If the woman you like is seeing a man who is about to marry someone else, would you tell her? For Chae Hyun-seung (Rowoon of The Matchmakers) in She Would Never Know, the answer is “yes”. A junior at the Klar cosmetic company, Hyun-seung has feelings for his mentor, Yoon Song-ah (Just Lover’s Won Jin-ah). What she doesn’t know is that her boyfriend of two years, Lee Jae-shin (Lee Hyun-wook), a BM at Klar, is engaged to Lee Hyo-joo (Lee Joo-bin) the granddaughter of the company.
- Series Title: She Would Never Know (Korean: 선배, 그 립스틱 바르지 마요)
- Starring: Won Jin-ah, Rowoon, Lee Hyun-wook, Lee Joo-bin, Lee Kyu-han
- Written by: Chae Yoon
- Directed by: Lee Dong-yoon and Ra Ha-na
- Network: JTBC
- Where to watch in the US: Netflix
- Premier Date: January 18, 2021
- # of episodes: 16
- KafeNook Rating: 4.3 sips
She Would Never Know — !! Spoilers Ahead!!
I didn’t know much about the 2021 Kdrama She Would Never Know when I started watching it, only that it starred Rowoon. In my quest to watch all his dramas, this one was next on my list. I wondered how it would compare to Destined with You, The King’s Affection, and Extraordinary You, all of which I loved. It took a few episodes to get into, but just as Yoon Song-ah’s heart thawed for Chae Hyun-seung, my heart slowly thawed for this drama. It contains no fantasy elements. No scenes set in historical times. No “the leads knew each other as children” backstory. It is simply a narrative about love set in the world of a cosmetic company. (Who knew cosmetic marketing could be so interesting?)
The first episode gets into the crux of the matter. Hyun-seung knows that his senior at work, Song-ah, is in a relationship with their boss at Klar, Lee Jae-shi. When Hyun-seung sees Jae-shi at his sister’s wedding dress shop with fiancé, Lee Hyo-joo, he decides to reveal the information to Song-ah. Not only does Hyun-seung have feelings for Song-ah but he has been down that road himself. He doesn’t want to see her suffer the way he did. Song-ah is less than happy with him at the reveal. Jae-shi is the person she hoped to have a future with someday, even if he seemed intent on keeping their relationship a secret. Initially unable to confront Jae-shi, she takes her anger out on Hyun-seung who has confessed his feelings. It’s not until Hyun-seung reveals his own heartbreak from the past, that Song-ah sees beyond her anger to his true motive.
The Winding Relationship Road of Song-ah and Hyun-seung
Understanding the character of Song-ah takes time. She likes and appreciates Hyun-seung as her junior at work, but until he confesses to her, has never seen him in a romantic light. She is naturally distraught over the news of Jae-shi. It would feel disingenuous of her to shuck those feeling immediately and turn to Hyun-seung (no matter how swoon worthy he is!). As a result, it takes a few episodes for her to finally give Hyun-seung a chance. Even then she carries with her the baggage of her parent’s relationship. Her mother clings to the memory of her dead husband even though he was having an affair before he died. As a result, Song-ha vows to never let love stand in the way of her dreams.
Hyun-seung’s dream is Song-ha. He wants nothing more than to spend his life with her. As he puts it, if she comes to him, he will show her the most beautiful love. He opens up his heart fully to her. While I love all Rowoon’s characters, Hyun-seung may be one of my favorites. Song-ha never had a chance. She simply cannot ignore the kindness, concern, and care he shows as he tries to win her over. (Honestly, who could?) Even when she makes the difficult decision to join the Europe team and be apart from Hyun-seung for (gulp) five years, he ultimately supports her. He has faith that their love can survive the separation. What he doesn’t take into account is her view of love.
Song-ha comes across as selfish at times because in her world view, loving someone too much is a bad thing. She feels immense guilt and sadness whenever she has to cancel her and Hyun-seung’s plans. She doesn’t understand how he is okay with it and is afraid he is hiding his suffering. Too late she realizes a strong love can carry two people through hard times.
The drama skips over most of the period of the break-up other than showing how and why it happened. When Song-ha returns to Korea (two years early), it’s through others that she learns the suffering and pain Hyun-seung went through after she called things off. He believed that pouring all his love into someone would be enough. His cold demeaner toward her is his way of protecting his heart. Only after she loses him, does Song-ha realizes how much she loves him. She should have followed his example by holding on to him, trusting in their love. Now, it’s her turn to win back his heart.
The Chae Siblings
A big standout in She Would Never Know are the Chae Siblings: oldest sister Ji-seung (Wang Bit-na), middle sister Yeon-seung (Ha Yoon-kyung of See You in My 19th Life), and brother Hyun-seung. While the drama never introduces mother and father Chae, they must be truly remarkable parents to raise such compassionate, loving children.
Ji-seung is the wise, older sister who knows when to listen and when speak up. A mother figure of sorts, she always supports her siblings – even when it can cost her a big client. It’s no wonder heart of gold Lee Jae-woon (Lee Kyu-han), BM and grandson of the owner of Klar, falls head over heels with Ji-seung. His method for trying to see her again by bringing back her favorite lipstick is one only a Chaebol heir could come up with! Jae-woon may be the romantic one but Ji-seung is a Chae so she understands love to her core. She shows her love in the best possible way by removing a ring from the pocket of the wedding suit she made for him before proposing. The tears in his eyes at the gesture prove she knows her man.
Middle sister Yeon-seung and her husband, Kang Woo-hyeon (Lee Dong Ha), have perhaps the most poignant and difficult journey in the drama. After learning of Woo-hyeon’s college relationship with chef Ryu (Choi Jung-won), Yeon-seung’s compassion and love is on display when she decides to stay with her husband to give him time to accept himself. Even though it’s hard for her, she puts her husband’s needs first – just like her brother does with the woman he loves. Their divorce three years later is sad if not unexpected. Fortunately, they will always have adorable daughter Ha-eun (Park So-yi). Woo-hyeon is thankful that she gave him a safe space to heal and is ready to find out who he is. Now, maybe beautiful, loving Yeon-seung can find someone who loves and cherishes her the way she deserves.
Having two remarkable women in his life (not to mention a precocious niece), it’s no wonder Hyun-seung is best boyfriend material. He knows how to make a woman feel loved and special. With his big heart, he may seem to be strong most of the time, but still has fears and insecurity. When he asks Song-ha not to go to Europe, he is not secure enough about their relationship to weather the years of separation. His instincts tell him that her decision to go shows he loves her more than she loves him. In that moment, he’s not wrong. His belief in love is ultimately not enough for her.
Bad Guy or Misunderstood?
While Lee Jae-shin may be seen as the “bad” guy of the drama, his backstory is compelling and supports why he is driven to be successful. If he were a truly bad guy, he wouldn’t feel bad when his father dies, or try to see his uncaring mother. He wouldn’t have agreed to marry Hyo-joo when she threatened to commit suicide if she couldn’t have him. Loving Song-ha is the only decision he ever made without thinking about how it could get him ahead.
Song-ha breaking up with him is his wake-up call as his life crashes down. Jae-shin finally realizes that marrying Hyo-joo is a trap he doesn’t want. By leaving Klar, he is ready to take a chance on himself. It’s also the best thing for Hyo-joo whose fixation on Jae-shin is unhealthy. Thank you to brother, Jae-woon, who convinces Hyo-joo that the best revenge she can get is to take care of herself.
Best Tear-jerker Moment
Sister Yeon-seung has one of the best tear-jerker moments when, after realizing what has been going on with her husband, breaks down crying in the closest. It’s even more painful with the reveal that he is a witness to her sorrow.
Song-ha’s break-up with Hyun-seung is also difficult. It’s clear that she loves him, but in that moment her guilt is greater than her love. Even harder is seeing the shock and disbelief on Hyun-seung’s face.
Random Things I Liked
Hyun-seung and his niece sitting on the floor in the bookstore with their feet touching.
Song-ha watching through the window at Hyun-seung’s reaction to her decision not to go to Europe (the first time).
She Would Never Know Ending
By the final episode of She Would Never Know, the Chae sisters are moving on with their lives. Ji-seung marries her man, Jae-woon, and joins in a venture with Klar as a designer. Loving mother Yeon-seung coordinates cooking classes and Woo-hyeon thanks her for letting him heal before they amicably divorce. Back to being a successful photographer, Hyo-joo has learned the value of taking care of herself and confirms she is over Jae-shin. Now leading his own successful cosmetic company, Jae-shin thanks Jae-woon for his past support. The two seem on their way to a true friendship.
I’ll admit that I dreaded watching the last few episodes because of the coming breakup. (That’s the problem with being able to read descriptions of future episodes.) After watching Song-ha fall in love with Hyun-seung, I wasn’t ready for them go through a rough time. But that is the nature of these kind of stories – the black moment before the happy ending. Thankfully, much of the breakup time happens off camera. Still, it’s heart-breaking to see Hyun-seung turn away from Song-ha at the street crossing after she comes back from Europe.
Coming full circle, its Song-ha’s turn to confess to Hyun-seung that she still has feelings for him. He’s not ready to hear it. After a conversation with his sister, Song-ha understands that Hyun-seung is afraid of getting hurt again. She tells him she will keep her distance. That’s a hard thing to do when work keeps throwing them together and her affection for him creeps through. This is enough to convince Hyun-seung to give her a chance to win him back. (Hooray!) It doesn’t take long for Hyun-seung to open his heart again to Song-ha. By this time, it’s clear their love is on more equal footing. They decide to spend all the seasons – every year – together! Then, in a bonus post credit scene, radiant bride Song-ha is revealed to her handsome groom Hyun-seung on their wedding day. A perfect ending to their love story.
She Would Never Know Soundtrack
The soundtrack for She Would Never Know is filled with beautiful ballads (like Daydream by Cheeze), up tempo songs and piano pieces. I enjoyed all of it while watching the show and unlike with some soundtracks did not find it repetitive. I love Lean On Me sung by Kim Jong Wan, I Feel You by SANDUEL, and Leave Me sung by BEN. My favorite song from the OST is U SungEun singing I Live in Your Eyes.
