Nevertheless (알고있지만) is a 2021 Romantic Korean Drama. It is adapted from the webcomic of the same name.
Han So-hee stars as Yoo Na-bi, a sculpture student at Hongseo University. Though she is a romantic at heart, Na-bi is reluctant to fall in love again after a bad experience with her previous boyfriend. To her chagrin, she develops a crush on her charming schoolmate Park Jae-eon (Song Kang), a ladykiller who doesn't want to settle down in a relationship but is nevertheless drawn to Na-bi. The two begin an uncertain fling, while others in their social circle also try to decide what they want out of their love lives.
The show spanned ten episodes which aired on JTBC from June 19 to August 21, 2021. Internationally, the show is distributed by Netflix.
Tropes:
- Animal Motifs: Butterflies appear frequently throughout the show. Na-bi's name means "butterfly". Her love interest Jae-eon has a butterfly tattoo, makes a butterfly mixed-media sculpture, draws butterflies on womens' arms as a pick-up move, and keeps butterflies in his home. He calls Na-bi "his butterfly" when she comes over.
- Betty and Veronica: Na-bi has two love interests: her kind childhood friend Do-hyeok and the intriguing casanova Jae-eon.
- Establishing Character Moment: Jae-eon is established as a ladykiller from his first scene — he's supposed to meet someone at the bar for a date, meets Na-bi instead, and then cancels his date to hang out with her.
- Hands-On Approach: In the first episode Jae-eon teaches Na-bi to throw darts by wrapping his hands around her.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Every episode title is a clause including the word "nevertheless".
- Meaningful Name: Na-bi ("butterfly") was named for the famous Henry David Thoreau quote about pursuing happiness; her mother and aunt hoped she would have a happy life.Happiness is like a butterfly, the more you chase it, the more it will elude, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder."
- Missed Him by That Much: After their first meeting, Na-bi thinks she sees Jae-on around. There is a shot where she goes down one side of a branching staircase and he goes up by the other side, and they miss each other by a few seconds.
- Nice Guys Finish Last: Na-bi chooses the heartbreaker with commitment issues Jae-eon over her nicer childhood friend Do-hyeok.
- Nonconformist Dyed Hair: Bit-na, Na-bi's goth artist school friend, has long dark hair dyed fuschia from her chin downwards.
- Plot-Inciting Infidelity: Na-bi is reluctant to fall in love after she caught her shitty ex-boyfriend cheating on her in the opening scene of the show.
