Surprisingly Sweet
Summary: Although I was a bit hesitant to watch a Korean drama with another domineering and self-important male lead, I gave this a try anyway and was pleasantly surprised. The interaction between the two leads were so sweet and it was nice that there was very little misunderstanding nor mistrust between the two (unlike usual romcoms). I do wish there was more development of characters’ backstories, relationships, and the general storyline rather than lonnnggg, dragged out staring, kissing, travel scenery, and tourism scenes that ate up precious screen time (had to fast forward a lot), particularly dialogue between the leads that could have explained what actually led them to their love for each other. There was also a heavy focus on social disparities (including bullying, bribery, lack of boundaries, etc.) among senior and junior colleagues, addressing Korea’s excessive work culture, which I found interesting and sad at the same time. Also, the amount of blatant advertising in Korean dramas lately is sickening; I mean, how many times do I need to watch someone open up a bottle of Montbest water or work a Nespresso machine or put on Paiget jewelry or spray Sauvage cologne? But I guess they need the sponsorship money to make the film. The soundtrack was solid though.
Details: Let’s start with the leads’ relationship development. While one can piece together (or imagine) what led to Gu Won and Cheon Sa-rang confessing their love at such an early point in the show, I felt it came too soon and without much dialogue (like conversations about their backgrounds or what made them who they were) to build that level of trust; there were many long scenes of them in or around water…and that was about it. I did love the bonds created between Cheon Sa-rang’s best friends and Gu Won’s crew. Cheon Sa-rang’s halmeoni and Prince Samir were probably my favorite eccentric characters, who helped push Gu Won into realizing his deep love for Cheon Sa-rang. The actress that played Gu Hwa-ran did a great job as a villain and it’s easy to hate her in the show, and I wish her character was developed a little more towards the end.
Gu Won’s smoldering stare (uhhhh @_@), which one can get lost in and I think some characters did, was mesmerizing. I was impressed by the total night and day difference between his brooding stares and cheery smiles when his character changed. He also looked a bit like a male version of one of my friends so that was a bit awkward in the beginning. Lol. One of the things I loved about Gu Won’s character is that he had some weaknesses in front of Cheon Sa-rang, like being a scaredy cat, which I thought was refreshing for a male lead.
The level of workplace social disparities shown in Asian dramas is shocking and I had not previously seen it to the extent it was conveyed in this show, which made me look up whether that was true or not. Appears it’s not far from the truth that company management and senior colleagues can often exploit their employees, forcing them to work harder, work overtime, and spend personal time outside of working hours to go drinking/dining with coworkers. The one thing I didn’t expect was Gu Won’s more compassionate perspective toward employees.
Of course, as with many Asian dramas, there’s a twist in the last episode which I thought could have come a bit sooner so that there could be more development into the ending. For example, the big decision that Cheon Sa-rang made was awesome (deviated from the usual female lead) and I would have loved to see more to that part of the story to lift up folks from a similar background. I also love how patient Gu Won was in hearing her explanation and really showed his devotion to her after that twist, which was super sweet. Would have loved to see more of their life together after a certain event. One character I do feel bad for was No Sing-sik, who could have also had a happy ending as well.
Side Notes - I had minor issues about:
- who exactly was the guy in the beginning that called him and told him he was at the wrong building; that was never transitioned or explained
- during the interview on Jeju Island, it seemed strange why Cheon Sa-rang blindly accepted but didn’t run the new set of questions by Gu Won before that embarrassing moment
- if Cheon Sa-rang was on special assignment (or request) to watch Yoon Ji-hu, why did she return so quickly to her regular job (especially if Gu Won could have bonded with his nephew a bit more)
- how none of the employees noticed Gu Won in the elevator before they gave Cheon Sa-rang the third degree about her big, embarrassing news
Details: Let’s start with the leads’ relationship development. While one can piece together (or imagine) what led to Gu Won and Cheon Sa-rang confessing their love at such an early point in the show, I felt it came too soon and without much dialogue (like conversations about their backgrounds or what made them who they were) to build that level of trust; there were many long scenes of them in or around water…and that was about it. I did love the bonds created between Cheon Sa-rang’s best friends and Gu Won’s crew. Cheon Sa-rang’s halmeoni and Prince Samir were probably my favorite eccentric characters, who helped push Gu Won into realizing his deep love for Cheon Sa-rang. The actress that played Gu Hwa-ran did a great job as a villain and it’s easy to hate her in the show, and I wish her character was developed a little more towards the end.
Gu Won’s smoldering stare (uhhhh @_@), which one can get lost in and I think some characters did, was mesmerizing. I was impressed by the total night and day difference between his brooding stares and cheery smiles when his character changed. He also looked a bit like a male version of one of my friends so that was a bit awkward in the beginning. Lol. One of the things I loved about Gu Won’s character is that he had some weaknesses in front of Cheon Sa-rang, like being a scaredy cat, which I thought was refreshing for a male lead.
The level of workplace social disparities shown in Asian dramas is shocking and I had not previously seen it to the extent it was conveyed in this show, which made me look up whether that was true or not. Appears it’s not far from the truth that company management and senior colleagues can often exploit their employees, forcing them to work harder, work overtime, and spend personal time outside of working hours to go drinking/dining with coworkers. The one thing I didn’t expect was Gu Won’s more compassionate perspective toward employees.
Of course, as with many Asian dramas, there’s a twist in the last episode which I thought could have come a bit sooner so that there could be more development into the ending. For example, the big decision that Cheon Sa-rang made was awesome (deviated from the usual female lead) and I would have loved to see more to that part of the story to lift up folks from a similar background. I also love how patient Gu Won was in hearing her explanation and really showed his devotion to her after that twist, which was super sweet. Would have loved to see more of their life together after a certain event. One character I do feel bad for was No Sing-sik, who could have also had a happy ending as well.
Side Notes - I had minor issues about:
- who exactly was the guy in the beginning that called him and told him he was at the wrong building; that was never transitioned or explained
- during the interview on Jeju Island, it seemed strange why Cheon Sa-rang blindly accepted but didn’t run the new set of questions by Gu Won before that embarrassing moment
- if Cheon Sa-rang was on special assignment (or request) to watch Yoon Ji-hu, why did she return so quickly to her regular job (especially if Gu Won could have bonded with his nephew a bit more)
- how none of the employees noticed Gu Won in the elevator before they gave Cheon Sa-rang the third degree about her big, embarrassing news
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