What I loved most about this drama was how gentle it was. I felt so peaceful and at ease watching it. Relatively low-stress and not too dramatic. It's an artistic and unique approach to the subjects of grief, loneliness, and healing. All around it was a refreshing and very therapeutic watch.

Because it is a more deep and poetic type of series, it's worth watching it from beginning to end and really ~feeling~ it out ~thoroughly~. I really do appreciate heartwarming and calming dramas like this, plus it was great to see a modern drama where the main characters weren't doctors or lawyers! Some new and fresh occupations.

One thing for me was that I felt so bad for Ji Soo's husband, the pianist. The shaming and looking down on him were not my favorite.

Okay, rant:

The negative attitude toward Ji Soo's husband was ridiculous to me and was stretched out far too long in my opinion. It was very clear that he was often acting poorly because his pain was very intense BECAUSE of what he'd inadvertently caused and done as a teenager. He had no peace. So yea, he was not the happiest of humans. What I didn't understand is everyone's reaction to him. If he wasn't at all remorseful, then I would have felt different, but he was literally haunted and struggling like no other to forgive himself. Nobody, except the sweetheart niece, even tried to extend a little hint of mercy toward him at all. Even though HIS WIFE DIED. Instead, they all felt like they had some sort of personal claim on Ji Soo and her death, that somehow trumped her husband. What??

This bugged me most of all. Nobody seemed to care that Ji Soo was his wife. And that he was Ji Soo's husband. That struck me as odd because they were each other's -actual- family. Yet he got no sympathy for the fact that he was grieving the sudden death of his SPOUSE ... with zero closure or context around it, oh by the way. Or that he felt responsible for it because it happened at a time of misunderstanding and conflict in their marriage. He was just floating around, waiting for any hint of closure from the person closest to him in his life (his wife!!! I don't know how many times that needs to be said for it to get across). They were married. They were FAMILY and they both clearly cared about each other, kindly and sincerely.

Even the female lead, Soo Bin, looked down on him as Ji Soo's husband. It was as if she took on the role of Ji Soo's oldest and most loyal friend, but Soo Bin only knew Ji Soo for a literal. MINUTE! They were practically strangers. I sure didn't understand why Soo Bin felt she had more of a right to the pianist's wife than her own husband did. It made absolutely zero sense that she, a new acquaintance and budding friend of Ji Soo, surpassed Ji Soo's --husband-- in regards to closure and grief concerning Ji Soo.

absolutely. no. sense.

More importantly, Ji Soo clearly loved her husband. Otherwise, Ji Soo wouldn't have been miserable about him-duh, that's obvious from the first episode. So if Soo Bin really cherished Ji Soo (this person she knew all of a couple of days/hours) as much as the show made her out to treasure her as a friend, she would have had more respect toward Ji Soo's husband as well. But instead, her attitude was judgemental.

What's more, Ji Soo's husband clearly loved Ji Soo dearly himself (which is why he was so obsessed with understanding whether she sided with her childhood friend more than him---it wasn't about control or jealousy given the context and reveal of his past--he obviously was desperate for peace because he felt his wife couldn't love him and trust him because of this terrible weight and thing he couldn't forget).

What was going on between these two was, yes, a bit complicated and also very personal to THEM. BECAUSE THEY WERE MARRIED. Seriously this drove me crazy. It just felt so insensitive toward their marriage for such a length of the series. Even going so far as to villainize him when he wasn't a villain at all.

He did make a huge mistake very foolishly (and also very young) that turned out to have significantly permanent consequences, which affected people's lives drastically (including his own). But it wasn't premeditated or deliberate; it was a thoughtless, impulsive mistake. Which he immediately regretted, btw, it was just too late to fix. He deserved SOME sympathy and forgiveness --perhaps most of all-- because it was such a grave mistake and because he was clearly so tortured by it.

Instead, the writing was almost approaching it as if he didn't care about anyone but himself, which was clearly not true. He did care. A lot. Otherwise, why would it tear him and his marriage to pieces? Not to mention the fact his wife -whom he cherished- also died because he wasn't ready or able to deal with / face his guilt yet. Because she herself was struggling to live with the guilt and awareness of it, she went off on her own to sort out her guilt (foolishly)...and that was it. This guy was buried in impossible-to-resolve pain. He was selfish and rude at times and didn't always react and deal with people around him well -- but the reason behind it made a lot of sense. He wasn't able to forgive himself or receive any forgiveness, either. Even from his own wife!

He was also a moody artist, so ya know.

I didn't love how everyone put Ji Soo on a pedestal. Ji Soo was selfish too. Regarding both her husband and Ha Won. Refusing to talk to them and give them closure for so dang long--just to protect her own feelings and guilt? She was more focused on her own stress and pity party concerning her feelings about her relationships than she was on being engaged in working with the people and relationships themselves.

Ji Soo was always running away, avoiding, and hiding -- but that's not someone who isn't wrapped up in their own world? They played it off like she was this graceful and tragic person for doing so, but she was simply not being honest with herself or anyone else close to her. She was too POLR (path of least resistance).

Regarding Ha Won especially. He was at the center of it, after all. I know Ji Soo was torn internally by this & divided between Ha Won and her husband because she understood that. Though it was selfish to refuse to speak to Ha Won and not give him any closure about his one-sided feelings, their old friendship, and her newfound indifference toward him...especially considering everything she knew! It just felt like she was more focused on prioritizing her feelings. Her guilt was more important than anything else??

It was the biggest relief when Ha Won finally got enough closure for himself to let Ji Soo go. I would have stopped watching if they would have stretched that out another minute. Ji Soo did not need to treat him in the way she did. I don't care how torn up she was, it was about HIM, not her. There were better alternatives than stone-cold let-me-treat-you-like-you-don't-or-shouldn't-exist. She was guilt-ridden & she was making that his problem? Rather than managing her feelings and respecting him enough to face him, or speak to him at the very least. The fact that she was bottling it all up didn't achieve anything for his sake, it put more on his shoulders. Even though Ji Soo was a bright, kind-hearted, and cool character -- she too could have dealt with things differently. Her husband could have dealt differently too, but so could she have.

If her husband wasn't so traumatized and deeply pained with what he did I would have understood the judgment and patronizing attitude toward him more. I understood it coming from Ha Won--because he was the one directly affected by it, and grappling with the information. Though, ironically, he managed it more reasonably than anyone, mostly just wanting closure and answers.

I did not understand the critique coming from everyone else though (yet complete lack of critique toward Ji Soo and her short-sightedness / mean way of trying to be nice or whatever). I guess they loved Ha Won and were upset for his sake, but still. The pianist was clearly deep in his grief and a tortured soul that desperately needed to be freed. It FINALLY got worked out in the end, but I do wish it hadn't been dragged out so long. At the very least just making it reasonable, as if the fact he was once happily married to Ji Soo, mattered at all. Sheesh.

Okay, rant over.

That was really my only beef with the writing^, but I can say too: it got sorted ~alright~ and it did bring to the surface a lot of interesting perspectives and questions which wrapped things in a more meaningful way. Though it was frustrating to me, everything else was so well done that it wasn't too much of a problem overall. Easy to skip over, just one of those pet peeves.

I genuinely did appreciate the reveal of Ji Soo being more truthfully tied up and focused toward her husband, and Ha Won toward his mother and Soo Bin. I thought they tied things up appropriately by the very end. It was cool in one way because I felt like if Ji Soo hadn't married the pianist guy and loved him as much as she did, I wonder if it would've been more difficult for Ha Won to ultimately find peace with what happened and release that pianist from his despair? This show definitely had a way of making you think.

It was *nearly* perfect. Certainly, a very daring script and approach to take. I loved the refreshing perspective.

I also enjoyed the characters and acting as well. The niece, Ha Na, was so kind and thoughtful -- I came to treasure her character so much by the end. I really wished for her to find a guy who fully appreciates her kindness and "waters" her and "gives her sun" as she tries to do for everyone else (+ her plants).

Ha Won was such a stable and gentle soul that your heart went out to him and cheered for him, from beginning to end. I liked Soo Bin because she was just herself, simply and honestly. Even though she was unreasonable at some key points, I liked that she tried to face things authentically. The pianist actor, Kang In Wook, definitely made me feel his character's turmoil too well (hence the rant). All the side characters were so cool in their own respects. Great performances.

I'd say that this was among the better, and undoubtedly more intriguing, dramas I've ever seen. Everyone had a lot of healing to get through and it was achieved in a warm way. Definitely going to be a winner for all the deep thinkers out there (or some old-school SciFi enthusiasts). A unique approach.