Youth of May is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a straightforward spring-set coming-of-age drama where young adults chase after their dreams, if they have any, and try to figure out what they want otherwise. Like plenty of other K-dramas, this usually involves a romance. But in between the ordinary romance, life strikes. Students fight for democracy, and at the time, the government cracked down on them brutally, but because the show spent time getting to know Myung-hee and Hui-tae, the consequences of these events make it all the more poignant. Youth of May reminds us of the humanity behind the brave students that fought for South Korea’s democracy, and the lives that have been tragically cut short for it.

While it’s a period piece, Youth of May’s democratization movement isn’t initially front and center– Being from Seoul, Hui-tae’s not directly involved, but the movement is just part and parcel of their lives. Instead of placing the activist students on a pedestal, Youth of May showcases them as ordinary people, just like you and me, and that this kind of activism isn’t a lofty, impossibly heroic thing to do.