Shocking, Untimely Death Turns Viewers Off A Popular New K-Drama
Content Warning
Spoiler Alert
In some K-Dramas, good vanquishes evil, endings are happy, and love wins all. Gangnam B-Side is not one of those K-Dramas.
From the very beginning, this Disney+ crime thriller has been gritty and comparable to another Disney+ series, The Worst of Evil. Ji Chang Wook and BIBI, who previously starred in The Worst of Evil, also co-star in Gangnam B-Side. Some fans who rooted for their characters in The Worst of Evil hoped to see them have a happier ending this time around.
Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed in Episode 5. Ji Chang Wook plays Yoon Gil Ho, a mysterious pimp in the Gangnam underworld, while BIBI plays one of “his girls,” Kim Jae Hee. Although the two do have a business relationship, their bond runs much deeper, and their history is complex.
In Episode 5, Jae Hee chooses to jump to her death rather than suffer at the hands of her enemies. Her death was shocking and devastating for Gil Ho, but some viewers also aren’t happy about Jae Hee’s death, the timing of it, or how it was written.
MY HEARTBEAT WAS STOP, I WAS LITERALLY SHOCKED FOR A MIN, I LITERALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO 😭 ONCE AGAIN JI CHANG WOOK & BIBI LEAVE US ON HANGING 😭
GILHO SAW THE PEOPLE WHO DID THIS TO JAEHEE, HE WILL NOT GONNA LEAVE THEM ALIVE #Gangnambside #GangnambsideEp5 pic.twitter.com/qKI5KmwM76
— utp (@jcw_hyung) November 20, 2024
What the hell😭😭😭
Jaehee waee,you deserve a better life😭😭#GangnamBSide #GangnamBSideEp5 #BIBI pic.twitter.com/R9Zic85Afl— Blushsing Bunny🐰🩵🍒 (@AdeliaaBunny99) November 20, 2024
One viewer described Jae Hee’s death as “cruel” and called the show’s lack of focus a “hot mess.” Another pointed out that Jae Hee’s death marks a shift in the show; now that Jae Hee, “the heart of the show” has been killed off, Gangnam B-Side might focus more on other less intriguing characters for the remaining episodes.
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Other viewers felt that Jae Hee’s actions during Episode 5, including her decision to jump rather than fight, pointed to poor writing and the writers’ desire to get rid of her character.
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Read more about the cast here:
Why Actor Ji Chang Wook Has Decided To Never Drink Alone Again