Why WHC1 might be one of the best dramas I've ever watched, if not the best

This is one of the best dramas I've ever watched, if not the best, for several reasons (spoiler alert):
- Park Jihoon's acting is incredibly impressive, though he gets the least lines out of the 3 mains characters. At first, he may even appear as cold and emotionless, but truth is that all of his emotions are in fact conveyed through his eyes. Pain, revenge, sadness, every single feeling that rushes through his body is shown to us on camera by the look in his eyes. On his way to avenge his friend, when Sieun gets out of the hospital after seeing Sooho's unresponsive body, Park Jihoon's facial expressions manage to make the switch from sadness to anger very obvious in a matter of seconds.
- The storyline is very realistic and it's as painful as it is enjoyable. We think Sieun is finally safe when he transfers schools, only for him to end up being harassed by bullies at his new school. Whether an open end or a hint at a future season, it does a great job at highlighting that bullying is often something that is suffered on the long-term by victims. When we finally start feeling some relief, thinking the whole situation has finally been solved, we are quickly drawn back to the harsh reality: Sieun only escaped the bullies from his previous school, not the bullies from every other place. WHC1 also shows how incredibly difficult it is for anyone to tackle this issue durably, as the parents, teachers, the police and all the other adults are portrayed as helpless AND unhelpful throughout the whole show.
- The contrast between Sooho and the bullies is very subtle, yet incredibly obvious. Sooho knows how to fight, yet he only does so when necessary, and more than often, puts his fists to a good cause. On the other hand, the bullies use any situation as an excuse to stir up violence. They are weak, and lack morals, which is reemphasized during the 1-1 fight of Episode 8. They use violence not out of love for violence itself, but out of ignorance: they know nothing better. They seem shocked to witness Sooho's lifeless body on the ground, when it is a logical consequence of the beating they inflicted upon him.
- Bumseok is the typical antagonist. Him being adopted and having a chaotic relationship -if any- with his father reinforces his need to feel like he belongs somewhere. He finds that for a while thanks to his short-term friendship with Sooho and Sieun, but his lack of self esteem is quickly triggered by Young Yi. When he starts feeling like he matters, even though he is probably aware that he is being used by the bullies for his money, he can no longer stop before it's too late because he is blinded by this feeling he has never once felt in his life. It is easier for him to convince himself that Sooho deserved this than it is for him to realize that he ruined the one good thing he had in his life. He gets tired of being a victim, and so at the first chance he gets, he becomes a perpetrator, prisoner of a vicious cycle he was once the scapegoat of. His character does an amazing job at showing how a history of trauma can shape you for the worst, when you know no better. Though we have every possible reason to hate him, we can't help but feel pity towards the end of the show, and that's where it also does a great job at showing that sadly, not all victims of bullying will manage to escape the pattern of violence brought upon them. Sieun was also being bullied, yet he chose a drastically different path from Bumseok. This clearly explains one of the last quotes of Episode 8, where BumSeok asks Sieun to understand him, to which Sieun replies that he does, but that BumSeok must make the effort to understand the position he's in too. It is therefore obvious why he refuses to hit him, even though we may agree that Bumseok deserved it: Sieun knows that all of this was only triggered by Bumseok's sad storyline.
- The show also underlines the power of friendship in a very interesting way: When Sieun, who was always a lone wolf focused on studying, befriends Sooho, constantly-sleepy-and-starving-while-uninterested-in-anything-school-related character, he is willing to put his own life at risk for a friend who once did the same thing to save him from bullies. However, Bumseok, who has poor relationship skills and therefore ends up sabotaging his friendships for egotistic reasons, puts himself first. Bumseok also pays attention to silly things (eg. Sooho not following him back on Instagram), which is understandable considering that he lives in a family where appearances and money are the only things that matter. This setting therefore makes him unable to realize that Sooho and Sieun did more for him than anyone ever did. Most characters from this show are likable, with attention mostly drawn to Sooho, who is portrayed as the main hero. However, it is not a black-and-white type of show, since it shows both the weaknesses and the strengths of each character: Seokdae, for instance, who is involved in very questionable matters, ends up being a key character that looks out for others.
- Bonus point, because the entire soundtrack is absolutely wonderful.

Overall, this was an incredibly painful show to sit through, because it does an amazing job at showing the length bullies will go through in order to crack a few smiles, but this is exactly what made it this great. Some of the shots are very long, and build up on this feeling that the scenes of violence are never-ending. Despite having very few episodes (8), all actors pulled an astonishing performance that allowed us to get a glimpse of the hell bullied people may go through. I am definitely going to start reading that webtoon...

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