I just finished watching S Line, and I have to say this was one of the most confusing yet interesting kdramas I've ever seen. Let me break down what happens in this wild 6-episode drama, because trust me, you're going to need some explanations along the way.
The Story – What Are These Red Lines?
The story starts with a teenage girl named Shin Hyun-heup who has a strange gift - she can see red lines floating above people's heads that show who they've been in a relationship with. The more people someone has been with, the more lines they have.
Hyun-heup was born with this ability, which is why she hides away and lives alone. Her parents left her because they were scared of what she could see. When she was little, she drew a picture that showed her dad was connected to her aunt, revealing that her own dad was cheating. Her mom killed her dad in anger, then left her too. Hyun-heup learned early that these "S-Lines" (short for "sex lines") were dangerous and could ruin lives.
There's also a detective named Han Ji-wook who has so many red lines, that it looks like a spider web. People who can see the lines are shocked, but Ji-wook can't see them himself, so he doesn't know why people react to him that way.
The Mysterious Glasses
Things get stranger when special glasses start showing up which lets even normal people see the S-Lines. The glasses keep moving from person to person, and each time they cause trouble.
The glasses first go to Ji-wook's niece Seon-ah, a high school student, who is shocked to see the secret relationships around her school. But the glasses seem alive in a weird way, they appear randomly, and whoever wears them becomes obsessed. Some get depressed, some turn violent, and some even die. In the last episode, we also see that people wearing them, act like they're possessed and later can't remember what happened.
One of the worst moments is when a school worker becomes obsessed with a male teacher after wearing the glasses. She stalks him and ends up killing him and herself in a sudden, brutal scene with staplers. This was very uncomfortable and hard to watch..
The Teacher Who Knows Too Much
There's a teacher named Lee Gyu-jin who always seems to know more than she should. She has no S-Lines, which is strange, and she always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Ji-wook notices this, though it's not clear if it's romantic or if he's suspicious.
The Truth About Hyun-heup's Family
In episode 5, we learn that Hyun-heup's grandfather sexually abused her when she was young. That's why she has one S-Line even though she's never had a real relationship. This explains her trauma and broken family.
She also starts getting close to her kind classmate Jun-seon, and for a while it looks like she might finally be happy.
The Completely Crazy Ending (Episode 6)
In the last episode, Gyu-jin reveals she's not human, she's some kind of supernatural being or goddess. The show never explains exactly what she is, but she has powers and can make strange, dream-like worlds.
Before the final ritual, there's a scene where Gyu-jin is in front of people wearing the S-glasses. They move together like her cult followers. Their obsession with the lines seems to make her stronger. This is like old European stories where gods exist and get stronger because people believe in them. More and more people believe in the god, the god gets much more stronger. Here, the "cult" is her temple, and everyone focused on the red lines is giving her power.
It turns out Gyu-jin planned everything. She spread the glasses and made events happen so she could use Hyun-heup's blood to make the whole world see S-Lines forever. After S-Day, her power grows even more because now the whole world is like her worshippers.
Then tragedy strikes, Jun-seon dies in a freak accident, right after being intimate with Hyun-heup. The kdrama never makes it clear if this was random or caused by Gyu-jin, but the timing makes me suspect if she was behind it.
The final battle happens at Hyun-heup's old school, where Gyu-jin creates a creepy, shifting world. Ji-wook and Hyun-heup run through it trying to stop her. In the end, Gyu-jin wins, and suddenly everyone in the world can see S-Lines.
Why This Kdrama Is So Confusing
The first five episodes feel like a thriller about secrets and the damage they cause. Then the last episode suddenly turns into supernatural horror, with magic and other strange things, without much warning.
It also leaves too many questions:
• What is Gyu-jin really? A goddess? Monster?
• Why does she want this new world?
• How did she create these glasses?
• Why was Hyun-heup born with this gift?
• What happened to missing characters like the bully?
• Why did Ji-wook have so many s-lines if it doesn't lead anywhere?
What I Think the Kdrama Was Trying to Say
Even with the messy ending, S Line seems to want to talk about privacy, shame, and truth in relationships. It asks: if we could all see each other's past, would that make us honest or just more judgmental?
Ji-wook's many lines show how society judges people (especially women) for having multiple partners. Gyu-jin's lack of lines shows the opposite extreme of hiding everything. Hyun-heup is stuck in the middle, showing how both extremes can hurt people. The cult idea also shows how desire and curiosity can be used to control people.
My Review
The first four episodes are exciting and different, with great acting from Arin (Hyun-heup) and Lee Soo-hyuk (Ji-wook). The idea is fresh and makes you think.
Episodes 5 and 6, though, feel rushed. The supernatural parts come out of nowhere and many storylines are left hanging. Some characters just vanish. Big ideas are dropped without answers.
The drama also has disturbing scenes, like the stapler scene, and deals with serious topics like abuse and obsession.
Should You Watch It?
If you like new ideas and don't mind a confusing ending, it's worth a try. The first half is really good, but don't expect all your questions to be answered. I would think it's better to stop at episode 4 and imagine your own ending.
S Line could have been a great drama about relationships and privacy, but it couldn't finish its ideas properly. Still, it will make you think, and sometimes that's enough to make it worth watching.
Watch on Plex