7 Life Lessons We Learned From 'Now, We Are Breaking Up'

ICYMI, Now, We are Breaking Up is a slice of life romantic drama starring Song Hye Kyo and Jang Ki Yong. It aired on Viu in November and closed with its 16th episode on the 8th of January. In it, Hye Kyo plays Ha Young Eun, a lead designer for a top Korean fashion brand. Hardened by the tough realities of life, Young Eun stays firm as a realist set on achieving success in the fashion industry. She works hard and never compromises when it comes to quality, and stands by her values and the people she cares for. She’s a model employee and the ultimate team lead-slash-mentor. Ki Yong steps up as Yoon Jae Guk, a free-spirited fashion photographer whose outlook in life can be captured by the phrase carpe diem (seize the day).

Young Eun and Jae Guk hook up in Busan during K-Fashion, not knowing that their one-night stand (Yup—the couple heats up the screen as early as episode one!) would lead to a relationship deeper and more progressive than any we’ve seen in K-dramaland so far.

Though it completed its run with mixed reviews, one thing is certain: Each episode of Now, We Are Breaking Up had nuggets of wisdom or OG life lessons that made the series really meaningful. Here are our top picks (Warning: Major spoilers ahead!):

1. At the end of the day, there is only one thing that never changes: The fact that nothing is forever. We must be in the moment and enjoy the moment because it is fleeting and will never come again.

   Episode one opens with Young Eun describing the fast-paced world of fashion. Though change as a constant is linked to the industry, the drama’s answer to being "in the moment" comes in the form of a heavy dose of feels with a love scene between Ha Young and a mystery man, who is eventually revealed to be Jae Guk.

2. You can truly call yourself a professional when your work touches someone.

   CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

   watch now
   In Episode two, Jae Guk sees the wallpaper on Young Eun’s phone and says the photo looks like the work of an amateur because of its dreadful exposure and poor composition. Young Eun responds by saying she knows nothing about exposure or composition, but feels the photographer who took the photo is a professional because his work touched her. It makes her think and rings in her heart. Her words hit Jae Guk hard, further fueling his admiration towards her.

   

   ADVERTISMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

3. Fate comes disguised as a coincidence. Walk past and it’s a coincidence. Grab it and it’s fate.

   In episode three, Chi Sook, Young Eun’s BFF (and the daughter of her boss) raves about her interest in Jae Guk and how she wants to take matters into her own hands to make him fall for her. It puts Young Eun into a tight spot now that her interest in him has grown.

   

   ADVERTISMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

4. Time is not proportional to love.

   Episode four puts Young Eun on an emotional rollercoaster when she deals with the emotional aftermath of knowing that her ex Yoon Soo Wan died ten years ago on the night he stood her up and that Jae Guk is his stepbrother. She opens up to Jae Guk and tells him that though her love for his brother only lasted for two months, that short period meant enough to her.

   

   ADVERTISMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

5. You shouldn’t toy with people. You make what’s in your heart.

   Young Eun’s leadership and team management skills shine in episode six when she deals with a situation involving a member of her team leaking their designs to a rival team. Instead of firing the employee, she gives her the opportunity to earn her fellow team members' forgiveness by working hard to support the team's success. Young Eun confronts the rival team’s lead and gives her a piece of her mind by stressing that you cannot make good, pretty things with greed, anxiety, alienation, and betrayal.

   

   ADVERTISMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

6. Let go of your regret and greed.

   Bring a box of tissue when you get to Episode 14 because this part of the story is a total tear-jerker. In it, Mi Sook (Young Eun’s BFF who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer) opens up about her husband’s infidelity and how she is dealing with it by breaking up, with her regret and greed to live her last days loving him and her daughter. Her words touch Young Eun and make her realize that it is time for her to let go of Jae Guk. She tells him that by not going to Paris with him, she is letting go of regret and greed so that he can move forward and grab the opportunity in front of him.

   

   ADVERTISMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

7. May your passion become a "sono."

   When Jae Guk was a college teaching assistant in Paris, he was tasked to handle making arrangements for Young Eun’s recommendation letter. On her portfolio, he wrote: "I hope one day, your passion becomes a sono." Young Eun takes this message to heart. During an interview in Episode 14, Young Eun talks about Sono, the brand she built, and how the name came from her definition of success: Hope that her work as a designer will echo to consumers all over the world.

   

   ADVERTISMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

MORE K-DRAMA ROUNDUPS RIGHT HERE:

6 Must-Watch Dark And *Intense* K-Dramas

11 K-Dramas To Watch After Work That Won't Stress You Out, Promise

10 *Super Funny* K-Dramas For Your Dose of Good Vibes