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I have mixed feelings after watching this drama.

On one hand, I really enjoyed it - I laughed, cried, and got frustrated along the way. It was an overall pleasant watch, probably because of the music theme, which I personally love.

On the other hand, I’ve been looking for a really good music-themed drama for a while now, and I feel like this one fell a bit short of that title. Mainly for two reasons:

I would describe this drama as something you have to watch with a grain of salt. There are plenty of silly scenes where the adult characters behave like children, and their actions are often exaggerated and unrealistic.

This was the biggest issue for me — the pacing. In the first few episodes, things moved way too fast; we basically learned the entire plot right away. Then the story slowed down, only to suddenly explode in the final episode. Everything was crammed into it, which made each storyline feel shallow. The fate of the guilty characters and those who should have faced consequences (after annoying me the entire show) was glossed over. The main couple’s story felt rushed (not to mention the secondary couple). Kong Jin Gu’s storyline — built up throughout the series, with him pretending to be poor — was left completely undeveloped by the end. Honestly, the stories of all the characters felt watered down, as did the entire band’s development (what even happened to them afterwards — who knows?).

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It was definitely an interesting drama, with a storyline I had never seen before, which made it refreshing for me. The chemistry between the main characters was very good, and Xiao Bao completely stole my heart. On top of that, there were some engaging supporting couples, though one of the relationships wasn’t really explored much. Overall, I had a great time watching, and it never once felt boring—so if I were to rate it purely in terms of entertainment and enjoyment, I’d easily give it a 10/10.

But unfortunately, I also look at things through the lens of how well the storylines are wrapped up, the overall sense of the plot, and the wasted potential—and in that regard, I found a few negatives.

1. The person responsible for the accident involving He Qiao Yan and his family. This storyline could have been developed in a really interesting way, and while watching I even thought of a potentially better twist involving the Lin family—but that never happened. Instead, we suddenly found out about some biggest enemy of the Fe company, who was supposedly such a huge rival, yet had never once been mentioned since the very beginning of the show XD.

2. The Lin family storyline (including the bracelet). We know the bracelet plotline was almost wrapped up, but I still feel like it was lacking a lot. For example, Lin’s parents bribed employees to keep passing on information—but why? What came of it afterward? We never got answers. I was also curious about how the relationship looked later after those employees were taken away, etc. Sadly, we never found out.

3. The Lin Wei storyline. Technically a supporting plot, but still tied to the previous one. It was quite heavily developed for most of the drama, only for us to end up learning nothing about her panic attacks or her relationship with her family in the end.

4.The Yang Ruo Wei family plot. This was also brought up but never properly developed. Why was she so desperate to cut ties? What exactly happened in the past? And how did their relationship look afterward? None of that was answered either.

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I wouldn’t say this drama was bad—it was fine, but in my opinion, not much more than that. I didn’t feel like I was watching something exciting that truly captured my heart.

The supporting relationships definitely deserve recognition. They were interesting, and Jiang Zhi Shan completely stole my heart. The main couple was fine as well—especially the female lead, who supported him with all her strength—but I still feel that the whole enemies-to-lovers storyline between them could have been handled much better.

What I disliked the most was that at one point, the female lead’s IQ seemed to drop to the level of a starfish. She knew the male lead was afraid of swimming, and yet she still thought it was a good idea to play videos from his swimming days—despite the fact that this advice came from a girl who had already lied to her once out of jealousy. The female lead even discussed this with her friend beforehand.

Another issue was the breakup, or more specifically, their reconciliation afterward. I genuinely understand that he felt like a burden, but downplaying how terribly he acted made me really angry. It’s not as if she should have immediately run back into his arms, as if feeling like a burden excused his behavior—because it DIDN’T. They should have at least had a much longer and deeper conversation about it.

Other than that, like I said, the drama felt very average to me and didn’t move me, though it wasn’t among the worst either.

As for En Tong, her character was so irritating that for the first time in a long while, I found myself wishing nothing but bad experiences for a female character—karma. And honestly, I was glad we didn’t see her getting a happy ending with anyone. Credit where it’s due though: the actress played the role very well.

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I WHOLEHEARTEDLY RECOMMEND EVERYONE TO WATCH THIS SERIES. The chemistry between the main characters was wonderful, and their relationship developed without major, unnecessary drama. The way the other characters were created was also fantastic — none of them felt bland or forgettable. The plot was engaging enough that I didn’t experience a single moment of boredom, and I absorbed each new episode with genuine interest. There were many plot twists and events I didn’t expect, which is a huge plus — and most importantly, the characters are held accountable for their actions.

For a moment I thought there were no downsides, but after some reflection I did find one. Namely, at least one storyline was left unresolved, and I would really like to see the continuation of the relationship between Gu Xin Er and her father.

spoiler

Yang Hong — I absolutely couldn’t stand that bitch, and I’m glad she didn’t get a happy ending with anyone. I hope she withered away in prison without the support of anyone close to her.

Ling Sheng — I kept telling myself I’d treat him the same way no matter how hard the series tried to redeem him at the end, and that I wouldn’t give in — but I ended up crying during the prison scene with Gu Xin Er, and in the end I understand him a bit. I don’t understand the attempted murder of his brother or that whole scheme, but I do understand that his father shaped him this way, because it’s simply not true that he loved all his sons equally.

Gu Xin Er — I hated her intensely for half of the series, but later she became the character I felt the most sorry for. Girl, find yourself a boyfriend from a family that isn’t completely fucked up.

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I haven’t had such mixed feelings after watching a series in a long time.

Let’s start with the positives. I liked the way the characters were created — especially the female lead, of course. Her development throughout the series and the way she gradually gained confidence were really well done. I also view the show’s message positively: that external appearance doesn’t matter, and what truly counts is who we are on the inside. The male lead, whose personality resembles that of side characters usually rejected by female leads, is also a plus — although in his case we’ll get to the negatives as well. Overall, it was a pleasant series to watch, but I also noticed several major flaws…

First of all, the series is painfully predictable in almost every aspect — though there was one thing that surprised me and counts as a positive: the moment when the female lead broke up and chose herself. Secondly, the male lead — in two specific situations. The first on the rooftop, when she confessed her feelings, and the second by the pool after he didn’t tell her that he actually wasn’t leaving. In those two scenes, he annoyed me more than any other character in the entire series, and I came to the conclusion that he simply didn’t deserve her.

The BIGGEST downside for me, however, was the LACK of kisses and the very small number of scenes where the couples were physically close (and this applies to all the couples). I can understand a lot, but this is a deal-breaker for me. We’re making a romance series where the couples are ADULT university students who don’t kiss even once over several years of a relationship. That might work in a Disney children’s show (although even there they kiss :D), but not in a series that is clearly meant to appeal to older viewers as well.

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I really enjoyed watching this series. I liked how the characters were created—none of them felt one-dimensional, and each had their own personality. It showed a difficult childhood and its effects on adult life. I also liked the relationship of the main couple—there were no pointless arguments, and they were not just partners, but also best friends.

Spoiler !!!!!

On the downside, definitely the fact that the main character didn’t go to therapy. F*ck, seriously, it was obvious he was struggling, and they’re trying to convince me he cured his depression and anxiety with herbs? I was also waiting to see the relationships of the main character’s friends, but unfortunately, in vain—which is a shame, because I think it could have been interesting. And the main character’s mother… I haven’t hated a character this much in a long time. I couldn’t stand her from start to finish.

I’m also not fully convinced by the fact that there was no official moment where they defined the relationship. They just naturally started being together—which is fine, I guess—but at the same time, it didn’t bring me much joy.

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A great and very comfortable drama to watch. The pace is calm and the main couple's relationship is healthy, so there are no major dramas or plot twists here to keep you on the edge of your seat. Even so, the main couple's relationship made this a truly great drama for me.

So let me start with the main couple, Qiao Jing Jing & Yu Tu. Honestly, everything about them was great for me. Starting with the second-chance trope, which I won't hide that I like, through to the storyline where he teaches her the game, which I really enjoyed. From the very beginning I liked their healthy dynamic. His rejecting her again also made sense in terms of the plot. A definite plus was that we got to watch his emotions in that moment, and how he slowly realizes that he misses her more and more and that his rejection, "because he can't give her something," makes no sense. Another plus was that she didn't throw herself into his arms right away when he came back, and he had to put in at least a bit of effort :D. Then we get the start of the relationship, which stays very sweet and healthy to the end. We didn't get pointless arguments, but two adults who truly loved each other deeply, supported each other in everything, were there for each other and took care of each other. It was a joy to watch them with a smile on my face. They had great on-screen chemistry, including great kisses :D. I also liked the light teasing they kept up, as well as the bragging and the suggestive remarks.

I also loved them separately as characters from beginning to end. He seems slightly distant and reserved, but with her we got to see his other side, which wasn't shy at all :D. She was maybe an even better character, though it's hard for me to decide. I loved her openness, her sassiness and her confidence.

Now I'll move on to the professional storylines. I'll start with Qiao Jing Jing. It's hard to deny that acting was portrayed mostly positively here. The negative aspects that exist in reality were mostly absent (for example, the very fact that an actress is in a relationship isn't something "forbidden" here). I wouldn't treat that as a flaw, since this drama is meant to be calm. However, it did show how busy such a person is and that she's away from home for long stretches. Between the lines we also got those exaggerated diets. And I'll move on to Yu Tu's professional storyline. Honestly, I don't know anything about space, but I was really drawn in by the storyline about space scientists. They may well have been feeding me the biggest nonsense with no connection to reality (I wouldn't have noticed it was nonsense :D), but never mind, because I really liked that storyline. And in this case the downsides of the profession affected me more. After watching, I truly respect all the women who are in relationships with such scientists, because the amount of time they spend away from home at work is a terrifying prospect to me.

Staying with the scientists, I'll also mention the character Guan Zai. I was mildly sorry that after recovering he didn't continue working with Yu Tu. On the other hand, his choice was very human and showed what scientists face. His family situation, in general, illustrated this best for me, so a part of me is glad that he's spending more time with his wife and son.

I'd also like to single out Jing Jing's assistant, Xiao Zhu. She was a very positive character, and somehow she made me smile whenever she was on screen.

Honestly, I love nitpicking and hunting for any flaws. Here there were practically none. The only thing I can nitpick is that the supporting characters got a bit lost along the way. I'm most sorry about Zhai Liang "Panicky." I loved him, he made me laugh many times, and at some point he disappeared and never showed up again. It's even stranger in the case of Pei Pei. She was set up as Jing Jing's best friend, and at the beginning they talked on the phone a lot, but later she vanished completely, which doesn't fit with the beginning. Jing Jing used her to get information about Yu Tu, and once she "got" him, she dropped her, how unkind :D But on a more serious note, it's a slight flaw. But since my attention was focused on the main couple, who were wonderful, these supporting characters somehow didn't bother me too much.

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A very comfortable drama to watch. My impression is that for most of the time it's a calm drama: not much happens, there are no twists or edge-of-your-seat tension. A relaxed, pleasant drama.

I'll start with the main couple: Zheng Shu Yi & Shi Yan. Feelings develop between them fairly quickly, and the whole relationship (apart from the crisis) is built in a pleasant, unhurried way. They had great chemistry and tension, which made up for the fact that their kisses were heavily censored, although the kisses themselves were great too (they could have been even better without the censorship :D). I liked that Shi Yan was a cold CEO on paper, but in reality he could provoke and flirt quite boldly. They also both had great jealousy scenes. I liked how they supported each other in their careers and wanted to shine together.

For most of the drama I also really liked Zheng Shu Yi. Female leads often suffer from a lack of personality, and I liked her feisty character; she was practically my favorite character. The first crisis between us came when the crisis between them came up. I understand that she was the one who "ran after" him from the start and was the one who tried harder at the beginning, but I wasn't a fan of the narrative that in that crisis, he was the one who should have fought for them and was in the wrong for shutting her out. To me, his behavior was human. What struck me as odd, though, was that for a long time she practically didn't fight to explain the truth to him and to be forgiven. No messages, no visits to him. She only did it after a while, and even then not fully and not well. Instead of apologizing first and explaining the past, she opened with saying she hopes this won't affect their business cooperation. No wonder he had the right to be angry :D. The second aspect in which she annoyed me was her relationship with Yi Yang. She supposedly rejected him from the start, but at the same time kept meeting him outside of work, giving him some hope and fueling his desire to compete. You just don't do that.

I also didn't necessarily like the blind dates storyline. Maybe I don't understand this motif, because in my country there's no such circus, but I didn't like that she was seeing/dating Shi Yan while still going on dates with Yu You. And the whole blind date topic itself also vanished out of nowhere at some point and never appeared again. I also thought her mother would be happier and more enthusiastic when she found out that Shu Yi was seeing Shi Yan, but it came out somewhat unemotional, which didn't quite match her character as established from the start.

Small nitpicks from me that don't matter much for the rating, but stuck with me:
- Shi Yan never revealed to Shu Yi the truth about their real first meeting
- As a payback, Shi Yan never found out the truth about what her "coded" (accidental) message meant, the one he spent several hours on, asking everyone about it
- I still don't know whether they've already had the proposal or not. I interpreted a scene in the last episode as a proposal (she also said she was a wife), and then at the wedding, in everyone's conversation, it came out as if the proposal hadn't happened yet, and now I don't know what's going on

I'll also stop at the professional storyline (mainly Shi Yan and Zheng Shu Yi). Let me start with: am I interested in investments? No. Am I interested in them after this drama? Also no. It wasn't an ultra-interesting storyline for me, but at the same time it wasn't extremely boring or skip-worthy either. The dark horse storyline and Le'an especially caught my interest. Though I'm probably not fully a fan of their collaboration. I secretly hoped Shi Yan would beat the brat. Journalism is personally more interesting to me, but here, apart from the storyline of her interview with Shi Yan, it didn't grab me that much either, though it wasn't extremely boring. I was more interested only in the introduction of her online edition. I hoped this motif would be developed a bit more at the end. Purely professionally, I liked Qin Shi Yue's storyline, which was the most interesting in my opinion: her initial laziness and reluctance to work, developing into a desire to become a journalist.

Now I'll move on to the second couple: Bi Ruo Shan & Guan Ji. Personally, the outline of their relationship was the most interesting for me. I'm a fan of people who don't want to commit to a relationship but fall in love with each other. At the beginning, for most of the time I liked how their relationship progressed. I liked the chemistry between the actors, the tension in the air, the games and the budding jealousy. Sometimes I was even waiting for the scenes with them the most. But ultimately, I consider the moment they got into a relationship wasted potential. It didn't hook me the way I thought it would. I also missed their scenes after they got together; I had the impression that they completely vanished from the screen. A pity.

Next, the third couple: Qin Shi Yue & Yu You. At the beginning I had the impression that Shi Yue would be a lifeline for him (which I wouldn't have stood, because I really liked her character), but fortunately the writers handled it well, and I didn't even get that feeling. Overall, they excited me the least of the three, but at the same time they had a friendly vibe that you rooted for. On the plus side were the scenes where she tried to flirt with him, and the scenes of his budding jealousy/irritation. Maybe I hoped for some bigger, short-lived fireworks from Shi Yan's reaction to their relationship, but actually there wasn't even much of a reaction. I also hoped Yu You would suffer a bit more from her distancing herself after he rejected her so many times, but he got lucky and karma never came back to him.

I'll single out one more trait of Shi Yue, namely putting obstacles in the way of her uncle and Zheng Shu Yi. She had an outstanding talent for it, and I personally found the moments amusing when she wanted to help but unintentionally did harm.

Now I'll move on to the two less important couples that formed in the background.
1. Guan Xiang Cheng & Tang Yi - a fine couple as background. Even with interesting potential. I was a bit disappointed at the moment of the announcement. Throughout the drama their storyline revolved around that, and at the end it was completely downplayed and made unimportant.
2. Kong Nan & Chen Sheng - they were practically not on screen, but I'm highlighting them for two reasons. First, I liked the apartment rental scene and somewhat hoped we'd get more of them on screen. And second, I missed any announcement of their relationship to others. Nothing like that happened until the end.

Now I'll discuss Shu Yi's ex-cheater: Yue Xing Zhou. I won't write too much here, because he was simply a loser, but I'm incredibly glad that literally everyone couldn't care less about him. He was fired from his job, beaten up by Zheng Su, rejected by Shu Yi. And the cherry on top was that even Yi Yang rejected him. I only wonder what his further fate with Qin Le Zhi looked like. And as for Qin Le Zhi herself, I also wonder what her further fate was, because from what I understood, she was fired too?

Finally, I'll stop at the character of Yi Yang. Honestly, I wasn't a fan of the brat. I don't like characters who relentlessly pursue someone who is in a relationship with someone else and try to win them over, when the other party clearly doesn't want it and is happy in the relationship with someone else. But don't worry, I have Never-Ending Summer on my list, so karma for annoying me will come back to him when I see him suffer.

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In my opinion, this is a really great drama. Even though it's based on the difficult subject of illness and is a real tearjerker, that blends perfectly with the many comedic elements. Personally, I never felt bored, and nothing dragged.

I'll start with the main couple, Tak Dong Gyeong and Kim Sa Ram. I love them. I liked everything about them: the initial hatred, then growing to like each other without losing the teasing dynamic. Their love was something you watched either with a smile on your face or with tears you just couldn't stop. The way they supported each other and how both were willing to sacrifice themselves for the other was beautiful. But in the end, fate won ;). On top of that, they had wonderful chemistry on screen. My only question: WHERE'S THE WEDDING? They talked about it so much, and in the end I never got to see it. What a cruel twist! Staying on the subject of Kim Sa Ram himself, I loved his character from the very beginning. His jealousy (especially of the young prince) deserves a special mention, as it amused me immensely. The divine elements were great too.

As for Tak Dong Gyeong's illness storyline, I can't count how many times I cried while watching. In my opinion, it was handled very well. However, I have one complaint. I don't really understand the part about her sudden recovery. Maybe I'm just dumb, but the way I understood it, he "sacrificed" himself in exchange for her not bringing about the apocalypse. So why did she recover? Not that I'm complaining, I just don't get it. Should I just chalk it up to a miracle?

Now I'll move on to the love triangle of Na Ji Na, Cha Ju Ik, and Lee Hyeon Gyu. I thought it was very interesting, and I think it could have been even better (though I don't know exactly how; maybe I was hoping for more jealousy from Cha Ju Ik, or more confusion on Na Ji Na's part and a slight conflict with Cha Ju Ik?). Anyway, I was team Cha Ju Ik, so I'm glad she chose him. He was a much more interesting character, and the two of them had insanely good chemistry (which at times, with a better script, would have been even more wow). The stage where they got into a relationship could definitely have been handled better, and I feel their story lost the most there. Plus, I still can't get over the fact that he never explained to her that in the past he was the one who wrote messages to her in Lee Hyeon Gyu's place, even though at one point, while texting with him, she wondered why he kept repeating that one phrase, the very one he had used back then when writing on Lee Hyeon Gyu's behalf. Lee Hyeon Gyu himself wasn't that terrible either, but he was still a big kid who put his ego above her. So I'm glad that this time true love won out over a first crush.

I'll stay on the guys' relationship for a bit, because maybe I'm being dumb again and it was mentioned during the drama and I just didn't remember it, but I still don't fully understand the relationship between the two guys. Why did they live together? Why did they have some kind of mentor-trainee relationship? Which, by the way, was extremely strange, because supposedly they were friends, but it was a peculiar kind of friendship.

Now I'll move on to the character of So Nyeo Sin. Overall she's an interesting character, because sometimes she does something and you think she's a good person, and other times she does something and you think she's the villain. The biggest oddity after finishing this drama is that I still don't know whether I should like her or not :'D. She's a bit like a character with bipolar disorder. At first she helps and supports the relationship, then she completely sabotages it, only to go back to the first mode again. Her motivations are never fully explained, though I think that once the flower started to grow, she understood where the story was heading, and she didn't want to lose it, which is where those moves came from.

I also want to talk about Tak Dong Gyeong's family, because they were all simply wonderful characters. Especially her younger brother Tak Seon Gyeong, whom I truly adored. He made me laugh many times, and I also liked his development over the course of the episodes. On the other side of the spectrum is her aunt, Kang Su Ja. I'm singling her out because I admired her strength, along with her pain, which the actress portrayed brilliantly and which struck a chord in my heart.

A bonus mention from me goes to Kevin, or more precisely his English-Korean conversations with others, in which nobody understood each other and everyone was talking about something different. I loved those scenes. Do I have a lame sense of humor? Maybe, but it won me over.

Finally, I saved the character of Jung Seung Jun, her doctor, for last. I'm looking for a conspiracy theory here, but was he just an ordinary doctor? He was the only one, besides her, who could recognize Kim Sa Ram to some extent. And this fact still doesn't give me peace.

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For me, this was an absolutely amazing drama. I got so invested in it that I couldn’t tear myself away from the screen. I had to know what would happen next and, finally, see the revenge unfold. So much happened here, and every episode had something interesting going on that kept me from ever getting bored. At the same time, nothing felt unnecessarily dragged out, and I was actually surprised by how quickly some things were revealed or happened. Of course, the sheer number of plotlines meant that some things weren’t developed as fully as they could have been.

The relationship between the main couple - Han I Ju & Seo Do Guk - was absolutely beautiful to watch. It was wonderful seeing Do Guk become a safe haven for her. Being with him, she gradually learned what trust, safety, genuine happiness, and love actually meant. They had such a healthy relationship, in which they both helped heal each other and provided one another with tremendous support. There were no unnecessary arguments between them, and they always faced their problems together. Their relationship genuinely melted my heart. On top of that, they had incredible chemistry - both emotionally and in terms of the HOT aspect. The only downside might be that, with everything else happening in the drama, I didn’t get enough time to fully enjoy them as a couple. But in a way, that feeling of wanting more is compensated for by the fact that we didn’t get all those unnecessary dramas and breakups between them.

Staying on the subject of the two of them, I also think Seo Do Guk’s panic attacks were somewhat glossed over. He got over his anxiety very quickly thanks to love, which has very little to do with how things work in real life, and I think continuing this storyline could have been much more interesting.

I also want to pause for a moment on Han I Ju herself, because the script occasionally made her look like an stupid. For example, she overheard her stepmother talking to her grandfather in the closet, saying that they were going to choose the older brother, and then she was completely shocked when he brought her younger sister home and announced it to the family. When her sister said, “Then I’m the fake [daughter],” yet despite being confused, Han I Ju didn’t think about it or investigate it even a little. Well, I guess a tiny part of that naive and blind girl from her “previous life” was still left in her . On top of that, she had a serious delayed reaction whenever something bad was happening - for example, with the car that could have run her over about twice before she even reacted. And just so it doesn’t sound like I’m only pointing out her flaws, Seo Do Guk was also an stupid for not admitting that he had traveled back in time too (although then we wouldn’t have gotten that brilliantly acted scene). I’m also still wondering whether he ever told Han I Ju that her stepmother wanted Jo Dong Su to k*ll her. He knew about it, yet Han I Ju was completely shocked at the police station when she heard it.

Now I’ll move on to Han I Ju’s f*cked-up family. Honestly, I find it difficult to put everything they did to her into words. They were a family of monsters who took pleasure in abusing a child. It was horrible to watch and it broke my heart repeatedly, but watching her get revenge on every single one of them was delicious. Starting with her stepmother (Lee Jeong Hye), who clearly had something seriously wrong with her. I watched with immense satisfaction as she was thrown out of the house, and then as she rotted away alone behind bars, with even her own f*cked-up daughter completely cutting her out of her life. Absolute revenge. The only thing I regret is that the drama never followed up on the fact that she tried to poison her stepdaughter and was also slowly poisoning her husband. But what matters most is that she’s wasting away in prison. She can be glad that I Ju listened to her and chose not to be nice :D. When it comes to her “younger half-sister” (Han Yu Ra), I initially had a different attitude toward her. I hoped that maybe she would change and eventually understand what she had done. I was slightly naive, but I thought her personality was largely the result of being raised by her mother and “father,” and that they were responsible for the person she had become. And maybe that was true to some extent, but she turned out to be just as f*cked up as her mother. (Although, honestly, what else could we expect? You can’t escape your genes, and her biological father was just like them.) So you have no idea how happy I was when she ended up with nothing, pregnant with the child of poor b*stard. The biggest downside for me here was that it was never explicitly explained that she wasn’t Han Jin Ung’s biological daughter. I do keep in mind that, at the end, she didn’t go back to her “father” - she went to Yoo Se Hyeok’s house and then to her mother to ask for money - which makes me think that perhaps they eventually found out she wasn’t his biological daughter and cut her off. At least that’s how I interpret it, but I still think it should have been explicitly explained. I also consider her father (Han Jin Ung) part of this side of the family. In my opinion, he was largely responsible for what happened, and there is absolutely no excuse for him. I think he got off far too easily, considering that for years he had no problem allowing her to be abused in his own home. The fact that he didn’t know she was his biological daughter changes absolutely nothing.

Moving on to the better part of her family, I genuinely grew to like her grandfather (Han Un Jae). Of course, he had plenty to answer for as well, since he allowed what was happening to continue for years, but he was the only member of the family who genuinely showed guilt, remorse, and actual change. He fully took I Ju’s side and helped her. A huge part of the revenge succeeding was thanks to him, so I personally forgave him completely. I was even happier when I Ju’s biological mother (Lee Ji Won) entered her life, because she finally got the maternal love she deserved. Especially since her mother had also been a victim of the whole situation. So while I understood I Ju’s anger over the fact that her mother didn’t immediately reveal the truth to her, I also understood her mother’s side.

Naturally, we have to move on to Seo Do Guk’s family. It was incredibly comforting to see how wonderfully his family treated I Ju and gave her the love she had never received at home. The biggest sigma was definitely his mother (Cha Yeon Hwa) - I absolutely adored this woman. The love and support she gave both her son and I Ju were wonderful. I watched with immense satisfaction as she shut Lee Jeong Hye down with her comebacks. His sister (Seo Do Na), Do Guk’s husband/secretary (Byeon Jae Ho), and I Ju’s cousin/friend (Ah Su Jin) were equally wonderful. Their warm, friendly relationship was such a pleasure to watch. Seeing them spend time together and fight alongside one another genuinely made me smile. My biggest issue here was his grandmother (Lee Tae Ja), because overall she was also one of the positive characters. She treated I Ju well too. But she earned a huge negative point from me that I could never completely forget. For years, the entire family allowed his disabled brother to play the victim, constantly mentioning the accident between the lines. And when evidence finally surfaced showing what had actually happened and that Seo Do Guk had been the victim, his grandmother’s influence led them to completely ignore it, claiming that it wasn’t important. Come the f*ck on. Did Seo Do Guk’s suffering all those years mean nothing? His mental health problems? His panic attacks?

And finally, the cherry on top of this family is his as*hole brother (Seo Jeong Uk), who became my most hated character. I swear, just looking at his face gave me a fever. You have no idea how incredibly satisfying it was when he finally learned that it was his mother who never wanted him and abandoned both him and his father - not the other way around. Now he can rot in prison knowing that he completely ruined his own life because of his delusion. A little tear of happiness comes to my eye.

I also have to talk about Yoo Se Hyeok. Another character whose ending gave me enormous satisfaction. A guy who was a complete as*hole and loser ended up with Han Yu Ra pregnant with his child. They’ll have to spend the rest of their lives stuck with each other, being poor and having no one close to them. The same goes for his materialistic mother and sister. Karma is beautiful.

I’ll end my rambling with a positive character - Kim Jae Won. Pretty early on, I had a feeling that he was going to be a character I would like, and that feeling didn’t let me down. You have to give him credit for being a sigma, because he absolutely destroyed Lee Jeong Hye, who never expected him to have been against her from the very beginning. His motivation was also the only one I didn’t figure out. It remained the biggest mystery to me throughout the entire drama. I had so many theories, but not a single one turned out to be correct.

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I put off watching this drama for a long time. Even though so many people recommended it, I just couldn’t bring myself to start it. But I finally did, and now I completely understand why everyone praises it so highly. This drama is simply AMAZING. In every possible aspect—the story, the characters, the chemistry between them, and the cinematography. Every episode keeps you on the edge of your seat, eager to see what happens next. There isn’t a single moment where the story drags or becomes boring. And once you finish it, there’s almost nothing you can criticize as being poorly done. Maybe the ending leaves a slight sense of longing, and a few storylines could have been explored a bit more, but none of that affects my overall opinion of the drama. If anything, it only proves just how damn incredible it is.

The relationship between the main couple—Yun Se Ri & Ri Jeong Hyeok—was PERFECT. I fell in love with them both as individual characters, and I loved them even more together. Their relationship can be summed up in two words: TRUE LOVE. Watching them grow, open up to one another, and become better people because of each other was beautiful. They experienced genuine happiness for the first time when they were together. The support they gave each other and the way they constantly risked their lives for one another was incredibly moving. Their chemistry was also absolutely beautiful. I also loved the whole concept of fate bringing them together. I could write endlessly about them, but I’ll spare you. I’ll simply say this: their relationship was so beautiful that it made me cry from pure emotion—and I’m not someone who cries because I’m touched. The only thing I can criticize is the ending, which left me with a lingering sense of dissatisfaction that my mind simply can’t let go of. They only get to meet in Switzerland for two weeks every year? Is that really supposed to be the rest of their lives? I refuse to accept that. In my head, they moved there permanently. I genuinely wanted to see more of their happy life together in Switzerland.

As for the soldiers from the Fifth Company—their friendship was absolutely wonderful. Watching them always put a smile on my face, but it also made me cry. In my opinion, it’s the most beautiful friendship I’ve ever seen in a drama. Their time in South Korea definitely deserves special mention—it was fantastic. Pyo Chi Su and his constant bickering with Se Ri made me laugh countless times, and I also loved Geum Eun Dong’s gaming storyline with Jeong Hyeok while they were in South Korea. On top of that, I have to give special praise to Kim Ju Muk, who became my favorite out of all of them. And this is another reason why I don’t feel like I got a complete happy ending. The thought that they can never all meet again still breaks my heart. :( The same goes for the women in North Korea. They were all wonderful, and their relationship with Yun Se Ri was equally heartwarming. I’m also sad (though a little less) that they’ll never see each other again. At least we got that cosmetics scene as a small consolation.

Naturally, I also have to mention Jung Man Bok. I liked him from the very beginning, even though he initially belonged to the antagonists. Every time I looked at him, I felt more sympathy for him than for anyone else. That’s why I was so happy when he switched sides and started helping the others. I was even happier when he got a new job after returning home and we finally saw him genuinely happy. He absolutely deserved it. And the b*stard completely fooled me into thinking he had betrayed everyone again and gone back to helping the villains. His only flaw was that he couldn’t shoot to save his life. I also really liked Hong Chang Sik and Park Su Chan. There was just something about their personalities that made them incredibly likable, and their scenes made me laugh over and over again.

Now let’s move on to the second main couple—Seo Dan & Koo Seung Jun. I have to admit that for quite a long time, I couldn’t understand why people loved them so much. They actually annoyed me, especially Seo Dan. But eventually he stopped irritating me, and I even started to grow fond of him. Being with him also made Seo Dan grow on me. She stopped being an irritating, desperate woman obsessed with someone who didn’t love her back and became someone I genuinely enjoyed watching. Overall, they made each other much better people, and they both wanted to become better versions of themselves for each other. By the end, I was absolutely sobbing when he d*ed before they could have their happy ending. And I loved watching her take revenge on the people responsible for his d*ath.

There are also many family storylines throughout the drama, so I’ll cover them all together:
-> Yun Se Ri’s biological mother — Who exactly was she? What actually happened to her? Was she really her father’s mistress? So many questions and absolutely no answers.
-> Yun Se Ri’s stepmother (Han Jeong Yun) — I found her storyline incredibly interesting. I wish the drama had explored her mental illness in more depth and explained what caused it. Maybe it stemmed from her husband's betrayal, which is why she reacted so negatively to Se Ri’s love? Despite everything that happened between them, I honestly believe she loved Se Ri more than anyone else in that dysfunctional family. I was actually hoping that after everything they went through, they would grow even closer, because I genuinely felt sorry for her.
-> Yun Se Ri’s father (Yun Jeung Pyeong) — From beginning to end, I never felt even the slightest bit of sympathy for him. To me, he wasn’t a good person or a good father, and he played a huge role in shaping the awful people his sons became. Unfortunately, he never faced any consequences—not for that, nor for the way he ruined Seung Jun’s life.
-> The older brother and his wife (Yun Se Jun & Do Hye Ji) — Were they good people? No. For most of the drama, they were two incredibly annoying as*holes. Did they drive me insane? Absolutely. Their only redeeming quality was that they weren’t completely evil and eventually experienced some sort of redemption. Did that make me like them? No. But at least their scenes stopped making my blood boil.
-> The younger brother and his wife (Yun Se Hyeong & Ko Sang A) — I’m writing this review a week after finishing the drama, and you know what? My blood still boils every time I think about them. Two complete pieces of sh*t without a single redeeming quality. In my opinion, no one in this drama was more evil than those two, and no one pissed me off more (yes, they even surpassed Cho Cheol Gang). I honestly can’t decide which one I hated more. The heartless b*tch with no conscience, or the p*thetic c*ward who blamed everything on his wife because he couldn’t admit he was a terrible human being. I don’t even want to write more about them because just thinking about them raises my blood pressure. Nothing makes me happier than knowing they’re ro*ting in prison together.
-> Ri Jeong Hyeok’s mother (Kim Yun Hui) — She didn’t get much screen time, but to me she was the best parent in the entire drama. She genuinely loved her children, and their happiness was always her highest priority. She deserves special recognition among all the dysfunctional parents in this series.
-> Ri Jeong Hyeok’s father (Ri Chung Ryeol) — I have mixed feelings about him. Technically, he didn’t really do anything wrong, but from beginning to end something about him felt off, and to this day I’m not convinced he’s actually a good person. Cho Cheol Gang’s words also keep bothering me. Yes, he was manipulative, but I still wonder why Chung Ryeol never truly investigated his older son’s d*ath for all those years. Maybe the problem really did begin with him?
-> Ri Jeong Hyeok’s brother (Ri Mu Hyeok) — Every flashback made me grieve even more over the d*ath of such a genuinely good person. I would’ve given anything for him to have secretly survived and reunited with his brother so we could have seen them together in the present.
-> Seo Dan’s mother (Ko Myeong Eun) — Her personality irritated me beyond belief. She wasn’t necessarily a bad person, but her attitude annoyed me so much that I couldn’t help seeing her negatively. Ironically, she also became one of the reasons I started sympathizing with Seo Dan. I genuinely felt sorry for her for having a mother who pressured her into marriage, which only fueled Seo Dan’s desperation. Later on, her mother earned a small plus from me when she started supporting her and said that her happiness mattered most. But then she immediately ruined it again by trying to push another marriage onto her in the end, even though Seo Dan wanted to focus on her career because Seung Jun had been the love of her life.
-> Seo Dan’s father — Who was he? Is he still alive? Did he die? Once again, so many questions and no answers.
-> Koo Seung Jun’s parents — He only mentions them briefly throughout the drama, but I think that storyline was interesting enough that I really wish it had been explored further. It would have added much more depth to Seung Jun’s character, especially since his childhood clearly had a huge impact on the man he eventually became.

Finally, I saved the cherry on top: Cho Cheol Gang. Yet another absolute b*stard in this drama who constantly made my blood boil. Did he ever do a single good thing in his life? Well, I’ll give him this—he was an exceptionally well-written villain. I’m also curious about his past. Something must have happened to turn him into someone so utterly ruthless, with absolutely nothing left to lose. I also have mixed feelings about his d*ath. Right after finishing the drama, I was happy that he d*ed. But now, a week later, I honestly wish he had spent the rest of his life suffering both mentally and physically in North Korea instead.

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I have extremely mixed feelings after watching this drama. I really liked the premise of the story, and I genuinely enjoyed the first episodes. However, as time went on, things started getting worse, and unfortunately the last two episodes only proved that.

I’ll start with the relationship between the main couple — Yun Jin A & Seo Jun Hui — because this is where I think the concept of the story was genuinely very strong. I enjoyed watching their dynamic, where he showed her what real love actually looks like, while she regained this kind of youthful joy for life thanks to him. The subplot involving his sister/her best friend also had huge potential in the background. But over time, the whole story started losing its charm in my eyes. At certain points, I felt so damn sorry for Jun Hui, who was constantly treated like sh*t by almost everyone, who kept chasing after her and instantly forgiving every mistake she made, while even she sometimes treated him like a child. But at least back then they still stood by each other. It got even worse in the final episodes. Their breakup happened completely off-screen — suddenly we jump to her brother’s random wedding, and she already has a new boyfriend. Then we randomly find out she’s moving to Jeju Island, and just as randomly she’s single again. After that, things somehow became even worse: we got the scene of them getting back together. Don’t get me wrong — it’s not that them reuniting was bad. The problem is that we got that one scene… and that was it. Her mother still doesn’t accept him and is proud that the relationship ended. We also never saw his sister’s reaction, and I highly doubt she would’ve been happy about it. It honestly feels like the story just went full circle, and they would still be stuck dealing with the exact same circus as before.

The whole storyline with her family also feels extremely absurd to me. A 35-year-old woman is treated like a child here. She’s afraid of her parents — parents who aren’t even powerful or influential — and allows them to walk all over her life instead of cutting them off. Overall, the mother is an incredibly st*pid and unbearable character. She supported two toxic relationships where her daughter was miserable just because those men came from influential families. Who cares that one cheated on her and the other barely gave a damn about her. Meanwhile, she was ready to burn the world down when her daughter got together with a genuinely good guy who actually made her happy, because what? His mother died and his father was weak? Just thinking about it makes my blood boil. The only normal member of that family was the younger brother, whom I actually liked. The father was tolerable sometimes, but he also had plenty of moments where he was unbearable.

As for his family, I still don’t understand why Seo Jun Hui’s anger was portrayed as something wrong. In my opinion, he had every right to be furious with her. He’s a grown man who has the right to make decisions about his own life, and meanwhile she secretly plots with his father behind his back — a father who spent most of the drama not giving a damn about his family. Then she forces Jun Hui to say goodbye to him at the airport, basically emotionally blackmailing him using their relationship. It was an absolute circus and another major negative for me. On top of that, this storyline completely disappeared afterward. What happened to his father after that? Did he try to repair his relationship with his children? Or did everything just go back to normal, with him continuing not to care about them at all? I did see his sister as one of the better characters though — honestly probably the smartest person in the entire drama. It’s just a shame we never got a romantic storyline for her, because it could have been a really nice change of pace.

The workplace h*rassment storyline is another plot point that I think was genuinely very good and really engaging to watch. I was genuinely excited to see how it would develop. The search for evidence, the scheming, the tension — it was genuinely interesting. The problem is that this storyline was also ruined by those final two episodes… In the end, we basically learned NOTHING about how the case actually turned out. The scenes make it look like she lost, while the dialogue says she won XD. What consequences did those pathetic as*holes face? That’s what I wanted to know. She literally had evidence — there’s no way she realistically could have lost that case. It’s not like the court wouldn’t figure out that the men’s “evidence” was photoshopped. On top of that, Kang Se Yeong is still casually working there even though she literally conspired with the h*rasser. I was really hoping all of that would come out and that we’d get a proper resolution, but absolutely nothing got resolved and I’m incredibly disappointed. And these were storylines that lasted through most of the drama, only to get completely watered down in the end.

The last thing I want to mention is her ex-boyfriend — Lee Gyu Min. Why did we never find out what happened to him afterward? Is he seriously just walking around freely after stalking her, se*ually h*rassing her in the café, and literally trying to k*ll her? Why was that never followed up on? The drama completely forgot about him, even though he played a major role through half the series and absolutely deserved prison. They forgot about him so hard that I forgot about him too and only remembered him just now XD

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An amazing drama! I had a great time watching it — there wasn’t a single boring moment, and I watched every episode with genuine curiosity, waiting to see how the story would develop further.

I completely fell in love with the main couple dynamic — Hu Xiu & Xiao Zhi Yu. I loved them both as individual characters; they were written extremely well. He was cold, distant, highly intelligent, hardworking, but also teasing and cunning. What I especially liked was that he wasn’t the stereotypical cold CEO, which made the interactions within his company genuinely enjoyable to watch. He also had flaws, which she gradually helped him work through. She, on the other hand, was open, energetic, but also smart and hardworking. Equally teasing. And I loved them even more together. They had incredible on-screen chemistry (some of the kisses were absolutely incredible), and whenever they were together, they radiated happiness that practically poured out of the screen and affected me as well, because I spent most of the drama smiling. They also became better versions of themselves thanks to each other. They always stood by one another, even during relationship crises. On top of that, the drama included tropes I absolutely love — roommates and office romance.

I also really enjoyed the virtual game storyline and honestly think there could have been even more of it. I loved watching them compete against each other while she constantly tried to outsmart him. I especially enjoyed the way they sometimes resolved their smaller personal disagreements while staying in character inside the game. Although, at the same time, his decision to stop playing also makes perfect sense narratively, because in the end he no longer needs to hide his true self in the game anymore, and thanks to her, he’s finally at peace :D. I also liked the little final touch where she’s the one inviting him into the virtual world.

Another storyline I found really interesting was his investigation into what happened to his father. Even though it became relatively obvious quite quickly who was behind everything, it was still very engaging to watch, especially waiting for the moment and the way the truth would finally come out. In the end, though, I was slightly disappointed that there wasn’t a bigger confrontation. I was hoping for a scene where the police arrested him, followed by a court trial, but instead we never really found out what consequences he faced — although I assume he never left prison again. The situation with Huang Yi De was handled even worse, because in his case we learned absolutely nothing. On the positive side, I liked that he rebuilt his relationship with his mother in the end, although I do wish we had gotten at least one more scene with them in the United States.

Still staying on the topic of his family, I have very mixed feelings about his “brother” — Pei Zhen. On one hand, we know that old bastard completely destroyed their relationship, and Zhen himself wasn’t inherently evil and was going through hell too. The problem is that even though I sympathized with him, I still couldn’t stand him. There wasn’t a single trait about him that made him genuinely likable, and his attempts to get closer to the female lead — which often ended up hurting someone — only strengthened my dislike toward him.

As for her family, I also have mixed feelings about them, because on one hand it was obvious that they truly loved their daughter, and in the end things turned out well — the chess scene was funny. BUT personally, I really disliked the fact that they were pushing for their breakup (even if not directly), and also pushing her to quit her job. Earlier on, her father also didn’t accept the fact that she wanted to become an architect. Even assuming his father had made a mistake back then, he as a child was not responsible for it.

Lastly, I want to talk about the second couple(?). When it comes to the marriage-divorce storyline between Zhao Xiao Rou & Wang Guang Ming, I had mixed feelings for a moment because he really did reject that other girl. However, those mixed feelings disappeared very quickly once he himself failed to admit it and even planned a dinner for the three of them. On top of that, he lied to her about no longer being in contact with that girl. So personally, I very quickly started strongly rooting for her and Gong Huai Cong. They had a really great dynamic together, and in the end I’m disappointed that we never got to see their relationship become official — although it was heavily implied that they would eventually get together, so I’m only slightly disappointed, because I would’ve loved to see more of them already being together while filming/in a relationship.

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I definitely recommend this drama to anyone looking for something very pleasant and comforting to watch. There’s no complicated plot full of twists here - instead, it’s a calm story focused on a healthy relationship between the main characters. Their relationship develops in a natural and steady way. There are no major arguments or dramatic conflicts-instead, we’re given a healthy, almost ideal relationship between two people who are perfectly matched. They’re happy together, deeply in love, able to listen to each other and communicate openly, they trust one another, and they become better people by being together. Once they get into a relationship, they never doubt each other or what they have. Overall, their relationship quickly becomes very sweet, and watching it puts a smile on your face that lasts until the very end. It was a real pleasure to watch them, and their chemistry was very good. Beyond their relationship, we also got to see their individual growth-especially his journey of dealing with the past and maturing, particularly in her career - Nie Xi Guang.

A huge highlight for me, and a perfect conclusion to everything, was the final episode. Starting with the scenes with their daughter, which were wonderful, and ending with showing their growth and professional successes — things they had talked about wanting to achieve throughout the entire drama.

Another big advantage for me were the family relationships. On the female lead’s side: her mom, grandma, grandpa, uncle, and cousin. On the male lead’s side: his mom. First of all, the scenes with all of them were very enjoyable to watch - they usually brought a smile to my face or even made me laugh. Secondly, none of them were against their relationship, which sometimes happens in dramas, so I consider that a huge advantage. A special mention goes to the female lead’s cousin - Jiang Rui. I loved him as a character on his own - he was funny - but I also loved his dynamics with Nie Xi Guang and with Lin Yu Sen.

Among the other characters I particularly liked was Yin Jie. I could relate to her in many situations, and she was a very positive character. I was hoping we might get more of her on screen, maybe through some kind of relationship with Fang Sheng Yi(?) - that doctor friend of Lin Yu Sen.

As for the second male lead - Zhuang Xu - I’ll admit I expected him to be the cause of a major conflict between the main couple. I was worried he would disrupt their healthy relationship once he confessed his feelings. So I was positively surprised when Nie Xi Guang completely shut him down in episode 30 - it made me like her even more. And even though I wasn’t rooting for him, I do have a soft spot for toxic dynamics, so I can imagine an alternate universe where Lin Yu Sen doesn’t exist and I’d actually root for him, because his dynamic with Nie Xi Guang had the potential to be just as interesting — something I’d definitely enjoy watching :D. I was also hoping for some development in his relationship with Chris, but at the same time I’m satisfied that, after everything he did, he’s still pining for Nie Xi Guang, who moved on and built a life without him - just like the other girls did. Naturally, moving on from him to Ye Rong — I didn’t like her from the very beginning, and that didn’t change until the end. It’s hard to like someone so full of insecurities who makes life difficult for a person who has been kind to her from the start. It’s a shame that most of their college peers never found out about the extent of her manipulations, because she would have faced greater consequences if everyone had turned their backs on her. Still, despite my dislike, I am curious about what happened to her after she left, and we never find that out.

As for the downsides, I didn’t find many, and the ones I did don’t really affect the overall enjoyment of the series:
-> First, I was somewhat disappointed with the storyline involving the female lead’s father - Nie Cheng Yuan. He never fully found out that he had been manipulated by Qian Fang Ping and her daughter Nian Yuan. He did find out part of the truth and kicked them out of the house, but he never discovered, for example, that Fang had been faking her illness the entire time. I was hoping for more drama and emotional impact when the truth came out. I also expected stronger consequences once he realized he had been the one used. Later, we also don’t find out what happens to him (we only get a brief mention of the mother). We also don’t know what happened to them after being kicked out, so overall it feels like wasted potential.

-> Second, the storyline involving the male lead’s father. In one conversation, it was suggested that the male lead’s uncle and his wife were involved in the issues surrounding his father, but then that topic just completely disappeared. No one mentioned it again, even though it seemed quite important - especially since their son was supposed to take over the company. It’s possible this was due to a translation issue, so I’m not treating it as a definite flaw.

-> Third, the plotline about taking over the grandfather’s company. This topic appeared throughout most of the drama, but in the end we don’t know who actually inherited the position. There is a time skip of about 10 years at the end, so the grandfather is unlikely to still hold that role.

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