Crushology 101: Episodes 1-2 » Dramabeans
Crushology 101: Episodes 1-2
by Unit
It’s a new semester in dramaland, and everyone registered for Crushology 101 shall be studying The Art of Delulu. Our syllabus includes plenty of eye candy, dozens of delusional imaginations, humor, and math — my least favorite part of anything. But with one heroine and four love interests competing to win her heart, there’s a few additions and subtractions to be done.
EPISODES 1-2
Welcome to the Crushology 101 tour! Before we proceed, please leave your logical shoes by the door and put on your delulu slipper. Our campus romance kicks off with an introduction to our heroine, BAN HEE-JIN a.k.a “Bunny” (Noh Jung-eui). Hee-jin is a softie for good-looking guys, and her passion landed her a spot in the sculpture department of her university. Because why only obsess about handsome men when you can also sculpt them?
Everyone knows Hee-jin’s sun rises wherever handsome guys are located, so her friends are surprised that her boyfriend (cameo by Kim Hyun-mok) doesn’t rank high on the visual scale. But he adores her, and that’s all she needs. Or so she thinks. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for Hee-jin, the guy accidentally turns on the mic in the broadcast room and admits to his friend — and the whole school — that he just wants to get into Hee-jin’s pants. Ouch! Hee-jin is more pissed than embarrassed, and she ends things with the guy — but not before punching the lights out of his face. Love it!
Hee-jin’s breakup results in two resolutions: 1) since she lowered her visual standard to date her ex, she’s going to start dating handsome guys from now on; 2) her feelings didn’t really matter with her ex because he claimed to like her, but now she’s going to date someone she actually likes. Still, she is a little embarrassed by her public breakup, and she decides to take a leave of absence from school. Hee-jin is on her way to submit her leave application when Handsome Guy #1, CHA JI-WON (Jo Joon-young), stops her to ask for directions. Ji-won is a fellow Sculpting major, and he just returned to school after a leave of absence. Hee-jin is instantly captivated by his looks, she almost starts booking their wedding venue. Lool. But most importantly, she rips up her leave application and decides to stay in school.
Hee-jin is a creature of habit, and it’s not the first time she has decided to take time off school because of a guy. Her first attempt was in high school, but the plan instantly died when a handsome classmate (and her first love) moved in next door. The best way to get over heartbreak is to meet a better person, and there is no better motivation for Hee-jin to stay in school than being surrounded by good-looking guys.
There’s a handsome guy in every corner for those who have eyes to see. And now that Hee-jin’s eyes are opened, she spots Handsome Guy #2, HWANG JAE-YEOL (Lee Chae-min), less than five minutes after parting ways with #1. Chronologically, Jae-yeol is the first of our show’s four love interests to appear on-screen, but this is the first time Hee-jin is noticing him. As expected, our girl is smitten, and she has probably picked out names for their future children. Lol. Jae-yeol is a Visual Design major, and just like Hee-jin, he is his department’s representative.
Jae-yeol and Hee-jin’s first interaction occurs when she sees him trip on the stairs. Hee-jin assumes that she’s in a K-drama and rushes to steady him, but Jae-yeol already found his footing and her help only makes things worse. The unfortunate victim in this situation is Jae-yeol’s tablet which slips out of his hand and crashes, and now Hee-jin owes him two thousand dollars in replacement fees. Oops! No good deed goes unpunished.
Jae-yeol and Ji-won were among the spectators at Hee-jin’s public breakup, and they were impressed with how she took down her ex both with her words and her fist. The guys’ first interaction is in front of Hee-jin’s sculpture, and it’s wordless — but you can totally hear the “this statue is just as handsome as I am” voices in their heads. Jae-yeol gives Ji-won a disdainful “how dare you think you’re as good-looking?” glance, and this is the beginning of his one-sided beef with his rival. Smh. Right now, the only thing both guys have in common is their good-looks. As for everything else, they couldn’t be more different even if they tried. Ji-won is sweet, thoughtful, friendly — and he doesn’t make Hee-jin feel uncomfortable around him despite his chaebol grandson and sunbae status. On the other hand, while Jae-yeol is not a bad person, his pettiness outweighs his good qualities.
Jae-yeol would have thrived in the late 2000s to early 2010s K-drama era, because that’s the vibe I’m getting from his character. You know, those emotionally stunted dudes who have their worlds rocked by a girl and have no idea how to act afterwards. I agree that Jae-yeol is within his rights to be upset about his tablet. I also agree that Hee-jin was in the wrong for drunkenly slapping and throwing up on him after the departmental dinner. But I draw the line at him dragging her to his lectures and making her write his notes because “I no longer have a tablet to write with.” Come on, dude, do you really want her around you that much? And don’t you care that she also has lectures to attend?
Hee-jin gets a part-time job at an exhibition to raise money for Jae-yeol’s tablet, and here, she meets Handsome Guy #3, JO AH-RANG (Kim Hyun-jin). Ah-rang is impressed by Hee-jin’s appreciation for the sculptor and one of the pieces on display, and he asks her out for coffee. Of course, she says yes because she has already decided the universities their future kids will attend. Moving on, Hee-jin fakes an arm injury to get out of scribe duties, and Jae-yeol offers to do her share of their volunteering assignment since she’s hurt. His small act of kindness makes her feel guilty for lying, but I can’t relate because I’d have left him with the task the second he offered to help. But Hee-jin is a creature of habit, so she hangs around long enough to extend both hands to steady Jae-yeol when he trips. Again. This is how he finds out she was faking the injury, and now she’s back to scribe duties. Heh.
The universe comes to rescue Hee-jin from a life of servitude in the form of a strength competition on campus. The first prize in the women’s category is a brand new tablet, and Hee-jin easily wins because her physical strength is on steroids. Figuratively. Hee-jin wastes no time giving Jae-yeol the tablet and the “let’s never see each other again” goodbye speech, and the poor guy looks so heartbroken as he watches her leave — with Ji-won! Pfft. See? You should have been nicer to her when she was still in your debt.
To his credit, Jae-yeol reflects on the pettiness of his actions, but it’s too late. Hee-jin exercises her rights to leave his messages on read, and in frustration, he exchanges his 2020s character growth for the Gu Jun-pyo playbook of 2009. “I miss you” is just three words, but no, Jae-yeol has to go and confront Hee-jin because in his head, spraining her wrists while taking his notes is better than using “brute force” to win a tablet. And now she really never wants to see him again. “I don’t want to see you either,” Jae-yeol replies. But guess who’s thinking about her in class? Smh.
The mystery sculptor at the exhibition from earlier comes to give a special lecture at the sculpture department, and Hee-jin is excited because she’s such a big fan. Unsurprisingly, he turns out to be Ah-rang, and Ji-won immediately clocks the shock and reverence in Hee-jin’s eyes. Hee-jin and Ah-rang catch up after the lecture, and Ji-won follows behind. Up ahead, Jae-yeol approaches the trio, and he yells out Hee-jin’s name when he sees Ah-rang pluck a cherry blossom out of her hair. Jealous much? Hee-jin is caught in the middle of her three handsome guys as Jae-yeol declares his intention to keep seeing her, and this is where we close the curtains on our premiere week.
*Sprays everywhere with Jae-yeol repellant* Just kidding! Do I enjoy watching his 2011 antics in 2025? You bet! He’s on campus, he’s young and silly. He’ll grow. I had a great time watching these episodes because I didn’t have to think too much at all. There’s nothing new or extra-special about the show, and that’s why I like it. This drama doesn’t take itself seriously, there are no high stakes, it’s relaxing, stressless, and feeds all my delulu fantasies. I’ll be a happy camper if Crushology 101 continues to be a fun and light watch — and I’ll be happier when I see Hong Min-ki on my screen next week. No, Show, that teeny little flashback scene does not count!
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