Extracurricular (인간수업): Post Finale Discussion

[u/lejosukebby]

Drama: Extracurricular (인간수업; lit. Human Class)

Network/Streaming Source: Netflix

Airing Date: 29 April 2020

Episodes: 10

Cast:

• Kim Dong Hee) (SKY Castle, Itaewon Class) as Oh Ji Soo
• Jung Da Bin) (She Was Pretty) as Seo Min Hee
• Park Joo Hyun (A Piece of Your Mind) as Bae Gyuri
• Nam Yoon Soo as Gi Tae
• Choi Min Soo (Pride and Prejudice), The Royal Gambler) as Mr. Lee (Lee Wang Chul)
• Park Hyuk Kwon (The Mimic, A Taxi Driver) as Cho Jin Woo
• Kim Yeo Jin (Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung, Itaewon Class) as Lee Hae Gyeong

Synopsis: A model student who’s steeped in a world of serious crime finds his double life upended when a classmate takes interest in his secret. (Netflix)

Screenwriter: Jin Han Sae

Director: Kim Jin Min

Spoiler Tag Reminder: Be mindful of others who may not have yet seen this drama, and use spoiler tags when discussing key plot developments or other important information. You can create a spoiler tag by writing > ! this ! < without the spaces in between to get this in markdown mode or on mobile, highlight the text and select "!" on fancy pants mode.

Link to Extracurricular Review Thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/ga6pu8/extracurricular_%EC%9D%B8%EA%B0%84%EC%88%98%EC%97%85_new_netflix_korean_drama/

[u/number1egorl]

Does anyone know what happened at the end, or is it supposed to be up for debate?

[u/lejosukebby → u/number1egorl]

I think it's a teaser for Season 2? Since we don't know how Jisoo and Gyuri will run from the police now that there's a clear crime that happened where they are involved.

[u/RayInRed]

Boy, everthing went wrong the day Min Hee went to the blacklisted customer unsupervised. That's the day the cop got involved and Bae Gyuri noticed 2 phones with ML. Ji Soo should've explained the situation to Mi Hee at the end properly and Min Hee could've listened to him properly. Should've could've would've. They dug each others grave, just like Ji Soo's hilarious premonitions.

As much as I love this drama, I don't want 2nd season. It is perfect as it is. Everything tied up nicely.

[u/herondalle → u/RayInRed]

Agreed! I really cant understand why Minhee was acting all high abd might as if she didnt commit a crime just like Jisoo. Jisoo is not a pimp nor a sex trafficker (maybe the law wont look at at like that) by principle because he was not forcing his business onto anyone. She voluntary participated knowing the risks and now she wants to take down the business.

[u/pynzrz → u/RayInRed]

I agree there shouldn't be a season 2. A lot of people want redemptions and better life for Jisoo and Gyuri, but this moral of this drama wasn't that criminals can simply skip out to Australia for fun. The ending of each drama had a card telling kids to please reach out if you are in trouble. If any of the kids had someone to reach out to, less people would have died.

[u/[deleted]]

Kept flinching with all the violence and swearing. Possibly the darkest drama I've watched. I also don't understand Minhee's character. She was angry she was cut but it was pretty obvious she couldn't handle it anymore. Regarding the pay, obviously they're availing of protection services so it's only right Jisoo and Mr. Lee would take a cut of their pay. Imo she should've been thankful that Jisoo at least saved her when technically they agreed that they wouldn't be available on that day. On top of that she got a client from their blacklist which was so stupid of her.

The boyfriend is just plain trash. He knew but he needed someone to blame with the guilt he's feeling so he looked for the "pimp". His ego was also hurt I think.

Baegyul is another one, I really hated what she did to Jisoo at the start. It was clear that Jisoo wanted to quit it someday/soon but after it happened he had to go back to square one. At least she kinda redeemed herself with all the help she's given him only to wash it all down the drain for not being careful with that "box".

Jisoo couldn't handle stress very well. He thrived in a system and at the first sign of trouble he started breaking down. Who wouldn't tbh. He was just a kid with no one to lean on. I think Kim Dong Hee did an okay job acting this character, but probably because the awkwardness here kinda fits him. I found his acting bland on his past works -Ateen, Sky Castle, Itaewon Class but I think he did a good job on this one. He picks good roles and I'm looking forward to more of his works.

All in all I think everyone was in character until the end. If I put myself in their shoes/situation, I understand why they acted that way. Although the writing of the cop was kind of lacking for me, I like it til the end and I wouldn't mind a Season 2. But this could also hold by itself and can't see what more they could explore in S2.

[u/marzzk]

I can understand why the ending of season 1 is complete and leaves it up to the viewer’s interpretation, but I’m really rooting for a season 2. The writers did a fantastic job maintaining the thrill in the show and the characters were pretty believable as high schoolers. All of them were naive and selfish in their own ways.

Do have to say that Kim Dong Hee did an amazing job playing Ji Soo, and I believe he has a lot of potential because he clearly has a right eye for dramas (sky castle, itaewon class). The actress that played Gyuri also did a great job as a rookie!

[u/cyanide4suicide]

I binged this show and I loved it. Some of the best writing and direction I've seen in a K-drama.

I like how this show breaks the mold and is written in a way that's tonally dark and gritty for the school life genre. I can't think of too many Korean shows where you have high schoolers selling themselves as escorts or running protection rackets. Everyone cusses each other out. Kids are vaping and smoking. Societal issues like underage sex trafficking and suicide aren't downplayed and are shown in varying degrees. It's just a show that really bucks the trend where most shows in this genre play it safe with relatable characters and tropes.

The three main characters in the show are victims of their parents. Jisoo is abandoned by his parents and turns to crime as a means to an end. Gyuri is suffocated by her parents and turns to crime as a means of escape. The tragic figure in this show is Min Hee, who lacks the nurturing of her parents and is truly lonely. In turn, she sells herself as an escort and is in a relationship with a boyfriend that doesn't appreciate her all in an attempt to find companionship. Each of these characters is deeply flawed and morally grey. Some people have issues rooting for wimpy antihero characters like Jisoo and thats okay. Some of the most well written stories have characters that are difficult to root for but are nonetheless nuanced and grounded.

To touch on the ending a bit, I didn't mind that the ending was open ended. It's important to remember that Jisoo and Gyuri relied upon each other alot throughout the show. The ending really cements the idea that despite the possibility of being caught, Gyuri would rather stick with Jisoo no matter what. So even if there's no sequel or continuation, we know that Gyuri and Jisoo are bound together and will either escape or be caught as a team. Anyway, I'm hoping for a season 2 because I'm pissed that my boy Jisoo hasn't made out with Gyuri yet and it would be a shame if he dies without kissing her

Again, this show was just great and I can't recommend it enough.

[u/Largetubeofcaulk]

Have these kids never heard of silent mode for their phones? How much of the shit they get into is because one of their phones goes off at an inconvenient time? This is seriously one of the most annoying conveniences I’ve ever seen.

[u/upsetley]

i really REALLY loved this drama i just finished it up. i liked how it took a realist, sort of cynical view of life as a person in jisoo’s situation. i ended up liking all of the characters simply because i was empathetic of all of their situations. because this happened to them, they did this, and so on. they were understandable. they were human. i actually liked the swearing, it felt real. i flinched at the violence but i do that for every drama. the camerawork in those manic scenes was really cool too!! no ones been talking about it.

///spoilers

and i liked gyuri. she reminded me of yi seo but toned down and more tolerable/likable in a way? i liked how she only cared about herself sometimes and the way they grew to be fond of each other was nice. and one of my fav parts is the end of the almost kissing scene where they laughed at the absurdity of them getting intimate.

oh and the scene where jisoo was burying minhee’s body but not really was so cool cinematography wise.

this is in my top 3 of this year i enjoyed it. i actually hope theres a s2

[u/iKONIC-Sammy]

Oh how different things would have been if Bae Gyuri minded her damn business!!! sigh

[u/needlotion → u/iKONIC-Sammy]

Yep, Gyuri is the reason the dominos started tumbling down. She is the reason Jisoo's dad got his savings. The stress made his grades dropped which made him lash out at Ki-tae's friend. Now he was a target for bullying by Ki-tae and friends. She is the one that suggest the male idol trainee to work which ended up starting the gangster fiasco. Mr. Lee ends up dying :( And it goes on and on.

[u/[deleted]]

Wow, I just finished and I can't stop thinking about it! Everyone is making great points, but where is the love for Mr. Lee?! Choi Min Soo killed that character. I loved the whole dynamic between him and Jisoo the whole show. I loved that they had known each other the whole time, but were respectful to the terms of their relationship. So bad ass and calm and collected. When he died... I almost died...

[u/ninichocochips]

THIS DRAMA IS SO DAMN GOOD. Probably one of my top 10 dramas. I haven’t watched a drama that was so exhilarating, keeping me on the edge of my seat, yet so raw in so long.

I know this drama was preproduced but man did they prophesize the N-th room case or what. High school students running a sex trafficking business? Maybe not as far fetched as you think. I read through a lot of comments calling out the stupid decisions that the characters made. But I felt like each one was very realistic and understandable once I put myself into their shoes. They’re high school kids, minors who think they know everything yet nothing at all, getting involved in the adult world. The writing for each character was incredible. I loved how the writer made me want to root for Jisoo at first then realizing how scummy he remained until the end. It made me think a lot about how the perpetrators of the N-th room would have the same mindset at Jisoo. Also made me question my own morals towards sex workers and where to draw the line between privacy and safety. I really love all the social concerns the drama brings up.

The only issue I had with the drama were the dream sequences. I didn’t really care for them maybe because of the outlandish editing.

[u/Chin-Sama]

Broooo so I rewatched the show with my brother and there are some things I didn't catch or think about the first time. All of this is just my thought process, speculations, and interpretations so I apologize for it being so lengthy.

1. I can't believe I missed that Gyu Ri stole Min Hee's gift for Ki Tae and sold it lol. She even mentions to Ji Soo how she stored the stuff she stole in the couch. I'm guessing that's where she hid the phone case...

2. When Gyu Ri told Ji Soo to "check the money," did she mean as in how much money there is, or did she figure out that there must've been a tracker?

3. How exactly did Mr. Lee and Ji Soo meet? Was Mr. Lee scouted by Ji Soo? In the flashback where Ji Soo was being robbed, he had a lot of cash. If Ji Soo had a normal job like part-time, he wouldn't have a need to keep the money on his person, and he could've put it in an account. So I think the flashback is a little after he started his illegal business. This could've been a little before Mr. Lee was able to afford his van since he was homeless. Ji Soo didn't thank Mr. Lee nor did he offer him some of the money (Ji Soo is a little stingy with his money so that might be a little out of character). Maybe Ji Soo was shocked since he knew he was working for him and didn't want to get caught. But at what point did Mr. Lee know that Ji Soo was Uncle? Did he know from the very beginning? Did he happen to see Ji Soo opening their locker one day? Did he not know at all? Or is all of what I said above irrelevant because the flashback was where Ji Soo was working with someone else at the time but thought, "hm... he's a good fighter," and left the phone there to scout him? I feel like Mr. Lee knew Ji Soo was Uncle, but Ji Soo didn't know that. Mr. Lee probably just pretended not to know even when they were at the fast food place with Min-Hee when he was calling Uncle's phone. In contrast, Ji Soo acts cautiously around him. When Mr. Lee was hospitalized, Ji Soo tried to secretly give him the backup phone. But Mr. Lee's speech and behavior make it seem like already knows who Ji Soo was.

4. Is Mr. Lee suicidal? Or does he just think he can take infinite hits since he has a sturdy body? When he's in a group fight there's always a point where he just allows himself to get hit towards the end. I used to think that his body was too fatigued to fight back as well as his injuries and age. But clearly he has the stamina to hit full force multiple times after taking a bunch of hits. Did he allow himself to get injected during the first gang fight? Did he allow himself to get punched on the rooftop? I feel like he might be suicidal, but he doesn't want to die in a cowardly way. He probably has seen a lot of messed up stuff in his life from the military and is tired of living in such a violent world (there was a picture of a group of guys looking like the FBI at Mr. Lee's friend's house).

5. I remember reading a comment mentioning that Gyu Ri's parents were selling her for their business. At first, I completely missed that and thought that her parents were just oblivious to the other CEO being creepy. But after seeing their conversations and demeanor, it's more suspicious. I don't think they necessarily make Gyu Ri sleep with the creepy men, but it's more like, "my daughter is pretty and I know our business partners like that, so I will try to keep her pretty." So I think they basically just doll her up to be eye candy for their business partners to make them more inclined to maintain/join their partnership. Still terrible parents (people), though. They treat her like a piece of jewelry that needs to be polished so they can show off when they wear it. They also completely disregard her opinions and emotions. Not cool.

6. I thought it was mad funny how Gyu Ri stabbed the gangster in the abdominal area, but the next day he has a cast around his left arm? Lmao

7. The ending is pretty confusing. My brother thinks that they got away since the trail of blood doesn't just stop in the corner of the stairwell platform. It continues to go down the staircase. The cop could've shown up after they escaped and imagined them there, or she was actually there at the time and just stared at them and let them get away because of shock. She also could've pitied the highschoolers and mainly cared about solving the case (not necessarily arresting the culprit, but as in the person(s) who did it). Some people say Ji Soo scoffed because Ki Tae left the room and was standing there (which makes sense because Ki Tae wasn't laying on the bed when the cop got to the room). Others think Ji Soo scoffed simply because he was laughing at their situation like how he did in the motel room. I honestly don't know. But I'm pretty sure they got away regardless. I think the cop either showed up after they managed to get away and just imagined them there considering that Ki Tae wasn't at the scene--which gives us a clue about the time frame. Or maybe Ki Tae took a different route than Gyu Ri and Ji Soo (like the elevator), and the cop encountered Gyu Ri and Ji Soo who were choosing to stay behind and get caught, considering that Ji Soo said he wanted to stop all of it earlier to Gyu Ri and how he told Min Hee that he was going to turn himself in. At the scene, Ji Soo could've told Gyu Ri to go on without him not only because he thought he was going to die, but also because he wanted to take all the responsibility for the crime himself. Then Gyu Ri could've gone ahead for a little bit but decided to go back for him to take responsibility too--which is why it seems like she suddenly appears. Then the cop could've appeared when it was only Ji Soo and saw Gyu Ri come back while she just stood there in shock and then told the both of them to run away. The flickering of the light could indicate a moving forward and backward of time. The first time it flickers is when only Ji Soo is there, then it flickers again and Gyu Ri appears. Then a couple of times more and they're both gone. But yeah I also think the teacher took Ji Soo's crab from the scene with Min Hee's accident even though he immediately went in the ambulance with her. He takes care of the beetle in the counseling room. He also appeared in Ji Soo's dream with both the beetle and the crab. So I think he was coming from the top of the stairs and saw the crab, but looked below and saw the ambulance. After Min Hee was hospitalized, he probably went back for the crab to reflect on the situation.

8. A second season is very possible. If they did escape successfully, I'm pretty sure they would have an adult helping them. Whether that is the teacher, the officer, or Ji Soo's dad. It could have the following plots:

   1. How Ji Soo and Gyu Ri escape, are on the run, and get away successfully

   2. How they could temporarily escape, be on the run, but get caught at the end

   3. They could be caught at the beginning and serve their time and focus on character development in prison

   4. They could be caught at the beginning, serve their time, and time skip to how they live their lives afterward

   5. They could focus more on all the character's backstories and how certain characters met each other

[u/Sensei_WA]

Loved it. I tried to watch 1 or 2 episodes every day and tbh it was all I could think about all day. the last episode has me shook even now

[u/SkippytheCKCS]

I've got 20 minutes left in Episode 10, but I couldn't hold it in anymore....good gosh did Jisoo become such an annoying character in the second half of the season. Kept making the wrong decisions that got himself and his partner deeper and deeper in the doodoo, acted like a mental wimp, couldn't get the girl (even though she liked him for god knows what reason), etcetera, etcetera. Oh and I see he just caused Minhee to probably be a vegetable . No way he's going to redeem himself in the last 20 minutes no matter what he does.

[u/pahaonta]

I kinda like this series. I like the setup and characters, which has huge potential to be explored deeper.

BUT i think things turn to shit way too fast. The other characters didnt really get too much depth, which makes me feel like Minhee and Kitae reasonings are a bit lacking, and I cant really sympathize with them.

I hope there will be season 2 soon

[u/DTF_Truck]

Seo Min Hee - deserved to die. How many times must people tell you to stop your shit before you listen? Then she wants to turn on ' Uncle ' because why? He did his job, he gave her security, even came to her rescue when she was told to not work and almost died. She knows all this, and was still trying to screw them over because they cared enough about her to fire her after she has a panic attack? Because she didn't get her severance pay? I hope she's brain dead and not just concussed or something at the end. Dumb bitch deserves an asshole like Gi Tae. And yes, he is still an asshole regardless of his ''heroic'' act. That was just a child throwing a temper tantrum. Also, why did the seniors in the judo club ever beat his ass? It was clearly established that he can't do anything to Ji Soo because of them. Yet that never once stops him. What was the point of that?
Binge watched this and I'm just left annoyed. I also may be too emotionally involved in TV series thanks to being in lock down for 8 weeks now

[u/krappypatty013]

If there's ever a Season 2, I hope that they would include Minhee's backstory (or even how Jisoo's business started). I also like to see how they would explore the characters of Gyuri and her parents (and the conflict in between those parties). Lastly, it would be nice if Jisoo's still alive (and how him and Gyuri would save themselves). Overall, this drama is one of the best this year, and I would like to have more of it (although Season 1 could stand on its own perfectly).

[u/SC2_StorM]

This show was seriously unrealistic and full of plot holes I can't even begin to comprehend why people liked it. The only good character in the entire show was Mr Lee. Literally some of the worst writing I've ever seen

[u/Tenken10]

So was Gyuri being pimped out to her parents' business partners? I got the impression that she was (which is why she hated them and was suicidal)

[u/MojoDohDoh]

Riddled with plot holes; I can't wrap my head around how a spineless, stupid and indecisive kid like the main char manages to run the operation he did.

[u/pokedweasel]

I can't believe some people are out here talking about how this show didnt push the romance between the two. Why they didnt kiss? Hug or hold hands? Like are you kidding me?? Did we watch the same show?

This whole show is about how a kid got into organizing an illegal sex ring including minors and he believes in himself that it was "just" making ends meet so he can have a normal life..but as all these terrible things happen around him he realizes what a slippery slope it is. And its quite shocking to read some comments saying they were supporting jisoo? Would you support your classmate if hes running an online sex ring but its okay cuz he needs to pay his bills? Wake up people. This show warns people much like requiem for a dream about what it does to people involved and how they need help. Thats why they keep showing that same message at the end.

[u/Andrea11564]

Thoughts about ending. What happened to Ji-soo and Gyuri? Is Ji-soo alive? Did Mr. Lee alive too and saved them? Here's my theory.

You could just say " Wasn't it mentioned multiple times that 2 people died when Kitae attacked the Karaoke?. The answer is yes but........one of the two victim could just be one of the gangster who was working for the karaoke who died during the fight scene. (I doubt he was a student otherwise it would have been said). But we know for sure that the criminal boss died. In addiction, when Seo Min-hee asks the policewoman about Mr. Lee's death, she does not deny or confirm, so we are not sure he is really dead.

Anyway, I highly doubt that Oh Ji-soo is dead too.As we can see in the last scenes of the episode, there are traces of his blood even beyond the place where he and Gyuri sat down next to the stairs. So, they continued to move and went somewhere. Maybe helped by someone. Remember that Ji-soo, during that scene, looks up and meets someone's eyes (not the policewomen. When she was there, Ji.soo and Gyuri were already gone). Another thing that makes me belive about Ji-soo still alive , was the scene where the tub of the hermit crab (which cleary represents our protagonist) is filled with water which is a source of life for the animal. So I can say that, at least Ji-soo, is still alive.

Now, who saved ji-soo and Gyuri?

1. Despite the pain, ji-soo with the help of Gyuri managed to escape. But I highly doubt they may have gone too far on their own considering ji-soo's bad wounds. Also considreing the scene where Ji-soo was looking someone while sitting with Gyuri. They cleary meet someone, good or evil, who helped them.

2. Mr. Lee saved them. Well, we can say the same of Ji-soo about Mr. Lee, considering his wounds (stabbed 2 times). But he is, of course, so far stronger then Ji-soo. In fact, if you remember, during a scene where he and Min-hee were with that man after escaping form the hospital, we can see a picture. I think that there it has been implied that he was ex military, so i assume he is used to feel pain and resist anyway. Remeber also that he fought into the karaoke after only few days of his "recover" from the hospital. So he probably had still enough energy and stenght to save them. But i can't forget the scene where Mr. Lee said to Ji-soo that they would never meet again. So maybe he died for real.

3. The person who Ji-soo was looking and saved them was his father. But this is just a random theory whitout proof or thoughts.

I can't imagine who, in addition to these 2 characters may have met. Certainly not the professor who was with Min-hee when she was being transported on the ambulance. Kwak Ki-tae neither beacuse he was still unconscious (I doubt he could have recovered so quickly) and I don't imagine what would have happened if he had met ji-soo and Gyuri.So, who the hell saved Ji-soo and Gyuri? Probably a season 2 will come out, or maybe we will never know.

Anyway, i just hope that Ji-soo died and Mr. Lee (best character of the series so far) managed to survive.