At first, A Virtuous Business feels almost felt like a cross between Our Blues and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.

It's set in the quaint, rural town of Geumje in 1992, and I love that they bring so many of the characters to life with complex feelings and challenges. Even the side characters grow and change, and aren't necessarily what you'd expect at first. They have their own have hopes, fancies, realizations, and struggles.

Unfortunately, by the end of episode 6, what made it really blossom in the first half becomes diluted by every cliche mystery, melodrama, and romance trope.

It feels like someone made the call to add more "excitement" rather than continue to develop the characters and their personal stories.

This is really unfortunate because they really laid some fertile storytelling ground in the first half, and I was enjoying the warm-hearted friendship, comedy, and everyday challenges of working-class women (and their marriages) in a rural town.

Still, I think the fun premise, great cast, and (mostly) well-written characters make it worth checking out. (Will update next week when the final two episodes come out.)