Lee Na-yeon of “All Of Us Are Dead” is much improved from her webtoon counterpart.

Here we have a Na-yeon who comes oh so close to a redemption arc but doesn’t get it because zombies don’t care if you change. They only care about eating you. However, zombies aren’t what prevents Na-yeon from surviving, her own pride leads to her death.

*Spoilers*

As soon as the zombie outbreak begins, Na-yeon immediately stands out as being one of the more useless individuals, surpassing the others in her ability to trip over herself, cry, and generally do nothing while yelling at others to do something. Her behavior is realistic. Na-yeon is genuinely afraid. Most people aren’t heroes and would react the same way in her situation.

However, rather than band together with others to survive, Na-yeon remains elitist even while zombies are ripping out people’s throats. This probably is the fault of the parents who raised her and a society that affirmed the idea wealth made her inherently more valuable than others. Na-yeon doesn’t like Gyeong-su even before the Hyo-san outbreak, and seems to intentionally antagonize him out of sheer hatred in the midst of it, eventually accusing him of getting bitten.

Her fear of Gyeong-su becoming a zombie here is justified after discovering he’s been scratched. But Na-yeon persists in her accusations even when enough time lapses to prove Gyeong-su is clean.

Gyeong-su refuses to join the others unless he gets a proper apology but why should Na-yeon apologize? Given how rampant bullying appeared to be at Hyo-san and how no one really cared, it’s likely Na-yeon didn’t understand why everyone was taking the side of a welfie. In the past, because of her wealth and status, she’d be able to do whatever she wanted with few repercussions.

Pride prevents her from admitting she’s wrong and apologizing, but she takes everything up a notch by intentionally infecting Gyeong-su. It’s easy to label her a psychopath and yes, she is. But Na-yeon already doesn’t see Gyeong-su as human. Remember how she calls him dirty for sitting near her things, only to later call him a welfie in the middle of a literal zombie apocalypse? Stress brings out a person’s true nature and Na-yeon is a prideful, elitist wench.

This attitude is likely due to the culture around her, which never really chastised Na-yeon for this attitude. Something further driven home by Ms. Park apologizing and telling Na-yeon it wasn’t her s fault, but hers. Ms. Park is the adult and adults have to teach children how to behave. If Na-yeon goes her entire life never being corrected for her attitude, realistically she wouldn’t view that attitude as wrong. Furthermore, if she goes her entire life being affirmed in the idea her wealth gives her more value than others, it’s not surprising in the midst of a life-or-death crisis, she would go through great lengths to prove her worth.

After all, she accuses Gyeong-su first (understandably so), but if she’s wrong about him being a zombie, she looks untrustworthy and unreliable. Someone untrustworthy in a zombie apocalypse might be abandoned when things get crazy. Na-yeon has to let everyone know she’s right, because she already doesn’t have many friends and no one likes her, whereas everyone likes Gyeong-su despite his lesser status.

The irony is that Gyeong-su, despite not liking Na-yeon, is able to put aside his feelings and help her. He never forgets about her no matter how hectic things get, often reaching for her when they’re being attacked.

Alas! His kindness is repaid with death.

Na-yeon infects Gyeong-su not only to prove a point but because she doesn’t really view him as on the same level as her. Consequently, she gets called out by Nam-ra and is finally shunned. Albeit, she’s soon saved by Ms. Park and hides away in closet full of food.

Na-yeon isn’t totally a monster. She leaves the group of her own free will, knowing what she did was unforgivable and likely knowing that by abandoning the group she would die. She lives only because Ms. Park saves her. She’s haunted by the ghost of Gyeong-su (guilt), and her remorse is eventually rewarded with an olive branch. The other survivors end up in the same room as her, giving Na-yeon an opportunity to semi-make things right. The others are hungry and she’s sitting on a goldmine of food. Furthermore, her best chances of survival lie with the group.

But Na-yeon lets pride get in her way again. Rather than accept her wrong actions and the fact the others are rightfully angry at her, she stays hidden until the group is long gone, preventing them from accessing food. Consequently, she misses her surest path of getting to safety.

Na-yeon eventually has a come to Jesus moment, viewing the videos of her friends, and realizing there’s literally no reason for her to sit there and die.

Finally, we see the first bit of bravery. She packs up some food and goes out to find her friends. Certainly she’s aware the zombies are still out there and solo her chances of death are fairly high, but she’s finally willing to lay down her life for others.

Too late.

Had she revealed herself when the gang was all there it’s possible Na-yeon would’ve escaped Hyo-san. Instead, despite all the build up for a redemption arc, she’s discovered by halfbie Gwi-nam and RIP.

Despite all the second chances fate hands her, Na-yeon’s attempt to make amends comes too late. Instead, Na-yeon physically becomes the very thing she always loathed. A creature worth nothing, bombed to death alongside hoards of other zombies. Something dirty, disposable, and worthless. All the things she accused Gyeong-su of being.