But when you had three different men going after you at one point, I think it’d be worth at least sitting down for a minute and considering all your options!

It’s funny writing about To the Beautiful You because it’s not a good drama by most measures. But something about adorable, insecure, selfie-taking Eun-gyul with his heart on his sleeve and his sweet earnestness tugged at my heartstrings and made me wonder what could have been. If Eun-gyul had gone for it earlier in the show’s run when she was still not certain about her feelings, or if Jae-hee had just looked up from her copy of How to be the Most Supportive Stan and truly considered Eun-gyul’s confession… maybe both might have been happier in the end. Because what’s more fun than ending up with your best friend?

 
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