About

You can stream How to Buy a Friend (2020) on Kocowa with a subscription.

Park Chan-Hong is an ordinary high school student. He has talent for writing and he gets pressured by his parents about his studies. Park Chan-Hong doesn't have any specific dreams. He is friends with Eom Se-Yoon, who attends the same high school. She is popular at school. Meanwhile, Heo Don-Hyeok is classmates with Park Chan-Hong. Heo Don-Hyeok is not interested in studying and he works to pay for his living expenses. One day, Heo Don-Hyeok saves Park Chan-Hong from a school bully. To pay for his rent, Heo Don-Hyeok asks to borrow 300,000 won ($270 USD) from Park Chan-Hong. Park Chan-Hong lends him the money, but that money was supposed to pay for his private institute tuition fee. After school, Park Chan-Hong now doesn't have a place to go. He begins to spend time with Heo Don-Hyeok.

An ordinary student finds himself caught between the crushing weight of academic expectations and the complex social hierarchies of high school. Navigating these fractured friendships requires more than just good grades when popularity dictates your survival.