Melting Me Softly

A little shy of all wrapped up

This is a 2O19 South Korean tv drama with 16, 60 minute; episodes.

Go Mi-ran (Won Jin-ah) Is a fearless “stunt“ woman working for a variety show. The very talented director of the show, Ma Dong-chan (Ji Chang-wook), is always coming up with fresh ideas that have won him acclaim and kept his projects at the top of the ratings. His next big venture is “the Frozen man” and, since it is risky, he plans to be one of the subjects but they need a 2nd and , specifically a female, to round the show out. While the Director does not. Know her at all, his assistant is aware of Mi-ran’s willingness to do almost anything to earn money to help support her family while attending college. However, this is even a bit too far for Mi-ran and she originally says no. She changes her mind when her long term boyfriend cheats on her and she finds out that if the experiment is successful it may help people with health conditions - people like her beloved younger brother. It is, after all, only for 24 hours and it is a good cause that pays well. Things go wrong during the experiment and those that were only to be frozen for 24 hours wind up frozen for 20 years. The world and everything in it has changed in 20 years and they both experience a side effect where they must keep their body temperature at 31.5 °C (max. 33 °C/88-91 °F) in order to survive. With so many bonding these two together will circumstances drive them apart?

*spoiler 🚨 I liked the beginning a lot as it was fun to watch Mi-ran doing various experiments and what the Director would come up with. About 3/4 of the way through it felt slow and I was having a hard time continuing to watch. The concept of being frozen and response of all around them was intriguing but there were not enough plot elements to keep it interesting throughout. I also was disappointed that they were not married or at least a strong commitment by the end. With talk throughout of bad marriages I do not know if one of the writers was jaded that way or if some are embracing the idea that marriage does not need to happen for Happily ever after and I do not agree. I was glad they found a way to stay together but more formalized would have been good. Enjoyable but not one of my tops.

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It 's worthy

Well, at first I didn't want to see this drama because _Suspicious partner_ was so stupid and the main role of the girl, without role, in my opinion. And a new frozen story, well I was wary. But, as a big fan of JCW and its _Healer_, I tried it.
Good idea ! If you expect a sifi drama about cryogenisation, it's not a good choice but who says this story deals with it ? It's after cryo and what happened.The script is well done, very funny, Im Won-hee is a very talented actor, seen in _Dr Romantic_. The humor and the gags are good. I like the authoritarian JCK here. And the main role of the girl is effective, the actress too. Very surprised by the quality of the JCK game, it is constantly improving, becoming more and more precise and easy to read. Lots of different emotions or ideas on one face, it's great! One negative point, the secondary history with the university professor is long and useless. There were already enough materials and characters. In conclusion, a very good drama, I loved it.

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7/10 if I'm being honest

/ As simple as the ending was wrapped up, I enjoyed most of the brief episodes it brought to me. The hook of the plot was there. But I guess we'll never know what happened to the one who exposed 미란 being a Cryonic since most conflicts were treated lightly and was likely discussed offscreen. There was not enough summary on the development of other characters. The ending felt like that to me.

/ Nevertheless, it was still a good watch but not highly recommended. Kinda mid. Also, chemistry needed improvement.

/ Onto the next one but thanks to this I won't have the burnout from watching more series.

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To be honest i started watching it due to ji chang wook and had no expectation due to negative rating but i loved it. Even though the plot was not making sense i loved it because characters were lovely, the feelings were beautiful and the ending was a bliss. I understood the writer, as the genre is fantasy he made the story that was including fantasy kinda love and the ending was also what every person would wish for.I long for such happy endings with such beautiful way of expressing oneselves. Ji chang wook portrayed his character as we as an audience would want him to watch in this particular story.

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sweet romance and interesting plot...

Melting Me Softly is a romantic comedy about a variety show PD (Ji Chang Wook) and a part time worker (Won Jin Ah) at a broadcast station who are involved in a project where they are supposed to be frozen for 24 hours, but after something goes wrong, they instead wake up 20 years later.
Ji Chang Wook plays Ma Dong Chan.  He’s a star PD who is great at his job and likes taking risks. He quickly jumps at the chance to be a part of the Frozen Human Project, but he never could have guessed the experiment would go wrong and land him 20 years in the future.
Won Jin Ah is Go Mi Ran. Mi Ran is a struggling part time worker at Dong Chan’s broadcast station and is known for being willing to participate in crazy stunts. That’s how she ends up joining the experiment and having her life completely changed.

Melting Me Softly was such a fun drama for me. I got hooked quickly and really loved the first few episodes. They introduced the story well with the interesting concept of people being frozen and waking up 20 years later. I liked how they told the initial story while mixing scenes from the “present” 1999 time line combined with flashbacks leading up to the frozen project. It connected me with the characters, their situations, and their relationship dynamics.
We briefly see what happened right after they were frozen and then we jump 20 years into the future to 2019. The drama did excellent at showing how disorienting it was for Dong Chan and Mi Ran to find themselves in the future as well as their families reactions to the situation. It was jam-packed with feels as we see everyone reunite and try to adjust to everything. I was thoroughly pleased with how it was all handled.

The drama leans heavily towards the romantic comedy side with a dash of sci-fi surrounding the frozen experiment. The comedy is quite silly, and I would compare it to another drama from this writer, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon.
It worked for me, and I actually found Melting Me Softly quite funny. Any drama that has a time travel type concept is primed for fun regarding adjusting to the future. I was happy that this drama spent a few episodes showing the humor around that.

About a third of the way through the drama, we really get the romance starting to take shape. I liked seeing Dong Chan and Mi Ran develop feelings for each other. They were in a very unique situation that only the two of them could understand. They also have to contend with a side effect of them being frozen…they have to keep their body temperatures lower than normal or they could die. It makes for some dramatic situations where their lives are at stake.
For those considering watching this one, expectations are key. It’s a rom-com with a side of sci-fi. It’s meant to be silly and fun with a sci-fi story that is on the fantastical side. Not everything makes logical sense, but I wouldn’t expect it to with this type drama.
It’s not meant to be over-analyzed as there is a basic problem to solve regarding our couple being frozen and a straight forward villain looking to cause trouble. This part of the story isn’t particularly hard hitting, but it adds in a nice back drop for the romance and the comedy.

This was one of those times where I was really surprised to see how many people really disliked this drama and thought the story was bad and boring. It felt like I had watched a different drama. That wasn’t my experience at all as I thought the story progressed nicely from the set up, to our characters adjusting to their new lives, to the sci-fi mystery, and then turning into a wonderful romance.
Just remember, this is meant to be fun and not super serious. And there were other people like me who really enjoyed this drama, so I would recommend at least giving it a try to see if the style works for you.
There are also a good amount of cute couple moments with them being very adorable. I loved watching them develop feelings and how protective they were towards each other. This couple faced quite a few challenges, sometimes with their lives at stake, and they were always there for one another.

Melting Me Softly was just a wonderful watch. The sci-fi concept was interesting, and I loved all of the characters who made me laugh quite a lot. I also thoroughly enjoyed the sweet romance that blossomed into such a caring and nurturing relationship.

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✒Popsicle Debacle ⛸️ Captain Korea & Buck'em Keep it Cool °4.9° °poor°

“Cryopreservation experimentation can no longer be considered something for the distant future.
The USA, Russia, & SK are estimated to have preserved about 600 people in capsules all around the world. As long as human beings exist, there is no limit to what scientific technology can do… Eternal life is no longer a future fantasy.” Thus, MMS starts. Once they put it onscreen, it's old news; they're already far beyond that point. People who don't think the rich and powerful are feverishly working on all methods of immortality, including cryogenics, should consider whether they've really studied human nature.

It opens dark, mysterious, and in the last millennium. It's 1999. Ma “Dong” Chan's fresh face is in stark contrast to the sickly greens and greys. He's offering to help. Next, we see him in a chamber made of super-hard polycarbonate glass and special alloy metals. He's about to become a human popsicle along with 5 others. Very few directors are willing to get their hands dirty, but Dong is willing to put his body where his vision is. He's the director of infinite Experiment Paradise, an immensely popular science /entertainment/ show. “I'm considering something others won't do,“ he announces when a reporter asks. He's still at room temperature, but headed for sub-zero. “But you can't stand the cold! You never even put on the AC,” his gf protested vehemently. Dong had already decided, though. He's beyond arguments. He just needs 1 more test subject. A female.

“20 years from now you'll meet your true love,” Go “Mi” Ran's fortune-teller blurts out. She's there for advice as to whether she should take the cryo job or not - she's thinking “not”. “20 YEARS! I'LL BE 44!” Mi doesn't consider this good news. She won't be with her current boyfriend for 20 more minutes, though. She caught him cheating. (Dong witnesses Mi take down her (now) ex-bf. He's impressed. He actually dreams of her that night). This isn't love at first sight, though. She's been in practically every one of Dong's shows, yet he still doesn't know her name.

Mi starts the following day with a phone call. She didn't get the job she wanted. She's been doing all kinds of crazy stuff for money, and it looks like that won't stop any time soon. But there's no FREAKIN way she's going to let them freeze her! Well, ‘the director, himself, is participating,‘ she's told. Flat refusal. ‘We'll pay you 5M won.’ ‘Okay.’ It went sumpin like that… Eh, close enough.

MMS is a 2019 release that is rated 90 on AWiki / 7.6 on MDL / 6.9 on IMDB. It is 1 season consisting of 16 65-minute episodes. Prime auto-started it after another show ended. It didn't seem promising, but I gave it a shot, and by ep10 I was still undecided. It's a pleasant but empty watch through ep10. It's quite silly, but the two leads are compelling enough. It proceeded to decline and became unwatchable by ep12. The plot never did get off of the ground. What MMS offers is below avg escapism and an extended look at 2 beautiful leads.

These 2 beautiful leads are to be frozen for a brief time and it's all going to be on TV. Just as things are underway, a shadowy figure attacks the lead scientist, and he's the only one capable of waking them up. He secretly developed his own method by using protein found in Arctic fish. The assistant shoves doc into a cryo-chamber and everything goes black. Dong and Mi are going to have to chill for a while. The show's title, Melting Me Softly… well, it isn't true. Out of fear, Dong's coworkers keep the whole thing a secret. These two will get a pretty rude awakening.

Ji Chang Wook is Dong. He's a perfectly good ML. I've seen him in Lovestruck in the City-7.3 & The K2-8, which I loved, The Worst of Evil-7.7, which I liked, and Backstreet Rookie-6.4 which was more miss than hit. He can sing! He does a karaoke scene and he's really good. Won Jin A (Just Between Lovers) is Mi. Her voice is a gorgeous alto. Bangs took away years of her life. She looks 10 yrs older in She Would Never Know-7.3. Some of her outfits are adorable with a classic retro vibe in navy & white stripes or starched bright white cotton. She would look cute in anything.

Mi's mother is portrayed by Kil Hae Yeon, who is fabulous in Something in the Rain-8.6, One Spring Night-7.8, and Beyond Evil-7.4. Yoon Na Moo is Go Nam Tae, Mi Ran's special needs little brother as he was in 1999. This kid was fantastic in When My Love Blooms-7. As a grown up he's played by Yoon Na Moo from Dr. Romantic. Yoon Se Ah, who is marvelous in My Sassy Girl-8.5 and SKY Castle-9, portrays Na Ha Young, Dong's gf since 1999. In 2019, she's 20 years older than him and has 20 more years of information and experience. It is a huge gap, & too much to overcome. I like this actress, but I may not have if this was my first look at her. They do up her hair and makeup dreadfully. She seems faded and colorless, like an old photo. She only looks at Dong with a face full of pain, and it's tiresome. She starts to come back to life, though, toward the end of the show. Her looks improve and she does the most to crack the case. Her character is smart. Kim Bup Rae plays the CEO of Unsung group. He's a bad guy in the show, but his rich dark velvety voice is always good. Director, Shin Woo Cheol, brought us Gu Family Book & Secret Garden, while Screenwriter, Baek Mi Kyung, penned Mine-8 & the enormously popular Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (one of the main reasons I'm about to get a Viki pass).

Eventually, the leads are reanimated. Dong finds out his supposed “friends” from work left him to rot. In ep5 he has a talk with his old gf that's quite striking. He's the one who's been through it, but she turns it all around back onto herself. Obviously, it wasn't easy for her, but when he tries to ask her about the effect her actions and inactions had on HIM, all she wants to talk about is the toll it took on HER. They are making the break-up easy. Given the lack of information, everyone thought Dong was missing all this time. Same for Mi. Dong feels very guilty about what happened to Mi, so he takes her under his wing. They don't like e/o. She's got a lot of energy, and right now she's putting it into anger. When her old bf (he's OLD now!) starts coming onto her strong, Dong will defend her. “Maybe you shouldn't smile at guys. They might think you're cute 〰 not that I do🙄” As she slurps her noodles we see him smirk at her. They are thawing out rather quickly.

‘Don't do anything that'll get your heart rate going,’ Dong cautions Mi. “You have to maintain a 31.6° body temperature.” (88.88° F). Getting overheated for these two can be deadly. The doctor also made it out alive, but he is ill and forgetful. He hasn't been able to complete their treatments. Therefore, they are in danger of dying if they become overheated, so they probably have no business hanging around together. Their attraction must have grown invisible roots underground while they were thoroughly unaware of it, being focused on so many other things. When they're out scouting locations, she gets overheated and passes out. He's tending to her frantically when it starts to pour. They're drenched. Suddenly, she 💋smacks one on him. Boy, did it get awkward, later. The car ride back was extended, uncomfortable silence. Radio? Only Love songs were playing that day. When they got to her driveway, he wanted to talk, but she absolutely did NOT. She bolted. Eventually, she calls him and apologizes, explaining that she thought she was going to die and wanted to kiss /somebody-ANYbody/ before she did. Well, that made him feel special. “What man could be kissed against his will?” Back at work, the manager is talking to the group about sexual harassment and bats away that silly question. His response was so immediate and forceful that both our leads are taken aback.

“If you keep this up, I will… I'll fall for you, that's what.” Mi stands there, Frozen. Her telemetry is burring and blaring, though. More than a confession, Dong was issuing a warning… to himself. From the time of that utterance, he's in a fight with himself. He pushes Mi away. Then, he relapses and tries to draw her in. He'll brag about himself or try to make himself more attractive to her. He both wants her and he wants to push her away. Next, he picks a fight with her when she sets up view-blocking books up between their opposing desks. One thing is obvious: He's hyper-focused on her. It's a little unnerving for Mi. These are 2 great leads. Their interaction is good, and the attraction is tangible. They keep it (sort of) rolling for 11ish episodes but no more.

What's wrong with MMS? MMS is shallow and low IQ. The writing is sloppy. The cast are all fantastic, but they can only do so much with these substandard lines. The villain is a bit of an eye-roller. Dong’s family is too nonsensical. It's actually uncomfortable. Mi's ex is just icky. Not only do they not have enough content for 16 episodes, but the plot hardly goes anywhere to begin with. Halfway through I was thinking it might be a 6 or 7, but then it started a freefall. Prime may have the best Chinese catalog, but I'm beginning to question the caliber of their Korean selections.

What's good about the show? Too little. When he wakes up his family is called to the hospital. The reunion is pretty funny. They've all aged, but he hasn't. The family & healthcare workers are completely flabbergasted. Mi gets right back into school. On the bus, she whips out her Walkman and headphones. A kid looks at her incredulously, and she shoots him flashing eyes and an aggressive “What?” gesture. It's all non-verbal, which makes it better. Being frozen for 20 years really messes up Asia's rigid status system. They technically maintain status over their younger siblings even though they're still really kids.

My favorite scene is when friends are at church together. The one friend is married to Mi's ex, and he ain't acting right. The shaman is in between the other women (yes, Ms Shaman attends services), and she has a talent for inspiring people as displayed by her prayer, which is quite poignant. “This poor child, dear Lord… her husband has been out of his mind….. The love between a couple comes to an end, but the temperature they reach is different for each person. One of them might still feel the warmth, but the other might be cold as ice…” Solemn piano music strikes up in the background. We see the wife crying and praying in church and the husband checking into a motel room. He's left her. The scene is beautiful sadness.

While everything else is going on, shady figures have been trying to kill the doctor. The doc, suffering from memory lapses, is trying to replicate the formula to normalize their body temps, but not before our 2 popsicles start to mutate and fall apart. The last few episodes deal with the race to save their lives and expose the bad guys that caused this popsicle debacle.

Eventually, Dong will kiss Mi. When they both heat up, the shower remedies that issue. They make us wait until ep11, but they reward our wait with an epic kiss. It doesn't have enough heat to prevent the show from being tepid, though. I'd have to recommend “pass” for this one. Even for romantiholics. The only reason to watch MMS is if one is a particularly ardent fan of the leads. For everyone else, MMS is as appealing as room temperature ice cream.


QUOTE🗣

We define our own psychological age.


IMHO〰🖍


📣5.5 📝4 🎭7.5 💓5 🦋6 🎨7 🎵/🔊7 🔚5 🤗2 ▪ 🌞4.5 ⚡5 😅3.5 😭2 😱3 😯2 🤢2 🤔3 💤4

Shazams:
Ice Doll by Parc Jae Jung, Drip-Drip, by Yu Na


Age 11+ Language: one or two occurrences of $h!+; Rated: TV-15. This is more on a lid level than an adult level.

Re-📺? Not gonna happen. The better question is: Is it worth watching once? Not at all.



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

🌐💘 -
My Only Love Song-8.7 ~ excellent comedy,
Crazy Love-7.8,
99 days with the Superstar-7,
Live Up To Your Name-7.6;
A Witch's Love-7.9, My First First Love-8,
A Love So Beautiful-7,
Playful kiss-7.3,
Racket Boys-8.3,
The Legend of the Blue Sea-7.2 (But for eps 20 &21 it's an 8+)Marry My Husband-7.5,
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha-8.2,
Familiar Wife-8.5,
Reply 1988-8.6,
Oh My Venus-7.4K,
Love to Hate You 8.9, Touch your heart-8.2,
Romance is a bonus book-7.9,
Our Blues-8.5,
Crash Landing On You 9.1,
Oh My Ghost 10,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Be Melodramatic-8.7,Because This Is My First Life-7.7,
When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Cheese in the Trap-7.7,
Call It Love-8.4,
(I'll See You) When the Weather is Fine-9,
That Winter, The Wind Blows-7,
Misaeng-9.1,
Hospital Playlist 9 (give it 3 episodes to get warmed up),
Itaewon Class-8.9, More Than Friends-8,
My Liberation Diary-8.9,
Something in the Rain-8.6,
My Mister 9.5,
Wonderful World-7.8,
Parasite-9,
Mother-8.8



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 🎎/🔮 fantasyfeature: 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

💘 Anime
Ouran High School Host Club-8,,
Ao-chan Can't Study-7.8,
Special A Class 💓8.2,
Maid Sama-10,
Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion-8.4,
Mischievous Kiss,
True Beauty-7.5
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun-7.7,
Colourcloud Palace-7.5,
Hakkenden,
7th Time Loop-7.9,
Honey & Clover,
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU,
Princess Principal 8.6,
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale-7.5
Real Girl-7.5,
My Happy Marriage-8.3,
Nina the Starry Bride-8.4,
Your Lie In April-9,
Violet Evergarden-9.5

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After watching, now I understood why this show had a very low and bad rating and harsh comments

This drama was really good till ep 11
Then extremely lame, slow pace, boring, repetitive, illogical although it was sci-fi and annoying the last 5 eps
With the worst lukewarm ending ever
This show should be max 12 eps it will be brilliant

The last 5 eps literally destroyed the drama

Why they should detailed the FL case after the accident till the limit I want to break the screen
Why from the beginning they made an accident 😡😡😡
I fast forward the rest of the drama
Hoping the end will be satisfying
But with sorrow the last ep. was a really frustrating

How could a man didn't meet his girlfriend for 3 years should act with this coldness

And how the FL should be with all this selfishness
She annoys me as hell really till the limit I want to slap and bring her from her hair

Really the last 3 eps raised up my temper a lot

This drama one watch time

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Not That Bad

The concept of this drama reminded me of the Hollywood movie Passengers. After watching back-to-back three Ji Chang Wook mystery & thriller dramas, finally watched something light-headed.

Ma Dong Chan is a popular director who loves to do experimental projects for his variety shows. He is bossy, does whatever his heart tells him to do. I loved Ji Chang Wook entry scene & also his walk while dusting his clothes & hair. He looks so cute as well as sexy in those shots.

Ko Mi Ran is a student who does part-time work in Ma Dong Chan experimental shows. She is bold, brave, badass, hot-tempered. I loved her character. She was not annoying to me. When I saw Won Jin Ah I thought her character would be an innocent girl, naive, but she played the opposite character.

Ko Mi Ran ex-boyfriend Hwang Byung Shim. At first, I found him hilarious, but after some time, he start getting into my nerve. He was damn annoying.

Loved Ko Mi Ran & Hwang Byung Shim clashing scene & also their police station fight.

Na Ha Young says she loves Ma Dong Chan, but she did nothing when he was frozen, just expected a promotion. Even after he was back, she pushed him away when he wanted to get back together. When he moved on, she wanted to get together with him & got rejected. She blames him for rejecting her because of her age.

Everyone's reaction after seeing Ma Dong Chan & Ko Mi Ran so young 😂😂😂

Ko Mi Ran praising another man in front of Ma Dong Chan & kept telling him it's not you was hilarious.

Ma Dong Chan & the punk's hair pulling reminded me of Suspicious Partner.

Loved the scene between Ma Dong Chan & his siblings. It was touching.

I liked the part where Ma Dong Chan was always concerned about her health. Giving her his injection.

Ufff Ma Dong Chan & Ko Mi Ran shower scene. 🔥🔥🔥🥵🥵

Love Professor Hwang & Go Nam Tae cute relationship.

Ma Dong Chan & his family's emotional scenes. Also, what he did for Ko Mi Ran parents was also touching 🥰🥰

Loved Ma Dong Chan & Son Hyun Ki competitive relationship.

I'm also like Ko Mi Ran, I would also like my boyfriend to meet my younger brother first.

Ma Dong Chan expression when his younger siblings started giving him advice about life. Poor Ma Dong Chan getting roasted by his family for being unemployed.

The drama is not so bad. If you're fans of leads, you should give it a try. Or if you like rom-coms & can tolerate cringy stuff, then give it a try. There is also a little bit of suspense but not much.

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Choices were made that let me down

I'm kinda shocked at the low ratings here. I decided to post my take to help set expectations. If you are unsure to watch it or not I say watch it. The shower scene alone is worth anything else this drama throws at you. Chanwook can seriously make you swoon. Both leads were likeable and had cute banter. I wish I spoke Korean in order to catch the subtleties in the dialogue. Kilig moments for sure. I can forgive any plot holes, annoying family characters, and the many interrupted skinship moments. What I keep thinking about is the last 1/2 hour or so. What were the writers (I assume) thinking? All the yearning to be together FINALLY able to move on with their lives and they make FL a bit cold, no pun intended. She wants to go *spoiler* abroad! Seemingly with or without her soulmate. ML stayed true to her for 3 years until she was "free" and this is not how you close up an adorable love story. This is how you tick people off. Is there a happy ending, yes, could it have been sweeter, absolutely. My heart still feels bad for ML even after the show ended. And how about an end kiss sometime after the beepers are gone so we see them as a couple again. Sheesh, I could go on about this ending but I will end it here. I would love other people's takes on it. It's been days since I finished it and I'm still irritated, lol

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