Summary: The story and acting are top notch, and the acting so much so that you fall into the characters without realizing you've done so. I'm lucky that I started watching it after all episodes aired and could do a 16 hour marathon or I might have had a heart attack. The ability for the story and actors to blend so well that you feel punched in the gut at times, cry like a baby, and smile through the tears is amazing. Few dramas achieve that this well. For most of the drama, the first 13 or 14 episodes, there is nothing incomplete and it just flows right along. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but about ep 14, it feels a bit off, but it still moves you. The OST is fantastic and matched the moods perfectly.
As for the cast, Jo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo had some of the best on-screen chemistry I've seen in a while. Song Hye Kyo played the tortured blind heiress like she grew up that way and you felt like you really were watching Jo In Sung grow from street thug to respectable human right in front of your eyes. There were other really great actors/actresses in this cast, but these two just captivated me.
All in all, this movie was put on my top 5 favorite list for a reason. It has it's flaws, the ending being the biggest in my opinion, but jerked my heart strings like a professional guitar player.
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THIS IS ALL IN ENDING. IF YOU HAVNT WATCHED IT BETTER NOT READ!!!
first. what happen to jin sung's family? were they really hit when he called them?(confirming presidents park's threat.
then if so. if they were hit by the truck why kill oh soo?
if they were not hit then you can stab oh soo all you want.
then of all the thing i expected, why let mo cheol die without a purpose?
he could have donated his eyes to young. he could have have ordered her younger sister that when he dies, he will donate his eyes to young.
because he said he never seen the love that oh soo has for young. then if so, is it not good to help them? and make the death a good purpose. because his men even said cheol has been protecting them like a family. which they show he did. he did care for soo and jin sung, so why not ley mo cheol donate his eyes? the ending would be better for young to see again.
about jin sung and hee sun, what happen in the end? although they were together why not make them happy. why is hee sun with a guy and has to joked by jin sung in order for her to comeback? and they were talking are they going to visit soo? is he dead? for them to bring flowers?
and the ending with no clarity. is it a dream? a fantasy? or real???
if real why make it more blur? why not make it clear its the ending so why put a suspense?
i believe it was real but it was painful in the eyes to watch even in big screen.
that is only in my opinion.
all in all the story was great, music was good. will suggest and recommend it...
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The acting in this drama is really quite good. Hye Kyo does an amazing job portraying the blind Oh Young, as I can imagine it would be very hard to act blind. Jo In Sung is also a very convincing actor, all his expressions are real and genuine, and that's what I love in a drama. Kim Bum and Eunji have amazing chemistry and are very good actors! All in all, the actors themselves are very convincing and emotional.
The only reason I gave this drama a seven for rewatch value is because I don't often watch dramas for a second or third time once I know what happens, especially in a melodrama like this. I might go back and pick up things I missed the first time, which isn't much, but I don't think I'll be watching it again.
Overall, I really like this drama. It's kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat the whole time. It has an intriguing plot line and I can't wait for the last episode!
I hope you found my review helpful, this was the first time I've written one :)
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The Most Nonsensical Show Ever
While the premise of the show seemed engaging enough, nothing about how the plot unfolded made a lick of sense; plus all the characters behaved stupidly. The women who were head over heels for Oh Soo were the only ones whose actions were even remotely understandable. I don't know how the actors managed to plod through it, but a paycheck's a paycheck, I guess.A decent premise and a good cast were completely wasted on this very poorly written and executed drama. Don't waste your time on this one.
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This review may contain spoilers
I wanted to include this at the end,but i will add it here at the top since after the next phrase there's spoilers:Be prepared for a SLAP marathon. These guys and girls slap each other in this kdrama more than in a BDSM porn movie.
WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!! WARNING !!! SPOILER AHEAD !!!
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I'VE WARNED U!!!
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If you don't find it awkward that she fells in love with what she thinks is her brother, you are WEIRD! or you don't have a sister/brother of your own. The guy falling for her it's ok because he knows he is not her real brother,but her...ich...
Besides that everything is beautiful:
- The actors
- The acting
- The scenery
- The music
- EVERYTHING !
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Oh Soo - “I just don't want to be pathetic.”
I had to take a break towards the ending but then got right back on board after skipping several minutes of predictable anger and drama after the shit hits the fan. After things settle back down, I really liked what happened with the characters. It even felt like the acting improved.
Young
Youngie is a serious and sad little thing. Cynical too. But she's not one to be messed with.
Even though she is disadvantaged in many ways and doesn't care about what is happening around her she knows how to stand up for herself in a heartbeat. When she does comes round to wanting something, she will make it happen. I liked seeing her browbeat someone who she has allowed to browbeat herself because she simply can't be bothered.
She refuses to be manipulated.
It's true that she hates accepting help but I didn't like that Oh Soo overdid things for her.
Youngie really comes to love Oh Soo quite quickly. It was nice to see her have a safe haven even if it was built on lies.
I liked how confident she became in their relationship and it was nice to see her feel so comfortable with him that she'd take him for granted and become a demanding little sister instead of always pushing him away or relying on herself.
Throughout the drama, you can never blame Youngie for anything, she is strong and makes her own way.
I think I didn't like her as much because I really really like the actor who plays the hero (Jo In Sung) and I was always on his side no matter what, so that kind of skewered my perspective of her.
Oh Soo
I first saw Jo In Sung in That's Okay, It's Love. He has such a lazy, arrogant persona. Oh Soo doesn't like himself very much. He doesn't have a lot of will to live but when he starts a con, he goes all out. He knows how to con really well. The people around him worship him, but he can't get it into his thick head that he's someone that people love.
One of the characters points out that Oh Soo knows how to put down his pride for love. And that is true. He is open about how he feels and he can make himself vulnerable.
He is at his best when he is bluffing someone. I really like how well he portrays that arrogance and the smugness.
Jin Sung
This guy just broke my heart over and over again. He is so loyal. He has his own problems and he just wants to stick with Oh Soo till the very end.
Actually, he's more like a mother bear around Oh Soo. He'll get Oh Soo through come hell or high water and he still smiles. My gosh, this kid.
Moo Chul
I actually grew to like this guy quite a lot. He has a very soothing way of speaking even when he's threatening someone.
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This review may contain spoilers
Almost perfect show!
Just finished That Winter, The Wind Blows on Viki.I was initially going to watch and review Bad and Crazy, but I ended up not watching it as other shows caught my attention at the last minute and I wasn't in the mood for a buddy cop show.I loved That Winter, The Wind Blows. A mellow paced, fairly lighthearted and tender romance melodrama and chaebol drama about gambler/con artist who falls in love with a blind heiress. The cinematography is breathtaking. The music, writing, direction and acting are excellent. Song Hye Kyo gives her best performance here and Zo In-Sung is wonderful. He also bears an uncanny resemblance to Park Bo-Gum. The ending felt a little rushed and unnecessarily open-ended, but it was satisfying enough. I recommend you watch the last 20 minutes of the final episode a few times. It's up to the viewer to decide. When I say "chaebol drama", I'm referring to that sub-genre of K-Drama that deals with elites. As you know, chaebols are family owned conglomerates in South Korea.
Highly recommended!
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This drama is the stereotypical cliché 'bad-boy conman' meets 'innocent rich bind girl' with the intent of scamming her for money. To do so, he poses as her long-lost brother- however during the process, he falls in love with her.
Story
I got to say, I didn't have much expectations for this drama since the storyline was nothing new, however the first episode had me hooked and anchored! The fact that Oh Yong (played by Song Hye Kyo) was disabled, however did not allow anyone to look down on her was great since usually the girl would be considered a damsel in distress.
However, the process in which Oh Soo (played by Jo In Sung tried to make Oh Yong trust her 'oppa' more made it a bit weirded out per say. If you looked it at Yong's perspective and with Soo's non-stop touchy feely protective nature- I was cringing a bit since siblings were not supposed to be that touchy-feely with each other (well in my case), however it made sense a bit on her part. They separated when they were 6/7, and when they reunited, it was like they were both children- hence all that physical contact.
The cinematography was amazing!! I loved how the directors directed the story- it was both fast and slow pace at once. It was fast paced in the sense that everyone was happening quickly and it kept making me checking which episode I was on, not believing that everyone was happening so quickly early on. It was slow paced in the sense that they kept dragging Yong's stubbornness on, and the problems that arose.
The only problem with this was that the ending felt really rushed and it didn't answer a lot of my questions which made me question some of the plotholes.
Acting/Cast
I got to admit it hands down- both Soo and Yong's chemistry was off the charts for me. I really loved them together as they truly make a cute couple. However, yes- it was a bit weird at first since they were supposed to be siblings and Soo was being a bit too touchy with Yong, but when he finally falls in love with her slowly, you could tell that he really loves her.
Jo In Sung portrayed his character amazingly- how he cried in some scenes made me cry as well as my heart really went out for him. His portrayal of his love for Yong kept making me search up if the two actors were really dating in real life or not.
Song Hye Kyo was also amazing- I really loved her character Yong, even though she was annoying and made me irritated with her attitude sometimes. I had to forgive her character even though it sometimes made me want to rip her hair out with her stubbornness.
I also loved Eunji and Kim Bum- those two cuties. Kim Bum had an amazing bromance going on with In Sung, as I wish I had a friend as loyal as him. Eunji also portrayed an excellent younger sister of the dead ex-girlfriend of Soo, however at times- her character was beyond annoying and irritating which just made me hate on her character.
Special mention for Lawyer Jang who I felt was the only person aside from Soo who truly cared for Yong from the start. Secretary Wang was also worth mentioning, as this was the first time I saw Bae Jong Ok acting. I knew that she truly loved and cared for Yong like a real daughter- but the way she portrayed her love was borderline psychotic at times- as nothing could stop her from making sure Yong depended on her.
Music
The Music was awesome- I seriously loved all the tracks as it fit the drama very well. Perfect 10 for me.
Rewatch
I will definitely watch this drama once again, even though this is a 16 episode drama, it felt more like a 20 episode drama with the pacing.
Overall
Give it a watch! This drama is packed with melodramatic romance which will certainly make you tear, laugh, and frustrated at times.
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Story
Very cliche story of a blind heiress and the person trying to con her falling in love with her in the end. But its not really the story that keeps you its the production of the whole thing. The scenery and camera angles that focus a lot on the characters faces, even the tone of colour used for the drama - not too bright and not dark either, very modern, keep you mesmerized. The production team did very well and this makes the cliche story pop. The stories of the side characters also help to flesh out this drama but there are times where you are left wanting as the viewer is left with so many unanswered questions.
The last couple of episodes seem like they were written by a completely different person and it was almost like they thought 'oh sh*t we have to round this up quickly' which made me struggle to finish the drama and the last episode unfortunately makes no sense.
Acting/Cast
The actors did very well, it felt authentic and made you feel for them (especially when Oh Soo breaks down I almost cried with him). The change in how the viewer feels about the characters as you go through the drama is also realistic. Oh Soo, i felt very sorry for and at times I wanted to shake Oh Young so she could understand where he was coming from. His struggle to keep up pretenses whilst fighting his growing feelings was sad to watch and on top of that at every turn he seemed to hear bad news after bad news. Another thing that Jo In Sung did for the female audience is the way he portrays Oh Soo who deeply cares about Oh Young and only has eyes for her.
The other character you begin to fall in love with at the end is Moon Cheol (i shan't say why lol)
Oh Young's character will definitely annoy you at some point with the whole 'woe is me' act but then you have to remember what she has gone through and had to put up with as she grew up secluded from everyone, so at times her character becomes childish in the way she demands for things or pushes the boundaries. Another character that will annoy you is Hee Sun, who in my opinion is kind of irrelevant, her emotions are unnecessary and she becomes an enemy of progress at points. The drama would have carried on just fine without her character really.
Music
There are some songs that really help in situations and the way the coordinator arranged the songs worked well for example not playing the chorus at one point knowing it would be emotional overkill.
Overall
I enjoyed the drama, I loved the scenery and how well it was filmed, like most dramas I've watched recently the rush at the end will annoy a newbie into the drama world lol and the constant rollercoaster of emotions might be too much for some to handle but it is an enjoyable watch. Definitely give it a try
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This review may contain spoilers
Free me now so I can see, the taste of wind and be like me (So Tonight That I Might See)
Oh Soo (Jo In-sung), abandoned at birth under a tree and raised in an orphanage, as an adult slips into gambling and fraud. A huge debt to a gangster gives him 100 days: either he pays up or he dies. With his back against the wall, an unexpected opportunity presents itself: to exploit his namesake, his deceased friend — disowned by his father — who was the brother of Oh Young (Song Hye-kyo), heiress to the PL Group. Upon her father's death, Oh Young becomes the sole heir to a business empire. Oh Soo then decides to stage the perfect scam: pretending to be her “lost” brother to get the money he needs to save himself. But deceiving Oh Young will not be easy: she may be blind, but she is anything but naive.In the history of Dramaverse, 'That Winter, the Wind Blows' occupies a pivotal position. There was a time when Korean melodrama spoke the language of the seasons: impossible loves, hidden identities, illness, sacrifice, destiny. Then, before the full globalization of platforms, writing became more layered, more hybrid. This series is not a simple return to the past, but a bridge capable of integrating classic melodrama into a more complex structure, contaminated by noir, supported by a strong visual dimension and a highly evocative soundtrack.
Here, lie is not only a narrative tool: it is a choice that comes at a price. Winter is not simply an aesthetic backdrop but an existential condition. The characters survive rather than live; they choose deception as a temporary refuge from a world that has already asked too much of them.
The disturbing element is not the deception itself, but its ethical nature. Oh Soo does not simply pretend to be someone else: he takes on a name that implies a moral function. While the con man carries within him an origin marked by abandonment, the dead brother was defined by protection. The homonymy becomes the mechanism that slowly tightens the grip of destiny. By accepting that identity out of necessity, Oh Soo also inherits the symbolic weight of the name. Noir imposes the mask; melodrama empties it and fills it with responsibility.
Oh Young's blindness is not a Hollywood-style thriller device, but rather the distance that separates and defines the character. It amplifies her isolation and vulnerability in a world where every gesture can be betrayal. Protected by a wealth that is both a shield and a prison, she lives in a system of ambiguous relationships, where care and control are blurred.
Deception creates a grey area where rules are broken. By pretending, Oh Soo inhabits a role he does not fully master; by relying on his “brother”, Oh Young exposes his fragility to inevitable risk. The series makes a paradoxical move: it makes fraud a necessary step towards trust. The lie becomes the threshold between guilt and redemption, survival and authenticity. Not only is it a morally questionable act, but it is also a crack through which the truth enters.
Oh Soo's identity begins as a performance: he studies habits, controls reactions, moves like an actor. But here, the acting does not remain external. While in theatre the performer returns to being himself, in this story the role changes the player.
The stage is the mansion: a place of apparent protection, but also of control and secrets. Oh Soo carries out a sort of emotional domestic invasion, entering rooms that hold suspended identities. A space where noir sets the stage for deception and melodrama transforms it.
In noir genre conventions, the hidden room promises fatal revelations. When Oh Young sneaks in, the series seems to promise a dark twist. Instead, there is a reversal: inside there is no crime, but memories. Videotapes, maternal objects, fragments of a bright childhood. The structure is that of an identity thriller, but the heart is bittersweet melancholy.
By crossing that threshold, Oh Soo does not just invade a space: he enters a past that does not belong to him. He studies those memories strategically, transforming them into an appropriate performance: a phrase at the right moment, a tone that evokes shared pain. The room becomes the place where the character is created. But melodrama sabotages noir: internalized memory does not remain neutral.
The rootless con man appropriates for the first-time a past that continues to hold sway. Watching those VHS and looking at those photographs means coming into contact with a lost happiness he has never known. The house ceases to be merely a place of deception and becomes a space of transformation: the paradoxical beginning of a moral conscience.
From the middle of the tale, the noir atmosphere does not disappear, but the story takes an emotional leap: it becomes internalized, subtle, transforming debt and threat into matters of the heart and body. Time, previously marked by the economic deadline, splits in two: on the one hand, the countdown of the debt and the danger imposed by the gangster Mo Chul, on the other, the slow and uncertain rhythm of Oh Young's illness, the return of the tumor and the refusal of the operation.
The truth emerges: he is not her long-lost brother, but an orphan who grew up surrounded by debt, gambling and dangerous streets. This recognition, both expected and feared, does not break their bond; it transforms it. Oh Young, though surprised and hurt, clearly perceives the depth of the feelings that unite them: love is not born from a glance, but from proximity: from the sound of a bell, the taste of candy floss, the shared breath in a hospital room, no longer brotherly, but a love suspended between caution and ardor, between protection and desire. At the beginning, the series had established a code, a symbolic barrier, but here the dam breaks.
The shared pill — an animal euthanasia drug that becomes a symbol of extreme choice — marks the boundary between power and powerlessness, between calculation and affection, guilt and the desire of protection. When Oh Young asks Oh Soo, ‘Why didn't you kill me when you could?’, the series makes its most radical move: noir and melodrama meet, measuring the distance between morality and the heart. She offers him justification, but he does not carry out the act. Not because he cannot, not because he has been discovered, but because he no longer wants to. It is no more a question of succeeding in deception. It is a question of responsibility.
In the final chapters, Oh Soo faces his destiny almost like a hero in a Jean Pierre Melville movie: he renounces his possessions, leaves money to pay off his debt, moves towards moral and emotional catharsis, ready to risk everything to save Oh Young. He is preparing for closure; he is the heroic figure who accepts the end. At the beginning, everything revolved around a monetary debt. Now the debt has become moral. He entered the mansion for money; he leaves it renouncing it.
The extreme gesture she makes is the point at which the melodrama reaches its absolute limit. But what makes the scene powerful is not the gesture itself — it is what happens afterwards. Oh Soo's rescue is not only physical. It is the definitive revelation of feelings. The moment when Oh Young “hears” the video confession in the secret room is perfectly consistent with the whole discourse on blindness as an alternative perceptual device. She does not see the confession. She perceives it, and therefore her lucid and painful analysis is devastating precisely because it is not hysterical. She is aware; here it feels like being inside one of Douglas Sirk's flamboyant melodramas; the truth does not immediately liberate, the truth hurts, but it is the only ground on which authentic love can grow.
In the minutes leading up to the epilogue, the show seems to want to return to its original rhythm: the time of debt and the time of illness overlap once again. On one side, the operating theatre, suspended between light and darkness; on the other, the green table, the final theatre of destiny. It is here that noir regains its breath: the crucial game, the tense silence, the man who plays not only to save himself but to free himself. gamble does not win out: it is choice. The financial debt is paid; the moral debt remains.
And just when it seems to be heading towards possible redemption, the story takes an almost Shakespearean twists. Betrayed friendship, a knife in the back, sacrifice imposed by blackmail: fate strikes with the dry cruelty of a Melville movie. For a moment, we truly believe that winter will never end. That everything must end there. The great melodramas of the early days taught us this: love is destined to be consumed by loss.
The ending chooses a brighter path, but not an easy one. There is an almost metaphysical passage: spring melting away the rigidity of winter. The atmosphere becomes airy, suspended, and we no longer know whether what we see is reality or desire. A ringing sound crosses the space — an echo of that sound that had replaced the gaze, an invisible thread between two solitudes. The pain encountered is not erased, but traversed. Not a reward but an achievement; if at the beginning everything arose from a stolen name, in the end what remains is an earned identity.
The work of the fantastic Song Hye-kyo is, first and foremost, physical. Keeping her pupils suspended in limbo for almost the entire series, her head slightly turned to listen, her posture composed, almost crystallized, is not a simple technical exercise: it is a dramaturgical choice. The fixed gaze in all those extraordinary close-ups becomes the opposite of emotional immobility. The more controlled the body is, the more the interior expands. Her Oh Young is rational, analytical, ruthless with herself. The tapes recorded in the secret room are not just memories: they are self-criticism. She is the first to judge herself. This detail avoids any drift into pity.
She is not the “fragile girl”. She is a clear-minded person who is suffering. The pivotal moment when she enters Oh Soo's room alone and lies down on the bed crying is devastating precisely because it is not dramatized. There is no hysteria. There is a silent collapse. It is not a lack of wisdom: it is an excess of analysis compared to the heart. Oh Young is a woman who understands everything — too much — and that is precisely why she hurts herself.
In contrast, Jo In-sung's work is pure movement. If Song Hye-kyo is subtractive and fixed, Jo In-sung is continuous muscular tension. A shifting gaze. A clenched jaw. Sudden outbursts. A body always ready to flee or sprint. He is an actor who works on the edge of implosion. In his other works, that tension was almost self-destructive. Here, it is more layered. The moment when he asks himself, “Why didn't I just cheat her? Why did I make her fall in love with me?” is the cruelest summary of the series. He doesn't cry because he's been found out.
He cries because he has crossed the point of no return. He has turned a plan into a feeling. And making a male protagonist cry without making him seem pathetic is a very rare balancing act. The writing supports it, but it is the acting that makes it credible: the emotion comes across as a breaking of armour, not as a request for empathy.
When kisskh talks about “chemistry”, it often means attraction or romantic intensity. Here, it's something more structural. She works by subtraction. He works by accumulation. She is control. He is nerve. She internalises. He externalises. Their complementarity is not only emotional: it is rhythmic. On stage, their breathing patterns do not coincide — and it is precisely this asynchrony that generates tension. When they reach the confession, the scene does not explode: it settles. There is no detonation. There is balance.
This is chemistry in the highest sense: two forces that collide and change shape. And that is why the series avoids tear-jerking melodrama. Both actors protect the dignity of their characters. They do not ask the viewer to cry: they remove any excuse for not doing so. She does not beg for compassion. He does not seek absolution. When they finally admit their love, it is not euphoria. It is lucidity. It is not liberation. It is responsibility. They are not celebrating a feeling. They are choosing to pay the price for it. Absolutely outstanding.
Perhaps winter is not a season, but a condition: one in which one lives when wearing a name that is not one's own. In the beginning, everything stems from a stolen identity, from survival built on deception. In the end, what remains is not melted snow, but the nakedness of a choice. It is not fate that changes characters: it is responsibility.
“That Winter, the Wind Blows” does not simply tell the story of an impossible love that becomes possible. It describes the moment when a man stops pretending to be someone else and finally becomes himself. And if spring arrives, it is not a miracle: it is the price paid for getting through that winter without hiding anymore.
9/10
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Acting : i fell in love with all the characters especially the male lead iam now a huge fan of jo in sung i just can’t believe how well he portrayed his charcter , iam glad to see that kim bum’s acting really improved since boys before flowers , the other charcter that realy capitivated me was moochul’s i realy realy realy hated him at first but then found my self really caring for him .. all other supporting charcters did a realy good job everyone of them just fits right to his role
Story : I’m not realy a big fan of melodrama but the story realy capitivated me from the first episode however i got alittle bored in the last four episodes but that doesn’t realy matter because the acting kept me going on watching because i just was really happy to see that amazing performances from all the characters and not to mention that i have never cried that MUCH while watching a drama
Music : i liked the ost of the drama it was realy nice and fitted too well to the story
Overall : this is a very nice drama with superb acting and even if you weren’t really interested in the story the acting will make you want to see and finish it as it was truly amazing
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