Series Details
Air Dates: June 26, 2026
Episodes: 6
Where to Watch: Netflix
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Starring: Choi Min Sik and Choi Hyun Wook
The Story
A washed up writer has spent years working as a frustrated and unfulilled literature professor. When he notices a quiet student in class with a talent for writing, he offers to give him private tutoring. And as the student's story begins to intertwine with the professor's own life, he will become increasingly invested in the student and his tale. But when that interest slowly turns into an obsession, the professor could end up losing his wife and his career.
The Leads
Choi Min Sik as Heo Mun O
Heo Mun O is an author who published one successful book years ago. But the constant pressure and criticism gets the best of him and he is never able to publish anything again. He has become a bitter literature professor known for being harsh and demanding with his students. But when a quiet engineering student named Lee Gang joins his class, Mun O is intrigued by Gang's personal narrative style. Mun O begins tutoring Gang privately. But what starts as a writer's appreciation soon becomes an obsession when Mun O realizes that the characters from Gang's story are actually Mun O's former friend and rival Kim Su Hun and Mun O's first love, Ahn Eun Ju, who is now Su Hun's wife. And as the story weaves into a tale of deception and abuse, Mun O loses any grip on reality as he becomes determined to reveal Su Hun's true nature and protect Eun Ju.
Heo Mun O is insecure and selfish. He sees Su Hun as the example of everything he wanted in life but didn't get. Su Hun is a successful novelist who has spent years married to Mun O's college crush. While Mun O is a washed up author who treats his wife more like an inconvenient roommate than someone he loves. Choi Min Sik played this character so well. He never really tried to make Mun O likable, but he did make it easy to feel a bit of pity.
Choi Hyun Wook as Lee Gang
Lee Gang is a quiet, engineering student who sits in the back row of Mun O's literature class. Gang has an unusual, natural talent for writing that is immediately recognized by his professor. When Mun O suggests that he work privately with Gang to help him hone his talents, Gang is only moderately interested. But eventually he agrees. As Gang's personal story begins to take shape, Mun O becomes increasingly more demanding and controlling about what Gang writes and how he writes it. And as Gang's characters begin to overlap with Mun O's own past, the tension between the young writer and his teacher begin to grow. But we soon learn that Gang's story is no coincidence and that his intentions are much more sinister than he originally let on.
Lee Gang is an emotionally passive student who grew up in an orphanage. He doesn't have many friends except Kim Se Yun, an outgoing engineering student who Gang meets at the beginning of the year. Gang and Se Yun become close and Se Yun's family invites Gang to move in with them. Later we learn that Gang orchestrated the whole relationship to help him take revenge on Mun O. Choi Hyun Wook plays this kind of quiet, detached character well. His enigmatic facial expressions worked perfectly for this role.
Supporting Characters
Huh Joon Ho as Kim Su Hun
Kim Su Hun went to university with Mun O. But whereas Mun O folded under the constant criticism of his writing, Su Hun made the right connections to get his writing noticed. Since then, he has written numerous successful books and built his career around being an author. Su Hun is the villain in Gang's writing, which Mun O is only too happy to believe.
Kim Yoon Jin as Ahn Eun Ju
Ahn Eun Ju was also a student with Mun O and Su Hun. Mun O noticed her and had been admiring her from afar. But it was Su Hun who had the confidence to approach her and ask her out. Eun Ju has been married to Su Hun for years now and their son is Se Yun. Eun Ju never even knew that Mun O had a crush on her or that she is the model for every female character he has ever created.
Jin Kyung as Cho Hyeon Suk
Cho Hyeon Suk is Mun O's wife. She is a therapist. The couple's relationship has deteriorated over time due to their struggles to have a baby and Mun O's obsession and insecurity about his past. Hyeon Suk has continued to make an effort to improve their marriage, but she has become increasingly frustrated by Mun O's selfishness.
Things I Like
Twists and Turns
This drama did a great job of constructing a story full of surprises. From the beginning, it is obvious that things are not completely what they seem. But how much, if any of it, is real? I felt like certain parts of the story were purposefully predictable just to catch us off-balance for others. It creates a perfect push and pull with the audience that had me looking forward to whatever loop was about to get thrown at us.
Strong Themes
The writing in this drama is excellent. And because of that, the story has very complex, carefully constructed themes. It explores the lines between fact and fiction, mentorship and control, manipulation and revenge. The story is at its best when it is exploring the psychology of its characters and how their own beliefs steer the plot.
Cho Hyeon Suk
I loved Jin Kyung in this role. Her patient elegance in the face of neglect and mistreatment make her character engaging. And I was so happy that in the end she decided to think of herself for a change and remove herself from that toxic environment. She deserved so much more and I hope she never looks back
Things I Didn't Like
Motive
For me, the weakest part of this drama was Lee Gang's motivation. I'm sure that the exchange he had with Mun O as a child felt hurtful. But for him to plan his whole college career and social life around some gamble for revenge felt too extreme. It seems like there should have been something more serious than a childhood slight.
Fast Paced Ending
Toward the end of this drama the melodrama really starts to roll. At some point, it starts to feel like the momentum of dramatic twists is moving faster than the plot can control. As the truth is revealed in exciting fits and starts, we have fake murder, fake arson, and fake affairs. But we also have real revenge, career ending disgrace, and divorce.
The Real Su Hun
I was kind of disappointed that we never really find out what the real Su Hun is like. From Mun O's flashbacks, it isn't hard to believe the guy is really the jerk both Mun O and Gang paint him to be. But we have also learned what unreliable narrators they both are. So who is the real Su Hun?
The Ending
In the end, we finally find out why Gang created this whole charade in the first place. We see a flashback of young Gang in the orphanage, where Mun O and his wife come to volunteer. Mun O initially seemed to show some interest in Gang, which made him feel seen and appreciated. But later, Mun O blows him off without a thought, crushing the young boys feelings and leaving him desperate to get revenge.
In the present, Gang tells Mun O about getting a message from Se Yun saying his dad had gone crazy and planned to burn their house down with all of them in it. Desperate to save Eun Ju and finally show the world Su Hun's true colors, Mun O calls the police and fire department, and then rushes to the house himself. But after banging on the door, with the officers at his back, the family returns from a family outing, completely bewildered by the commotion outside their house. The fallout from this disaster causes Mun O to lose his job, his wife, and his reputation.
In the final scene, we see Mun O running his own bookstore. He has his laptop set up behind the register to work when there are no customers. Although he is looking rougher physically, he seems more at peace and he is finally writing again. Gang comes in unnoticed and sets down a copy of Goethe's Faust, a story of genius and obsession similar to Mun O's own life story. Gang tells Mun O that he needs his guidance to get his next story out. Despite himself, Mun O can't help but be intrigued as he asks "What's the story?". Gang chuckles as the screen fades and then he says "To be continued." Whether there is a season 2 or not, it seems like the two of them will continue creating together.
Should I Watch
'Notes From the Last Row' is a psychological thriller about the dangerous lines that can exist between fiction and reality. mentorship and obsession, and long-held jealousy and personal regret. The cast, led by Choi Min Sik, was remarkable. The short 6 episode format had me bingeing this one and the plot twists kept me on my toes.
Even though it's only 6 episodes, this drama doesn't move quickly. The pace is slow and methodic and focuses on the character rather than action. So much so that, at times, the character melodrama overshadows the plot. It also focuses on the moral ambiguity of its characters. There is no real hero to this story; just flawed humans who let their own insecurities lead them astray. But I absolutely enjoyed the psychological tension of this drama. I give 'Notes From the Last Row' a 4 out of 5 ramen.
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