It was warming to read your write up @sukstan. I no longer feel I'm the only who changed watching dramas :)

When life, or people around us or we ourselves can't show us a better way, dramas unexpectedly step in and guide us. Either by holding a mirror, or bringing to life an ideal we always imagined, or showing us a completely different way of living. Or they remind us that we are not alone being confused ourselves.

Cheers to a more enlightened living through dramas. Fighting!

Such a nice write-up @sukstan! I was Woo-Joo as a high school student (usually good grades but didn't care if the grades drops a few notches, not killing myself studying etc.). The most accurate thing in the drama though, was how his mother was considered lacking for not completely dictating his life. Now I realize the importance of what she did, she was giving me practice on how to take decisions on my own....

Seriously, you should add a spoiler warning to this essay. Just tell where the spoilers start and end if you can't remove it.
Your writing is very good and your love for the drama and the characters enthralling but both lose a lot of their appeal because of the spoiler you added on the counselor.

To me the spoiler wasn't even necessary to explain your feelings and thoughts, the parallel between your life and the character was clear enough and didn't call for a detailed explanation, yet you revealed what seems to be a major plot point.
For a reader like me, stumbling on it out of nowhere really was a hindrance and stopped me from finishing to read.

It's a pity because I started the first two paragraphs thinking that your testimony showed an excellent reason to relate to the younger characters (i avoided the drama because young cast acting is often cringeworthy) by pushing me to remember my high school and University years.
I even start to consider watching Sky castle, for the first time because it paint the drama in a different light.

Well done @sukstan. While it's admirable to be committed to excelling in school, I'm glad you're looking for more balance in your life.

It sounds like you have a lot of personal traits to be proud of.
I do hope you get into one of your preferred schools and that it is full of opportunities and fun. Good luck.

Wow, I didn't know you're a high school student! You have very mature writing. I was also Ye-seo in high school and most of college, until an all-nighter of crying while writing final lab reports broke me. After that, I gave up my perfectionism and my life balance was much better. It would have been much better for me to learn while watching Sky Castle like you! Best of luck to you.

Wish you the best on your journey!

Finding balance between chasing society's definition of "success" and personal happiness is hard. Some people live long lives not even realizing it. :(

I'm glad Ye-seo's (and the twins') story inspired you to make changes so early in life. Though to be fair to yourself and Ye-seo, there's nothing wrong with wanting to be an achiever! I like to imagine she still (mostly) kicked ass in college. LOL But she found a balance where she doesn't break down and hate herself when she makes mistakes. It's hard to pick yourself up when you're kicking yourself at the same time...

Anyway, good luck on your journey! ♥

I’m still working my way through this one. I, too, was ultra-focused in getting good grades on high school and college, but maybe not much as you were, @suk. SKY Castle does ring somewhat true to me as a parent, though, as I know families who do everything for their children’s education and extra-curricular activities. Imagine moving half your family to a coast so that your tennis phenom can train all year. Crazy, but true. Thanks for your write-up. I hope all your work and preparation is rewarding for you!

These emotions you brought up are mirroring my own. (why are so many beanies going through burnouts?) I hated that everyone hated Yeon Yeo in the beginning because I saw soooo many qualities of her in me. No matter how terrible she was, I understood what she did and I hated myself for it. I loved her retribution in the end. It might not be as dramatic, but I feel everyone who has or is experiencing a burnout has to eventually come to the same realization she did (and you did). You're important. You come first. You must be happy. Balance is important.I LOVE This post. Fighting chingu. Also, keep working on yourself, because even though you realized how toxic hard work/no play/competition can be, working on yourself is an ongoing process that won't be easy.

this is a really nice, insightful write-up. i wish when i was your age i was that eloquent. i'm sorry you identify with seung-hye's family. i love everything about this show from the satire, to the acting, to the writing. (my only issue was the music in these scenes with the dad) but that family hurt so bad because it mirrored my life, and i'm sure many others, so well. he was terrifying.

i think these kids were failed so deeply, that i couldn't hate them. i'm glad it gave you solace but helped you relax. if i could go back, i would tell young me to cherish my time and learn all i want to learn, do what i want to do, try happiness as the goal not "success." of course, we're all where we are for a reason (i suppose) but if you can be kinder to yourself, like ye-seo eventually was, life is a bit sweeter.

the balance of like autonomy, motherhood, and being a kid which strips one of control was really well explored.

i probably have a billion philosophical ideologies and they're all long and radical, but the young beanies here are so well-spoken. there's so much experience that comes with age that i could have avoided if i was more in-touch!

Thank you for writing this thoughtful post. I'm glad Sky Castle made you question those values a little bit, because college admissions mania can be really harmful. I live in a community where "extra" is average. Kids wake up at five a.m. to do sports practice, load up on math and science APs, etc. But due to the extreme pressure, many of the kids here are anxious and depressed. A couple of weeks ago, a student in my daughter's class posted a suicide threat on social media, and one of the factors he mentioned was his mom hounding him about his grades. There are many paths to success! There are some very successful people who went to average colleges, and vice versa. Elizabeth Warren went to a state school for undergrad, and so did Warren Buffet. Anyway, for anyone who is in this headspace, I recommend a book called Enough As She Is by Rachel Simmons.

sukkie, what a wonderful essay! I think you've discovered some life secrets way ahead of schedule ❤️ Best of luck this year, we can see that you will ace all the essay parts of your tests and apps!

@sukstan This was ❤ to read. I felt stifling competition during middle school and high school but eventually learnt to take life by its reigns and not let opportunities, fun and chillax time (dramas) disappear into oblivion.

This is such a wonderful read! Thank you, @suk for sharing your experiences with us. I have not yet watched SKY Castle, but it is pretty high on my to-watch list. My preservations over watching it is that I'm afraid it might remind me of my own stressful high school/college years. , but after reading this, I feel like I need to watch it asap. I'm glad that it brought something positive to your life! Good luck with everything! :3