Episodes five and six of “A Hundred Memories” took a turn by shifting the spotlight away from the expected love triangle and placing friendship at the center of the story once again. While the tension between Jae Pil (Heo Nam Jun), Young Rye (Kim Da Mi), and Jong Hee (Shin Ye Eun) continues to simmer in the background, these episodes make it clear that the true heart of the drama lies in the bond between the two women. Through moments of sacrifice, solidarity, and quiet strength, “A Hundred Memories” shows that friendship can be just as powerful and moving as romance.
So, from fighting against Cheon Ah’s inhumane policies to Young Rye and Jong Hee being each other’s ride-or-die, here are three times friendship took center stage in “A Hundred Memories” episodes five and six.
Trigger warning: this feature contains media depicting blood.
Young Rye and the girls’ strike against Cheon Ah
Episodes five and six shine a spotlight on Young Rye’s quiet resilience, transforming into bold defiance. What begins as yet another normal day of battling motion sickness and unfair demands escalates into something larger when she and the other conductors refuse to back down against Cheon Ah’s exploitative policies.
According to the manager at the bus company, Cheon Ah is not making enough money, so all of the conductors are asked to fit one more passenger in the bus. The only problem is that in doing so, they are forced to ride the bus with the door open.
What everyone had feared happens, and it is worse than anyone could have expected. Due to the open-door travel, Hae Ja (Lee Min Ji), the bus conductor who used to boss around the other bus conductors, falls down and loses her leg.
To make matters worse, the manager refuses to pay for the hospital bills that would not have existed in the first place if it were not for his greedy and inhumane policies.
Even though Hae Ja is not someone the girls were friends with, they do not hesitate to go on strike for her. The strike is grounded, raw, and rooted in the frustrations of women who have been silenced for too long.
What makes this moment so compelling is how the show frames it: not just as a workplace dispute but as an act of solidarity that carries the weight of history. The women link arms, stand in public view, and risk everything, knowing they may lose their livelihoods in the process.
Young Rye in particular becomes an unlikely leader. Her vulnerability makes her strength even more striking. It is her willingness to endure ridicule and danger that pushes the others to dig in their heels as well. It is about dignity, agency, and the small revolutions that ripple outward when women decide to say “enough.”
Jong Hee sacrifices her love
If Young Rye is defined by her fight on the streets, Jong Hee’s battleground is far more internal. Her struggle in these episodes is heartbreakingly quiet. She watches her own feelings for Jae Pil harden into something she knows she cannot pursue because she finally realizes that Young Rye liked Jae Pil before she ever met him.
The drama could have turned her longing into melodrama, but instead, it gives us the ache of silence, the sideways glances, the unspoken words, and the moments where she takes one step back so someone else can step forward.
Jong Hee’s decision to prioritize friendship and stability over her own desires is devastating. She is not punished with dramatic humiliation or villainized as the second lead. Instead, the writing honors her sacrifice, showing that sometimes the truest form of love is restraint. The audience feels her heartbreak not in what she says, but in what she does not.
What is even more emotional is that Jae Pil himself seems to hover near her, unable to fully let go either. This tension creates a bittersweet push and pull, a woman refusing to harm her closest friend even if it means burying her own heart.
However, it would have been nicer to see the friends talking to each other and finding a way that was not as extreme, because to save Young Rye from the heartbreak of seeing her first love with her best friend, Jong Hee gave that heartbreak to Jae Pil instead, who had pure feelings for our second lead in his heart.
Jong Hee and Young Rye are each other’s ride-or-die
While much of the narrative teases a love triangle, episodes five and six remind us that the most powerful relationship in “A Hundred Memories” may not be romantic at all. It is the bond between Jong Hee and Young Rye.
Again and again, these women catch each other when they stumble. When Young Rye takes the reckless leap of leading the strike, it is Jong Hee’s steady presence that becomes her anchor. When Jong Hee drowns in the quiet ache of unrequited love, it is Young Rye’s unwavering companionship that steadies her heart. When Jong Hee’s brother shows up out of nowhere and tries to humiliate her, Young Rye saves her. Similarly, Jong Hee jumps in to protect Young Rye when their manager attacks her in the middle of the night.
What makes this dynamic so magnetic is that the drama refuses to reduce them to rivals. Instead, it celebrates the radical idea that two women can occupy the center of the story together, saving each other in ways big and small. There is a ride-or-die bond built not on grand gestures but on the daily choice to stand by one another through strikes, heartbreak, and the quiet moments in between.
As viewers have pointed out, some of Young Rye’s characterization in the earlier episodes felt infantilized, making her appear almost too naïve compared to the other women. However, after the time jump, it becomes clear that this was a deliberate choice by the actress. By giving the younger Young Rye a wide-eyed, almost Bambi-like innocence, she sets up a striking contrast to the older Young Rye, who carries herself with far more maturity and resolve.
This shift makes the passage of time feel more tangible and meaningful, allowing the audience to witness her growth not just through circumstances but through demeanor and presence. It will be exciting to see how Young Rye continues to evolve.
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Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of clichés are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres and stans the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN. You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs.
Currently watching: “Bon Appétit! Your Majesty” and “A Hundred Memories”
