Learning, Slowly, to Call It Love
Disclaimer: I somehow missed this drama when it aired in 2023. I remember starting it, but the pink-toned filter, with saturation that changed from scene to scene, felt distracting at the time. Besides, 2023 was such a crowded year for releases that quieter, slower works easily slipped through the cracks. Watching it now, I’m truly grateful I came back to it. It’s a drama that unfolds gently, quietly — and stays with you.Character Writing & Development
Call It Love succeeds because its characters are drawn with emotional precision rather than dramatic exaggeration. It begins as a revenge narrative, but the longer it lingers with Woo Joo and Dong Jin, the more it unfolds into a portrait of two people who have run out of expectations — yet haven’t lost their capacity for compassion.
Shim Woo Joo is one of the most refreshing female leads in recent melodrama. She is reactive, passionate, and refuses to swallow her feelings for the comfort of others. She displays anger without shame, tenderness without apology, and love without self-erasure. Her arc is not about softening, it’s about reclaiming space for herself. Han Dong Jin, meanwhile, is a study in silence. His withdrawn nature, subtle emotional beats, and suppressed melancholy make him a fascinating complement to Woo Joo’s volatility. His development relies on gestures more than declarations — small choices that quietly rewrite the course of his life. Even Dong Jin’s mother, initially positioned as the antagonist, becomes a tragic figure by the end — lonely, fearful, and shaped by years of emotional deprivation rather than simple malice.
Score: 10/10
Acting
The performances elevate the material into something intimate and lived-in. Lee Sung Kyung delivers perhaps her most mature performance to date. Every flicker of irritation, grief, and fragile hope is grounded and unforced. She plays Woo Joo as someone holding both anger and vulnerability in equal measure. Kim Young Kwang is exceptional. His interpretation of Dong Jin — a man defined by loneliness and restraint — feels almost sculpted. His silence speaks volumes. Coming from his chilling turn in Somebody, this subdued role proves his range and depth. The supporting cast, especially Woo Joo’s family and Dong Jin’s mother, maintain a cohesive emotional tone, with no character feeling unnecessary or hollow.
Score: 10/10
Pacing & Structure
The pacing is deliberately slow, but not stagnant. It breathes. The early episodes unfold with a sense of quiet observation, allowing viewers to inhabit the characters’ loneliness rather than escape it through overstimulating plot turns. Some might find the middle episodes leisurely, but for me, this is where the drama shines: in the stillness, the pauses, the ache of unspoken understanding. The opening scene is an especially strong structural choice — it gently distills the entire theme of the show before we even meet the characters.
Score: 9/10
Writing
The writing stands out for its emotional intelligence. Dialogue feels natural, yet purposeful, simple, yet layered. The drama avoids unnecessary dramatization, instead relying on subtle contradictions, quiet confessions, and mundane interactions that accumulate meaning over time. The shift from revenge story to emotional healing is handled gracefully. It never betrays its tone. It never uses contrived conflict to propel the story forward. Instead, it trusts the characters — and the audience. The central theme is clear: Love is not a grand gesture, it is the willingness to understand another person without demanding they change.
Score: 10/10
Direction & Cinematography
The direction is gentle, slow, observant. Nothing is overplayed. Nothing screams for attention. The pink filter, which initially bothered me, actually fits the emotional landscape once you settle into it. The cinematography prioritizes quiet spaces, small rooms, empty corners — places where emotions sit in silence rather than explode. The everyday scenes — eating, walking, cleaning, working — are shot with a calm minimalism that feels soothing rather than dull. It’s a drama that trusts the viewer to sit and stay in a feeling.
The opening scene deserves special mention — it introduces the drama’s theme with elegance and simplicity, almost like a thesis statement for the story’s emotional journey.
Score: 9/10
Entertainment Value
This is not a drama driven by plot twists or dramatic events. Its power lies in atmosphere, emotional detail, and character study. For viewers who prefer fast pacing or constant conflict, it may feel slow. For me, the slowness was a source of comfort. Every minimalistic scene put me at ease, to the point where I now consider Call It Love a comfort drama — something I’ll absolutely rewatch. The emotional authenticity makes the experience rewarding. This is a mature, reflective work that doesn’t rush to resolve anything. It lets pain linger, it lets healing take its time.
Score: 9/10
Call It Love is a quiet, sincere melodrama that understands how loneliness, guilt, and emotional exhaustion shape people. It’s beautifully acted, carefully written, and visually soothing. The rawness of the emotions and the subtle critique of societal expectations make it feel grown-up in a way many romances don’t. It’s a drama that doesn’t tell you what love is. It simply shows two people learning — slowly, cautiously — to call it love.
Overall score: 10/10
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An achingly beautiful love story told deliberately
This drama is not for the faint of heart or those looking to quickly get through a story. I sometimes watch dramas that I feel linger too long at a gaze, or rehash the same issues over and over again. This drama is beautiful in its pace. And to appreciate the drama, you have to be at ease with the pace. You have to flow with it. Being in the right mood, right time makes a difference.The cinematography is like no other. Each composition holds such meaning, done with such deliberateness, that I couldn't bear to skip anything. Every movement, every glance, every flicker was so deliberately and meticulously crafted, that it would be a shame to turn away for a moment dare you miss any of the artistry.
The character development was brilliant. Everyone had growth, everyone had space and room to be a complex human, to learn, to regret, to forgive, to fail, and to grow. It's a talented writer, and a talented cast of characters, every lead, every supporting lead, gives purpose and depth to their part.
I would have given this drama a 10/10 regardless of the ending they had chosen. Everything felt deserved. This tangled story was told with such love and care,
But my empathies lie solely with Shim Woo Joo, brought to life by the wonderful Lee Sung Kyung. Perhaps as a middle child, a pillar of the family, and eldest daughter, any way I look at it, she had my whole heart. I understood her most, rooted for her throughout. For people that say this is a slog or slow burn, I disagree. It is deliberate in its pacing, so you ache as she aches. Also, coming from a culture where honor, family, standing in society means everything, I was heartbroken for her. Like I said, regardless of the ending I would have understood, but I still harbor resentment that Shim Woo Joo doesn't. She reflected my own short comings, showing what a long was I have to go to be understanding and deliberate and honest and hopeful.
Beautiful. Please watch.
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Call it BEAUTIFUL
A slow burn romance to top most slow burn romances. You got 2 incredibly complex characters with incredibly traumatizing histories and they come together to create a beautiful love story.It starts out with our no non-sense badass but impulsive FL. She’s got revenge on her mind and she won’t stop at anything to achieve it.. until she meets our kind hearted and greenest of the green flags ML. However, she’s supposed to wreak havoc on his life as part of her revenge. So, what is a girl supposed to do? She fell in love.
It’s not a typical girl and guy fall in love kind of rom com. It’s about growing past your trauma, pain, internal conflicts, and allowing yourself to heal. I love that we get a no bullshit FL who’s not afraid to love, not afraid to protect those she loves and not afraid to love even her supposed enemy. Then, you get an incredibly warm and kind ML who’s slumped shoulders show a man carrying the weight of the world on him. What he needs is the love of a good woman. Here, enters our FL crashing into his world and coloring his blank pages. He also helps to bring colors into her black and white world. 10/10
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Call it… why, a biggo WHY
WHY would you cast the handsome Kim Young Kwang if you´re gonna use that UGLY pink filter throughout the drama?WHY would you cast the handsome Kim Young Kwang if you are not going to exploit his charismatic smile and just have him play a one dimensional depressed character? It was interesting and engaging in the early episodes, but it soon got old… to the point where I grew exasperated with him and that´s criminal. I watched the entire The Secret Life Of My Secretary with a big smile, even though it was a stupid romcom with a questionable premise I loved watching Kim Young Kwang. With him alone and his killer smile was so worth it!
WHY would you waste some potentially interesting cinematography with that UGLY pink?
WHY would you introduce great initial characters and midway just let them go to shit?
WHY in the second half of the series everyone took forever to get the words out of their mouths? Especially the leads in the last 4 episodes… my God what the hell happened, were they on Valium or something? Did I miss the part where they visited their psychiatrist and were prescribed a speech impairment drug?
WHY would you turn such a potentially strong, endearing and adorable FL into a wimpy FL?
If writers knew that they had 16 episodes to fill WHY did it feel like they ran out of material and they just went in circles the second half of the series?
WHY the pretentious and repetitive shots? Actors taking turns to eat side by side, actors taking turns to walk side by side, actors taking turns to look at each other from a few meters away, actors taking turns to look at the camera with a solemn face…. You get the point… repetition that made no freaking sense in a non beautiful way because of that UGLY pink filter.
WHY the bland ending?
I read some comments where viewers say that they were satisfied with the ¨happy ending¨ Frankly speaking I didn´t get it or by that time i was too jaded to appreciate it.
And then it got me thinking were they trying to emulate the ending in LOST or were they trying to emulate LOST the entire time? If so, they failed miserably. Actors take note: check out Ryu Joon Yeol and Jeon Do Yeon because that´s how you play a depressed person on the brink of despair. It does´t have to be boring!! In Lost the ending made perfect sense after the things that they had been through. In Call It Love, the ending looks like two slow and dumb people looking at each other, very stupid in my book.
So WHY did I watch this? Because I LOVE Kim Young Kwang and I liked the first half of the series to the point where I was willing to overlook the ugly pink filters.
Please Kim Young Kwang stay away from complex characters they are not for you or work with directors that can really use your strengths to build characters like in Mission Possible, Hello Me, The Secret Life Of My Secretary, The Guardians… playing those characters you were fantastic!!!
P.S. The OST, Flowers by Kim Roy was the true STAR of the series. Stunning!!!!!
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Healing, .love, and perfect chemistry
There are many characters in Korean dramas that I would aspire to be because of their fundamental goodness, compassion, empathy, and kindness. Han Dong-Jin, in 'Call it Love' might go to the top of that last. His steadfast love turned desire for vengeance in the female lead, Shim Woo-Joo, brilliantly acted by Lee Sung Kung, into love, forgiveness and understanding. This healing is transformative across all the characters, grudgingly perhaps by the villainess, but even she is able to wish Shim Woo-Joo a good life. It's rare enough for chemistry this perfect to exist among the male and female lead but here is carries over to all the couples. The transformation and healing wrought by love permeates this quiet but powerful drama, one that will melt your heart. The cinematography is rather special as well, highlighting the moods of the characters and I appreciate that the OST is not just a play-list of popular songs but uses orchestra and piano to help create and sustain the moods. Call It Love is one of the most soulful dramas I have seen and it will linger with me for a long time.Was this review helpful to you?
Great Watch!
I just finished watching it, and even though in the beginning I thought I wasn't going to like this drama because of the serious undertone, I was wrong. It was a great journey that I didn't want to end. The characters grew on me at the end I loved the main cast so much. The relationship with the main leads was a real one built on authenticity and genuine care/love for each other. Many touching moments are great lines in this series defiantly has my mister vibe but with a more satisfying ending, in my opinion. Great watch for a nighttime drama think everyone should stick with it for 3 episodes it is not boring!Was this review helpful to you?
This drama completely took me by surprise. It’s slow, quiet, and emotional in the best way possible. The story isn’t about flashy twists or dramatic reveals—it’s about two broken people finding peace and healing in each other.
The acting is so natural and real. Lee Sung-kyung and Kim Young-kwang gave such subtle and powerful performances, and their chemistry felt deep and believable. The pacing might not be for everyone, but if you’re patient, it rewards you with a truly touching love story.
The music, the soft lighting, the way the camera lingers on small moments—it all adds up to something really beautiful.
If you’re into slow-burn romances with lots of heart and emotional depth, I highly recommend this one. It’s not just a drama, it’s a feeling.
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profound <3
personally I adored it.it was simple and beautiful from the first to the last episode, it was magically slow often, it was painfully heart-wrenching at times - it made me feel so many emotions. we’ve all experienced loss, anger, longing and sorrow and this drama depicts those feelings so well. 😭❤️
really wonderful acting from the main leads and very poetic cinematography - you cannot stop feeling all of the feelings thanks to both.
like most kdramas it was a little predictable at times but it doesn’t make it any less wonderful. The ost and support characters added charming touches throughout as well.
love is so many things at once. the main leads went through so much and them connecting was not without its load of pain but the healing that came from it was a wonder to witness. all these complex emotions were portrayed so well by the actors. thank you to everyone involved in Call it Love!!!
of course i highly recommend it - not everyone will appreciate this drama but if you do, i hope you feel as much as I felt.
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Call it Satisfying
When I finished Call it Love I I honestly felt like I was satisfied in a well that was a grand days work kinda way as opposed to oh my god im totally blown away kind of way. But yet i look back at this as time well spent it kind of grows on you and you go through a certain kind of coming to terns with whats happening along with the characters.At times this drama really had me moved and totally absorbed and at times I was feeling this is getting dull only for it to pull away from the edge and remain engaging and it makes you interested to hear what others thought.
Pros:
Some great chatacters and exploration of same and a sense of understanding them gradually in a satisfying way.
A really good fairly realistic story not OTT and well brought together. I genuinely felt any number of endings would satisfy me no anxiety re a happy vs sad vs open ending a few episodes out as the story was making sense to me (eventually) regardless.
The Secondary characters were all really engaging and not filler material and no really extreme characters (though some might say close to)
For a drama with virtually no comedy it was still not gratituosly depressing.
Some genuinely powerful moments.
The normalised and gentle treatnent of sister struggle with mental health issue, note not a central part of plot but nicely introduced and explored with subtlety and normality.
Cons
The leads at times were too monotonous and almost unable to express any emotions outside of a narrow range of stoic silence and underlying sadness.
The FL in particular some of her scenes were like oh come on say something, its actually getting weird now. Tropes were not rampant in this script apart from the miscommunication/no communication between leads trope which weared just a little at times.
The chemistry between leads lacked i felt I dont know if it was directing acting or both but it was a bit too low key to match where they get too in their relationship. However this may be because this was not just a story about romance it was that and a bit more so even the romance had to be in balance.
To put it simply the acting was anazing to capture a certain tyoe of mood or moment which was then repeated a lot so while many fekt the acting was great i felt it was within a narrow range and not mind blowing sorry.
The use of the split scene then flash back was done really well except maybe a bit too often esoecially where verbal communication was sparse it was at times a long wait to find out what was actually said when.
Overall I feel like this is really really a great watch but maybe not all in one go. I have a fulfulling sense of satisfaction even though at times i was not sure what to make of it. Somehow this drama didnt neccessarily always go they way I wanted and yet i never felt cheated or had an oh i hate this type of story moment. I still havent settled on a no for my rating im curious what people feel.
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BEWARE B4 U SPEND 16HRS ON THIS !!!
I am a BIG Lsk fan and so decided to try this out after so many 10/10 reviews. I have very painfully completed the series but there is very little enjoyment I have got out of it. Seeing all these reviews makes me wonder if its just not my cup of tea. But seriously I failed to understand the subtelty of showing everything in slow-mo with the characters wearing a blank face most of the time. They dont talk...they just sigh and look at each other. Are they DUMB? . I understand that things are sad but I feel they dragged this thing too much. The ML and FL might have good chemistry but its not explored at all ......they hardly talk with each other. They just stare at each other and silently walk. I can understand the initial shyness but this just goes on. On top of that they have very little screen time." SO THERES NO ROMANCE YOU SAY? The other things are good right? RIGHT? " NO ITS NOT!! ITS WORSE. The story premise about the house is good and innovative but IT GETS DRAGGED ON LIKE HELL . Everything was dragged on tbh. The GF arc , the president shin arc and these were not even that good of a story.
TLDR:-
>> The premise and first couple of episodes are good.
>> Without the slowmo and filler scenes this is hardly a 4 hr drama.
>> I had to skip those silences towards the end cause it was getting tedious
>> The main lead romance is not good at all. (IMO)
>> Theres a lot of camping business BS that i didnt get. Good luck to you.
>> Good for you if you like seeing people walking from A to B and having noodles 100s of times.
>> Good if you can read facial expressions and need no talking. ( I cant ,sorry )
>> Sit with loads of coffee if you wanna stay awake.
>> I am ranting at this point. Have a nice day and I hope you enjoy this drama. I SURE AS HELL DIDNT.
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looking for a soul healing journey? BINGO
Call it Love is a beautiful Kdrama that tells the story of three sibling that couldn't be any more different. The main themes are friendship, romance, hardship, grieve and revenge.The three siblings taught me many things:
Rely on yourself but don't go through all the hardships alone.
Don't be afraid to be alone and learn to appreciate your time with yourself.
Always pursuit your dreams. Never give up.
The writing is excellent, with character development and plenty of heartwarming moments that will make you smile. The show also touches on deeper issues such as family and societal pressures, which adds an extra layer of depth to the story.
The supporting cast is also exceptional, with each character bringing their own unique personality and quirks to the show. The soundtrack is also fantastic, adding to the overall romantic and lighthearted vibe of the show.
Lastly I want to say
Goodbye pink filter
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Lee Sung Kyung shows some of her best acting prowess in this drama; the way she unleashes her pent-up frustrations at how life dealt her hand, how the father she loved betrayed their family, how she has to hold back some of her emotions for the sake of her sister and brother, how she defends her actions as justifiable, and how she grapples with her growing feelings towards her sworn enemy.
The rest of the cast also pull their own weight in this mostly character-based drama, with the plot being secondary as a background. The events that unfold showcase how humanity or lack there-of can play in the decisions of some, like how some people are repentant while others are not, despite numerous chances given. We learn in this drama, that while some people are just plain horrible, it does not necessarily mean that their off-spring will be the same. Some just lack the basic human decency of treating others with respect and continue to become trash, but we should not be painting their relatives in the same brush because they can turn out to be really decent human beings with an unfortunate excuse of a mother.
If you are expecting a light-hearted, fluffy romance drama, this is not it as Call It Love meanders its way along the excruciatingly long road of life.
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