While You Were Sleeping

Lucid dreaming at an unreal level

Nothing like the Sandra Bullock movie of the same name, this dreamy romance of intertwined lives by saving-indebtedness is sweet and heartwrenching at parts, with pretty solid acting particularly by the neighbourly mom who provides daily breakfast, and the investigator sidekick. Bae Suzy carries off her bob with panache, but what was most endearing was that scattered throughout the series' cutscenes were lil furry inserts of the neighbourhood cat and indoor corgi. One liner non-spoiler summary of the series: "If you could dream the future, what salvific changes would you effect, and how would you live with the consequences of your (in/)actions"

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The story is shocking, it has unbelievable plot twist, and has a good ending +5
Its humor scenes made me laugh +1
Lee Jong Sook is an actor that I know, he acted well +1
Some 'not romance' scenes were touching. +1
Kim So Hyun as a guest role +0.5
Total: 8.5
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If it was not the good story, I would not watch this drama. I don't like how the men are crying. It was too much. So, I'd rather to watch Woo Tae's acts rather than Jong Sook's (blame the director for this lol). I think, So Hyun's acts are far better than Suzy. So, as a woman protagonist, should be a better actress than Suzy to play in this high tense drama.

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SO WORTH YOUR TIME

Storyline:
This drama absolutely BLEW my mind. You know a show is good when you're trying to eat ramen during it and you can't because you're too focused on the show. It continually surprised me with innovative plot twists and storylines that I could not predict. Not to mention the production of the show was FANTASTIC. I love how they used the concept of time to intelligently confuse the watchers while explain and interweave the backstories of the characters. The connections that this show made were amazing. Definitely did not see the character identity reveals coming. I also how they used subtle details to depict unsaid parts of the story. This show also just taught me a lot about what it's like in the courtroom and being a lawyer and prosecutor so I enjoyed that.

Acting:
PHENOMENAL. There were many crying scenes because of the tragedies that occurred in the plot and I thought every actor nailed them. Didn't seem over the top or not enough; I thought they captured the pain that the character would feel while scream sobbing perfectly.

Romance/Chemistry:
I actually enjoyed how there wasn't as many romantic scenes in this dramas as others because the main focus of the story on other topics was really well done and felt more important. However, the emotional and romantic connection was very much felt. I liked how the two leads grew together and were connected by fate and how dedicated they were to each other. I liked that there wasn't much of a love triangle and that the men stayed really good friends.

Music:
Perfectly matched every scene and expressed the tone of each scene well. Some great soundtracks in there.

Overall:
FREAKIN AMAZING. I'm so happy I watched it and Korean productions are genius, everyone involved with this project deserves so much credit for how great this was.

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I Was Watching While “I” Was Sleeping

Real Rating : 8.3

Overview
While You Were Sleeping started off kinda strong for me. Rhe concept was unique and interesting, and I was genuinely pulled in by the idea of dreaming about future events. The early episodes felt fun, fresh, and a little suspenseful. However, as the show went on, I found myself getting bored and less invested. While the overall concept stayed cool, the execution started to feel repetitive and unrealistic at times. It’s one of those dramas where the idea is better than how it plays out over time.

Characters:
The main female lead, Nam Hong-joo (Bae Suzy), honestly got a bit frustrating. She’s constantly involving herself in dangerous situations, even when she knows the consequences. At some point it stops feeling brave and just feels reckless. Also, she’s a reporter, but she’s doing a lot of investigating that feels way beyond what her role should realistically be—maybe that’s more common in K-dramas, but it didn’t fully work for me.

The male lead, Jung Jae-chan (Lee Jong Suk), had moments where he felt caring and invested, but other times his expressions made it seem like he was just annoyed with her. That inconsistency made their relationship feel a little off.

The second lead, Han Woo-tak (Jung Hae-In), was actually one of my favorites. I thought his character was really interesting, especially with the reveal that he’s colorblind—it was a unique detail that added depth, and I liked how it wasn’t immediately obvious. He brought a softer, more grounded energy compared to the chaos around him. Though i don’t understand why he sees the future in his dreams? What is his connection? I dont know if I missed it. I also get that the rules are stricter in Korea and dont knoe if its a general rule. But him being colorblind was kinda funny, everyone was crying as if it was a bigger reason.

Plot:
The plot had a strong foundation, especially with the backstory connecting their childhoods and the idea that the brother of their fathers’ killer was always present. That part was intriguing and added emotional weight.
But what I didnt why they were constantly they were being targeted. I understand the reasoning within the story, but it started to feel unrealistic; there were just too many extreme situations (getting drugged, constantly being in danger, etc.). It felt like something dramatic was always happening just for the sake of tension.

One thing I did appreciate was the idea that you can’t save everyone and that even with good intentions, people make mistakes. That added a more realistic emotional layer, even if the actual events were over-the-top.

Also, the romance felt inconsistent. Sometimes their connection felt real, and other times it didn’t land at all. The ending kiss, in particular, felt awkward and not very natural, which was disappointing after everything built up.

Final Thoughts;
Overall, While You Were Sleeping had a really interesting concept and a strong start, but it didn’t fully hold my attention all the way through. It had some great character moments and emotional ideas, but the unrealistic situations and uneven character dynamics made it harder to stay fully invested.

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Interesting premise. So much potential but was explored poorly.

This drama is probably the worst drama out of all the Park Hye-Ryun dramas.

The show's premise was very interesting in the first few episodes. The directing and the story was executed perfectly. But after the first few episodes, I realised there was a pattern. All the cases were linked to each of the character's danger. I found that very boring. It lasted throughout the whole drama until the last case. They also pulled a lot of fake outs. I knew the main characters weren't going to die so I wasn't really interested with the story.

The romance was not strong. It was a side theme.

I would watch the start and the end but everything in between is just filler cases.
But since it's a Park Hye-Ryun Drama, you're guaranteed to laugh out loud.

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Jung Hae In deserved to be the main lead!

I just finished the drama. I started it probably one or two months ago and I admit I was busy but I think I also wasn't hooked enough to make time for it and watch it.

Overall it was good, it's probably my third drama with Suzy as the main lead and she didn't disappoint. I've loved her acting since the very first time I saw her in Uncontrollably Fond and then Start Up and she's very interesting to me. Lee Jong Suk on the other hand... he's never clicked for me. There's something about his facial expressions, they don't say a lot. I watched him in Hymn of Death and literally got the same impression. I don't mean to be rude, he's pulled off some nice scenes, yet I feel like there is something missing every time.
I would've preferred Jung Hai In to be the main lead. I got to see him in Snowdrop/Tune in for Love and right after While You Were Sleeping, I started binging Something In The Rain and I love the dude. IDK but his eyes and smile really say a lot and oh boy is he handsomeeeeee 😂❤️

Back to the drama: it was an interesting plot. Yet I would've preferred some more complex scenarios. At time it felt like things were too obvious and personally, I don't quite enjoy that. Yet, the pacing was good, things ran kinda fast and that helped keep the interest (almost) alive.
There were some really interesting life questions or morals that the writer emphasized nicely on the dialogues. Each character, main or supportive one was nicely depicted and brought some valuable life lessons to the table. I like it when writers do this, that they don't forget about the support characters and bring their life stories up and make them relatable to us. I guess we can all agree, the prosecution office was hella funny. Han Woo Tak and Mr. Choi definitely hold the crown for my fav characters.
Much love for the leads but they could've had a better chemistry.

The OST... I don't really know what to say. "I love you boy" by Suzy was nice though. It keeps popping i my head every now and then.
Rewatch value: I don't think I'll ever miss this drama. There are far better ones out there that I'm really biased about rewatching as there are so many new dramas to watch, yet so little time.

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while you were sleeping is a drama I can't describe with words, well I am doing just that but still I cant't describe it ( btw this is my first review ever so don't judge me to hard ), this drama got everything you need from a compelling story line with a lot of twists and turns to a very lovable + enjoyable chemistry between the main leads, after watching this drama Suzy grew on me, her acting has incredibly improved, her acting along side with Lee Jong suk was of the charts!
every episode left me on edge wanting to see what happens next, and trust me it is not easy waiting for subbed episodes to come out but I endured it..

The side characters were endearing and they made the story more enjoyable and fun! a lot of people have the second male lead syndrome and I could see why,
Jung hae In played his part very well and he defiantly made the entire world go crazy over him!

I never thought that I would like law/crime dramas but after I have finished this drama I started watching more and more dramas related to law and I found my self very interested in them, so to sum it up GO WATCH IT, its definitely worth your time and you won't be disappointed!

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WYWS is a fantasy, romance, thriller. The fantasy aspect of it (premonitions) were thankfully left unexplained because no possible reasoning could have successfully explained it. The romance was convincing enough. The leads didn't have sparkling chemistry, but coming from painful pasts (and also seeing into painful futures) they clung to each other and seemed comfortable with each other. I bought it. The thriller aspect of it totally hooked me in. We immediately start out with knowing someone is going to be killing the main actress.

First of all, the villains. Lee Yoo-beom as a child or adult is a know-it-all POS that you want to smack around. He knows exactly how to bend the rules and laws to make things go his way. And yet, he recognizes the path that he keeps on following is a terrible one, is internally terrified, but he's all gas and no brakes. Then, the biggest surprise of all of them to me. Kang Ki-young playing the chicken restaurant owner. Just the previous week I was actually thinking about how much I had liked him in all his supporting cast roles (WWWSK, Weightlighting Fairy, W) and seeing him as a sociopath seriously broke me a little bit. It was so incredibly jarring that it colored the entire series even darker for me on how scary human nature can be. The rest of the villains were truly evil as well, though maybe less complex, such as the professor abusing students and the serial killer. They were in there to paint a better picture of Lee Yoo-beom's path to destruction.

This was my first time watching a Suzy drama. I'd avoided because I heard she wasn't a great actress. I could tell literally all of her tears were fake, but she did a fine enough job. In my opinion she's a bit plain looking, so everyone being in love with her is a bit ...eh, but that's the way these go. I find Lee Jong-suk interesting as an actor. He has a dang interesting face, almost so child-like that I just can't imagine him as a lawyer. He looked so much more like "him" when he was wearing a hoodie. I think he fit better as a chaebol in W.

My favorite characters were minor. I particularly loved Lee Ji-kwang (Min Sung-wook) letting prosecutor borrow his car, and just being a total goofy friend and secretly dating in the office. We didn't get to see too much of kid Suzy and Lee Jong-suk, but I absolutely loved all their scenes, particularly the river scene when he yells for her to save them. I saw some comments didn't find the flashbacks impactful, but there was so much emotion in that scene, and it colored their future as they each carried the guilt and responsibility of saving or choose to not save lives.

I don't think I'd fully rewatch, but I may skip around to some of the cutest or scariest moments.

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Intriguing start, somewhat far-fetched with two people with precognition just happening to live next door with intertwining lives. Plus a lawyer with paranormal powers? Not in my experience. I was initially irritated that just when I'm enjoying the comedy it gets really heavy, but now I'm into it, I find the mix of comedy, tragedy and supernatural enjoyable and keeps me watching. As it goes, it looks like half of Seoul have precognitive dreams. But in my opinion the big flaw in this drama is the connection between the central characters between present day and back story. It really is completely unbelievable, although everything does come together quite powerfully as between the different characters then and now. Still stretches the imagination, though. It also has a "split personality", as it can't make up its mind if it is a supernatural drama or realistic law/court drama - it starts with the supernatural element very prominent but from about half way to me this fades to the background. Also it sags in the middle with too much soppy romance. But it totally recovered as the action picked up later on, when it was edge of the seat stuff and passed the test of being not easy to stop from going on to the next episode. I also loved the comedy, like the office politics and the young brother constantly put upon by LJS. IMO LJS looks far better in casual than formal clothes. Music for the romantic scenes is good. I also have a soft spot for the villain, although he's a really nasty one, which I suppose is evidence of Lee Sang Yeob's good acting. These dramas would never work without a bad guy and the audience wanting to know how the good guy gets the better of him (if he does). The very end nice but so OTT. The idea could have carried over to another series but it was obviously packaged only for one. Not one I'm going to re-watch, once you know the story it's pointless and there are too many romantic stretches in between at some points. But I don't like to over-analyse when reviewing, so 10/10 as a really watchable drama when the action took over.

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DREAMS AND LAW!

I am a sucker for shows that has mystery/thriller vibes and this show is a perfect blend of both. I absolutely loved this show.

Plot: A news reporter is on a career break as she believes she will die on her duty in future. This is because her dreams become a reality. She meets a prosecutor who saves her life from a car accident - something that she had dreamed before. She had tried changing the reality but she couldn't. The prosecutor is the one who proved that the reality can be changed. He saved the reporter because he dreamed about her and the cop who gets killed in the car accident. Now, the news reporter, the prosecutor and the cop dream about each other's future events. All their future events are tied up with their professions and they help each other, while dealing with an evil attorney.

Cast: Not only the main leads, I also liked all the side characters except the evil ones. My favorite was Jaechan's brother, Daegu and Mr. Choi. We have all seen Mr. Choi as the villain in SWDBS but here he was just an exceptional hero for me. And throughout the show, I found myself more attracted to Jang Hae In than Lee Jong Suk...and even an unshaved Jang Hae In was too hot.

What I liked: Unlike other shows, where sub-plots are often created with new characters that the main leads are not quite acquainted, here we could see the sub-plots based on the people around the main characters. Eg. the reporter dreams about the barista from where she orders the coffee and the prosecutor dreams about the barista and the reporter being attacked. I love how they tied the stories neatly, inter-weaving them with perfection. My favorite scenes would be the robotic vacuum cleaner scene and Wootak's secret reveal idea by Hongjoo. The final episode had me drowning in tears. The cases were perfectly trialed in the courts and I loved every aspect of the cases. Imo, Yoobum could have been redeemed at a young age but matters got of hand and he turned out to be a devil. And I loved the bickering between Jaechan and his brother. Jang Hae In wasn't actively pursuing the love of the female lead despite being a second lead and that just adds more beauty to the show.

OST: That dramatic music score whenever something big happens - that was fantastic. Goosebumps!

Overall: 9/10. I will again watch it in future.

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I know that my rating is choking for this drama lovers but let me explain : the story was good and the cases were solved intelligently but at some point their was repetition as in every time one the main characters is in danger and the other one is going to save him  thus in the end some of the events were predictable.
the highest rating for me goes for the acting and the cast :the chemistry between the main actors was great and  I fell in the love with Han Woo Tak from the first time .Despite that I've enjoyed myself watching this drama I wouldn't rewatch it because the hole story depends on how the events change surprisingly and every thing is solved in the end therefore you wouldn't enjoy watching it again if you knew what's gonna happen from the beginning .

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