“Dear Hyeri” is a healing romance drama that revolves around Joo Eun Ho (Shin Hye Sun), an announcer with dissociative identity disorder (multiple personalities), after her sister goes missing and breaks up with her longtime boyfriend Hyun Oh (Lee Jin Wook).
Eun Ho's days are split into two personalities. From 4am to 4pm, she is Eun Ho, but when the sun sets, she becomes Hye Ri - a dreamy 28-year-old girl who works at a parking lot.
Aired at the end of September, although "Dear Hyeri" was somewhat out of breath in terms of viewership, the film still won over a segment of the audience.
New love triangle
The media explained that "Dear Hyeri" is getting attention because of its beautiful setting, interesting character development, and the unpredictable love story of the female lead.
Instead of focusing on explaining Eun Ho's past or illness, the film makes viewers get caught up in the story, whether it's Eun Ho's or Hye Ri's personality.
Along with that, love triangles are considered a familiar motif of Korean movies, but with "Dear Hyeri", having 2 simultaneous love affairs for a person with multiple personalities makes a difference.
Eun Ho and Hyun Oh were in a relationship for 8 years. They broke up because Hyun Oh rejected Eun Ho's proposal. However, working at the same TV station made it inevitable that they would see each other every day.
Despite always appearing indifferent, both Eun Ho and Hyun Oh still have feelings for each other. The kiss Hyun Oh gave to comfort Eun Ho at the end of episode 4 is like a revelation that the two will soon fall in love again.
Meanwhile, Eun Ho's second personality - Hye Ri falls in love with announcer Kang Joo Yeon (Kang Hoon) - who works at another TV station.
Even though he is the "cold on the outside, warm on the inside" type, Joo Yeon easily falls in love with Hye Ri when he himself also had to go through psychological trauma related to his brother's death.
However, since Hye Ri is just Eun Ho's alter ego, Hye Ri and Joo Yeon's love story was destined to have a sad ending from the start. However, viewers still hope that the two can support each other in their journey to heal and overcome their psychological trauma.
In addition to the two love affairs mentioned above, Moon Ji On (Kang Sang Joon) - Eun Ho's colleague - also has feelings for her and wants her to forget the past and move on with him.
Logical plot
According to Soompi, multiple personality disorder is often told in a fantasy way, like in the movie “Split,” where the main character with multiple personalities gains superpowers due to his condition. However, with “Dear Hyeri,” the movie is going in a logical and realistic direction.
As with Eun Ho, she developed her second personality after her younger sister Hye Ri went missing. Along with that, Eun Ho feeling tired despite maintaining a fairly regular sleep schedule is also a common symptom.
Korean newspapers commented that although the plot of the film is still reasonable in 4 episodes, there are still some mysteries. For example, Hye Ri has a job, which means she must have her own identity card. Or the fact that she lives in a separate apartment, but in the same building as Eun Ho's apartment, the 10-year age difference between Eun Ho and Hye Ri...
Acting with passion
According to the media, taking on a character with multiple personalities is a big challenge for an actor. However, Shin Hye Sun had no trouble breathing life into the character, as well as being subtle in choosing her wardrobe and hairstyle so that viewers could easily distinguish Eun Ho and Hye Ri.
“Not only does Shin Hye Sun deliver each character's lines with a unique tone, but her entire body language also changes as her personality changes, making both characters feel equally authentic and distinct,” wrote the Korean newspaper.
