Heart Pairing (2025)

Screentime.

I’m not a fan of dating shows, but I watched this one because of my interest in Jeyeon. I’ll try to give as objective a review as possible, based on several critiques I’ve read beforehand.

On the first day, the order of introductions was: Jeyeon > Woojae > Jimin > Chanhyung > Jiwon > Haneul. This sequence turned out to have its own logic:
- Jeyeon and Woojae seemed intentionally paired from the start.
- Jiwon was placed fifth to position her closer to the men with a smaller age gap.
- Haneul was last to observe the reactions of the three men who chose her book.

The PD’s plan was evident early on, including efforts to separate Jiwon and Changhwan (the "catfish"). However, this backfired when Jimin made her lack of interest in Jiwon clear from their first date. Jiwon’s boldness in asking Jimin out also inadvertently set the stage for Woojae-Jeyeon and Changhwan-Jiwon’s arcs.

Chaaeun’s arrival was expected to spark a connection with Changhwan (since their age gap was more acceptable), but she ended up on a date with Chanhyung instead. After that, they returned to Seoul and continued their stories during LC2.

In my opinion, the dating arc (Love Contract 1 > Catfish Seoul > Love Contract 2 > Italy Postcard > Eve & Christmas Date > Home Date) was well-structured, though the Catfish Seoul segment made everything feel oddly disjointed...

Woojae and Jeyeon’s excessive screen time in Episode 6 felt suffocating, but it was understandable given their popularity at the time. The PD might’ve been hinting at their incompatibility.

That said, uneven screen distribution was a recurring issue:
- Chanhyung & Haneul were sidelined—Chanhyung due to work commitments and Haneul’s lack of romantic development.
- The WooJiwon pairing was underexplored, sparking fan backlash and debates.
- JiJeyeon had supporters, but negative discourse grew due to screen time disparities.

Suggestions for Improvement
1. Extend runtime (e.g., 3 hours) to allow deeper storytelling.
2. Smoother editing—jarring cuts and transitions felt forced.
3. Balanced screen time—fair doesn’t always mean equal, but all couples deserved narrative attention.

Appreciated Aspects
- The house location and soundtrack choices were thoughtful and meaningful.
- Scenes and songs often subtly spoiled future arcs, keeping viewers engaged.

Final Thoughts
Overall, the show had a compelling structure, but its editing and screen time allocation need refinement. With a longer runtime and more equitable scene distribution, it could better satisfy its audience.

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Looking forward to more shows like this!

The best thing about this show is the cast. EVERYONE IS SO FREAKING AWESOME AND FINE, from personality to looks no one is behind. I love their friendship and relationships. The directors probably did bad with screentime cause they have shifted the story from 10 people to 2. Don't get me wrong here, I love the two but i wish the others get equal attention.

Tbh the plot is a little predictable towards the end but I like it cause it's free from the unnecessary drama. Regardless you still don't know what might happen in the end so get prepared for anything!

CHAE-EUN, HANEUL, JEYEON, SOOAH, JIWON my gurls sending much love and support! and the boys JIMIN, CHANHYUN, CHANG HWAN, WOOJAE, SANGYOON you guys are amazing and doing great!

if you need need some drama with no headache watch THIS!

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