K-Drama’s Beloved Reputation Ruined by Single Line of Dialogue

JTBC’s We Are All Trying Here is facing backlash over a weird line in last week’s episode.

The controversy began with Eun Ah (Go Youn Jung) telling Dong Man (Koo Kyo Hwan), “You have the smell of a teenage boy about you, Director.” Fans immediately found the line strange and off-putting.

A viral post on Pann slammed the wording, saying:

“I get that it’s the female lead in her 30s comforting the male lead in his 40s, but the smell of a teenage boy…? Honestly, all I can think of is the smell of sweat… Even with the same sentiment, something like ‘When I look at you, Director, you remind me of a teenage boy’ or ‘You’re pure like a child,’ not even that (which honestly wouldn’t be great either), but the specific wording of ‘the smell of a teenage boy’ is really off-putting. I know it’s meant to be a literary expression, but that way of putting it is a hard pass for me.”
— Viral post on Pann

Controversial Line Screenshot 1

Viral Post Screenshot

The drama has had issues before. A previous scene where Eun Ah wraps Dong Man in her sweater for a hug was called “uncomfortable” by netizens.

Here’s what some viewers said:

“I don’t even want to look at the screenshot, f*ck.”
“Ugh, cr*p… what even is that?”
“If a male actor had said ‘you smell like a teenage girl’ or whatever, that would’ve been way more than enough to cause controversy lol.”
“You can tell from this writer’s dramas that they have never worked a regular job or part-time, zero realism. What’s the smell of a teenage boy? Just sweat.”
“What a load of nonsense, that’s so forced, what is that…”

Sweater Hug Scene Screenshot