Beloved K-Drama’s Reputation Gets Destroyed By One Single Line Of Dialogue

JTBC K-Drama We Are All Trying Here is back in the hot seat following the controversy its last week’s episode triggered.

A post calling out a specific line of dialogue has gone viral, reigniting earlier criticisms about the show’s handling of its central romance.

The scene features Eun Ah (Go Youn Jung), a 30-something female lead, comforting Dong Man (Koo Kyo Hwan), the male lead in his 40s.

During their scene, Eun Ah says, “You have the smell of a teenage boy about you, Director.”

Following the episode’s premiere, an angry Korean netizen called out the show through a scathing post that has since gone viral.

I get that it’s the female lead in her 30s comforting the male lead in his 40s, but the smell of a teenage boy…? Honestly, all I can think of is the smell of sweat… Even with the same sentiment, something like “When I look at you, Director, you remind me of a teenage boy” or “You’re pure like a child,” not even that (which honestly wouldn’t be great either), but the specific wording of “the smell of a teenage boy” is really off-putting. I know it’s meant to be a literary expression, but that way of putting it is a hard pass for me.

— Viral post on Pann

This isn’t the first time the drama has drawn criticism. An earlier scene in which Eun Ah lifts her sweater and wraps Dong Man in it for a hug was flagged as uncomfortable.

Beloved K-Drama Gets Blasted For “Creepy” Intimate Scene

With the added questionable line from the female lead, it seems the K-Drama will have a hard time recovering its reputation.

• “I don’t even want to look at the screenshot, f*ck.”
• “Ugh, cr*p… what even is that?”
• “If a male actor had said ‘you smell like a teenage girl‘ or whatever, that would’ve been way more than enough to cause controversy lol.”
• “You can tell from this writer’s dramas that they have never worked a regular job or part-time, zero realism. What’s the smell of a teenage boy? Just sweat.”
• “What a load of nonsense, that’s so forced, what is that…”