A Hundred Memories Episode 1-2 Review
Director: Kim Sang-ho
Date Created: 2025-09-15 11:56
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A Hundred Memories Episode 1-2 Review: Under Kim Sang-ho’s direction, this kdrama 백번의 추억 is set against a vibrant though convulsive 1980s Korean backdrop. The series stars Kim Da-mi as Go Young-rye, a resilient young woman who is determined to forge her own path in spite of her homemaking responsibilities. Shin Ye-eun stars as Seo Jong-hee, the bold and adventurous young woman, as does Heo Nam-jun as embattled boxer Han Jae-pil, in supporting roles alongside Kim Jung-hyun, Lee Won-jung, and Jeon Sung-woo.
Also known as One Hundred Memories (Baekbeonui Chueok), K-drama provides a sentimental blend of dreams, friendship, nostalgia, and sacrifices that young people cannot escape in a very busy society. With 12 episodes as a whole, to come out every Saturday and Sunday, the Korean show has already caused intrigue based solely on its sturdy foundation.
A Hundred Memories Episode 1 Recap
A Hundred Memories Episode 1 introduces Go Young-rye, a young worker who is employed by the venerable No. 100 bus. Although she experiences motion sickness, she clings to the job in order to support her family as well as secretly audit courses in hopes of attending university. This initial glimpse at her character defines a compromise between work duty and personal ambition that will come to define much of the series.
Young-rye is set to miss her bus on a hectic day when its driver does not allow her back on, only to be saved by Seo Jong-hee, a stranger whose prompt action — and looks — make a lasting impression upon her straight away. Afterwards, Jong-hee is hired as a new bus attendant for the firm. Unlike Young-rye, she is a rookie, but she makes up for her naivete with bravery, sarcasm, and a refusal to yield to thugs.
While the scene is unfolding, Young-rye is in peril when she is chasing after a passenger who is not attending. She is rescued by Han Jae-pil, who is a rich student and a boxer. His life seems privileged, and yet it is marred by a stern dad who is pushing him in school and who criticises him for enjoying boxing so much. This tension is a basis upon which he will have personal struggles.
The sub-plot of a dorm reaches its peak when Jong-hee becomes a target of bullying by senior attendants. Everything climaxes after a communal meal has senior attendants bedridden due to food poisoning, and Jong-hee is unjustly suspected. Young-rye learns in the end that another attendant, Sook-ja, was responsible. That she is so resolute in standing by her truth, regardless of personal expense, cements her as a brave and moral character.
The scene ends in dramatic fashion as Jae-pil walks into a theatre, bloodied from a confrontation. Young-rye spots him, struggling to decide between respect and alarm, as Jong-hee is ignorant of who he is. Episode 1 of A Hundred Memories ends by subtly hinting at how the tangled relationships and secrets will drive the storyline.
A Hundred Memories Episode 2 Recap
The 2nd Episode begins with Jae-pil awkwardly standing in front of Young-rye and Jong-hee in the aftermath of a scuffle in a cinema. Jong-hee quickly breaks the tension with her humour, but later Jae-pil is in police bother after he has a fight. His father saves him, symptomatic of privileges from being based upon his heritage, although he does so at the cost of broadening other people’s hatred for him.
Young-rye, though, could not get that odd young stranger out of her mind. The hand-embroidered handkerchief he left her is her only clue. When she protests it’s being used as a dustcloth, Jong-hee is curious, but Young-rye only admits it belongs to a boy, keeping her growing love a secret.
Jae-pil’s storyline continues as he is a witness to how his classmate is being treated harshly by his friend, Deok-gu. Jae-pil’s act of sympathy is unexpected when he pushes his dad into being forgiving, though the compromise makes him lose two tutor sessions he does not want. His act of insolence over his dad’s authority only indicates how strained their relationship is.
At the same time, Young-rye’s search for Jae-pil carries her to a nightclub called “Giant,” where she narrowly avoids danger in a police swoop. Ashamed of what has occurred, she later suggests doing night classes together with Jong-hee. To her own surprise, Jong-hee says yes, revealing how dear their friendship is in her eyes their friendship is.
Family troubles deepen when Young-rye’s mother loses her food cart, leaving the household in crisis. Jong-hee steps in with unexpected generosity, lending money despite Young-rye’s hesitation. Their friendship grows stronger, built on mutual trust and shared dreams. It concludes in a blind date in a crowd, where both women are in uniforms. Jae-pil surprises Young-rye when he is in a group of men who are waiting. That he looks back and forth from her to Jong-hee speaks of a complex love triangle, so there is a climactic conclusion in the A Hundred Memories kdrama episode 2.
A Hundred Memories Episode 1-2 Review
The first two episodes of the drama establish its personal strife and tone of the series. Episode 1 sets things in motion through Young-rye’s work ethic and Jong-hee’s bold entrance, and episode 2 of A Hundred Memories picks up where it left off on a larger emotional scale as a glimpse is caught of how their worlds clash with Jae-pil’s turbulent universe.
The drama’s performances are its strongest asset. Kim Da-mi is well cast in Young-rye, capturing her fragility as well as her quiet strength. Shin Ye-eun is persuasive in Jong-hee, believable as a loveable enigma, and Heo Nam-jun is invaluably nuanced in Jae-pil, playing privilege against sincere enthusiasm for boxing. The three actors collectively are its dramatic centre, and its chemistry is strong, so tensions and challenges are inescapable as their relationships develop along the series.
Visually, the K-drama is superb in bringing 1980s Korea to our screens. From bustling bus routes to foggy boxing stadiums, every setting is convincing and engaging. The series, incidentally, is very smart in employing humour and slice-of-life moments in levelling its darker themes of class, longing, and friendship. The pacing of plots in each of its episodes is consistent, so it’s possible to become used to its world of characters, yet there’s only just a mystery left to keep us hooked for the whole-length ride.
More than anything, though, A Hundred Memories Korean drama demonstrates that this series is not about nostalgia itself, but how people suffer, keep secrets, and chase dreams in a hard world. Strong out of the gates, the series sets itself as a sentimental take on youth and grit. When, as a love triangle is deeper and secret histories begin to open out, anticipation for subsequent episodes only grows greater.
