K-drama fans feel Hierarchy wasted chemistry between two main actors

Ji Hye-won and Lee Won-jung in Hierarchy.Netflix

Hierarchy characters He-ra and Woo-jin were a surprise focal point for fans who felt the actors’ on-screen chemistry was wasted.

While the focus was on Kang Ha’s quest for revenge muddled in a love triangle between Jae-i and Ri-an, He-ra and Woo-jin caught fan interest. The two had been friends for years, but He-ra always pined after Ri-an.

At the same time, Woo-jin was in a secret relationship with his teacher that was turning sour. The tables turned in Episode 4 when He-ra meets with Woo-jin. He became flustered by her looks and received a kiss on the cheek.

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It sparked a one-sided love for Woo-jin. As Hierarchy progressed, the two characters became closer with Woo-jin doing whatever possible to protect He-ra from the fallout of the whodunit storyline.

Fans saw the sparks between the characters but were upset that Hierarchy threw away a possibly good side romance.

“They should have make them a couple, the chemistry was right there,” said one fan on X/Twitter.

Another chimed in how many believed the two characters would be a main couple based on the trailers.

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“It’s funny that before the release, we were all convinced that Woojin and Hera were together as a powerful couple, only for it to turn out that Woojin has a one-sided love for Hera.  Anyway, the chemistry is still on top; They carried the whole show,” said the fan.

Fans almost universally want He-ra and Woo-jin to have been a couple, with one saying, “WOOJIN HERA NEED MORE SCREEN TIME IN S2. Their scenes are the only thing that stands out in the drama.”

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There’s another main reason why fans felt Hye-ri and Woo-jin’s on-screen chemistry was wasted.

“They saw the potential and yet they let their chemistry go to waste,” said one fan, who posted a TikTok video edit revealing the actors starred in another K-drama together.

Ji Hye-won and Lee Won-jung both starred in the time travel K-drama My Perfect Stranger. It just so happened that their on-screen characters are also students.

Ji’s character is a sentimental and innocent teen who begins to take an interest in Lee’s brooding and closed-off character. It’s a typical good girl/bad boy blossoming romance.

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Second-lead romances are nothing new in K-dramas, but Hierarchy not making He-ra and Woo-jin something more than friends just didn’t sit well with fans.

Hierarchy is available on Netflix. You can binge-watch more K-drama with a similar storyline to Hierarchy, the secret code to Netflix’s full K-drama library, and new series to stream this month.