Vlr17

Disappointingly Average

This drama's problems begin in the marketing itself. I will be candid, I'm not really a fan of the story within a story format. Especially for romances, because that always feels so unfulfilling at the end. But nowhere in the description of the drama on MDL or IQIYI did it announce it was that, so I went in thinking it was a regular historical thriller. Despite tending to dislike that plot, I decided to watch on because I love tension and everything I'd seen had promised me that in spades. However, I think this drama only partially delivered. The past life scenes between Ning and Xie Wei were so tense and just what I was looking for however it wasn't the same with the current timeline. Obviously, they did have chemistry and tension but for me, it just wasn't doing it. Like when you compare the two timelines, past her is not nearly as frightened of him so they have this intensity that just doesn't happen in the current timeline. It is basically a one-sided obsession for the majority of the current timeline, and I don't even understand how she fell for him. Another thing, what was with the mental health rep? I don't understand why they included the mental illness at all, he could have hated the snow and been cruel without bringing in a disorder that is already stigmatized to use as an excuse for his violence.
I do want to say I did enjoy this drama, it was beautifully shot, the soundtrack was epic, and the acting was great. This was my first Bai Lu drama, but I've been in the cdrama sphere for about a year so I'm familiar with her name, and I was really impressed. I will definitely check out another one when I have the opportunity. The male lead did great as well, as did all the supporting actors.
Overall, I would recommend this drama, 8.5/10

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A sequel that completely stands on its own

I will be honest, I have not watched the first love class. I never saw anything about it that drew me in so going into this, I was prepared to be a little confused plot wise. Luckily, that wasn't really the case and I was able to enjoy the episodes completely. In order of couples, I was really having trouble picking a favorite. I loved all of them. I geuss I'll put Sungmin and Joohyuk at the bottom because their story is my least favourite. The synopsis of their story is completely wrong, which is why I must have been so let down at the start. I am not really into the drunk hookup trope but I thought it would be kinda fun for them. They had chemistry, that NC scene had me in shock, so I felt like it could have worked for them. But instead, they made Joohyuk an ass and had him threaten Sungmin in order to get a date so they could then drunk hookup. Post hookup though, I really liked them. I wish it'd started different but I really liked where it went. My second favourite was Maru and Minwoo, I'm a big sucker for unrequited love. My main, and only, issue with them is Minwoo slut shaming Maru. I get he was upset and Maru had deserved to be lectured but calling him a slut was WAY too far. I wish he'd gotten a little more lecturing but he did apologise and seemed to know that what he'd said was wrong. That aside though, I adore them. I love jealousy (done correctly) and I was living for Maru when Minwoo and Sa Ra were pretending to date. His reactions were everything, I loved it. And now, my favourite couple, Kim An and Lee Hyun. I loved them so much, they had a good plot line and their chemistry was good. My only qualm is the kisses were not good. Especially when you compare to the other two couples, who were doing very well with their kisses. I don't really have any excuses for lip presses anymore, don't join a drama that has kiss scenes if you can't commit to kissing.
Overall, this drama is good and it's worth the watch. You don't have to watch the first season, I didn't, so if the couples interest you than please give this a watch

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Mediocrity at its finest

I have many issues with this drama, which I'll go into later, but I think my biggest problem is that this drama COULD'VE been a 10 star for me. They kept dropping interesting storyline after interesting storyline and if this drama had properly explored even one of them, it could've been great. But they didn't. Anyway, here is my review of Tin Tem Jai.
Story:
So this drama follows Tin, a university student who lives with his long time crush Park. I actually really liked Tin as a main character. He was funny, caring, sassy, and just overall fun to watch. His storyline with his mom was also extremely interesting and I wish we'd gotten more from it. Seen his relationship with her before she left him with Park and his mother, actually gotten some exploration into Tins abandonment issues and his feelings on his mothers new family. We got crumbs but I wanted more. My problem was with Park. How do I say this? Park was boring. He had barely any personality, he had no hobbies, he had 3 facial expressions the entire drama, and he had the charisma of a twig. Together, these two characters had no chemistry. Enter the second lead, Ploen. He's got good chemistry with Tin, they share an interest, he's open with how he feels about Tin, and he's handsome. Literally they made the perfect love interest the second lead😭 I was so upset that Tin didn't pick him, I knew he wouldn't but I was grinning and kicking my feet for them only for Tin to reject him. As for the second couple, I feel robbed. We get build up, a hot sex scene, and then we never saw them alone together again until the special episodes. We see them together in group scenes and they both get a few solo scenes but I wanted more. I wanted what was in the special episodes to be in the main ones. Just them being a cute couple and that chaotic boyfriend calm boyfriend dynamic they had. They had the chance to make them stronger as a couple when Pao ods. It is said that Kana previously did drugs so if they'd given glimpses of him helping Pao through the rehab process (not that he actually went because tv doctors are stupid but hypothetically) would give them a chance to connect more. Another unexplored storyline dropped in for conflict. Speaking of unexplored, I want to know more about Bai. Her transition, how she built herself from a run away to a successful hair salon owner, and the tense relationship she has with her family. Because having family be unaccepting of your identity is a reality for many lgbtq+ people and it clearly had not resolved. Though her brother and her friends show her unconditional support, her parents do not.
Acting:
The acting in this show is fine. Not horrible but not going to win any awards either.
Soundtrack:
Fine, except during the sex scenes. Specifically for the main couple. The main couple has one sex scene in the 10 episodes and 2 in the special episodes. All have terrible music. Due to the actors lack of chemistry, the sex is kind of boring and awkward so the terrible music just makes it worse.
Rewatch value:
Haha, no. I will not watch this again, ever.
Overall:
I did not hate this drama but I was severely disappointed and underwhelmed. Personally wouldn't recommend

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Cute

I mean, I don't know how else to describe this drama. The romance is cute, the village dynamic is fun, the actors are good. It's just so cute. It's not anything absolutely ground breaking, in fact it's got quite a few kdrama romance clichés(they knew each other as kids, male best friend is the second lead, etc) but it was cute and I didn't really mind it. I think this is a great drama for beginners or for anyone who loves cute romances. Also if you liked Hometown Cha Cha Cha then you will probably like this as well. Overall I highly recommend you watch it, it's a mood booster and a fun watch

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I despised this movie

I know the title may seem a bit dramatic but I am not exaggerating, I genuinely hated this movie. Don't get me wrong, the actual movie part was good and I would have loved it if not for the story. I hate romanticised cheating with a burning passion, there are very few stories where I don't mind it and I assure you that this was not one of them. I understand being unable to be yourself due to the pressure of society and such but jfc, just break up with her if you want to date another person. And, while I do like him for the most part, Toey was no better than Oat. He engaged in the relationship even though he KNEW he was married and had a kid! Like they knew each other for a few weeks in the first movie and that forms enough love to last four years and make him ok with being a side piece??I don't think so. If he was with him not knowing he was married, that would be much more sympathy inducing. But the ending of this had me so angry I was on the verge of tears. I don't know how I finished this movie, at least the first one had Yumi. Sorry for the lengthy rant but oof, I haven't been this pissed off at a movie ever so I needed to get it all out. As a recap, don't watch unless you are ok with cheating in your romances.

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Watch this drama asap

So I watched the show while it was airing and only now am writing a review? Seems odd but I had to. I was unable to think about this drama without crying for a long time so I needed the time to calm down and piece my thoughts together. So here I am, finally reviewing my favourite show of all time.
Story:
This drama is incredibly well written and every thing that happens makes sense in the world of 2521. HeeDo and YiJin are our female and male leads, both having different backgrounds and ways of thinking about the world. They mirror and oppose each other perfectly. The story is that in the future, HeeDos daughter is looking back at her moms past through her diaries. We see HeeDo as she meets YiJin, as she works incredibly hard to get where she wants to go. But the drama does give us YiJin solo moments so we as the viewers know things that HeeDo does not but also are given the chance to connect with YiJin as he works to rebuild his family. I also want to clarify the age thing. HeeDo, in Korean age , is an adult when we first meet her. She is 18 Korean age so she is an adult. They don't begin to date until she is 19/20(I can't quite remember) Korean age but she was always an adult. Plus the friendships in this drama were so sweet and wholesome

Acting:
Phenomenal on all fronts, each of them did an excellent job. No complaints.

Soundtrack:
I already preordered the ost, need I say more?

Rewatchability:
For me, never. This drama tore my heart out and I can't watch it again but for you, who probably won't sob for 30 minutes after watching the final episode like I did, it is definitely rewatchable.

Overall:
Please watch this. It is so good

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I feel mixed

When I first watched this, I really enjoyed it. I was a Pai stan from episode one and I really shipped both main couples(Pai/Itt and Pure/Folk) but as I still had a few issues.
Story:
I will say what every bl fan is thinking, the engineering concept is over done and we need more diversity when it comes to the college majors/give us more non college related bls. However, at least they gave Folk and Pai non engineering majors(Pai is a medical student and Folk is a dental student).Aside from that, the show was fun and I enjoyed watching it, I tried rewatching it and I got to episode 8 before I had to stop.I am still a Pai stan and honestly...I think he deserves better than Itt. Itt annoyed me quite a bit, his attitude towards Pai for the majority of the college part of the show was so irritating and he should have treated him better. I honestly think Pai would be better with Folk. Folk is much nicer but Folk/Pure is one of my favourite ships so I can't say I'm sad about Pai/Folk not happening. Before Folk came along though, I genuinely shipped Waan and Pure. I thought they had a great dynamic and was crushed when they didn't get together. But once Folk came along, Waan/Pure was forgotten about.

Acting:
I think they all did an good job but my favourite actor was the guy who played Pai. He made me get really attached to him and I hurt for him every time Itt was a fudging jerk. The other actors did well.

Soundtrack:
Forgettable but pretty

Rewatchability:
It is an easy watch if you are looking for a bl to watch while you wait for new ones to come out or just need a show to watch. I just can't finish rewatching it because I'm too fed up with Itt and the way he's acting


Overall:
Cute but there are much better ones out there. Pai stan forever and screw Itt's dad, he is the worst, I hate him so much. This is a good show for beginner bl watchers.

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Why does this show only have an 8.8 rating?

I adore this show, so so much. I truly enjoyed it so much and had practically no grievances with it. The one or two I have are truly opinion-based and I don't truly consider them as flaws. Shall I begin?
Story, 10/10:
Where to begin? I think the supernatural element of this show is really interesting and I enjoy true crime so I liked that aspect as well. The group of ghost hunters isn't a new concept but I think the way it's done in this show is really fun. My two grievances fall into this category so I'll say it now. 1. I wish they'd kept So Hun disabled and he had learned to fight well despite it. I am most definitely biased since I myself am disabled and walk with a limp. Mine isn't injury based so it's a little different but still. My second and last grievance is that I wish they'd focused a tad bit more on the supernatural parts. They did in the beginning and don't get me wrong, I enjoy the true crime element quite a lot but I would've enjoyed a bit more evil spirit hunting. Also, the evil spirit villain in this show is scary as hell and I hate that high-pitched giggle he does.

Acting, 10/10:
I found absolutely no issues with the acting. I thought everyone was superb and I can't think of anyone whose acting I disliked. My favorite acting probably would come from the guy who plays the evil spirit villain. He is so scary and I get anxious every time I see him on the screen.

Music, 8.5/10:
The soundtrack was good but I wasn't blown away. I've heard better but I've also heard worse. This is on the higher end of the averageness scale. If you want to hear some good drama music, try watching Doom at your service or Hotel Del Luna. Both are killer though I prefer DAYS over HDL.

Characters(I know it's not a category but I'm including it anyway):
My favorite character is So Hun, no competition. He has such a sweet personality and I truly relate to him. I am really emotional and I am disabled so I clicked with him instantly. My second favorite character is Ha-Na, she is so badass. She is also really pretty. My third favorite is a tie between the former policeman and the healer lady. I hate that I forgot their names but that doesn't mean I don't care for them. I hate the villains so much, I can't pick who is more loathable. Also, So Hun's friends are great and I like them a lot.

Rewatchability, 9/10:
I don't tend to rewatch things and I doubt I will rewatch this but that is just me. For anyone else, I think watching a second time would be pretty fun. Not as fun since the suspense would be gone but it would still be fun.

Overall, 10/10:
Please, please, please watch this show. It is really good and I wish more people were talking about it. It is one of the best drama's I've watched and I hope you'll like it as well. But a bit of a warning, it can be a bit gruesome and bloody but nothing too gratuitous.

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I love this show

This show is really good,i like watching it and the two main couples are really cute. The acting is good most of the time but when it comes to any crying scene,i think the person who plays Gui needs some improvements. It's not terrible but it's a little unbelievable. I don't know about you but I don't cry like that and i don't know anyone who does. Besides that, I still do really like it. The relationships are cute and wholesome but I'm a bit nervous about the next episode because of the girl. I hate it in bl's when there is a girl put in to cause drama. I know it's based on a book but still. If they break up because of that, I'm going to be annoyed. Anyway, can't wait for the next episode to come out.

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Cute… except for the ableism and weight shaming

I was absolutely so in love with this drama when I started it, the main couple is adorable and had me kicking my feet and I really liked the side couples, but then Shan Shan was introduced and it became super ableist for absolutely no reason. This genuinely makes me so sad and angry because I pushed myself through until the couple got together but then I had to stop, I just couldn’t take it. When will tv shows stop calling us (wheelchair users) burdensome? When will they stop making it out like using a wheelchair is the worst thing that could ever happen? I am not an amputee but I do use a wheelchair full time and the “fix the disability” plot made me feel icky. And the fact that she didn’t even want the prosthetics but agreed because her boyfriend thought she’d look better that way (he didn’t directly say that but when she asked him if that is what he thought, he didn’t deny it) made me so angry for her. Shan Shan deserved a better plot than this. I hate hate hate “fix the disability” stories, why can’t people just be in a wheelchair and have stories that don’t involve how horrible their lives must be because they can’t walk?

The weight shaming was also really uncomfortable. Wei Zhi was extremely skinny and the fact that her own love interest kept commenting on how much she eats and how heavy she was, it was terrible. Also the way her plus sized friend is referred to as Elephant in the subtitles made me want to throw hands. I hope it was a translation error and that poor actress didn’t have to hear people call her an elephant. Not to mention the plot with Yan. I didn’t get far enough to get the full story but I get the ick from stories where a person only becomes desirable after they lose weight.

Overall, I really recommend that you avoid this drama. The romance was cute and they had great chemistry but I think the plot ruins it. Also I think I’m going to avoid the male leads dramas from now on. He is a good actor but I’ve now seen two dramas of his that are pretty ableist, I’m going to steer clear for now. I think he’s going into these dramas with good intentions but cdrama writers don’t seem to know that being disabled doesn’t make you a burden or that using a wheelchair doesn’t mean your life is ruined and that you won’t be forever devoid of happiness because you can’t walk so I just can’t trust any drama that has him and a disabled character in it. Maybe I’ll try another of his eventually but not now.

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Almost perfect

So I watched this drama because I just finished watching Prisoner of Beauty and Zhao Lusi is my favorite cdrama actress and I absolutely loved it until the ending. The ending was so unsatisfying and disappointing that it dropped this from a 10 to a 9.5. Believe it or not, I don’t hate sad endings/ambiguous endings but they need to be well done. This was, in my opinion, not well done. We got no closure and were not told explicitly what happened, which takes it from tragic to frustrating. My heart would break having to watch it happen but at least I would know for sure instead of being left to assume. But I don’t want this entire review to be me ranting about my disappointment with the ending, let me talk about what I actually liked. For one, I absolutely loved Duanwu as a protagonist. She is intelligent and hard working and has been through some horrible things and come out on top. Lusi is a phenomenal actress and she absolutely killed it with this role. I enjoy her modern dramas but I must say, historicals are truly where she shines. Next, I absolutely adored the platonic relationships in this drama. Especially between Duanwu and her female companions. I enjoyed the romance fine, I shipped it, but I would have totally been fine if there was no romance and they only focused on the platonic relationships. But that’s just me. Speaking of romance… I preferred the second lead. Which is truly a rarity for me, usually I find second leads annoying, but I actually much preferred her with Mr Zhang. I enjoy enemies to lovers but as I’ve gotten older, friends to lovers has become much more my thing. I also cannot stand the miscommunication trope, especially when the reasoning doesn’t make sense to me. Not wanting her to be consumed by revenge thus lying to her and making her think it was all his fault just did not make sense to me. But back to the second lead. It was obvious she had no interest in him whatsoever but I couldn’t help but wish she would choose him. Speaking of couples, why did I low key like the second couple? Wu was so toxic and I despised him plus I got such sapphic vibes from Lady Cui at the start but man, some how they wore me down and I was shipping them at the end. Overall I really really enjoyed this drama but I think the ending is too vague and prevents it from being another ten star drama for me. 9.5/10

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Deserving of all its hype and more

This drama gets a lot of hype, like a lot, and if you are anything like me, that can be quite nerve wracking. However, this drama lives up to the hype completely. This drama has everything you could ever hope for in a coming of age story, truly. A strong willed and confident female lead who stands up for herself, a male lead who is down BAD for her and protects her, no love triangles, strong and beautiful friendships, great comedy, incredible chemistry between the couples, and a happy ending. It’s perfect. I have watched it twice now and it was even better on second watch, somehow. If you are interested in watching this show, I really encourage you to do so. Personally, I recommend watching it on Netflix or the original network it aired on(YOUKU, I think) Viki cuts out some scenes however it’s nothing truly important, just some scenes towards the end that are super cute so you won’t actually miss anything important if you do watch on Viki. Anyway, this drama is wonderful and I would love if the cast reunited for a different drama because I would love to see them together again. 10/10 recommend.

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Disturbing but brilliant

I am not really a horror person so when I first went into this, I was a little nervous. I don’t do well with jump scares or anything scary but I had very little trouble with this. So if horror isn’t typically your genre, I would still recommend you give this a try. Unless you’re super squeamish then I’d recommend you steer clear.
So I went into this with knowledge of the ending/big twist but it didn’t hinder my enjoyment at all. It was really interesting thinking about what would come next, how they would get out of each door, what the taboos were and who would die. Speaking of death, I think I cried harder at this drama than I’ve cried at any other contemporary cdrama like ever. I actually had to pause a few times just to sob because I was crying so hard I couldn’t see anything. I am dead inside. As for the bromance aspect of the show, I really enjoyed it. They were cute and funny and honestly soulmates. I do have mixed feelings about the ending because while it can technically be called a happy ending, I would classify it as ambiguous. A little bit like the ending of Guardian, though perhaps not as depressing. Happy enough but if you think about it, there are too many unanswered questions for me to be content.
Over all, I super recommend this. The acting is great, the story is intriguing, and the OST is pretty good. 10/10

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A mess but it's entertaining

What to say, what to say. This drama is very difficult for me to review because while I know it’s not the best show objectively and has its fair share of issues, I had a really fun time watching it. So the reviewer in me wants to give this a solid 6 stars, the rest of me wants to give it a nine. So I decided to give it an 8.5. I think the thing about this show that makes it so enjoyable for me, rather than something I was watching purely to review it, was the chemistry between the actors. Sunny and Pak had excellent chemistry, they were able to make most of the horribly cringy dialogue bearable and I don’t think this drama could have worked without them.

This drama follows Namnuea, a wedding planner, as he falls in love with one of his clients. I know, it’s an alarming premise. But it is not what you think, well actually yes it is. The plot twist in this show is so predictable, everyone can see it coming. If you guessed both Lom(the groom) and Yiwa(the bride) are gay and that the marriage is fake to appeal to their parents, congrats. You would be correct. This is not an original concept, Mame really was just writing an excuse to get the LITA couples married and threw the main couple in to fill time. Which really makes me laugh seeing as the LITA couples got maybe 2 minutes of screen time each, in total. I could be wrong, it could be Mame wanted to try her hand at a cheating romance and added the LITA couples in to show Nuea working but I don’t think so. Before you watch this show, I do think it’s important to know that there is SA in this. Nuea sleeps with Lom while he is sober and Lom is very very drunk. It’s in episode 4, around the 53 or 54-minute mark. It is, as is typical for Mame it seems, not portrayed as SA but romantic. I hope I don’t need to tell you that drunk people cannot consent to sex, even if they make the first move and a sober person sleeping with them is assault. The scene is kind of important to the plot in the sense that it starts the episode 5/6 conflict but you don’t need to watch it if it will upset or trigger you. They do sleep together again if you want an NC scene. The dialogue is very cringe, I feel so bad for Pak cause it’s always Nuea who gets the terrible lines. As for the other characters, I really liked Yiwa and Marine. They are so adorable, a very desired wholesome and drama-free break from the emotional roller coaster that is Lom x Nuea. Nuea’s co-workers/ friends are so funny but I also really love that J’Im always had Nuea’s back. She was very protective of him and I loved that. The secondary side couple is cute, from what little we see of them.
But for all this show's flaws and issues, I really did have fun watching. I laughed, I giggled, and kicked my feet, all the stuff. Maybe I’ll edit this when the wedding episode or whatever the 8th episode on IQIYI will be comes out and give my feelings on that but for now, this is it.

*EDIT*
Hi there, I'm here after the wedding episode. Um, it was cute. It's always fascinating seeing wedding traditions from cultures that aren't my own and they're very cute together but like,there was no need to make it behind a pay wall. It's like seven dollars, so not terrible, but the episode should have been free. But it doesn't matter too much now anyway, I already bought it. Over all notes are J'Im rocks, she's the best and we're honestly being robbed of Sun and Ryu. They're cute and I wanted to know more. Also really wasn't vibing with how rushed the wedding was, Nuea only knew he'd be getting married the night before and Loms mom wasn't even invited. Not that you have to invite your parents to your wedding but I felt like there was no reason to exclude her except maybe for Yiwa and Marines comfort? Idk, it felt odd. Like Lom could get them from the UK for a wedding but not his mom from Bangcock to Chang Mai? Especially when the beginning of the episode started with Nuea wanting to be approved by the mom, a good full circle would have been her saying some lovely words of blessing at the wedding. But whatever. This episode doesn't improve my rating, the episode itself will get probably a 5, but I said I'd update so here it is

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I loved this, mostly

This show was really really fun to watch. I laughed quite a bit and I'm glad I took the time to watch it. The plot is fun, the cast is great, and the couples are super cute. I only had a few problems.
Story: 9.5
I love enemies to lovers, it's probably one of my top three favorite romance tropes. So this was super nice. Unfortunately, I kind of fell out of love with the main couple about midway through and paused watching. I finished watching it yesterday and I'm glad I did because I love it but the main couple was kind of a rollercoaster of emotions for me. They were fun in the beginning, then Tim is introduced and I was like "oh, um, ok. He's THAT character". Wasn't a huge Tim fan if you can't tell. I liked him more toward the end but he and Mai were my least favorite couple definitely. Got annoyed with their back and forth quite fast, communication is a necessity for them. Speaking of communication, the KimMek breakup could've been avoided. If they'd discussed it like grown-ups instead of Kim being kind of an A-hole, things would've been different. He didn't have to say those really mean things to Mek to get him to go abroad, try having a conversation, please. I beg you. I'm glad they made up though, though I was definitely upset with Kim and kinda wanted Mek to make him work a bit harder to get his forgiveness but I'm also glad they got together quickly. Speaking of forgiveness, Bearrrr, my love, that was so cute. His use of the love actually method to say sorry was really adorable and those two were definitely my favorite. My heart broke for Bomb though, that was the worst part of that whole situation. Loved the apology but I hurt for Bomb when Bear forgot. They were my faves from episode one but I grew to love them more and more with each episode. Now for the last couple, ParkLee. They were cute and very healthy. Park thinking Lee was you knowing (sorry, I've used a lot of spoilers so I'm trying to be more subtle lol) didn't make sense though. And then they did it again but with Lee wondering if Park was doing it. Didn't like it, really annoyed me cause they could've just spoken and it would've saved Park the tears. I swear communication is an issue for nearly everyone at one point. But that aside, I really really loved this show.

Cast/Acting: 10
Love them, they did a great job. All of them were great, as a 2moons2 fan, it was nice to see the guy who plays Kim again and the guy who plays Mek is very handsome. I'm excited to see anything else these actors will pursue

OST: 10
This was stunning. Jeff has an incredible voice and I really like the song. One of the best I've ever heard

Rewatch Value: 9.0
It's really really fun to watch so if you're bored and no bls are piquing your interest, this is definitely one that can be watched again

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