Dear Hyeri review: Is the ENA drama worth watching?

Dear Hyeri, starring Shin Hye-sun, Lee Jin-wook, Kang Hoon, and more, aired its final episode on ENA and Genie TV on October 29, 2024. The show follows the story of Joo Eun-ho, played by Shin Hye-sun, a veteran announcer who fails to achieve success in her 14-year-long career. Meanwhile, Jung Hyun-oh, her ex-boyfriend who is different from Joo Eun-ho, gains popularity right after joining the broadcasting company.

After Joo Eun-ho's sister goes missing and her painful breakup with Jung Hyun-oh, she develops a dissociative identity with Hyeri. Joo Eun-ho's second personality, Hyeri is a happy-go-lucky girl who easily finds happiness in trivial things in life. She works as a parking attendant and has a crush on Kang Ju-yeon, portrayed by Kang Hoon. Kang Ju-yeon is a former military graduate turned announcer who falls in love with Hyeri at first sight.

Dear Hyeri showcases Joo Eun-ho's journey of navigating her romantic relationships while also healing from her past traumatic experiences and attaining closure for psychological illness. The drama promises the depiction of Hyeri's healing journey, however, doesn't execute it well due to its messy script writing and story development.

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Dear Hyeri review: Even Shin Hye-sun’s exemplary performance could not save the mental health-focused romance drama

Dear Hyeri builds up a strong base for the female lead character Joo Eun-ho's personality. The show depicts an understandable change in Joo Eun-ho's mental health, which leads her to develop dissociative identity disorder and gives an intriguing birth to Hyeri, her second personality.

Actress Shin Hye-sun, known for her versatile roles in Mr, Queen, Still 17, and more, once again proves her acting abilities not just through Joo Eun-ho but also through Hyeri. Her performance is so polished and thorough that one would easily get convinced Joo Eun-ho and Hyeri are two different people.

Shin Hye-sun leaves a lasting impact on the viewer so much so that they get substantially invested in her journey to find happiness and overcome her mental health issues.

On the other hand, Lee Jin-wook's character, Jung Hyun-oh, who is supposed to be a smart and admirable announcer, instead turns out to be more and more unlikable as the episodes progress. Jung Hyun-oh's actions are extremely harsh towards Joo Eun-ho at times and one would question whether he even loved her in the 8 years of their relationship.

The character development for Jung Hyun-oh is highly anticipated as the writer plans to bring Joo Eun-ho and him together by the end. However, it never happens as he does not move an inch to rectify his behavior toward her. This may lead the viewers to drop the show mid-way.

As the story continues on Dear Hyeri, viewers may look forward to the protagonists helping each other heal their past wounds and resolve their painful emotions. Unfortunately, the healing process is non-existent because Joo Eun-ho seems to be suddenly healed just a day after she gets back together with her ex-boyfriend.

Furthermore, Jung Hyun-oh and Joo Eun-ho's relationship seems unbelievable at times, given they know very little about each other despite spending a significant amount of time together. In the end, the narrative of them ending up together seems to be forced. Since they dated for a long time, this can be deduced as the only justification for their relationship.

Speaking of Joo Eun-ho’s alter ego Hyeri and her relationship with Kang Ju-yeon (Kang Hoon) will keep the audience captivated given their onscreen chemistry. Dear Hyeri becomes disinteresting and may infuriate the viewers as Kang Ju-yeon and Hyeri's sincere connection gets sidelined due to Joo Eun-ho and Jung Hyun-oh’s love story.

Dear Hyeri revolves around Joo Eun-ho’s dissociative identity disorder but the script doesn't seem to deliver well and does not do justice to the alternative personality of Hyeri with the ending.

Finally, the show misses an opportunity to explore Hyeri's journey to happiness as a regular parking attendant and her blooming romance with Kang Ju-yeon. Dear Hyeri's attempt at mental health issues and the so-called healing process doesn't keep the audience engaged.

The series, which started as potentially the best K-drama of 2024, ends up becoming a boring melodramatic second-chance trope, with a far-fetched ending.