Because This Is My First Life

Not my cup of tea

I had a hard time watching this. I got bored during a lot of it and I found a lot of the characters and their choices to be frustrating. I wonder if maybe I missed out on some of the cultural understanding, but I couldn’t believe how much they wanted to talk about “marriage is this” and “marriage is that”. I guess, as a married person, I just don’t buy into the relationships they were trying to sell me. I was quite frustrated at the choices made by the characters. The desires of some of the characters made me feel like they were selfish and that was never addressed. Considering the show was about marriage, I felt like I didn’t see enough of the developing relationship between the characters. For the one who had a difference in opinion about how long they should wait to get married, the show gave us no indication as to how that difference of opinion was solved beyond a couple of words about a plan. For the main relationship, there was a huge lack of communication and we didn’t really get to see the characters together. It’s hard to call it love when you only see it for such a small period of time. I also felt like some of the characters were just thrown in without much thought as to why they were there. The stalker storyline… the incident with the assistant director… those were just barely there to the point of “why bother?”

Read More

Fake Marriage, Real Chemistry, Excellent Supporting Chaos

📝 Review (WARNING: Potential Spoilers — I’m Not Saving You from Emotional Damage)

So this drama is perfect for that cold ML. Lee Min Ki played this role to perfection—starting out cold and aloof, then slowly warming up. This was also my first “Fake Marriage” trope experience, and it’s what led me down another rabbit hole. I’ve got so many of those now, I could probably take over all of Wonderland with the mentality of a mix between the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat.

What really elevated the drama, though, was the supporting cast. These characters don’t just exist to prop up the leads—they enhance the story, adding layers of humor, heart, and chaos that make the whole experience richer. Their interactions make the world feel lived-in, and honestly, without them, some of the emotional beats wouldn’t hit nearly as hard.


Seriously though, I really did enjoy this drama. It’s smart, funny, and the little domestic chaos between the housemates is endlessly charming. The pacing and the emotional beats never felt forced, and it’s absolutely on my rewatch list (even if I haven’t gotten around to it yet).

Read More

I love this drama. Inject it into my veins.

Honestly, I don't even know what to say. I cried several times when I watched this.

While the drama's premise was a bit silly to me at first, I grew to love and appreciate it. Jung So-min was great, her portrayal of Ji-ho was amazing. I got super attached to her and the rest of the cast as time went on. I don't know, man. I just love what the drama is trying to say - that this is our first life, and just because we've experienced things that brought so much pain, does not mean that there aren't good things that can come in the future. That we have to be gentler with people, because we can never truly know who they are and what they've been through. Life is a struggle for everyone, and we can't always get it right all the time.

The show also explores how fucking hard it can be to get something you want, to achieve a dream or to move on and have a life you've always wanted. I love how it drops gems like how, in this world, the best you can do is stay out of people's way. Idk man it's such a great show with awesome dialogue.

This show definitely focuses on the relationships that each character has with their respective partners, though. I can see how that can bore some people, but I for one loved it. Soo-ji and Sang-goo's relationship is one of the absolute best ever, and I loved how supportive and loving Sang-goo was. The relationship between them is just *drama perfection*. Ho-rang and Won-seok's relationship was kinda meh for me, but I didn't hate it. It felt a bit dragged on, but I'll give them a pass because the rest of the drama was just so darn good. Ji-ho and Se-hee though. At first I didn't really care if they got together or not but in the end I found myself rooting for them.

I also love how Jung-min wasn't the typical crazy ex girlfriend. Love that for her.

Ah, I just remembered Ji-ho's wonderful relationship with her mother. This drama just hits all the right spots! Very rewatchable, too. The OST slaps as well (listening to Marriage, This Life, and Shelter makes me cry all the time).

Overall, this drama is so, so good. Please watch it!

Read More

What I thought 'My beloved summer' would be like....

This series was what I thought 'My beloved summer' would be, Slow paced but full of deep and introspection things, especially aroung love and marriage. The approach to understand marriage by getting into a contract marriage isn't necessarily a new one, but did not feel cliched here (along with other ideas which could have been).
Definately more suitable for mature audience, but can be enjoyed by everyone.The beginning was so damn good and even the lines were much more hard hitting in the beginning. The ending felt slightly weaker (could have been a 9 for me if they could carry the momentum of the starting till the end) since the beginning was so damn good, but still overall it was a good series!!

Read More

I just love this drama...I accidently started watching this series and got addicted to it.If you are a fan of typical romcom K dramas then its not your cup of tea.The drama speaks about some actual issues our youth facing in the society.Really liked the way story progress..The actors justified the characters.Not only the lead actors, the support actors also fid their job well.

The story talks about a homeless woman and a house poor man.Under some circumstances they stated staying in same house and got in to a fake marriage.Also the storyline focusing on other two couples..The plot seens to be realistic and we can even relate to most of the situations.

I would really recommend this drama to all the views.

Read More

it started off really well…

i liked the drama quite a lot at the start, around ep 1-11? i especially liked how they embedded quotes and metaphors into the show, ie room 19, or the quote about how it would be better to be seen as a crazy b’tch than a pathetic wench. well a lot of these stories/quotes took quite some time for me to wrap my head around but that was the fun of the show imo. slowly figuring out what they mean through the scenes they showed us was definitely enjoyable, it was the main reason why i rated the plot as a 7.
i really loved nam sehee, how he was awkward but sincere, he’s bad with words but his affection shows anyway. episode 11 where he was stunned after meeting his ex again but showed more concern towards jiho and made her tea :((
i think ceo ma and sooji definitely CARRIEDD the show towards the end, i was just much more invested in them. in comparison, horang and wonseok were so toxic. they had completely different things they wanted and they were stressed out by their differences. i really dont think it would have worked out, they were just pressuring each other and straining themselves in the name of love. i cant believe they got back together. in comparison to sooji, horang was just portrayed a lot more dumber and just childish imo?? i didnt like how they portrayed how she wanted to get married so badly or maybe it’s my fault for not understanding the desire to get married.

compared to how much i liked sehee, i think jiho definitely paled in comparison. she constantly looks lost and half of the time i cannot comprehend her actions, especially towards the end. i even preferred the ex at some point LOL because she was cooler and more mature imo. the two exes talked it out calmly and maturely like adults should and jiho the stupid idiot ran away in the name of “love”, completely unnecessarily hurting sehee in the process. she’s so questionable, she goes around telling everyone (the ex, the father-in-law etc) that shes in love with sehee, then LITERALLY RIGHT AFTER THAT tells sehee that she wants to divorce. most heartbreakingly, that was the day sehee was going to confess, for the first time in his life.. and he was to forced to hold it back and got his heartbroken after he finally opened up. i cannot forgive her for breaking his heart like that. she’s running around like a headless chicken i cant understand her intentions, why is she hurting herself and the one she loves for no reason?? it was seriously upsetting watching her have fun at the sauna with horang when sehee legit looks like he was on the verge of death… he literally felt depressed man,, eating half cooked chicken and saying he didnt care so as long it filled his stomach, walking around and seeing jiho’s shadow everywhere.. it was so unfair that only sehee actually seemed to be suffering when jiho was just chilling?? having fun?? directing her own sad play?????????????? unbelievable tbh. and she came back to his old house and acted so frustrated he moved away and incredulously kept saying “why” like the whole bloody audience doesnt know youre the problem :)
was it because it wasnt working out? it was just hurting her?? i feel like it could have been clearer and not like im just throwing blind guesses in the dark trying to understand her. understandably, that contract had to end in a way, if they actually want to get together properly. was it meant to represent a fresh start? all it felt like was her directing her own play and running away on her own and causing sehee pain. could she not have communicated that she wanted a break and then a fresh start?? instead of leaving him depressed as shit and coming back looking for him saying she wants to confess… an actual clown 😭😭
but then again, as the title said, this is her first life, it’s everyone’s first lives. maybe she couldnt execute the clean start properly because of this? ugh this drama makes me feel so lost towards the end. but shouldnt she at least be as heartbroken and depressed as sehee… that really broke my heart because it felt so unfair 😭😭
i swear i have NEVER EVER EVER disliked a drama mc more than the love interest before:( i always hate the love int first because its portrayed in the mc’s pov,, it just seems to justify most actions
but HOLY SHIT JIHO you are a breath of fresh air!! i cant understand her and i ended up hating her after ep 13… how did she go from being so likeable to such a hateful toxic walking red flag at the end :)
anyways as you can see, it really kills you towards the end for me. still a great drama?? it just might not be for me?? maybe im not at the age/maturity to understand love and marriage problems as portrayed in the drama. maybe ill come back when im 30 and ill finally understand it :) or i could still hate after ep 13 jiho

Read More

CLASSIC STORY FILLED WITH EARNESTNESS

"Going through this life is the first for all of us anyway."

Unlike my other drama reviews, I have to first preface this one by saying that this drama could very well be universal, one size fits all type of drama. Because through three interwoven stories, everyone and anyone can find themselves reflected in at least one character.

Now back to my usual form of writing.

To start off, the good sides of this drama are heartfelt, true and educational(strangely enough), but it doesn`t mutually exclude the fact that they aren`t, at the same time, fluffy, somewhat funny and easy to watch. Every actor does a phenomenal job of living in their role, as their character. I thoroughly believed in these people, their struggles and way of living. No one here knows exactly what they`re doing or if what they are doing is right by default. But that doesn`t mean they don`t try. The absurdist comedy and lessons presented throughout are much of the time spot on in helping us see each person for what they stand and how. Because we do the same thing. We all have our quirks, routines and principles some might not agree with. Yet we press on. In the midst of relatable scenes that hit harder than most love confessions, my two favorites are:
1.When Ji-ho is walking through a dark tunnel in her pajamas aimlessly, after enduring sexual abuse and barely avoiding ra*e, talking about how your family could, at times, be the biggest strangers to you. How she was ready to take on every toil due to the fact that she chose to be a drama writer. She knew her path would be lonely and dark, like the tunnel she was perusing at that moment, but she still didn`t know the extent of it all. For personal reasons, that spoke to me in this exact moment of time. It was effective, clear and loud without being preachy or coming off as compensating.
2. When Se Hee was subconsciously consoling Ji-ho at that bus stop, which is probably the most well-known scene of this drama and what probably drew YOU to check it out and find out more about it. By watching this scene, I was also consoled on a deeper level not any drama could even touch, let alone soothe.
And this is where the magic of this show is contained. In its earnestness and good understanding of adult life as such. We all love admiring capable, ambitious and focused individuals(like Woo Soo Ji) without realizing that this is life...is a first for all of us. Such a simple truth is sadly almost never relayed in media. Despite being one, if not THE MOST depressed generation of our lifetime, you would never guess it by most pieces of the media we consume. And that`s such a missed opportunity this show tries to highlight. We shame others for being at crossroads, for not knowing what to do or where to turn to. And as this show so clearly expresses...we shouldn`t. Like that poem Ji-ho finds(which became my favorite as well), people are fragile, chipped away by time and situations they had to face by this point. Instead of accepting that and letting them heal, we berate them, rejecting what they can be in the process. It`s such a fruitless cycle. I get this review might be regarded as somewhat of an ode to life crisis, but it`s just an observation of young life and what awaits us as society. The fact that a show got me to think about these ideas and concepts is, in my opinion, an accomplishment on its own. It helps that it`s coupled with some visual cues movie buffs like myself appreciate even more. The OST is also subtle, but appropriate, boosting the atmosphere and letting scenes breathe on their own time. This isn`t a drama which needs emotional songs to relay its message, but when they are put in, it doesn`t hinder the feeling either.

After these compliments, like any drama, there are some drawbacks that got me thinking. First one is the pacing of it, though most Korean dramas suffer in this regard. It can at parts be too long. Especially if you`re not invested in the story, which admittedly, isn`t all that original. It`s the way they decide to present it what defines it. Without it, this is just another cohabitation story between a cold ML and a ditzy FL. To be honest, I can`t fault it for anything else, because it`s a great slice of life drama. One of those I like the most. Unassuming, changing and memorable. Kind of like life itself.

Read More

Contracts! ?

Everything about this drama is amazing. The pacing is perfect, nothing feels rushed and its ending is wrapped up beautifully!! While our characters are only with us for a short amount of time, we learn everything we need to know and see their lives come together in a way that is perfect for each of them! Ive rewatched this drama multiple times and will continue to rewatch! Its one of the few dramas I can rewatch and not just skip to the good parts. I love seeing our characters meet for the first times and continue to see them fall in love! Also this drama has so many relatable one liners omg

Read More

Everything about this drama is just comforting and ideal.

Ji Ho (Jung So Min) is a writer in her 30s who was looking for a new room due to her family issue. She ends up living with Te Hee (Lee Min Ki), a single man who's only close to his cat and has chosen not to marry, in a 2-year-contact marriage with no romance expectations to avoid misperceptions of their cohabitation. It’s only a matter of time before the two share their true selves on how they fit living together.

It’s amazing how this drama presents a lot of difficulties that young adults face in their 30s in the most peaceful yet meaningful and entertaining ways. It also does a great job fleshes out the many societal aspects, like patriarchy, marriage, nepotism, gender discrimination, etc.

The cohabitation that act as a glue among Se Hee, Ji Ho and Uri (the cat) is the most memorable part for me. So many funny and endearing moments that happen, I really love their growing relationships! I enjoyed the relationships between the other couples too and the friendships among the three girl friends.

In my opinion, Se Hee has the best character growth, from being an anti romantic and closed off personality, to an understanding & loving partner, able to express himself well to Ji Ho. Ji Ho, I really like her personality and her mannerisms throughout most of the drama. In the later parts, I don’t understand her problem that led to some complicated situations. But I’m satisfied with most episodes and overall, Because This is My First Life is a really good drama that will entertain you, make you feel safe and secure.

Read More