Dream to You ends with Soo-bin and Yi-jae finally finding their way to each other. However, at what cost? Previously, we see Yi-jae realise it’s time for her to pursue a career and become independent. Well, good for her, but it just felt too dramatic because after all the effort she put into Soo-bin, she ended up leaving him, which she could’ve done long ago.
Dive in to learn more about how the series ended.
Dream to You Episode 12 has a runtime of 70 minutes. The series (그대에게 드림) stars Hwang In-yeop, Hyeri, Baek Sung-chul, Lee Yul-eum, Lee Sang-yeob, and Lee Ji-min, and is directed by Yoo Sun-dong.
Dream to You Episode 12 Review
A Finale That Plays It Too Safe
Yi-jae finally chooses a filmmaking career and accepts a scholarship. She also decides to pursue her dream independently and breaks up with Soo-bin. When he suggests they carry on a long-distance relationship, she simply rejects it and says she wants to focus on her career completely. Soo-bin is devastated, but he respects her decision. He simply gives her a script, hoping she will come back one day to do a film together.
After two years, Yi-jae returns, and immediately, she reconciles with Soo-bin when she hears he is single. Soo-bin, who waited all these years for Yi-jae, finally feels at peace, and they both restart their relationship. He proposes, and we have an ending that points to their wedding. Happy ending, indeed. But what’s with the two-year separation? The dream?
Was the Breakup Really Necessary?
The writers probably wanted to give power to Yi-jae’s character by finally making her pursue her dream and be independent. However, that felt too pointless. Yi-jae was already an independent girl who was making her way through life. She simply could’ve pursued her dream while also being in a relationship. Needless to say, she should’ve never fallen in love with him again if she had known she would depend on him. The writers actually failed the character of Yi-jae, turning her into some selfish person. She actually is the most sane character, but they failed her.
Speaking of Soo-bin had already encouraged Yi Jae to pursue her dream. In fact, he helped her get into the course and supported her filmmaking ambitions. Evidently, it shows he was never a hindrance. So this whole dependency plot feels chaotic.
Speaking of relatability, a more convincing storyline could have been shown in a way that viewers saw the difficulties of them both trying to balance a relationship amidst careers and personal growth. Instead, the drama simply jumps forward two years and asks viewers to accept that everything worked out.
The Cast Deserved Better
The biggest disappointment with this series is how they failed to make use of such a talented cast. Hyeri and In-yeop had such great chemistry, and their emotional moments were well acted. Rather than showing the characters in depth, the writers made them look like two immature adults who randomly break up and come back together. A simple conversation could’ve avoided it all.
The drama also had beautiful cinematography and a promising premise, but its bad pacing and overcrowded storylines made the series and the actors feel heavily lost.
Ha-na and Yu-geon Stole the Show
Ironically, the second leads, Ha-na and Yu-geon, became the stars of the show. Their relationship felt more realistic and entertaining. They had great chemistry, good tension stakes and their kiss seemed much more prominent than the main leads’. Their storyline was compelling, and it gave the 2016 Kdrama vibes.
Hopefully, Ha-na and Yu-geon will get to act in another series where viewers can finally focus only on their plot.
Final Thoughts
To be honest, Dream to You isn’t a terrible drama because it has a good storyline and a wonderful cast. However, they utterly failed to bring out the best. With the wonderful visuals that they provided, I genuinely thought this series was going to be great, but it failed. We had Yi-jae’s ex-boyfriend coming in randomly, a cliché town festival fight between the ex and Soo-bin, Yi-jae rejected her ex for Soo-bin only to end up breaking up with Soo-bin… it just doesn’t add up.
The finale gives a happy ending but not a satisfying journey. The two-year separation feels unnecessary, and their reunion happens too easily after so much chaos. Why the buildup?
The second leads sometimes carried more narrative energy than the main couple, leaving the viewers feeling a bit satisfied. A happy ending but a very poor storyline. Great cast but underdeveloped character sketches. Overall, the series felt like a cupcake that looked too good but tasted awful.
Dream to You is streaming on Viki. Did you like the latest episode? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
I agree.competely to this review. I really actually liked the series…so I felt jipped for the ML and FL for their character arcs… it’s a shame. I wanted the happy ending but definitely expected more considering the journey they’ve had to live to get there…such a shame.