Rossie

For this to have been rated anything below 9, more than a dozen of people must have given it a subpar rating. What gives? I've never watched anything more brilliant, thought-provoking, gut-wrenching, convicting and harrowing, yet ultimately empowering than this.

It made perfect sense. The take-home message: most power struggles (of any kind) can be avoided if people find contentment in their placements. Neither the king nor the queen wanted to fight for what they were fighting for. They were merely doing it out of a sense of expectation. Even the vice minister admitted to the fact that he was doing what he was doing to fill out a void he had. We often play out the roles we're given without questioning where our hearts lie. Breaking free is a choice (just as staying in a role you didn't sign up for is) and can be as simple as literally turning a new leaf - or in the king & the queen's case, just focusing on each other and to hell with everything else.

S. Korea needs to realize that they've got a heavy drinking problem that needs to be addressed. They plaster on idols on every soju bottle and have them promote alcoholic beverages on TV and on the street as if it were a brand or a must-have. Which other country does this? In any other country this scum wouldn't have seen the light of day. He would have been raped and killed by other inmates.

"couple months/years later" sounds accurate xD been waiting for two years I think, gave up all hope of ever completing this lakorn. and yet, here I am, checking up on it lol

That is such a lukewarm ending. I mean I'd read all the comments about it so I was prepared, but bro, I thought they were highly exaggerated comments xD
Not going to spoil anything for anyone, just had to throw a little rant somewhere. I have to say, I'm still left mesmerized by the whole production and how this was brought to life. Very captivating story with a lot of moral and social realistic messages that could as well be applied to the modern world. I'm not disappointed by the ending, at most it's just feels a bit incoherent and confusing. Go back one episode (Viki) and I think that there would have been a cleaner ending, if it stopped an episode earlier it would definitely have made for more dramatic impact. Guess the author and the film makers just wanted to go the least troublesome route and provide an ending that'd satisfy most groups of viewers, which is also okay, but that does add a little bit of avoidable meh-factor to it all, sadly...
8/10

I came here from The Legends too. can't lie, he's a real spotlight stealer. Very nice and versatile acting! his character as well as the life he brings to his character in The Legends is honestly a bit more refreshing than Xu Kai's.

Wow, sounds right up my alley! Thank you for sharing! do let me know how you like the series as it comes to a finish.

I just looked it up. Judging by the synopsis, I'm definitely going to enjoy this. Put c dramas on-hold for a while, the games of intrigue and betrayal was getting too much for my heart T^T so I definitely appreciate this recommendation!

Here is a rare gem: Heart to Heart

Go check it out.

Hot damn, people are praising Shin Se Kyung's acting. did I die and warp into another reality, or could this drama really be THAT good?

This is so refreshing to watch after a week-long marathon of Chinese historicals with conniving backstabbing characters, it's like a breath of fresh air - I'm rofling so hard over the shenanigans of the fl! Her chemistry with the ml is somehow so natural and their interactions so effortless. Loving it!

Btw if you're gonna watch it, watch the uncut version on viki.

It's a matter of perspective. For some people tragedies are enjoyable and don't necessarily represent bad endings and for some it's absolutely gut wrenching to watch the main characters of the drama die. The tragedy tag though almost always signifies that one or two important characters -will- die. So if you're okay with that, you're probably gonna like it. I personally fall into the first category, I don't mind a tragedy as long as the plot is well-woven, the characters got depth and things make sense. I quite enjoyed the first half, the premise of an anti-hero as the hero was an interesting concept. Sadly, you never get to like the ml, he's not even the kind of character you'd love to hate, he just plain sucks - and this comes from a person who enjoys watching dramas with jerk male leads. His actions made no sense to me and his motives couldn't redeem him, execution-wise the drama halted as well, the pacing was bad and the romance felt unconvincing. So if you ask me it wasn't so much the ending but the drama as a whole. It is, however, a hit-or-miss. Lots of people seem to have liked it, and it does have its merits truth be spoken, so check it out, watch a few eps and see if it's your cup of tea.

Check the tags maybe? It says tragedy, ergo high possibility that the protagonist(s) die.

Yes! To think that one would end up actually feeling sad for Sese, the sickeningly annoying second female lead that no one is supposed to like! ffs I felt sorry for her when he shouted at her that he had been exploiting her all along and that that was all she meant to him! fok u! Best part of the drama: when he slapped the fl and got bitchslapped back by her in return, I was rejoicing like a mad person making a little victory dance it was so satisfying to watch xD

Quality review! With both critique and appraisal where it's due, exactly how a review should be. You can't give this drama 10/10 and tell me it was flawless, cause sister, I could list you at least 10 flaws you missed because you were too busy fangirling over your favorite c-novel getting an adaptation.

Applause to you for sharing an unpopular opinion amidst the countless of uncritical 10/10 reviews, that takes guts - to see things for what they are and not what we wish them to be. I wanted to like this drama, I really did. But fact is, it lacked in both narrative and execution, especially when considering this was a high-budget production. I watched both the cut and uncut versions and still couldn't get passed the many plotholes and rushed character developments - which surprisingly nobody makes mention of. Lots of things didn't make sense, lots of the motives for the characters were left unanswered - the hell made Li Chengyin tick? What triggered him to begin with? The death of his bro? His aunt? His dear birth mother? Right, so that's not okay but deceiving and annihilating someone else's entire clan is justifiable because hey, you suffered and hey, you had your reasons and you have this grandiose love for them anyway, so you pass. That's the most laughable thing about this drama, never once was the male lead shown to realize his guilt and repent for the fact that he put the female lead through the exact same thing that was done to him, just multiplied by a factor of 10(!) And indeed, the drama got so painstakingly repetitive from the middle towards the end that I just wanted it to end already. We already knew what was gonna happen. Someone was bound to die (oh shit, the many kill-offs..did they kill off characters for entertainment purposes or were they just pressed for film time cause that was hilarious af). The actors were great, just a pity they didn't exploit their chemistry to the fullest and did such a poor work out of fleshing out the romance. I reckon one should have read the novel for a better understanding and maybe that's why everyone's so much more lenient when it comes to rating this drama - because they've already read the novel - but a good adaption should be able to stand on its own and tell a story to its audience without relying too much on its source material for backup. I didn't ever get that feeling with this drama, I knew right off the bat that I was watching an adaptation without even checking first. The premise was good and was what kept me watching, but the execution was sadly too sloppy for me to really say I enjoyed it.

haha same ! Indeed was refreshing with a spiteful ml, I found myself rooting for the bad guys towards the end of the drama - this guy was so despicable he made the actual villains look like little angels!

Finally a comment making mention of the multiple plot holes. I reckon one should have read the novel instead, a lot of things were badly executed. Considering the high budget it is a bit of a pity, the drama lacked in the narrative. Lots of things didn't make sense. The main actors had amazing chemistry, yet the potential wasn't exploited well. Sad...

So the review above says that the uncut version gives the viewers a very different perspective of the Li Cheng Yin character. I beg to differ.

I started on the cut version by sheer mistake, realized it after 12 episodes in and immediately started watching the director's cut. As far as I understand, only the first two episodes and the last are different. Based on the first two episodes (yes, there were a boatload of scenes that I couldn't remember having seen in the cut version), I didn't get a better understanding of Li Cheng, his motives were already clear from the cut version but the uncut version didn't make me feel any more differently towards him. Rather, I started seeing Gu Jian in a different light. In the cut version, he seems like someone who realizes his feelings too late, someone who lacks a backbone, someone who's ultimately no different from Li Cheng in that he closes an eye to the betrayal of a loved one. His motives are driven by filial piety, albeit being split between obligation and his own feelings. He's in a constant battle with himself. This is not shown as clearly in the cut version - it's not shown at all. I'm not saying having watched the missing scenes makes either Gu Jian or Li Cheng any less flawed (hallelujah for flawed characters!) but I personally started seeing at least one character differently when I got more of a background to him, which the cut version sadly fails to offer.