Edited by Kim Won Hee
Translated by Kim Hoyeun
Recently, unique R-rated teen shows have been emerging on OTT platforms. If Netflix has All of Us Are Dead that combined zombies with teens, and Wavve presented the action series Weak Hero Class 1, Disney Plus chose the revenge thriller Revenge of Others. The drama about school violence and revenge has cast Shin Ye Eun, Lomon and other rookie actors.
Revenge of Others brings the two main characters, who seem totally unrelated, together as the story progresses. First, Ok Chan Mi (Shin Ye Eun) sets out to find the killer that killed her twin brother Chan Kyu. Hiding the fact that she’s his sister, she transfers to Chan Kyu’s school and follows his footsteps, such as getting to know the people in the school including his girlfriend Hong Ah Jung. However, as she digs deeper, she discovers a shocking secret about her brother that’s completely different from what she’d known, finding herself in a world of chaos.
Ji Soo Heon (Lomon) takes revenge on the school bullies who were left unpunished. While working part-time to pay for overdue fees for his mother’s nursing home, his friend Tae So Yeon (Chung Su Bin) offers him a job where he gets paid for taking revenge on the perpetrator who sexually assaulted a junior on the victim’s behalf. Making use of his kickboxing skills, he starts seeking revenge on others’ behalf, but this takes an unexpected turn when he becomes excessively violent due to the influence of a malignant brain tumor. He didn’t just stop with a simple threat to get the culprit to apologize to the victim. Instead, he brutally beat up the target of the mission.
The stories of Chan Mi and Soo Heon gradually intertwine, using Chan Kyu’s hidden life in school and a police officer investigating a series of school bullying incidents. However, it’s regrettable that Chan Mi’s revenge for her brother’s death is confusing, as if she’s trying to have her head in the clouds. It seems like the drama is building up the narrative by continuously introducing new characters and clues, but the truth is that the story only feels ambiguous as it only throws in more questions without resolving anything. A good example is the truth about Chan Kyu’s school life that left Chan Mi in dismay. It was revealed that Chan Mi’s kind brother was actually a delinquent who bullied other students. However, a new character shows up and claims that Chan Kyu was a nice guy who stood up to defend the victims, raising whole new questions.
Soo Heon’s story as a “revenge agent” also could’ve been better. The fact that Soo Heon, who does not tolerate injustice and resolves it in his own way with his fists, chooses to get revenge for others for money is interesting, but he gives the impression that he only exists to assist Chan Mi in her quest. Soo Heon’s second target is found dead, and the act of revenge turns into a murder case, and Soo Heon is suspected of killing Chan Kyu. While Seok Jae Bum (Seo Ji Hun), who’s lost his memories, and Ki Oh Sung (Chae Sang Woo), who was suspected of being the cause of Chan Kyu turning violent, are also introduced as suspects in Chan Kyu’s murder, the scenes that make viewers also raise suspicion toward Soo Heon only add to the confusion. Moreover, some scenes were made hastily just to make a connection between the events.
Despite the many letdowns in the plot, the actors’ performances are eye-catching. In particular, Shin Ye Eun’s solid acting is outstanding. She brilliantly portrays Chan Mi, who doesn’t give in to violence and stands strong as she tries to get to the bottom of the truth. Lomon also breathes life into a high school boy with only a few months to live and flawlessly pulls off the action scenes. Their distant-yet-close, simple chemistry certainly two is eye-catching. I can’t wait to see who the real culprit is that murdered all those people and how the relationship between Chan Mi and Soo Heon will change. (5/10)
Edited by Kim Won Hee: I am a person who needs more than 24 hours in a day because there are so many things I love. I am amassing various genres in the jewelry box in my heart.
