Ron Does Stuff

Straight up, I didn’t read the webtoon this is based on and have no idea what it’s about other than what’s shown on the trailers. I did kinda like My Lovely Liar but I couldn’t finish Alchemy of Souls. I do want Hwang Min-hyun to slap me around a bit so there’s that!

The episode starts with students sleeping while a teacher is discussing math and boy do I relate even in my advanced age of a billion years old. There’s only Min-hyun’s character, Ga Min, who’s listening to the teacher and literally writing down everything he says. And even with all that determination — something he’s had since childhood! — he just can’t do well in class.

After overhearing conversation in the school corridor that it would be easier to get into university by going the polytechnic route and enrolling in the Yusung Technical High School, he changes schools and finds that it’s one of the worst schools in the country. It’s giving My School Mate, The Barbarian vibes!

But even at this horrible school, Ga Min is almost at the bottom of the rankings and now I’m starting to feel sorry for him. Sometimes you just need to be taught in a different way! Maybe you’re dyslexic or something!

We do find out what that different way is soon enough. Just like the school in My School Mate, The Barbarian, they way they’re ascending up the academic ladder in this school is through fighting. From the trailers, I’m guessing Ga Min has fighting prowess he just isn’t aware of!

Another thing that is going to help him rise up the ranks is the new homeroom teacher, Han Kyeong, who just happens to be the same tutor that expressed belief in him when he was younger. Are we getting a teacher-student romance? If that’s what it takes to get these students under control? Please do because my god this school is a mess. This is how I know I’m old now because I am now siding with the teachers.

There’s one student, Se Hyun, that Ga Min targets as a study mate and through persistent bugging, finally gets him to help him out. We then find out why Ga Min doesn’t do well despite studying as hard as he does — he thinks differently from the rest of the students, looking at details that are overlooked. He’s an out-of-the-box thinker and that just doesn’t work in a society that values rote memorization over creativity. Also, the school is basically ran by Han Wul, the son of a gang leader. He’s the guy behind the fight rankings and is the reason why Se Hyun plummeted from being second in the school to 171th.

When Se Hyun gets himself into trouble with one of the bullies in school, it’s Ga Min that comes to his aid. It’s also how we find out why he’s not willing to study as hard as Ga Min — he’s much more concerned with surviving the school day as opposed to getting high grades. Fair! Then we also find out Ga Min’s secret — ever since hearing that a strong mind dwells in a strong body, he’s never missed a day of exercise since he was nine and even took up martial arts. He knocks out the bully with one punch and here is where we get our action series.

We also find out that Se Hyun doesn’t have a great family life either, with a father who doesn’t believe university is any good and that a technical skill is all you need. I think the real world is a lot more nuanced than that — technical skills are too undervalued but at the same time anti-intellectualism is on the rise — but we’re watching a K-drama and nuance isn’t usually found here. What we do get is this homo-romantic montage of Ga Min looking at the math notes Se Hyun made for him. You should fully lean into this gay-adjacent shows, Min-hyun! Do it for me!

The next day, the guy that bullied Se Hyun challenges Ga Min to a fight and it’s a pretty good one! I do wish there where less tight shots but what we do get to see is great! Thank you to YouTube because I don’t need to rewind on Viu!

While Se Hyun doesn’t understand why Ga Min would do all of this for him, it convinces him enough to join Ga Min’s study group. Hopefully they’ll make out!