Friendly Rivalry review: Is the Lee Hye-ri and Chung Soo-bin starrer worth watching?

Friendly Rivalry, starring Lee Hye-ri and Chung Soo-bin, debuted on February 10, 2025. This mystery thriller, based on a popular webtoon of the same name, takes place at Chaehwa Girls' High School—an elite institution reserved for South Korea’s top one percent, where extreme academic pressure pushes students to their breaking point.

Chung Soo-bin plays Woo Seul-gi, an orphan from a rural town who transfers to Chaehwa High but struggles to adjust to its ruthless environment. Opposite her, Lee Hye-ri portrays Yoo Jae-i, the school’s most influential student, known for her intelligence, wealth, and calculating nature. Jae-i develops an unusual fixation on Seul-gi, leading to an intense psychological clash.

Friendly Rivalry is engaging till the end and worth watching. Lee Hye-ri's performance as Yoo Jae-i strikes the right balance between vulnerability and daring. Her chemistry with and hold on Chung Soo-bin's character, Seul-gi, drives the story while keeping the audience guessing.

Though the drama tries to give a peek into the lives of the supporting characters, it is sometimes unable to keep their backstories relevant to the main plot.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this series belong solely to the author.

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Friendly Rivalry review: The Lee Hye-ri and Chung Soo-bin starrer is gripping with an open-ending

Friendly Rivalry starts with a peek into Seul-gi's history. This sets the ground for her relationship with Jae-i to be understood better. From getting lost and ending up in an orphanage, Seul-gi has felt invisible her entire life. Chung Soo-bin's performance as Seul-gi is decent enough to convey what is being said.

Meanwhile, Jae-i, the perfect child with the perfect score and image, tries to feel alive by consciously and secretly making questionable decisions such as selling drugs. Lee Hye-ri carries the show as Jae-i. From standing up to her father to being soft and caring towards Seul-gi, the actress aces every aspect of the role and has the fans wanting more in Friendly Rivalry.

When Seul-gi and Jae-i meet, there is much confusion and distrust. However, eventually, as time tests them again and again, they understand that they are the only ones who will stand for the other in the face of danger. Through innocent outings as well as protecting each other when their plan gets risky, they find the comfort they have been craving for so long in each other.

The villain in Friendly Rivalry, Jae-i's father, Yoo Tae-jun is a character who would go to any length to make sure his daughters become the best, even covering up murders and pitting them against each other. This attitude of his has him divorced and Je-na, his elder daughter, becomes mentally disturbed.

Tae-jun believes Jae-i is like him and puts her under immense pressure to do well. Kim Tae-hun does a good job portraying the nonchalant perfectionist criminal.

Jae-i's friends, Choi-kyung and Ye-ri, initially seem like fake friends who hang around her for the benefits that come along with being her friend. Choi-kyung, (played by Oh Woo-ri) having been second to Jae-i her whole life, believes that Jae-i groomed them to be her followers. A nerd with a strained relationship with her mother, she is morally righteous and helps Seul-gi when she can.

Ye-ri (played by Kang Hye-won), obsessed with her beauty since a child, goes bankrupt and joins Tae-jun's side for money. However, both Choi-kyung and Ye-ri have character development as they get entangled in the drama surrounding Jae-i and Seul-gi.

Choi Young-jae plays the role of Byeong-jin, Seul-gi's acquaintance from her orphanage. He is a neutral character who is mostly concerned with making money. His performance as a rogue character is also well-conveyed.

The drama does a good job of building the chemistry between the leads. The plot progresses at a good pace as well. While the ending might seem a bit abrupt, all the piling up of emotions in Jae-i after watching the people close to her get hurt by her father and the wish to make it stop makes sense.

Instead of becoming a revenge drama, Friendly Rivalry focuses more on the leads and how they support each other through what is happening around them and how they try to come out of it together. The drama has an open ending, hinting that Seul-gi and Jae-i might have a happy ending together.

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Friendly Rivalry is a good watch overall. The characters are well-built, and so is the plot. It balances the elements of storytelling well with the thrilling plot.