Eleison

Right? They could have cut out so many filler scenes with the boring adults! 😅 I skipped most of their parts on a rewatch and felt like I missed almost nothing important.

Season 2 is even better in my opinion (because Kang Dong Joo does take SO long to become likeable in Season 1), and it lands best if you've seen Season 1 beforehand. I did miss the original couple/leads just a tad when I started, but I think there's more to like in Season 2 overall. :) By the time I finished Season 2, it surpassed by quite a bit for me. It also didn't drag as much near the end, as the pacing was near perfect. Strong from start to finish!

Oh? 🤔 I beg to differ. It's not the main plot, but it's definitely in here. The main leads have one of my favorite scenes in a romantic Kdrama ever. I think it's iconically adorable and the delivery is perfect. They feel like a real, bickering couple absolutely in love.

And don't watch this if you don't want to be SPOILED:

https://youtu.be/ZcDtYYP316o?si=YDKN5yw6kuTFhQ3U

I went to find the episode and time stamp the scene when I discovered Viki no longer has either season available. 😱😭😭😭

P.S. And if you meant that the title is misleading, I've always considered it a poor translation into English. To quote another, it seems to mean something more like "an idealistic feeling/state of mind."

Oh, I loved Sung Kyung in this! Her character didn't start out well, but I thought she (the actress) did great! If anything, I think this is the only drama Ahn Hyo Seop was truly convincing in; I love him and his characters in other dramas, but I personally think this is his best piece of acting work to date...

Agreed!

As in old or as in the same sort of trope of alternate government (monarchy instead of a democracy) or same type of MLs?

Here are a few recs that might cover some of the bases:

Older dramas, with similar type of ML who has a jerk personality but grows/improves: King2Hearts (also a monarchy in Korea with the ML as a prince (the sister of the prince in Goong is played by the same actress as the sister of the prince in King2Hearts, too, interestingly!); probably the most like Goong but with older, more "mature" leads and themes with a North Korea/South Korea plot), Boys Over Flowers, Heirs and Secret Garden (though be warned, the ML does not improve until near the last few episodes). (Oh, and I haven't really seen it fully, but Playful Kiss; may be the most toxic of the MLs in any of these I listed 😅).

Dramas with a cozy, old drama feel, but different type of ML: Coffee Prince (same actress as this drama's FL; this one's actually kind of edgy for an older drama), Fated To Love You (the ML has a maniacal laugh but it's a super charming drama!), Hogoo's Love, School 2013 (not a romance, but a classic older drama with a cozy feel and the first of the "School" dramas), Dream High and maybe-sort-of Sassy Go Go.

😂😂😂

Yes, they freaked me out at first, too, but their story eventually packed a punch. 🥹

Right, cause it's a Kdrama. 😉 And while thriller IS in the tags, so is ROMANCE. It's not an indie show, it's a popcorn flick.

Nah, I don't see a Kdrama going this unpredictable. That means our Hee Joo loves a psychopath and there goes our romance. Romance is in the tags, so... I think Sa Eon is a good hearted dude. And I think it's still very much up for debate that people have "psycopathic" genes that they "pass on." They can use that talk in a Kdrama when they want to but it will never apply to the ML unless it's a pure thriller like Mouse. So, I'm gonna say no.

But you worked out some fun, imaginative possibilities. 😉

1. It's a good drama, and Lee Seungi Gi (there's never been a drama I've seen him in where I thought he did poorly, he always brings a great performance) and Suzy are great leads (I thought). The beginning is heartbreaking, as the child actor for the nephew is fire and really sells it, but I personally thought the ending (not the cliffhanger part, the end of the main conflict that happens before the cliffhanger part) got a bit over-the-top and so unrealistic I felt it got borderline silly, but overall I thought it was an enjoyable drama!

2. (a) Yes, from what I remember, but there's no spoken confession or declaration, and the cliffhanger part implies there was more going on eith them, but instead of any closure you just have more questions, and then it just ends. Honestly, once it shifts back to the middle east and the main conflict is over (the "cliffhanger" part is probably the last 5 minutes of the last episode for the entire drama), you can just end it there and you won't miss a thing. If they come out with a second season you can go back and watch it 😅). (b) Just the nephew, I think. If any others die they must not have been super memorable because I don't remember.

3. Together-ish? Certainly not if you count the cliffhanger part; throughout the drama the romance is not made super obvious and is slight. The leads make a great team and it definitely shows them growing in trust and getting closer, but actual romance is more implied than overt.

Yes, she's definitely got plot armor!! 😉

And maybe because real BSE was a psychopath, he figured he would do terrible things to tarnish his (the grandfather's) image?

No way she's dead! There are two episodes left. 😉

👏👏👏 You know your Dante!! 😉

Yes, agreed! It was very good.

Yeah, it's a gem, and in my top 5.

When you see the calendar on the wall that says February 13th, when it changes to the 14th, that's where Jae Chan's dream starts. His dream ends when you see Jae Chan wake up, spooked, after he fails to save Hong Joo from falling off the hospital roof. Everything that happens after he wakes up is happening in real time/the main storyline.

But because you don't know Jae Chan has dreams yet you don't realize it's his whole dream sequence until later. It's also much longer than most of Hong Joo's dreams, which threw me off the first time I watched.

And Hee Joo should have had a ton of broken bones and far worse cuts, bruises and wounds from that cliff fall... but it's a Kdrama, so... we've got to suspend disbelief. 🙄

Oh, yes, Kdramas can do romantic tension quite well (Cdramas can, too). I wonder if it's largely successful because there's so much sexual restraint in (traditional) dramas. And there's so much buildup due to all the stuff the leads have to work through in a melo or romance drama that grows the tension nicely into a fevered pitch. Also, the romance genre bakes it into the drama formula and if the leads execute their parts well and they have a decent script, it makes for a satisfying watch, even despite the over-the-top, unrealistic scenarios! 😅

The real test of a good romantic Kdrama, in my opinion, is if they can stick the landing in the second half, AFTER the leads get together. It's rarely done. 😢