KDrama Review | Come and Hug Me

The Story

Come and Hug Me (이리와 안아줘) is about two friends who share the same trauma from the past. Chae Do Jin and Han Jae Yi likes each other so much but Do Jin’s father is deemed as a psychopath. The father killed Jae Yi’s parents just because! The father is willed to destroy everything that will make his children weak. He insisted that humans are animals and that only the strong ones can survive. But, Do Jin saved Jae Yi and the father got jailed.

12 years after, the two met again. But, the father escaped from jail. They battled with trauma together and fought towards healing.

“Eliminating what makes you weak and pathetic is not the way to become strong. It’s when you want to protect someone, that you become strong as a person.”

My Thoughts In General

💭 Slow-paced but I get where this is coming from. It focused on the trauma and pain and how it takes time to heal. Losing the people you love ~tragically and brutally~ feels like one of those wounds that won’t heal. It just became bearable somehow; you do not stop aching. That sort.

💭 PTSD is real!!! I can feel their trauma coursing through my bones, it is so realistic. You see, the killing happened on Christmas. If you have been my reader since forever, you know how I feel about the BER months. I wanted to cry with Jae Yi every time she experienced it. The sound effect they used and the music for this!!! SO SPOT ON!!! They gave justice to this mental health condition.

💭 I love the inner conflict the most. Jae Yi never did hate Do Jin even though his father was the one who killed her parents. She still loved him unconditionally. You know what she said to Do Jin after that night of the murder? “Stay alive. It’s not your fault.” OKAY LET ME CRY AGAIN. SHE HAS A BIG HEART.

💭 On the other hand, people think that Do Jin will end up like his father because you know that saying in Filipino, “kung ano ang puno, siya din ang bunga?” And I think that is bull.

💭 The father is really scary, oh my god. I don’t take violence well so I kind of covered the screen when I know things were getting bloody.

💭 Watch out for the stepmother, by the way. The guilt is strong I want to weep and tell her “No, it is not your fault. No, do not listen to the psychopath.”

💭 You will also connect with Do Jin’s brother as well as Jae Yin’s brother. I remember Do Jin’s brother said something like, “Will life be better if we have a different father?”

💭 It is all twisted.

💭 Can you imagine the struggle of Do Jin and Jae Yi being together and loving each other but they still probably see the incident that night whenever they look into each other’s eyes? It is like a never-ending torment but they let love win. I think it’s inspiring because it is possible. They did not hold grudges. How big of a person they are?

💭 THE ENDING IS ANTI-CLIMATIC!!! But, I don’t mean it in a bad way. I sent a message to a friend telling her that I hate myself for understanding everyone, even criminals sometimes. I try to look for justification in every action. It is so annoying, mind you. I am disappointed in this because the father’s character is not justified. I know, I know, we can never justify killing. But somehow, there should be a trigger there. How did he become a psychopath? Did he have a terrible childhood? Wasn’t he treated right? Again, I know, there are a lot of people who suffered in the past but did not turn into a monster. But we have to understand that we all deal with pain differently. I’m sorry if I am not making any sense. Those are my honest thoughts.

💭 There is an ending scene where the present Do Jin and Jae Yi met their young selves. It was kind of closure and I bawled my eyes out because they had finally the courage to comforted their young selves and let go. MAYBE I AM CRYING AGAIN.

“When you’re sad, cry. when you’re tired, hug. that’s how we live. holding back comes next. when you’ve tried all you can and nothing works, that’s when you hold back.”

Have you watched Come and Hug Me? Please let me know what you think if you have watched it as well!

Trailer

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[Featured Image: Courtesy of MBC]