It is one-sided from Jae-yi as she only falls in love with Hongrang, but Mu-jin also loves her from the beginning. Hong rang falls in love with her over time too, though. Mu-jin doesn't really stand any chance.
My heart really couldn't handle the last few episodes. This is very dark and not for the fainthearted, but it's an absolute mindblowing cinematic experience, the likes of which I haven't seen in any historical dramas so far. All the filming locations and sets are brilliantly made, and I found the writing of the main story incredible unique and real. Action sequences are incredibly refined and well made. The story was as fleshed out as it could get albeit 11 episodes is definitely NOT ENOUGH, cause they really had to reveal a lot of heavy and disturbing information in chunks near the end. Why can't kdramas be 16 episodes if they have enough content for it??? I don't like how kdramas are getting only 8 or so episodes now when they need more. Even 11 was not enough!
Now for the OST, it is an absolute masterpiece and something I will never be able to forget. Both the ballad and the OST in the action scenes (sounds really south-asian like) are just masterpieces that need to be recognized, and they are incorporated in the best way possible without taking away from certain scenes by being too loud or unfitting (huge pet peeve of mine). They really enhance the scenes and draw out the emotions they want to. My my biggest positive about this drama though is that the ACTING IS FANTASTIC OMG, I cannot say enough about everyone's performances. This is SUPER IMPORTANT because I found many scenes to be silent with little dialogue, but the emotions and developments are all there. Just by looking at the actors, you can completely tell what's going on in their minds if they want you to. It gives off a very unique intense lingering feeling that sits with you that I wish more dramas would do, and I have so many actors I am a huge fan of now including LJW, Jo Bo Ah, Jung Ga Rum, Uhm Ji Won, etc! Everyone is perfectly cast and give it their all for their roles. I will be following so many promising actors from now on!
I've been on a spree watching all the dramas with YJG and I am so ANNOYED with how lazy his character is written. Every role I have seen him in so far is amazing (including his child actor roles which were undoubtedly far better than the adult roles of his dramas), and the way this man pulls you into his characters with his expert eye contact, facial expressions, and specific physical body language makes him so unbelievably talented and brilliant in my eyes (SERIOUSLY WATCH THE CROWNED CLOWN). This was my first ever IU and LDY drama and they were amazing, but even the hotel staff were given more depth and backstory than what YJG was given with the short story about his mom which was quickly glossed over only to help Man Wol learn a lesson. It's such a huge waste of his talent and it pisses me off.
I ended up researching and even found an excerpt of his part in the finale (on reddit if you wanna check), and it really seems to me like he was only written as a plot device to move the plot along and help Manwol find her redemption. It's so short compared to how YJG acts it out, that if you rewatch how YJG acted out that goodbye scene in the finale in comparison to what's written in the script, it's obvious he had to try his best to make the scene better and carry his role with how little he was given compared to the rest. I'm very glad many recognize these efforts of his, and that people even praised him for the nuances he self-added in his acting to force more narrative for his character and enhance scenes when there isn't any written.
I'm so annoyed that if they actually gave Goo Chan Seong more characterization and motivations outside of Man Wol, their relationship could be so much better. The writers just didn't care to give him any motivations or reasons beyond Man Wol from the start, and ultimately, his character turned out bland and shallow written despite how believable he made himself come across as an initially stuck-up Harvard graduate who grows to see the value of his work beyond money.
Now for the OST, it is an absolute masterpiece and something I will never be able to forget. Both the ballad and the OST in the action scenes (sounds really south-asian like) are just masterpieces that need to be recognized, and they are incorporated in the best way possible without taking away from certain scenes by being too loud or unfitting (huge pet peeve of mine). They really enhance the scenes and draw out the emotions they want to. My my biggest positive about this drama though is that the ACTING IS FANTASTIC OMG, I cannot say enough about everyone's performances. This is SUPER IMPORTANT because I found many scenes to be silent with little dialogue, but the emotions and developments are all there. Just by looking at the actors, you can completely tell what's going on in their minds if they want you to. It gives off a very unique intense lingering feeling that sits with you that I wish more dramas would do, and I have so many actors I am a huge fan of now including LJW, Jo Bo Ah, Jung Ga Rum, Uhm Ji Won, etc! Everyone is perfectly cast and give it their all for their roles. I will be following so many promising actors from now on!
9/10
I ended up researching and even found an excerpt of his part in the finale (on reddit if you wanna check), and it really seems to me like he was only written as a plot device to move the plot along and help Manwol find her redemption. It's so short compared to how YJG acts it out, that if you rewatch how YJG acted out that goodbye scene in the finale in comparison to what's written in the script, it's obvious he had to try his best to make the scene better and carry his role with how little he was given compared to the rest. I'm very glad many recognize these efforts of his, and that people even praised him for the nuances he self-added in his acting to force more narrative for his character and enhance scenes when there isn't any written.
I'm so annoyed that if they actually gave Goo Chan Seong more characterization and motivations outside of Man Wol, their relationship could be so much better. The writers just didn't care to give him any motivations or reasons beyond Man Wol from the start, and ultimately, his character turned out bland and shallow written despite how believable he made himself come across as an initially stuck-up Harvard graduate who grows to see the value of his work beyond money.