Graduation (2024)

The Romance with Potential That Lost Its Way

The Midnight Romance in Hagwon* sounded like it had everything to be a great drama. It started with a fun idea: Seo Hye-jin, a dedicated hagwon instructor, and Lee Joon-ho, her former student who comes back into her life after ten years, leading to a secret romance. I was excited to dive into this love story and explore the world of Korean cram schools.

At first, the drama was really engaging. The chemistry between the leads was great, and I enjoyed learning about the hagwon system. The acting was top-notch, and the romance seemed promising. It was everything I hoped for in a romance drama.

But, as the episodes went on, things started to slow down. After about ten episodes, the show lost its charm. The pacing became uneven, and just when the story started to get interesting again towards the end, it wrapped up too quickly. It felt like the drama was building up for something big, only to end abruptly.

The show had a strong start with its themes of idealism and a touching romance, but it quickly turned preachy. Instead of delving deeper into the characters and their struggles, it became more about criticizing the education system in a repetitive way. The drama’s message felt more like a lecture than a part of the story.

As for the romance, it didn’t really shine. Lee Joon-ho, the charming student, had potential but didn’t develop much beyond being a catalyst for Seo Hye-jin’s growth. Seo Hye-jin started off as an interesting character but became a bit bland over time. The side characters were not very developed either, and their roles felt flat and one-dimensional.

The drama also leaned heavily into melodrama, with exaggerated conflicts and villains that seemed over-the-top. This overshadowed the real issues and made the show feel less genuine.

In the end, *The Midnight Romance in Hagwon* started strong but didn’t live up to its potential. If you enjoy dramas with a mix of romance and slice-of-life elements, you might find it worth a watch. But if you’re looking for a story that keeps its promise and delivers a satisfying ending, you might be left disappointed.

Overall, it’s a drama with a great premise but missed the mark in execution. It’s like a movie that starts off exciting but doesn’t quite hit the right notes by the end.

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My First Review because this is the only Drama that I have watched while it was airing.

This my first review for a KDrama, I will be short about it. The starting was amazing even i was anxious of what might be go down in the coming episodes but it couldn't just do well in the second last part of the drama. The acting was good but the story continuation was below average. There were times when one could just see how below and clueless the characters were about how to deal with a crisis. People kept talking and a lot of talking kept going on, you never feel the impact of it eventually. The only thing that I held onto was the the beautiful chemistry between ML & FL apart from that the second half wasn't able to carry the same specularity.
What should have happened in between they dragged it to the ending. If only it could be a tug of war between academies rather than multiple meets and unnecessary persusion knowing the consequence of it.
Korean Drama hardly and rarely lives upto my epectation especially they crash in the middle but I had high expectations with this one as it started slow and there weren't any cringe or slow moments but it really failed to deliver the perfect blow I was expecting all along.

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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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Unique story, great acting, poor execution.

Starting off with the good points, I enjoyed learning more on the educational system in Korea. That aspect felt very unique. The acting was also superb. However, there's only so much that the actors can do. While the story was interesting, it was dragged unnecessarily and just when things started to get interesting in the last two episodes, the story quickly ended.

Additionally, based on the promotion of this drama, I expected it to be more heavily centred around their romantic relationship, however I didn't find it to be the central part of the show.

Overall, the show dragged and the pacing was strange. While I appreciate the idea behind it, I think it was not executed to its full potential.

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'Twas pleasant, thought-provoking, and well-made, though it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

One thing that stood out about this drama is how realistic it feels—the pauses in conversations, the awkward silences, the transitions from day to night...the interactions between the characters mimic real life, unlike most dramas with carefully choreographed scripts.

'Tis a slow-burn drama set against the backdrop of ultra-competitive educational institutions in S.Korea. The "romance" in the title doesn't only refer to the romance between a man and a woman, but also to the wider concept of passion in the characters' lives. Their passion for teaching, literature, the education system...it's beautiful to watch.

It was refreshing to see the main leads not breaking up for the sake of protecting the other. Finally, a drama that does not have the breakup arc three-quarters through the drama! Love to see it. ❤️ Beyond its content, the drama also delivers aesthetically. From walking in the rain to hugging under the snowfall, every scene looks like a work of art.

This drama is catered to a more mature audience, and moves away from typical kdrama arcs and tropes. I enjoyed watching it slowly, one episode a day, taking my time to appreciate every episode before moving on to the next.

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If You Like Slow Burn!

I absolutely loved "The Midnight Romance in Hagwon". As a die-hard fan of Ahn Pan Seok’s directing, this drama hit all the right notes for me. The melodramatic feel paired with stunning cinematography showcases Ahn Pan Seok’s signature style perfectly. The OSTs were also top-notch, enhancing every emotional moment.

As a noona romance enthusiast, I was thrilled with the solid, slow-burn romance between Lee Joon Ho and Seo Hye Jin. Although the romance wasn’t front and center all the time, the moments we got were deeply satisfying and well-executed.

The portrayal of academy life and the conflicts between teaching styles in schools and private academies were brilliantly done. The drama beautifully highlights the challenges faced by academy teachers, especially through the character of Seo Hye Jin as she navigates the complexities of teaching ideals.

Overall, "The Midnight Romance in Hagwon" is a gem. It offers a unique blend of romance, drama, and insightful commentary on the education system. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates nuanced storytelling and well-developed characters.

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Mature, realistic romance and character arcs within a compelling slice of life setting

Mellow, mature romance with true character arcs and growth built up in the middle of very realistic feeling characters and settings. I will definitely be rewatching parts again.

Jung Ryeo Won is always amazing and brings a touch of realism to anything she takes on, but Wi Ha Joon was delightful as well in his slightly out of the ordinary role turn and they had really nice chemistry together. People looking for a focus on romance will be disappointed, which I assume is the reason for the lower rating and some of the complaints I've seen, but the story was about their lives and the Hagwon activities/ work politics with the romance as part of it, and it worked great for me. The director likes repeating his supporting cast across shows and I'm not complaining because they're all very talented and it's fun to see them play alternate nice and petty across his shows. The secondary cast all got lovely interiority, which is not always the case for dramas.

The character dynamics, including extremely well written out secondary characters, and artistic shot decisions were lovely and triumphed over the overused soundtrack, which was mostly very annoying and the director needs to get over his obsession with irritating english songs played every climactic moment. However, by the end I could ignore it as the story overcame it. I was sad to see it end.

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Because night time is the right time, to be with the one you love, with the one you love

Korean language teacher Seo Hye Jin (a fantastic and stunning Jung Ryeo Won) is the spearhead of the Daechi-chase Academy, a private after-school institute (Hagwon, in fact) in the Gangnam district of Seoul, dedicated to strengthening and improving the academic development of students of various age levels;
Entirely dedicated to her work, Hye Jin sees her life take a sensational twist when Lee Joon-ho (Wi Ha Joon, outstanding), her former best pupil, reappears. After giving up his career in a major company, he decides to become a teacher at the same school, with unpredicted consequences...

‘Midnight Romance In Hagwon’ is a beautifully delicate rom-com, capable of treating such a complex and burning theme as the articulated Korean school system, undoubtedly competitive and varied in its labirynthic set of rules, dogmas, social conventions and fierce struggles, all aimed at reaching the top of society itself. The drama, at the same time, is capable of touching us thanks to a captivating love story that escapes the banalities of the most predictable and sugar-coated romance, offering us an adult and decidedly structured relationship, also hindered by social conventions, work principles and even methodological differences.

The Daechi-chase Academy represents a kind of working microcosm where, along with the planned teaching structure, there is also a kind of subterranean ‘internal’ infighting within the Hagwon itself, where ‘there are no friends, everyone is in competition’ (summarised, in one of the clever dialogues, by the metaphor of hyenas and the ‘meal’) and where co-workers are ready to take advantage of any weaknesses of their own in order to advance their careers; certain founding principles of Confucianism are always emphasised, both for the role of teachers and for that of students.

Respect for hierarchy and seniority, the importance of teamwork rather than the individual's path, is portrayed, but almost as an antithesis to this, perfecting education and trying to improve oneself is given a central role, apparently individualistic concept, but accepted, as competition with others, for the best grades and for a job, which is also a better one, is a kind of ‘social lift’ necessary to reach the top of the hierarchical ranks of Korean society itself.

So intense is the competition between the different Hagwons (there are so many of them considering the extent of Seoul and its urban areas) that spy-story techniques to snatch secrets and steal each other's best students often reserve more than a few cheap shots to belittle and discredit the competitors.

In this kind of no-holds-barred law of the jungle, where profit and personal enrichment rule, a kind of feud evolves between the Daechi-chase Academy and the Choiseon Academy, led by the infamous Choi Hyung-sun, known as the White-haired Witch.

In this ill-concealed hypocritical society, closed and dominated by exasperated rhythms and widespread frustrations, both on the teachers‘ and pupils’ side, the figure of Seo Hye Jin -stunningly portrayed by Jung Ryeo Won- ends up being overwhelmed by the uncontainable vitality of Joon-ho (Wi Ha-joon, absolutely perfect in a part one couldn't imagine for anyone else);

The teacher Seo leads a methodical (and boring, it has to be said!) life, consisting of 16 hours of work a day, six days a week, with no traces of private life and no personal relationships, except for a couple of friends -he runs a pub, she is a lawyer-, with practically no relations with family members (there is a hint here and there in conversations with colleagues, but nothing more) and, above all, no sex life;

In the first episodes, we find ourselves following this robotic routine of meetings, scheduling, lectures, insights and sad lonely re-entries into an anonymous house that is almost a ‘non-place’ where Hye-jin seems to return just to sleep, which is a bit of a paradigm shift compared to so many beloved dramas where the house is often the focus of events or narrative plot twists.

It will be Joon-Hoo's unbridled and in some ways brazen audacity that will progressively undermine Hye-jin's convictions; not only the certainties of feelings, and here the noona-romance, as mentioned above, avoids the classic loopholes of the typical rom-com, also giving us a moment of extraordinary and very reserved emotional authenticity, but also -above all!?- the preponderant work vicissitudes, dealt with in some of the drama's topical moments, which offer a confrontation-clash of the highest level, where the dilemma over teaching methodologies instils the seed of doubt in the own Teacher Seo:

Whereas Hye Jin applies an almost mnemonic system where the pupil is directed to learn ‘by memory’ certain mechanisms of comprehension and learning, Joon-ho's style is more ‘ thoughtful’ where there is also a quest to convey passion for the literary subject.

Are the students, almost like machines, to learn and that's all, by memorising passages from books, practising calculating the probability of the questions in the tests, evidently ‘forgetting’ everything immediately after the exams, or are they to become passionate about the subject, perhaps with the opportunity (as in the case of Joon-Ho himself) to become the teachers of tomorrow?

It should not be forgotten that the Hagwons are extremely expensive schools, with families prepared to make considerable sacrifices in order to see a bright future for their children; parents demand the best from teachers and the discourse of ‘experimentation’ cannot prevail over the certainty of academic achievements.

The moment the boiling pot of the ‘clandestine’ relationship is discovered, and professional ethics in the workplace are called into question, the stigmatisation of the two teachers begins, victims not only of the oppressive work rules, but also of those previously mentioned founding principles that foment jealousy, hypocrisy and false respectability, where artfully fuelled slander can disrupt anyone's life...

I have already mentioned Jung Ryeo Won's superlative performance; her characterisation of Teacher Seo is so articulate, she has so many aspects, contradictions, weaknesses, but also resilience against adversity, that it is impossible not to be moved by the portrait of a 34-year-old woman who, confronted with the evidence of changes in her life and work, she finds herself rethinking all her principles and values pursued up to that point; that this sort of emotional switch is triggered by the vitality of the young (6 years younger) Joon-Ho is evidence of great narrative script.

There is, in my opinion, a certain affinity with the same emotional mechanisms of the beautiful ‘Encounter’, where youthful fervour, cheekiness and, let's face it, the right amount of arrogance deriving from one's enthusiastic confidence, prevails over a heavy, boring and, I would emphasise, grey ‘comfort zone’ of frozen maturity...

A great Wi Ha Joon, who is also perfectly mature in a very complex role, able to avoid the risk of falling into easy clichés and boring mannerisms, portrays a splendid character who is not afraid to shout his feelings to the world, not only making a breach in his beloved's heart, but, as a novel knight, defending her with his sword in the hardest moments, especially in the last episodes...

Their private, personal moments are beautiful, underlined by sincerely romantic and moving dialogues, almost ‘literary’ but never pedantic, capable of involving and melting even the least predisposed hearts thanks, it is important to specify, to a nocturnal scenario that often finds the two main characters almost ‘isolated’ from the rest of the world and that, at least for me, recalls certain classics of the past…

It has to be said that among the top-notch cast, I personally did not find the character of Choi Hyung-Sun, the so-called ‘witch’ played by Seo Jung-Yeon so interesting; she seemed a bit too caricatural, almost cartoonesque, a bit like Cruella De Vil, a bit like Miranda Priestly, far too mannered in characterisation...

Much better is Kim Jung-Young in the role of Assistant Director Woo, who is able to make her character grow exponentially with the dramatic progression of the story; she is a decidedly interesting character, fuelled by a resentment that has poisoned her life and who, when confronted with the main characters of the tale, reveals all her mediocrity.

I mention the excellent Kim Song-Il in the role of Professor Pyo Sang-Seob; these are those difficult characters, perhaps considered ‘marginal’ in the economy of the story, but which reveal unexpected qualities even with very few lines; his professional ethics, seemingly old-fashioned and mistreated, more for his attitude or his character disposition than for anything else (once again, appearances are mistaken for certainties), is instead surprisingly re-evaluated in the light of the extraordinary free lesson that the teacher offers his pupils; a truly outstanding piece of acting talent!

Personal curiosity: Between the office and the home of director Kim Hyun-Tak (Kim Jong-Tae), a film lover, one notices the framed posters of various films such as ‘Christmas In August’ and my much-loved ‘The Contact’ (with the goddess Jeon Do Yeon).

Of course, the drama is not completely perfect, in my opinion it gets a little lost in some conclusions that are not quite focused, between a catfight that is perhaps liberating (there is a lot of pent-up anger throughout the drama) but quite exaggerated, a second younger couple of low interest that has more of a function of lightening the narrative tension, and even the role of some students, at the beginning quite highlighted, is a little sidelined;
there is also an invasive use of the music, at the umpteenth ‘Open to page sixty four (don't forget about me)’, a bit like Carla Bruni's obsessive cover of Tammy Wynette in ‘Something In The Rain’, your blood pressure goes up a bit, but whatever, the soundtrack as a whole is pleasant and well structured.

As usual, there seems to be a need to make all the pieces fit together for an ideal closure, but nothing changes the magic of the story, which may not appear immediately engaging (the dialogues are definitely articulated and must be followed with a lot of attention) but which knows how to conquer, thanks to the wonderful work of the two main performers; let yourself be carried away by the emotions and you will be adequately rewarded, this drama will win you over!
8 ½

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Little gem

The depth, relatability and maturity of this drama caught me by surprise.
I was expecting a slow pace and insignificant story, maybe with some bullied student achiving some goal. But my bad!

This is a beautiful and really entarteining piece about vocation and service to others in a quite competitive field. The conflicts are so relatable that your emotions are carried by the story without any effort.
The characters have depth and the acting is superb!
And you can see the ML smile a lot, since that would be enough reason for me to watch it. :)

Thats all, just in case you are in need of a good and round drama, this is it.

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comfort drama material

things that i loved about this series...
- the main characters (not only them as a realistic couple but also them as an individuals)
- chemistry was chemistryng
- the acting (i've followed leads' works for years and i'm so happy that they got cast together)
- the setting (as a casual contemporary cdrama viewer, i don't mind when drama focuses more on occupation than romance)
- the cinematography and editing (ahn pan seok has magical hands)
- proposal scene (most of the "noona" genre dramas have open endings or leads barely make up so this was refreshing)
thing i didn't like that much
- just a little bit too much focus on some of the side characters (some of their scenes could've been cut)

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Promising but...

This drama started as really promising and interesting. Probably, a lot of international watchers that don't have this type of education cannot understand it, but my country (besides SK) has this type of academies to get better grades and prepare for the national university entrance exam. So, it hit really close to me and I could relate with a lot of things in the drama and it woke in me memories both bad and good. I felt some kind of comfort from this.

Besides that, I don't know if I liked the drama. The plot was super basic and after episodes 8-10, you knew what is going to happen. Also, besides Jun Ho, Hye Jin and maybe Cheong Mi, every character was a bit single minded and a bit boring, not really realistic. However, the cast was great and Wi Ha Joon and Jung Ryeo Won had very good chemistry and their characters' relationship was so relatable and real.

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Talvez não seja pra todo mundo

Esse drama me encantou desde o primeiro episódio por conta do forte apelo no tocante à temática educacional (sou professora de língua e estudante de Letras) e pela química do casal principal. O plot é realmente interessante e te mantém entretido, principalmente se você tem interesse em metodologias de ensino e conflitos da área.

Parabenizo as atuações, que foram excelentes por parte de todos os atores envolvidos. A direção permitiu que as performances brilhassem ainda mais por conta dos takes longos e cheios de tensão. Esse estilo de filmagem me lembrou o drama chinês Fake It 'Till you Make it (que também é maravilhoso). No entanto, isso pode fazer com que algumas pessoas achem que o ritmo é um pouco lento. Há situações que exigem muita atenção por parte de quem está assistindo, já que algumas coisas não acontecem de maneira explícita. Ou seja, a cena acontece e você precisa tirar suas próprias conclusões sobre o que aconteceu, já que alguns diálogos não são expositivos e são bem longos.

Fizeram um bom trabalho na escrita dos personagens. Um exemplo é como a Seo Hye Jin é um pouco frustrante em alguns momentos, mas não de uma forma que nos faça desgostar dela, já que ela parece uma pessoa real, pois tem camadas. Digo isso porque sua personalidade é um pouco passiva demais, e isso em momentos em que esperamos ações mais diretas da parte dela. Nem falo nada sobre o Jun Ho, já que ele é a própria definição de charme. Como a própria Hye Jin fala: "Quem não gostaria do Jun Ho? Ele é engraçado, meigo e responsável". Muito difícil não se apaixonar.
O romance entre os personagens é muito cativante e cheio de química. Você vê que eles são almas gêmeas, independente da diferença de idade (que é de apenas 6 anos). O primeiro beijo deles me fez prender a respiração. O relacionamento é maduro e se desenvolve um pouco lentamente (mas não muito).
Os personagens coadjuvantes (com algumas exceções) são muito bons, em especial a Srta. Nam. No início, nos sentimos desconfiados de sua índole, mas à medida que vamos assistindo, vemos que ela é uma das personagens mais "legais" do drama, por ser super afiada, direta e firme.

Infelizmente, nem tudo são flores e a direção que o plot adotou me decepcionou um pouco. Entendo que essa questão dos cursinhos na Coréia é bem séria e real. Já tinha sido apresentada à esse conceito no drama Crash Course in Romance. O problema é que achei que esse drama iria focar muito mais na questão educacional do que de fato focou.
Eu estava bem empolgada pra saber a metodologia diferente que o Jun Ho iria apresentar para seus alunos. Eu realmente queria saber sobre o impacto que isso causaria no aprendizado deles, já que ver a relação estabelecida entre os alunos (dois deles em específico) e os protagonistas foi uma das partes que mais me deixaram felizes. Esse foi, de fato, o enfoque da primeira parte do drama. A própria Hye Jin tem um desenvolvimento de personagem com relação à sua metodologia e princípios como professora, e eu achei que o final do drama iria se dedicar a explorar um pouco mais isso. Mas aí o drama focou totalmente no plano "maléfico" das duas antagonistas principais, que tentaram à todo o custo destruir a Hye Jin. E é aqui que o drama perde um pouco do seu realismo.
A vilã principal (a Bruxa Cinzenta) é uma personagem muito caricata, de forma que parecia ser parte de outro drama, não desse aqui. Toda essa guerra de cursinhos pareceu um pouco patética em alguns momentos, apesar da justificativa do mercado educacional ser muito competitivo na Coréia. Em muitos momentos, a partir da metade do drama, me peguei pensando: será que isso realmente acontece? Acredito que todas as decisões que os roteiristas tomaram foi para salientar que o mercado dos cursinhos é cruel, mas isso fez com que o plot perdesse um pouco de brilho.
Eu já acho um pouco estranho termos uma vilã em um drama que marca um tom bem realista desde o primeiro episódio, com personagens cheios de camadas, sendo ela a única unilateral.

O final me agradou bastante dentro da decisão que os roteiristas tomaram (que eu citei acima), mas acredito que se tivessem seguido o foco inicial de debater sobre as questões educacionais e metodológicas, seria MUITO mais interessante e empolgante.

Encerro repetindo que: esse drama talvez não seja para todo mundo, mas apesar das frustações, foi bom e me deixou ainda mais desejosa em acompanhar o Wi Ha-joon em seus próximos trabalhos.

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