Tania40

Tbh in my first watch all I cared about was the romance and disliked Gilchae for not accepting her growing and confusing feelings for JangHyeon earlier, I couldn't resent her because I loved her character. I just wanted to understand her choices. However, in my second watch her actions gave me more clarity and I understood the choices the leads made, especially GH. She let go of her childish crush for a man that she thought she loved but she didn't really know but then she realised her love was for JH much earlier than in Gone with the Wind. In that movie Scarlet only realises right at the end she loves Rhett, so I agree that in GWTW she never deserved the ML. Thankfully My dearest deviated from GWTW and GH proved her love to JH through sacrifice, support and patience for him. He was her choice all along. Her destiny was already written through her dreams.
I would suggest to watch this again or at least the FLs scenes as so many emotions and dialogues can be missed or not registered in the first watch especially in such a complex and layered story like this.

GH was always in love with JH and her dream scene in the beginning of the drama shows her running to the man she was always destined to be with. This was the final scene in the drama but she had to go through obstacles and life to get to him. Thats the beauty of their love story. Its complicated, painful, messy, chaotic, passionate and full of angst and longing. They are both flawed characters, not the typical ML and FL roles in kdramas.
This couple were deeply in love with each other but had to change to be with each other which makes them real and raw and wonderful to watch. She was too stubborn, immature and young to realise and understand her feelings for JH. She was also very young (think supposed to be 16) and immature. He was alot older worldly and experienced.
GH had to grow up, mature, unfortunately suffer and go through different experiences to realise JH was always in her heart, once she knew and she didn’t have to hide her feelings, she gave him her all in the second part of the drama.
The ML also had to wait for her to grow and mature and he suffered too but he never wavered in his love for her.
As for the choices she made; GH went back home after JH told her to leave because of the princess. She didn't want to leave him but he told her to go home to her husband. I'm not sure if you misderstood or misinterpreted her words but when she returned home she told her husband that if he wanted to divorce her because of her abuse then she would have fought him on that because that wasn’t her fault. SHE chose to leave him and divorced him because she never loved him and had always loved JH. She kept her feelings hidden and acted the dutiful wife to her husband but after everything that happened in China she decided she would leave her husband regardless whether JH returned or not. She only married her husband because of her family's reputation and her responsibility to them.
The director said he wanted to show the harsh reality of war and how it affects people so everything that happened - especially to the FL was intentional to show the characters persistence and strength and the ML'S unconditional love for her and that's what makes this a classic unique and unforgettable drama.

Same feelings...read my comment below

Really tried to watch and like this especially for Jung Haein. He has always been great and believable as well as swoon-worthy in his roles but here he just didn't appeal to me. The FL's acting felt forced, the chemistry fell flat. The shift in tone from serious to light and then serious again felt jarring- anyway dropped it.

This drama was perfectly done! It is a slow-burn love story.
The leads gave me butterflies watching them. Their anguish, relentless longing and yearning, desperation and torment of being apart were obvious to see and felt so real. When I watched this the first time all I cared about was the romance and disliked Gilchae for not accepting her growing and confusing feelings for JangHyeon earlier, but in my second watch her actions gave me more clarity and I understood the choices the leads made, especially the FL. Their relationship started with teasing, flirting, then a push-pull dynamic, then angst and then finally accepting their love and being honest with each other.
Gilchae was much younger and inexperienced than Janghyeon so she had to grow, mature and suffer in life to fully realise and understand her deep love for the ML. He also had to patiently wait and suffer for her to mature, but never wavered in his devotion to her. When the time was right for the both of them to finally give in to each other it was just beautiful to watch.
This was my first watch of the leads and now they are my most beloved and favourite kdrama couple ever! Their mind-blowing chemistry along with the supporting cast made this an epic watch for me - can't recommend enough!

Absolute gem! This made me fall sooo hard for Lee Janghyeon. Gilchae is probably one of my favourite female leads and I won't be forgetting her for a while. Both leads were the perfect mix of everything - chaos, love, passion, yearning, angst. Cinematography and costume were on point with amazing support cast. For me the romance was the best I've seen in a while, it was beautiful and the soundtrack is unforgettable ❤️

This feels exactly like Queen of Tears. It never quite clicked for me and I wasn't as invested as I'd hoped I would be. The story dragged and I struggled to connect with the characters - I felt emotionally removed from their fates and the purpose of the plot.
Both leads looked visually stunning aswell as the set and costumes etc but it did feel the drama was prioritizing visuals over any meaningful storyline (all style and no substance) which to me is a shame because I love both leads especially BWS who was brilliant in Lovely Runner, had magnetic screen presence as a villain in Strong Girl Nam soon (better than the lead) and was adorable and sweet in 20th Century girl. He can act naturally well in those roles, same with IU in WLGYT. Here even though she was good at the beginning, she changed and I didn't understand what her role was half way through.
The romance also didn't hit the spot, it was all slow long glances between them with music to enhance their moments but it always felt surface-level connection without the emotional depth. Watching them didn't give me butterflies or wanting more.
During the drama my mind kept wandering and I wanted to finish it.
I think this was a case of looks good on paper rather than on screen. The concept was interesting but it was poorly executed so for me it was average at best!

Funny, refreshing and healing. Guests were amazing and loved the shows vibe. Watched for Woo Seuk but ended up loving everyone on the show.

I just finished it and it's one of my top 3 kdramas.
It truly is a modern day Romeo and Juliet inspired drama about beautiful tender forbidden first love. This leaves a lasting haunting impression compared to conventional romance dramas. It has high risk, has emotional depth and is heartbreaking and tragic.
The emotional tension was heightened to the point I was left breathless after each episode and the romantic chemistry between the two lead actors was palpable. Loved it to bits and I can't recommend it enough!

The couple's romance acts as the show's core theme. Their desperate longing amongst all the chaos was emotional and intense to watch. The ending was tragic but expected. I think less focus and screen time on the wives would have been better but overall this drama was unforgettable.
I just need another drama with these two beautiful leads again and a different ending!

Oh thanks so much....helped

Maybe its just me but I didn't understand who the woman was i think in the last episode. She played Ae Suns mother and she was also at the end with a picture of a family and it showed a girl picking Ae Suns ring I think. If anyone can explain that whole part it would be great. The rest of the drama was amazing especially young Ae Sun and Gwan Sik and their son was hilarious.

It's basically a glossier, slicker and modern version of BOF with a bigger and now some very famous (well known) cast members. Both of Lee Min Ho's dramas were OTT and had cringy lines, similar tropes, but BOF is iconic and Lee Min Ho's character in that as the ultimate original rich arrogant bad boy was unforgettable and even though he was playing a similar rich boy role here, it just lacked something...that oomph! - in other words if another actor had played this role it would have had the same impact for me, neither good or bad, just blah.
I have a soft spot for Lee Min Ho and like Kim Ji Won so they were my main motivation for watching this and I'll say it passed the time but that's about it for me.

I did a rewatch recently and tbh it does bring back nostalgia and the storyline is quite addictive with no boring parts as it always introduces new plots and twists, but I still am not convinced with the fl and wish she fought more for her love and not just make blank faces constantly.

The story is heart-warming and it has it's charm. There are all the tropes you see nowadays, the OST was and is still addictive. I can overlook or ignore some of the OTT acting, outdated fashion, the visuals, clichés because of when it came out-its an older drama.
However, the fl was just unwatchable at times. As pointed out its not that she's unattractive or not cute (she wasn't supposed to be a beauty anyway in the story), but I will admit when she smiled it was sweet and endearing (just wished she did it more). Maybe if she did that more instead of yelling and doing wierd expressions constantly then it would be easier to like her. She had a lack of awareness at all times. I wish sometimes she would say loving words or show affection, it was always GJO initiating whilst she stood blank and stiff in intimate scenes or was just unresponsive. To me GJP's fiance portrayed her love for him better and probably deserved him more at the end.
Alot of their problems could also have been solved if they had communicated better instead of running away or yelling or acting on impulse.
Jandi was also unfaithful to the male lead which didn't sit right with me. She just came across as a cheat and gold digger in the earlier episodes. She never should have accepted to be his girlfriend and his gifts if she liked another guy. GJO wasn't perfect by any means but he was actually trying to change, lavished gifts on her, whisked her away on his private plane to an island. He wasn't her first choice or first love.
Lee Min Ho played the handsome rich arrogant jerk perfectly. He was the best part of the drama and this drama was the first to introduce me to the world of kdramas.

Found out there was an advertising campaign which included a short modern day love story with the leads together (Nyang and Tawhan) around the same time empress ki was running which meant Tawhan was already forecasted to be the main romantic lead and with empress ki till the end. He must have been a hit with the viewers as it's their love story that continued.... I only wish it had been made into a series.

A great fast paced action drama! Lots of violence but still had soul. The story was engaging and kept my attention throughout. There were conflicts and character developments. The leads all had strong solid storylines which were convincing and believable and the best part, is that it was a female-driven story. The actress was spectacular in the action scenes and suited this role well.

It's very long but worth it!

Oh my! What a special and bittersweet drama. Just wished the main couple had more time together. This was my first time watching the main lead (BWS) and I was immediately struck by his looks and onscreen presence. I instantly became a fan so I wanted to watch another of his more recent dramas but made the unfortunate mistake of watching Strong girl Nam soon (thinking he would be the male lead). Turns out he wasn't, however on the up side he was the only positive thing worth watching (aesthetically and acting wise) as the rest was a complete mess. Back to 20th CG KYJ is amazing as usual. She always comes across so natural in her acting - it doesn't feel like she's acting (if that makes sense).
Anyway yes, this was a unique drama that delivers emotionally and no I wasn't prepared for the ending but loved the drama ❤️

A lovely slow paced slice of real life drama that tells a beautiful story of a simple hard working family. There are no thrills or passionate scenes or OTT charcters. I love this type of story telling and if the cast can portray the characters well then its a bonus. The fl hardly spoke in the earlier episodes, she used her expressions to convey her emotions which were done brilliantly and the male lead was perfect as the antihero. It was nuanced performances. This wasn't a romance but the moments between the main couple were tingling and I felt she had better chemistry with him than with the ml in Queen of Tears which is supposed to be her best work and couple pairing.

Amazing Amazing Amazing!
Loved the intrictate details in the plot and all the layers of emotions the characters displayed, especially from the 3 main leads. They were phenomenal and the main leads had one of the best chemistry I've seen in a drama. This is probably in my top 5, it was that good 👍