‘Our Unwritten Seoul’ emerges as global K-drama sensation through emotional depth and healing

Yoo Mi-ji (left) and Yoo Mi-rae (right), the twin sisters at the heart of the drama Our Unwritten Seoul, are portrayed by actress Park Bo-young, who plays both roles. While the characters are identical in appearance, they differ completely in personality. Adding to the complexity, Park also plays “Mi-rae pretending to be Mi-ji” and “Mi-ji pretending to be Mi-rae,” effectively taking on four personas in one series. In the early episodes, Mi-ji is easily distinguishable by her bleached blonde hair, but as she later switches to black hair, Park conveys the characters' nuances through subtle differences in speech, demeanor, and expression. /tvN

“Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is far away, and today is uncertain.”One viewer reflected, “I never imagined a single line from a drama could breathe so much life into my day. From now on, I’ll carry it with me and recite it every day.”

“Our Unwritten Seoul,” a weekend drama from South Korean cable network tvN starring Park Bo-young, has been quietly resonating with audiences since its May 24 debut. The series is striking a deep emotional chord not only with viewers in South Korea but also with international audiences tuning in via Netflix.

Reactions began surfacing quickly across online platforms, including Reddit’s K-drama community. One post read, “I sobbed when Mi-ji’s grandmother said, ‘You hid because you wanted to live. Everything you do to survive is an act of courage.’ I wish I’d had a grandmother like that.”Although only two episodes had been released on Netflix at the time, more than 200 comments poured in. By the release of episodes five and six, viewer responses had surged to over 1,000 posts and replies.

“Our Unwritten Seoul” follows identical twin sisters Yoo Mi-rae and Yoo Mi-ji—played in a dual role by Park Bo-young—who share the same face but differ in every other way: personality, temperament, and speech. As they swap lives, the drama traces how they confront personal wounds, grow through hardship, and come to better understand themselves.

The show premiered with a nationwide viewership rating of 4.2 percent, according to Nielsen Korea, and climbed to a 7.4 percent average and a peak of 8.2 percent by its eighth episode on Jun. 15.

Drama blogs and online communities have since been flooded with reaction posts under tags like “memorable quotes” and “unforgettable lines.” One user wrote, “It’s been so long since I cried this hard—guttural, uncontrollable sobs.”

Coverage has extended overseas. U.S.-based MSN and the United Kingdom’s Daily Mail ran headlines such as “A Brilliant Work That’s Taking Viewers by Storm” and “The Best K-Drama of the Year.” Following the release of episodes five and six, the series broke into Netflix’s Global Top 10, ranking No. 8, and hit No. 1 in several South American countries, including Peru.

Despite geographic and cultural differences, viewers around the world are finding a common emotional connection in the words of Kang Wol-soon—known as Mi-ji’s grandmother—played by actress Cha Mi-kyung. Lines such as “Everything you do to survive is an act of courage” have emerged as powerful expressions of resilience and healing.

While the premise may initially resemble a typical youth romance—aside from Park’s ambitious challenge of portraying four distinct roles—what sets the series apart is its cast of imperfect, awkward, and deeply human characters.

Consistently a model student, Mi-rae fails the civil service examination and now works at a state-owned enterprise. Though she appears healthy, she has been frail since childhood and has spent much of her life in hospitals. Meanwhile, track-and-field prodigy Mi-ji isolates herself from the world after a career-ending ankle injury.

Park Bo-young plays Mi-ji pretending to be her sister Mi-rae, opposite Lee Ho-su (played by Park Jin-young), who has harbored feelings for Mi-ji since their high school days. The two grew up in the same neighborhood of Duseon-ri. During a school hiking trip up Mount Duseonbong, Ho-su recalled how everyone either pitied or worried about him—except for Mi-ji, who believed in him and waited at the summit. He said it was that moment that gave him the strength to reach the top and made Mi-ji his first love. /tvN

Lee Ho-su played by Park Jin-young, Mi-ji’s love interest, is a lawyer at the nation’s top law firm, admired for his flawless appearance. Beneath that image, however, lies a tragic past: a car accident that took his father’s life and left him with multiple disabilities. He lost hearing in one ear and underwent an artificial bone transplant to walk again.

Han Se-jin played by Ryu Kyung-soo, Mi-rae’s counterpart, was a successful CEO at an asset management firm, relentlessly chasing wealth. But after ignoring a final phone call from his only remaining family–his grandfather–who later died from heatstroke, Se-jin is overcome with regret and returns to his grandfather’s farm to start over.

Though the twins have led separate lives and developed different personalities, their emotional core is strikingly similar. Both struggle with the gap between the world’s expectations and their own limitations. They avoid showing vulnerability, choosing instead to shut the world out when rumors and judgments creep in. Mi-ji’s line–“I realized my worst enemy was myself”–captures not only her own truth but Mi-rae’s as well, echoing the inner battles many viewers may recognize.

In Our Unwritten Seoul, Park Bo-young (left) plays Mi-rae posing as her twin sister Mi-ji, alongside Han Se-jin (played by Ryu Kyung-soo), the owner of a strawberry farm run by his grandfather. Se-jin candidly shares how he has learned to overcome “rumors” and prove himself in his own way—offering what amounts to a subtle confession of affection. Through their interactions, Mi-rae begins to gain new insight. /tvN

Park Bo-young, Park Jin-young, and Ryu Kyung-soo each portray characters who meet someone with similar wounds. Through these connections, they begin to heal, complement each other’s weaknesses, and rediscover their own sense of worth.

Drama critic Gong Hee-jung commented, “Most youth healing dramas focus on young people overcoming hardships through trial and error or by learning from others. But this drama stands out by using the ‘twins switching roles’ concept, which allows for self-objectification. The mirror-therapy-like structure enabling self-reflection is a masterstroke.”

Supporting characters like Kim Ro-sa played by Won Mi-kyung, the twins’ grandmother, also serve as wise guides. Gong added, “Lines like, ‘Maybe you’re not wrong–maybe the world is,’ and ‘You have far more potential than you think,’ carry the wisdom of someone who’s lived longer and offer comfort to viewers.”