Taking us to a heartfelt unrequited love journey of a woman, More Than Friends is one of the best written screenplays this 2020 K-Drama season.
My recaps for More Than Friends will become my trademark pattern in the future for dramas I will pick for recap coverage. You would notice that I do weekly and catch-up features for some dramas that I watch.
I gambled a lot when I picked up this series for regular recaps since it’s really time consuming and also draining to write one. So, I am really glad because I received a gift I was not expecting.
The series is one of the best screenplays for me this season. Thus, validates why it was gratifying to follow its progress through episode updates.
Play More Than Friends original soundtracks in the background and reminisce the beautiful moments from More Than Friends through these memorable lines.
abbyinhallyuland watched More Than Friends on iQIYI
Recaps: 01&02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Finale + Review |
Woo-yeon
Faced with problem she created on her own, Woo-yeon (Shin Ye Eun) reminds us that falling in love – no matter how hard it can be – still gives us the happiest memories.
“I prayed everyday. That it’s okay if you don’t like me, but to please take these feelings away.”
“I hate you. I can’t though. They’re my feelings but I can’t do as I wish. Even if I cover it up and ignore it. Even if I push it down. Whenever I see you, they come back to life.”
“Open up your cochlea that you claim to be pretty and listen carefully. I’m not interested in a jerk like you anymore. And I will never like you again. Never.”
“Isn’t it amazing? Where do people meet and how do people fall in love? At the same time, too.”
“You don’t know how this feels, do you? You’ve got everything going for you, so you wouldn’t know how it feels to be looked down on, to be nervous and to lag behind.
Woo-yeon’s Unrequited Love
“Someone who’s late has no right.”
“Will everything become okay with time? Will everything work out if I put in some effort?”
“You’re so selfish until the end. Back then, and today too. You were selfish in every moment. Whether you like me or not. Whether you’re going to wait for me or not. Whether you live a good life or not.”
“There are many reasons to like you. But even if I recite all those reasons again and again, it won’t turn into love for me.”
“Are you trying to get full price for your unrequited love?”
“You taught me what I like and dislike; and when to be bold and when to back off. I must have liked you a lot.”
“You should save your heart. If you give too much to someone who does not accept you. You’ll run out of love to give to the next person.”
“He didn’t do anything wrong to me since we started dating. It’s possible to do wrong when we’re strangers. But becoming complacent after the person becomes yours is worse.”
“There are various people in the world and each person loves in their own way. Some people let the other person go because they love them too much.”
“I think that if we keep doing this, I’ll end up hating you. It’s too hard for me.”
Lee Soo
Shielding himself because of his own personal wounds, Lee Soo (Ong Seong Wu) has guarded his emotions thinking he will never reach a point that he will love someone more than himself. He taught us to be alert in case we missed realizing someone’s worth.
“So, if I ever take a picture of someone, that means I like that person a lot.”
“Why do you always hold onto bad memories? Why must you ruin even the good ones?”
“I realized that whenever I was alone, you’re there. You were there.”
“I like you. I wanted to tell you that. Just once.”
“The bad memories must have been clear to you, but I acted like nothing happened. I’m sorry.”
“The beginning and the time I became aware was just different.”
Lee Soo’s Unexpressed Love
“One minute after I introduced you to my parents as the girl I like, you made me watch you on a date with another guy. That was hard enough. But then, you show up at my door to explain it wasn’t a date, all the while saying you don’t like me?”
“It’s risky to assume you know someone else when you often misunderstand yourself. That’s why you must ask. You must hear it directly from them.”
“Only accept flowers from me from now on.”
“I don’t think I ever looked at people with affection before. I don’t know how much I missed because of that.”
“I’ll overwrite all the memories from when we were 18 until now, at least 10 years worth of nice memories.”
“You’ll always be in my future. I don’t think there will be anyone else.”
“I can’t give up on my dream, so how can I get angry that you won’t give up on yours.”
“I hardly ate or slept. All I did was take pictures… to come back to you.”
“You dealt with it because you didn’t trust me. And I dealt with it because I felt bad. We both just dealt with it until it ended.”
Woo-yeon & Lee Soo’s Love Promise
Woo-yeon: “This happiness may be fleeting. We may break up. We may be happy forever. We may break up and get abck together repeatedly. The possibilities are endless, so I can’t be sure og anything. I plan to love you completely today.”
Lee Soo + Woo-yeon: Our possibilities may be endless. Even if our timing is never right, my possibilities are all you.
Joon-soo
We thought Woo-yeon’s one-sided love is a definition fitting to enter the love dictionary. But Joon-soo beats her to the best definition of unrequited love – the kind that is honest, forbearing and willing to let go.
“There’s a reason for everything. There is nothing you can figure out if you question it. If you can’t still find the question after everything, it may be best to just let go.”
“How many more excuses will I need if I want to see you without an excuse?”
“If you don’t try to reclaim the timing that was lost, it means you lack courage or didn’t care enough.”
“I don’t know how to stop. We met too rashly and broke up too suddenly.”
“I know the face she makes after being hurt by you.”
“He keeps getting opportunities even after he loses them.”
“I’ll just, as always, stay right here.”
Other Quotes
– Lee Soo uncle –
“You’re not bored. You’re lonely. Feelings are like living things. If you ignore it, it’ll grow out of control. It’s especially the case for hatred. It feeds on memories and keeps on growing. Build new memories or pour out what’s been building inside you. Don’t leave it as it is.”
– Lee Soo aboji –
“A man can be friends only if he has feelings for a woman. But a woman can only be friends, if she doesn’t have any feelings for him anymore.”
“If you like someone, then listen to everything they say. Trust them no matter what. That way, you won’t have any regrets later.
-Woo-yeon aboji-
“A few words out of your mouth, won’t fix the scratches in her heart.”
Hyun-jae x Young-hee
Young-hee: “I’ll be much heavier than what you think.”
Hyun-jae: “I’ll be much stronger than what you think.”
– Sang Hyuk-
“I know you didn’t live this hard to date someone like me. But you know I don’t have to be your final stop. I can be a station you pass by or where you transfer. When you meet a good guy, you can go to him.”
-Jin Ju-
“All you had to do was say that he was your friend. Why did you have to say yes?”
“Does your destiny carry an ID saying he’s your destiny? If I make him mine, he’s my destiny.”
-Young Hee-
“Even if you say it nicely, something hurtful will always feel hurtful.”
“If only one side makes all the sacrifices in the name of love, that’s the beginning of misery. One person is miserable because he has to take sacrifices. and the other is miserable because she feels guilty. It’s crazy you made the sacrifice to be happy, but neither person becomes happy. Nothing else remains but misery.”
“Wear these shoes and go to nice places and meet a nice person. So that, I couldn’t even think about returning back to you. So that I couldn’t dare hold on. Meet someone very nice.”
“Your existence alone comforts me.”
“I realized overtime that it was to feed her child a little more… to cry alone… to hurt alone.”
-Hyun Jae-
“I also don’t know the reason why we must break up.”
“Lean on me as a friend again. Or if not, consider me a chair, a rock or a tree. Anything you can lean on. Consider me something like that.”
Love Definition: “While thinking of how much you can do for that person, what you can sacrifice, and what you can put on the line; you feel as though you can do anything if it’s for that person.
Extras
– photobook project –
“Just as emotions you didn’t realize appear out of nowhere, if you keep roaming in silence you’ll find it eventually.”
– Joon-soo library love confession –
“If, for example, you come at four o’clock in the afternoon, then at three o’clock, I will begin to be happy.”
“I miss him more than the number of times I blink my eyes.”
“If I must go through all of this again, in order to meet you, I’d gladly do it.”
“I want to make this person happy. That’s what I was thinking. For the first time in my life, I wanted to make someone else happy. And I believe that their happiness will also make me happy.”
Woo-yeon x Lee Soo Confrontation
Woo-yeon: “Do you want to be friends? Or should I ask you to go out with me although I don’t like you just because you like me?”
Lee Soo: “Do you want to be friends? Or should I be someone you kill time with? It’s an essay question, not multiple choice. You can curse at me. You can hit me. I’ll do whatever you say.”
Lee Soo & Joon-soo Soju Night
Joon Soo: “Don’t you know you’re too late?”
Lee Soo: “Don’t you know you’re clingy?”
Lee Soo: “I didn’t know how much she liked me. How could I love her when I don’t know?”
Joon-soo: “I was always on my toes. I endured it over and over again, and she broke up with me. Am I Candy?”
Lee Soo: “That’s true. She’s so mean. She’s worse than me.”
Joon-soo: “That’s why you should give up on her.”
Lee Soo: “Nooo! Hyung, you should give up on her. The thing is bad people should date each other, so no one good would be hurt. You’re too nice.”
Woo-yeon & Lee Soo Officially Dating
“We spent every moment together. It was as if we’ve never been apart. It was as if there was never a gap between us. As if we were trying to cover up all the bad memories with good ones. Swearing that we love one another, we must be together like it were a religion. We dated with a vengeance.”
Woo-yeon’s Dumped Memory
“Mom, your daughter was dumped again. I’m not a garbage, but I was dumped.”
Young-hee’s Mom Passing
“We’ll hold you, so just cry.”
Woo-yeon’s Calligraphy Class
“First love is memories.”
Starring Shin Ye Eun, Ong Seong Wu, Kim Dong Jun, Ahn Eun Jin, Choi Chan Ho, Baek Soo Min and P.O, don’t miss More Than Friends in this year’s K-Drama roster.
Photos: JTBC
