There are friendships that lift you up, and then there are friendships that slowly unravel you from the inside out. Netflix’s You and Everything Else (은중과 상연) doesn’t just explore friendship—it dissects it with surgical precision, laying bare the uncomfortable truth that sometimes the people we love most are also the ones who hurt us deepest.
A Story That Lingers
Released on September 12, 2025, this 15-episode limited series follows Ryu Eun-jung and Cheon Sang-yeon, whose lifelong friendship is shaped by admiration, envy, and misunderstanding. The drama spans decades, from their first meeting as teenagers in 1992 to their present day at age 42, when Sang-yeon is diagnosed with terminal cancer and asks Eun-jung to stay by her side.
What makes this drama remarkable isn’t just its premise—it’s the unflinching honesty with which it portrays the messiness of human connection. These aren’t perfect friends who occasionally bicker. They’re two women locked in a complicated dance of love and resentment, admiration and jealousy, closeness and competition that spans their entire lives.
Performances That Cut to the Bone
The acting in You and Everything Else is nothing short of extraordinary. Kim Go-eun (known for Little Women, Goblin, and The King: Eternal Monarch) plays Ryu Eun-jung, a television drama writer whose gentle exterior masks years of complicated emotions. Park Ji-hyun (from Love All Play and Do You Like Brahms?) delivers what many are calling a career-defining performance as Cheon Sang-yeon, a successful film producer whose polished confidence conceals deep wounds.
The chemistry between these two actresses elevates the material beyond what’s on the page. Every glance carries weight, every pause speaks volumes. They make you believe in a friendship that’s simultaneously toxic and irreplaceable, suffocating and essential. The emotional landscape they create feels achingly real—these could be people you know, relationships you’ve lived through.
Kim Gun-woo rounds out the main cast as Kim Sang-hak, playing a pivotal role that adds another layer of complexity to the central friendship without overshadowing it.
A Love Triangle That Actually Matters
Yes, there’s a love triangle involving both women and the same man. On paper, this sounds like tired K-drama territory. In execution, it becomes something far more interesting—a catalyst that exposes the fault lines in their friendship rather than simply creating romantic drama.
The triangle works because it’s less about romance and more about what it reveals: how Eun-jung and Sang-yeon handle jealousy, competition, and vulnerability differently. It pushes both characters out of their comfort zones and forces them to confront who they really are when their friendship is tested.
Slow, Deliberate, and Unforgettable
This isn’t a drama for viewers seeking rapid plot developments or emotional excess. Director Jo Young-min and writer Song Hye-jin (who also wrote The Smile Has Left Your Eyes) have crafted something austere and elliptical, focusing on what remains unspoken between people. The pacing is deliberate, the dialogue sparse, the emotional beats quiet but devastating.
The cinematography deserves special mention—the visual storytelling is stunning, with thoughtful use of color, seamless flashbacks, and compositions that mirror the emotional distance and closeness between the two leads. The soundtrack, featuring the addictive “COLOR PALETTE” by Seori, perfectly complements the melancholic yet hopeful tone.
The Uncomfortable Questions
What makes You and Everything Else so powerful is that it refuses to give easy answers. It asks: How far does friendship truly carry when it matters most? Can you love someone and resent them at the same time? What happens when admiration curdles into comparison, when closeness becomes competition?
The drama doesn’t shy away from depicting the darker aspects of female friendship—the jealousy, the unspoken rivalry, the way we can simultaneously want the best for someone and feel diminished by their success. It’s uncomfortable viewing at times precisely because it feels true.
A Divisive Masterpiece
Viewer reactions have been intense and divided. Some call it the best K-drama of 2025, putting it alongside masterpieces like Reply 1988 and My Dearest. Others found certain plot developments jarring or struggled with the slow pacing. The ending has proven particularly polarizing—some viewers found it perfectly devastating, while others wanted something different.
But even those who didn’t love every choice acknowledge the drama’s ambition and craftsmanship. This is a series that takes risks, tackles difficult subjects, and trusts its audience to sit with discomfort.
The Verdict
You and Everything Else is not an easy watch, but it’s an unforgettable one. It’s a drama that will likely stay with you long after the final credits roll, making you reconsider your own friendships and the complicated emotions they contain.
For viewers who appreciate character-driven narratives, psychological depth, and performances that showcase the very best of what Korean drama can achieve, this series is essential viewing. Just prepare yourself emotionally—and yes, keep tissues nearby.
Best for: Fans of slow-burn melodrama, psychological character studies, and emotionally complex narratives
Not for: Viewers seeking fast-paced plots, lighthearted content, or straightforward romance
Where to watch: Netflix (all 15 episodes available)
Have you watched You and Everything Else? What did you think of Eun-jung and Sang-yeon’s complicated friendship? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
