Destined with You

A cursed lawyer, a civil servant, and a stalker walk into a drama… and somehow it’s still boring

A love story where the spells don’t work, the stalker comes too late, and toxic relationship dynamics soar.

Disclaimer: This review is 100% my opinion — I’m not here to hate, just to share my thoughts! Also, SPOILERS AHEAD, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet. Watch it, come back and let’s see if you agree. Let’s keep the discussion respectful and fun! 💕

The Good
The side characters were a delight
Even though Hong Jo’s coworkers could be downright mean, they were also hilarious. The side characters brought a lot of charm and personality to the show, and the casting for them was spot-on.


The Bad
SO Much Filler, SO Little Payoff
This show was like 90% filler; not the good, character-developing kind. It was painfully noticeable. Every side plot felt like it was shoved in just to keep things moving: the Mayor, Na Yeon and Hyung Seo’s drama, the kidnapping subplot, even Jae Kyung’s sudden crush—it all felt random.

And the constant back-and-forth between Sin Yu and Hong Jo was exhausting. Hong Jo’s endless “I like you but I don’t” paired with Sin Yu’s “I want you but I still have an annoying girlfriend” got old fast. Just end it and get together already. We were all tired.

Where Was the Love?
One of the biggest missed opportunities: we never actually got to see Sin Yu fall for Hong Jo. The spells didn’t work, which means he apparently fell in love with her after, like, his third meeting with her. What? Instead of drowning us in filler (especially all the endless mom scenes), they should’ve shown us moments of them genuinely getting to know each other.

So when Sin Yu told Jae Kyung that he’d liked Hong Jo “first… since the Joseon Era,” it landed with a thud. And honestly, how did Hong Jo not lose interest after realising he was more hung up on Aeng Cho than her? I thought I’d love every fated-love story until I watched this one.

She Liked Jae Kyung… But Also Really Didn’t
Hong Jo’s feelings for Jae Kyung made zero sense. She liked him enough to make him a literal love potion, but the second he returned her feelings, she was basically sprinting in the other direction. He was asking her out while she was ducking and dodging him—literally a week after she’d been pursuing him. The romance in this show was a tangled mess that never quite worked, no matter how many longing stares they threw in.

What Was With Jae Kyung’s Switch-up
Speaking of Hong Jo not liking Jae Kyung—why did he suddenly start liking her? Jae Kyung went from, “I don’t want kids” and his whole sad trauma backstory to tossing that out the window as soon as Sin Yu got interested. How did both he and Hong Jo change their feelings at the exact same time? And more importantly… What did this add to the plot? (Spoiler: nothing.)

He Still Had a Girlfriend / Toxic Central
Yes, Na Yeon was annoying and a cheater, but she was still Sin Yu’s girlfriend. There’s no way the writers thought we’d swoon over a romance that was literally just… cheating. “Oh, but she needed him for that project thing.” And? So now cheating is fine if it’s for work?

And Hong Jo… girl. How were you okay being the other woman? Sitting around, waiting for a man to break up with his girlfriend so you can have your “happily ever after”? Doesn’t sound so romantic when I put it like that, does it?

This Show Was All Over the Place
The stalker plot? Random. The mom and the boy? Random. The girlfriend’s history with Hong Jo? Random. The manager and the boss? Also random. The stalker, in particular, didn’t really matter until the final episodes, and even then, his presence felt like a last-minute “oh right, we have a villain” move. What was the actual plot of this show?


Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, Destined With You felt like a waste of time. The writers banked on two attractive leads and assumed that would be enough to distract us from the chaos underneath. Spoiler: it wasn’t. This was all filler, no plot and the only things I genuinely enjoyed were the side characters and that one time Sin Yu sang.

It’s crazy that they managed to stretch this into 16 episodes and even crazier that I actually finished it. Next time I dive into a fated love story, I’m hoping for A Time Called You vibes—not “I like you because my past self liked you… Aeng Ch—sorry, Hong Jo.”

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That’s a wrap on this review! What did you think of this review? Did you appreciate that it was shorter than the rest or do you enjoy the longer ones? If you want the full version (Yes, I had more to say loll), let me know!

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Mostly good

I subtracted one star because of the last item listed below...

What I liked:

1. The wooden box and the book of spells. Audience never quite knows if the spells worked or not–but they were lots of fun.

2. Kim Ro-Woon transforms from a cold-hearted attorney into a spurned lover and a kind-hearted boyfriend. Jo-Boah was cute and appealing at times. The romance between these two was a little clunky, but if you don’t look too close, it’s believable.

3. The co-workers in the Environment and Greenery office weren’t funny. But I really liked the buffoonish Mr. Gong

4. The Environment and Greenery Department–a government department with a focus on plants, flowers, and greenery. The cherry blossoms, the walk in the meadow at the end were gorgeous–nice to get away from the unrelenting urbanization in some of these dramas.

5. Appropriate and tactful sex scenes.

What I didn’t like

6. Jo-Boah’s acting was over the top and way, way too self-conscious. Never-ending mannerisms, posturing, simpering, and over-acting. Tone it down, Girl!

7. Too many plot elements borrowed from other Chinese and Korean series (My Demon).

8. Hey, K-drama writers...there was one scene that was really stomach-churning. It shows a certain character grabbing an octopus and throwing it in boiling water. C’mon. Octopuses are sensitive and intelligent. If you have to keep eating them, at least don’t show people torturing them too. Thanks.

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Great start. Lost me with the cheating.

The first half of Destined With You was great. It was funny and I was enjoying the fantasy element as well as the creepy bloody hand. In fact, I started to miss it later.

My biggest issue was that the ML despite having a girlfriend, kisses the FL. This was clearly a red flag for me so much so that I was angry with the character for a good few episodes and couldn't enjoy the story.

The other issue I had was that by the end, it isn't completely clear if anyone was acting under the power of the love spell or not because of the twist. I'm not sure why they made it seem so confusing. That's a plot hole.

Third biggest problem I had with the show is the father being verbally abusive to the mother as well as negligent towards her needs and the writers made them patch up after teasing a caring younger guy as a potential love interest. There was one more female character that was divorced and found love. Not sure why ML's mother didn't deserve better as well? Is it because they didn't want her to find love with a younger man? The father was so horrible towards the FL as well. All the more the mom should be with a nicer man. This is the second such drama that disappointed me in this regard. First being Doctor Cha.

I still have a few doubts related to the story. Towards the end, I decided to speed it up because the story was moving a bit too slowly.

The best thing about this drama was the SML. I wish FL had ended up with him. He was a really decent guy. FL and ML's chemistry was nice except for the weird cheating aspect. SFL was stunning but unbearable. Acting wise, everyone did great. It was the story that let me down in the second half.

The OST of the drama is beautiful.

I would say the first half of the drama is a lot more fun than the second half. It's not a bad drama but it could have been better with a bit of tweaking.

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The only good thing is looking at Rowoon

This was my first Rowoon drama and he is definitely nice to look at. I didn’t care for the FL though. Something about her just didn’t seem to fit and I didn’t think they had any chemistry.

The storyline was also a bit all over the place. Things that happened in the beginning first episode weren’t even talked about the majority of the drama. And the history part was thrown in at weird times. And then a stalker randomly?

It’s like they tried to do too many things in one drama. They put romance (some parts were a romcom only in the beginning, mystery, thriller, supernatural…) It really needed to be condensed down to a more focused genre and went more in depth into that.

Also, I couldn’t get past the cheating…

All in all I hope Rowoon’s other dramas are better.

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The OST is the best thing about this show.

The OST. I'd call it spectacular. It's a catchy blend of music that complements the story and specific scenes well.

The story's not great. It drags at times and let's just say some characters are artificially put in there to make things happen. Some parts are repetitive. What I appreciate is the "male chases female first" and what I liked even more is the whole love potion situation. I enjoyed that a lot!

As for the cast, Jo Bo Ah is very specific when it comes to pairing and needs "special" care in that aspect. It's about 50:50 chemistry here. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it's missing. I can't decide if this pairing is good or not in this case. I think it's still missing something and comes across as just average. Only later in the story, do they start to have some cute moments.

Overall, it's relatively good, nothing spectacular, and some parts are entertaining. So those solid 7 it'll be.

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Bland plot and no chemistry

I love a a good romance drama and was super excited to watch this drama. In my opinion first few the episodes were a let down as the fl was quite a push over and the ml seemed to be forcing this stoic and aloof personality. Through out these episodes the interactions between the characters seemed very forced and I couldn't see any chemistry between the actors. The fact that the ml kept having to process his love and then add that it wasn’t really made it very frustrating as it was often repetitive. And the scene where the fl goes to the beach and the little moment of calm between them felt forced as well. Overall I just don’t see any chemistry between the actors and the plot just wasn’t fun.

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Jane Austin would roll her eyes

I wonder why the writters/directors still believe that the general public is not ready for modern storylines, strong FLs and mature MLs. Because in spite of excellent photography and acting, this drama is still based on a 'Naive Everygirl and abusive, but handsome Chaebol'.
Jane Austin's Elizabeth said to such a guy, some 210 years ago: '...And I might as well enquire why, with so evident a design of insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your better judgment.' - That is the best description for Mr. Jang as well, a man who did not grow up enough to own his feelings so he puts all the responsibility on the FL, and she is nice (stupid?) enough to pick it up every time.
Eliza had a change of heart only when Fitzwilliam prooved he matured enough to be her equal (seeing his large estate was, ehmmm, welcome addition to his personal change). Let's see what proof will Ms. Hong-Jo reqire.

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Not for Everyone, but Worth a Watch

Review:

Destined with You is a Korean drama that tells the story of an unlikely couple: a star lawyer and a lowly civil servant who is cursed. The two are drawn together by a forbidden book that contains the secrets of their past and their future.

The drama is a unique blend of genres, including rom-com, supernatural, and mystery. It starts off a bit slow, as it introduces the characters and their world. However, the pace picks up in the later episodes as the plot thickens.

One of the things that sets Destined with You apart from other K-dramas is its strong female lead. Lee Hong-jo, the civil servant, is a complex and well-developed character. She is intelligent, independent, and fiercely loyal to those she cares about.

Jang Shin-yu, the star lawyer, is also a well-developed character. He is initially portrayed as a cold and arrogant man, but he gradually warms up to Hong-jo and shows his vulnerable side.

The chemistry between the two leads is undeniable. They have great banter and their romantic scenes are both heartwarming and passionate.

However, the drama is not without its flaws. The plot can be a bit convoluted at times and some of the subplots are underdeveloped. Additionally, the CGI is not always of the highest quality.

Overall, Destined with You is an enjoyable and entertaining drama. It is not perfect, but it is a unique and refreshing take on the rom-com genre.

Recommendation:

Destined with You is a good choice for fans of Korean dramas who are looking for something different. It is also a good choice for fans of supernatural and mystery dramas. However, it is important to note that the drama starts off a bit slow and the plot can be a bit convoluted at times.

Rating:

7.5 out of 10 stars

Personal Opinion:

I personally enjoyed Destined with You. I liked the unique blend of genres and the strong female lead. I also thought the chemistry between the two leads was great. However, I did find the plot to be a bit convoluted at times and the CGI was not always of the highest quality. Overall, I think Destined with You is a worth watching drama, but it is not for everyone.

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