Concluding its run, the drama closes on an open ending that feels consistent with its contemplative vibes, leaving us to ponder how things went for our former child actor and whether he will finally catch a break.
Our leading lady stays strong through it all, supporting our male lead by his side and acting in his best interests.
- Main Leads: Song Joong-ki | Chun Woo-hee | Seo Ji-hoon | Lee Joo-myung
- Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
- K-Dramas of Similar Vibe: Our Beloved Summer | Run On |
Bunny S. watches My Youth on Viki
Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 & 08 | 09 & 10 | Finale Week Recap + Series Review |
My Youth Finale Week Recap
Stumbling across the documents for the clinical trial, Je-yeon asks Hae about it. He explains it briefly, but it seems he has yet to make a decision. Je-yeon considers the possibility of a long-distance relationship since Hae would need to stay overseas for a while for the trial. But before we can dive into this arc, the drama has our leads going on a trip, since it has always been Hae’s dream to go on a school trip, but his multiple part-time jobs got in the way.
Heading to a seaside village, our leads enjoy themselves, and Hae is excited about setting off fireworks for the first time. They forget to buy a lighter, yet luckily, they find some matches. However, there is an undertone of sadness because of Hae’s declining condition. Each time Hae isn’t within her sight, Je-yeon is worried that he has collapsed. The first time is a fake-out, but the second time, she finds him curled up in the bathroom, writhing in pain. He tells her to leave, but she insists on staying by his side.
We get a lighthearted moment of Hae and Je-yeon decorating the Christmas tree along with Nu-ri and others. But then things turn dark with Hae collapsing and getting transferred to the hospital unconscious. Everyone is frantically worried, and Chan gets to play father. Luckily, Hae opens his eyes soon. And the mood turns hilarious as Nu-ri and Seok-ju argue over who should be comforting whom, and poor Hae has to comfort those crybabies.
In his current state, Hae’s best option is to join the clinical trial. However, there is no guarantee the medication will be effective or that his body will hold out until it is commercially available. Opting to live with the people he loves, even for a short while, Hae doesn’t want to leave. But Je-yeon encourages him to go. At first, she considers going with him. But on second thought, it will seem they are sacrificing their lives for each other, especially on Hae’s side, who will feel bad for making Je-yeon give up on everything for him.
Before Hae, Je-yeon acts tough, but when she is alone with Tae-rin, she breaks down in tears. Actually, everyone around Hae is downcast and worried about him, including Tae-rin, who urges Hae to stay strong and get over it, and Pil-do, who encourages Chan to go with Hae.
After some sort of farewell scene between Hae and Je-yeon, Hae’s departure happens off-screen. Then, we cut to Nu-ri’s graduation, and it is bittersweet since Hae isn’t there in person, though he organized a bouquet for her beforehand. Everyone goes on with their everyday lives, yet we get nothing on Hae. Je-yeon tries her best to stay strong, managing the flower shop and helping Tae-rin, but she misses Hae and dreams about seeing him again.
Then one day, Je-yeon notices the sign on the flower shop door has changed and, sure enough, she finds Hae there, acting cheerful as if nothing has changed and suggesting they see the flowers.
It counts as an open ending because we never get to know if Hae is cured, or if he just got exhausted and decided to come back. Yet perhaps that is more realistic than a cliché turn of events where Hae finds a miracle treatment, especially since his condition has worsened a lot over the final two weeks. At the end of the day, we got to see him happy with Je-yeon, and even if it lasts for a short while, it still counts.
My Youth Quick Series Recap
Escaping his troubling past, a former child actor goes off the grid, opting to live a serene life as a florist. But one day, he is reunited with his first love, who works in the entertainment industry and tries to convince him to return to the spotlight.
My Youth Series Highlights and Musings
The drama kicked off on the right foot, giving us warm and fuzzy feelings befitting the autumn season. But then, there was a sudden change of tone with a terminal illness trope. And instead of enjoying Hae and Je-yeon’s story, we got concerned about Hae making it through to the end without losing his life.
This could have made for a fulfilling reunited lovers story between two mature adults who have long changed since their last meeting, yet still remember their time together fondly, tagging along as they work around the changes and get used to those new versions of themselves. But we never got to see that story fully unfold. There were snippets of it in the first half, but it was eclipsed by Hae’s condition thereafter.
On the other hand, Tae-rin and Seok-ju’s romance was a breath of fresh air, and they are the only reason we got to finish this drama. The entangled relationships connecting the main characters were a plus. It was entertaining, and they all had chemistry together, but the drama didn’t fully capitalize on that potential.
Hae’s role was limited to the terminal illness, and we never got to explore Je-yeon’s character in depth. An arc about her doing self-reflection after quitting and finding a new dream, or deciding to stay in the entertainment industry, was something we looked forward to but never got. She supports Tae-rin at the new company, but we don’t know if it is because she grew fond of her job or if she is just bored. Likewise, Tae-rin and Seok-ju were never fully utilized. Which is a shame, considering they were the saving grace of the drama.
My Youth promised us a heart-warming story, but what we got was something wholly different, and not in a good way. The cast did their best to sell the story. But there is only so much they can do to salvage a sinking ship that lost track of the tale it wants to tell. At least it is now over.
Photos and Videos: JTBC Drama
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