Graduation (2024)

The Midnight Romance in Hagwon: More Education and Less Romance

"The commercialization of education turns a public good into a private commodity." This quote by Diane Ravitch encapsulates the central theme of the drama. It focuses on education within an academy setting, exploring academy politics, conflicts between school and academy teaching styles and rivalries between academies and teachers.

The story follows Seo Hyejin, an elite private educator, as she navigates her struggles in the academy and discovers new love with Lee Junho. The drama employs a highly realistic style with every element portrayed authentically. Education related issues are handled with great care and a realistic approach. However, the pace can sometimes be slow. If you are not a fan of slowburn, workplace centric dramas, you might want to skip this one.

Most of the characters are very much like normal human beings, neither wholly good nor bad. Everyone has their flaws which makes the drama interesting when conflicts arise between them.

Seo Hyejin, an elite instructor at Daechi academy, has forgotten her passion for teaching focusing instead on traditional methods and maximizing profits. When her views clash with her new love, Lee Junho and she interacts with her new student, Siwoo, she realizes how far she has strayed from her original passion. Her journey is full of ups and downs and her conflicts with various characters, such as the White Haired Witch, Mr. Pyo, and Lee Junho, make the drama compelling to watch.

When Lee Junho entered Daechi academy, he appeared as nothing more than a lovesick puppy for Hyejin. While he has a long way to go to become a fully mature person, his growth as an instructor, even if slight is evident throughout the drama. He holds strong views on introducing new teaching methods, which, although innovative, are quite risky.
In his love life, Junho is immature and often comes across as a pushy character who doesnt understand personal space. His persistent pursuit or rather stalking of Hyejin made me uncomfortable. Even after entering a relationship with Hyejin, he frequently behaves in a pushy manner which made me dislike him at times. He certainly has a long way to go.

Mr. Pyo is a character who showed immense growth from the beginning to the end of the drama. His conflict with Hyejin was a major plot point. Initially, he seemed very intimidating conservative school teacher with a big ego. However as the series progressed, he displayed significant positive development.

I loved Nam Cheongmi's character a lot. When the drama began, she was portrayed as an insecure character with a less privileged educational background. Her insecurity was understandable for a rookie instructor desperate for a chance to prove herself. However as she got to know Seo Hyejin better, she stood by her until the end. Her love story with Junho's friend was genuinely cute. Despite her limited screen time, this character made a strong impression on me and i wish there had been more of her. I would have loved to see more of her development.

Other characters, such as the White Haired Witch, Director Kim and Vice President Woo, were quite complex and created tension for Seo Hyejin throughout the drama. Director Kim showed notable positive growth but the other two remained antagonistic throughout the series.
Even Junho's parents were portrayed realistically. Their scenes were relatable, especially for Asian viewers. While they werent entirely unbearable they embodied typical Asian parents to the core.

The drama primarily focuses on education, with romance being a definite subplot. The chemistry between Seo Hyejin and Lee Junho was quite nice but their love story was not without flaws. There were aspects of it that i disliked and others that i loved. If you are looking for a hardcore romance drama, this might not be the right choice.

The cinematography was heartwarming and cozy with a relaxing tone that i enjoyed. However some scenes were dimly lit, which i only noticed during nighttime viewing. Daytime viewers might find the dim lighting more problematic.

Overall, its a compelling drama that realistically explores education through the lens of an academy. If you enjoy slow burn workplace dramas, this is definitely for you.

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Upcoming Best Romance Drama currently!!

Upcoming Best Romance Drama currently!!
This looks promising drama!! The texture is same style and genre with “one spring night” drama.
If you like “one spring night” and “something in the rain”, you will enjoy this drama too!!

Good directing and cinematography!!
a Realistic workplace plot will be with sweet romance!!!
I am fan of main lead actress and like their chemistry!!
hope to see more romantic scenes!!!

This will be slow burn romance drama and same vibe and texture with “one spring night” and “something in the rain” drama.
They have 6 years age gap only. Female lead was third year of university student and part-time study guide/instructor (not real teacher) while male lead was in high-school student (will be 18 or 19 age) for matriculation exam.


As per photos of age chart, current FL age is 35 years old and ML is 29 years old , that is why 6 years age gap only.

I enjoy this drama a lot!!! Can’t wait to see new episodes!!!!

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