DramaAjumma

I got some pushback for saying that at the time. They practically dressed her in sacks with buttons.

I think it was just the leads that carried the show. But quite frankly there are a lot of popular shows that I don't think live up to the hype either. Maybe it's because I've watched far too many dramas than is healthy. :D

It's a weekend thing. One episode on Fridays and Saturdays.

It's a so-so drama. Too many characters and plot lines that don't interest me. I mainly watched it for Li Xian who is one of the genuinely good actors around. The leads had good chemistry though.

It seems to me obvious that if Gu Wei was really interested in Gao Xi, he would have already made his move especially because his parents really like her. It would be the path of least resistance and there would be nothing to stop them being a couple or even married by now. The fact that he hasn't said a single thing after all the loud hints dropped by everyone at work and at home should have been a sign to her a very long time ago that Gu Wei is a lost cause. I'm not that sympathetic either because she already knows deep down that Gu Wei has shown a preference for Zhixiao but she has refused to accept reality. She knows that the way Gu Wei looks at Zhixiao is not the way he looks at other women. She's an adult and has known for a while that he's slipping out of her grasp but has ignored it to her own detriment. Was she thinking it would be a flash in the pan? Hard to say because she's fairly one-dimensional.

I honestly detest the whole "how is she better than me" question... It's fine for a teenager to be saying something like this but a woman in her early thirties. Really?

Maybe it is just a case of hope triumphing over reason.

It was a lot of fun to watch. And I do like cunning male leads. It doesn't happen that often a male lead to fall for the female lead straight away. Besides she wasn't that forthcoming herself. ;)

Thank you.

Thank you for your kind comments.

It's rather lonely isn't it? :D
I don't entirely get the hype but perhaps it's because of the way the world is going and the incredible stress that people are undergoing that something like this feels like a breath of fresh air.
I suppose I watch a lot of contract relationship dramas and this one doesn't particularly stand out among them in terms of the story elements. The humour doesn't always land. That said, I loved Episode 7 and to a lesser degree 8.
I'm not a fan of the second romance primarily because of Young-seo. She just perpetually bugs me. I love Sung-hoon to death though.

https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/a-business-proposal-2022-kiss-and?s=w

My humble ramblings of the last two episodes. Link provided under spoiler tags.

I really liked Tim Pei's CEO in She is the One. Cunning and flirty.

I share your perspective. I only really like the leads as well.
Whatever tropes the show deploys, it does them well but it doesn't do anything groundbreaking with the genre.

If you're interested I have more thoughts about Episodes 7 and 8 here:
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/a-business-proposal-2022-kiss-and?s=w

While I understand where you're coming from, I differ with your overall assessment however because of the context in which those statements and relationship dynamics occur. I won't use the argument that this is just a silly rom com because I believe logical consistency has to apply across genres.

Before he tells her that he won't back down from making her change her mind he gave her a week to think through things after confessing to her. During that period she doesn't say a word. She doesn't reject him outright. So he confronts her and then demands an answer. It's consistent with his nature of someone who doesn't like wasting time. She tells him it won't work out between them and she's worried about what others might say. She does not say that she doesn't like him. He gets it. It's not him per se but it's his status as her boss and social conventions that's making her hesitate. Also the fear of failure. And certainly it's not because she's in love with someone else. The reason why I don't have a problem with this scene is because we know that she definitely has feelings for him. If she didn't why not say so and be done with it. Why prolong the agony for him and herself? It's pointless.

Tae-mu obviously senses that she is wavering so he tells her that he's not going to give up until she says yes because he believes that he needs to prove to her that he is serious about being in a relationship and is prepared to do everything to make it work and protect her. Then she initiates the kiss to prove him right.

The reason why this outcome is romantic... to me at least... is because Tae-mu is a guy who doesn't like wasting time and for him to say that he will persist for Ha-ri shows his sincerity. Like everyone else says, he could be dating any woman from his social class but he has chosen not to. He is acting in defiance to expectations of him and in a real enough way, might consequently be creating more problems for himself. It's certainly true that they were off to a really bad start but now he's keen to make up for his mistakes.

Well, if that was all it was, I don't think Min-woo would be as universally disliked as he is. It isn't just that he's 7 years too late and that's not necessarily a sin but it's also the way he treats his own girlfriend and causing her to feel insecure with the way he is showing an obvious preference for Ha-ri over her. It gives the impression that he's having a bet each way. It's one thing to be a concerned friend but it's another to disregard your girlfriend because you fear that you might be losing your so-called "best friend" to another guy.

At best the guy lacks clarity about the two more important women in his life but until he gets his priorities straight, it's going to cast doubt on his motives when he doesn't have actual conversations with his own girlfriend about his state of mind.

The problem is I've never seen any kind of extended K drama romance not have any melodrama because they usually include a lot of push and pull before the leads come together. Or separation and breakup periods. There is a playbook and a philosophy that they all stick to because a lot of these shows don't give the leads their happily-ever-after until the very end. On the other hand, if they get together quickly, it's to be expected that they will separate somewhere in the middle.
That's why fewer episodes are better for the storytelling because it minimizes all the crazy makjang stuff to the barest minimum or nothing.

I personally found that entire sequence not that well staged. A bit clumsy. Obviously the instruction to look at Ha-ri's room is vague and then the first thing he goes for is that very drawer that happens to have the contract in it.

The show seems intent on making Min-woo rather unlikeable.

I don't think it's that unpopular an opinion. Those of us who are seasoned watchers of K dramas have been saying this for some time. Usually when there are more episodes, it means more melodrama.

Romancing over house slippers, cactus and mugs of plain drinking water. And then whip out the evil box of chocolates. Nicely played Gu Wei, nicely played.