where the mask begins

i had been in a bit of a drama drout for a while, constantly picking up dramas and dropping them. With c dramas i would get to episode 17-20 and be bored, with this drama there is not one dull moment. I literally never write reviews but i just had to write this one. I picked this up while airing expecting it to be a slow sludge to something interesting like most of them are but this drops you right into the story, i went from bingewatching as it was airing to catching up to the air schedule and waiting on the last few episodes with everyone else. this rarely happens for me, i hate watching dramas that havent finished but with this one i could not stop thinking about it.
The female lead is incredible at playing both roles and the writing is so clever you actually never know what is going to happen next because they dont set it up by having the characters obviously lay out their plans, you watch as it slowly unravels infront of you.
This is a clear ~he falls first and harder~ trope that is done amazingly well, their love is slowly and silently brewing in the background but not so slowly that its unbearing - and i say this as a romance watcher its basically all i watch and i feel like the way the romance was layed out made it even more enjoyable and worthwhile. Gosh i love this show.

my thoughts after the finale: i am sobbing, i hope there is a season two. this was the best c drama in years for me, im so attached to the characters i dont know how to move on now, the finale was bittersweet and im now in mourning over this show, i gave it a 9.0 while airing and now im done its absolutely a 9.5 gosh im gonna go cry some more now. wei rao is one of the best female characters ever written and i pity those who are so misogynistic that they hate that she isnt stupid or selfless, the way the ML loves her and she loves him back.. gosh idk how to move on, this has ruined dramas for me now, nothing will ever make me feel the way this did.