Before you read “ONE” – also known as “ONE: High School Heroes” webtoon- start by asking yourself: What if the bad guy was never just the bully? Because if you’re a longtime webtoon fan who thinks school action webtoons are all the same, “ONE” Korean webtoon will shake that belief from the very first chapter.
In the original webtoon of “ONE: High School Heroes,” there’s no shiny hero, and no clean justice. All you have is just a boy named Kim Eui Gyeom, suffocating under pressure and slowly becoming everything he was taught to fear.
So, before you dive in, let’s walk through what makes “ONE” by Lee Eunjae one of the most psychologically charged and socially revealing webtoons you’ll ever encounter.
“ONE: High School Heroes”: A Brutal Mirror Disguised as a School Action Webtoon
At first glance, the original webtoon of “ONE: High School Heroes” reads like your typical Korean school action drama — a troubled teen, fights with bullies, a mysterious friend, and a series of increasingly intense confrontations.
But don’t be fooled. Its brilliant creator, Lee Eunjae, uses the familiar school setting to explore something much more harrowing: what happens when trauma turns inward, and then outward.
As you read “ONE: High School Heroes” webtoon, you’ll meet Kim Eui Gyeom, a high schooler who lives under the oppressive shadow of his deceased older brother.
Expected to follow the same academic path, Eui Gyeom’s world is tightly monitored by an abusive father whose version of love looks a lot like control. When Eui Gyeom snaps, after a fight with a classmate, Iljin (school thug), the violence he once feared becomes his only language.
And that’s the unsettling genius of “ONE: High School Heroes,” Because in this Korean webtoon, the violence isn’t stylized or glorified. It’s cyclical, messy, and dangerously easy to understand.
What Makes “ONE: High School Heroes” So Different from Other Webtoons?
Most webtoons in the school action genre play by a certain rulebook — clear heroes, satisfying revenge arcs, and some form of redemption.
Yet, “ONE: High School Heroes” has completely torn that apart. Here’s how:
1. Violence Is Not a Superpower Here — It’s a Symptom
Before you read “ONE: High School Heroes” original webtoon, you must know that Eui Gyeom doesn’t simply become powerful. He becomes addicted.
What starts as self-defense mutates into a crusade, not to protect others, but to actually channel his pain. Fights aren’t choreographed spectacles; they’re raw, painful extensions of emotional collapse.
2. The Real Villain Isn’t a Student — It’s Home
Yes, you’ll meet terrifying school bullies and corrupt upperclassmen. But the most insidious character in “ONE” isn’t a student at all. Eui Gyeom’s father, haunted by his own failures, uses academic excellence as a leash. His love is conditional, his rage unpredictable. And in this household, violence is actually inherited.
3. Revolution, or Just Another Cycle?
The original webtoon title “ONE” is not about standing out like the other common titles. Instead, it heartbreakingly reflects on being the last one standing, and this time, it’s by force.
Eui Gyeom may have called his campaign of schoolyard fights a “revolution.” But through this webtoon, writer Lee Eunjae has actually challenged you to ask: if you fight bullies by becoming one, is anything really changing?
A Quiet Webtoon with a Loud Legacy
Serialized from 2019 to 2020 on Kakao Webtoon, “ONE” wrapped after 62 episodes. It may have ended quietly compared to mainstream titles, but it won the 2020 Today’s Woori Manhwa Award, cementing its cultural weight in Korea.
More than just awards, the webtoon lives on through its storytelling impact. Critics and fans often pair it with Eunjae’s earlier work “TEN,” which explored bullying and social isolation with equal depth. The twist? “ONE” and “TEN” are narratively connected. Characters like Lee Jeo Jae reappear, but with different outlooks, allowing you to see how similar traumas create vastly different survivors.
“ONE: High School Heroes” Drama Adaptation: Can This Story Work on Screen?
In 2022, Kakao Entertainment announced to adapt “ONE” into a live-action drama, with Lee Seong Tae (of Quantum Physics) at the spearhead. However, fans have been extremely divided.
How do you portray violence without glamorizing it? How do you cast a character like Kim Eui Gyeom without softening his rough edges?
There’s cautious optimism that the adaptation could spark broader conversations about domestic abuse, academic pressure, and school violence in Korea — if they handle this with care. But as the original webtoon of “ONE: High School Heroes” was never an easy read, so will the drama be. That’s part of what makes it important.
Should You Read “ONE”? Only If You’re Ready to Feel Uncomfortable
Now, if you’re looking for a light, victorious school drama full of justice, then please look away and turn back. That’s because the original webtoon of “ONE: High School Heroes” is emotionally heavy, morally complex, and often unsettling to read.
In this webtoon, you’ll find yourself questioning the characters as much as the system that created them. It forces you to sit with uncomfortable truths: that violence at home doesn’t disappear when the front door closes. And eventually, not every hero wants to be saved.
However, if you’re ready to see a webtoon that reflects real emotional damage, and if you’re a fan of a series with stunning detail, layered art, and thought-provoking narrative beats, “ONE” definitely deserves your time.
“ONE: High School Heroes”: A Korean Webtoon that Actually Matters
Finally, in a world increasingly aware of mental health, toxic masculinity, and generational trauma, “ONE” reads like a time bomb disguised as a high school story. That’s because this webtoon is not here to entertain or to fill your sense of justice. This webtoon is here to confront you.
Through “ONE: High School Heroes,” author Lee Eunjae goes beyond simply illustrating fights. He has actually dissected the scars lying beyond these fights. And in doing so, he successfully created a webtoon that challenges fans with a more heartbreaking question: what do we do with pain when no one teaches us how to heal?
So, are you curious to experience the webtoon that redefined school action drama? Read the original webtoon of “ONE: High School Heroes” on Kakao Page or Kakao Webtoon. It’s an impressive masterpiece. But just prepare yourself to walk away with more questions than answers.
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