I was really not going to write a review for this drama. But then I read the reviews, and I feel like there's no "middle ground" in any existing review. So I'll write a few quick thoughts. The beginning of this drama really hooked me. I have a weakness for stories of two friends torn apart by fate or circumstances or whatever. Epic bromance? Sign me up. So this should be right up my alley, right? The acting is quite good from all the main cast members, with the exception of the adult version of Ji Sun, which just about everyone who reviewed this drama already mentioned. It didn't help that her character had nothing to do for most of the drama, but even when she did, she just didn't draw me in. Choi Min Soo is the opposite end of the spectrum. During certain episodes, I'm pretty sure I was watching for him only. Ji Chang Wook and Yoo Seung Ho are both good as the main characters, but I had serious problems with how just about every character was written, including their characters. Which brings me to the writing. There was a long stretch of episodes in the middle where it really felt like nothing was happening. I mean, things happened, sure, but as far as advancing the main story, nothing much was accomplished in those episodes (ginseng, anyone?). The story lost its way somewhere, and without rewatching (which is not happening), I can't be sure where exactly. Around the end of the older generation's arc, I was actually willing it to end faster. Which I knew was a very bad sign, since I really loved those characters in the beginning of the drama. How did they end up so unimportant to the story? And from there, it got even worse for a while. For a story centered on the conflict between the two lead men, they definitely didn't do much with that conflict. Also, Dong Soo is a bit of an idiot at times, and the writers obviously thought we were too if we weren't supposed to know which "side" Yeo Woon was playing for. (Were we supposed to be as surprised as Dong Soo was by that revelation? I really can't tell.) The personality transplant of a previously likeable side character that set the final act into motion was completely out of nowhere. After all this time to set up the final confrontation, this is all the writers could come up with? I give the resolution of Dong Soo and Yeo Woon's story a little credit for being genuinely affecting and well-acted, but it's equally infuriating. To be clear, I'm not upset about the fact that it's sad; I'm upset about how we got there, and how much better it could have been. And that last episode really was nearly unwatchable. Do we really need to pair off everyone? Is that what constitutes "closure"? Ugh. Ultimately, I would give the first half (approximately) of this drama a 7. Solid, good, watchable, with potential for better things to come (I only give scores 8 and up to things I really like a lot--I'm picky that way). The latter half gets...something much lower than that. But I did finish it, which doesn't always happen, so I settled on a 4.5 for the overall rating. There are good parts and strong performances here, but the writing really did fall apart somewhere for me. I know a lot of people love this drama, and I can understand that, because the things this drama did well, it did really well. Cinematography, acting, epic, multi-generational, ill-fated friendships, and so on. But I think precisely because it does some things well, the things it didn't do so well (pacing and writing issues, chiefly) are glaringly obvious.