K-Drama Frenemies: A Lesson In Female Friendship

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Jun Ji Hyun
Yoo In Na
Wang Ji Won
Park Se Yeon
You Who Came From The Stars
I Need Romance 3

Two current dramas touch on the subject of female frenemies, that girl who is sometimes or once was your best friend but is now also your rival professionally and romantically.

When is a friend a frenemy?

It's not unusual or wrong to want something your friend wants. But a friend is a frenemy when she wants something that you have and she is not prepared to give it up for the sake of your friendship.

In "You Who Came From The Stars," Chun Song Yi's former best friend is Yoo Se Mi. It's a love-hate thing between them and Chun Song Yi is at least partially to blame. For over a decade Yoo Se Mi, played by Yoo In Na, has loved Lee Hwi Kyung, played by Park Hae Jin. But he only has eyes for Chun Song Yi, played by Jun Ji Hyun. That's not her fault but Yoo Se Mi was jealous. And then to make matters worse, Chun Song Yi became a leading actress while Yoo Se Mi got second lead roles. And the spoiled Chun Song Yi treated her friend like a lady-in-waiting.

But the tables turned and now Chun Song Yi's career has seen a downturn. Yoo Se Mi is getting her chance to shine and she has confessed the mixed feelings she had toward her supposed best friend. She knows Lee Hwi Kyung's feelings but she confessed hers anyway. On the other hand she is prepared to continue to pretend at least publicly that Chung Song Yi and she are good friends.

Can this friendship be saved?

In "I Need Romance 3," designer Oh Se Ryung used to be best friends with fashion marketer Shin Joo Yeon, until Oh Se Ryung stole her best friend's boyfriend. The saddest part, said Shin Joo Yeon, played by Kim So Yeon, was not the boyfriend but the fact that she could no longer trust her best friend. And it complicated love for both of them. Now they are working together and once more interested in the same man. And Shin Joo Yeon can't be sure whether she is really romantically interested in her boss. Or is she just jealous of Oh Se Ryung, played by Wang Ji Won,  and wants to have him because her former best friend does too.

They also pose for a magazine interview in which they pretend to still be best friends. But Oh Se Ryung cares less for the friendship than she does for the man she's after.

Will friendship win out in either of these dramas or will the frenemies fight for what they want no matter what it costs?

Let us know what you think will happen.

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