This review may contain spoilers
My Dearest Nemesis? More Like My Mildest Nuisance
I dove into this drama without reading any reviews (a bold move, I know), purely because I love both lead actors - and Im Semi is always a treat. I’d seen the male lead in Twinkling Watermelon, Weak Hero, and Taxi Driver, where he nailed that cool, aloof, bad boy vibe. So imagine my surprise when he showed up here as a “CEO” who felt less like a corporate powerhouse and more like... an overconfident intern in a slightly oversized suit.
It took me a solid 7 episodes to even accept him as a CEO. Instead of exuding the classic icy chaebol energy, his performance leaned awkwardly into “mature but childish,” which is a hard balance to strike - and here, it just didn’t land. Honestly, a better choice would’ve been to lean fully into a bratty, mischievous chaebol who can turn on the authority when needed. At least that would’ve felt intentional.
Because of his character's awkward execution, the chemistry between him and the female lead was about as compatible as oil and water at a job interview. I kept waiting for a spark - anything - but it just never ignited.
And the direction? Flat as a pancake. With no syrup.
The story itself is your classic rich guy, poor girl romcom cliché - but stripped of actual plot. It felt like the scriptwriters decided the leads should fall in love purely through excessive eye contact. No real build up, no conflict with weight - just intense staring. So much staring. I lost count. Honestly, if you stitched all their stare offs together, you’d probably get a whole bonus episode out of it.
Okay, I get it - every drama needs a villain to stir the pot. But this one? An evil old lady tormenting her only grandson because his dad died while doing something perfectly normal - driving him to a hobby he enjoyed? That’s just peak melodrama nonsense. Of course a parent would drive their kid. Who else is supposed to - the neighbour’s dog? I mean yes, unfortunately, people like her do exist in real life, but honestly, I’d rather be disowned and free than tiptoe around my own interests just to appease a bitter matriarch with misplaced grief. Watching the poor guy suffer under her tyranny was more frustrating than dramatic.
And don’t even get me started on the trauma angle. Look, I’ve done my fair share of online dating - enough to write a spin off series - and sure, some of it was tragic, maybe even a little horrifying. But life scarring? Please. The way this drama paints a childhood online dating mishap from ten full years ago as the defining emotional wound of their adult lives? Absolutely not. If I bumped into one of my old immature dates now, all grown up and evolved, we’d have a laugh, maybe apologise, and move on like adults. I’ve seen married couples survive much worse - betrayal, midlife crises, in-laws from hell - and still manage to live peacefully for decades. If your biggest relationship trauma is a messy teenage chatroom, then you’ve honestly had a pretty smooth ride.
Anyway, I’m officially tapping out at episode 8. Not because I hate it, but because I’ve found something more interesting - which, frankly, didn’t take much. It’s 2025, people. We’re spoilt for choice with dramas, and this rich-boy-meets-girl formula has been done to death and resurrected more times than I can count. If you’re going to recycle the trope, at least give it some spice. This one just didn’t have enough flavour to keep me hooked.
It took me a solid 7 episodes to even accept him as a CEO. Instead of exuding the classic icy chaebol energy, his performance leaned awkwardly into “mature but childish,” which is a hard balance to strike - and here, it just didn’t land. Honestly, a better choice would’ve been to lean fully into a bratty, mischievous chaebol who can turn on the authority when needed. At least that would’ve felt intentional.
Because of his character's awkward execution, the chemistry between him and the female lead was about as compatible as oil and water at a job interview. I kept waiting for a spark - anything - but it just never ignited.
And the direction? Flat as a pancake. With no syrup.
The story itself is your classic rich guy, poor girl romcom cliché - but stripped of actual plot. It felt like the scriptwriters decided the leads should fall in love purely through excessive eye contact. No real build up, no conflict with weight - just intense staring. So much staring. I lost count. Honestly, if you stitched all their stare offs together, you’d probably get a whole bonus episode out of it.
Okay, I get it - every drama needs a villain to stir the pot. But this one? An evil old lady tormenting her only grandson because his dad died while doing something perfectly normal - driving him to a hobby he enjoyed? That’s just peak melodrama nonsense. Of course a parent would drive their kid. Who else is supposed to - the neighbour’s dog? I mean yes, unfortunately, people like her do exist in real life, but honestly, I’d rather be disowned and free than tiptoe around my own interests just to appease a bitter matriarch with misplaced grief. Watching the poor guy suffer under her tyranny was more frustrating than dramatic.
And don’t even get me started on the trauma angle. Look, I’ve done my fair share of online dating - enough to write a spin off series - and sure, some of it was tragic, maybe even a little horrifying. But life scarring? Please. The way this drama paints a childhood online dating mishap from ten full years ago as the defining emotional wound of their adult lives? Absolutely not. If I bumped into one of my old immature dates now, all grown up and evolved, we’d have a laugh, maybe apologise, and move on like adults. I’ve seen married couples survive much worse - betrayal, midlife crises, in-laws from hell - and still manage to live peacefully for decades. If your biggest relationship trauma is a messy teenage chatroom, then you’ve honestly had a pretty smooth ride.
Anyway, I’m officially tapping out at episode 8. Not because I hate it, but because I’ve found something more interesting - which, frankly, didn’t take much. It’s 2025, people. We’re spoilt for choice with dramas, and this rich-boy-meets-girl formula has been done to death and resurrected more times than I can count. If you’re going to recycle the trope, at least give it some spice. This one just didn’t have enough flavour to keep me hooked.
Was this review helpful to you?
