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[Webtoon Review] The Friendly Winter will bring tears, heartache and inspiration to the surface

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The Friendly Winter (Korean title: 다정한 겨울) by Jun Lee is an unexpectedly deep and emotional story filled with heartwarming lessons regarding family, friendship and living life with a medical condition.

The protagonist is a feisty but kind 19-year-old girl named Da-jung, who suffers from a growth disorder that has left her with the body of a 9-year-old. Though she is extremely clever and bright, she holds deep scars due the limitations that her condition places on her life and from her parent's divorce when she was a child.  

She strikes up a friendship with a 17-year-old boy named Min-sung, who is developmentally delayed.  He has the sweetness and naiveté of a 7-year-old and often finds himself in situations that he does fully comprehend. They become like siblings and Da-Jung finds comfort in knowing that Min-Sung also understands the pain of being different. 

Each episode gives us a glimpse of the difficulties they face navigating a world that does not understand them and that holds prejudices against them because of their conditions.  It also chronicles the challenges their parents face in providing for them. It's an incredibly poignant story and at times extremely heartbreaking, especially when delving into Da-jung's extreme desire to be normal and recognized as the adult she is on the inside.  

The Friendly Winter is truly a heartwarming story with a lot of depth that is also very fresh in terms of concept. When you reach the end you'll definitely feel like you've gained some perspective on life.   

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