All That We Loved (2023) Episode 2

May 14, 2023

All That We Loved (Viki) Episode 3 brings us back to the alley where Joon Hee takes a beating. Yoo has a dream about playing with Joon Young when they were kids, but it ends in a disturbing nightmare.

At home, Joon Hee’s pain pills are discovered by his grandmother. And from the alley, Joon Hee is rushed to the hospital.

Back to 2023 and Dr Go appears to be waiting. A now-adult Soon Tak discretely delivers news that the detective agency hasn’t found ‘him’ yet. Soon Tak wonders if ‘he’ might actually be dead.

Spring 2006 rolls back and we see a roughed-up Joon Hee has a CT scan. Yoo questions whether he was beaten up by (younger) junior high schoolers to tease.

Yoo’s parents confirm the results of the CT and note Joon Hee’s kidneys aren’t in good shape – he has chronic renal failure. They break the news to his grandmother, who realizes he’d hidden the pain from everyone.

They agree to put Joon Hee on dialysis and a donor list but reassure that he’s not as bad as Joon Young was. It’s cold comfort.

Yoo begins to panic as the penny drops – this is not just about the attack. He’s so angry at Joon Hee for the state they’re in.

Yoo is pacing in his mother’s office as she explains how donor waiting lists work. He thinks they’re being too casual with his friend’s health.

Back in Joon Hee’s hospital room, Soon Tak delivers gym clothes from So Yeon. Yoo is beyond excited at hearing her name. Soon Tak notes she was quite worried about Joon Hee as well but Yoo doesn’t think so.

At school, the senior bully notes that Joon Hee has been out of school for a while. And that the girl he likes happens to be in the same class – So Yeon.

While at the hospital the three guys are having fun together just being silly. But Joon Hee ends up exhausted and later goes into arrest. Yoo promises his kidney to Joon Hee’s grandmother.

Yoo argues with his mother about donating his kidney. He’s aware that it could take 7-8 years to receive a donor and doesn’t think he can stand waiting that long. He doesn’t think Joon Hee will last.

Joon Hee’s grandmother tells Yoo’s mother that neither of them would want Yoo to risk an operation. Grandmother recalls how Yoo saved her and Joon Hee once already. He’d shared his energy back when Joon Young and their parents died. Back then, Grandmother had asked to raise the boys together.

After another conversation, Yoo insists he wants to be a donor. Joon Hee says he’ll decline. But the test results confirm the two are an uncannily good match and Yoo celebrates that they’re saved.

Soon they’re in surgery together where one flatlines – it appears to be Yoo – and under anesthesia, tears fall from both of their eyes. We’re transitioned to school one month later where both of their desks are empty.

So Yeon is arguing with three girls in a storage room and suddenly Joon Hee appears at one door and Yoo at the other. Yoo takes her hand to evade the other girls. So, they’re both out of the hospital and back at school.

The Episode Review

It’s interesting how Yoo thinks in terms of ‘we’ and ‘us’ when referring to Joon Hee. ‘We’re saved,’ he says – as if they’re conjoined twins. It’s another little piece to demonstrate how tied together they are. Yoo insists as if it’s perfectly obvious that he’d give his kidney to Joon Hee and they’re just wasting time having the discussion.

He’s shocked that any of them would dare oppose him, and perhaps he blames himself a bit too for not forcing Joon Hee to the hospital through all his dizzy spells.

Clearly both guys have a thing for So Yeon. And maybe she’s not quite decided her stance yet. Yoo is very straightforward, expressing his interest. Is Joon Hee more reserved in this or being respectful of his friend’s feelings? It seems like Yoo may not yet have noticed that they both like the same girl.

Meanwhile, how do we feel about the ruse over one of them dying? Without explanation (so far) they’re both just fine and back in school after one month.

While the story is interesting and the characters fun, the flow is not as fluid as it could be, back-tracking on itself and cutting scenes almost a moment too soon in order to build tension. But it feels a little clunky, sacrificing emotional moments for suspense. There’s still time to pull it out of the bag. More to come in the episode immediately to follow.