‘Doona’ is a new K-drama with season 1 now streaming on Netflix. Directed by Lee Jung-Hyeo, this 9-episode series stars Bae Suzy and Yang Se-Jong in the lead. The script follows Lee Doo-Na, a K-pop idol who decides to stop singing for good. She moves into a sharehouse and falls for Lee Won-Jun, a college freshman who comes from a humble background. The couple tries to figure out their feelings for each other while dealing with other emotional issues in their lives. Besides them, it also stars Ha-Young, Park Se-Wan, Kim Do-Wan, and Kim Min-Ho in supporting roles.
Spoilers ahead.
Doona! (Season 1) Recap:
What is ‘Doona!’ on Netflix about?
‘Doona!’, the new K-drama on Netflix, follows a bittersweet romance between a K-pop idol girl group member and an ordinary college freshman who happen to move into the same sharehouse. This romance comedy-drama shows different stages of their romance while showing us different parts of their lives. It deals with the themes of fame, wealth, domestic abuse, privilege, and intimacy, among others.
Doona! (Season 1), Episode 1 ‘An Unexpected Twist’ Recap:
Lee Won-Jun (Yang Se-Jong), an ambitious college freshman, moves into a sharehouse. While getting started at this new place, he notices a girl staying in another room. He can’t shake the feeling that he has seen her somewhere before. She notices him staring at him and confronts him about stalking her. He struggles to explain himself. Later on, he realizes that she is singer Lee Doo-Na (Bae Suzy) from the Dream Sweet idol group. Meanwhile, he puts up fliers to offer his services as a math tutor so that he can earn something to support his education.
Because of that, he ends up meeting his old friend Kim Jin-Ju (Ha-Young) after years of distance. It seems like they were fairly close before they distanced from each other. Won-Jun still has feelings for her but does not express them right away. Back at the safe house, he returns to find Doo-Na on her own and crying. Soon after they start talking, she collapses on the floor. He takes her to the hospital and takes care of her. However, he tries to ensure that she does not get any wrong idea about what he is doing. Meanwhile, he feels like his chances of being with Jin-Ju are over. He returns home hurt by it and ends up taking his anger out on Doo-Na. During that argument, he reminds her of how he needs to earn, unlike her. After that moment of honesty, the two start getting closer as friends.
Doona! (Season 1), Episode 2 ‘Getting to Know Each Other’ Recap:
Won-Jun gets a job at a café where Jin-Ju also works. That gives him an opportunity to interact again with this old friend. In the past, he had come first in an exam, and she had come second. His friend reminded him how she comes from a rich family, which made him distance himself from her. Now, he tries to rekindle that love. Meanwhile, Doo-Na tries to get to know Won-Jun better. In that attempt, she also fights back two men who try to attack him. Jin-Ju, who happens to pass by that street, suggests getting together for drinks. So, the three return to their co-ed house and start drinking & talking. Doo-Na realizes that Won-Jun has feelings for Jin-Ju. She gets jealous that he has such a strong friendship with someone whom he has known for years.
Jin-Ju happens to see them together, talking and almost kissing each other. She assumes they like each other. Won-Jon gets upset hearing that and ends up having a fight with Doo-Na. But soon after, they patch up. Doo-Na tries to get acquainted with Won-Jun’s social circle – Kim Do-Wan (Koo Jung-Hoon) & Seo Yeun-Taek (Kim Min-Ho). Later, she helps Won-Jun win over Jin-Ju’s heart. Won-Jun wonders why Doo-Na left her popular group. Doo-Na cryptically mentions that she realized she cannot sing anymore. But there is something more under the surface, especially in her relationship with the idol group’s manager, Park In-Wook (Lee Jin-Uk). It resulted in her collapsing from the stage in the middle of a performance.
Doona! (Season 1), Episode 3 ‘Spring Breeze’ Recap:
In the past, Won-Jun could not be in a relationship with Jin-Ju despite his feelings for her. He just assumed that she did not share those feelings and distanced himself. Now, as her colleague, he tries to take their relationship to the next level. Meanwhile, alone in her room, Doo-Na feels unsafe, as if she is being watched. She also ends up breaking a mirror. After returning to the shared house, Won-Jun notices that and tries to calm her down. He takes her out to play basketball, and they enjoy their time together.
Later on, he goes out to see cherry blossoms with Jin-Ju. Suddenly, it starts to pour, and her friend Ji Se-Hun (Lee Chan-Hyeong) offers them a ride. During their meal, Jin-Ju notices Doo-Na wearing Won-Jun’s sweatshirt, which raises her suspicions about their relationship. Meanwhile, Won-Jun feels that Jin-Ju has feelings for Se-Hun. Later that day, Doo-Na notices her stalker outside the window. Won-Jun and others follow him and confront him. Eventually, Won-Jun gets the stalker to sign a paper saying he won’t do this to Doo-Na again.
A still from Doona!Doona! (Season 1), Episode 4 ‘The Unexpected’ Recap:
Doo-Na shows up at the amusement park where Won-Jun works. After spending the entire day together, they grab a late-night meal. She tells him not to overwork and to be lazy once in a while. Soon after, they break two fortune cookies. His note reads that he will meet his biggest enemy. Hers tells her to seize every opportunity to change her fate. Soon after, a photo of them becomes viral on the internet. He feels bad that she has to suffer and tolerate such paparazzi moments. Unlike him, she does not take it seriously. At least she pretends not to.
Meanwhile, Won-Jun happens to notice a girl fighting with her foreign boyfriend. Later on, Yun-Taek lies to make Won-Jun meet her in the cafeteria. That’s when he sees her again and remembers who she is. Choi I-Ra (Park Se-Wan) liked Won-Jun a lot as a kid and kept obsessing over him for years. But Won-Jun still does not feel the same way about her. Later that day, Doo-Na learns that Won-Jun went on a blind date instead of going out with her. Soon after, Won-Jun returns and notices a wound on Doo-Na’s arm. While he tries to take her pain away, she approaches to kiss him. He does not back up and has this unexpected kiss.
Doona! (Season 1) Episode 5 ‘Meaningless Kiss’ Recap:
Won-Jun regrets kissing Doo-Na right after they share the moment. He restlessly spends his night and then speaks with her the next day. Won-Jun clarifies that he only sees her as a friend and believes they should not have kissed. Later that day, Jin-Ju tries to make Won-Jun realize that she has feelings for him. Meanwhile, I-Ra and her friends come to stay at the safe house, and so does Jin-Ju. At night, she has a dialogue with Doo-Na about her interest in Won-Jun. She mentions how that is why she decided to move into the sharehouse – to know if he feels the same way about her.
Upon hearing that, Doo-Na decides to test her own feelings for Won-Jun. She goes to a nightclub to get over him. Meanwhile, Jin-Ju openly expresses her feelings to Won-Jun. She says she felt happy knowing he felt the same about her. However, due to some family issues of domestic abuse, she could not express herself at that time. Unlike them, Won-Jun does not feel the same way about her. While it breaks her heart, she likes that she was honest. Hours later, Doo-Na returns to the sharehouse with a guy who treats her poorly. Won-Jun notices that and makes the creep leave. Later that night, he confesses that he feels for her, and she does too. They share a kiss again. But this time, it is meaningful.
Doona! (Season 1), Episode 6 ‘Twilight Zone’ Recap:
Won-Jun visits the place where he grew up. Over the call, he opens up to her about his humble background and feeling like he is not enough for her. Right after, he quickly gets on a bus to meet her to spend the night with her. Everyone else in their group is surprised to learn that Won-Jun and Doo-Na are sleeping together. The next night, Won-Jun goes out to watch fireworks with Jin-Ju. She confesses having had feelings for him for years. He apologizes for hesitating and for not saying what he felt for her. On the other hand, I-Ra starts falling for Jung-Woon. Unfortunately, Yun-Taek feels that I-Ra is interested in him.
Meanwhile, Doo-Na gets asked to return to singing for their idol group at the earliest. She secretly visits Dream Sweet’s showcase event. Her manager happens to notice Doo-Na sneak out of the venue. Later, she invites Won-Jun on a spontaneous trip to her childhood home. They take a bus ride to reach there quite late. After getting soaked in the rain, they get intimate. Early in the morning, he notices her sitting outside, humming by herself. He joins her and puts his head on her shoulder. Just a few hours later, she notices her manager there. It brings back memories of how she became a part of a girl idol group with his help. We get a glimpse of the difficulties she had to make her wish come true.
Doona! (Season 1), Episode 7 ‘Clear the Air’ Recap:
After manager Park In-Wook’s return, Doo-Na chooses to go with over Won-Jun. In-Wook expects her to return to her singing career instead of being forgotten. She finds it hard to control her feelings any longer. So, she confronts him for leaving her alone and making her feel abandoned in the past. In the process, she ends up hurting her foot. She decides to return to her house instead of going with him. But she takes none of Won-Jun’s calls, which makes him feel rejected. Once she returns to the safe house, he asks her not to play with his feelings like that.
Won-Jun feels like Doo-Na is using him to get over her loneliness. Since he turns his back on her, she goes back to meet In-Wook. She repeats that she cannot sing anymore. So, he sees her of no use. She meets another Dream Sweet member, who questions her for abandoning the group. Later, Doo-Na returns to the safehouse and confesses that she does not want to lose Won-Jun. In that moment of pain and frustration, he confronts her. She accepts that she loves him. After spending the night with him, she starts getting back to her love for singing.
Doona! (Season 1), Episode 8 ‘Typical and Ordinary’ Recap:
After Doo-Na’s confession of love, Won-Jun and Doo-Na’s relationship starts flourishing. They attend a concert where Won-Jun realizes how much she loves singing. Eventually, he makes her accept that she deserves things that aren’t ordinary. He tries to motivate her to go back to perform if she wants to. Won-Jun says he will support her even if they cannot be together like they are used to.
Later on, a chance at a comeback comes knocking on Doo-Na’s door, coupled with a series of tough choices. Since she breached their previous contract, she decided to revive her career by performing solo. Her agency’s President, Ma, agrees to let Doo-Na take any creative routes she wants. When she gets up on the stage to perform, Won-Jun has a painful realization that their relationship may not remain the same after that moment.
Doona! (Season 1), Episode 9 ‘Doona!’ Recap:
Once Doo-Na returns to her singing career with newfound confidence, Won-Jun moves out of the sharehouse and focuses on his studies. Owing to her busy schedule, they cannot stay in touch as they used to. Adding to that, In-Wook’s words keep him distant from her. Still, he kept writing letters to her, trying to hold on to their emotional bond. On a snowy night, she meets him on a bridge and asks him to join her for a meal. That’s when he finally accepts that he cannot tolerate their long-distance relationship. His solution is to break off what they have. She gets emotional hearing that.
While walking back, she makes him realize how she stood by him despite her career starting to soar. She finds it difficult to accept that he wished to be with her when she was at her lowest and is distancing himself when she is successful.
Doona! (Season 1) Ending Explained:
Do Doo-Na & Won-Jun end up together?
After Won-Jun decides to break up with Doo-Na, they both get back to their careers. She becomes more successful than she ever was. Meanwhile, he joins the army to serve for the country. While Yun-Taek becomes a dating guide, I-Ra gets married to Jung-Hoon and starts working at a desk job. Won-Jun returns to his hometown and happens to meet Jin-Ju after a while. She talks about her travels across the globe with enthusiasm, which warms his heart. Later, the safe house dwellers have a get-together. I-Ra makes everyone realize Doo-Na’s absence.
A few hours later, everyone leaves except Won-Jun. He stays back and finds Doo-Na smoking by herself. They meet after what seems like ages. The two lock eyes the way they had for the first time in the same sharehouse. After having drinks with him, Doo-Na returns to her house. But his last words make her so emotional that she shows up at his apartment. She gets upset by his lukewarm reaction to meeting her and confronts him about it. He apologizes for not fighting to win her back in the past. They both get emotional and hug each other. Eventually, they accept their separate destinies and return to their lives. In the end, we see them cross paths but walk past each other. So, Doo-Na and Won-Jun’s relationship has a bitter ending.
