Why Am I Here

A Great Show to Go Through A Breakup!

Ooh, another underhyped show! Judging by the summary I thought this show is going to be another goofy romcom, because a dating coach failed in a relationsip? Turns out this show involves a quite heavy topic, yet packed it in a very lightweight way: breakups. This show talks about two people going through post-breakup hardships. Each people has their own "coping mechanism" to respond a break up. However a break up is not about a winning or losing. If you have a wrecked car you can jump off from it, or bring it to a repair shop and drive it again.

I love the pacing of the story, it's somewhat slow-burn but really heartwarming. The intensity were building really slowly, but it was worth it at the end. It was also very funny on the middle part of the show. The ML and FL are really insufferable at the beginning, but I love their character development, maturing slowly as the story progressing. Great performance and chemistry for Yoo In A and Yoon Hyun Min. Also outstanding performance for Kim Ye Ji as Bo Mi and her chemistry with Jin Ho, and great performance from Hong Hwa Yeon too!

Several things that bother me: There was a scene where Bo Ra had a drink with Yu Jung after her boyfriend dumped and cheated on her. She insisted that she would try to win him back. I couldn't understand why Yu Jung cheered her on this instead of telling her to let go, because everyone should know this would bring more pain to her. During the period where Ju Wan was trying to get back with Bo Ra, where the heck was Da Mi going? Also the ring that Ju Wan offered to Bo Ra at the end was the same with the one that Su Hyeok bought at the beginning (and was rejected when he treid to refund). It was the last piece when Su Hyeok bought it, how could it end in Ju Wan's possession? I also think the story about Sang Jin and U Ri is unnecessary.

This show is must watch at least once. A very beautiful way to deal and cope a breakup. And since this show is a quote producing machine, let's conclude the review with Bo Ra's final word in her book:
"Our love is neither a perfect happy ending nor a sad ending, it's an open ending. There's no such thing as a strategy for love, that never fails."

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I Hope for Nothing, I Fear Nothing, I am Free

What a beautiful and lighthearted show! It's very easy to enjoy this show. This show is about three women in their 30s with a big personality difference: one is grumpy, one is somewhat dumb, and one is a workaholic. They all had their own problems. However drinking was always a solution for them as they said: "I drink when I'm happy, I drink when I'm sad, I drink when my friend's happy, I drink when my friend's sad."

This show is able to cover multiple issues at one time including, workplace harrassment, sexual harrassment, over-controlling parents, grievance, LGBT, woman empowerment, and many more. It's also surprisingly succeed to stir the audience's emotion: from anger to joy to sadness. Some topics are heavy, some are funny, and others are heartwarming. First two episodes are heavy so you might need to hang on, and episodes 9-10 are extremely sad. The comedy is written in the absurd-ish style (similar style to Be Melodramatic). It's hilarious and enjoyable. It also highlights the beauty of friendship. What an amazing storywriting.

The main actresses successfully carried out the job to be the three women in the spotlight. Since this show is quite short, they sacrificed the backstory of characters. They actually had each, but it wasn't really deep. However, I don't see it as a big problem.

It's a great heartwarming show to watch. Also it's good to revisit this since it's quite lightweight.

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Another Underrated Romcom Found!

What an underrated show! I don't understand why people rarely say this title when recommending romcoms. Coming in 2020s, this show has an old-schoold romcom vibes with hefty amount of romance and comedy, and of course cruel side stories such as family rejection and triangle love. The romance is very nice and the comedy is quite generous compared to so-called "romcoms" nowadays. It clearly has far better story and character development, rather than just a couple cluelessly fooling around like in several romcoms lately. There are a lot of side stories in this show, but I don't think they overpowered the main romance storyline. Other plus points are no childhood connections and no White Truck of Dooms.

The chemistry between Kim Da Li and Jin Mu Hak is exceptional. I like how the writer depicted Mu Hak. Even though he's slightly behind in intellect, he still has a great business sense. He was able to smelly fishy schemes on multiple occasions. Mu Hak has a very silly family, and thankfully they were able to avoid drastic personality change and keep this silliness even with the addition of malicious intents. Additionally, this show has an oustanding soundtracks too!

However, a romcom is always a romcom. A sudden change of vibes, especially due to malignant side stories, is always unpleasant for me. In this show, the sudden vibe change lasts quite long. I don't like how Da Li responded her uncle's request. He had a beef with her father and she even barely met him, so why did she even consider his suggestion? After that he for no reason decided to give up the idea and return to the US which is adding more ridiculousness. Song Ji Won didn't do well as the museum intern. The way she bumped into Da Li looks very awkward. Also why An Chak Hui is in the Main Role list? Her screentime is minimal, same things goes to her character's impact to the story. And the most annoying after all, it looks like Jang Tae Jin didn't get what he deserve at the end.

To sum it up, it's a great romcom with an appropriate number of romance and comedy, that will bring you back a vibe of old-school romcom kdramas!

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This is your not-so-typical kdrama. The vibe is uncommon, very lightweight and yet... heartwarming if I may say? It doesn't have a blunt storyline about something. Just daily life of a policewoman who constantly quarrels with her mother, and the silly events that happen to her almost everyday.

This show weighs heavily on her and her mother, female-centric to be exact. Jeon Hye Jin does well here. Choi Soo Young, though she's a bit off in several occasion, still picks up an excellent job. Casting Park Sung Hoon is quite a waste. The male characters don't get much highlight here, morelike just a supporting role so it's disappointing that nothing much he can do.

The story is very lightweight and easy to digest. However I found the killer story is a bit dragging, especially near his arrest. The story after that event never comes back to the same level with previously. The ending is quite unfavorable for me. I don't mind the unfinished romance, but that world trip is out of nowhere. Her police squad doesn't even give her a proper farewell for the trip. Gong Ga Eul story also left out hanging. I thought they were going to bring up something meaningful from it, but at the end it's just nothing.

Still a recommendation for a rewatch since it's very lightweight and warm.

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If You Don't Have Enough Idea for 14 Episodes, Just Shorten It!

How many trope do you want? Yes! This show compiles a lot of mainstream Kdrama tropes, but the way they execute it is neither cheesy nor cringe. Thankfully, they didn't include childhood connection in this tropefest. It is very sweet and while office romance usually pisses us due to cringey situations, they successfully make us invested in it. The simplicity of trope execution is enough to hook us, well at least up until the 10th episode.

Instead of making this show with weird number of 14 episodes, they should stick to 12. The introduction of Yu Tae Yong makes the story becomes ridiculous and unbearable. It's making such side story to be too malicious and takes too much focus, and instead they should focus about DA RIM'S SISTER. WHY ARE THEY FORGETTING HER? Episode 13 is clearly a filler. The breakup is ridiculous thanks to zero communication between the leads and dumb brain of FL (like you choose to trust Ji Hye over Ji Hyeok???), only for them to reunite again in the same episode. The premise about selling the house, going to aunt's house and addition of Kim Sang Sik are also uneccesary, and all of them happens in one episode. And unfortunately it doesn't stop there. There are still 𝗐̶𝗁̶𝗂̶𝗍̶𝖾̶ ̶𝗍̶𝗋̶𝗎̶𝖼̶𝗄̶ black sedan of doom, memory loss and another stupid breakup in one episode. Such a shame that the quality of the story plummeted so hard into a mere cheap romcom in last two episodes. How Da Rim is able to sell the house without Ji Hyeok knowing when Ji Hyeok's mother live together with her mother? During the fire incident at the art gallery, Ji Hyeok tells Da Rim that he's going to wash his pants. However after the fire start, Da Rim rushes straight to the Director's Room instead of going to the toilet. The smoke is so thick that it's even spread to the exhibition hall in the first floor, yet Da Rim is able to see through the Director's Room door, the place of the fire source.

I actually like the chemistry between ML and FL, not extraordinary but quite good. I personally feel the SML and SFL has more chemistry, but the writer made the SML insufferable and a walking red flag. This jerky Kim Seon U confesses to Da Rim only to prevent Ji Hyeok from dating her, while he actually "isn't ready for any new relationship" himself. He refuses to help Ji Hyeok clears Da Rim's name, and he cuts the communication between his son and Ha Yeong just to prevent she falls in love in her. What a total a**hole, and yet they make them together in the end. Disgusting.

The osts are very great thpught! However, storywise this show is nowhere strong. The only reason they successfully hook us up is the way they execute the tropes. Since it has gone wrong, this show is actually just "another romcom KDrama" which started very nice but ends up in the gutter. Probably the biggest let down of 2025.

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Comedy over Crime

Overall, this show is quite good. The storyline is intriguing and enough to keep me invested, solving crimes with two methods: law and "supranatural". It is nearly overcomplicated as the cases (are trying to) connect each other, but the chemistry between everyone is so excellent that they are able keep the tense lighter. And on top of that, the comedy level is very consistent. At least, they're able to keep it for like 15 episodes, and it doesn't totally disappear on the latter stage though. The addition of Lee Min Gyeong and Park Jin Sang is also hilarious.

The casts carry out their job excellently, especially Seo In Guk. He is the star of this show. While the chemistry is somewhat excellent, unfortunately the casting division didn't do a good job here. Oh Yeon Seo, even though she acts well, doesn't have a cut to be a cop. To me, she doesn't have the aura that able to convince me that she is a police. I know it's quite difficult to pick someone who fits for action, comedy and romance altogether but it still doesn't feel right. The same thing applies to Kwak Shi Yang and Kang Mi Na whom doesn't resemble an ex NIS agent.

There is a massive plot hole in this show. Im Hui Suk is described by other shamans as "too young to be called as aunt". It doesn't make any sense that she picked up Cha Do Won and Gu Tae Su (Lim Yong Ju) when they're both still kids, and suddenly they're now look much older than her. During the campervan arson, why the hell Jae Hui have to try breaking the glass when she has her phone in her hand? On the car chase after the exclusive event, Jae Hui enters her van in a dress but then gets out from the van with a tracksuit. Final episode is a massive let down, I don't think the revenge is served sweet enough. They suddenly forget about Cha Seung Won and everything about the Choekang Construction scandal. Neither the truth about Choekang nor about Cha's family are revealed, instead they serve us a pure makjang at last.

This show is a great to watch if you prefer the comedy over the action or crime.

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I don't have much comment on this. This show is very lightweight, even when the genre is crime. There are multiple cases in this show, and they able to handle them with comedy and lightweight plot. Forget about realism because nothing is realistic here. The comedy seems a bit forced at the beginning, but it becomes better and hilarious as the story progressing. Characters and casts are all also good.

It annoys me a bit that each of the case has to relate with some of the officer personally, like there are too much personal emotions involved. The reason why Jang Tan Sik wants to be a cop remains unclear. Also the reason why Sim Hyeon U kills Jae In seems weak.

I am disappointed that Mu Jung Ryeok doesn't become the Captain at the end, so it's better to have a sequel for this!

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What an underrated action drama! This show is a mix of action, mystery and comedy. The idea is really great, about a chaebol son who accidentally has to become a cop. He later annoyingly uses all the power, influence and money he have to help him solving cases. It has several interesting cases, and involves corruption and collution as well. The overall storyline is really engaging, and the casts carry them out well. Character development is really great. Jin I Su turns from a chaebol son that feel worthless into a good police officer.

Unfortunately, I don't really like a show that contains several cases but has one personal case. Why? Because that case usually involve excessive impossibility. Usually this case looks extremely complicated and unsolvable, and the culprits are extremely powerful while victims involved are extremely vulnerable. Because of this premises, the resolution usually involves excessive level of makjangs. This doesn't really shown in this show though, but it's still there. The sleeping pills from 25 years ago somehow looks new and not decomposed (the pills, not the bottle). Also to kill someone due sleeping pills overdose, it requires a lot of pills. However with such short available timespan, Seung Ju is able to put a lot of sleeping pills into his father's drink. If he is in such hurry, there is a large possibility of the powder or the pill's shatter to be found around the glass.

I really recommend this show! There isn't any romance here though.
I hear they are making a second season without Park Ji Hyun. They MUST have a good closure to connect this two seasons then.

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Romance is Just A Bonus

As the title says, romance is just a bonus in this show. If you're expecting some cheesy and fluttering romantic scenes, then you won't find a lot here. The romance is quite mature in this show, since this show is about an older woman and younger man couple. The story is quite heartwarming, about a woman who never gives up fighting for her life even with age disadvantage. They create a great couple, who is always there for each other in every hardship. The comedy is also good here. And since the romance is calm and mature, the comedy scenes are more powerful in my opinion. It doesn't appear frequently though, since it's not the main genre.

Although the summary above is quite heartwarming, the biggest problem in this show is nothing more special of that. It's just about a woman struggling to find a job for living, then after she finds it she still struggles while doing it, then she finds someone who is willing to be there for her, that's all. It's like the romance show that you can find on TV every week. The soundtracks are somewhat great. I personally like the screenwriting style with book-alike type like what the do at the end of each episode. The visualization of unrealistic thought like when Dan-I dances at the first episode is also seems interesting. However, these styles are not consistently applied and only come occassionally.

Unfortunately, I am kinda dislike the ML character. While chasing Dan-I as well as competing his feeling with Seo-Jun, what Eun-Ho mostly does is nothing. He looks like a coward who just sit down and wait until the universe serves it for him. Dan-I is a super caring mother to her daughter, but after she becomes together with Eun-Ho she suddenly forgets about her daughter. Everything outside this complicated relationship also seems too much, for example the Kang Byeong-Jun mystery. Though some of the additional tropes are more enjoyable.

With 16 episodes on this show, I think it's too long. Maybe it'll be better if it's shorter and more focus to the ML and FL. It's still good for rewatch, but in my opinion there are a lot of better rom-coms than this for rewatch.

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Not A Rom Com, Should Be An Action Comedy

Watching this in 2025, I can't believe that this is so popular back in 2017. This show has most elements of typical K-Drama romcoms: triangle love, kidnapper, childhoold relationship, problematic rich family and obsessed parents. I was expecting this show to be a pure romcom but the vibe is so dark even from the very first episode. There are three group of villains which makes me questioning the original genre of this show.

While three group of villains seem intriguing, the resolutions are not always well executed. The not-so-thriller tropes are quite dragging and predictable. CEO Ahn's blackmail case ends very plainly, it doesn't even require Bong-Soon's involvement. Instead, Min-Hyeok just tells him to stop, and he stops! When Bong-Soon shoves the kidnapper while saving Gyeong-Sim, the kidnapper only gets minor injury. This doesn't make sense because even Mr. Gong breaks his tailbone just by chicken-fighting her. Also it's quite a plothole when the police finally raid the car dump in Episode 12, they don't go for the secret room even though Guk-Du knows where it is. The character Monk Nizamuddin is added for whatever purpose and then they dispose it suddenly in the middle of the story.

The positive side from this show is the performance from the main leads. Park Bo-Young brings an iconic spirit of Do Bong-Soon, while Park Hyung-Sik is having an excellent job as her co-star. The soundtrack is also great here. And shout out to the product placement in this show. They do it perfectly rather than going absurd as usual!

If you are looking for a comedy, yes this maybe an option. But don't look for the romance, as it will be overshadowed by the busier (not-so-)thriller.

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This is your typical Slice of (Absurd) Life show! Jokes and silly situations are the main element of this show, and I love how they can keep the vibe consistently throughout the season. There are some expected jokes, there are jokes that appear unexpectedly when you think that the scene shouldn't be a joke, and there are also some jokes that you won't be able to forget for a while. You will laugh in most episodes, and you may hurt your jaw in the others.

All of the main leads play their own character excellently. Lee Joo-Woo as the arrogant Soo-Ah, Go Won-Hee as the rude Seo-Jin, Jung In-Sun as the clueless Han Yoon-Ah. Son Seung-Won as the innocent Bong Doo-Shik, Kim Jung-Hyun as the grumpy Dong-Goo and Lee Yi-Kyung as the childish Joon-Ki. The latter has an outstanding performance by successfully pulling tons of absurd scenes. All six of them living together really causing a chaotic life situation.

Unfortunately, timeline is not a focus in this show. Some scenes appear in a weird sequence. Prior making Dong-Goo marries Yoon-Ah, the landlady tries to kick them out since they haven't paid the rent. But if you look back to the previous episode, their guesthouse is full and they even don't have any room for Yoon-Ah that she has to sleep in Seo-Jin's room. The photoshoot when Yoon-Ah wears green screen also weird because in the previous episode, Joon-Ki destroys Dong-Goo camera, and later on Dong-Goo has to win a camera from a giveaway. It is also weird that Yoon-Ah suddenly goes to the baking school excessively and forgets to take care of her baby. Also I feel the quality of the story is going downhill after Yoon-Ah get together with Dong-Goo.

To conclude: yes, you definitely have to watch (and rewatch) this show. It will give you a lot of laughs! There aren't any stupid or dragging tropes, just you watching a (chaotic) day at a guesthouse.

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Underrated Rom Coms!

This show is soo underrated! I always love the no-nonsense rom-coms. There are nothing harmful in this show. The romance is pretty mature. Main characters are pretty honest straightforward towards their feelings, no need to overcomplicate things and create misunderstandings! Each characters are open to share what they have suffered and what they want. The vibe in this show is quite positive and cheerful one. This show also clearly potrays the darkside of the entertainment industry: how everyone tries to clean up the celebrity's mess and how malignant is the relationship between celebrities and their fans. Also there are good messages about how men should respect women and vice versa. All lead actors and actress do an excellent job delivering this message. I really love the fearless Yeo Mi-Ran, she will kill for respect!

Despite the simple, smooth and lovable plot, I feel like the pace is a bit too fast. Especially for non-Korean speakers like me, sometimes I feel a bit difficult to catch what is going on. I understand that most straightforward rom-coms end quickly, but with the number of episodes and the duration of each, this is still too fast for me. It's maybe better if they stretch it to 12 episodes. The romance build up between Won-Joon and Na-Eun also feels too quick. Even though Na-Eun occasionally falls in love at the first sight, I still think it is too hasty, and that makes Won-Joon to become more like a pervert. Some of the premises are left hanging without proper closure such as Kang-Ho and Se-Na relationship, Mi-Ran parents relationship and Mi-Ran and Gilmu directors partnership. Also I feel like the Kang-Ho Fan Club President deserves to be overthrown (and also a punch).

On top of that, this is a highly recommended show. Don't be deceived with the first episode, it seems quite heavy on it. But bear a bit, you will see that this show is very lightweight and full of joy. I would even recommend this for a rewatch!

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Underrated Thriller, Must Watch!

This show should be a hit! I don't understand why it doesn't have so much exposure. The thriller is thrilling with so many plot twists. The story is really good. It doesn't even have a filler episode. The show pictures an agency office with such "problematic" environment. It seems to have messy conflicts, but there is the starting point where we will begin the enjoyable journey. It is boring up until Episode 4. But if you're being patient, you will get paid off!

Soul-swapping is not an easy thing, but both main leads deliver it excellently! Kim Ji-Eun and Lomon have to dealt playing as both characters, and it goes really well. During the soul-swap, I feel like they are actually switching—they become totally different person. I even think Lomon really can imitate Ji-Eun's gesture when he plays as Na-Eon.

The only thing that disturb me is the writer decided to give the main leads frustrating personalities. Na-Eon is a b*tch and ruthless person at the beginning of the show and she hardly have a character development, even after going through some big moments. Also being a thoughtful and ambitious person as Na-Eon, isn't it more reasonable for her to try protecting her body from the killer during the soul-swap, rather than throwing Eun-Ho in her body to some dangerous scenes? Eun-Ho personality at the beginning is the worst. He looks like an eight year boy trapped in a man's body, who reacts excessively at everything. Ji-Eun plays this well as Eun-Ho, but to think that she is "actually a man in a woman's body", it doesn't seem correct.

The intention to use this show as a media for Seongsu-dong tourism promotion goes in the right direction. I love the scenery of the Seongsu-dong view, and it really promotes Seongsu-dong as "Pop-Up Store District". I will really recommend this show!

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Great Story, Awful Ending

I like this show. It is a great one, although it's not special. The romance and comedy are mixed up and exectued well. The casts are all good, especially Sang-Yi and Ji-Hyun. Their chemistry is outstanding. They also include a "serial killer" which blends pretty smoothly into the story without making it looks like a way to "simplify everything".

The fact that I enjoy the second lead more somehow indicates that there is a problem with the storyline. The idea of the story is good though. The beginning phase is really slow, I would even say it is boring in the first two episode. They build a lot and complex problems in the beginning. However, the writer decided to develop stories around Hae-Young better than hers, causing the main story about Hae-Young and Ji-Uk to be outshined by other premises. The pace somehow turns fast after Episode 8, and this causes some conflicts to have a plain resolution, or even left behind. Sad that we don't have a chance to see Ja-Yeon story with Bok's family, Ji-Uk's family backstory, or make Hae-Young have a better closure with her mom. I am totally pissed after Episode 11 though. They decided to add more conflicts near the end, in Episode 11 and 12 (seriously why did they make a major conflict in the last episode??), only to have a rushed resolution.

(AND THEY MADE HA-JUN REALLY FINE AFTER HIS FORMER LOVER BECAME HIS EX-BOSS GIRLFRIEND. THAT'S TOTALLY IRRATIONAL!)
I was hoping they will do something with the abused child in the Episode 5, since Hae-Young has "some experience" with it. They also brought up the premise of "CEO should take lunch at the cafetaria", and did nothing about it.

Overall I will still recommend it. It may take time before you can enjoy the story. But I don't think it really match up the hype.

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