Friendly Rivalry: Episode 1 (First Impressions)
by SailorJumun
U+ Mobile TV’s Friendly Rivalry throws us into the most elite of academia, where the expectations are high and the students are… well, not so friendly. The new girl in town isn’t exactly welcomed, which is fine since she’d rather lie low. But one fateful encounter puts her in the spotlight, and right in the clutches of the school’s star student.
EPISODE 1
I didn’t know what to expect from Friendly Rivalry, other than that it’s essentially supposed to be Mean Girls meets dark academia. Premise-wise, it’s definitely that, having the reserved new girl collide with the worshipped popular girl — always a fun dynamic. And I see promise of a deliciously fun yet twisty story as we’re introduced to one of our main characters.
WOO SEUL-GI (Jung Soo-bin) gives us a dry narration of her life, from growing up in an orphanage to being bullied at school. She handles everything with such nonchalance, like when someone sticks gum in her hair and she merely hacks off the damaged hair to quickly move on. It seems like her entire life is just pushing through and moving on, and finding easier methods to do so.
Eventually, Seul-gi catches on to the fact that academic success is a full-proof method. She starts taking her studies seriously, and sure enough, as her ranking improves, the bullies ignore her and target other students.
All the while, Seul-gi and the other orphans are being used to procure drugs. It’s pretty sad seeing how good of a system they have, like they’ve been at this game for years. Seul-gi has also gotten good at sneaking drugs for herself in order to better focus on her schoolwork, perhaps relying on them too much. Girl throws them pills back like they’re freaking Tic-Tacs.
Once Seul-gi is a senior, she finally has the means to transfer to a much more prestigious school in Seoul — Chaehwa Girls’ High School. So she moves from her small town to the big city, and boy, does she stick out like a sore thumb. She comes rolling into campus with her luggage, wearing her old school uniform, and the first few students she runs into barely acknowledge her.
Seul-gi finds herself sneaking a peek at the freshman entrance ceremony, taking in the room of pretty, rich girls with their parents. Then, we meet the pretty, rich girl: the most accomplished senior and the other half of our soon-to-be dangerous duo, YOO JE-YI (Hyeri).
Security tries and fails to kick out an elderly woman selling flowers, and Seul-gi watches curiously as Je-yi defuses the situation by buying all the flowers. Je-yi goes on to lead the ceremony — almost completely in English — and tell everyone about how amazing their school is.
Seul-gi explores the grounds a little before going to her first class, luggage still in tow. The teacher looks at her like she’s already a nuisance and turns their attention back to the students, who are begging to know which class Je-yi will be in. Like clockwork, the door opens and Je-yi makes her entrance.
I love the way Je-yi glides in, all eyes on her, like she’s an absolute goddess. The classroom goes quiet, waiting with anticipation to see who she’ll sit next to. At that moment, Seul-gi’s suitcase falls and bursts open, and she scurries over to clean it up. This gets Je-yi’s attention, and she comes over to pick up and return the keychain that fell out.
Even in that one exchange, there’s a subtle spark. Je-yi’s interest is piqued, and to everyone’s surprise, she takes a seat next to Seul-gi. Je-yi starts to introduce herself, and Seul-gi interrupts that she already knows. And I can’t help but smile as Seul-gi avoids eye contact and Je-yi smirks. There’s something about their energy, and about the way people react to them, that makes this feel like the start of a beautiful (if not complicated) friendship.
Of course, Seul-gi isn’t here to make friends, especially after seeing how stuck-up these students are. Later, a couple of girls from her class corner her in the bathroom, pressuring her to switch seats with them. One girl offers up her seat up front, and Seul-gi, only caring about her studies, agrees. But it’s looking like she can’t escape Je-yi that easily — Je-yi comes into the bathroom, takes Seul-gi’s hand, and drags her out to get lunch as if they’re already besties. Though Seul-gi is confused, she follows, as everyone around them stares in awe.
I kind of… love this? It’s strange because the episodes are short, and not much has happened yet, but it’s already got its hooks in me. The drama impressed me with its introduction of Seul-gi — with the snappy editing and Jung Soo-bin’s passive voiceover — and it just continued to lure me in, to make me want to know her. So I totally understand why Je-yi set her sights on this girl.
I’m also impressed with Hyeri and her portrayal of the powerful golden girl. Going back to Mean Girls, she really reminds me of the queen bee character of Regina George, with that sparkling, charming exterior hiding a much more calculating interior. I could almost see the wheels turning in Je-yi’s head, as if she views Seul-gi as a project. What kind of project, I’m not sure.
All I know is, something’s a-brewing. For Seul-gi, it could be rivalry, fueled by her unwavering desire for success. And for Je-yi, it could simply be friendship… or something more. I’m eating up all the bits of chemistry we’re getting between these too, so I’m definitely hoping more. I need Seul-gi to get out of her studying bubble and to start experiencing life.
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