A Story to Die For

Mental- and cognitive disorder-based Korean dramas have been rising

in popularity since Its Okay Thats Loves success. Kill Me Heal Me is yet
another one that explores the topic of Dissociative Identity Disorder
(DID), commonly known as multiple personality disorder. Main hero Cha
Do Hyun is a third-generation chaebol who has memory lapse and
seven different identities due to a traumatic childhood. Desperate to
regain control of his life before being engulfed by his other personalities,
Do Hyun gets treated by a first year psychiatrist Oh Ri Jin. They
eventually fall in love with each other only to realize that their lives have
been tangled since a long time ago.

While Kill Me Heal Me may seem like just another rom-com or

melodrama on the surface, it unexpectedly tells a heart-wrenching story
with a deep meaningful message. Most importantly, it tells the story well
by carefully balancing comedy with sentimentality and adding a bit of
mystery at times to keep up the viewers appetite. The drama excels in
portraying the archetypes and emotional complexities of its characters
thanks to exceptional acting from Ji Sung and befitting ensembles. Each
one of Do Hyuns identities represents a different part of him: anger,
guilt, sadness, etc. that make them distinctive and memorable
.

Kill Me Heal Me is not without flaws. The dramas secondary characters

and subplots are overly contrived and become increasingly unnecessary
as it progresses. They dont add much to the overall experience and are
sometimes distracting to the main story. Pacing is also drastically slowed
down to almost a halt towards the end of the series a pandemic issue
for many Korean dramas. Nonetheless, with a tightly-woven, mystery-
filled plot and great character dynamics, its easy to excuse these flaws
and the unrealistic medical scenarios. Add on top not one but seven
eye-catching, stylish personas, and youll likely find something to love
about Kill Me Heal Me.
Episodes 1-4 Review

Kill Me Heal Me is captivating right from the start. With fast pacing and rapid dialog, it
quickly introduces the gauntlet of characters and sets up the premise of the
drama. Kill Me Heal Me does one thing particularly well in these early episodes: it
leverages various quirky situations not only for comic relief but more importantly for
defining the characters personas and setting the tone of the drama. Do Hyun is a
gentle-mannered, honest, and altruistic guy who lacks confidence. In contrast, his
second identity Shin Se Gi is a badass full of confidence and ambition, but has a hot
temper and violent tendencies. Thanks to such stark contrasts in personality, the
drama is able to use Se Gis motives and actions to advance the plot on several
occasions: going back to Korea to take a position at his familys company, SeungJin
Group, and seeking out Ri Jin.

Similarly, another silly situation of Ri Jin being kidnapped by a random gangster is

cleverly used to introduce the third identity Perry Park. Perry is a middle-aged
ajusshi with a Satoori accent and nonchalant attitude who loves to make bombs and
have a drink. He comes to rescue Ri Jin in place of Se Gi, which ultimately leads her
to realize that Do Hyun has DID after meeting yet another personality.

Now moving on to some minor complaints. Though its obvious from the get-go
that Kill Me Heal Mes approach to mental disorder is non-serious and lighthearted,
the portrayal of Ri Jin as a psychiatrist still feels too exaggerated and unrealistic. Her
character seems way too flamboyant and over-reactionary to be dealing with delicate
psychological issues. Hwang Jung Eums over-the-top acting is also borderline
annoying for my personal taste.Regardless, these episodes leave enough questions
about Do Hyuns mysterious past to urge me onto the next phase of the drama. What
does Do Hyuns missing memory contain? Why is Se Gi interested in Ri Jin? Who is
Na Na? Only time will tell.
Episodes 5-7 Review

These three crucial episodes of Kill Me Heal Me are focused on

furthering the emotional depth of its characters. In short, theyre heart-
aching, tear-inducing, emotional bombs tossed one after another at the
viewer. First, Kill Me Heal Me presents a closer look at Se Gi by
juxtaposing his outwardly tough acts with his immature thinking and
genuine affection for Ri Jin. The result is a series of uncharacteristic yet
hilarious scenes of Se Gi trying to please Ri Jin through childish
gimmicks. We also get to see a rare gentle side of Se Gi as he
expresses loving emotions towards Ri Jin. Ri Jin cant help but feel
touched by his sincerity just like how I cant help but warm up to him as a
character.

Next up is Ahn Yo Sub, the seventeen-year-old suicidal personality who

is best described as introverted and melancholic. While Ri Jin struggles
to decide whether she should accept Do Hyuns offer to be his
psychiatrist, the drama introduces Yo Sub at the perfect time to help
push her into a resolution. Through the brilliant use of Yo Sub and his
dying message Kill Me, Ri Jin and the viewers experience firsthand the
sadness and hopelessness of Do Hyuns life. Trying to save him, Ri Jin
desperately calls for Do Hyun to snap back. Fear and sympathy fills her
heart, culminating in a complete emotional eruption that moves Do Hyun
and I to tears. Shortly after, Ri Jin changes the dying message to Heal
Me and makes up her mind to treat Do Hyun.

The appearance of Yo Sub naturally leads Kill Me Heal Me to scrutinize

Do Hyuns character next. The drama invites us to delve into his inner
world thats filled with loneliness and low self-esteem. In truth, Do Hyun
yearns for friendship. But he built a wall in his heart and pushes away
anyone he cares about in fear of hurting them while being someone
else. He lives in constant torment cleaning up after the mess his other
identities make and thinks of himself as a monster. Seeing this, who
wouldnt feel sorry for Do Hyun and empathize with his pain? With a
heavy heart, I anxiously watch on to find out how Ri Jin would help Do
Hyun.
Episodes 8-11 Review

Kill Me Heal Me doesnt let the scale tip towards melodrama for too long.
Following the emotion-filled segment, it shifts gears back to comedy and
mystery while advancing the couples relationship and the main plot. The
drama is able to showcase the various identities and make them all
memorable. Case in point, there couldnt have been a better catalyst for
humor than the sassy yet adorable Ahn Yo Na, Yo Subs twin sister.
There are many iconic jocular scenes of Yo Na fangirling over idols,
getting dolled up, and dissing Ri Jin. As if Yo Nas not enough of a comic
relief, Perry and even Se Gi also add their unique flairs to put a smile on
my face.

As Ri Jin tries to get to know Do Hyun better, she realizes what he really
needs is companionship and understanding. So she studies each
personality and makes effort to befriend each one. After all, what does
appreciating someone for who they are really mean without accepting all
aspects of them? Do Hyun is moved by Ri Jins efforts and his feelings
for her grow, elevating their relationship to the next level.

Meanwhile, the clouds of enigma continue to shroud Do Hyuns past; but

were presented with a few more clues to stretch our imaginations with.
The drama hints more openly at a tangled connection between Do Hyun
and Ri Jin since their childhood, and that Ri Jin is the key to unlocking
Do Hyuns lost memories. But surprisingly, Ri Jin cant remember much
about her early childhood either. Through Se Gis confrontation with
his grandmother, we learn that everyone in Do Hyuns family is linked
to a massive secret regarding SeungJin Group. What is hidden in their
lost memories and how is Ri Jin connected to all this? The missing
pieces of this puzzle keep me guessing on.
12-18 Review

These seven episodes of Kill Me Heal Me are spent on connecting all the
dots and providing clarity to the mysteries built up to this point. The
drama uses a series of flashbacks between Do Hyun and Ri Jin to piece
together their history and gradually unveil the secret. As they regain
fragments of their memories, both Do Hyun and Ri Jin re-experience the
agonies of their past and are forced to face the painful truth. They finally
understand why those memories were wiped away in the first place and
what caused Do Hyun to have multiple personalities. Kill Me Heal
Me delivers a number of pleasant surprises through unanticipated plot
twists that keep me engaged and eager to learn more. However, the
revelation is also unnecessarily dragged out with far too many repeat
scenes and trivial subplots of secondary characters in-between half
the amount of time would have done the job.

Meanwhile, the couples relationship officially evolves from implicit mutual

affection to confession and confirmation. Do Hyun asks Ri Jin if she could see
him as a man and not just a patient while Ri Jin leaves Do Hyun a cheerful
video confessing her love for him. Unfortunately their happiness does not last
long. As the couple recalls their complicated history in parallel, Do Hyun
intentionally tries to break off with Ri Jin for her own good. At this point, I start
to dread the overused Korean drama plot device of push away your true love,
be miserable for a few episodes, then get back together anyway. But to my
delight, Kill Me Heal Me avoids this common pitfall by having Ri Jin see right
through Do Hyuns plans and remind him that they agreed to work through
anything together. So the couple carries on to find a way to heal their mutual
psychological wounds.
Episodes 19-20 Review

The final act of Kill Me Heal Me is without a doubt all about heal me. Its
purpose is to wrap up the past and set Do Hyun up for a bright future.
Sadly, its also the sloppiest act of the series. Slow pacing and filler
scenes become even more prominent as Do Hyun and Ri Jin reconcile
with their past. Subplots that were superfluous in the first place are
quickly rushed to a conclusion.

As the fusion of Do Hyuns personalities begins, each identity appears to

say goodbye to Ri Jin. The bittersweet farewells are heartwarming and
could have been the perfect closure, but theyre disrupted by the
introduction of a new seventh identity at such a late stage. Inevitably, the
new personality receives little to no character development and seemed
like a complete afterthought.

The weaker ending though, is only a minor disappointment in the grand

scheme of things. With a killer story, colorful characters, and top-notch
acting performances, Kill Me Heal Me is truly a Korean drama not to be
missed.