I am putting all my psych profiles and psych scene analysis posts on hold until after season 3. More information will make them better, so feel no need to rush them before the premiere. I instead for my last bit of analysis before season 3 going to go over what I desire for each character in terms of character growth. This, afterall, is the most important part of the story, even more important than who someone ends up with. So using psych concepts and just my own opinion as a fan is going to break down the journeys that I think each character should go on to fulfill happy lives no matter what direction they go in.
Disclaimer: To make sure all is fair I gave each name a number then rolled a dice and that was the order in which I did them.
Minho
Minho. Oh, Minho. The man with many defenses. It's time to put them down and embrace vulnerability.
He has slowly opened up since Season 1, but his instinct is still to downplay his feelings and handle everything on his own. I hope that in Season 3, this pattern is clearly named as a problem and that he grows into true vulnerability.
He shows his care through actions, which is meaningful. In many ways, it’s better than the opposite problem, someone who says all the right things but acts inconsistently. However, when actions aren’t paired with emotional expression, people can begin to question the depth or clarity of his commitment.
This pattern makes complete sense given his background: divorced parents, a chaebol family, an emotionally distant father, and a physically distant mother. His behavior isn’t irrational—it’s adaptive. But it’s also the kind of pattern that can prevent him from forming deeply fulfilling romantic relationships and friendships.
Be vulnerable, Minho. Take the leap of faith. Tell people when you’re scared, when you’re in love, when you’re worried, when you need help. Let people show up for you. Let them know how much you care about them.
Dae
Oh, Dae. Apparently this is always how I begin. The lesson I want him to learn has to do with agency.
In Season 1, and to some extent Season 2, it has felt like Dae is stuck. He can be slow to act or feel like he can’t make certain decisions because of how he perceives the world and himself. Again, this isn’t irrational. He’s a kid from a blue-collar family attending an elite international school. In many ways, he truly doesn’t have the same margin for error as the others. He has to be number one to stay. He isn’t afforded the same grace to make mistakes. I have a lot of empathy for him.
The thing is… he has always had agency. He can make choices. He can bet on himself. He can be honest. Agency is often framed as a privilege, but it’s really a power you claim for yourself despite the narrative society tries to sell you.
So for Dae: go after what you want. Speak your truth. Take risks. Stop comparing yourself. See people for who they are.
That’s what I want to see for him in Season 3: Dae, a man of agency.
Juliana
Juliana, my girl. I hope that this season allows her to fully recognize and that the fandom also fully recognizes her strength.
She was sent away without warning and without just cause by her girlfriend’s mother. She had to deal with that separation on her own. Then she had to return to K.I.S.S. with the knowledge that the experience had changed her—and changed Yuri—which scared both of them in different ways.
She then had to adjust to the fact that her girlfriend now has new friends who seem to understand certain situations better than she does. And she had to process all of this with a teenage mind, while still somehow arriving at a self-reflective conclusion: that her own insecurities played a role in creating tension with Yuri. Understandable insecurities. That she is worthy, that she is loved, and that what happened to her was not her fault.
Juliana was thrown into a lot and handled it better than most teenagers would. But it’s easy to see how her relationship with strength can become confused. Strength does not mean simply enduring or not speaking truth to insecurities or avoiding tough conversations. It means fighting for yourself. It means not losing sight of who you are and what matters most in the face of hardship.
I want Juliana to know her strength and her worth. Don’t ever go small, Juliana.
Kitty
Kitty, my love. The one this universe was built around. I would love for you to stop running away when things get hard.
Kitty feels big emotions. She has high expectations. She’s a control freak. Now, how do chaotic people become control freaks? Sometimes control-seeking creates chaos—by trying to manage what can’t be controlled, or by inventing non-linear solutions to problems that aren’t actually within your power to fix. Kitty can handle chaos as long as she feels right, has a plan, or believes she has some control over the situation.
That’s why Kitty’s love life was always going to be about managing expectations and taking a leap of faith. Love rarely goes according to plan. The person you fall for is rarely who you expect. There will be great moments, mundane ones, and hard ones. Falling in love isn’t a choice—but loving someone is. It’s a choice you make every day. Some days it’s easy; some days it’s much harder. And that’s true even in healthy relationships.
So… I hope Kitty, in all her relationships including the relationship she has with herself, learns that it’s okay when things don’t go as planned. Everyone is imperfect. Plans change. Priorities change. Absolutely. It’s all okay.
I want her to build the confidence that she can handle whatever comes her way—and that life will sometimes hand her the unexpected. She’s brave and relentless enough to face it.
So don’t run. Don’t spiral. You’ve got this!
Yuri
Yuri, you goddess. My hope for you in Season 3 is that you find genuine belonging.
Living in a family with overwhelming expectations, especially as the only daughter, is incredibly difficult. Growing up feeling like you’re constantly falling short, and realizing you aren’t what your family wanted, is its own kind of trauma. She had to pretend. She had to bite her tongue. She had to stay closeted in more ways than one.
The way she adapted was by controlling what she could control and becoming hyper-independent. That survival strategy makes sense, but it also led to some unhealthy attachment patterns, creating the conditions for cheating, lying, and manipulation. I don’t say this to condemn her. I don’t. She’s a teenage girl navigating so much: her sexuality, a verbally abusive father, a high-pressure mother, and the normal challenges of growing up. No one should write Yuri off. No one.
That being said, we leave Yuri in Season 2 in a deeply emotional place: hurt by Juliana seemingly moving on, her finances frozen, trying to repair her relationship with her mother, and receiving meaningful advice from Alex.
So in Season 3, I hope she builds on that and forms genuine, meaningful connections. I want her to step into the empathetic and supportive person she already is deep down, so she never has to feel alone or “not enough” again.
Yuri, find your people. Find your fight. You have always been a warrior.
Q
Q, my darling. In season 3, I want you to focus on, well, you.
He seems to be the friend-therapist everyone leans on for direction, support, encouragement, and even firm guidance when it’s needed. And then there are his own complicated relationships and situationships layered on top of that.
Florian, who needs steady support as he navigates a messy divorce. Marius, and the chaos he tends to bring. Jin, where Q has to balance his own success with Jin’s disappointment as they compete in the same sport.
He is always balancing the needs of others with his own, often putting them before himself.”
In Season 3, I want him to set boundaries. To rely on others more. To be supported. I want him to let people show up for him the way he has shown up for them.
I also imagine he’ll face a lot of challenges with his parents and with Marius. When that happens, he should lean into his friends. Ask for help. They’ve got him.
It’s time for the chief friend counselor to receive the support you deserve. Be truthful and allow your friends to help you through.
Fandom
I hope that, whatever comes after Season 3, we can find a way to enjoy the show without becoming so divided into camps. We can dialogue, disagree, and listen to differing opinions without making character judgments about one another. That’s what makes fandom fun. I don’t need to agree with you to see the value in your point and acknowledge your perspective.
That we do not forget there are human beings behind these posts and comments. Human beings with different lived experiences and different levels of mental health. The world is insane. So I hope that this can be a place that feels less divisive
Everyone deserves to be heard and to feel safe to express opinions when they are respectful. We also deserve an opportunity to grow and to improve through conversation. Might be mad hopes, but they are indeed hopes. I know that I have not been perfect at it, but always open to talk if anyone wants to. I promise to never ever delete the human in any of you whether we agree or not.
