Call It Love

enemies-to-real lovers

a late review. i watch this when it was airing, without any planning and expectations. i only watched it bcos i want to watch ongoing kdrama, and how i was surprised, this is a very pleasant and satisfying and romantic watch.

i love melodrama romance, when it is done right. and this drama did it well. both sung kyung and young kwang acted very very well in their respective roles, and successfully relayed the feelings of their characters well.

this is a revenge drama, but turned into forgiveness. i love how the drama made the fl hated the ml at first, but since the ml are just sooooo kind and kind and kind, and caring and protective while still respecting boundaries, how wud anyone not fall in love with such character?

i also love how their relationship developed. from slowly trusting each other, protecting each other, slowly falling in love, the silent gaze, the apology, and the comfort that they bring to each other, and the fact that this relationship made both of them a better person. so loveeeeee

I'm bad at writing review, but i just want to give my appreciation to this drama. it's a meloromance done right. altho i was kinda hesitated or slow in finishing the last 4 eps bcos i hate to see the conflict unfolds but overall the whole drama is very pleasant to watch. i just love it.

thank you, call it love.

ps: pls don't mind my score for the music. i don't really pay attention to the music in the drama, but i just had to put a score. ok byeeeee

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types of love

This drama is my absolute favorite. I don’t even know where to start talking about what I love about it. I guess I should begin with the cinematography because it's stunning. The color tone of the show changes depending on the weight of the story, making you feel like you're under a never-ending rain. Each scene gives you these amazing photographic moments that really enhance the viewing experience.

This drama is pretty heavy and slow, but it’s definitely not boring. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters because I feel completely different from them, but they delivered such great performances that it felt natural, like they were really being themselves. So even though I didn’t agree with their choices, I understood why they did what they did.


I haven’t watched a drama that elevates emotions like this in a long time. In this story, everyone is lost, lonely, and trying to find their way.

Three siblings experience deep trauma after their father leaves them for another woman (though it's true that the brother wasn’t really affected by it since he was very young at the time). After their father's death, they are kicked out of the home where they were raised by their stepmother. Shin Woo, whose life was ruined because of his father, makes a plan for revenge. He gets a job at the company of the son of the woman his father ran away with. His goal is to take revenge on the woman who brought pain to his family by using her son. However, the man turns out to be nothing like he expected, and over time, Shin Woo finds himself developing feelings he can't control.

Yes, I know it sounds cliché! But it’s not; the way the story is presented is so natural and unique that eventually you find yourself just praying for everything to work out.

One thing you can't overlook in this drama is the supporting characters. Ah, they’re all unique and different. They’re connected to the main characters but also have their own distinct arcs…


Oh, yes, that was pretty praise-heavy, but it’s not exaggerated. Watching them understand and accept their love without drowning in each other's loneliness and traumas was truly beautiful. We know it was really hard for both of them.

My only negative critique of this drama is that the ending should have given us more. No, it’s not an ambiguous ending (which we know we don’t like, and we’re justified in that). But after spending 16 episodes feeling their pain and tension, we deserved more time for the final scene.

Anyway, for those who are about to start watching, I can just say: please don’t underestimate the natural flow of life and give it a chance. We need stories like this!

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'Call It Love' review: one of the most depressingly beautiful kdrama you'll ever watch

This modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet filled with misery will make your heart grow heavy. The first few episodes may seem dull and bleak at first but you will eventually get the hang of the pacing and follow the healing journey of Han Dong Jin and Sim Woo Joo.

The story revolves around Sim Woo Joo (played by Lee Sung Kyung) taking revenge against his late father's mistress who forced them out of their home. Fueled by resentment, she approaches the mistress' son. Han Dong Jin (played by Kim Young Kwang) is unaware of Woo Joo's motives as he leads a workaholic and lonely life. As the story unfolds, the two grow closer together and find solace in each other's company.

No doubt, this is Lee Sung Kyung's best acting performance to date. I really loved how she portrayed Woo Joo who is the sibling that holds the family together but is actually falling apart inside ever since their father cheated and left them.

Meanwhile, Kim Young Kwang's nuanced acting is chef's kiss. He inhibited Dong Jin's character with every heavy step he takes, every heavy sigh he heaves and even the way he slouches screams depression. His worn out bag also symbolizes the emotional baggage he has been carrying all these years. Dong Jin is vulnerable yet he's hiding this by constantly being stoic. The physicality of Young Kwang's performance was tremendous and at the very least deserves a Baeksang award.

The whole time I'm watching this show I can't help but think that this is a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet but the depressed version. The Romeo and Juliet parallels are so interesting. Woo Joo's sworn enemy is Dong Jin's family. Interestingly, their lives became intertwined because of a house. We also have Rosaline in the character of Kang Min Young, Dong Jin's cheating ex who suddenly comes back and is running after our Romeo.

Woo Joo plans to take revenge on her father's mistress by ruining the life of the mistress' son. However, the second she laid her eyes on our Romeo, she thought he was living comfortable and content life when in reality it was the exact opposite. Dong Jin's slouch, heavy footsteps and unspoken words on his glaring face has proved that his life is everything but well. Her revenge plan has only made the two of them closer and empathize with each other.

Without him realizing, Dong Jin is beginning to lean on Woo Joo. The same goes for Woo Joo. She starts to root for Dong Jin and save him every time he feels like falling on the precipice.

It's like misery has brought the two of them closer unlike Romeo and Juliet who were only inseperable because of horny hormones. There is also something magnetic about characters who appears to be nonchalant and composed when in fact they are simply bottling up their emotions and a ticking bomb waiting to explode.

At the end of the show, you can't help but root for these characters and hope that their miseries will end. You will find yourself sincerely wishing them a good life and for them to stop loathing themselves. Then, you will realize you need to do the same for yourself.

This was such a masterpiece, a melo-romance with depth and fleshed-out characters. Although the antagonists' intentions (Min Young and Dong Jin's mother) are still questionable for me, I'll give them their due credit for succesfully making my blood boil.

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How do I describe this drama? Well.. Let's call it love

I think I have found my soul genre in the K-Drama land. It's the slow burn, healing dramas which are knitted with gilded threads of bonds that real characters share. And this particular show sits comfortably in the heart of that genre. At first glance, it is a seemingly simple plotline, a reasonable revenge resulting in a shouldn't-but-can't-help-it love trope. But stay long enough, look at it more carefully, and you find yourself mesmerized by the details, the facets of the characters in the story.

I wanted to pick a slow burn romance, which I got to watch - so double thumbs up, but what made me stick around till the end were the stories within story. I loved how the subplots were not treated as fillers but as layers that add to the personality of the character. That is how you understand the person, their actions and also their reactions. The drama is superbly written with the pace so well maintained that you forget the number of episodes you're on, you forget to check the duration left in the episode.

With all that pretext, let me get started on the part I've been itching to talk about. The characters of Shim Woo Joo and Han Dong Jin. Have I seen more lovable, heartwarming, sweet and gentle souls in the dramaland? Rarely. I was ready to plan my own little revenge on the writers if these people did not get the happy ever after that they so truly deserved. Oh the rollercoaster of emotions I felt while watching these two! It did help that Sung Kyung and Young Kwang brought them to life so beautifully, for these two can act! What remains with me long after watching a drama is the story and the work of the actors, and I will surely remember this show for that and far more. The nuances of each scene, the eye contacts, the subtle smiles, the jaw clenches when they had to endure something, I noticed it all and it wasn't even an effort! They could have easily come off as dull, lifeless, two dimensional characters but the heart-stirring performances of Sung Kyung and Young Kwang in addition to the masterful writing has created one of the most charming couple I have seen.

If I have not already stressed enough on the fact that I loved the writing on the show, let me do it some more - it is SOLID. The characters do not break, they evolve. What I mean is that there is a real and tangible curve in the character arcs, because people do not change overnight, they do not gain the heavenly enlightenment within a snap of fingers, they learn and grow, and then learn some more. And believe me, every character in this show has that. They learn and they grow. Even the leads. But that does not change who they are at their cores. This include the not so nice people too. It would be too unreal to have someone who has been vile their whole lives turn into a saint because they have faced the smallest of repercussions of their actions so far. I loved how that was handled. These people were real, with real, raw emotions. They felt pain, anger, hatred, pride, confusion, dilemma, love, distrust, numbness, hope, happiness - and everything in between. And as a viewer, I felt it too.

Do you know the indescribable emotion you feel that makes your heart pound, but also calms you; is liberating, but frustrating too; is exhilarating, but nerve-wrecking at the same time; seems incomprehensible but is in fact also the simplest of truths? There couldn't have been a more perfect title for this show.. For what else can you call it, if not love? :)

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You yearn for the next episodes...

There are some dramas, where you keep watching and tears come out without even you knowing. This was such a melodrama. I have prolonged it to watch it later when I should have watched it when it was ongoing. I have never been so connected to the characters and their sufferings before this. This one takes one's feelings and emotions to the next level. What a great cast! Each one has its own personality and overcomings and that's what makes this drama more special. I would recommend someone a 1000 times to watch this melo. Never expected Lee Sungkyung to take up such a role and weave it into her own "Shim woojoo". Also Kim Youngkwang was brilliant as "Han Dongjin", couldn't have asked anyone else to portray his character so precisely. This drama is going to be on my top 10 list definitely.

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"You Gave Me Everything"

At the beginning of the show, the drama was relatable because of the terrible father the female main lead, and her siblings, had. I thought, despite being interested in the story, it would be difficult to watch. However, I was able to put my own experiences to the side and fully immerse myself in the story unfolding before my eyes. The drama does an amazing job at bringing to life one of my favorites tropes: two broken souls finding and being able to comfort each other despite the darkness of their past traumas.

The acting was phenomenal. Kim Young Kwang’s portrayal of Han Dong Jin, an empathetic soul who touches and crosses the line into loser territory, had my whole heart. Meanwhile, Lee Sung Kyung as Sim Woo Joo, a jaded and sometimes bitter soul who still manages to find compassion resonated with me deeply. Her apparent apathy for life and others, sometimes mirrored my own feelings. There were times, to my own surprise, that I found myself crying because of the excellent portrayal of the main leads. The supporting cast were not left behind as they also had their own stories and their own trauma to address. And there were some truly hateful characters, which speaks to how well these actors portrayed their characters. For a moment, I thought one of my most hated tropes, the obsessive second male lead, would rear its ugly head, but, thankfully, these were unfounded fears. It was really an emotional rollercoaster from beginning to end.

The drama had a great script, performances, and cinematography accompanied by a moving and fitting OST.

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Too slowww and draggy

I know many reviewers are loving this drama. The whole setting and storyline is great. The acting is fantastic. The delivery.. uhm, this is where it gets draggy. Walking in slow motion like 0.5x speed, 3 different angles of sitting on the bench, or in the kitchen… sigh. Typical kdrama style.

I’m glad Lee Sung Kyung is diversifying her roles, away from the usual romcoms, but I didn’t really like her in this role. Did she pull it off? Yes! Kim Young Kwang also delivered his role well. Maybe 12 episodes would have been better? The general mood was just depressing. I was fast forwarding too much the last few episodes. The ending was realistic, but a happy one ;) No real memorable song in the OST, which is a shame.

It’s a melodrama, real slowwww; so just be prepared before starting this. I will say it’s better than The Interest of Love ;);)

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A healing journey through the facial expressions of the leads

After watching My Liberation Notes, Summer Strike and Tell Me That You Love Me, I was looking for a drama that would make me feel a certain way - Melo with warmth. Glad that I came across this drama.

I rarely love a show this much. What attracted me the most was how both FL and ML portrayed emotions simply through their facial expressions. The whole drama is so healing and welcoming. It felt as though I was living there, through them, within them.

Revenge can be taken in various ways. Sometimes, an act of revenge can be simply forgiving and understanding. A point to highlight was the maturity of the FL. Instead of being blinded by revenge, she understood who was at fault and who was not. Eventually, her family also comes to understand that.

Definitely worth watching.

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bated breath, lump in throat and shining eyes

Against all expectations, 9.5 stars for keep me the breaths, for the touching musics, the slow acting to underline sads moments. I was a little scared by the slow pace but to my surprise it didn't bother me.
Don't expect an overwhelming and passionate story but rather a soft and touching story like a flower that blooms.

The character of the main woman lead was direct talking, altruistic and protective person. Meanwhile, the main man lead character was a sad person, lonely, pathetic, heavily hurts in feelings and betrayed by everyone.
Shy people who need time to grow their relationship. When the heart says one thing and the head says another.

I apreciated small gestures and I remember certain scenes:
When she wants to talk but he doesn't want to hear and vice versa. Him opening up and smiling again. He's not used to her direct ways but then he appreciates them. The gesture of sewing the button. She who protects him, comforts him and takes care of him. Being torn between what the heart feels and what the head says. Their looks. The fact that his ex dumped him at his favorite place (camping) and ruined it for him and never went back. Knowing that they love each other but give up everything for the family...

I spent half the time with wet eyes and a lump in my throat.

The last two episodes were a little too pathetic and heavy. Why did they waste more than a year to meet theirs? They love each other, the mother agrees, she and her brother have the telephone number? What did they expect, destiny?
My happy ending would be that they worked together at his uncle's campsite and the whole family gathered there, with his brother playing the guitar...

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I enjoyed the silent moments

Slowburns really are the best. It's all about the long stares full of pining, hand gestures, and simply being in each other's presence. These type of dramas don't even need a kiss scene, but when they did kiss? Priceless. I felt so many emotions inside me.

If I tell you I couldn't stop watching a drama you should trust me. That's because I tend to drop a lot of series I'm not interested in anymore. I like character-driven stories; this was EVERYTHING I've wanted in a while. The actress for the fl did such a good job with portraying her character. She absolutely shined in this drama.
Her temper, her somewhat cold attitude while also being warm, her maturity and her character development were all things I LOVED and was interested in. While getting to know the ml she slowly began to show her sweet side. I found it natural the way her loathing turning to pity and then finally love. I also liked her approach to dealing with that woman (I forgot her name). She realized that she turned her hate towards that woman when she should've hated her father, too. Although, she still doesn't forgive her, and rightfully so. They had a crucial talk at the end, and the fl communicated her thoughts well. I know some people would want to let that woman suffer in prison, but that's the point of this drama because the message it gives us is that life is not all about revenge. That's how I interpreted it, anyway.
The gentle, calm nature of the ml was a refreshing change from the usual teasing, charming love interests. We need more of that. He never snapped words out of anger to someone. The one time he did lose his mind was when the fl got hurt.
They're the exact opposite, yet that's why they complement each other so nicely. The fl needed someone who would be patient, accepting and kind. The ml needed someone who would be honest, straightforward and compassionate.

You know it's bad when I was flabbergasted at this drama not having an unnecessary second lead. That's rare, you know? The fl's best friend didn't have a secret crush on her. Instead, he fell for her sister.

The thing I'm disappointed with is the last episode. I didn't really understand their third-act breakup. It didn't make sense. And once they got back together at the final scene I wished for more. We were barely showed cute moments between them. They had great chemistry. I was able to feel their love from miles away. However, it wasn't enough imo. Also, I dislike that the younger brother was being treated like a 15-years old kid even though he is literally a grown man. I'm glad they focused a bit on the older sister, though.

Bottom line: two sad people falling in love is just my thing

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Horribly slow plot I regret watching it

I was ready for a slow burn romance. But noone could ever prepare me for this slowmotion walking boring plot.
This was definitely not my style, I wished it had a 5x speed option cuz sometimes I went to my kitchen made a whole dinner, ate, washed dishes, went back and they were STILL silently walking from A to B in the very same scene.

Lee Sungkyung is my fav k-actress I've watched it for her and I have to mention that the acting was spot on. All the main and support characters were fantastic, they played every emotion perfectly.

But it could not save the most boring plot I've ever seen in my life. I always finish everything but this was the most difficult one, I struggled through each and every minute to just please get to the end already.

This show caused my longest k-drama disgust, I couldn't start anything after this cuz it traumatized me and I was affraid to start any show.

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