No friendship is perfect, and sometimes love turns into comparison and competition. On Sept. 12, Netflix brings an emotional new drama that captures the delicate yet messy beauty and painful reality of a lifelong friendship. You and Everything Else follows two best friends whose bond spans decades, pulling viewers into a journey filled with laughter, rivalry, admiration, resentment and forgiveness.
Starring Kim Go-eun (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, Yumi’s Cells, Little Women), Park Ji-hyun (Do You Like Brahms?, Reborn Rich, Flex X Cop) and Kim Gun-woo (The Glory), the series explores what it really means to be friends for life when love, jealousy and time get in the way. Directed by Jo Yeong-min (Do You Like Brahms?, The Interest of Love) and written by Song Hye-jin (The Smile Has Left Your Eyes), the drama is a rare exploration of a bond that feels both tender and destructive. It is a story so honest that many will see themselves reflected in it. Watching the trailer feels uncanny, almost like seeing our own former best friends on screen, but strangely comforting at the same time.
A Friendship Caught Between Love and Envy
You and Everything Else tells the complex story of Eun-jung and Sang-yeon’s lifetime of friendship. Once inseparable, they grow up tied together but torn apart through their teens, twenties, thirties and into their forties. From carefree school days to career milestones, they experience the highs and lows of being each other’s closest ally and fiercest rival. Years later, Sang-yeon returns with news of her terminal cancer diagnosis and makes an incomprehensible final request. This forces both women to revisit their shared past, confront unresolved emotions and face a future defined by impossible choices as Sang-yeon nears her final journey.
Kim Go-eun as Ryu Eun-jung
Ryu Eun-jung is bright, honest, and approachable, earning affection from classmates and colleagues alike. Now working as a screenwriter, her passion drives her career in storytelling. Though admired by many, Eun-jung constantly feels ordinary when compared to Sang-yeon, a friend she both admires and envies.
Park Ji-hyun as Cheon Sang-yeon
Cheon Sang-yeon is Eun-jung’s best friend and lifelong rival. From her teenage years, she appears confident but wrestles with insecurities and a longing for affection. Sang-yeon becomes a successful film director, but behind her achievements hides an inner turmoil she rarely shares. Her complicated relationship with Eun-jung switches between closeness and distance until her terminal cancer diagnosis pushes her to ask for an unthinkable request of assisted death abroad.
Kim Gun-woo as Kim Sang-hak
Kim Sang-hak is a charismatic senior student and talented photographer whom Eun-jung and Sang-yeon meet in their college photography club. Later working as a cinematographer, his warmth and creativity drew both women to him. As someone who connects deeply with them during their formative years, Sang-hak becomes an important figure who shapes their personal journeys and their relationship with each other.
Supporting Characters
The series also introduces Cheon Sang-hak (Kim Jae-won), Sang-yeon’s older brother who gives Eun-jung cherished teenage memories and becomes someone she quietly holds a fondness for. Later in life, Eun-jung meets Kim Sang-hak in college, whose name not only recalls her past connection with Sang-yeon’s family but also stirs memories of her fondness for Cheon Sang-hak.
Yoon Hyun-sook (Seo Jeong-yeon) plays Sang-yeon’s mother, who struggles to meet her daughter’s need for affection, creating distance between them. Young Eun-jung (Do Yeong-seo) and young Sang-yeon (Park Seo-kyung) portray the beginnings of their bond at age 11, capturing the early stages of admiration and envy that shape their future. Director Kyung Seung-joo (Lee Sang-yoon) also appears as a professional figure tied to both women in adulthood. Throughout the decades, viewers can expect surprise cameos from beloved actors as the story unfolds from their teens to their forties.
OST That Lingers Long After
The drama’s soundtrack is designed to be just as moving as its story, offering a healing and addictive mix of songs across different styles and emotions. With contributions from acclaimed singers such as Paul Kim and other great artists, the OST promises a memorable listening experience that enhances the emotional weight of Eun-jung and Sang-yeon’s journey.
When and Where to Watch
Prepare your tissues for this one… You and Everything Else is now streaming on Netflix, with all 15 episodes available worldwide!
Whose side of this friendship do you find yourself relating to more, Eun-jung’s or Sang-yeon’s? Tell us your thoughts and favorite moments from You and Everything Else on Instagram and X/Twitter!
Featured Image Credit: Netflix
