Historical K-Drama ‘Oasis’ Follows The Twisted Fate Of A Friendship

High school students Lee Doo-Hak and Choi Cheol-woong are best friends at the start of the Korean drama Oasis. Yet the history of their families defines how they must behave toward each other and what each may be allowed to strive for.

Cheol-woong, played by Choo Young-woo, is the only son of a well-to-do family. Doo-hak, played by Jang Dong-yoon, is the son of a farmer whose family was once servants to the Choi family. The good friends are both at the top of their class, but Doo-hak is cautioned not to outshine his wealthy friend by ranking ahead of him academically.

As a student Doo-hak is everything a father might wish for but his father encourages him not to excel. Standing out would be dangerous. Upsetting the implied social order might invoke jealousy and retribution. Everyone has his place in the world and poor people should not dream of a better existence. At first it doesn’t seem if Cheol minds that his friend occasionally outperforms him, but he’s also the victim of his family’s ambition and sense of superiority. Eventually he comes to resent it. Perhaps the rivalry might have existed even if their families were of the same social standing, but their history does not help level the playing field.

If academic competition was not bad enough, the two friends fall for the same girl, Oh Jung-shin, played by Seol In-A.

Cheol declares that he will be fine with whoever Jung-shin decides to date, but he doesn’t really mean it. He’s privileged and used to getting what he wants. He also assumes she will pick him. Jung-shin wisely decides to be friends with both suitors before deciding which one to date. Despite his feelings Doo-hak wants to bow out lest he upset his friend.

The twisted fate of this friendship results in a crime that sends Doo-hak to prison for a murder he did not commit. The first episode is set in the late 1970s and subsequent episodes will follow the three characters into the 80s and 90s to see how they fare during a time of political upheaval. Each of the actors delivers a sympathetic and moving performance as their characters face adulthood in an unequal society.

The drama is beautifully photographed infusing the opening episode’s scenes with a honeyed nostalgic glow. A wealth of visual details—from neatly strung garlic strands to slivers of light through bamboo shades to the regular lines of a newly tilled vegetable plot—capture a clear sense of time and place.

Jang Dong-yoon previously appeared in Search and Tale of Nokdu, for which he won two KBS Drama Awards. In 2022 he also appeared in the film Project Wolf Hunting. This year he can also be seen in the drama Daily Dose of Sunshine. Choo appeared in School 2021 and Police University. Seol In-A appeared in the film Emergency Declaration and the dramas Business Proposal, Mr. Queen, Record of Youth and Strong Girl Do Bong-soon.

The KBS2 drama was written by Jung Hyung-soo and directed by Han Hee, who directed Goodbye Mr. Black and Empress Ki. The drama airs on Rakuten Viki in the US.