Weak Hero Class 1

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Synopsis

Yeon Si Eun is a model student who ranks at the top of his class. Despite looking weak, he uses his brain to fight against bullies and violence that take place within and outside school.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

This drama is a hidden gem. It displays a lot of violence (some bullying/revenge scenes are hard to endure), but the show is really well done. Si Eun is a student who doesn’t seem to care about anything but grades, yet he turns out to be quite the loyal friend. Weak Hero Class 1 depicts perfectly the consequences of bullying, whether it’d be on the bullied themselves (like Oh Bum Seok), or people standing against it (like An Soo Ho). On top of that, Park Ji Hoon delivers an epic performance. He’s really credible, so thumbs up to him. This is not your typical school drama – don’t expect sweet and cheesy romance – still, if you’re not afraid of blood, I highly recommend you take a look at it. It is definitely worth the watch! Plus, it’s short (only 8 episodes of about 35-40 minutes).

Analysis

• Atypical hero(es)
• Atypical villain
• The cycle of violence
  The law of the jungle at school
  Revenges
  The story repeats itself
• Relationships with parents

Atypical hero(es): Weak Hero Class 1 stands out from the rest of school dramas that exist in Dramaland. First, the ambiance is dark, as the drama showcases a lot of violence (fight scenes, bullying, physical torture…). Second, characters are atypical, especially the hero(es). Yeon Si Eun (Park Ji Hoon) is a top student with a slight antisocial disorder (that’s how I diagnosed him at first!). He doesn’t like to be disturbed or annoyed, and is not afraid to use his wits (and fists) to fight back. The second main lead of the drama, An Soo Ho (Choi Hyun Wook) is no better. Though he doesn’t bother his classmates, he would throw punches to anyone who stands against him using his outstanding boxing skills. The particularity of these two characters, especially Si Eun, is that they don’t possess the qualities you’d expect heroes/main leads to have. They’re not forgiven, they’re not upright – in the sense that they don’t fight to fend the weak, but rather to avenge themselves – and they’re not here to maintain peace, order and/or justice at school. The only reason why they get involved is because they themselves have been wronged. Finally, they’re not even popular. Si Eun is an outcast, who willingly stays away from other students; while Soo Ho is a loner, whose only concern is napping.

That being said, both Si Eun and Soo Ho turn out to be quite human and moving behind their cold/nonchalant façade. They strike an unexpected, but profound friendship that only gets stronger throughout the drama. Si Eun proves to be loyal and protective. Hence, his outburst at the end after bullies have put Soo Ho in the coma. Same for Soo Ho who doesn’t hesitate to rush into danger alone to prevent Si Eun from getting involved. It’s interesting to see how Soo Ho and Si Eun compensate each other in many aspects, making their connection even more heartwarming. Soo Ho is a free-spirited and carefree fighter, who generally uses his body rather than his brain. He’s sociable and welcoming to new people, as well as quite expressive. Contrary to him, Si Eun is quiet, wise and thoughtful. He analyzes situations before taking action. He’s also a tough nut to crack, meaning that he doesn’t easily open up to others, and hates it when people enter his personal space. So many differences that make them even more appreciable. Not to mention the positive impact that Soo Ho has on Si Eun’s behavior. Thanks to him, the taciturn and calm teenager expresses many emotions like anger, rage, pain, sadness, joy, shedding some tears in an episode and smiling in the next one.

Atypical villain: Weak Hero Class 1 has loads of villains, from the cruel students constantly bullying their classmates to the gang members extorting people’s money through a gambling app. But, there is one character who turns into a villain despite siding with the heroes at the beginning: Oh Bum Seok (Hong Kyung). The teenager used to be bullied in his previous school forcing him to transfer and start anew somewhere else. Unfortunately, he becomes a target in his new high school. Against all odds, he manages to get protection from Si Eun and Soo Ho, and the three of them become friends. The story could’ve stopped there and simply oppose the trio to the other villains of the drama. Yet, it does nothing as such. Instead, it showcases the consequences bullying had on Bum Seok’s psyche to the point that he turned his friends into his enemies. Beaten up at home by a violent, quick-tempered, wealthy and absent father, he’s always been neglected and in need of consideration/affection. This desire is translated in a simple way: He expects Soo Ho (his friend) to follow him back on Instagram, which he doesn’t do. This inaction from his nonchalant classmate is the trigger to his outburst. He feels pathetic and pitied, not only by his bullies, but also by his own friends. Bum Seok, who thought he would see all his problems solved through the acquisition of friends, realizes his new situation doesn’t change anything to what he feels inside. He’s a lonely outcast, who’s only weapon to get some recognition from anyone is to side with the villains. He turns his back against Si Eun and Soo Ho, and lashes all his hatred out at them. He’s the reason why Soo Ho ends up in a coma, and Si Eun has to transfer schools. In the end, he turns into the type of person who’s always wronged him, and hurts others. From victim he becomes an executioner in total denial (maybe because he’s also gone too far) of his responsibilities in the terrible events that happen to his classmates. When Soo Ho is on the verge of dying after being beaten up by a vindictive Bum Seok, the wealthy teenager’s father sends him away and protects him from law.

Oh Bum Seok’s evolution is one of the most complex I’ve seen in Dramaland so far. From my point of view, his behavior can be explained (without being justified) by 3 main reasons. First, he’s angry at himself for being such a coward, a pathetic person who can’t even win over the praise and appreciation of his own friends. This simply destroys the little remains of self-esteem he had for himself, and leads him on an auto-destructive path. By hurting others (especially people who have been kind to him), he hurts himself as well. Second, he’s just resentful towards people for not giving him a chance and making him feel unworthy. Through his actions, he can harm his father, bullies, friends, the entire world if I were to exaggerate. Third, Bum Seok has accumulated so much suffering and pain – whether it’d be from his father or at school – that he can’t withstand it anymore. His siding with the bullies allows him to have a taste of power, and what it feels like to be in control, active and not passive, being on the giving (and not the receiving) end. These are new and strong feelings for him that he can’t quite handle, but he lets them blind his judgement. For all of these reasons, I would say that Bum Seok is an atypical villain with whom you would like to empathize, but can’t because of his actions against the heroes. I honestly ended up hating the guy myself for not being more mature and reasonable!

The cycle of violence:

The law of the jungle at school: Like in all school dramas, Weak Hero Class 1 depicts school as a peculiar microcosm, where the law of the jungle seems to prevail. The strongest – whether it’d be thanks to they physical strength or their network, wealth and family – impose their rules on other classmates. They bully the weaker ones, while always leaving unscathed and unpunished. There’s no justice to protect weaker students from suffering physically and/or psychologically. However, the drama also focuses on a group often forgotten in schools: The outcasts. Not the ones who easily become the targets of the bullies, but those who are too unpredictable to attack. Both Soo Ho and Si Eun belong to that category. The fact that they fall prey to the school’s violent system makes the plot even more engaging and interesting. Yeon Si Eun is the quiet student always top of his class. This special position gives him a certain protection, as he’s favored by teachers. Out of fear of retaliation, bullies tend to leave him alone. Plus, he’s quite invisible which gives him another advantage. Despite his calm façade, Si Eun proves to be ruthless when it comes to fending for himself. The scene, in which he uses his pen to attack the class’ bully just because he disturbed his work, is remarkable and satisfying at the same time. As for An Soo Ho, he manages to stay out of brawls thanks to his advanced boxing skills. He’s physically stronger than his bullies who don’t dare to touch him. These two characters, who generally stand on the outskirts of fights, become the main protagonists of the school’s cycle of violence, while the system is turned upside down: The bullies are punished and have to face the consequences of their actions; bullied Bum Seok turns against the two outcasts-turned-friends who themselves end up bullying the bullies.

Revenges: Unsurprisingly, violence leads to more violence. Events escalate, as one wants to get his revenge on the other. There are different types of revenge in the drama that all lead to the same outcome: Suffering and people getting hurt. First, you have revenge induced by ego/pride. Jeon Young Bin (Kim Su Gyeom) was the top bully of the school. He was punished thanks to Si Eun’s actions. This situation is unacceptable for the wealthy and capricious kid, who’s used to doing what he wants. The second type of revenge associated with ego is that of Kang Woo Young (Cha Woo Min). He was defeated by Soo Ho during a boxing match, and refuses to admit the latter is stronger/better than him. So, he lures Soo Ho on the ring, cheats and beats him up until the teenager is knocked up unconscious. The third type of revenge has to do with the gang members. For financial reasons, they want to take down the kids who uncovered their illegal business, and had them dismantled and arrested. Oh Bum Seok’s revenge should also be mentioned. It is one related to self-worth, and hatred against oneself. Finally, the last type is linked with Si Eun. After Soo Ho ends up in the coma, Si Eun goes rogue. He visits every single person involved in Soo Ho’s accident, and takes him down. The worst scene in my opinion is between Si Eun and the boxer Woo Young that was intense and horrific, but I couldn’t help thinking Woo Young deserved it. This revenge is that of justice. When laws and the authorities let him down, Si Eun can only rely on himself.

The story repeats itself: The ending of the story left me with a lot to think about. First, it’s an open ending, so I can only hope there’s a season 2. Second, and more importantly, it appears that everything that happened throughout the drama didn’t count. Yeon Si Eun is transferred to another school, where he encounters another bully and has to defend himself using his pen. Though the environment and people have changed, the law of the jungle remains at every school. We found the same patterns and mechanisms of violence. This ending offers a cynical view on the world. Humans are all the same, and life is just a repetition of the same events.

Relationship with parents: The three main characters of the drama have rather complicated relationships with their parents. Soo Ho has no parents. He’s being raised by his grandmother. Of course, there is a good bond between them, but Soo Ho lacks structure, direction and education as a growing teenager. Opposite to his family structure, there’s Bum Seok’s. He has his father (Jo Han Chul), who denied him basic attention and love since his early childhood. He’s always been more interested in his career and reputation than his son, and would never hesitate to physically punish him if his son’s actions were to endanger any of those. Because of that, Bum Seok grew up insecure and fell victim to other violent people. Last but not least, you have Si Eun. At the end of the drama, we gather that his parents used to argue a lot when he was little. One day, he even heard them regret having him. These constant reproaches created a certain distance between Si Eun and his genitors (both mother and father). He hid behind a protective shell, silencing his emotions and erecting a wall with everyone to avoid getting hurt. Only with Soo Ho’s sudden presence in Si Eun’s life can we see the wall crack a bit. Si Eun starts becoming human again by opening up. His father (Kim Sung Kyun) sees that – especially after Si Eun avenges his comatose friend at the end. Instead of telling him off, his father unexpectedly supports him and tells him he did good, that he was right to protect his friend. This scene was really heartwarming and naturally leaves hope for the relationship. The two men could be on the path of reconciliation.

P.S.: I really hope there will be a second season, especially when we consider how the drama finished (a clear open end with new problems to come). And you, are you excited for a sequel?