2025 Love Story

Favorite couple with a great plot, OST, fantasy elements, and amazing chemistry. It’s a great series to rewatch and made me laugh, cry, and feel all the emotions.

This was a surprising couple for me to root for, since I’m usually not into unrelated siblings falling in love. The male lead appears cold and tough, but he has always been protective of the female lead and treats her like a princess. I also loved the car racing, astronomy, and the mix of friendship with star-crossed romance.

 I enjoyed watching the couple grow closer, from their first meeting at the TCM clinic—where the female lead struggled with insomnia—to discovering they were neighbors. I loved the focus on Eastern medicine, how their friendship blossomed into romance, and the warm family and coworker relationships. The series is full of laughter, wonderful chemistry, a beautiful OST, and charming touches like natural herbs, flowers and acts of hospitality.

I loved following this couple’s journey—from meeting in school, waiting through their twenties, to reuniting as roommates. Watching their lives intertwine and their affection endure into adulthood was incredibly satisfying. They support and help each other, with the male lead consistently caring and protective, especially as the female lead navigates her toxic, dysfunctional family, past trauma, and personal and work challenges. Bonus points for the adorable cat!

The female lead, a Michelin-star chef, time-travels to the past when the royal family ruled Korea. She encounters a tyrant king with extraordinary taste buds, who demands a different dish for every meal and challenges her to create dishes he has never tasted before. As they spend time together, they gradually fall in love, while she struggles to adjust to life in the past as a modern woman—unsure how or even if she wants to return after falling for the king.

I enjoyed watching the male lead openly admit his feelings for the female lead. He noticed her at a party in their early twenties, though she didn’t notice him. After a misunderstanding, they reunite in their mid-twenties while working together, and he patiently pursues her as she recovers from a past relationship. He helps her heal and regain confidence, showing decisiveness, clear communication, patience, and kindness, especially when she isn’t yet ready for a relationship. 

I liked how the couple’s love story unfolded across three different timelines: 1,000 years ago, 100 years ago, and the present.

Both leads have strong personalities, but there is a lot of bickering and very few tender moments. Their relationship feels more love–hate than truly romantic, built on mutual respect and helping each other. The male lead clearly loves her, but there is too much scheming, and the female lead rarely shows affection, often taking him for granted.

Chemistry is more friendship than passion.

I enjoyed some of the funny and enjoyable moments and thought the acting was solid, but the romance lacked depth. Their relationship felt scripted and rushed toward a forced happy ending.