Between Steps Episode 1-2 Review
Director: Ahn Pan-seok
Date Created: 2026-10-07 04:13
3.5
Between Steps Episode 1-2 Review: Directed by Ahn Pan-seok and written by Min Hyo-jeong, The Disney+ Korean drama 연애박사 stars Choo Young-woo as Park Min-jae and Kim So-hyun as Im Yoo-jin in the lead roles, alongside Kim Min-seok as Im Yu-seong, Shim Hye-jin as Hong Eun-ju, Seo Jung-yeon as Seo Mi-yeong, Park Hyuk-kwon as Im Yong-seok, Kim Min as Choi Han, Lee Kyu Sung as Um Tae-ho and others.
Between Steps Episode 1 Recap
At the beginning of Between Steps Episode 1, Park Min-jae has undergone another medical examination. It is known that the man had cancer, and he now has a prosthesis on his right leg after the disease. The scans indicate that the man has been in remission for ten years. However, his doctor finds the situation positive; Min-jae cannot see it that way. Remission does not mean to him that there is no threat anymore, since he is sure that the disease might come back at any time.
Even on his way to college, Min-jae is preoccupied with a project his friends have just started. Their friend’s obsession with finishing the project as soon as possible irritates them since Min-jae frequently reminds them of the time he might lack. His friends finally persuade him to stop being concerned about his assignments and write a bucket list of things he wishes to do in life, like travel and date girls. Min-jae thinks about their advice and plans to arrange a meeting with Seo-hyun, whom he had met in high school.
On the other hand, it is also at this point that Im Yoo-jin enters the play with her own set of uncertainties. The professor advises Yoo-jin to think about going to graduate school and even hints that maybe Yoo-jin might be her replacement one day. Unfortunately, Yoo-jin is uncertain about her creative abilities and wonders if she has done enough to deserve an academic career. This discussion takes on a significant level of importance since the professor starts off as the mentor Yoo-jin might have been hoping for.
Before getting to know each other well, the paths of Min-jae and Yoo-jin meet. This is their first encounter, as the two meet on public transport while Yoo-jin falls asleep on the shoulder of Min-jae accidentally. Later, after they leave the transport at the same station, Yoo-jin stumbles, and Min-jae helps her by breaking the heels of her shoes so that she can move comfortably. Their second meeting occurs at a restaurant where Min-jae has an appointment with Seo-hyun. It turns out that there is a university function in this restaurant with Yoo-jin, Su-bin, her friend, and their seniors present. It gets scary for Yoo-jin as Su-bin screams, and she sees Young-soo kissing her.
There is already an immediate tension built up between Yoo-jin and Min-jae. Yoo-jin feels like he should have supported her when she talked to him about what had happened, and Min-jae insists on not claiming what he did not see. She requests photos from the restaurant because they could be useful as evidence, and Min-jae refuses. It is soon explained why: his mobile phone gallery consists only of photos of Seo-hyun.
This is his way of letting Yoo-jin know that there is much more depth to their relationship than he was willing to talk about during their casual discussion of dating. For her part, Yoo-jin gets another shock when Professor Kang asks her to apologise to Young-soo and tells her that he will cease treating her as a student until she complies. Episode 1 of Between Steps ends with Min-jae helping Yoo-jin figure out what happened at the restaurant using the audio from the robot server, which does not yield any helpful information, but their discussion eventually leads to Min-jae’s robotics studies.
Between Steps Episode 2 Recap
Between Steps Episode 2 takes a turn towards Yoo-jin’s future, where she starts to question her choice of becoming a doctor since she has completed her studies in medicine and science. However, she finds herself inclined towards learning mechanical engineering and robotics as well, partially due to the fact that she had enjoyed building things since her childhood days. Her passion for Lego and coding skills led her to think that she could catch up with her engineering skills.
The dilemma that Yoo-jin faces becomes the topic of ridicule since shifting from one field of expertise to another after four years of schooling is no joke. She is told that being intelligent will not automatically ensure success and that she may come to realise that she lacks the talent for engineering as well. Nevertheless, Yoo-jin will not allow these thoughts to dictate her decisions regarding the future. Meanwhile, there start appearing rumours in Min-jae’s lab regarding a stunningly beautiful girl who allegedly has something to do with him.
Her first practical experience is a failure. In an experiment where she is supposed to press against a robotic hand, Yoo-jin starts off being too scared to press hard since she feels bad for the machine. When she eventually makes up her mind to do the experiment, she presses too hard and ends up breaking the robot. This makes her very sad since she feels she has ruined her chances of joining the laboratory. The scientists now have some fixing to do, while Yoo-jin has to decide whether she wants to keep battling on in a field she has no background in.
However, Min-jae has his own issues to handle as well since there is an ulcer in his artificial leg, which makes him afraid that his disease comes back. Fortunately, the doctor explains to him that this issue is related to his gaining extra weight and having a prosthetic leg that is too tight. On the other hand, Yoo-jin is not going to give up, and she comes back to the laboratory where she tells Min-jae about her mistakes and how she really wants to learn robotics.
His reaction of him becomes one of the most supportive in the episode when he tells her that her studies before are not in vain only because she changes her mind. Yoo-jin manages to join the laboratory, and at the end of episode 2 of Between Steps, she starts a new chapter of her life, while Min-jae’s concerns about her indicate that they will develop something more important.
Between Steps Episode 1-2 Review
Firstly, being aware of the fact that kdrama Between Steps is the last drama of Ahn Pan-seok before his passing adds some emotion to watching the show. Director Ahn is known for creating dramas in which emotions emerge from everyday life, without creating a dramatic twist in each conversation; I felt it in this drama.
Between Steps does not intend to make every conversation dramatic. Instead, the characters are left to contemplate their issues. The fear of death of Min-jae, confusion of Yoo-jin about the future, difficult situation of Su-bin, and even the conflict between Yoo-jin and Professor Kang are all developed with the help of minor details. There is a feeling of watching people who are just trying to understand their lives.
The main thing that I liked about Between Steps Episodes 1 and 2 was the way the drama treats its two main characters. Neither Min-jae nor Yoo-jin is an archetypal over-the-top K-drama character. Choo Young-woo’s Min-jae seems socially awkward, solemn, and even annoying due to the fact that his fear of cancer recurrence has become such a driving force in his life. It is not really nice that he forces his friends to complete the project again and again just because he may suddenly die, but I found this aspect of the character’s personality very intriguing. At the same time, the director made sure that the actor showed his fearfulness.
Another intriguing character is Kim So-hyun’s Yoo-jin, who displays both her confidence and insecurities simultaneously. She is academically gifted, but she always wonders if she is good enough. The most impressive thing about this character in the episodes I saw was her ability to not just accept the course of action laid out for her. Even after being warned that changing majors from medical science to mechanical engineering might be a bad decision, she keeps thinking about what she truly wants. So-hyun makes Yoo-jin a very realistic character, especially in those scenes which require no extra display of emotions.
The supporting cast provide texture to the narrative as well. Professor Kang is especially noteworthy due to her seeming at first to be the mentor to Yoo-jin, only to reveal a crueller side with regard to how she handles the situation involving Su-bin and Young-soo. Su-bin’s character is a nuisance since Yoo-jin defended her, yet is left to face the results of it. The researchers who work alongside Min-jae bring a fun aspect into the drama, even though I did believe that their reactions towards the rumours regarding the dating were a bit too dramatic compared to the realistic feel of the show.
The strongest point about these two episodes is their atmosphere. Even though the story moves quite slowly, I was never bored with it. The stillness of many conversations is accompanied by the cinematography and visual aspects of the show that have a vintage and almost nostalgic vibe, even though the show takes place nowadays. In addition to this, I really liked the fact that the camera does not always follow the reaction of characters. In this way, it gives space for conversations and makes characters more relatable because they seem to be just regular people and not series characters.
Between Steps Review: Summing Up
The Disney+ kdrama Between Steps has definitely done well in starting things off, even if I am not completely convinced about every aspect of it yet. There are some character setups that seem to border on being a bit too cliché when one compares them with the performances put on by the lead characters. The first episode also seems to spend quite a while before getting around to setting up the relationship and the robots angle.
However, I am a lot more intrigued about where the show is headed now, post Between Steps ep 2, than I ever was in the beginning. Yoo-jin is finally venturing into the realm she has wanted to all along, while Min-jae has begun grappling with his fears, as well as the growing complexity of the connection he shares with her. It will certainly be interesting to see how their relationship evolves naturally, and if both can help each other overcome their fears.
Also Read: I Would Rather Die Review: Good Mix of Coming-of-Age Story, Friendship and Zombies With Some Flaws
