Nevertheless (2021)
Quick Take: Nevertheless (2021) starring Song Kang and Han So-hee. 8.7/10. 16 episodes of 60 min.
Synopsis: Two students at an arts college enter into a fraught romantic relationship. He has a butterfly tattoo on the back of his neck and her name means butterfly, so it’s fate. However, Park Jae-eon has a reputation as a player who never dates; ie., never commits to any one girl. To preserve her own reputation, Yoo Na-bi stipulates that no one should know they are together, which means they only see each other at night for sex and sleep. At some point she realizes this is messed up and breaks up with him, but he keeps pulling her back in. An old friend resurfaces who offers Na-bi the commitment that Jae-eon doesn’t, but Na-bi still can’t let go of Jae-eon. At the end they decide to stay together, although Na-bi admits she will regret it. There are three other couples whose stories make better sense.
Review: Nevertheless is relationship porn. The attractive leads do their best with a messy script, adapted from a webtoon. Na-bi is torn between the hot guy who won’t commit and the sweet guy who loves her. An honest conversation would clear things up, but Na-bi seems to prefer wallowing in uncertainty. So annoying. The secondary couples are more sympathetic.
The sex scenes in Nevertheless were more explicit than anything I had yet seen in Korean dramas, though tame compared to say Bridgerton. Surprisingly, the scandal that erupted around the show did not have to do with that. Two of Na-bi and Jae-eon’s classmates also begin a relationship but it’s the inverse — that is, the guy wants commitment and the girl doesn’t. While Nevertheless was airing in Korea, Kim Min-gwi — who played the boyfriend in that secondary couple — was accused by a real-life ex-girlfriend of cheating on her multiple times. To appease the outrage, the producers agreed to cut out as many of his scenes as possible. It’s possible the deleted scenes would have helped the ending make more sense.
Rewatchable - 3, Compelling - 4, Plot/ Story/Writing - 6, Acting/Casting - 10, Production - 10, Bonus - 4. Bonus points for sexual tension.
Notes:
Song Kang
is called “The Son of Netflix” because so many of his dramas are shown on that platform. See him also in Love Alarm (2019), Navillera (2020), Forecasting Love and Weather (2022), and Sweet Home 1-3 (2020-2023).
Han So-hee
gained wide recognition for her first lead role in The World of the Married (2020). See her also in My Name (2021), Soundtrack #1 (2022), and Gyeongseong Creature (2023).
Yang Hye-ji
is a relative newcomer, acting since 2017. See her also in When the Weather is Fine (2020), Live On (2020), and Bad Memory Eraser (forthcoming).
Kim Min-gwi
It will be a shame if his career suffers because of his vindictive ex-girlfriend, but it probably will.
Chae Jong-hyeop
played Na-bi’s school friend. Dubbed “Potato Boy” by netizens, he was favored by many over Jae-eon to win Na-bi. In the webtoon, in fact, his character ended up with her instead. He also appeared in Sisyphus and Witch’s Diner, and both 2021, and ha a cameo in Sh**ting Stars (2022). He has a distinctive, deep voice.