My Dearest Nemesis

Enjoyable but could be improved

My Dearest Nemesis (2025) is a South Korean drama that has been generating quite a buzz among K-drama enthusiasts. Set against the backdrop of a gripping narrative, the drama explores themes of rivalry, redemption, and romance. It follows the intertwined lives of two seemingly opposite characters whose paths cross in unexpected ways, leading to a series of intriguing events that keep the viewers hooked.

The storyline, while engaging, sometimes feels a bit formulaic, relying on common tropes seen in many dramas. The plot revolves around the dynamic between the two main characters, one a hardworking and determined young woman and the other a charismatic but misunderstood genius. Their rivalry is the heart of the series, but their chemistry often feels inconsistent, wavering between intense and lacklustre. While this tension is meant to drive the narrative forward, it sometimes falls short of achieving the emotional impact it aims for.

One of the standout features of My Dearest Nemesis is its stellar cast. The lead actors deliver commendable performances, with their portrayals adding depth to otherwise stereotypical roles. The supporting cast also deserves a mention, as they bring an added layer of authenticity and warmth to the story. Unfortunately, despite the strong performances, the script occasionally lacks the punch needed to fully captivate audiences.

Visually, the drama impresses with its stunning cinematography. Each scene is crafted with care, making excellent use of lighting and setting to create an atmosphere that complements the unfolding drama. The music score, while not particularly groundbreaking, does its job in enhancing the emotional beats of the story.

In terms of pacing, the drama sometimes struggles with maintaining a consistent rhythm. Certain episodes feel stretched, with unnecessary subplots that add little to the overall narrative. This occasionally detracts from the main storyline, leaving viewers feeling a bit disengaged.

Overall, My Dearest Nemesis is an enjoyable watch but leaves room for improvement. It has its moments of brilliance, especially in the interplay between the leads, but fails to sustain the momentum needed for a standout series. While it successfully delivers a mix of suspense and romance, it sometimes lacks the depth and originality that could have elevated it to a must-watch status. For those new to K-dramas, it might be a decent introduction, but seasoned viewers may find it somewhat predictable. In conclusion, My Dearest Nemesis is okay but could have been better, leaving viewers hoping for a little more from such a promising premise.

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Miscasting can mar the story

This is only my opinion...

I felt that Choi Hyun Wook was miscast as the ML. I have enjoyed him in other things, but he looked too young, he acted too young, and his ridiculous hand gestures were lifted (stolen) from Park Seo Joon in What's Wrong With Secretary Kim. Park was able to pull off the exaggerated movements, Choi was not.

I love Mun Ka Young, and she was wonderful here, but I couldn't help compare this with True Beauty, and My Dearest Nemesis lost.

Toward the end of the drama, my mind was still dwelling on their awful first kiss, with her open eyes, not moving, etc. Just awful. In general their chemistry was lacking.

The second couple was cute, but she was kind of a mess. She couldn't make up her mind if she wanted to be with him or not. I don't care if the woman or the man initiates it, I'm not a fan of friends with benefits.

The ending was pretty lackluster. It felt like filler after all the problems were solved.

You might wonder why I even rated it this high. It was cute, and the main couple had some cute scenes together.

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Shallow and Disappointing

My Dearest Nemesis is another regular K-drama that follows classic overused pattern of romance that we frequently come across many korean dramas. While I was expecting something high from Choi Hyun Wook due to his recent selection of dramas, this drama is totally forgettable and full of clichés.
To begin with, I didn't sense any actual chemistry between the leads in any scene. The plot was lacklustre as it followed common trope of enemies to lovers, but in this drama, it was too quick.
The geek side of the male character felt cringey and awkward, instead of cute and endearing. While the drama had some good moments, the rest were nothing special and even at 12 episodes, it felt a long stretch. Better watch 100s of better dramas in the same genre out there.

My Rating :5/10

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My dearest nemesis

It is perfect drama if you are looking for something light, fluffy, cute and office romance with a little bit of enemies to lovers (or maybe first love to enemies to lovers). Cast and acting was really good. I only wished they did more scenes in game but it would probably cost too much.
Hmm I think that I will not spoiler anything in this review.
Moving on to actors - chemistry between everyone was really good and natural.
Mun Ka Young - first thing I watched her was Link: eat, love, kill and as far as I liked her there more she still did here great job and her character still was great. Her father was one of the best fathers from kdramas!!
Choi Hyun Wook - unpopular but I liked him here so much more than in Weak hero class 1 and in my opinion he had perfect chemistry with MKY, also his character was likeable, yeah he had his cringe moments but it is this type of drama, also loved his casual outftis and the ones with black leather jackets (more than suits but his burgundy/red was really nice)
Age difference is not a big deal, there are dramas with much bigger like No gain, no love - it was literally only 5 years here, pretty normal and they started dating when both of them were adults.
I really liked their game characters, because of weapons they reminded me one of my favourite animations Code Lyoko (they reminded me Yumi and Ulrich) so it was nice "similarity" for me.
Second couple - was cute, chemistry was nice and they felt really natural and normal
Support characters was also great, I would watch if they would get spin-off.
Grandma - .......well, yeah she was a bi*ch, I can understand mourning but blaming child was ridicilous, great that she understood that but still, she does not deserve to be forgiven too fast.
To sum up - if you are looking for some romcom then it is great choice.

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Forgettable but sweet rom-com, ending + relationship dynamic could have been improved

I truly had a lot of fun watching this rom-com : it had all the feel of a classic romantic drama featuring rich heir and hardworking poor heroine trope, combined with a dash of noona romance. Some recipes never grow old on me... Having said that, there are certainly a couple of things that I would have like to see handled differently in the story.

I mostly regret the overall trajectory of the grand-mother and the direction the scenario decided to take that character towards the end of the series. It made no sense and felt really too easy and unrealistic. It is not necessarily realism that matter the most for a colorful rom-com adapted from a webtoon...But the way the script handled the situation with the grand-mother was ultra frustrating to me. And while I loved and found very cute the relationships between the main characters from enemies-to-lovers, I would have liked to see more variety in their dynamic. The heroine is very caring with the main male lead, but sometimes it felt a bit exaggerated how she treated him like a child. The characterization of the male lead is definitely in line with the numerous childish / needy / traumatized chaebol encountered in rom-coms...But honestly, even if I found a lot of their moments very cute as the heroine was healing the inner child of the hero, I would not have minded more variety, maturity and nuance in some scenes.

Despite those few flaws, there are a lot to love in the series. Not only the main romance is super cute, but I was also very much into the secondary romance. I also truly appreciated the overall production value, with the colorful sets featuring the hobbies of the hero. I enjoyed quite a lot the OST, especially the rock band songs: it was such a fun and youthful vibe. I started it for its main cast and they did not disappoint : Choi Hyun Wook did an excellent job with his character who is utterly adorable in his love with Mun Ka Young's character. Her acting is solid as well as her character remains very endearing all along the story. Among the cast, I was also very impressed by Go Chang Seok who plays the father of the heroine, as he was able to touch me with very little dialog and scenes. Truly, one of the best aspect of the show!

I would recommend this to people looking for a cute, relatively classical rom-com. It is using the very well-know recipe from many drama, with the rich Chaebol and the hardworking heroine, with a touch of noona romance and of pop culture with the geek aspects. I regret some narrative choice for the ending and wished for more variety in the dynamic of the main couple but overall it was matching my expectations in terms of cute rom-com.

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Brings back feelings I almost forgot!

The premise is pretty simple and you'd have to close eyes about the coincidences but it's all worth it as the characters are such a joy to watch. It's mostly focused on two couples and an overbearing grandmother, but my favorite support are the female lead's father and the male lead's secretary.

I don't often find dramas with osts that aren't either too quiet or too loud at the most cliche times, so I'm biased when the soundtrack is done right. The original music of this drama isn't shy to add to the full experience of enjoying the scenes.

Choi Hyun Wook just climbed up the top of the versatile Korean actors to watch out for in my book with roles varying from melodrama to comedy to action.

Moon Ga Young's character is headstrong. Such in dramas can sometimes be stereotypical or annoying but hers involves practicality and understandable innocence.

I appreciate the attempt at covering what's considered "weird and low" in certain societies such as having particular hobbies, being divorced, a soft man pursuing a woman in a serious way without making the character humorous to pair with the cinema of a dominant woman.

It's a lovely drama that makes me remember a relationship can feel good.

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Lukewarm romcom with a weak-ish ending

The Good
⌲ It's quite fun early on. (lots of bickering & we get some of the more fun romcom cliches)
⌲ The quick resolution of the breakup
⌲ The lack of triangles and other geometric shapes
⌲ The fact that it's a noona romance

The Average
⌲ The chemistry
⌲ The meh second lead couple
⌲ The final two episodes (not terrible outside of grandma's 2-3 scenes, but on the boring side)
⌲ I'm sure the drama had an OST, but I cannot recall any of it & it's only been minutes since the rolling credits.
⌲ The writing (the plot and the dialog both are really average)

The Bad
⌲ The trash grandma
⌲ Grandma's awful -and predictable- mini redemption ark in the finale (this is disrespectful to the audience considering how important her role & impact is in the drama)
⌲ It is my impression after 4 dramas that this director has the tendency of not calling the NG when woman actors produce awkward lines. (I like Moon Ga Yong, but she is human and she has made some acting hiccups in the show, quite probably not her fault that no reshooting of those scenes has occurred and I recall similar things from Shi*ng Stars etc..)
⌲ It's too shallow. (even for a kdrama romcom)

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I don't regret watching this, but compared to romcoms such as Secretary Kim, Business Proposal, Secret Life of my Secretary it really falls short. (and even those are quite controversial on MDL for understandable reasons)

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A Lighthearted Romp with a Predictable Plot

This is your classic enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy, filled with familiar tropes and a quirky premise. An average girl and a wealthy heir start as sworn enemies, only to (surprise!) fall for each other. While the concept is fun, the plot is thin, predictable, and doesn't go deep enough to truly hook you. It's a breezy, low-stakes watch that entertains but won’t leave a lasting impression.

The first episode is easily the highlight. The leads meet through an online game, get sucked into a virtual quest as their avatars, and hilarity ensues when the female lead realizes her crush-worthy gaming partner is actually an eighth-grader. His confident love confession versus her mortified reaction sets the comedic tone perfectly. Special shoutout to Moon Woo Jin, who absolutely nails the younger version of Ban Ju Yeon with his goofy charm and energy—it’s a scene-stealer.

Fast forward to adulthood, and we meet the polished Ban Ju Yeon (Choi Hyun Wook), who carefully hides his hilariously immature side from everyone, and the hardworking, relatable Baek Su Jeong (Mun Ka Young). Both actors are great individually—Choi brings dorky awkwardness to what could’ve been a clichéd "rich heir" role, and Mun adds warmth and depth as a breadwinner with a lot on her plate. But here’s where things get more layered: Ban Ju Yeon isn’t just the typical stoic chaebol. Years of emotional abuse from his cold, controlling grandmother have left him starved for love and forced to suppress his true self. Choi Hyun Wook does a great job conveying this vulnerability beneath his polished exterior, giving the character surprising emotional depth. It’s also why his connection with Baek Su Jeong—and by extension, her warm, accepting family—feels so significant. They’re not just romantic partners; they’re his first real taste of unconditional care.

That said, when it comes to their romantic chemistry, something still feels... off. Their banter leans more sibling-like, and while it’s funny, the romance feels half-baked. You want sparks, but you mostly get flickers. Thankfully, the show balances this by pairing the main couple with a more grounded secondary couple who, truth be told, steal the spotlight. Their opposites-attract dynamic—a divorced woman finding her footing and a man experiencing his first 'real' relationship—feels fresh and mature. They bring a nice contrast to the main leads’ journey of navigating their first love.

Not everything lands, though. The male lead’s grandmother, set up as the cold, manipulative “villain,” feels unnecessarily harsh. Blaming Ban Ju Yeon for his father’s death and using the family business as a weapon against him adds drama, but it’s overdone and often feels out of place in a romcom. Her redemption at the end feels rushed and abrupt, with no convincing reason for her change of heart, making it even less satisfying.

Ultimately, "My Dearest Nemesis" is a harmless, easy watch for when you’re in the mood for something light and silly. It won’t blow your mind or reinvent the genre, but the gaming sequences, age-gap twist, and lovable side characters keep things interesting enough. Add in the emotional layers of the male lead’s journey, and it’s a tad more heartwarming than your average snack-sized romcom—not very filling, but enjoyable while it lasts.

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Couldn't bring myself to finish this one

I started watching this drama with literally zero expectations then in the end even a zero felt more. A grandma blaming a kid for his parents' death, burning his toys and stuff. it must be good for those who like crying over pitiful leads as for me i get bored easily .. i cant handle too much of this sort of plot. we all have our own moments when our spirit was destroy by a craft and corrupt adult ..dont we ? though some of us have faced it more while others find an escape, but for the sake of holy heavens, dont make be feel pitiful about a man who's living in penthouse worth millions, ordering and getting any collectable from any part of world irrespective of the price, keeping them in a god damn vault pricier than my entire net worth.... hhhhuuuuhhh! (breathing in ..breathing out)

I think that's enough for this review... thank you !!

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A bit disappointing, but overall ok watch.

This review is mostly negative, because i was hoping for much more.
There are two big disappointing things for me here. The premise went unused for most of the show, its pretty much just tropey employer(chaebol)/employee kdrama. The second thing is the FL and the ML dont really work together, while they are both a bit stunted emotionaolly, the ML is on another level. ML seems very childish, and yes i know there is background explaining it, but that doesnt change things. She is super professional and driven to the point of apparently ousting 3 previous directors, but she relatively easily for the new guy? A lot of things just dont feel earned. Like how is the ML so good at everything? Him being so young, he didnt have time to master so many things and business while also leading secret nerd life.
The reasoning for grandma chairwoman being a hateful hag is flimsy at best, so her hating the ML feels just a convenient plot device.

From the premise i was expecting some workplace rivalry and bickering after they find out they were into each other as teens, but that premise was avoided for half the show, only to be resolved in one episode. "Oh no we hate each other, but we love each other now, oh whatever will we do?" "Never mind, we are over it now".
Its like they needed a hook for people, but didnt want to bother developing it too much. They even made the secondary couple keep them from finding out. Btw, the secondary couple feels much more solid and would have prefered they got more screentime. Though the secondary couple is another case of classic kdrama magical coincidence of the friends of the leads dating. They could have just made it that one of the leads introduced them, but no, just a coincidence and basically a secret from the leads for a while.

Honestly the last two episodes felt more as fulfilling a commitment to finishing a show than enjoyable closing of a story. Didnt feel like there was anything at stake, just gotta pad the last two episodes runtime. The FL got an opportunity for a job in US in much better position, from a former coleague we never heard about, but that got declined pretty fast and caused only a little drama with the ML, that didnt feel serious at all.

The acting from all the main characters was pretty good and enjoyable. Though i think the FL was played a bit too cutesy at times and the ML childish, but that could be due to the direction and script.
Production wise it was pretty solid, cant much complain there.
On a personal note i enjoy seeing all the product placement in kdramas and there is plenty here, so i had fun with those. I think they were mostly handled decently and incorporated into the scenes without much intrusion, but i can see people being put off by some of them.

Anyways while i have many complaints, its a decent show and enjoyable watch if you dont mind tropey stuff.

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Hard to stay invested in this drama

"Do you want to sleep with me?" So says second female lead to second male lead around ep 3. Honestly I nearly fell off my chair. K-dramas are nearly always so modest, so conservative, it' quite common for a series to end with a chaste kiss, which is little more than 2 sets of lips pressed together.

In this drama, the second leads meet, and within a few hours, not only has the female propositioned the male but he accepted and they spend the night together. Not only that, the female lead is not interested in a relationship, she's just after a hook-up. Traditionally, women would be shamed and blamed for such an interaction, so such a positive portrayal of female sexuality without the need to judge is quite revolutionary in a K-drama land. So I applaud this series for a daring to portray a different kind of relationship.

However, other characters say some pretty cruel shaming things to each other at times - the initial scene where female lead finds out male lead has lied about his age - the things she says to him are unconscionably cruel. However, despite these cruel moments there are also gentle moments of tenderness and vulnerability - so there is some attempt at balance.

Overall I like the message which is, "be who you are, and don't be ashamed of it. Own it." It's a great message.

However, I am going to drop this title because I find the female lead too dislikeable. She's just not sympathetic, because she is too cruel. I understand the need to create conflict in a drama to keep the excitement factor going and provide barriers to overcome, but you still need to be able to like the characters and sympathise with their flaws. Between her and the grandmother on this show, there are just too many bullying women and I can't sustain any kind of emotional involvement with it.

So adios, to this drama - I hope the people learn and grow, but I'm not invested enough to care.

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