Wasted potential

This drama had a superb first half - I was hooked the moment I started, and waiting for the next episodes gave my life purpose. The first half had all the elements that promised a classic, even with the occasional detour into heavy territory. (Let’s just say I watched Ep 6 five times.)

But it had to take the melo route and blow up into a hot mess before ending with a whimper. Eps 10 onwards were wildly uneven and weak. Examples include the strange decision to centre the drama’s plot around the 2ML at one point and excessive makjang that no viewer cared for. We’re supposed to believe the FL is a strong lead but it seemed like she was just responding to events most of the time, rather than having any agency in them. The ending was satisfactory but underdeveloped.

Looking back even the main couple’s romance disappointed me somewhat considering the expectations it had built. Many moments were merely spent on them staring at each other lovingly (which is fine) but they underdelivered on the sexual tension. If they had eliminated all that makjang there could be so much more that they could’ve done together. That being said their relationship is one of the healthiest you’ll find in kdramaland and their growth together was great.

The show’s saving grace is really Ji-ho. Oh Ji-ho, Ji-ho, Ji-ho… I did not know it was possible to love a character so much. I joined MDL for him (check out my username). I made stickers of him. He single-handedly defined my ideal type. He is the greenest flag. He is everything. I can’t go back to childish male leads anymore after this.

The cast was fantastic. The breakout star is indisputably Go Kyung-pyo. His acting is phenomenal down to the micro-expressions. He managed to make a stoic character funny, sexy, and complicated all at once. Kang Hyung-seok is a close second with Gwang-nam, who stole every scene despite his disappointing plotline. Park Min-young, Kim Jae-young, and Jin Kyung also did great with whatever they had. The actors who played Ji-ho’s colleagues were hilarious.

Despite all my criticisms I’m still giving this a 7.5 because I love Ji-ho too much to be rational about this. And I did have a lot of fun chasing it. I guess I’m like him after all. <3

tl;dr worth watching if you fast-forward all the scenes with Kang Hae-jin and the makjang. Then you’ll get the best of both worlds: a shorter drama and a fun romance.

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