Eleison

If you go back and watch Bo Geol's scenes with her knowing what you know by the end, you'll see a lot more subtle hints that he's putting on an act (and that he actually cares quite deeply for her). As the reveal approaches, he gets worse and worse at it and eventually gives up. 😂

Yeah, the synopsis is a little misleading. If you've seen this screenwriter's other dramas (I Can hear Your Voice, Pinocchio, While You Were Sleeping, Start-Up, etc.) you'll see it has a very similar tone, emphasis and feel. Some of us have been calling it "realistic fantasy." It has a lot of music in it, but it's more about the relationships between characters and their growth. There is romance, but it's definitely not THE main feature of the story. The mains are all pretty equally focused on, minus the RJ CEO, who has a little less screentime than the other mains.

Interesting! Thank you for replying. :)

Good point! I was familiar with the screenwriter from Castaway Diva so I felt confident to make generalizations about her dramas, but this one was definitely more of a wild card! While there tends to be a pretty strict formula across the board, you're completely right that some (like this one) are less clear. :)

Yes, same! Was pleasantly surprised by Sang Do. He seems so sweet. Totally get now why he "flaunts" his wealth to his friends who ditched him for Seoul and then came back in shame while he became rich staying in his boring town. 😅 The epilogue was so cozy.

Yes, that makes sense. I saw a lot of Koreans in Osaka when I was there. (I was also shocked at how cheap the food was; at least, it felt cheap compared to California. 😂)

Interesting! Thanks for responding. The costs here in California, especially near the coast, are SUPER expensive for tourists and locals so I guess I'm wired to think anything with a beach front will be $$$$$.

I got to visit Gyeongju in April; it was lovely! Didn't quite get to Busan. Maybe next time!

Yes, isn't it lovely? She's my favorite Kdrama screenwriter. :)

I think that's why MDL tracks popularity vs. a typical rating? Some dramas with lower ratings can still be high in the popular list (like Boys Over Flowers). I've always found that difference interesting.

I wonder about K2? The drama was kind of a ridiculously over-the-top action flick, but HE did great.

Does it seem like it will be all on his side? It was so odd how they didn't reveal his face until Episode 3. It reminded me of the way they introduced Do San in Start-Up. 😅

Yeah, that makes sense!

Yes and yes! Just notice the difficult childhood tag since there is some domestic abuse in this. But an absolutely beautiful drama!

Haha

It's easy to criticize flawed parents until you inevitably become one. 😏

Yeah, got scared off from KTL after reading similar comments to yours, haha, and that makes sense about TGBM. I'm not Asian, so that's probably why I struggled with her a bit, but I also understood her character and could respect her despite all her flaws. They made it clear she had good intentions all along, they were just deeply veiled by the way she chose to act on them. The title was apt! 😏

Haha, yes!

Didn't watch KTL but Jun Ho is a great actor. Loved him in Just Between Lovers. Oh, yeah, TGBM was good. The mom was obviously a tough sell but enjoyed the drama overall and the twins were DARLING. :)

What were CCIR and TGBM again? I only watch airing dramas I'm pretty convinced I'll enjoy from start to finish, so I didn't watch many until now. Some of the big ones this year I don't have access to on the platforms I subscribe to and I don't bother with illegal streaming cause it's too annoying to avoid ads, haha.

Haha, what can I say? People like steamy romances with sizzling chemistry. I'll admit I haven't seen My Demon so I don't want to reduce it to just that without having seen it, so pardon my generalizing, but in general it does sell. I mean, that's what a lot of Netflix is anyway. 😅

Haha, yeah, we'll see why she left him, then, since he seems to still like her. He was kind of annoying in Crash Landing, too, but in an endearing sort of way. :P