Ready to binge a new K-Drama? This time, we’re betting on our plot predictions on something that hasn’t aired yet but we — along with many K-drama fans — are already foreseeing to be a hit: It’s Okay To Not Be Okay (also known as Psycho, But It’s Okay) starring Seo Ye- Ji (Save Me) and Kim Soo-Hyun (My Love From The Star).
The drama revolves around Moon Gae-Tae (Kim Soo-Hyun), a selfless caregiver working in a psychiatric ward who also takes care of his autistic older brother, Sang-Tae (Oh Jung-Sae). He meets famous yet cold and rude children’s book author Ko Mun-yeong (Seo Ye-Ji) who is diagnosed with an antisocial personality disorder. According to the Netflix synopsis, the drama which will air on the streaming platform will take the two contrasting personalities to an “extraordinary road to healing”.
The series serves as oppa Kim Soo Hyun’s comeback drama after being discharged from mandatory military service mid-last year. It will be his first lead role after almost a year of inactivity, besides brief cameos on Crash Landing On You and Hotel Del Luna. The 32-year-old Korean heartthrob is known for raking in awards for his acting ability, which definitely makes us curious as to how he’ll take on such a challenging storyline.
Meanwhile, the equally gorgeous and talented Seo Ye-Ji is no stranger to making our spines chill — while also triggering waterworks — from psychological dramas like her 2017 hit, Save Me. Talk about a duo that not only serves some looks but also leaves much room for anticipation.
Casting aside, the brief plot description and the cinematically beautiful trailer gave us very little about the actual story. That's why we decided to do a little sleuthing and offer our initial It's Okay To Not Be Okay plot and ending predictions even before the pilot episode airs. Care to see if your guesses match ours? Keep scrolling below to find out and make sure you check this list weekly to see any of our K-drama plot predictions hit the bingo.
Moon Gae-Tae already knows of Ko Mun-Yeong even before they meet
We learn from the trailer of It's Okay Not To Be Okay that Gae-Tae’s brother, Sang-Tae, loves doodling on books written by Mun-Yeong. He even asks his hyung (older brother) about why the latter loves Mun-Yeong's works, but he refers to writer as ‘that woman’, implying some sort of distaste. This leads us to believe that Gae-Tae already knows about Mun-Yeong or knows of her warped personality prior to them even meeting. Meanwhile, we see Mun-Yeong seemingly fascinated by Gae-Tae for very vague reasons, which causes her to actively pursue him despite his aversion of her. Playing the opposites-attract trope?
Gae-Tae’s mother is the woman that reminds him of Mun-Yeong
Gae-Tae and Sang-Tae’s mother was only briefly shown in the trailer, but we’re sure that there’s more to her story than just that brief flashback. We strongly believe that she suddenly disappeared after leaving Sang-Tae to Gae-Tae’s care (maybe abandoning them or worse, because she met an untimely death), leaving young Gae-Tae to carry the burden of raising his older brother. This made him resent people who ‘run away’ from their responsibilities all while initially putting up a strong front, much like Mun-Yeong’s interesting facade. This might also explain his initial repulsion towards her, which is pretty evident in the drama's trailer.
Gae-Tae and Mun-Yeong will realise that they’re more similar than they think
Jumping off from our previous plot predictions, we can definitely see Gae-Tae and Mun-Yeong discovering that what attracts them to each other is their envy for each other’s take on life. On the surface, the two of them are different — one being selfless while the other is selfish — but to the core (and as the title implies), both of them are just as lonely and emotionally damaged. We can totally see Mun-Yeong’s brash personality inspiring Gae-Tae to let go of his inner demons, while Gae-Tae’s more straightforward nature will help Mun-Yeong move past living vicariously through her fairytales.
An emotional revelation will hit us anytime between episodes 10 to 13
If you’ve been watching K-dramas for a while, then you’d know that an emotional and pivotal revelation usually happens anytime between episodes 10 and 13. That's why we’re almost positive that this It’s Okay To Not Be Okay plot prediction would totally happen. Sure, this drama is already set to be a tearjerker considering its main themes, but we’re definitely saving our box of tissues for these subsequent episodes.
One of our major plot predictions would be Gae-Tae finally admitting out loud that he’s always resented his mother — and maybe even his brother — for having him lead a life that’s not truly his own. Next, Mun-Yeong’s past might also be revealed around this time, telling us why she became a fairytale writer despite her cold and twisted personality. Better yet, we might find out that Gae-Tae and Mun-Yeong’s childhoods are somehow tied together, explaining why they’re drawn to each other when they meet again as adults.
The worst one we can imagine is Sang-Tae dying after having a fight with Gae-Tae, which will result in the latter spiralling back into emotional turmoil just after he’s made progress during his budding relationship with Mun-Yeong. No matter what it is, we’re betting our chips that something big will surely happen in between these four episodes that will end with us bawling our eyes out and having our hearts torn.
Gae-Tae and Mun-Yeong will split up just when we think they’re in it for the long haul
It's clear that It’s Okay To Not Be Okay is not a rom-com. The drama’s heavy themes are laid in front of us in its less-than-a-minute teasers, clearly showing that it’s not a plot laced with humour but something that addresses truths about trauma, mental health and more. It’s also a love story, but we highly doubt that the narrative will simply take us to a ‘love solves everything’ route. With this, our most painful plot prediction for this drama (which we're partially not okay about, to be honest) is Gae-Tae and Mun-Yeong choosing to split up right when we think everything is going well between them.
Before you protest, hear us out. It’s a common theme for Asian dramas to have two characters helping each other evolve into better people. But in the end, these characters still change due to their own terms and not because they just want to please the other person. We believe it’ll be the same for It’s Okay To Not Be Okay. As the title suggests, the main leads will probably serve as proof to one another that you can learn to accept your flaws and live honestly despite them. But, in order to do so, you have to go on this journey to healing and self-discovery alone eventually. With this, we can totally see Gae-Tae and Mun-Yeong choosing to separate until they become better on their own, instead of co-depending on one another through an endless tug-of-war of emotions. This makes for a healthier conclusion for either character who will surely have their fair share of challenges throughout the story.
We’ll get an open-ended finale
As much as we hate to think about a drama’s ending before it even airs, we’d like to throw in our finale plot predictions in this lineup to spice things up even more. Considering everything we’ve pitched so far, an open-ended finale is not really that far-fetched when you think about it. Since we’re already betting on Gae-Tae and Mun-Yeong splitting up near the ending, we think that the series will conclude with the two meeting again on better terms. However, there's a high chance that the writers would leave it to our imaginations whether the two protagonists decide to be together again or not. That will be a bittersweet ending for sure, but considering how the overarching theme that life is anything but a fairytale, it seems plausible. You’d have to agree that it’s quite fitting!
Whether we get things right or not, one thing's certain: we're extremely excited to binge this K-drama weekly on Netflix starting 20 June and see where the story will take us. What say you?
(Cover photo from: Netflix Asia via YouTube)
Looking for more titles to stream this June? Here's this month's Netflix must-watch list curated by us, for you.
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