# More Than Friends (청춘시대의 연애) (TV series)
**More Than Friends** (경우의 수, *Kyungwooui Soo*, literal title "Number of Cases") is a 2020 South Korean romantic-comedy television series broadcast by JTBC, in which a man and a woman hold unspoken crushes on each other for more than ten years because of a misunderstanding.[1](https://asianwiki.com/More_Than_Friends) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12879170/) It ran for 16 episodes on Friday and Saturday nights from September 25 to November 28, 2020.[1](https://asianwiki.com/More_Than_Friends)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 경우의 수 (Kyungwooui Soo), English title More Than Friends[1](https://asianwiki.com/More_Than_Friends) |
| Network and slot | JTBC, Friday and Saturday 22:50, September 25 to November 28, 2020[1](https://asianwiki.com/More_Than_Friends) |
| Episodes | 16, each roughly 65 to 80 minutes[1](https://asianwiki.com/More_Than_Friends) • [3](https://next-episode.net/more-than-friends) |
| Leads | Ong Seong-wu as photographer Lee Soo; Shin Ye-eun as calligrapher Kyung Woo-yeon[1](https://asianwiki.com/More_Than_Friends) • [4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20201129/more-than-friends-ends-with-disappointing-ratings) |
| Creative team | Director Choi Seong-Bum; writer Jo Seung-Hee[1](https://asianwiki.com/More_Than_Friends) |
| Viewership | 1.5 percent at premiere, 1.3 percent for the finale[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20201129/more-than-friends-ends-with-disappointing-ratings) |
| Audience ratings | IMDb 6.6/10 (938 votes); Viki 8.9/10 (41,467 ratings)[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12879170/) • [5](https://www.viki.com/tv/37321c-more-than-friends) |
## Premise and characters
The story follows two high school friends, Lee Soo and Kyung Woo-yeon, as adults navigating a relationship that spans ten years of misunderstandings and missed timing.[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20201129/more-than-friends-ends-with-disappointing-ratings) Woo-yeon, now a calligrapher, has loved Soo since she was 18; Soo, who works as a photographer, rejected her advances several times before he began to develop feelings for her years later.[1](https://asianwiki.com/More_Than_Friends) • [4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20201129/more-than-friends-ends-with-disappointing-ratings) The Korea Times summarized the dynamic this way: Soo has been more than just a friend to Woo-yeon since high school, but his repeated rejections and later jealousy over her new relationship kept the two in a cycle of misunderstanding.[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20201129/more-than-friends-ends-with-disappointing-ratings)
**The supporting couples.** The series follows three sets of high school friends shown about 13 years into their friendship, and it gives substantial screen time to two other couples: long-time couple Kim Young-hee (Ahn Eun-jin), an office worker, and teacher Shin Hyun-jae (Choi Chan-ho); and newly in-love prosecutor Han Jin-joo (Baek Soo-min) and restaurateur Jin Sang-hyuk (P.O, billed as Pyo Ji-hoon).[6](https://www.oppanoona.kr/2022/07/k-drama-review-more-than-friends-2020.html) • [3](https://next-episode.net/more-than-friends) The friend group around the leads, and the scenes where the friends support each other's businesses, drew positive comment from viewers.[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20201129/more-than-friends-ends-with-disappointing-ratings)
## Production and broadcast
Choi Seong-Bum directed the series and Jo Seung-Hee wrote it.[1](https://asianwiki.com/More_Than_Friends) According to a Korean-language fan wiki, the script won the web-drama section of JTBC Drama House's script contest, and this work was the writer's debut.[7](https://www.readonly.wiki/w/%EC%B9%9C%EA%B5%AC%EC%97%90%EC%84%9C%20%EC%97%B0%EC%9D%B8%EC%9D%B4%20%EB%90%98%EB%8A%94%20%EA%B2%BD%EC%9A%B0%EC%9D%98%20%EC%88%98) A Meritz Securities program lineup lists the production as JTBC Studios with Contents Jium (콘텐츠지음), crediting Jo Seung-hee (script), Choi Seong-beom (direction), and [Ong Seong-wu](https://www.edgepedia.org/ong-seong-wu) and [Shin Ye-eun](https://www.edgepedia.org/shin-ye-eun) (leads).[8](https://home.imeritz.com/include/resource/research/WorkFlow/20201105082513617K_02.pdf)
More Than Friends took over the Friday and Saturday 22:50 time slot previously occupied by Graceful Friends, and was followed by Hush on December 11, 2020.[1](https://asianwiki.com/More_Than_Friends) The series is available internationally on platforms including Netflix, Viki, and iQIYI.[5](https://www.viki.com/tv/37321c-more-than-friends) • [9](https://www.iq.com/album/more-than-friends-2020-29qksfxams5?lang=en_us)
**COVID-19 interruption.** In November 2020, actor [Kim Dong-jun](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-dong-jun) crossed paths with a confirmed COVID-19 patient and, although he tested negative on November 13, government quarantine guidelines led the production to halt filming and postpone the final two episodes.[10](https://www.soompi.com/article/1437932wpp/more-than-friends-postpones-final-episodes-due-to-kim-dong-juns-mandatory-quarantine) Episodes 15 and 16 were moved to November 27 and 28.[10](https://www.soompi.com/article/1437932wpp/more-than-friends-postpones-final-episodes-due-to-kim-dong-juns-mandatory-quarantine)
## Reception
The series performed poorly in domestic ratings. It premiered at 1.5 percent on September 25 and fell to 1.3 percent for its final episode, a sharp contrast with the same slot's predecessors, [The World of the Married](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-world-of-the-married), which ended at 28.4 percent, and Graceful Friends, which ended at 7.1 percent.[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20201129/more-than-friends-ends-with-disappointing-ratings) The Korea Times attributed the disappointment partly to a slow first act and to the self-centered characterization of Soo, quoting viewer comments that the story felt dragged out and only became interesting from episode 7.[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20201129/more-than-friends-ends-with-disappointing-ratings) The same report noted that some viewers praised the actors' performances, the cinematography, and the chemistry among the friend group.[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20201129/more-than-friends-ends-with-disappointing-ratings)
Audience scores abroad diverged from the broadcast ratings. IMDb users rate it 6.6/10, while Viki's aggregate user rating stands at 8.9/10 from over 41,000 ratings.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12879170/) • [5](https://www.viki.com/tv/37321c-more-than-friends) Critics split on the writing: one review site put it on its "SKIP" list because of repetitive back-and-forth between the leads, while another called it one of the better-written dramas of its year.[11](https://www.hallyureviews.com/kdramas/more-than-friends) • [12](https://www.hellokpop.com/review/k-drama-review-more-than-friends/)
## References
1. [More Than Friends, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/More_Than_Friends)
2. [More Than Friends (TV Series 2020), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12879170/)
3. [More Than Friends TV Show Air Dates & Track Episodes, Next Episode](https://next-episode.net/more-than-friends)
4. ['More Than Friends' ends with disappointing ratings, The Korea Times (Nov 29, 2020)](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20201129/more-than-friends-ends-with-disappointing-ratings)
5. [More Than Friends, Rakuten Viki](https://www.viki.com/tv/37321c-more-than-friends)
6. [K Drama Review: More than Friends (2020), Oppa Noona](https://www.oppanoona.kr/2022/07/k-drama-review-more-than-friends-2020.html)
7. [친구에서 연인이 되는 경우의 수, 읽기전용위키](https://www.readonly.wiki/w/%EC%B9%9C%EA%B5%AC%EC%97%90%EC%84%9C%20%EC%97%B0%EC%9D%B8%EC%9D%B4%20%EB%90%98%EB%8A%94%20%EA%B2%BD%EC%9A%B0%EC%9D%98%20%EC%88%98)
8. [Meritz Securities, 2020. 11. 6 research report on Jcontentree (JTBC drama lineup)](https://home.imeritz.com/include/resource/research/WorkFlow/20201105082513617K_02.pdf)
9. [More Than Friends (2020), iQIYI](https://www.iq.com/album/more-than-friends-2020-29qksfxams5?lang=en_us)
10. ["More Than Friends" Postpones Final Episodes Due To COVID-19 Safety Precautions, Soompi (Nov 15, 2020)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1437932wpp/more-than-friends-postpones-final-episodes-due-to-kim-dong-juns-mandatory-quarantine)
11. [More Than Friends, Hallyu Reviews](https://www.hallyureviews.com/kdramas/more-than-friends)
12. [K-Drama Review: More Than Friends, HelloKpop (Dec 8, 2020)](https://www.hellokpop.com/review/k-drama-review-more-than-friends/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Romance and melodrama series › Romance melodrama miniseries › Romantic comedy series › Youth and campus romance series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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