This review may contain spoilers
A cursed lawyer, a civil servant, and a stalker walk into a drama… and somehow it’s still boring
A love story where the spells don’t work, the stalker comes too late, and toxic relationship dynamics soar.
Disclaimer: This review is 100% my opinion — I’m not here to hate, just to share my thoughts! Also, SPOILERS AHEAD, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet. Watch it, come back and let’s see if you agree. Let’s keep the discussion respectful and fun! 💕
The Good
The side characters were a delight
Even though Hong Jo’s coworkers could be downright mean, they were also hilarious. The side characters brought a lot of charm and personality to the show, and the casting for them was spot-on.
The Bad
SO Much Filler, SO Little Payoff
This show was like 90% filler; not the good, character-developing kind. It was painfully noticeable. Every side plot felt like it was shoved in just to keep things moving: the Mayor, Na Yeon and Hyung Seo’s drama, the kidnapping subplot, even Jae Kyung’s sudden crush—it all felt random.
And the constant back-and-forth between Sin Yu and Hong Jo was exhausting. Hong Jo’s endless “I like you but I don’t” paired with Sin Yu’s “I want you but I still have an annoying girlfriend” got old fast. Just end it and get together already. We were all tired.
Where Was the Love?
One of the biggest missed opportunities: we never actually got to see Sin Yu fall for Hong Jo. The spells didn’t work, which means he apparently fell in love with her after, like, his third meeting with her. What? Instead of drowning us in filler (especially all the endless mom scenes), they should’ve shown us moments of them genuinely getting to know each other.
So when Sin Yu told Jae Kyung that he’d liked Hong Jo “first… since the Joseon Era,” it landed with a thud. And honestly, how did Hong Jo not lose interest after realising he was more hung up on Aeng Cho than her? I thought I’d love every fated-love story until I watched this one.
She Liked Jae Kyung… But Also Really Didn’t
Hong Jo’s feelings for Jae Kyung made zero sense. She liked him enough to make him a literal love potion, but the second he returned her feelings, she was basically sprinting in the other direction. He was asking her out while she was ducking and dodging him—literally a week after she’d been pursuing him. The romance in this show was a tangled mess that never quite worked, no matter how many longing stares they threw in.
What Was With Jae Kyung’s Switch-up
Speaking of Hong Jo not liking Jae Kyung—why did he suddenly start liking her? Jae Kyung went from, “I don’t want kids” and his whole sad trauma backstory to tossing that out the window as soon as Sin Yu got interested. How did both he and Hong Jo change their feelings at the exact same time? And more importantly… What did this add to the plot? (Spoiler: nothing.)
He Still Had a Girlfriend / Toxic Central
Yes, Na Yeon was annoying and a cheater, but she was still Sin Yu’s girlfriend. There’s no way the writers thought we’d swoon over a romance that was literally just… cheating. “Oh, but she needed him for that project thing.” And? So now cheating is fine if it’s for work?
And Hong Jo… girl. How were you okay being the other woman? Sitting around, waiting for a man to break up with his girlfriend so you can have your “happily ever after”? Doesn’t sound so romantic when I put it like that, does it?
This Show Was All Over the Place
The stalker plot? Random. The mom and the boy? Random. The girlfriend’s history with Hong Jo? Random. The manager and the boss? Also random. The stalker, in particular, didn’t really matter until the final episodes, and even then, his presence felt like a last-minute “oh right, we have a villain” move. What was the actual plot of this show?
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, Destined With You felt like a waste of time. The writers banked on two attractive leads and assumed that would be enough to distract us from the chaos underneath. Spoiler: it wasn’t. This was all filler, no plot and the only things I genuinely enjoyed were the side characters and that one time Sin Yu sang.
It’s crazy that they managed to stretch this into 16 episodes and even crazier that I actually finished it. Next time I dive into a fated love story, I’m hoping for A Time Called You vibes—not “I like you because my past self liked you… Aeng Ch—sorry, Hong Jo.”
~~~
That’s a wrap on this review! What did you think of this review? Did you appreciate that it was shorter than the rest or do you enjoy the longer ones? If you want the full version (Yes, I had more to say loll), let me know!
Disclaimer: This review is 100% my opinion — I’m not here to hate, just to share my thoughts! Also, SPOILERS AHEAD, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet. Watch it, come back and let’s see if you agree. Let’s keep the discussion respectful and fun! 💕
The Good
The side characters were a delight
Even though Hong Jo’s coworkers could be downright mean, they were also hilarious. The side characters brought a lot of charm and personality to the show, and the casting for them was spot-on.
The Bad
SO Much Filler, SO Little Payoff
This show was like 90% filler; not the good, character-developing kind. It was painfully noticeable. Every side plot felt like it was shoved in just to keep things moving: the Mayor, Na Yeon and Hyung Seo’s drama, the kidnapping subplot, even Jae Kyung’s sudden crush—it all felt random.
And the constant back-and-forth between Sin Yu and Hong Jo was exhausting. Hong Jo’s endless “I like you but I don’t” paired with Sin Yu’s “I want you but I still have an annoying girlfriend” got old fast. Just end it and get together already. We were all tired.
Where Was the Love?
One of the biggest missed opportunities: we never actually got to see Sin Yu fall for Hong Jo. The spells didn’t work, which means he apparently fell in love with her after, like, his third meeting with her. What? Instead of drowning us in filler (especially all the endless mom scenes), they should’ve shown us moments of them genuinely getting to know each other.
So when Sin Yu told Jae Kyung that he’d liked Hong Jo “first… since the Joseon Era,” it landed with a thud. And honestly, how did Hong Jo not lose interest after realising he was more hung up on Aeng Cho than her? I thought I’d love every fated-love story until I watched this one.
She Liked Jae Kyung… But Also Really Didn’t
Hong Jo’s feelings for Jae Kyung made zero sense. She liked him enough to make him a literal love potion, but the second he returned her feelings, she was basically sprinting in the other direction. He was asking her out while she was ducking and dodging him—literally a week after she’d been pursuing him. The romance in this show was a tangled mess that never quite worked, no matter how many longing stares they threw in.
What Was With Jae Kyung’s Switch-up
Speaking of Hong Jo not liking Jae Kyung—why did he suddenly start liking her? Jae Kyung went from, “I don’t want kids” and his whole sad trauma backstory to tossing that out the window as soon as Sin Yu got interested. How did both he and Hong Jo change their feelings at the exact same time? And more importantly… What did this add to the plot? (Spoiler: nothing.)
He Still Had a Girlfriend / Toxic Central
Yes, Na Yeon was annoying and a cheater, but she was still Sin Yu’s girlfriend. There’s no way the writers thought we’d swoon over a romance that was literally just… cheating. “Oh, but she needed him for that project thing.” And? So now cheating is fine if it’s for work?
And Hong Jo… girl. How were you okay being the other woman? Sitting around, waiting for a man to break up with his girlfriend so you can have your “happily ever after”? Doesn’t sound so romantic when I put it like that, does it?
This Show Was All Over the Place
The stalker plot? Random. The mom and the boy? Random. The girlfriend’s history with Hong Jo? Random. The manager and the boss? Also random. The stalker, in particular, didn’t really matter until the final episodes, and even then, his presence felt like a last-minute “oh right, we have a villain” move. What was the actual plot of this show?
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, Destined With You felt like a waste of time. The writers banked on two attractive leads and assumed that would be enough to distract us from the chaos underneath. Spoiler: it wasn’t. This was all filler, no plot and the only things I genuinely enjoyed were the side characters and that one time Sin Yu sang.
It’s crazy that they managed to stretch this into 16 episodes and even crazier that I actually finished it. Next time I dive into a fated love story, I’m hoping for A Time Called You vibes—not “I like you because my past self liked you… Aeng Ch—sorry, Hong Jo.”
~~~
That’s a wrap on this review! What did you think of this review? Did you appreciate that it was shorter than the rest or do you enjoy the longer ones? If you want the full version (Yes, I had more to say loll), let me know!
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