About a week ago, while aimlessly scrolling through tik tok, I came across a preview (… or was it an edit?) for As You Stood By. Once I noticed one of characters from Squid Game, Lee Yoo-mi, and caught the premise of the series. I was like Oh yeah, I’m definitely watching that next month. (And) voila, here I am. It’s the next month and I watched it.
As You Stood by is a 2025 Kdrama Netflix Series starring Jeon So-Nee as Jo Eun-Su, and Lee Yoo-Mi as Hui-Su, about two best friends who team up to put an end to an abusive relationship. The series dives into themes of loyalty, resilience, and the courage it takes to confront abuse.
CAUTION: This review contains minor spoilers. I won’t dive deep into every character and their storyline to avoid giving too much away. Instead, I’ll focus on the main characters while keeping the spoilers light. But if you like more depth and want an in‑depth episode‑by‑episode recap, you can read it on my Substack! :)
Eun-su
We are first introduced to Eun Su, Eun Su is as a saleswoman for a luxury department store. She’s the best at what she does and manages to be well respected and liked by her all her colleagues. Eun Su had a very traumatic childhood that still haunts her to this day. Her and her younger brother grew up witnessing the abuse of their mother by their father. Because of this she practices jiu jitsu to cope with this trauma; either as a way to take control since she couldn’t when she was a kid while her mom was being abused or she doesn’t want to be in the same situation as her mom and does this as a preventative measure/just in case it happens to her.
Oh and while watching the series I realized she was in the movie Soulmate.
Hui-su
Hui Su is the best friend of Eun Su. They have been friends since middle school. One day, Hui Su noticed Eun Su having a panic attack, triggered by the day before, when Eun Su saw her mom try to take her own life by jumping out a window. So when a group of girls in class were playing next a window, it triggered Eun Su off into tears, and without even fully knowing her, Hui Su comforted her with a hug and a smile. She was bubbly, full of life, and was always there for Eun Su in her hardest moments.
But things changed after Hui Su got married. She goes out less, barely answers her phone and has stopped her dream of becoming a children’s author. She’s a completely different person now. Turns out she’s this way because of her abusive husband, Jin Pyo, who has her trapped in their luxury condo.
Jin So-baek
At the beginning I didn’t like Jin So Baek AT ALL! He came across entitled as if the world revolved around him. Plus he’s stubborn. But as the series went on, he seems accepting of Eun Sue, I also thinks he likes her. The was moment that really changed my opinion on him, that shows he has some form of empathy and from then, I was like, alright king, you're alright with me!
Jin Pyo's (Hui Su's Husband)
Jin Pyo is Hui Su's abusive husband who works in finance. His mother is a wealthy Anti domestic violence activists, and his sister is a detective. what a coincidence right?
Each actor delivered a good performance. From Jeon So-Nee’s and Lee Yoo-Mi’s portrayal of an authentic friendship, to Jang Seung-Jo’s ability to embody two different characters at once. He was so good, I genuinely forgot that Jin Pyo and Jang Kang were being played by the same person.
I was hooked from the jump. The story line moved quickly, so it didn’t take long for me to get in the groove or start seeing the premise of the series play out like a normal kdrama. I also liked the format of the series. Each episode felt like a puzzle, with missing pieces filled in with the next episode. You’d watched one episode and then in order to fully understand it, you’d have to watch the next.
As for the visuals, they were nice. It was dark and gloomy most of the series, but that went well with the plot. It wasn’t anything astonishing though. The cinematography reminded me a lot of The Trunk. I guess it’s because they were both Korean Netflix series.