Destined with You

This show is part Samsung phone ad, part make-up commercial with Rowoon as a model. Even when he's sick his hair stays perfectly styled.

How about a real challenge to play an ugly has-been alcoholic writer who showers once a month, has an old cracked phone and no woman wants to deal with him. Let him act and don't show close-ups of his eyelashes and face with perfect make-up every two minutes. Play a character that has nothing to do with his looks.

Supporting characters, like Shin Yu's mother, Seo Gu, and supporting actors are more interesting than the leads.

In one of the later episodes we get an underwhelming sex scene with a Tiffany bracelet shining in the dark, proving once again that this series is made to sell you products.

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One of the best kdramas from 2023

I started watching this drama two months ago without any expectations, and just because I like Rowoon and Jo Bo Ah. I have to be sincere but the first two- three episodes weren’t the greatest, and at that point I wasn’t liking Jang Shin Yu at all, but then episode 4 was the light at the end of the tunnel. That episode is one of my favorite one from the whole drama. It has the cheesiest phrases ever. So you will be laughing like crazy after watching it.
This drama isn’t for everyone because at some point there were so many plots that maybe for some could be distracting or annoying but everything had a reason.
I really liked the chemistry between them! They were adorable together. And they started hating each other and then loving deeply and their love surpassed the barriers of time and it was proved that they were destined to be together forever.
I have to say that this is my favorite performance of Rowoon, his portrayal of SY was top notch in so many ways and has improved a lot since his last drama.
I really will miss this drama 🥹🥹🥹

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Updated Review, Not the best drama personally.

The old review notes I had after 11 episodes have been deleted. Update after completion >

A major issue I have with the series is the characters. There was a tendency for the characters to use romance as a foundation for their being, their presence. Yes, they had jobs, but that isn't really a complete picture of their character. There were 16 episodes supposed to tell me everything I needed to know about them in relation to the story, and it didn't. It was primarily due to the story structure that failed them. The story seemed to revolve around a romance triangle centered on indecision for 30% of the time. Then there was the boss' office romance? Everything was a mess. And by the time episode 13 -15 came along and tried to make a bit more sense out of things it was far too late. Anyhow...

It took me about 16 days to complete the last 5 episodes. The story improved a little bit. Personally, I have no problems with the actors. Their characters didn't appeal to me. In the end, it's art and its own story, so who am I to change it? With that said, if I could change some things, I would be able to come up with a million ideas. In order to keep my review as brief as possible, I will just say I would have started the story in the past, built up a strong foundation between the lovers while showing critical elements such as the Shaman aspect, the box, curse, etc. They promise to meet in the next life in order to fulfill the destiny for xyz reasons.

(continuing with my ideas) >Despite similarities or differences in appearance, there may be some similarities between the present and the past leads. In the past, they died together. Present day -- They use the next 4-5 episodes to build the main character's bio as well as the plot and struggles that ultimately connect to the past. Each of them has a unique personal history, which gives them deep character traits that make you fall in love with them. Events and circumstances eventually bring them together by fate. They discover their destiny from the past together as they struggle through a better story. As you would have fallen in love with them far before they officially reunited, their chemistry is stronger and authentic because you would have fallen in love with them even before they reconnected.

In my opinion, it is a much better story than Oh no you drank the spell by accident! Now you love me? Wait a minute, you're engaged. Wait a minute, come back! Wait, are you pure? Let's stay away from each other. Let's kiss, but stay away! WT*^*?


There are a lot of ideas I have for this story, but it would be a waste of time to go into it further. While I tried to like this series, after watching so many great dramas in the past I have to admit that this one isn't very entertaining for me. Yes, chemistry is all they talk about, but the story itself is rarely discussed. (what does that tell ya?) My favorite chemistry comes from liking the main characters FIRST and their struggles throughout a riveting story, nothing forced, and they naturally come together as the story dictates.

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We're not going back

I wasn't going to write a review but there's just too much that bothers me about this drama. It was bad.

I had hoped this drama was good since both leads are some of my favourite actors but it was very disappointing. Rowoon had, so far, chosen the most green flag characters to play and that's something I liked about his dramas. Bo Ah has some of the strongest, smartest and best characters I've seen in kdramas. This choice was very disappointing coming from them.

It's impressive how they managed to milk a non-story into 16 episodes. You only get a sense of the story by episode 13. This could be a 6 episode drama. You can't set up a backstory and basically ignore it for most of the episodes, even forget it exists and then suddenly remember it again. It's boring and nonsensical.

The mean CEO doesn't fit the main character. It's probably one of my most hated tropes, but even if it wasn't, it doesn't make sense. They say he was in love with her after the spell and then go back and say he was in love with her from the start. HE WASN'T! He wasn't even interested in her. He was his bully cheerleader.
The love triangle also makes no sense. The other guy is only interested in her once she has another guy? That's just not wanting someone else to play with your toys, it's not interest or love.

Everything seems so outdated and awful. We're not going back to these types of relationships. There's a lot of misogyny and men mediocrity and this is why we'll continue choosing the bear. I'm hoping movement 4B reaches kdrama land. We don't need to teach young girls and women these types of standards. They're not acceptable anymore.

The FL only stands up to protect "her man" that she loves more than life itself. She doesn't mind harming herself for him to be ok and nothing she does protects him anyway. She keeps putting herself in trouble instead of thinking with her own head. This isn't love, it's some sort of sordid obsession caused by some love bombing.

Among other things that bother me in this drama, there are some that take the cake:
- the talk about purity. It's weird, inaccurate and cringe.
- he offers her a literal handcuff as a symbol of their love.
- everyone is evil for no reason. her colleagues are evil and annoying. They don't even stop being evil or using her once they start talking to her and having meals with her.
- their parents relationship of abuse is awful. What's more awful is that she goes back to him because his company is in trouble. That won't stop the abuse, he won't love her now that she's gone back, things won't get better. He treats his wife so badly and wants his son to have a relationship just like his, someone he can manipulate and abuse. The mother is constantly repeating the abuse she's inflicted and she says that her son chose someone just like her, equally dumb. That's a high level of self-hatred and misogyny.
- the songs don't match the vibe. This drama should be set in another decade according to the misogyny and music.
- the florist storyline makes no sense. There is no indication that he was a chaman in his previous life. He was a guard. His obsession with FL doesn't make sense once we establish that the love potion doesn't work. Her meeting him alone after he tried to murder ML also isn't smart at all. Meeting him alone without any plan and attacking him with a stick? She didn't even have a rock? Things don't add up.
- not even the police on call and a bunch of bodyguards can deal with a woman's stupidity. To be a bait there needs to be a plan, Getting caught and calling the police is not a plan.
- two grown-ass women fighting over a man whose only positive traits seem to be being a handyman and knowing some martial art is cringe, to say the least. It's like they're trying to bring back the idea that women constantly fight each other because "good men are scarce". I believe more in "p€nis is abundant and of low value". This drama confirms my thoughts.
- what made me write this review was how they treated child bullying. In no instant in that interaction did they simply tell the children that bullying is bad. Saying it is illegal and it won't allow them to be famous or earn a lot of money isn't the same as talking about the moral values behind not harming other people. We know it's not true. Not even in South Korea bullying has ruined many careers. Not even the r@pists have seen their careers completely ruined. Even if that were true, and people's lives got bleak (as they said in the drama) because of being prosecuted for this behaviour, it doesn't address the issue, it doesn't stop it. It just tells them they shouldn't get caught doing it.
- the idea that poor people are uncivil and uneducated. There's nothing more rude than arguing with someone in a hospital bed and treating everyone, except your son, like they're beneath you. The women constantly putting themselves down to cater to this man is obnoxious and sad. His outburst and nonsense aren't funny at all.
- the thing about being pregnant and the whole first time is absolute cringe. I'm not even going to talk about that old-fashioned lights off and white dressing shirt in a closet full of clothes kind of nonsense.
- cooking is not a talent, it's a skill.
- women, especially the ones who have been married, are not rushing to marry again. They pressured her to get married. Read the room!
- the unreasonable jealousy is also so last decade.

In conclusion, the ML is a walking red flag and somehow changes personality in the middle of the drama. The FL is one of the weakest I've seen in a while. We're assuming having your heart stop will get you rid of a curse that we don't even know if it's true or not and having it beat again counts as a new life. I don't think it even works like that with cats. It's a half-arsed story with a great cast and a good production. I hate it.

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I didn't like the series

I didn't like the series, I continued it only because of the main actors, and I definitely don't recommend it to anyone. I'm not saying it was bad, but it wasn't very good either. After all these years of Korean series, seeing some stereotypes and repeating stories doesn't appeal to me anymore. Maybe the author was not able to portray it beautifully, otherwise it was a series full of clichés, but it was beautiful and pleasant. For me, it was funny in many places and I would have liked it.

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A Rollercoaster of Romance and Mystery definitely a Must Watch

So, I just finished watching the last episode of "Destined with You" today, and I've got some mixed feelings about it. The ending left me a bit torn because it started out all intense and scary for like 15 minutes, and then bam! It was all hearts and happiness for the next 45 minutes. I was kind of hoping for a bit more of a thriller element, but it turned out to be a swoon-worthy, feel-good drama.

Rowoon, oh my goodness, that man knows how to deliver those cringe-worthy lines with so much charm! My heart couldn't help but skip a beat when he was being all cute and straightforward with his lovey-dovey dialogues, even though he thought he was under some kind of love spell. The embarrassment that followed was just adorable.

The characters, Bo Ah and Rowoon, are like two peas in a pod. When she's feisty, he's feisty, and when he's all cute, she's just blabbering out those cheesy lines. Their chemistry was undeniably cute, and the romance was on point, but like I said, I was hoping for a bit more of a thriller to balance it all out. Maybe my expectations were just too high in that regard.

All in all, it's a must-watch K-drama, and I only started watching it because of Rowoon, but I'm definitely going to check out "The Matchmakers" because of him. I loved "Destined with You." Though I have to admit, the bloody hand and the gardener were a bit creepy, but I'm glad I stuck with it. The curse explanation was really well done, and I appreciated the flashbacks to the past to help us understand everything better.
The character development was a nice touch, too. And let's talk about Shin Yu – he went from being a perfectly made-up doll to a real live man. Loved it! ❤️❤️❤️ This drama really stood out for me, and I might just rewatch it someday.

On the flip side, I have to agree that the addition of new twists and plotlines every week got a bit overwhelming. It seemed like they introduced more mysteries before solving the previous ones, and I was left scratching my head. The whole Red Hand haunting Rowoon one moment and then disappearing was a bit confusing, and the sudden introduction of a stalker was unexpected. But what really gave me the "ick" was the whole past life lovers from the Joseon period plotline. It felt overused, boring, and repetitive.

In the end, "Destined with You" had its moments of greatness, but it also stumbled along the way with a messy plotline and too many twists. Nevertheless, it's still a drama worth checking out for the romantic moments and some fantastic character development. Just be prepared for a rollercoaster ride of plot twists.

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Keep watching, don't listen to the haters. ( I finished this series and loved it)!!!!

All I can say right now is Rowoon has won me over again!
Only at episode 4 while I am writing this quick review and it was so hilarious.
If your the type of watcher that likes to laugh and just enjoy a fun
filled drama, then start watching. The negative reviews are just
from so called watchers who think they could create a better story and
they can't. Bringing down a Drama at first 4 episodes when it's
so fun, only tells that these people are simple targeting greatly
made dramas to keep down the ratings on MDL. In fact it's already
greatly received.

Update after finishing this series-
This was beautifully made and loved how they did not reveal everything in
one go and also loved that the M & F leads had a lot of time for their relationship scenes.
The paste was steady flow, not rushed and the last 5 episodes were wrapped up nicely,
It's quite refreshing to how this story telling was done, most dramas always overload
the last episode but this one paste it and kept what they needed to until the last 2 episodes.
Very good all round cast and the scenes in the office with the co workers made me laughed
alot especially Mr Gong, he somewhat filled the show with his witty unserious character.
My score at the start was 10/10 and it remains the same.

The OSTs were so good especially "I'll Always Be With You" by lyn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKpQUlDgG8I

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Rowoon and Jo Bo Ah bring out the best in each other

I'll start out with what I didn't like:

1. Hong Jo deserved better friends. There were plenty of strong female characters, but I am disappointed none of them were HJ's age.

2. Shin Yu's mom deserved a better partner. It bothered me that she didn't go through with the divorce. SY's dad being nice for 10 minutes doesn't make up for him calling her stupid. She was such a sweetheart and I think that makes it even worse.

3. There was way too much time spent on HJ'S senior coworkers relationship. Those are the only scenes I skipped during rewatch. It wasn't poorly written and they are decent characters, but I would have liked that time spent elsewhere.

4. They should have made it explicitly clear whether or not the spells worked. I feel like the director left it up to the audience and basically asked us...do YOU believe in magic lol

What I liked:

There is so much that I liked, that I'll have to be broad and brief or I could go on forever:

1. The flashback scenes paired perfectly with the modern day story. None of these scenes felt like filler and the tragedy of Aeng Cho and Mujin was heartbreaking. Sometimes Joseon flashbacks can feel like an extension of the modern day filming...idk if that makes any sense lol But the Joseon scenes had a magical quality and seemed to be from a completely different show. I loved that they were shot on location and that there was minimal green screen used. The snowy scenes were especially beautiful.

2. The chemistry between Rowoon and Jo Bo Ah really made their characters come alive. Do yourself a favor and watch the bts on YT. HJ and SY almost seem like an extension of Rowoon and Bo Ah. Literally everything about their scenes together made me smile. Even in the beginning when SY annoyed the sh-- out of HJ lol That's why this drama is a 10 for me. I want a rom-com that makes me smile.

3. Believe it or not I liked the "love triangle" between HJ/SY/Kwon Jae Kyung. I think it's because HJ and KJK played it off without any true toxicity. The scene where they are both racing to HJ's apartment is one of the funniest I've seen. Rowoon and Ha Joon played really well off each other. It's not obnoxious and you get the sense that these two men actually like and respect each other. It also helps that KJK isn't a sore loser.

4. An OST can make or break a series and the Destined with You OST was perfect. Delicate and gentle are two words I would use to describe it.

At its heart, DWY is pure romance with sub plots of supernatural and comedy. The point of the show is HJ and SY were destined to be with each other. The storytelling never wavered from this trajectory. The only way I see this plot falling flat is if they didn't end up with each other or if someone died. The spells, the curse, etc. were all minor plot devices made to push HJ and SY towards their destiny.

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Where did the plot GO?

What is it with Netflix and these dumb-down dramas?
Whatever happened to the story? For the first half, it may have been silly but like good silly since it had a PLOT to follow. The spells and the curse were interesting. But then suddenly the plot disappeared and we were left with nothing to support this story other than the romance.
So by the end of it, I am left with nothing but confusion, disappointment, and a lot of questions left unanswered. For example:
Didn’t he like have a degenerative disease? What about the love spell, was that ever a thing? There was supposed to be a curse…what happened to it? The crazy stalker was present in both timelines did that mean something? How did he know how to make spells? Am I just missing something? did I miss a whole ass episode where all of this got explained??

Yeah, they were cute and had a ton of chemistry but by the end, there were 0 explanations. It’s like it was an entirely different drama in the second half.

Also, it felt like they had good actors who were terribly underused. Why have Lee Pilmo and Lee Taeri in your cast when they barely appear? They didn't even get proper storylines they were just there to fill space with some sublevel plotlines. Wasted talent in my opinion.

Other than that the other actors did fine. Jo Boah has a talent for obnoxious characters, she plays them too well really. Rowon we can agree, had that good scene at the beginning of ep 16, the rest he did what any other handsome idol/actor does well: play the perfect, cold, stone-faced character. He did have a lot of smiles and puppy eyes for Jo Boah in the end though. The rest of the cast was nothing but fillers since they did not add much to the story. Well maybe a little bit the second ML, I kinda want to see him do an ML gig soon, I saw him in Bad Prosecutor too and I liked him and his acting.

The OST was fine, the production great, the CGI was passable, and the budget was budgeting.
In conclusion, the drama was a letdown since I quite enjoyed the beginning. I don't know what is going around lately with these rom-coms that show on Netflix. Good-looking, popular leads with a high budget and good production will only get you so far. They need to step up their script game because, CHILD how can you spend so much money on something that's this lacking, underfinished, AND JUST SO BAD?

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