Hyena (2020)

Hyenas eat the bones of their preys whether they're alive or dead.

My knowledge of law and how courtrooms operate is incredibly limited, so this review will not comment on how realistically they portrayed lawyers and attorneys, because not only I don't know, but it's also not the reason why I watched this drama in the first place.

This drama begins quite differently than any other I've ever seen: the main couple starts dating very quickly on the first episode, there are kisses, hugs, affection, she goes to his house-- the whole deal. And by the end of the episode, we learn that she's not just a woman our male lead had a meet cute with: she's actually the lawyer he has to face in court. This isn't shocking considering that one rule of kdramas is that if the couple starts dating early, they will absolutely break up soon. The shock of seeing her is what ultimately makes him lose a case that was supposed to be an easy win, and it's a very hard blow on his ego, as well as his emotional wellbeing. After all, he had actually fallen for her.

Something that I absolutely loved about this drama is that their romance and feelings for each other seem to be the driving force of the plot one way or the other, but in a way that does not seem forced or annoying. He's everywhere in her life, and she's everywhere in his. I want to say that he fell for her way harder than she did for him because I think it's true, but I also feel like because of the nature of our female lead's personality you can never fully know how she truly feels about someone and to what extent she cares about them. She definitely fell for him without wanting to (and who wouldn't, honestly).

That being said, even though the sexual tension is off the charts, the actual physical contact is quite limited with the exception of the first episode. However, there's a kiss around the middle of the drama that's so intense it's worth like ten kisses instead, so I can't really say I minded the lack of physical contact/affection in this one. Also, the lack of it made sense in the context of the show, so it's not like you find yourself feeling like they should've kissed at certain moments when they didn't. There aren't really moments that warrant a kiss or a hug or whatever it may be-- except maybe at the end. I definitely could've used a kiss at the end.

One thing to know going in, is that our two main characters are not pure and sweet angels, they are two smart people who can be gigantic assholes when they want to be, both to each other and to other people. A lot of people have categorized this drama as "mature", and I suppose it is fitting-- especially because our leads are two grown adults. It's very different from many other popular dramas, and even though at times it may seem that the romance between the leads is not the main theme, it's so intricately weaved into the storylines that, like I said before, their feelings for each other always end up seeming to be the driving force of the drama.

I don't usually watch law dramas because it's not what I'm interested in, but Hyena completely stole my heart. A great story that pulls you in from start to finish, with a solid beginning, great middle and a very satisfying ending.

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