A quiet subway driver is reunited with his first love after a 10 year separation.  They are both happy to have the chance to renew their young love and heal some of the scars caused by their difficult break-up. But as they spend time together, they find that many of the things that once drove them apart haven't really changed that much after all. Now they will have to make some important choices about what is really important to them and whether they can find a happy ending together this time around.

Park Jin Young as Yeon Tae Seo

As a young man, Yeon Tae Seo lost his parents and moved to the countryside with his grandparents. During that time, he met and fell in love with Eun A, while they were both seniors in high school. But they are separated when Tae Seo gets into his dream college in the city. While they try to make a long distance relationship work in the beginning, they soon find that their lives are taking them in different direction. Eventually they break up and Eun A moves abroad. Tae Seo goes on to graduate in computer science and get a good job. But the pressure of caring for his family and career burnout cause him to quit that job and become a subway driver. Now he lives a quiet life and does woodworking on the side.

One day, ten years after their break-up, Tae Seo runs into Eun A at a subway station and the pair rekindle their romance. But they soon fall into old patterns of vague communication that lead to new misunderstandings and reopen old wounds from their past. And as much as Tae Seo hopes this time will be different for them, he soon finds himself right back at the same crossroads that ended their relationship ten years ago.

Yeon Tae Seo is the rock that holds his fragile family together. With his aging grandparents and a younger brother who suffered a permanent injury in the accident that killed their parents, Tae Seo is the primary bread winner and health guardian. The pressure of this responsibility weighs heavily on him and impacts every decision he makes. I love Park Jin Young and he has really made a name for himself as an actor with these serious introspective kinds of characters. For me, he and his character were the highlights of this drama.

Kim Min Ju as Mo Eun A

Mo Eun A was raised by her single father. She helped him run a guest house in their small rural community. Eun A meets Tae Seo when he moves to her town over the summer and the two have an immediate connection.Tae Seo spends that first summer helping Eun A study at school and they begin dating. But when Tae Seo goes away to college and Eun A stays closer to home, they begin to drift apart. And when Eun A gets an opportunity to work in a hotel in Hawaii, she jumps at the chance and breaks up with Tae Seo over the phone. 

Eventually Eun A comes back to Korea, and while working for a guest house in Seoul, she sees Tae Seo driving the subway. They eventually meet and begin seeing each other again. But Eun A has had  a life over the past 10 years, dating and running her own guest house. And the baggage that she has from those times will create tension in her relationship with Tae Seo. And when the chance to return to her old job in Hawaii opens up, Eun A finds herself once again ready to leave Tae Seo to pursue her own happiness, while he is held down in Korea by his family responsibilities.

Eun A's life is turned upside down when her father kills himself shortly after her high school graduation. His death traumatizes her and leaves her in a cycle of guilt and grief that effects every part of her life after that, including her relationship with Tae Seo. She becomes withdrawn and unable to speak openly, which is increasingly frustrating for Tae Seo. This is Kim Min Ju's first starring role, so there isn't much to compare to. She played the part well, but I had such a hard time relating to her character that it is hard for me to feel positively toward her. I hope to see her in a better role in the future.

Shin Jae Ha as Seong Chan

Seong Chan meets Eun A when he is dating Eun A's future step mother. Later he gives Eun A her first job working at the local hotel and the pair end up dating. Eventually they buy their own guest house and run it together before Eun A breaks up with him. Seong Chan is still hoping to get back together with Eun A, so he is very upset by her renewed relationship with Tae Seo.

 Park Se Hyun as Im A Sol

Im A Sol first sees Tae Seo when he comes to the tutoring center where she is studying. She falls for him instantly, but never gets a chance to talk to him. Later she hires Tae Seo to build a wood frame for her, as an excuse to get to know him. She even goes so far as to ask Tae Seo to pretend they are dating. But through it all, Tae Seo is never actually interested in A Sol as anything more than a friend.

 Kim Ji Hyun as Park So Hyeon

Park So Hyeon dates Eun A's father and comes to the guest house to help with the business. They have a complicated relationship that confuses and angers Eun A. Later when Eun A's father kills himself, Eun A blames So Hyeon for leaving him alone. But over time, Eun A realizes that she and So Hyeon only have each other left. They begin to build a mother- daughter relationship, and it is So Hyeon who invites Eun A to Hawaii at the end of the drama.

Complex relationships

I love a drama with honest, complex relationships. None of these characters are perfect, but they are interestingly flawed. And for our leads, the scars they bear create complicated interpersonal situations that tell a bigger story. None of the relationships in this drama are easy or simple. But each one teaches us something about the characters involved.

Redemption Arcs

This drama does some interesting things at the end to redeem a couple secondary characters. Mostly, those characters are associated with Eun A, probably because she needed to learn forgiveness for her own sake. I didn't really like Seong Chan from the beginning. Just the idea that he went from sleeping with Eun A's stepmom, to her roommate, to her, was a bit much for me. But even still, it was nice that he got his moment in the end to do the right thing and end his relationship with Eun A cleanly. And I liked that Eun A eventually accepted So Hyeon enough to start calling her mom. That felt like a positive change for both of them.

 Hee Seo

I really enjoyed Tae Seo's brother, Hee Seo. It would have been easy for him to give up on life and hide out on the farm. Instead he works hard at his job and fights to find purpose in the world around him. Although Tae Seo feels responsible for taking care of the family finances, it's Hee Seo who cares for his grandparents on a day to day basis, even reaching out to Tae Seo on ocsassion to encourage or update him.  He is not a rosy, joyful character but he is an inspiring picture of resilience and hope.

Poor A Sol

I don't really know if I understand A Sol's motivations. Asking someone to date because you want a warm break up is pretty strange from my perspective. But the girl definitely fell hard and really got nothing to show for it. It seems naive to think she could ever win Tae Seo's heart with Eun A standing on the sidelines, but I have to give it to her. She gave it her best shot. I wish we had seen her rise above that childish crush to show a stronger, more mature side of herself. But this drama wasn't big on ending, so it makes sense that we didn't.

Eun A

Eun A's character felt angry and selfish from the very beginning, and I could just never warm to her character. Tae Seo was good to her whenever she needed him, and she seemed to only think of herself. And it wasn't just Tae Se. She was pretty horrible to Seong Chan and So Hyeon as well. Not to mention her belittling A Sol. Even for a flawed cast of character, she was just too much for me!

 Grandma

I felt like they should have let us get to know the grandmother more. Their family dynamic felt off and I couldn't understand if Tae Seo was burdened or just grateful to them. Also the significance of her memory loss felt lacking in context. Obviously her being sick would impact Tae Seo, but I felt like they were focusing too much on a character we knew almost nothing about. 

'Still Shining' doesn't give us much in the way of tangible endings. Tae Seo's grandmother wakes up from her coma but she is still struggling with memory loss, which may or may not improve with time. A Sol finally gets her warm breakup from Tae Seo and seems ready to move on with her life. We also see Seong Chan call Eun A one last time to say goodbye and wish her well. And with our secondaries finally leaving the scene, all that's left is for our leads to find their own closure.

This time it's Tae Seo's turn to break up with Eun A over the phone. But neither one of them is comfortable leaving it like that. So Tae Seo tracks her down at her old childhood home and they talk. Eun A tells him that she is going back to Hawaii and they reminisce about their past. They say goodbye and go their separate ways. But as Eun A's departure grows nearer, Tae Seo can't stop thinking about her. He ends up riding the train with her to the airport where he hugs her and finally tells her he loves her.

 One year later, we find Tae Seo has pursued his dream to drive actual trains instead of subways. We see him in Eun A's old house, keeping it clean and ready to welcome guests, presumably when she comes back. He gets a text from her with some pictures of her in Hawaii. Tae Seo smiles and then walks out to the front gate to hang a tile with Eun A's name. Could this mean she is coming home sooner rather than later? Fans seem divided on whether this signals an inevitable reconciliation or just Tae Seo's undying devotion. I choose to think Tae Seo has a reason for that smile!

'Still Shining' is a romantic drama about healing and second chances. It is slow-paced and introspective. Even the dialogue is sparse and full of silent pauses that speak volumes. Park Jin Young is wonderful as the introverted subway conductor. The tone is realistic and honest, and manages to avoid too many romantic cliches. The characters are complex and they do a nice job of portraying the giddiness of first love and the burden of family scars and responsibilities.

But this drama is not for everyone. The pacing can feel frustratingly boring if you like a more lively drama. The characters and their misunderstandings can also be extremely maddening. For a drama about healing and growth, it can seem like these characters just keep making the same mistakes. But the cinematography is beautiful and the themes of love and healing are thought-provoking.  I give 'Still Shining' a 2 out of 5 ramen.

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