Dinner Mate

Extremely light and healing

From the time I pushed the play button on this drama, it always kept me interested and laughing like crazy most of the time. It was light, nothing too complicated. And that was the best part!
The characters on this show are easy to love, there are no bad characters. Especially the FL, she's such a relatable person. I feel like I would act like she did in some of the scenes,it was that relatable! She is also so beautiful, I love her acting and her. I had already fallen for her in CLOY, this just increased my love for her! I must say comedy is her genre!
The ML lead is one of the most friendly and most mature characters I have ever seen! He is always so understanding, always ready to hear explanations and literally so supportive. Did I mention he is SO HOT ON GOD.
The relationship of our main couple, is literally so wholesome and cute. Thier chemistry and how they understand each other is uwu. I loved our older couple too! They were too funny and adorable to watch.
All the side characters are also super lovable. Especially our queer boy geon-u! He is literally the most stressed person in this show, he's always put in the middle, its literally so funny. I would like to especially mention lee ji hoon,who I loved in rookie historian for his acting, I was once again impressed by how good of an actor he is, literally goosebumps.The first loves are high key annoying, but that's thier role so I wont complain too much lol. But our main couple pulled through quite comfortably without crazy misunderstandings.

The story is actually so unique, the concept is something never seen before, its healing and emotional. This show is a burst of happiness! Even though some scenes I questioned the actions and words of the female lead (she did some things that I didn't really understand?!!?).But they didn't drag anything for long. It was perfect timing!
I also loved the psychological aspects on this show.
I also have to mention that the way they shot the scenes are so beautiful, I especially loved the first 5 mins of the show. I loved some of dialogues too.
Even though the female lead said some things that I was extremely confused about and there were some plot holes too but still I really think this drama is worth the watch.
I would reccomend when you want a break from the intense shows.
Bonus: there are too many CLOY references in the whole duration of the show and the starting 10 mins too,surprise!

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Terribly mediocre......

You manage to snag a hot shot ML and then you do what??
Get him a frigid FL along with a terribly boring story line, an overkill of exes obsessing over their previous loves, silly sideline romances...........just pay for a better screenplay writer please!!

There's no story here, no romance - just a mish mash of characters boiled together.

Why would you take an intensely romantic male lead and pair him with an iceberg?
The female lead was either afraid of his stardom, too nervous, or just plain didn't like him. She stood like a wax statue every time he kissed her.
Aaaarrrggg....... What a terrible drama.

I watched it only for the ML - but even he could only do so much to breathe oxygen into a flaggering object.

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For those who have a pain breakup with their ex or first love, this drama will slowly get you to move on from them and to find a love that we called a destiny.... Somehow I think this is a good drama to rewatch coz there's a lot you can learn from the character woo do hee and of course the really calm psychiatrist, Kim Hae kyung. You both expressed their loves through food and even the concept of this drama is already amazing coz sometimes we think eat together is just a common occasion for some people but here... I know that eating together maybe the best thing to others.... Please watch the drama guys....

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Worth the Watch if You Can Tolerate the Exes

This is basically a drama about first loves vs. new loves so be prepared for far too much time spent on ML/FL’s exes. I would have enjoyed this drama more if we’d had more time watching the sweet and emotionally mature romance between ML/FL rather than watching their annoying (ML’s ex) and psychotic (FL’s ex) exes trying to win these two back. The audacity of these two exes is breathtaking, especially the female ex. So, let’s start with the bad first.

The bad – the exes. ML’s ex is No-uel. I call her the Christmas cupcake since her name looks like ‘Noel’ and she’s got the personality of a cupcake – nauseating sweet and fluffy, a typical ‘damsel in distress’ who thinks men have to roll over and do her bidding because she’s pretty. What ML (Hae-Kyong) ever saw in this woman in beyond me other than the script told his character that he had to love her in the past. She has absolutely no personality or uniqueness that warrants this man’s devotion. She a selfish, spoiled, narcissistic, immature, entitled brat of a woman. All she’s got going for her is her body and her looks. I wouldn’t expect a man of ML’s depth to be in love with such a shallow, superficial character. Her character is totally useless to this whole drama other than ML had to have a ‘first love’ to correspond with FL having a ‘first love’ who comes back out of the blue. It makes absolutely no sense why ML would still be confused about his feelings for this woman because she doesn’t deserve his love. I never once believed that No-uel ever truly loved ML. It was always all about her, and it's still all about her. Now, FL’s ex. Jae-Hyuk is a first-class psycho, but at least, his character is interesting, and I did feel some sympathy for him because of his emotional torment and mental illness. I didn’t doubt his love for FL although it was an obsessive, unhealthy love. The actor, Lee Ji Hoon, does a terrific job portraying this character. Unlike No-uel, Jae-Hyuk was an actual danger to this couple & himself. But around episode 10, I had had enough of these two exes and simply wanted them to GO AWAY, especially No-uel. I didn’t mind Jae-Hyuk sticking around a bit longer since I wanted to know the real reason he left FL and his background with Keanu. Jae-Hyuk mattered to the plot; No-uel didn’t. Way too much time was spent on the exes and the leads’ continuing relationship with them. Honestly, ML shouldn’t have had as much trouble as he did turning the cupcake down flat, considering how she treated him during their relationship (she admits cheating on him). However, I could understand FL’s struggle since Jae-Hyuk treated her well before their break-up.

Now, the good. ML was WONDERFUL! This man is a saint! A true gem! How any woman could treat him like No-uel or even FL (she was always pushing him away; I wanted to shake some sense into her several times) is beyond me. He was perfect…other than being a tad too cautious and reserved. And he was just too nice. He needed to be firmer with No-uel and tell the woman ‘there’s no way in hell I’m getting back together with you so keep your tears and your hands to yourself, especially in front of my new woman.’ Don’t just look uncomfortable – take action and push her hands away, buddy. In this instance, he needed to be more like a Chinese ML who is flat-out rude to the female love rival. Other than his lingering feelings for that cupcake – which was completely illogical in my opinion - he was everything a woman would want – handsome, successful, gentle, understanding, etc. Why FL took so long to see that is purely a contrivance of the script to drag out the drama – a real woman would have pounced on this man and never let go! I do like how his character does become bolder, more willing to display emotion and take risks - the very things cupcake wanted, Do-Hee, without any conscious effort on her part, manages to pull out of him.

I liked FL (Do-Hee) a lot. She had spunk but she was mature, especially in her relationship with ML. They both trusted and respected each other so there wasn’t a lot of jumping to conclusions or misunderstandings. They felt like one of those couples that are just ‘meant to be’ since they managed to stick together despite the clingy exes that circled them like flies. At about episode 10, if I were either of the two leads, I would have gone off on my ex since they were starting to behave like dog poop you can’t get off your shoe. Stop harassing me already! I don’t love you anymore! It was frustrating how it took Do-Hee so long to commit to Hae-Kyong, but I suppose it's reasonable for her to hold back after the two ex-boyfriends she'd had, but it made so sense to me how she felt her past was an obstacle to her relationship with ML. He knew all the ugly bits and still loved her so what's the problem? She played the noble idiot 1-2 times, but at least, it was brief! But, boy, it was heart-breaking for the viewer to watch Hae-Kyong's confusion and misery.

My biggest complaint: the scriptwriter/director really needed to give us more sweet romance between the leads – they were so darn cute together. It was so adorable when they both were imagining romantic scenes with each other. And boy, it was a long wait for their first kiss! Fortunately, as we near the end and the problem of Jae-Hyuk is resolved, we get more cuteness as they settle into their relationship. The final episode is like a sigh of relief after the tension/angst of the proceeding 2-3 episodes.

The supporting cast was good as they are with nearly all K-Dramas. I don’t know how the Koreans do it, but they have a wonderful knack for creating interesting side characters. The side romance between Ah-Yeong and Keanu was cute as well and was well balanced so it didn’t distract from MC’s romance. It was a little odd how Geun knew everybody in the love square individually – what’s the probability of that in real life? He was like a spoke that they all revolved around. I absolutely loved how he finally scolded No-uel for her selfish behavior. My advice to her - look, honey, there are consequences to the decisions you make so now you have to live with them. You can't have back the toy you threw away.

Overall, I enjoyed this drama, although I fast forwarded through most of No-uel because she was just an irritant (although her character does improve once she stops harassing Hae-Kyong). If you can put up with exes that just won’t go away and a slow burn romance that makes you want to shake the leads at times, then watch this drama. The sweet moments between ML/FL are worth it…not to mention Song Seung-heon’s (ML) smile. If they ever made the webtoon/comic ‘The Office Blind Date’ into a drama, I think Song Seung-Heon just might be handsome enough to play the lead role of Kang Tae-Mu. The only reason I marked the re-watch value low is because there's too many scenes with the exes and not enough of the leads being romantic.

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This was really very classic and decent drama till episode 11
The story was good
The Romance was ok
The plot was connected well
Then
After that it became very annoying,
Repetitive , slow pace and nothing new

The most annoying episode ever was no. 13
The FL left him literally for no reason
Just following the frustrating rule of separation at every Korean drama
Inspite of she was the one who left him with no reason
Everyone around the Ml accused him of being the reason of this failure which annoyed me as hell
And was really illogical at all

I wanted to slap her so much
Many times I didn't recognise what does she want really
Her position was extremely fluid
Towards both men
Although she told her ex many times in a strict way she doesn't love him anymore,
But also her attitude towards her current boyfriend
Seems lukewarm and cold

I hated that her mother interfere her life many times
And At the beginning I hated both exs
Then I felt sympathy with the FL's ex so much and felt sorrow for what happened to him and hated his father a lot

And I hated the ML's mother and his ex so much

Both were extremely selfish and thought that saying sorry can fix everything

Even the side stories had a share of stupid separation

Many many stupid events had no need for it
like :
the gay character
The long length for many scenes
the repititive dialogue
scenes of the refusing mother to the ML
And definitely the accident scene

ONE TIME WATCH DRAMA
What ruined this drama that they insist to reach 16 episodes anyway
12 was going to be perfect
After EP 11 , I literally dislike it
I tripled the speed's watching and jumped many scenes

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It is boring, but...

Q: What is this drama about?
A: Toxic relationship
Q: Is it boring?
A: Yes, the first half of drama only: episode 1-9. This is actually a 16 episode drama, not 32 as written on MDL.

Pros:
- Apink's Naeun. She is my first motivation to start watching this drama lol.
- Seo Jihye. She is my motivation to finish the drama. In short, her 'Seo Dan' brought me to the end of the episode.
- The drama's conflicts are really happening in real life. I had(ve) a friend who resembles Jung Hyuk much. I even got blocked in SNS by him since he thought I would take away his crush. Lol, it's only his crush, not his girlfriend (yet). They didn't even end up dating since his crush actually already had a boyfriend! The most dramatic story I've ever had in my life.
- The antagonists really heat you up. It means the story is actually really good.
- This drama is light, it doesn't require a smart brain to solve the conflict puzzle.
- It is safe, no bed scenes (lol).

Cons:
- Less comedy
- The main OST is too bright (pop-ish) sometimes just doesn't sound good
- Stay strong! You have to reach episode 11 to get the feel of this drama
- Tbh, I didn't feel the good chemistry between the lead characters
- Awkward romance
- The doctor's acting is questionable lol, I hated this. It was supposed to be a sad atmosphere but the doctors ruined everything.
- Family conflicts are not shown properly. Mostly, they are shown by throwbacks. We need more stories about the lead character's family.

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I watched it because of Seo Ji Hye, I really loved her as Seo Dan in CLOY and it is her first lead role in a drama series not a 2nd lead anymore congrats 😁. And what catches my attention is Kim Jung Hyun will do a cameo here although you will his character here but still glad to see them both on screen again.

This drama is about two people who meet by coincidence and had a deal to be dinner mates no strings attach and they will will just meet to have dinner together and they also made a rule to never fall inlove with each other. Until one day Doo Hee confess that she breaks the rule because she's starting to like Dr. Kim and thats where the story rolls until Doo Hee's ex-boyfriend Jae Hyuk came out of the picture and wants her back. Their relationship becomes a bit messy and challenging but Hae Kyung makes sure to protect Doo Hee and their relationship from Jae Hyuk. This drama also tackles about on how to deal with a person having psychological problems like Jae Hyuk experienced.

I also love Nam A Yung and Keanu's love story here they make this drama more enjoyable to watch.
At first I say the story is just so so... but later on as the story progress I kinda like it and got kilig na. The drama has lots if emotions but all in fun it is fun to watch and I love to watch happy endings.

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♥️ She comes & goes but it's all about those ❣♥❣ °7.2° °VG°

It's just dinner… Psych! It's more than that. Hae prefers treating patients in a restaurant. Food is happy & comforting. His charges relax more over a meal - they open up. Hmm… Maybe he just doesn't like eating alone.

Song Seung Heon is Dr. Kim “Hae” Kyung. He's a psychiatrist, so he's all alone. I've seen him in Saimdang-8.5 & Black-9. Those shows made me a BIG fan, though I wasn't crazy about his bad guy part in Black Knight-7. Seo Ji Hye (Crash Landing on You-9.1) plays Woo Do “Hee”. They do a couple of cute call-outs to CLOY. She's reunited w/ her CLOY co-star & love interest, Kim Jung Hyun (Mr. Queen-9). Here, he's not the man of her dreams. He is Hee's jerkface soon-to-be EX-lover. Hee seems dignified, but she has a silly sense of humor that pours out into her productions, 3-Stooges-inspired, all. On paper, these 2 are mismatched. In reality, they are ramen & kimchi: The perfect compliment.

It started in Jeju. Actually, it started on the plane ride over, though they didn't make a good impression on e/o then. She's going to get engaged! She's making a big deal about it. He's rolling his eyes, and “NO,” he won't do a video congratulations for her! Later, they end up at the same restaurant where he watches her get dumped - the opposite of therapeutic. One thing leads to another and they end up having dinner together, & staying at the same hotel, but they don't exchange phone #s… or even names. They won't exchange names for around half of the show. They fall in love before exchanging names! She offers a thank-you dinner to him when they are both back in Seoul, but he declines. His recusal was unintentionally unkind. He thought he was being clever when he told her that the next time a hit by Tae Jinah tops the charts, he'll meet her at 8:00 at a certain restaurant. The implication is that it'll never happen.

When she gets back to work, she's given a tough assignment. She must recruit a reclusive but daring & handsome psychiatrist to be on her podcast. It's all about those ♥❣♥, & he will generate them. You get one guess as to whom /he/ is. She doesn't know it yet, though. Neither does Hae.

DM is a 2020 release that is rated 82 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 70-minute or 32 35-minute episodes. This show stays small and uneventful, yet it works, somehow. For perspective's sake, I'll mention that I'm working through Prime's catalog and I just finished My Man Is Cupid-5.9, and Heartbeat-4.8, and they were tough to finish. DM was not. Everyone has their own line of demarcation. The show moves forward, linearly. It keeps its focus and doesn't wander.

Hae doesn't do podcasts. He does food therapy. He /ignores/ her email. This leads to a follow-up email pointing out that manners maketh a man, and he appears to have ⭕. An aggressive exchange follows, which then becomes an in-person exchange - an /attempt/ at one, that is. They each go to their other's place of business to finish the argument, but since they do it at the same time, they don't meet up then. They sure as shizzle know they can't stand e/o.

Their quest for an outrage-unload is interrupted when Tae Jinah's ‘She Comes and Goes’ hits the top of the charts! Fate is serving up popovers: Drop everything! They have a date at the fish market.

Soon… “You hate takeout. Why don't you want to go out?” Hae is acting weird. “Oh, I'm afraid I'll run into that weird woman.” “What woman is that?” “One that makes me want to ramble on.” They /refuse/ to accept coincidence after coincidence that keeps them running into e/o, as “fate,” but they finally take the step of agreeing to share meals together as “dinner mates.” No dating, no borrowing money, no TOUCHING, just meals. It's ep5 and they haven't exchanged names yet. (If they had, it would all fall apart because they detest e/o - professionally. His steadfast refusal to be on her webcast has up-ended her career). One thing that drives them to form an alliance is that their exes are back in town. Each of them had suffered a brutal breakup and neither of them wants to be available for their exes to pick their bones.

As they continue to meet privately and spat professionally, the big reveal has teeth that keep growing. They've grown used to e/o. To learn that they loathe e/o will hurt. Around that halfway mark it occurred to me that not much had happened. It is all small plates. I was enjoying the flavor, nevertheless.

Lee Ji Hoon (Rookie Historian-7.6) portrays Hee's ex, Jung “Jae” Hyeok. He's got the hardest job of the show and he handles it well. Son Na Eun (Ghost Doctor) plays Hae's gorgeous ex, Jin Noh “Eul”. Ye Ji Won (Brain Works) is the adorable Nam Ah Young, '2N Box' CEO and Hee's boss. It would be a much more boring show without her. She provides the fun & flash - It would be a much more boring show w/out her. She dresses like an anime character. I love it. She's involved in the most fantastical 2ndary romance. Kim Seo Kyung (My Country: The New Age) is the nervous Lee Byung Jin, Hae Kyung's nurse. The intrinsically affable Park Ho San is Keanu, a mysterious homeless man with a booming laugh that draws a person in like a beacon. He's starred in Departure, Sun & Would You Like a Cup of Coffee? I've seen him in My Mister-9.5, Prison Playbook-almost done - it's wonderful, & Han River Police-7.4. He's a plus in any production.

Ko Kyu Pil (Crash Landing on You-9.1, The King's Affection-8.3) normally enhances any scene he's in. In DM he plays Hee's coworker, Park Jin Gyu. They could have used him better. He's a 2D cartoon in DM. Yoon Bok In is Do Hee's mother. She's always good. In More Than Friends-8 she really showcases her talent. The directors are Go Jae Hyun (Player, Café Minamdang), & Park Bong Sub of The Uncanny Counter (S1-8.4 S2-4). This is screenwriter Kim Joo's 1st effort, and it's based on the original work of Park Jae Bum who gifted us with Vincenzo & The Fiery Priest.

I kept waiting to be disappointed with DM. So many shows flounder in the double digit episodes. DM, admirably, takes on quiet depth. The acting is excellent, as well. It started to surprise me. Hee has to look at her father and say ‘I love you. You're a good dad. But you're so mean to mom. I'll support her, whatever her decision is.’ Respect and loyalty DO NOT mean you're supposed to support a loved one's evil or wrong behavior. Loyalty demands the exact opposite, as the true virtue of loyalty is always first loyal to truth.

“Do you like that man?” Her friend is curious. Hee shakes her head. “I do not want to... I won't. I won't like that man.” Soon after: “That's when I realized that your efforts to deceive your heart come to nothing when you truly like someone.” This is a cozy romance. The main couple doesn't emit sparks but they do emit warmth. They are embers, not a raging fire. The show is comfortable to watch, and this couple feels homey.

“I gave him up... because the person I love must be happy! You guys must have no conscience. You say you love them, but you have no interest in their happiness.” One of the side characters scolds Hae's ex. She is trying to get him back despite the fact that he's clearly in love with Hee. Ditto for Jae, Hee's ex. Here's 2 people ready to love the other and commit to the best for the other. They are contrasted with their exes who want to get back with each of them for selfish reasons. The exes want personal fulfillment and are looking to be physically and emotionally catered to. If they are willing to give in kind, that's one thing. But they aren't and they won't because they are utterly self-involved. Mentally ill people are all 💯% self-involved. Are all self-involved people mentally ill? I dunno. Maybe. Jae certainly is. Eul has childhood trauma she's working through, and she's certainly not “well”.

Hee reflexively covers for Jae when he does embarrassing things. But is she really covering for him? She can't release her shame. He's her past, and she's ashamed of her past. She's ashamed of her failure. She's ashamed that she felt for this messed up guy. She's ashamed that she can't make a clean break. At the core of it is that she doesn't feel worthy of this wonderful man, Hae. Not much is happening in these episodes, yet they held my attention because they're insightful.

One can't erase the past or hide it forever. “My life & my relationships are ridiculous. We love & break up. We fight & resent e/o... I thought my pain wasn't that special & I was doing okay. But it was a delusion. My relationship is a mess.” Hee has unresolved hurts. Once they get together, their past hurts are denying them peace. Not only are their exes physically present, but they are emotionally there as well. I was also angry at Hee. Talk about misplaced guilt, taking on other people's problems, & covering for toxic offenders! What she's really doing is self-sabotage. She's terrified. I hated what she was doing. Yet I was looking forward to seeing how they resolved it.

DM isn't perfect. There's videos of him being a vigilante, but they never follow-up on that motif. It's our Introduction to Hae, and yet that part of him goes into hiding and is never seen again. That is a flaw. They don't do a good enough job explaining Jae, his background, and his actions when he broke up with Hee and then disappeared for 6 years. The flaws are more than compensated for with cute touches and warmth. In ep6 they have dinner together and they're pretty much matching, already. We learn about Panama La Esmeralda Geisha coffee. I looked it up. It's expensive. There's some nice graphics - They have fun with gimmicks and polished effects. They show months of dating by way of a social media page filling up with photos. It's cute.

This director knows how to utilize camera, cutting, special effects and music to augment funny scenes. There's one contest that they film in slow-mo, fan blowing the hair back, and onlookers also being blown away; it's done for very good comedic effect. They totally forget the no-touching rule at that time and hug. “You have a dinner mate!? Is he handsome? Are you sure you're not dating him? Do you want to date him?” Hee's friend is all a-buzz. “At least he's not like that psycho psychiatrist. If he comes near me, that's the end of him.” Hee believes she'll take that rage to the grave 😅.

Hae's finest moment is at work. Sure, she lost her show due to that jerk, but B-class comedy never dies! They all cheer. (Hero music. Fade out). Hee… Hae… Hey, what else should I say? I think this is worth the watch. Is it in my top 50? Probably not. It's still a tasty snack, though.


In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Simple & Sweet -

99 days with the Superstar-7,
Mad For Each Other-7.7 ~ silly fun,
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha-8.2,
My First First Love-8,
My Roommate Is a Gumiho-7.9,
Romance is a bonus book-7.9,
Touch your heart 8.2,
Another Miss Oh-7.5,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Our Blues-8.5,
Be Melodramatic-8.7

🎎 -
My Only Love Song 8.7 ~ excellent comedy,
Mr. Queen 8.5,
My Sassy Girl 8.5,
Saimdang 8.5,
The King's Affection 8.3,
Mr. Sunshine 9

Romance junkies only -
My Secret Romance-7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks),
Boys Over Flowers-8 ~ melodrama to the max,
The Bride of Habaek-7,
Heirs-7.3,
That Winter, The Wind Blows-7,
Something in them Rain-9,
C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love-7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine,
When I Fly Towards You-7.8,
Wait, My Youth-8.4,
A Little Thing Called First Love-8.5,
Find Yourself-8.9, Hidden Love-7.8

Consider a Chinese 🎎/🔮 romcom: The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8, Love Between Fairy and Devil 8.9, Love and Redemption 10 or Japanese romcoms: Maid Sama 10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo 7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions 8.4, or Toradora 8.5

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Specific love journey

All characters are well played
Especially ~Seo Ji Hye [ Woo Do Hee ] her smile acting all is cloud nine
Main lead Song Seung Heon [ Kim Hae Kyung ] and Seo Ji Hye [ Woo Do Hee ] are best pair
Their chemistry in love scenes are mesmerising
Ost is also awesome
thank you
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In love with Song Seung Heon

This is my first time to watch Song Seung Heon. At first, just watching the drama posters, he came off as arrogant. Wrong! I absolutely love him. Not just for his looks but his voice and delivery of his dialogue. They both looked so good together that it,'s hard to believe they just met during the script reading. They have a great chemistry on screen and I would love for this to be the case in real life.

For me, they and the ex boyfriend are the only characters truly worth watching. Great acting by the obsessive ex.
The secondary characters, I can do without them. Found most of them totally unnecessary in the story.

I also loved the soundtrack specially Midnight Cinderella. Very lovely tune....

If I were to rewatch this, I would skip the other episodes and focus more on when the leads both knew each other's identity

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