The new JTBC K-drama We Are All Trying Here started on April 18, 2026. The show tells the story of Hwang Dong-man, a movie director who has not been able to get his career started for 20 years. He is surrounded by friends who have all found success, and this makes him feel angry and jealous. The first two episodes showed his daily struggles with money, his difficult relationships, and the small hope that comes when a producer named Byeon Eun-ah shows interest in his writing.
The drama comes from writer Park Hae Young and director Cha Young Hoon. It also stars Koo Kyo-hwan as Dong-man, Go Youn-jung as Eun-ah, and Oh Jung-se as Park Kyeong-se. The first episode got a 2.2% rating in South Korea according to Nielsen Korea. People are talking about the show because it shows real emotions like failure, envy, and the fear of being worthless.
Release date and time for We Are All Trying Here Episodes 3-4
We Are All Trying Here will release two new episodes every weekend. Episode 3 comes out on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Episode 4 follows on Sunday, April 26, 2026. The show airs on JTBC at 10:40 PM Korea Standard Time (KST).
For viewers around the world, here is when you can watch:
- India: Around 7:10 PM Indian Standard Time (IST)
- United States: Around 10:00 AM Eastern Time (ET)
- United Kingdom: Around 3:00 PM Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
- Canada: Same as US time zones
- Australia: Around 12:00 AM Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) the next day
Each episode runs for about 1 hour and 5 minutes. The show has a total of 12 episodes.
Where to stream the new episodes
You can watch We Are All Trying Here on Netflix in many countries around the world. The episodes come to Netflix at the same time they air on JTBC in South Korea. The subtitle team at Netflix adds English subtitles right away.
To watch on Netflix, you need a subscription. The plans are:
- Standard Plan: $8.99 per month
- Standard (ad-free) Plan: $19.99 per month
- Premium Plan: $26.99 per month
Recap of Episode 1: Dong-man hits the bottom
The first episode opens with Park Kyeong-se (Oh Jung-se) sitting alone in a bar. He is worried about his upcoming movie. But his bigger problem is Hwang Dong-man. Kyeong-se calls Dong-man his “muse,” but their past is filled with bad memories.
At a kimchi stew restaurant, Dong-man caused trouble. He does not even like spicy food, but he ate everything loudly. Kyeong-se could not get anyone to listen to his jokes because Dong-man kept talking. Later, Kyeong-se told a friend that his movie might fail. Dong-man heard this and smiled. He warned Kyeong-se that he might end up like him. This made Kyeong-se very angry because he has made five movies while Dong-man has not made even one.
Dong-man’s life is a mess. He wakes up late and tries to leave his apartment without paying rent. But his landlord always catches him. He works as a teacher for young writers. He tells his students that poverty helps writers become better. But his own life shows a different story. He owes money to loan sharks. He borrowed the money to pay for his cat’s surgery. Now they call him every day asking for the money back.
Dong-man wants to join “The Eight,” a group of top directors. Everyone in the group has awards and successful movies. Everyone except Dong-man. He has not even made his first movie yet. At a dinner for the group, Kyeong-se questions his talent. He asks how Dong-man can tell the same story over and over like it is the first time. Most of the group agrees to cut ties with Dong-man. Only Jun-hwan shows him some kindness.
Byeon Eun-ah (Go Youn-jung) works as a producer. People call her “The Ax” because she is very harsh when she reads scripts. But lately, she has lost her sharpness. Her boss is not happy with her work. One night, she runs into Dong-man near a railway crossing. He is dancing alone with his music. They talk, and Dong-man tells her that talking makes him feel alive. When he has no one to talk to, he shouts from the rooftop. Eun-ah surprises him by saying she has heard him before. Then she asks to read his screenplay. This makes Dong-man’s emotion watch buzz like crazy.
Dong-man puts all his hope into a contest. If he wins, he will get money to make his movie. He practices his speech all the time. But things get worse when Kyeong-se’s movie becomes a big hit. Dong-man goes to the celebration dinner. He openly says the movie is not good. He even mocks the lead actress. She hears him and fights back. Dong-man runs out of the party and screams in the street.
Eun-ah reads his screenplay. The next day, her boss asks her to tear it apart in front of Dong-man. She does it. She points out every weakness. Later, the group of directors mocks Dong-man at a bar. Eun-ah hears them and gets angry. She says:
“If he doesn’t say anything, he’d feel like he doesn’t even exist.”
The episode ends with Dong-man breaking down, unable to hold his feelings inside anymore.
Recap of Episode 2: A fight to belong
The second episode starts with more trouble for Dong-man. His behavior has become too much for the group. Go Hye-jin (Kang Mal-geum) decides to take action. She has held the group together for a long time, but now she has had enough. She tells Dong-man he is no longer welcome at AGIT, their usual hangout spot. A sign on the door says “Hwang Dong-man Prohibited Entry.”
Dong-man continues to fight with his feelings of envy. He looks at his friends who have everything he wants. Kyeong-se is at the top of his career. His movie “Sister Vengeance” is doing very well. Dong-man cannot stand it. He believes Kyeong-se did not even try hard. But deep down, Dong-man knows the real problem is himself. He has spent 20 years trying to make his first movie, and he has nothing to show for it.
Eun-ah struggles with her own problems. Her boss, Choi Dong-hyun (Choi Won-young), is not happy with her work. He wants her to be sharper and tougher again. But Eun-ah has lost her way. She feels empty. Her emotion watch glows red, and she gets a nosebleed from the stress.
Dong-man goes to see Choi Dong-hyun at his office. The boss tells him to give up. He says Dong-man should live a more practical life. But Dong-man fights back. He asks:
“Why should my life have to please you?”
He does not want to live the way others tell him to. He just wants to stop feeling so anxious all the time. His older brother Jin-man (Park Hae-joon) asks what he really wants. Dong-man answers, “I just don’t want to feel anxious.” This shows the real pain inside him. It is not just about success. It is about the fear and worry that never go away.
At the end of episode 2, Dong-man goes back to Choi Dong-hyun’s office. He makes a promise. He says:
“I will dredge up a shining truth from the very end of my worthlessness.”
This is a big moment. It shows that Dong-man is not giving up. Even when he feels like he is worth nothing, he will keep trying to find something real. At the same time, his relationship with Eun-ah starts to grow. She sees something in him that no one else does. The episode ends with the hope that these two broken people might help each other.
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What happened in the first two episodes
The first two episodes of We Are All Trying Here set up the main conflicts. Dong-man is a man stuck in place for 20 years. He is broke, he is angry, and he feels like a failure. His friends have all moved ahead, and he cannot stand to watch them succeed. But he also cannot stop trying. He keeps writing. He keeps showing up. He keeps hoping something will change.
Eun-ah is also stuck. She used to be the best at her job, but now she feels empty. She reads scripts without feeling anything. She goes to work without caring. Meeting Dong-man changes something in her. He is a mess, but he still has fire. He still wants to scream and shout and be heard. Maybe she needs that too.
The show asks a simple question. What do you do when you have tried everything and nothing works? Do you give up? Or do you keep going, even when it hurts? We Are All Trying Here does not give easy answers. It just shows people trying to survive another day.
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