A simple web drama, How to be Thirty, is based on webcomic “85nyeonsaeng” by Hye-Won (published from June 25, 2015 to February 15, 2018, via Kakao) (source: asianwiki). This drama is a women-centric story that focuses on three women in their 30s. It shows how they handle their love lives, careers, and past experiences. Starring Jung In Sung, Hani, and Cha Min Jee, this drama has a modern take on adult problems, with each episode lasting 20 minutes.
Seo Ji Won (Jung In Sung) is a popular webcomic writer. Becoming a webcomic writer has always been her dream. Everything seems normal until she meets her new editor, Lee Seung Yoo (Kang Min Hyuk), who turns out to be her first love.
Imagine meeting your first love after so long. They feel excitement toward each other and grow closer as they work on a project together, eventually starting to date. Interestingly, the webcomic they collaborate on is about their own first love story.
However, Ji Won later discovers that Lee Seung Yoo is also dating another girl, Lee Hye Rang (Kim Ji Sung). Deep down, Ji Won senses that there is someone else, but she tries to ignore it and continues her relationship with Seung Yoo.
Actually, I kind of want Ji Won to be honest with Seung Yoo when she realizes there might be another girl and whether she is coming between them, to make things clear. I mean, is Ji Won the third wheel? But Ji Won stays silent and ignores it until it’s too late. Her love for Seung Yoo grows deeper, and the same goes for him. Seung Yoo feels a different kind of love toward Ji Won compared to what he has with Hye Rang. From what I see, he wants to break up with Hye Rang, but she refuses to let go.
It’s later revealed that Ji Won’s feelings for Seung Yoo were never one-sided, even back in middle school. Seung Yoo had feelings for her too at that time. So, I think their story is like meeting again after unfinished business—though it turns out to be complicated. Seung Yoo, however, is quite frustrating. As a man, he isn’t clear about his feelings from the start. If he truly likes Ji Won, he should end things with Hye Rang properly and be honest with Ji Won so she won’t feel betrayed or misunderstand the situation.
On the other hand, Ji Won finds someone who makes her feel comfortable, even though, at first, he seems indifferent to her. Eventually, they develop a good working relationship. He is Cha Do Hoon (Song Jae Rim), the director adapting her webcomic into a movie. Do Hoon is there for Ji Won when she is going through a hard time.
From what I see, Ji Won still tries to make her relationship with Seung Yoo work, even though she knows he has another girl. I’m not really sure if he already wanted to break up with Hye Rang before meeting Ji Won—it’s still unclear from Seung Yoo’s side.
Ji Won has a painful past, as she was also dumped by a previous lover. She doesn’t want to go through that again—feeling vulnerable and being abandoned at this stage in her life.
Lee Ran Ju (Hani) is a successful radio announcer. However, her program is suddenly shut down for some reason, leaving her feeling deeply disheartened. As she struggles to come to terms with it, she meets a younger man who makes her feel comfortable and stands by her through both good and bad times. Dating a younger guy isn’t easy for her, but eventually, she realizes her true feelings. Their love story is quite adorable.
From what I see, Ran Ju’s story is about learning to accept change, especially in her career. She is highly skilled at what she does, but at this point, she has to face the reality that nothing lasts forever. Like it or not, we all have to deal with change.
Hong A Young (Cha Min Jee) also experienced a painful relationship in the past that left her feeling down. Now, at the age of 30, she wants to find true happiness in her life. She owns a nice restaurant and bar, which serves as a meeting place for the three best friends.
I remember one of A Young’s lines when she was deep in thought: “Have I ever been happy? I can’t seem to remember.” Then, A Young checks her phone and sends a supportive message to Lee Ran Ju, who is auditioning to work at a TV station again. That moment shows that supporting your best friend is also a form of happiness.
What I got from A Young’s story is the message: “Don’t forget to be happy.” Enjoy every moment and find your own happiness, even in small things.
Overall, I like this kind of women-centric story because I can feel attached to all three of them. However, I think the screen time focuses more on Ji Won and Seung Yoo. Honestly, I still can’t accept the open ending between Ji Won and Seung Yoo—even though there’s a little clue, it still feels unfinished in my opinion.
Spoiler alert
I don’t know how the webcomic ends, but from my point of view, Ji Won and Seung Yoo broke up on bad terms, and the story leaves their relationship unclear.
From what I see, the writer wants to show the story from Ji Won’s perspective—a woman’s point of view. It focuses on how she handles her first love at the age of 30. She even apologizes to Hye Rang for dating Seung Yoo when she finds out that Hye Rang was with him first.
But I’m actually curious about Seung Yoo’s perspective. Did he already try to break up with Hye Rang before because he didn’t love her, but she refused to let go? Or did he truly love Ji Won to the point where he wanted to try approaching her again? I don’t know. There’s no clear explanation about it.
That being said, I still like this drama and really enjoyed the friendship between the three best friends. The chemistry between Lee Seung Yoo and Ji Won is likable – I loved it from the start. The director did a great job capturing the actors’ strong expressions, and the cinematography was beautiful. Plus, Kang Min Hyuk’s sweet visuals were the best bonus!
Pictures: hancinema | kakaotv