Ignore the reviews and watched.
This is a solid 9 for me. It’s a very good family series regardless of what people say, and it’s definitely worth a rewatch.I really liked this show.
It started off very well, that’s for sure. But for me, I especially enjoyed the middle section of the show—it was the highlight, the peak of the story.
The characters' interactions gave me everything I could ask for, and I just want to say that I really liked the love story and the moments between the male lead and female lead, especially from the middle to the end. It felt different, oddly satisfying..and of course, it was funny and heartwarming.
To those who didn’t like the ending, I have to disagree. Sure, I wanted to see more, but the conclusion was solid and fitting—just like many other family K-dramas I’ve watched over the past 20 years.
Maybe my experience was different because I watched the series after it had already finished, rather than following it while it was airing. The flow felt smoother for me, which might have influenced my perspective.
But one thing I can say for sure—I left this show with a smile on my face and warmth in my heart. It gave me the same comforting feeling I get after finishing a very good family K-drama. The ending wrapped things up in a way that felt stable and satisfying.
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Believe it or not It was better than Secret Forest!
It was short, enjoyable, and balanced with a bit of dark comedy.In my opinion, this drama is better than Secret Forest 1 and 2 in every aspect.
Yes, season 1 had a bigger plot, but this one was very enjoyable and straight to the point.
Secret Forest felt flat in character development in both seasons. However, this drama felt much better. We saw his development from seasons 1 and 2 to here, reflecting on his past while trying to grow and face the consequences of old mistakes in his own way.
The acting from the male leads was outstanding. I could easily watch 10 more episodes with the three of them performing together—they were incredibly enjoyable to watch. P.S. I know Hyun Bong-sik doesn’t get much credit in K-dramas, but I’ve always thought he’s a great actor who plays his roles perfectly.
In the end, this drama is the best in the series. I hope that if there’s a Secret Forest season 3 in the future, it will match the level of this drama and deliver better character development.
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This review may contain spoilers
Why Most Viewers Got It Painfully Wrong!
People keep repeating the same take:“Gu Si had major character development.”
No, he didn’t.
The one who actually changed in this drama is Lui Ru, not Gu Si and the story makes that painfully obvious.
Gu Si is consistent from episode one until the end.
He’s emotionally stable, morally grounded, and surprisingly perceptive. His first interaction with Lui Ru already exposes his core traits: he judges based on what he sees, not on rumors; he doesn’t insult her back; he doesn’t hide behind excuses; and he remains steady even while the entire town trashes his reputation.
Meanwhile, Lui Ru is a walking psychological wound shaped by humiliation, instability, and constant survival mode.
She interprets everything through a broken lens. Her inability to process kindness is so severe that even on the wedding night, when Gu Si tells her she’s free, untouchable, and will eventually be divorced and returned to her lover, she still spirals into panic.
That’s untreated trauma.
And this is where her real development begins.
Her first major glow-up happens early: she realizes that Gu Si, who could’ve overpowered her at any moment and had every social advantage, chose to give her control.
He let her chase him with a sword.
He let her lock him up.
He negotiated instead of dominating.
Why?
Not because he’s weak but because he’s decent, guilt-ridden, and fundamentally good.
That moment cracks her worldview for the first time.
From there, Lui Ru becomes brighter, more confident, more emotionally aware, more capable of reading people, and eventually starts mirroring Gu Si’s steadiness.
That’s character development. That’s growth.
Gu Si?
He stays the same man the same sharp, principled, talkative, quietly heroic personality he always was.
He was never a playboy, never irresponsible, never shallow. He trained, he helped people, he searched for purpose outside the suffocating expectations of his family’s business.
He wasn’t “redeemed.”
He was misunderstood.
He was always that shiny sword.
Lui Ru was the blade without a sheath rusted, brittle, defensive.
And Gu Si became both her blacksmith and her protection.
So no, the drama isn’t about his transformation.
It’s about her finally seeing him clearl and becoming someone worthy of standing beside him and each other.
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