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Way Back Love is a six-episode South Korean fantasy romance drama that premiered on TVING on April 3, 2025, with two episodes released each Thursday.
The series follows Jung Hee-wan (Kim Min-ha), a 24-year-old woman who has withdrawn from society after losing the will to live. Her life takes an unexpected turn when her childhood friend and first love, Kim Ram-woo (Gong Myung), reappears as a grim reaper, informing her she has only one week left to live.
Directed by Choi Ha-na and based on Seo Eun-chae's novel A Week Before I Die, the drama Way Back Love also features Jung Gun-joo as Lee Hong-seok and Oh Woo-ri as Yoon Tae-kyung. The series was showcased at the Busan International Film Festival's "On Screen" section before its official release.
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Episode 1-2 of Way Back Love shows Ram-woo visiting Hee-wan four years after his death, this time as a grim reaper. As glimpses of their school days are shown, it is revealed that they started swapping names to confuse the teachers and continued doing so, which might have led to his death.
Way Back Love episode 1-2 recap: Hee-wan's crush from school visits her as a Grim Reaper
Episode 1 of Way Back Love opens with Jung Hee-wan in her home, startled by loud knocking at her door. When she finally opens the door, she finds Kim Ram-woo waiting for her. She immediately closes it on his face, but hurts his finger in the process. The story then shifts to the past, back to their high school days.
In the school timeline, Hee-wan is a lively, mischievous student, who enjoys playing pranks and regularly live-streams online. She isn’t afraid to stand up against bullies. Meanwhile, Ram-woo is a new transfer student, who prefers to keep a low profile, but he inadvertently gets involved with Hee-wan when she convinces him to swap name tags to trick their teacher.
In this episode of Way Back Love, Hee-wan throws chocolate milk at a group of bullies when she sees them troubling an innocent student. However, she accidentally drops Ram-woo’s name tag in the process.
The bullies track Hee-wan down and show up at her school, asking for her. Unaware of the name switch, they target Ram-woo instead. To intimidate them, Hee-wan and Ram-woo draw fake tattoos, posing as tough kids. When the bullies insult their parents, the duo claims to be orphans, which unexpectedly elicits sympathy and diffuses the situation.
At school, Ram-woo’s friend, Hong-suk, notices the ink marks on his arm. Despite multiple attempts to wash them off, the marks remain. Meanwhile in Way Back Love, Hee-wan rents a pile of illicit comics under Ram-woo’s name and posts the names of students across the school, leading to Ram-woo being approached to discuss the comics.
Despite their clashes, Hee-wan is fond of Ram-woo. One evening, after a misunderstanding involving a package of lacey underwear which Hee-wan buys from Ram-woo's mother anonymously, she playfully texts him, though he blocks her. However, she later surprises him by bringing back the package and gifting it to her friend Tae-kyung for her birthday.
Hee-wan then proposes they continue switching names, believing his name brings her good luck. Ram-woo is reluctant, but the prank continues until the faculty catches on. Their parents are called for a meeting. Upon finding out about the name change, Hee-wan’s father scolds her, while Ram-woo’s mother finds it amusing.
However, the meeting is regarding a scholarship that Ram-woo is getting and an award that Hee-wan will be receiving. Coincidentally, their families live in the same apartment complex, and Hee-wan’s father, a restaurant owner, welcomes Ram-woo’s family with home-cooked meals.
At school, Hee-wan grows jealous upon learning that Ram-woo has a secret admirer. However, she denies her feelings. That night, she dresses up to meet a supposed buyer, hoping him to be Ram-woo.
The story then jumps six years into the future. Hee-wan is now withdrawn and seemingly suffering from past trauma. Her apartment is packed with boxes, and she appears detached from life.
Ram-woo arrives, opening the curtains and checking on her well-being. It is then revealed that they never met on graduation day, have been apart for over four years, and that Ram-woo is dead. He died four years ago.
Episode 2 of Way Back Love begins in the present, where Ram-woo, now a Grim Reaper, informs Hee-wan that she is destined to die in a week. Although she can see and touch him, no one else can.
Hee-wan, refusing to believe this, tries various methods to drive him away, including spraying him with a fire extinguisher and reciting Buddhist hymns. However, Ram-woo is used to such reactions. He tries to convince her that he is real in this episode of Way Back Love.
Returning to their high school days, a student named Bang Ji-soo asks Hee-wan for help in writing a love letter to her crush, who is revealed to be Ram-woo. Though hesitant due to her own feelings, Hee-wan agrees. She deliberately makes the letter dull and unappealing, hoping to sabotage the confession. However, Ji-soo remains determined, prompting Hee-wan to run away in frustration.
Her friend Tae-kyung quickly realizes Hee-wan’s feelings for Ram-woo and teases her. Eventually, Ji-soo confronts Hee-wan, listing all the qualities that make Ram-woo desirable. Hee-wan pretends to hate Ram-woo, but ultimately fulfills her promise and completes the letter, after being chased around by Ji-soo and breaking a leg. She adds an unattractive brown heart to the letter.
Back in the present, Hee-wan, still struggling with the reality of her impending death, heads to a swimming pool to clear her mind. Ram-woo, hoping to make the best of their limited time, proposes a bucket list. He never had a chance to experience certain things in life and wants to share them with Hee-wan. Initially, she refuses, but soon she contemplates his offer.
In the past, Hee-wan rushes to stop Ji-soo’s confession, but trips and falls. Before she can act, she is struck by a football, knocking her unconscious. Ram-woo carries her to the nurse’s office, worried about her well-being. Later, Hee-wan learns that Ji-soo confessed publicly, and Ram-woo now wants her to write a letter for “J.S."
Misunderstanding the request, Hee-wan reluctantly writes the letter, believing it’s for Ji-soo. However, it turns out to be for Ram-woo’s mother, Jung-sook, as a birthday message. Ram-woo, meanwhile, secretly pays attention to Hee-wan in class, noting down her dream dating activities. These same activities appear on the bucket list he now wants to complete with her in the present.
The episode 2 of Way Back Love ends with a funeral scene, hinting that Ram-woo’s death might be linked to the name-swapping prank they played in high school.
The next episode of Way Back Love is scheduled to be released on April 10.
