Love in Contract

Done!

Finally finally finally finished this!
I was actually following this story while it was airing, but I had to go offline for a while.
I know the last 5 episodes felt quite rushed, but I am happy to watch the episodes where I resumed better than I expected.
I was actually bracing my self for the worst of Jung Ji Eun (Ji Ho's ex-wife), but her character quite floated well.
As for Hae Jin, from the most annoying 2ML to the Saint of all Saints. Lol. I know I hated the character so much, but they gave him a super anti-climactic ending.
Same with Gwang Nam's. Gosh he did not deserve that ending. My very kind boy Gwang Nam.
On Madam Yoo's, it was quite expected, but at least it still gave me a little, tiny, bit of surprise there. Well the revelation on Sang Eun's part was for convenience, I guess.

Anyway, I didn't really expect this to be over the top drama, I just like this kind to pass time, or to entertain, cause I admit, the main leads' chemistry was second to none!

Read More

A fresh concept with lot of cute moments and angst!

Okay, hear me out first. I loved this show and I feel like I’m a minority view here, lol. But, I just couldn’t find much too hate.

I have actually not seen this concept before even once in a k-drama so that was the first selling point for me. I enjoyed how they handled the concept of a woman's agency to do whatever she wants, in this case make marriages/dating her career. While doing so they very nicely depict the kind of outlook Korean society has on such things where they start evaluating her mental health basis her work, harsh reality women in such situation face. Never have I seen such an evaluation for all the chaebol men who have 3 wives, often the age of their grand daughters, and 2-3 mistresses. Goes to show very beautifully just how patriarchal the Korean society still is. So that was probably one thing I enjoyed the most.

The second thing I absolutely loved was Kang Hae Jin. I can’t recall a character I’ve loved as much as I loved Kang Hae Jin. He's positive, a major green flag, respectful of the FL's wishes and also not vengeful like your usual second leads in most East-Asian dramas. Like, there are 2-3 episodes where he hangs onto her and tries his best, but once its absolutely clear to him who the FL chooses, he does not push her or use cheap tricks to make her his when he has numerous opportunities to do so (through their family, the lawyer who wants to do it, excuse of public image since he's an actor and she's selfless, etc.). The way he looks at her and thinks of her before doing anything has me swooning and I'm definitely looking for my own Kang Hae Jin now, possibly at he main character, lol. :P

I also enjoyed how PMY was her usual cheerful, bubbly and pretty self. They've shown her as this selfless, easygoing and perky woman that although seems impossible but is a dash of energy to this otherwise quite heavy show as we see the ML (and also the second lead) struggling with his personality a lot. The show is not dark in the sense of how we use that genre but like the feelings are so heavy that it feels like a layer of gray coating everything, so, PMY's character brings a dash of light to their everyday lives and conversations. Also just a side note, but she's still so pretty and wears such great clothes , I love it!

Lastly, Jung Ji Ho was a depiction of a real man and the problems one faces in life. My main issue here was that throughout the show nothing has been revealed as to what made him the way he is today. I know there were previous marriage issues but we don't know the issue or what he was feeling. Like, we don't know any relevant background to understand his character more. I enjoyed his blankness but it would've been better to know why he was being so. At first, this ambiguity put me off and I dropped this show for a year. Rewatched it and was able to get over this monotonous aspect thereafter. This might be a dealbreaker for many people.

Other than the leads, my favourite characters were of Gwang Nam and Mi Ho. What stellar acting. The relationship between Gwang Nam and Sang Eun is gold. I love how they support one another and stand up for each other. That is how we describe bond more genuine than even blood bonds. Absolute magic.

In the end, I would definitely recommend watching this show. It's been a really enjoyable and great watch for me.

Read More

I don’t know how to define “chemistry”

I didn’t think the chemistry was lacking. If anything, tbh, the entire first half has SO much sexual tension I thought I was going to faint the first time they kissed. Only to realize they had like SEVEN more episodes to go now that both Sang Eun and JiHo had come into their feelings.

I foresaw a lot of noble idiocy and blubbering melodrama but instead tragically they started backtracking on the credibility and character set up the built for Sang Eun by making her bull shitty triangle with HaeJin take center stage. Honestly, it wouldn’t have been a bad story development had they not made Hae Jin into a brat and Sang Eun into a damsel who couldn’t set up proper boundaries, which all things considered is a regression for Sang Eun. I hated how Hae Jin AND her mother did not listen to her nor respect her choices, constantly trying to undermine her work and make sneak attacks at her self worth.

In the end, it was a typical romcom and their romance was no Gong Yoo x Yoon Eun Hye but honestly through the first half, Ji Ho’s introversion, his little puppy eyes, his pining and longing and his cute face made everything 500x hotter. ESPECIALLY because his social status is technically a position of immense power. It was hot, idc.

Maybe that’s just my type but I’m here for wish fulfilment and I ain’t ashamed to say it was fantastic.

Read More

Love it !

God I love it ! The actors are one point! (maybe I'm biased because it's Park Min Young 🙈) I fell in love with Kim Jae Young. It's the first timr that I saw a drama with him in it and damn I'm not disapointed at all! I'll definitly watch more dramas with him in the cast !

I understand why some people don't enjoy this drama, some elements in the story are at first not logical or meh! But everything finaly make sense in the last 3 episodes.

In my opinion it's a really good drama with awesome caracters, good music, and some plot twist that I enjoy! Can't wait for the final !

Read More

Such a frustrating watch!

Such a frustrating watch! It really didn't need need 16 episodes. It started out so promising with the single helper with a thriving business. I feel like literally any other direction would have been better than the romance of Sang-eun and the judge. I tried so hard to like that guy but he was sooo hard to like. Their conversations were so flat and drawn out.
Hae-jin was a much better match in so many ways. They had easy chemistry, he was emotionally open and he was devoted to her. He was even a great boss. It would have been so dope if she has chosen him and they'd been a power couple who does what they want despite the conglomerate constraints - or whatever.
With the judge I felt like she was carrying that whole relationship on her back. She had to teach him how to function as a partner and even at work. I was so confused when she started talking about how the judge was too good for her. Like gal, what do you mean? I also really disliked how his character was supposed to be stoic but he kept making all these weird impulse decisions. Like saying I want to see you right now - at late hours of the night. Chugging alcohol that he can't handle etc. How he'd revert to being a mean boss when things weren't going well with Sang-eun. Then she even proposed! She was really doing too much.

Yoo Madam was my favorite, in my opinion, the best written character. She was so complex. And the actress did an amazing job of bringing out the character. I kept wondering, is she the mom or not? I was so delighted when she was.
I also liked all his workmates with their colorful characters. As well as his superior's wife. They were all so fun. It balanced out the fact that he was grumpy at work and created a difficult working environment. His ex-wife was cool too.
I was also excited to see the LGBTQ representation! It would have been nice to see him liking people and dating them, and just more about his life. I loved the bestie dynamic with him and Sang-eun. I did like the fact that he stayed to be a top star and didn't go to Canada.

Read More

Actually pretty good

I actually really enjoyed this drama and here's why:

1. I thought the character development was really nice. In the beginning, they didn't reveal too much about the characters, and as the show went on they slowly started to reveal more and more, especially for Jung Ji Ho and Yoo Mi Ho. In the first episode or so I was like "what is going on is this man going to kill her" like they really had me thinking that lol. Same applies for Yoo Mi Ho, she seemed like the villain in this story but by the end you see that she was trying her best (although she wasn't perfect obviously). Also with the FL and the ML, I know it's a little strange that she "fixed him", but the idea is that they grew as people together, which I think they executed well.

2. I liked the LGBTQ representation. They touched on topics of homophobia in the show, which is actually a real and present issue.

3. I thought that the chemistry between them was there, and I liked that they had already known each other for 5 years at least. A lot of times in Kdrama's they fall in love in like 3 months and I don't care if they have chemistry or whatever, you can't be obsessed with this person after only knowing them for a short time. I liked the FL's relationship with the second lead as well, and also HE'S SO HANDSOME both of the two main male leads are I just had to say that lol. The men in this show were green flags and I loved that, I'm tired of these toxic men not respecting women's boundaries.

4. I thought all the side characters were like-able and funny. They were all very relatable. I especially loved the senior manager and his wife, they were so cute and they supported Jung Ji Ho when no one else did.

This is not to say that there weren't issues with the show, because there definitely were, but for me it wasn't that serious of a show. I didn't have high expectations for it going in, and I just watched it because I wanted to see where it went. I thought it was an enjoyable show overall, just a cute and chill romcom.

Read More

for me the only good parts were these:
jiho's personality. it's so rare to have a shy ml in dramaland. tho they did treat him like a freak, it's like the dude didn't like what "insa" people liked, but was he a psycho? no..
he just didn't like attention, or crowds, or fake social behavior to please other people. he was not "traumitized". sure he had a bad past but not every "social slowness" is a faulty personality
and yes, by now you've guessed it right, it's personal xD I'm shy, socially awkward, and slow with the fun hangs, but I'm not an idiot with a rock head.
as a kid I did say no alot, and in uni I changed it to a "hmm yeah". because I didn't really wanna do it but I also didn't not want to do it

here, especially with the drinking, or the wedding preps at the end, jiho didn't "like it", maybe he is stuck in my no phase but sangeun wasn't really considerate, she wasn't pushing him out of his shell she kept dragging him out then kinda making fun of him, "teaching" him he should "be like other people"..
so I personally didn't think they matched. like again the wedding prep, he was ready to put himself through the struggle cuz she said she wanted a big wedding, and she didn't listen when he said he didn't want it big. then she goes and says she was doing it for him


anyway, atleast with jiho his shyness and lack of social personalty didn't come with low self esteem, doubt, self consciousness and ready to escape
no drama can survive that way so all of those traits went to saguen ;D
I'm glad he always said he'll never misunderstand her and he'll wait for her pov before making a judgment, that's 1000000 lvl male lead behavior~ also he was never shy or reluctant in showing intimacy which is another +A move

gwangnamah was a sweeite, it's nice to have male characters without ulterior or obsessive behavior towards the fl, most fl "brother zoned" end up with a secret 10 year crush
he was a good person, had his own life, worries and dreams, he could easily get a spinoff where he finds happiness, love and acceptance

another point I liked was the past childhood connection, and the ones that did have them ended in divorce or one sided crush which heavily highlights how a person is different from what one projects on them

I did however dislike the 5 year "eating mate" with 0 attempts at conversation and honestly the whole drama was flat with zero substance, I'd have tbh preferred them preparing for a wedding, looking more at "what people do to please others who think one should do that" while trying to navigate happiness and marriage. I also wanted a scene with a baby to show he's not afraid to show affection and she also adored her baby and stuff life that

anyway, I only started it for a mom watch, and stayed for her + jiho and tbh the last like 40mins were my favorite part of this drama xD

Read More

An enjoyable watch with a unique premise for a rom-com.

I was all set to give this a 10 rating because(a) the characters were charming, the road to romance was unique and I really looked forward to watching each episode; (b) a happy ending was easy to predict; and (c) the main couple made it all the way through the show as a team w/out a break-up or noble idiocy.
Until the end of Ep. 15 where [SPOILER} Sang Eun (FL) apparently left and abandoned Ji-ho (ML). Ep. 16 tried to explain why she did it but it was incomprehensible (he was “too good” for her). So, a fairly well plotted romance with back-story intrigue and mystery fell flat in the last episode with a phony “break-up” that was strung out far too long. Ep. 16 was a mish-mash of disparate scenes and the final scenes were cute but the charm was missing.
Finally, can’t leave without saying that this is my first time watching Go Kyung Pyo but it won’t be the last – his portrayal of Ji-ho WAS charming throughout to the very last minute.

Read More

Park Min Yeong doing what she does best

My first introduction to Park Min Yeong was in drama What's wrong with secretary Kim. That takes me back to my humble beginnings to Kdrama world. And we digressed.

Anyway, Love in Contract is a rom-com with serious issues thrown here and there. Those serious issues were sort of the down points for it. I mostly skipped serious parts of it as they as cliches as it can get. Barring these serious scenes this drama is pretty light rom-com with excels in execution of story.

Jung Ji Ho is a veteran judge who has been in contract relationship with Choi Sang Eun for 5 years. In their contract the only clause is to eat dinner and stare in silence. As time for expiry of this contract comes near, things start happening. And these things are the highlights of the show.

Kang Hae Jin is also in contract with Sang Eun started due to different motivations. Since, Sang Eun is in 2 contracts simultaneously, a love triangle (naturally) develops. The transition of phases of love triangle is handled very smoothly. Most love-triangle dramas fail in this aspect.

Episode 1-6 are best. 7-13 are okay. It fails in last 3 episodes. Nonetheless, it was an entertaining watch. Little let down in OST department.

If you are into any or all of these give it a try - Park Min Yeong, love-triangle, Go Kyung Kyo.

Read More