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It could be called an open ending but the FL did send the ML photos of the locations where they had spent time together such as the school and his roof-top flat and then a picture of her looking happy and "shining" again. It is the viewers choice but I interpreted that to mean that she had healed over the past year that she spent time with her step-mom and grandmother in Hawaii and was ready to come home to the house that the ML was getting ready for her.

Glad you enjoyed watching! The beginning episodes with first love set up an ache in my heart that lasted throughout the whole drama. I loved the cinematography and the mood. I also liked the cute/warm scenes that lightened the mood in the following episodes such as the yellow suitcase indicating FL's feelings toward ML that he patted affectionately while putting it in the taxi and when the FL met the ML's best friend at the study cafe.

Here's a decent review of the strengths/weaknesses of this drama: https://once-upon-a-drama.com/2026/04/26/still-shining-drama-review/

I really liked this drama as well. It made me think about why certain relationships work and why others don't. And how we spend a lot of time trying to accomplish things in our life without enjoying the journey along the way.

As a fan of PJY's acting, i enjoyed all of his scenes in this drama. He did an outstanding job portraying the emotional states of introverted Tae Seo in high school and 10 years later. I agree with other comments that this was marketed very poorly since it is not a 2nd chance romance story. It is much more a story about whether love is enough for a successful relationship and how we need to heal and do the emotional work before a relationship can work. I think the first 3 episodes really made the viewer want the best for these two young people. Episodes 4-6 about them reuniting were also well done. The writing struggled in the last 4 episodes but there were still many scenes that are emotionally meaningful and worth watching. If you manage expectations, I think there are many things to appreciate and enjoy in this drama although it will probably not be everyone's cup of tea.