Queen of Tears

One big mess

I am a fan of most of the actors cast in this, so I was very excited but this drama was a big disappointment

There some enjoyable moments here and there, but the plot is a mess anf honestly there are way too many things that didn't work here (ML is happy that his wife is going to die soon, FL has memory problems but doesn't do anything about it, like never.... I would have hired someone to check on me every 10 minutes... anyway I'm getting angry again)

each episode keeps repeating the previous one. We see a lot of:
- They don't talk
- Oh they love each other but don't show it
- they love each other but don't know it
- They seem to get closer
- Oh, no, they don't talk again
and REPEAT over and over again
Writer-nim run out of ideas and this show could have been a movie!

What I hated the most was the villains arch. I couldn't understand why they did what they did! Why did they have to con that family? I hated that they were villains because they were poor. Being poor is not a good backstory for a villain. Poor people don't want to steal rich people's money and live in their big houses, they just want to be not poor anymore and not live in a basement.

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OVERHYPED - OVERRATED - Nothing Fresh Except for the CAST, One More Wasted Potential.

"Queen of Tears" is a highly anticipated drama that unfortunately falls short of its potential. Despite boasting an impressive cast and crew, including Kim Soo Hyun, Kim Ji Won, Park Sung Hoon, Director Kim Hee Won, and Writer Park Ji Eun, the series fails to deliver a truly groundbreaking narrative.

One of the main issues with the drama is its lack of originality in storytelling. While the initial premise may seem promising, the plot quickly becomes predictable and fails to introduce any fresh elements to keep viewers engaged. As a result, the story plateaus early on, leaving audiences wanting more. The drama's themes of love, family, and power were not explored in a nuanced or thought-provoking way. Instead, they were presented in a simplistic and superficial manner, without any real depth or complexity

KIM SOO HYUN - KIM JI WON :-
The chemistry between the leads, while acceptable, lacks the spark needed to elevate their performances. Kim Ji Won delivers a solid portrayal, but her character's development feels shallow and fails to fully explore the complexities of her role as the wife. Similarly, Kim Soo Hyun's performance falls short of expectations, with his character feeling one-dimensional and lacking depth, relying solely on the actors' performances without proper story and character development may not always yield the desired outcome. A great drama isn't just about having talented actors; it also requires well-crafted stories and fully developed characters. While strong chemistry among the actors is crucial, it's not the sole factor for success. Having talented actors is important, but writers and directors must also write a compelling story and develop strong characters. If they don't, the production will miss its full potential.

WHY 7.5 FOR ME : WHERE DRAMA LOST ITS 2.5 :-

ACTING & CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.
The character development in Queen of Tears falls short, with the main characters feeling more like archetypes than fully fleshed-out individuals.
• Kim Soo-hyun's character, Baek Hyun woo, suffers from poor writing, with his motivations and emotions feeling unclear and underdeveloped. His acting performance, while competent, doesn't bring any new depth or nuance to the role, making it feel like a rehashing of his previous performances.
• In contrast, Kim Ji-won's character, Hong Hae In, is well-written up to a point, with a clear and compelling backstory and motivation. However, her development stalls midway through the drama, and her character feels like a trope. Her performance is decent, but not enough to save the character from feeling like a missed opportunity.
• Park Sung-hoon's character, Cha Jae-wook, is a one-dimensional villain, portrayed as a ruthless and cunning businessman with no redeeming qualities. While his acting performance is settled and convincing, the character feels like a caricature, with no nuance or complexity.
• Kwak Dong Yeon's current character is similar to his previous role in Vincenzo. He plays a lovable but clueless person again. He does a great job of making us feel happy and sad at the same time. His character shows how hard it is to prove yourself in a rich family, where no matter how hard you try, you always feel like you're not good enough. Director Kim Hee-woon knows how to bring out the best in Kwak Dong Yeon, so she used his character like same as in Vincenzo but bit characterization this time.
• The supporting actors deliver solid performances, adding much-needed depth to their respective characters. Kwak Dong-yeon, Lee Jo-bin, Lee Mi-suk, and Na Young-hee all bring their characters to life with their performances, making them feel more fully fleshed-out than the main characters.
• Themes of power, family, and loyalty are explored in the drama, but feel underdeveloped and lacking in nuance. The plot is predictable and formulaic, with characters making unrealistic and contrived decisions to further the plot. With some supporting actors manage to shine in certain episodes, the overall acting of the main leads remains stagnant. Additionally, while the cinematography may be technically proficient, it fails to leave a lasting impression on viewers.

SOUNDTRACK - OST :-
• One saving grace of "Queen of Tears" is its phenomenal soundtrack, which succeeds in enhancing certain moments throughout the series. However, this alone is not enough to salvage the drama from its reliance on tired tropes and underutilization of its talented cast.

TOP QUALITY PRODUCTION:-
The production's grand scale and impressive attention to detail make it a richness visual treat, leaving a lasting impression on ours with beautiful costumes and sets. Each character's design is unique and detailed. The scenery is amazing and makes you feel like you're in a different world. The production is big and impressive by TvN

PLOT PROGRESSION & PACING :-
• The pacing of Queen of Tears was sluggish and meandering, with an overabundance of repetitive scenes and a lack of meaningful plot advancement. This made the viewing experience feel like a tedious obligation, rather than an engaging and immersive escape. The slow burn of the narrative failed to build tension or suspense between the characters or main characters , instead, it felt like a monotonous trudge through familiar tropes and clichés. The repetitive nature of the storytelling made it difficult to become invested in the characters' journeys, and the lack of plot progression left viewers feeling frustrated and disengaged.

SAME CLICHÉS & SAME TROOPS, BUT LACKING FRESH TONE :-
• Rom-com and family-centric k-dramas often rely on familiar tropes and storylines, but that doesn't mean the execution can't be fresh and engaging. To breathe new life into these genres, it's essential to focus on character depth. By crafting relatable, well-rounded characters with unique personalities, backstories, and motivations, the story can feel more dynamic and unpredictable.

GOOD TO WATCH :-
• The cameo appearance of Song Joong-ki as Vincenzo in Queen of Tears was a thrilling surprise for K-drama fans, and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to TVN and Director Kim Hee Won for reviving the Vincenzo nation three years later. This impactful cameo was more than just a brief appearance; it brought a significant boost to the drama, particularly in Episode 8, leaving a lasting impression on the K-drama lands.
(Upto 8 episodes )
• In the intricate tapestry of the rich business family, Every character is precisely placed within the carefully crafted mosaic of rich business family's story The family setting, a complex web of relationships and alliances, is expertly crafted to reveal the intricate dynamics at play. From the cunning machinations of the queen dowager to the tender moments of familial love, every character's design and motivation is carefully orchestrated to drive the plot forward. In Queen of Tears, the family setting is not just a placement, but a living, breathing entity that shapes the destiny of our characters and the fate of the drama

ENDING:-
Beautiful ending :) loved it. I'm so grateful for the incredible cast and crew of Queen Of Tears ! .. thank you for giving your hardwork memorable drama to our kdrama fans.

FOR ME :-
Overall, Queen of Tears was a enjoyable one but a wasted potential due to its overreliance on tired tropes, poor character development, slow pacing, and lack of nuanced themes. With a more innovative approach to storytelling and character development, this drama could have been something truly special.

In conclusion, "Queen of Tears" disappoints as it fails to break new ground in storytelling and falls short of leveraging its impressive cast and crew to their full potential. If you're a fan of the cast, it's still worth checking out, but be prepared for a narrative that doesn't quite live up to its full potential.

Note -
Thanks for reading my review! I want to emphasize that my comments are solely my personal opinion and are not meant to offend or criticize any actors or the drama. I'm sharing my genuine thoughts and I'm grateful for your understanding. - @Shinnosuke_Lee

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Just my opinion...

Apparently, I watched a different show than everyone else. I'll put the sadly necessary disclaimer - this is my own personal opinion, so don't come after me.

For me, the show had a lot of style, and not much substance. Beautifully filmed and beautifully dressed beautiful people, so much of the time I felt like I was a spectator watching a fashion show runway catwalk. Lots of walking from here to there, "look at what I'm wearing now", models with no expression.

I just didn't like anyone in this show. For me, there has to be something likeable about someone to make me care about what happens to them. Both the ML and the FL had personality issues. FL in particular was unlikeable, she was such a cold person. Kim Ji Won tends to play the same type of character, and her lack of facial expressions just doesn't endear her to me. The ML's reaction when he found out she was sick was just wrong. And the sequence, with the overabundance of flashbacks, was out of synch and made it hard for me to like them. I didn't believe in their story and was never able to feel their love for one another, even at the end.

And can we talk about tropes? In this drama, the tropes were piled high, one after another. When they got to the amnesia part, I laughed out loud - my trope bingo card was complete!

Should you watch it? Don't go by me, because apparently, I'm an outlier. Give it a try and come to your own conclusion.

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Should be called King of Tears and Ice Maiden

This is a single layer story about a greedy woman who abandoned her son and coiled herself around a rich ceo to inherit all hus wealth by destroying his family. And she is truly wicked - doesn't shy from murder, sending her own child away to America etc etc.

In this straight layer you then have multiple players who are entangled. Then there are subsets to these people.
Simple, boring, clichéd, seen that before, yawn.

What then races these dramas to the top are the players and their nuances - both of which are absent here.

Let's start with the players.
Stand out performances by Grace (the spy), the FL wimpy brother, the FL secretary, the ML attorney friend and the bad villain (abandoned son)..

And now the leads:
One would think that if the premise is love/marriage /divorce/remarriage to same person, then there has to be an iota of chemistry.. Should they not test this in the audition? Maybe the stars are so big they discarded the auditions.
So Alas Alas - here we have to use our wildest imagination and fantasy to assume the two are madly in love.- because frankly they behave like they are allergic to each other.

There is not one heart fluttering moment between them, no sizzle, no intimacy, no intensity.
We have miss ice maiden who is mean to the ML through ep.15 and then agrees to hold his hand in16.
We have the king of tears who spends 80% of his screen time with wet eyes.

What a pitiful drama.

I think k dramas need to stop focusing on these so called big regional stars and get back to making their old classic story line with real actors.

Think about it - we've had 3 dumps already in 2024 with hot shot actors :
Doctor Slump, Welcome to Samdalri, and now this Queen of tears........all dramas that totally missed the point.

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Perfect example of how great actors can’t make up for a weak story

I don’t care how popular a drama is and how much attention it is getting because of popular cast but if the story is shit nothing much popular actors can do to. Well the drama did got popular but won’t be remembered for that long as it offer nothing new and refreshing.

Honestly I couldn’t understand whether the story’s main focus was on issues of a married couple, illness of the female lead or the villains revenge schemes . Because there was just too much going on and it made a mess.
I WISH OH HOW I WISH the focus was on the marital issues of the lead couple instead of all the other drama then this show could’ve been soo good. But what a waste!! Don’t even get me started on the amnesia!

I tried really hard to relate to the characters but couldn’t. Characters like cold CEO Female lead and jack of all trade yet caring Male lead are the ones we have seen before multiple times. And then the dumb and incompetent brother who is going crazy after her scammer wife! He was annoying ugh

What intrigued my interest in the drama was how the ML wanted to end the marriage at the beginning of the show but that plot was thrown out pretty quickly without proper explanation. And that plot was the very reason giving some comedic side to the show otherwise it was just crying crying and crying. Honestly it got really annoying at the end.

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A tragic fall from grace.....

Yes, the title is dramatic. Anyways, I was gonna type out a long rant but I’ll keep it short for everyone’s sake. I agree with a lot of the comments from Koreans, the show runners are are simply relying on the reputation of the cast to carry the positive opinions on this show. I don't think I need to delve into the writing again but as a byproduct of the last few episodes they were essentially forcing themselves to spend a tremendous amount of time wrapping up every storyline which should have happened several episodes before the finale. Some of them were written in an okayish manner but the amount of plot holes, inconsistencies, and straight-up illogical moments were mind-boggling.

Overall, the ending was super anticlimactic. We didn't see any real emotional scenes, romance, kiss or the wedding. The two people carrying this show on their backs got virtually zero screen time in which they were together romantically or in a heart touching manner. They speedran rebuilding their marriage from scratch, getting married, having kids, growing old, and dying after that promise he made on their honeymoon in Germany. This part should have been the focus of the last two episodes and the show would have salvaged most of its writing issues and ended on a positive note. But instead, it was done in 5 minutes, and poof, the show is over.

Moving to the main villain(s) Eunseong is some cartoonish, god damn Plankton from Spongebob. The whole plot around him and his mom slowly becomes crazier and just ridiculous as the show goes on. I was making fun of him with my friend saying he was the Joker from Batman with how obsessed and deranged he was becoming so when Bomi broke the 4th wall and said this show was like The Dark Knight I started crying of laughter. They introduced the most generic and mundane tropes throughout this show and it impacts the villains the most, why does everybody in K-Dramas need to have secretly known eachother since childhood?

The cinematography and directing took a very harsh fall near the end. The camera work was so odd, and the cuts were jarring, a massive difference from the amazing shots they had in the first half. Not to mention if someone went through and calculated how much of this episode (and the last few) were flashbacks I wouldn't be surprised at how large of a % they would be. It almost feels insulting we need to be constantly shown these scenes every 5 seconds like the audience is the one with a brain tumor causing amnesia.

Overall the show is a 6/10 for me. It started off so well, funny but also sentimental. We as viewers truly started to become attached to the characters and share the same emotions as them. I’m sure everyone was tapping their feet out of nervousness to see how Haein and Hyunwoos relationship would develop. Unfortunately that’s as far as it went, because the writers became the main villains and completely lost the plot. Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Jiwon carried this show but had almost no screen time together in meaningful ways to help the horrific writing.

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(UPDATED) Already wanting to rewatch Episode 1 Absolute Perfection

This is sooo sooooo good.. Absolutely loving Kim Soo Hyun's acting.. Never knew he could be so funny and serious at the same time lol 🤣🤣 I would rate his acting 1000/10 if I could 😅 super cute really 👌🏻👌🏻

Loving the personality of Kim Ji Won's character here.. Both of them are really unique characters.. The writer nailed it 💯

A perfect 1st episode 💯💞

This is going to be a really sweet & heart-warming drama and I'm here for it.

Full of laughter and tears 💞


Update :

This drama has been such a wonderful journey and I am so glad I watched it while it's airing with my super sweet Dramaland chingus 💖 It is such a beautiful heartfelt story and the actors did a wonderful job in portraying these characters.. This pairing is such a fun pairing to me tbh.. I think these two are my favorite characters atm.. They cried so much but still made us smile.. 💞
Love both the families.. love how contrasting every couple on this show is.. even both the families are a contrast to each other.. I think this is what makes them click.. 💞


Final Update :

(SPOILERS AHEAD)
(DO NOT READ BEFORE COMPLETING THE DRAMA)

This drama pulled at my heartstrings 💝
I knew I was going to love this drama since Episode 1 but I never knew I would love it so much 💖

The characters here are so on point.. and so beautifully portrayed. I knew she was going to fall in love with him again after losing her memories but I never knew it would be the same way she did the first time.. and oh my God how cute and lovely it was to witness that.. following him again 😅 jotting everything down hehee.. convincing herself to go meet him and not realizing the actual reason 💖
God! The heart really is where our feet go 🥰
I love how they give meaning to these phrases 🥰💞

Love how the four-leaf clover brought back The Diary 🍀😉 I was actually elated at the sight of the diary covered in white 😉🥰 I was smiling ear to ear everytime they showed the diary and when she read it.. God the tears didn't stop 🥰💘

I love how Hyun Woo trusted his own love for her and always stayed by her side.. I love that Hae In booked the same Aqua to remind herself what's most important to her in life.. 💞

The most beautiful moment.. for me.. when she kept saying his name.. 💝
How do you do it? Can there be anything more beautiful than this?
Hae In was deprived of love all her life.. she kept waiting for her mum's love that she forgot what it even felt like.. to be loved and cared for.. Baek Hyun Woo was always caring and she wanted to have that in her life.. She wanted to remember him forever 🥰
What an iconic couple 💞
Our Ice Cold Princess and our King of Tears 💞
A beautiful drama indeed 🥰💯

Also,
Anyone who is disappointed in this review I would like to apologize to have disappointed you.

And anyone who has liked this review and would like to add positive comments, here are some questions for you if you'd like to answer :

1. Cutest scene
2. Funniest scene
3. The most beautiful moment in this drama for you


Thank you and Let's continue to support this talented team 💖

P.S. I have got to get me a four-leaf clover 🍀💞

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QUEEN OF K-DRAMA TROPES

Exactly how many tropes is too many tropes.... ?
This drama finally defines it. Ending at an amazing rate, it has everything but a sane storyline.
The question here is will you like this drama? Of course you will. Who wouldn't like this amazing cast and the expectations were sky high even before we heard the pairing but what disappointed us is the crappy storyline that started out well but eventually became a complete tangled mess.
They probably decided they wouldn't take any chances and combined every possible trope that ever worked in the history of kdrama like dying lead, amnesia, village comedy, quirky spoiled chaebols, makjang nonsense, betrayals, foreign dates and stalking. Now i wouldn't have complained even if they stuck to the story of maintained a proper flow but there are so many plotholes that i would rather walk that go through that bumpy ride. The only reason you finish this is if you are that invested in the characters or absolutely have been missing Kim So Hyun.

Will i watch it again? Hell No. Once was enough crap.
Will i recommend it to anyone? Depends if they are a newbie being introduced to kdramaland but if you're a veteran like me, this is some recycled shit that you can skip.

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Rivers of artificial tears

I know, I know, this show is the talk of the town and rating its socks off. However, I’m going to be an outlier. Please allow me to explain.

The star power of our leads combined with the portfolio of our writer-nim (who penned CLOY, MLFTS, etc) should guarantee an instant classic. It is certainly a hit but after finishing the show, I am not convinced that it scored the home run.

At the start of the series, the relationship of the OTP is at their lowest ebb. Of course, the goal is to watch them rise above it all and make us swoon. The series largely archived this with consummate skill. However, this is also its Achilles heel from my perspective.

Even a few episodes in, I can’t help but feel that I’m watching a parade of hand crafted scenes designed to either showcase the visuals of our leads or to hit us with the feels, hard. There is no doubt that this is a S class production on every level. Of course, there are buckets of tears and our handsome ML brought his A game.

However, I feel that the material connecting these scenes are hollow and contrived. This is surprisingly loose and lazy writing coming from a writer of this calibre.

For instance, the plot surrounding the granddad’s mistress is nonsensical. She suffered and schemed for over 20 years because of greed. Really, just greed? She could have built a secret nest egg in far less time than that. Even in the end, it all comes down to a bit of luck and good timing. Ditto the involvement of several accomplices. The script tries to explain it all away, but it is a hard sell when you look beyond skin deep.

Don’t even get me started on the SML. He is obsessed with the FL yet his idea of winning her over is to shaft her family and take her beloved business away. Yes, he offered it back to her but with nasty strings attached. It all feels rather inept and superficial. That seems to be his modus operandi. Just do something over the top and she will submit but there is no solid reasoning behind his various machinations. The idea of him taking over the role of her finance after her surgery and framing the ML for murder is laughable and beyond tropey.

Almost every member of both families is cliché and unlikeable yet so much time is devoted to their petty contrivances. The makjang heavy plot basically seesaws between the protagonist making small gains only to surrender it back to the antagonist in the next scene/episode. There are many outlandish subplots involving the large ensemble cast. The tone of the show yo-yo all over the place because of that.

This highlights how much emphasis is placed on those storyboard scenes. If they were pivotal then I’m all for them but most of the time, they are a quick dose of fan service, or button pushing tropes. They are effective but also manipulative by design.

This brings us to the real kicker. The main theme of the show is the romance of the OTP. This is made painfully clear from the start. However, for this viewer, my first question is why are they even together?! There is nothing to ship. They don’t show any affection. They don’t talk (failure to communicate is a recurring theme). They live parallel lives. The ML suffers daily both at home and at work. This could have been a murder mystery for all I know. Yes, the writer turned it around towards the end, but it is hardly CLOY2, not even close.

A HEA ending is never in doubt once they played the magic cure card. The escalating dramatic tension drops away. All the implausible schemes fell apart as expected. Every subplot is tied off with a pink bow. Was it satisfying? I’d prefer to call it Functional Predictability. I’m sure fans are swooning and elated though. It all ends with an artificial sweeteners overload. Did it go too far? It literally left nothing to our imagination.

Regardless, the gods of makjang will be pleased. Am I being critical? Absolutely. I want this show to be great, nay, perfect. This is god’s gift to the fans of the leads but it is hardly on par with some of the most memorable k-dramas.

If I take off the rose-tinted glasses, I can see all the hype and traffic generated by the highly bankable stars. It served its purpose and made history. Am I the only one not hailing Caesar?

We came. We saw. We forgot™.

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A Flash In The Pan

Common tropes and cliches abound in this poorly executed story, leaving loose ends untied and logic sorely lacking. The characters make questionable decisions that do not ring true to their development, such as Hae In blindly trusting Eun Song despite obvious red flags. The lack of critical thinking, like Hae In not hiring a lawyer to protect her memory through a diary, undermines the believability of the plot. The character of Grace switching sides serves little purpose other than to conveniently aid one side with the progression of the story, without any real depth or consistency. Even Hae In's parents' lack of visitation after her treatment in Germany contradicts their supposed love and support for her after learning about her illness. The most ironic thing of all is how Hyun Woo had to cook for the commemoration of Hae In’s grandmother. Viewers were under an impression in the first episode that how stressful it must feel to be in this powerful family. Yet just as the story progresses further we can see they are actually clueless and powerless, with the entire family surrounds Hyun Woo’s bed just to listen to what plan he has for them to restore their family power.

Overall, this narrative fails both its audience and its cast with lazy storytelling and reliance on tired cliches.

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What. A. Letdown

QOT had the potential to be a heart-wrenching exploration of fading love in marriages but instead it gives you bland nothing but a frustrating mess.
Sure, the initial premise was intriguing. A couple from opposite worlds, Haein with her messy family dynamic burdened by family issues and Hyunwoo a seemingly picture-perfect handsome guy from a humble family falling in love despite their differences? This is what I signed up for. From the promos, the show even promised to delve into the complexities of their unraveling marriage.

But here's where things go south. Haein who was surprisingly honest about her family baggage from the get-go during the proposal, gets painted as the villain in her own marriage. We see her blaming herself for the miscarriage, a wound the show never bothers to properly explore. Its there solely for the shock value, just another trope for the writer to add to the list. How can you leave something as important as this, which apparently caused Hyunwoo to be withdraw from the marriage open to interpretation? If this was the main reason, why wasn’t it discussed between the couple? Major Ick.
The initial portrayal of Haein as a cold, workaholic CEO immediately positions viewers on Hyun-woo's side in their contentious divorce. Yet, the series never fully shows us the nuances of a complex character like Haein. After bombarding us with many reasons why Hyunwoo wants to end the marriage, these motivations are inexplicably dropped. The narrative then shifts gears, showing Hyunwoo seemingly forgetting his initial animosity and falling back in love just like that. This was so frustrating. Why establish these compelling reasons for the divorce only to completely abandon them later? This emotional whiplash left me dizzy.

The show never bothers to address the root of their problems. We never get that crucial conversation, that heart-to-heart where they dissect what went wrong. We never get them discussing their insecurity or even the miscarriage.
The only saving grace is the phenomenal acting by Kim Soohyun and Kim Jiwon. Their performances are the sole reason this drama doesn't completely sink. But even their talent can't salvage a story that abandons its own premise.

I believe unconventional love stories can be powerful. But without proper exploration of the conflict, it feels like a missed opportunity. QOT had the potential for greatness, something people remember by for years to come, hailed as one of the top kdramas ever made, but the execution left me wanting more. It's a show that relies solely on its cast's charm, ultimately failing to deliver on the promise of a unique and thought-provoking drama.
While I don’t regret watching it, there are far better K-dramas out there exploring love and relationships with more depth. This one, sadly, remains stuck in a melodramatic telenovela past.

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