"Stuck in a Love Triangle": 'A Hundred Memories' Lost in Friendship Narrative

JTBC drama A Hundred Memories writer Yang Hee-seung stated her desire "to convey a profound message of growth through the journey of two main characters who protect both love and friendship."

Ultimately, the show failed to protect either. The narrative painstakingly built a detailed story of female friendship, only to collapse it into a romance in the final act.

A story centered on female solidarity devolved into a melodrama where the women await a man's choice. This shift feels more like regression than growth.

A Hundred Memories was initially presented as a drama focused entirely on the friendship between women. However, as it progressed into the later episodes, it converged into a familiar love triangle.

In the end, the writer found no way to preserve both. Both the love and the friendship ultimately lost their credibility.

The Breakdown of a Solid Friendship

A Hundred Memories started strong. Young-rye (played by Kim Da-mi) and Jong-hee (Shin Ye-eun) rescued and supported each other through a poor and unstable era. When one faced family difficulties, the other readily offered her salary; they fought against domestic violence together and stood united against corporate injustice.

When an accidental crisis occurred, one was willing to take the entire burden, saying, "Leave it to me and run." The pure friendship of these two girls in the 1980s shone warmly. As two people—different yet similar—filled each other's voids, viewers felt a deeper emotional texture than in a typical romance.

However, this solid foundation began to shake in the latter half. First, the love geometry became overly complicated:

Young-rye's first love was Jae-pil (Heo Nam-joon) → but Jae-pil liked Jong-hee → the two dated and broke up → seven years later, Young-rye and Jae-pil got together.

A common trope involves liking a friend's ex-partner. Most stories use this to spark friendship, jealousy, and competition, eventually leading to a character's internal journey of self-discovery.

In this classic setup, A Hundred Memories attempted to capture both friendship and love simultaneously, but ended up failing at both. The emotional thread wavered, and the direction was lost. The two characters who once complemented each other were reduced to figures wavering over one man. The romance offered emptiness rather than excitement.

The Unconvincing Romance and Timing Issue

In episode 10, the relationship between Young-rye and Jae-pil accelerates rapidly. Young-rye ends her unrequited love and expresses her feelings, while Jae-pil realizes the sincerity of Young-rye, who has stayed by his side for a long time.

First love holds a special meaning in A Hundred Memories. However, it is difficult to justify such an emotional leap merely in the name of first love. The development was neither compelling nor logical.

A story about dating a friend's ex is acceptable in a drama if it at least stirs excitement, even if it defies logic. Yet, the romance between Young-rye and Jae-pil fails to convince the mind or the heart.

What happened to the desperate friendship between Young-rye and Jong-hee? Was the romance truly necessary? Their reciprocal rescue narrative, where they saved each other, has now deteriorated into a paper-thin friendship that falters at the first sign of love.

The biggest issue is not the emotional flow itself, but the timing. Viewers are less inclined to root for their romance and more likely to ask, "Why now?" Without the sudden appearance of Jung-hyun (Kim Jung-hyun) and Jong-hee's declaration of war, the relationship would have likely remained stagnant. As a result, the lingering feeling of friendship disappeared, and the reason for the romance lost all credibility.

Furthermore, it is debatable whether Jae-pil possesses enough charm to shake the bond between the two women. He is indecisive between them and slow to realize his own feelings.

In contrast, Jung-hyun was always by Young-rye's side. He built an emotional connection by helping her in times of crisis and made a straight run for her once he realized his feelings. His unrequited love felt more romantic in contrast to Jae-pil.

The Final Regression: Competition for a Dream

A Hundred Memories has only two episodes remaining. The preview shows Young-rye and Jong-hee (out of the blue) participating in the Miss Korea pageant.

Miss Korea was Jong-hee's lifelong dream—a young girl's wish to move people to tears, laughter, and emotion despite poverty and violence.

Now, Young-rye stands on that stage too. After inserting herself into Jong-hee's love life, Young-rye is now encroaching on her friend's dream. Jong-hee tells Young-rye, "Let's play fair again."

The friends who once completed each other’s deficiencies have now become each other’s test. How far will the drama push them? Can they possibly take each other's hand again at the end?


A Hundred Memories airs its 11th episode on the 18th at 10:40 PM KST.