This twelve episode drama tells the story of identical twin sisters Yoo Mi-ji and Yoo Mi-rae, whose lives couldn't be more different despite sharing the same face.
The story centers around Mi-ji, the younger twin who gave up her dream of becoming an Olympic athlete to take care of her sick grandmother in their small hometown. An injury ended her running career, and now she works random part-time jobs while her family treats her like the "failure" twin. Mi-rae, the older sister, is everything their mother wanted – smart, successful, working at a big company in Seoul. But behind her perfect life, Mi-rae is being sexually harassed at work and is so depressed that she wants to kill herself.
Their childhood friend Lee Ho-su comes back to town as a successful lawyer, but he has his own problems. A car accident when he was young damaged his hearing in one ear, which makes him really good at reading people's emotions and body language. He's been in love with Mi-ji since they were kids, but she has no idea. The flashbacks to their school days are beautiful – you see teenage Ho-su hiding and waiting for Mi-ji, and young Mi-ji helping him climb mountains because she believed in him. These moments show you why they're meant to be together.
When Mi-ji visits Seoul and sees how broken Mi-rae is, the twins decide to switch lives. Mi-ji takes over Mi-rae's job in Seoul while Mi-rae goes home to work on Han Se-jin's strawberry farm pretending to be Mi-ji. Se-jin is a former hedge fund executive who abandoned the corporate world to become a farmer, bringing his own story of burnout and reinvention.
What makes this drama amazing is Park Bo-young's acting as both twins. She completely becomes two different people. When she's Mi-ji, she's bubbly and energetic but insecure. When she's Mi-rae, she's controlled and professional but completely broken inside. You can tell which twin she's playing just by how she walks or holds her shoulders. It's one of the best dual performances I've ever seen.
The love story is about Ho-su, who's been in love with Mi-ji since high school. He's the only person who can tell the twins apart, and he figures out they switched places really early. This is great because most kdramas drag out the confusion forever, but this kdrama doesn't do that. When Mi-ji goes to Seoul pretending to be Mi-rae, Ho-su immediately knows it's really her and decides to help her. Their relationship grows slowly as he helps her survive the corporate world that she knows nothing about. He always sits on her right side because that's his good ear, and he remembers tiny details about her that no one else notices.
The family stuff Is really frustrating. The twins' mother clearly loves Mi-rae more and has basically ignored Mi-ji her whole life. When Mi-ji got injured and couldn't run anymore, she got so depressed she locked herself in her room for three years. The mother never tried to help her or even seemed to care. Watching Mi-ji finally stand up to her mother and call her out for playing favorites was one of the most satisfying moments in the whole kdrama.
Meanwhile, Mi-rae's story in Seoul shows how awful workplace harassment can be. Her boss is disgusting – he touches her and makes sexual comments, and when she tries to report it, everyone tells her she's lucky to get his attention. Her coworkers hate her and sabotage her work because they think she's getting special treatment. The show doesn't hold back in showing how this kind of toxicity can destroy someone mentally. The workplace is like its own evil character – they have this "desk of shame" where everyone can watch what you're doing..
What I loved about this drama is how it shows that everyone's life looks easier from the outside. Mi-ji thought Mi-rae had everything perfect with her fancy Seoul job, but Mi-rae was actually being tortured every day at work. Mi-rae thought Mi-ji had a simple, relaxed life in the countryside, but Mi-ji was dealing with depression and feeling invisible to their family. The grass is always greener until you actually have to live someone else's life.
The show handles the difference between small town and big city really well. Seoul is cold and competitive where people use each other and success comes at a terrible cost. The hometown is warmer and more genuine, but it's also limited and can feel suffocating if you have bigger dreams. Neither place is perfect, and the show doesn't try to make one obviously better than the other.
The middle part of the drama focuses on healing. Mi-rae starts opening up to Se-jin, who brings sunshine energy that she desperately needs. Watching Mi-rae finally laugh and chat excitedly with someone was like watching a flower bloom. At the same time, Mi-ji is doing well in Seoul in her chaotic way, even cheering Mi-rae on during fights with jerky coworkers by yelling "hit him a little more!"
The grandmother character brings so much heart to the story. She's this wise old woman who sees through both girls' pain and tries to help them heal. When she's dying, she tells Mi-ji that she's proud of her for staying and taking care of her, but she also wants Mi-ji to live her own life. The scenes with the grandmother are some of the most emotional moments in this show. All the supporting characters feel real – Ho-su's friends who help Mi-ji with work, the farm workers who take care of Mi-rae, even Ho-su's mother who becomes a fan favorite. Everyone has their own story and struggles.
But then the story takes a turn when Mi-ji finally fights back against workplace harassment. While you're cheering for her to stand up for herself, something awful happens. Ho-su's hearing, which has been getting worse because of his childhood accident, finally fails completely. The cruel thing is that Mi-ji's passionate singing is almost the last thing he hears before his world goes silent.
The show deals with really heavy topics like depression, suicide, sexual harassment, and family trauma, but it never feels fake or like it's trying to shock you. The depression storylines especially feel real and respectful. When Mi-ji talks about the three years she spent locked in her room, you can feel how dark that time was for her. When Mi-rae explains why she wanted to die, it's heartbreaking but never feels manipulative. The healing process is realistic and messy – these aren't quick fixes, but slow, painful steps toward understanding themselves and each other.
The ending is satisfying without being unrealistic. Both sisters don't magically fix all their problems, but they do learn to talk to each other and support each other in ways they never did before. Mi-ji gains confidence and realizes she deserves love and respect. Mi-rae learns to stand up for herself and finds work that actually makes her happy. Mi-ji goes back to Seoul with a fresh start, ready to pursue her dreams in art therapy without giving up who she is. Ho-su learns to accept love and support instead of pushing people away because he's scared. The twins do not switch back, as they have grown into the roles and continue living as each other.
The romance between Mi-ji and Ho-su is beautifully developed, built on years of understanding and caring for each other. The romance between Mi-rae and Se-jin develops more slowly, focusing on healing and finding peace.
The show looks gorgeous. The camera work captures both the busy energy of Seoul and the peaceful beauty of the countryside. The music is subtle and perfect, making the emotional moments better without being too much. The writing is smart and trusts that the audience is smart too. Instead of explaining everything, it lets you figure things out through how the characters act and what they do. What made this drama special was how it avoided typical kdrama problems – instead of endless miscommunication, we got honest conversations; instead of characters making stupid noble sacrifices, we got characters who actually talked through their problems.
This drama reminded me why I love kdramas so much. It takes what could have been a silly story about twins switching places and turns it into this deep exploration of family, identity, mental health, and finding your place in the world. It's funny when it needs to be, heartbreaking when it should be, and ultimately hopeful without being naïve. The themes about modern life's pressures felt incredibly real – the toxic work culture, the expectation to sacrifice everything for family, the way we lose ourselves trying to be what others need.
Park Bo-young proves once again that she's one of the best actresses. The supporting cast is excellent across the board too. The writing is mature and thoughtful. If you're looking for a drama that will make you think about your own relationships and choices, this is definitely worth watching, especially if you loved When Life Gives You Tangerines.
It's the kind of show that stays with you after you finish it. I found myself thinking about the sisters' relationship and wondering how many people in my own life might be struggling in ways I don't see. It's a reminder to be kinder and more understanding, because everyone is fighting battles we know nothing about.
Watch on Netflix