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Romance with HR violations, but make it wholesome
Typically, what we see in Boss-employee dramas is that the Male Lead being the domineering CEO, catered by a savvy, sassy, or silly Female Secretary. So, when a role reversal appeared in the drama world, I was definitely intrigued, and this drama did not disappoint.It has all the hallmarks of a decent drama. From the expected banter to the secret relationship cliche, this drama has it down pat. I barely remembered both leads in their previous roles One Spring Night and Stranger, but in this instance, the chemistry between the actors is palpable on screen.
Lee Jun Hyuk is quite adorable in his role of a single-father who prioritizes his child’s mental well-being over his career advancement. Well-organized, and extremely resourceful, Yoo Eun Ho is perhaps the poster-boy for all green-flag male characters ever in K-drama land, especially for those women who didn’t mind dating somebody with a child in tow.
And Kang Ji Yun didn’t seem to mind. In fact, despite her prickly, almost anti-social demeanor, she hit it off with Eun Ho’s child, unbeknownst to the father. Han Ji Min delivers all the sass and seriousness needed by her C-suite level character. Initially feared by her employees for her coldness, Kang Ji Yun uses it as a shield against emotional pain stemming from her past, and not as a sign of indifference.
Eun Ho’s thoughtfulness and warm heart gradually thaws Ji Yun’s icy demeanor, that she eventually garners respect from her employees enough that they stood by her during the hard times. While I enjoyed the primary plot line, the secondary pairing felt contrived for me.
I wasn’t entirely convinced the second male lead, who once felt something for the female lead, would fall for the second female lead, who had loved the male lead for a long time. While I understand that dramas sometimes employ such tropes, I find the sudden and inexplicable shift in their affections, solely attributed to rejection by their first loves, to be somewhat implausible.
Not saying that the second leads’ performances were poor; it was the quick escalation of their relationship that dissatisfied me. The rest of the cast were also decent and Eon Ho’s daughter was as adorable as the father.
While the plot moved at a good pace, I was hoping for more details about Ji Yun’s experiences at her previous job, as the potential for a great arc was present. Some plot points were irrelevant and quickly brushed aside. But overall, this is a decent attempt at reversing a common trope on its head.
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Healing Headhunting
This was a strong start to the drama year with its novel casting, fresh plotline and fantastic acting. The show exceeded all expectations and also brought us another fabulous performance from Seo Hye Won - the side character we all know and love.Lee Jun Hyuk and Han Ji Min were a novel pairing that did the emotional rollercoaster such justice. I honestly did not expect such great chemistry. Mr. Lee especially delivered a big surprise with his character portrayal in this drama. The bright and nurturing personality was such a direct opposite to his usual cold and serious roles. Paired with Han Ji Min's cool and multi-layered career woman energy, the cocktail was simply too good to resist.
The drama's setting is deep in the headhunter biz with intriguing doses of melancholy and comedy. The show addresses topics like depression and grief, so of course I had to use a couple of tissues to fix the leaky faucet that my eyes became while watching this. Lady Han and Mr. Lee truly gave us raw glimpses of their characters' inner landscapes.
I really recommend this for people who want a healing romance with a side of business-life intrigue and rough life events!
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Watching it weekly as it aired was truly enjoyable from start to finish. It was refreshing to see a mature couple. Even the ending was as natural and heartfelt as the drama itself.
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The boss would like to have a PA like Eun Ho.
After a long time, I saw a good, mature, realistic, office romance and office politics drama. As a PA, Lee Jun Hyuk as Yoo Eun Ho is a 9.5/10. I cut 0.5 because he is too much good looking. Because as a result, the boss's vision is distorted.I liked Han Ji Min as Kang Ji Yun a normal, serious boss.Gi So Yoo as Yoo Byeol is very cute. And So Yoo and Jun Hyuk father-daughter relationship was very cute.I liked the drama because it was a good story with twists and plots.Was this review helpful to you?
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Wasted potential
I really want to love this series because I've been waiting for it and I love the casts a lot especially Han Jimin, Lee Junhyuk and Kim Dohoon. The first 6 episodes were great and even though the romance progression feels a bit rushed, it was still really enjoyable. It feels like a warm romance & slice of life series in the first half, which is what I was expecting given the promo materials... However, they just had to ruin it on the second half with forced childhood connection, unnecessary conflict, and the villain's strange obsession with main protagonists.All the major conflict feels forced and the villains feels like a caricature because they're not written well, so I just become indifferent and fast forwarding the second half a lot because the tone shift just feels weird to me. The 2nd CP is better and I enjoyed their storyline a lot more but unfortunately they're not being highlighted as much.
That being said, I still rate this series really high because I do really like it at some point. The acting and chemistry is good, most characters are lovely, and the ending where they thrive in their own field was good.
Overall it's a decent watch, but it's really such a shame because it has so much potential.
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Nothing new, but always nice to have a comforting drama.
Adding my voice to the many who have already spoken about Love Scout. Is it groundbreaking? Will you find unexpected twists? Not really. It feels like a drama created by a seasoned K-drama fan who has cracked the formula for a fail-proof story. But does that mean I didn’t enjoy it? Not at all—I actually did.The highlight for me was the acting. I truly believed in the main couple and found myself rooting for them throughout. Han Ji Min, as always, delivered a great performance—I loved her in One Spring Night, Our Blues, and now this. Lee Jun Hyuk was a new face for me, but I completely fell for his character, and his chemistry with the lead actress was convincing.
That said, the villains were a bit over-the-top for my taste, but they certainly did their job. Overall, Love Scout is a comforting, predictable watch with a few genuinely heartwarming moments. It’s not perfect, but it’s worth your time if you’re in the mood for something familiar yet enjoyable.
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The Best' Daddy Issues drama
To be frank the chemistry is sweet and phenomenal perfect fluff with minimal story. It is perfect show to watch to relax. Also it is literally the best story about a girl with daddy issues as she literally finds the best daddy.P.S. the child actress is also very cute and has very good dynamic with fl
Definitely worth a watch or two
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a cliché romance drama that is a nice way to kill time
This drama follows a familiar Korean romance formula, revolving around childhood trauma that secretly connects the main leads. The story centers on a strong-willed female CEO navigating the ruthless corporate world. She appears cold and withdrawn, burdened by unresolved issues with her past, yet deep down, she longs for companionship. Enter her new secretary—a handsome, capable man who seems like the perfect partner, except for one detail: he’s a single dad. Together, they face life’s ups and downs while maintaining their relationship. While the plot is predictable, it remains engaging without being overly dramatic, cringeworthy, or pretentious. The lighthearted tone makes it an enjoyable watch, and even the supporting characters add to the entertainment with their witty banter. It’s the kind of drama that may not be groundbreaking but is perfect for passing the time.Was this review helpful to you?
When writers listen to my prayers
Finally, a romantic comedy that feels pure, authentic and doesn't feel compelled to overcomplicate its plot unnecessarily. It's great to see how naturally the story unfolds, how authentic the characters are, and how their “mundane conflicts,” whether it's raising a child as a single parent, having an unresolved childhood trauma, dealing with a work rivalry and feeling like you can't show anything less than perfection in your job. It's all quite believable through the subtle writing and the authentic and sympathetic performances.I wish writers would learn a thing or two from these stories. I don't want to see stupid plot twists or one-dimensional villains. I want to see adults dealing with adult situations and resolving them like adults. I absolutely loved this cast, both main and supporting.
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Our two main characters Ji Min and Eun Ho are just naive children hiding in serious adult shells. Despite being highly competent ambitious sharks at work, once they have a crush they are willing to completely throw work aside to sneak glances. Despite Sun Ho being divorced with a 7 year old kid, and Ji Min being in her 30s, they are giddy at the prospect of holding hands.
Ji Min is the head recruiter at her own head hunting firm, and yet is portrayed as someone who feels awkward around other people, does not network or socialise, and has no idea how to build human relationships and so relies on Eun Ho to do that work for her. Eun Ho, who has been in an internal HR role for years and had so little a network that he had to rely on a childhood friend to get a job.
These are just some of the many contradictions that were built into these two characters. They are not interesting and complex contradictions, just contradictions that make no sense.
On top of that, the 'stories of the week' about the the candidates they are trying to recruit and place are similarly unrealistic, and the 'mysteries' of their pasts not particularly interesting.
Why watch this at all then? In the first few episodes, Eun Ho is quietly competent and protective. It's satisfying and intriguing to see him take care of Ji Min and softly fall for her in careful way, but once that initial tension resolves there is nothing left.
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worth watching
Lahh man, where should I even start? This drama is really nice! Normally, I don’t watch ongoing dramas because I hate waiting for the next two episodes every week. I’m really an impatient person. But this time, I gave it a try, and I honestly wasn’t expecting it to turn out so good.As for the trope, it’s definitely about a strong businesswoman with some past trauma and a single father who’s handsome and super popular with girls whenever he appears—like a typical K-drama male lead, you know?
In the first episode, they just introduce the characters, and the dynamic between the FL and ML is really chaotic. It turns out to be the best—like, better than I could have imagined. I’d definitely recommend this drama, so go for it!
Also, Lee Jung-hyuk is so, so, so cute and mature here. He totally shows a different kind of personality compared to Love Scout and 365: Repeat the Year.
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An alright office romance
I am tired of sad trauma pasts for main leads in romance kdramas, why is it always something in rain scenes, something in fire etc. Can't two people come from normal family and fall in love? The drama mostly revolves around the work theme "scouting" a lot. It is a slow burn romance, although I personally didn't feel any burn due to lack of chemistry but if I strictly go by story, the love progress between two main leads it is very naturally written and is mature in its approach which is one of the plus sides I liked inititally.But as I continued to watch, the biggest dowside for me to drop this drama is the dramas focus on two genres at once, slice of life with love story and the office genre which takes nearly 80% of screentime. Either be an office drama or be a love drama, especially when you have only 12 episode committment. Ok maybe this drama can carry all kinds of stories like the drama Attorney woo. Attorney Woo had love story, friendship, law firm, trauma issues all going on. But here's the difference. all those different things had progress, they had 16 episodes to address everything and they had dedicated storyline and screentime that flows naturally. Most importantly there is progress that shows the story is going forward. Not saying attorney woo is absolutely perfect, but I am just giving example on top of my head for comparision.
In this drama also so many things are going on. but even at episode 6 they are still left unaddressed. So far I watched half the drama and there is no progress except for male lead and female lead getting closer and starting to feel liking each other. Both leads have past trauma but they weren't addresed even at episode 6 and it is always those typical flashback scenes only, FL started the company all on her own, she also has a rival aka the villian but even that isn't going anywhere. ALso FL relationship between her and her investor isn't unfolded properly as the investor is pushing female lead to marry his son. Also the worst love traingle where both second leads like both the main leads for so many years and so far nothing towards it had happened, like are they going to pursue or they going to give up? Like I said except for the love story blooming between the main leads and work place situtations nothing else really happened. 80% of time in every episode goes to office genre and 20% goes to love progress between FL and ML. Also talking about the second leads, why do we even have second leads if they barely have two minutes screentime in every episode, at that point why even call them second main leads when they are not contributing anything significant to the main story.
I cannot wait progress of all the pending things in later episodes where everything is rushed. I am already past 6th episode and I didn't find it clicking for me personally. I don't like watching dramas when it tries to be like an all round drama but only the female and male lead gets character growth and no one else. It is fine if drama focus in only on the leads but this drama is trying to be inclusive of all by contributing 80% of time to scouting situtation at work, yet shows no real development towards secondary characters except for little tid bits now and then to show they are important.
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