Cheer Up

Cheer Up (2022): Campus Romance, Real-Life Reactions, And The Messy Little Controversies Behind The Pom-Poms

When Cheer Up (2022) dropped, you thought the drama would stay safely on campus. Instead, it spilled right into real life—onto news sites, fan forums, and social feeds. From a dating-violence scene that split the internet to awards-night domination and wild fan detective work, here’s the real-world tea behind SBS’s not-so-innocent cheer squad.

On-Set Drama (Or Lack Thereof): A Surprisingly Wholesome Squad

• Behind-the-scenes clips show the Cheer Up cast acting more like a real-life club than a tense drama set. Making-of footage highlighted Han Ji-hyun, Bae In-hyuk, Kim Hyun-jin, Lee Eun-saem, and Jang Gyu-ri joking around, practicing together, and keeping spirits high during tough outdoor shoots.
• In one memorable BTS moment, Han Ji-hyun jokingly pleads with Kim Hyun-jin to buy her food, turning on the aegyo and “irresistible eyes” while the staff and cast crack up.^[1]
• During a track-field shoot under the scorching sun, the cast reportedly kept each other energized with jokes and playful teasing instead of slipping into diva mode.^[1]

Translation: no reported feuds, no screaming matches, just a bunch of sweaty actors trying not to collapse between takes.

Scandals & Controversies: The Dating-Violence Scene That Blew Up

This is where Cheer Up stepped straight into think-piece territory.

• A key flashpoint: a scene where Tae Cho-hee (Jang Gyu-ri) is slapped by her ex-boyfriend—and then beats him down in return, kneeing and hitting him with her bag before leaning over him and purring, “It would hurt your ego to hear rumors about you getting beat up by a girl, right?” She then tells him never to come near her again and walks off.
• Korean media flagged the scene as a controversial portrayal of “dating violence,” questioning if the power dynamics and physical retaliation were realistic.^[2]
• Netizens in Korea were split:
• Some called it “unrealistic,” citing the big size difference and arguing that women in that situation should call the police rather than fight back.^[2]
• Others found it cathartic and refreshing to see a female character physically standing up to her abuser instead of staying helpless.^[2]
• International fans? Largely obsessed. Many praised Tae Cho-hee as a low-key feminist icon and created edits celebrating her as an empowerment figure across the drama.^[2]

No official apology or clarification from SBS or the cast was reported—but the scene kept resurfacing online, turning Cheer Up into an unexpected talking point about how K-dramas handle abuse and self-defense.

Romance Rumors & Shipping Chaos (All On the Fans’ Side)

Real-world dating scandals? Basically none. Fan imagination? Out of control.

• Han Ji-hyun and Bae In-hyuk’s onscreen chemistry and their comfy closeness in BTS clips—like the box-falling scene where he protects her and they end up very snug and stare-y—sent shippers into overdrive.^[1]
• TikTok, Instagram edits, and Pinterest boards built them up as a “comfort couple,” with fans obsessing over their micro-interactions in rehearsals and behind-the-scenes.^[1]
• But: there are no confirmed dating reports linking them in real life. Any “are they secretly together?” talk is purely fan speculation and wishful shipping, not backed by actual news coverage.

Ratings, Delays & Fandom Gripes

Even off-screen, Cheer Up had a bumpy ride.

• Viewers on Reddit and review sites complained about “systematic failure” in the storytelling—calling the plot messy, the mystery dragged out, and the character writing (especially for the female lead) sometimes grating and immature.
• The broadcast schedule took a hit when an episode was canceled as part of the industry-wide mourning after the Itaewon crowd crush tragedy in October 2022. A K-drama news page reported SBS pulled that week’s Cheer Up episode in memorial, disrupting the broadcast flow and adding to the feeling of a stop‑start run.

No lawsuits, no crew mutiny—but definitely a bit of chaos in how and when the show actually aired, plus a lot of online grumbling about wasted potential.

Awards, Ex-Idols & Wild Trivia

• For all the mixed reviews, the industry gave the cast serious love. At the 2022 SBS Drama Awards, Cheer Up snagged:
• Best New Actor for Bae In-hyuk and Kim Hyun-jin
• Best New Actress for Lee Eun-saem and Jang Gyu-ri
• Best Teamwork Award for the ensemble

Basically: critics might have side‑eyed the script, but everyone agreed the kids were working their hearts out.

• Jang Gyu-ri came into the show right after leaving girl group fromis_9. Her contract ended in July 2022; she exited the group and pivoted fully into acting, with Cheer Up positioned as a big step in rebranding her from idol to actress.
• The drama pulls inspiration from Yonsei University’s real cheering squad and campus culture, blurring the line between fictional Theia and the real-life traditions it’s riffing on. That added a layer of curiosity—and scrutiny—from Korean viewers familiar with the campus scene.

Fandom Sleuthing & Fan Theories

While the production stayed surprisingly clean of leaks and lawsuits, the fandom did what fandoms do best: spiral.

• Mystery elements around the “culprit” and looming danger to the cheer squad fueled long Reddit and blog threads where fans tried to guess who the killer/stalker was before the finale.^[4]
• Some viewers praised the tension, others complained the show leaned too heavily on fake-outs—but either way, the whodunnit angle kept Cheer Up in conversation even among people who thought the romance was mid.

No massive spoiler leaks ever went viral, but the speculation culture around the show doubled as unpaid marketing.

In short: Cheer Up wasn’t a behind-the-scenes train wreck. Instead, the drama spilled into real life in quieter but juicier ways—one explosive dating-violence scene that turned into a cultural debate, a cast showered in rookie awards, an ex‑idol reinventing herself, and a fandom doing Olympic-level shipping and theorizing to keep the show alive long after the last cheer.