In ‘Way Back Love’ The Grim Reaper Calls On An Old Friend

High school student Jung Hee-won bubbles with enthusiasm. She loves life, delicious food and April Fools Day pranks. Hee-won, a character in the k-drama Way Back Love, stands up to bullies by drawing not-so-intimidating tattoos on her arms with sharpies but somehow they are still no match for her spirited attitude. She also intimidates her classmate, transfer student Kim Ram-woo. Their first interaction involves her asking him to change names for a day. That will confuse their new teacher who is not yet familiar with students’ names. But the name switching somehow lasts longer than April Fools Day, which does not make Ram-woo happy.

His name embarrassingly comes up when Hee-won asks to go to the nurse’s office for cramps and when the Boys Love novels she ordered at the library are ready for pick-up. Ram-woo, played by Gong Myeong (Lovers of the Red Sky, Be Melodramatic), is mortified by her behavior but also intrigued. Hee-won is certainly different from anyone he’s ever known.

Hee-won, played by Kim Min-ha (Pachinko, Light Shop), asks him to permanently switch names because using his name has improved her luck. He refuses yet the joke continues for so long he starts to respond to people calling her name. He doesn’t have many friends, having moved a lot, and they grow close enough to develop feelings for each other.

Years later, when she’s practically a hermit, he shows up at her door. Having someone from your past unexpectedly turn up is surprising enough, but in this case it defies explanation. Ram-woo died years ago. And yet he shows up at her door with a mission. As he’s now the Grim Reaper it’s his duty to tell her that she has just one week to live. He suggests she come up with a bucket list and he has a few suggestions. He still has some experiences left on his own bucket list.

Is there any chance that Ram-Woo dying and Hee-won’s iminent death is some kind of supernatural prank? To find out how they ended up this way, the characters will have to remember what happened way back then, when they first fell in love.

The fantasy romance is directed by Choi Ha-na, who directed More Than Family, and is based on the novel A Week Before I Die written by Seo Eun-Chae. Way Back Love, which also stars Jung Gun-woo (Check in Hanyang, Extraordinary You), airs on Viki.com in the U.S.