As a fan of the first season, I was veryyyy skeptical about this one. I don't normally like sequels and I always end up approaching them with a huge bias waiting for them to fail. Which they usually do. However, this is an exception. I'm afraid I might have even liked it better than the first! Hear me out ok!

As a med student myself, I can't stress enough how comforting Cha Eun Jae's character is to me. I have never related to a character this deeply in my whole life. She gives me hope. Even if it is placebo. Still. Hope is hope. You might think her character is a bit of an over exaggeration but it's not. I have thrown up in lab before. I can't watch operations being performed. At one point my nausea was so bad that I ended up getting a nasty ulcer which I'm still suffering the consequences of. I also thought I might not be good enough for this profession after all. But I am good with my theoretical and application stuff. I have faltered and questioned many times over. Cha Eun Jae does exactly that. She represents me and my worst fears. Her arc of dealing with these issues and eventually overcoming these is nothing short of inspirational to me. Lee Seong Kyung is the perfect choice. She portrayed her beautifully and realistically.

However, what I want to talk about most is how the romance was handled. The whole reason I'm writing a review for the first time is because I haven't seen anything like it. was blown away to bits by how phenomenally nuanced and consistent the writing of this romance is!!! The fact that there isn't even much romance by the normal standard yet there is sooooo much when you look deeper is beyond anything I've ever seen. It's not a romance driven by chemistry (even though the chemistry between Lee Seong Kyung and Ahn Hyo Seop was so intensely palpable it'll leave you breathless!!) It's a romance you can understand before you can feel. Their progression happened naturally and very organically. And each of them was kept true to their own personality. No one changed for anyone. They simply complemented each other.

She is someone who is used to people telling her what to do. She strives on compliments and encouragement. She needs to feel needed. Thus, she meddles in his business. She tells him what he should do. She encourages him and compliments his work. She tells him she needs his help. She does so because this is who she is and what she knows not because she's trying to impress him or score some brownie points. Similarly, he is someone who's used to being left alone. He's used to being called out. Thus, he calls her out! He bluntly and frankly points out what he thinks is wrong. "Does it make you feel better to blame others?" And then he lets her figure the answer out on her own. He points out her shortcomings while simultaneously letting her know he will be there to back her up no matter what her choice is. Again, because this is what he knows.

So what happens is that each of them brings what they know which happens to be what the other lacks and needs. Not because they're actively trying to impress each other but because this is genuinely who they are! In other words, she ends up being the most honest when she's with him. She puts a front for everyone but when she's with him, she knows there's no need to pretend because he's just going to call her out on it since he has all figured out. Same for him. He knows there's no need to hide what happened because she's just going to pester him about it and nag him until she gets her way. Again, because this is who they naturally are. Is this genius writing? I think so!

Not only that but also the fact that despite her constant meddling, she not once jeopardizes his integrity or tries to change him. Of course I'm talking about *that incident* where she not only encouraged him to pursue what he thinks is the right thing, she HELPED him do it against everyone. And she did so without a second thought. Imagine being Seo Woo Jin, someone who is used to people ridiculing him, insulting his righteousness, calling him derogatory names for it. He wouldn't have blamed her if she stopped him. In fact, he expected her to at least negotiate a compromise. We all expected that. But this girl ends up choosing him and standing by him unwaveringly. Upholding his morals with him. AND apologizes for what happened. How could he not fall for her?

The flip side to this is that /she meddles in his business/. She is all up in his life. Which is something he is not used to, which naturally causes him to push her away, which in turn feeds into her worst fear of not being needed, which causes her to be very hesitant about accepting her feelings toward him and they get stuck there. And it's brilliant.

This is not the story of instant love and sudden heartache. This is the story of two people falling in love with each other's rawest form. Not the idea of each other. Not a fantasy. Not who they become. Not what they would be become. Not for fascination. Not for intrigue. Just .. them. With their flaws. With their scars. With all of them.

Furthermore, it was refreshing to see the lead romance not take precedence over their own development. These two took time to deal with their own issues. Heal from their own trauma. Go through everything they had to go through. Then came to each other. With a clean slate. Baggage already unpacked and sorted. Yes, they definitely helped each other through the healing process and were each other's backbone and support system. But it was she who faced her mother. It was he who faced his demons. Standing on their own while knowing the other has their back.

Also the fact that their characters had the complete opposite arc. He started alone, pushing everyone away. She started as the sheltered, coddled, can't do anything on her own, mama's girl. He ended up surrounded by people he genuinely cares for, learning how to ask for help. She ended up on her own, making her own decision, becoming independent.

And this is why I loved season 2 more than 1.

To wrap things up, yes, I 100% recommend watching Romantic Dr. Kim 2.

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