CoNeTrIC

At least one of your questions is answered in episode 5 (past trauma). Also keep in mind this is a BL, not real life.

Hmmm. she calls him Old Shen, and I assumed (incorrectly it seems) that Shen was his given name. Also, I didn't see any good reason to have some random person as a storyteller. Oh well.

Didn't he become the old man who is telling this story to the young woman while she paints?

Cooking is an expression of love, a way of giving of yourself. (I stole that from a Facebook post, lol) It's OK to skip the meal prep as long as you don't discount his intent and the effort he's making. It becomes a big story point (although this show isn't really plot-driven).

Thanks. I submitted the change request soon after I posted that comment.

Gotta say, my favorite character is the intern. Smart, honest, self-aware, confident, sophisticated, stylish, and bold. I don't mind if he was trying to steal a kiss. It was pretty innocent.

The actor, Yoo Jang Hee, is skilled, charismatic, and handsome, and he has a great voice. I don't know why he isn't listed on this page as a cast member. In the final credits, he's included in first group of lead actors, along with the main couple.
https://kisskh.at/people/103609-yoo-jang-hee

The very first scene in the first episode is the real "spoiler" I guess. It shows him being released from prison and not knowing how to get home without looking up his address in a notebook. Then he commented on their 4-year-old couple photo he kept in the notebook.

The MDL description goes further with some unnecessary detail, so that is unfortunate.

I'm not mad at any characters. That would be silly. My problem is with the lazy writing and the holes and inconsistencies in the plot.

GSJ knew there was a spy in the back hill. He told Shanguan that he knew.

GSJ, his lil bro, and the SW were OK with letting a known wufeng spy hanging out in the back hills? And she eventually was able to steal their elixir and deliver it to wufeng! How was this not the most boneheaded decision in Gong family history?

People who have been saying Ziyu is the foolish and naive one: Please explain this to me.

The motivation I hoped for and had in mind for YWS isn't based in romance. Rather it has to do with developing a positive faith and belief in humanity. Finding a light in complete darkness. That's what Ziyu represented, I thought. There seems to be nothing meaningful in this show but darkness and cynicism.

BTW I don't believe revenge ever has a real connection to love. It's only about hate.

ep 17 jumped the shark. Medical tester plotline was ludicrous and lazy AF. I wish the writers could have come up with a more believable and less manipulative way to undermine YWS's allegiance to her spymasters. I expected her motivation to come from her relationship with Ziyu (maybe even love). But revenge is the only character motivation that seems to matter in this show. Disappointing.

GSJ doesn't seem capable of loving anyone after the losses he's suffered. The most anyone can get from him is his respect. He seems to respect and admire SGQ.

"the agreement society has come to" — As if there were just one society and ethnocentrism weren't a thing. In Taiwan, people aged 16 and older are allowed to have sex with each other if they want. Similar laws and customs apply in many, if not most, countries around the world.

Yes 18 is the age when everyone becomes mature enough for intimate relationships. It's a universal law of nature that we all recognize. A 17 year old is a child and should be treated as such. Full stop. /s

Just to clarify, it's not the filter that tells me. It's her acting during those scenes.

I see the internal conflict in her in every scene they put the fuzzy glow filter on him. Also, that time when she put herself between him and an assassin. She was having an internal breakdown almost. Not sure what more you need you see.

At this point, it doesn't look like Shangguan is changing, let alone changing sides. She's still on mission. Doesn't feel like she's in a romance. Seems her heart is empty. I really wonder what it would take for her.

Yeah, I thought it was interesting and in character that Ziyu still wants the back hillside people to have freedom to see the world. He refused to dismiss that idea as a child's wish.

Not irrelevant nor stupid to fight for freedom. "We must protect our humanity while fighting terrorism. It we lose that…they have surely won."