"High Cookie" Kdrama Review: It’s Rising Fast in Popularity in South Korea

High Cookie Kdrama (aka Hi Cookie) amazes me. It goes beyond my expectations. It has everything: mystery, suspense, crime. And Nam Ji Hyun and Choi Hyun Wook as the lead. They always deliver in any role they play. It's a series worth watching. 

• Number of episodes: 20 (30 minutes each)

What is High Cookie about?

A magical cookie that can make anyone's dreams come true with a single bite causes a lot of trouble for some people who get stuck in a quicksand of their own fantasies.

Choi Soo-Young (Nam Ji-Hyun) is a hardworking factory worker who supports her younger sibling, who is only 3 years younger than her. She dropped out of high school at 18 to earn money for her family. Her sibling gets into a mess with a homemade cookie and Choi Soo-Young tries to deal with it.

Seo Ho-Soo (Choi Hyun-Wook) is a brilliant student at Jeonghan High School, the most prestigious private school in the country. He comes from a poor family, but he studies hard and gets the best grades. His wealthy classmates look down on him and bully him.

Yoo Sung-Pil (Kim Moo-Yul) is the best university admission consultant in the business. He will do anything, even illegal things, to help his students get into the university of their choice. He is a mysterious man who hides his true identity. He shows up at Jeonghan High School and becomes the consultant for the entire 3rd grade class, without anyone asking him to.

Main cast

• Nam Ji-Hyun as Choi Soo-Young
• Choi Hyun-Wook as Seo Ho-Soo
• Kim Moo-Yul as Yoo Sung-Pil
• Jung Da-Bin as Choi Min-Young
• Seo Bum-June as Song Jin-Woo

Hot take

High Cookie is a fascinating drama that surprises me with its plot. It's a remarkable achievement that this drama has stayed in the top 10 on Netflix Korea since it started. It's impressive how well it's doing in the ratings, even with little promotion and limited availability abroad.

The acting is superb, all the actors fit their roles perfectly. Nam Ji Hyun is so natural and believable. Hyun Wook is the BAD GUY?! He's amazing. I didn't see that coming. His character was irrelevant in the beginning but now? I was curious about why Hyun Wook picked this role when his character was just there crushing on Minyoung, but now I understand. We should just trust this guy that he'll never play a dull character & he'll always show great acting and diverse roles. The way he's playing the sweet and cute Yichan in Twinkling Watermelon and the pathetic yet dangerous Hosu in High Cookie. This boy is such a versatile actor!

I'm lowkey shipping this couple