YMMV / Us, Withering Under The Sun

• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • Did Na-yeon out Woo-jin just For the Evulz because she was a bigot and hated gay people? Or did it have something to do with him being friends with Gyeong-su, who she hates the most for his financial status? The original show did have a few minor interactions with Woo-jin telling Na-yeon off for her behavior towards Gyeong-su. It's also telling that she lets it slip that she was the anonymous poster when she was insulting Gyeong-su. It might have been that she wanted to mess with someone close with him as well as her clear vitriol towards gay people.
  • There's no denying that Joon-yeong hated Ji-sung because of his cowardice when him and Woojin were outed. But could there also be jealousy that this boy was romantically involved with Woo-jin fueling his dislike, at least in some part? One of the first things he throws in Jisung's face is them sleeping together after all.
  • Eun-sook's indifferent reaction to Woo-jin leaving. Was it just because she didn't love Woo-jin, and couldn't bring herself to care even though Word of God did say that she knows Ha-ri would not stick around after Woo-jin left? Or was it because she, unlike her husband, knew that the estrangement between them and their kids was inevitable, knew there was no stopping it, and accepted that this would mean she could no longer control Ha-ri?
• Paranoia Fuel: Woo-jin thought he was being discrete, exploring his sexuality in secret, 'safe, away from prying eyes' but a picture of him being intimate with a boy anonymously circulates and ruins his life. He's subjected to bullying, rejected by most of his school, with only his closest friends being the exceptions.
• The Woobie
  • Woo-jin, Woo-jin, WOO-JIN! He has Abusive Parents that neglect him and disregard his accomplishments and any praise he receives from anyone else while showering his sister in praise. He's outed as gay and viciously bullied at school with only his closest friends and Cool Teacher standing by him. This drives him away from the country entirely. He pushes away all his allies in South Korea due to the trauma over what happened to him. His first boyfriend becomes an alcoholic after his mother is killed in a hate crime and he's forced to end the relationship. Talk about a Trauma Conga Line. As a result, he closes himself off from romantic relationships and isn't quite sure how to rekindle old friendships. Even when things get better for him, there's still his relationship with Joon-yeong, as he's convinced there's no way it will happen for them.
  • Joon-yeong is also clearly traumatized by what happened to Woo-jin. He misses him dearly after he moves away from Hyosan and stops talking to him and is devastated when he learns that Woo-jin is leaving the country entirely. Mentions of his friend and what happened to him lead to him becoming very upset, resulting in him shoving Ji-sung and tackling Na-yeon for their respective roles in Woo-jin's suffering and ultimately driving him away. He yearns for more simple times when Woo-jin was still around. He goes three years without talking to the person he describes as feeling like home, and six to seven years without physically being in his presence.