Living Tribunal

While trauma is undeniably complex and affects individuals in ways they may not fully understand or control, it doesn’t absolve them of responsibility for their actions—especially when those actions hurt others. Acknowledging someone's pain shouldn't come at the cost of ignoring the pain they inflict on others. Where do you see us lacking empathy for her trauma? Even those who dislike her choice to leave Sang Yan still acknowledge and sympathize with the suffering she has endured since childhood.

The issue isn’t about dismissing her struggles—it’s about holding her accountable for the decisions she makes despite them. Understanding why someone acts a certain way doesn’t mean excusing what they do. Trauma may explain her actions, but it doesn’t make them the right course of action. Just as we empathize with her, we also have to acknowledge the pain she caused Sang Yan. Ignoring his suffering simply because her trauma seems "more valid" is unfair. Healing is a long process, yes, but part of that process should involve taking responsibility, not just seeking understanding.

Scroll down, and you’ll see plenty of comments like that. I’m not pointing fingers at a single user since there are multiple ones.

I get that she isn’t happy with her own decision, but she still made it, right? You’re all talking about her trauma, her pain from SA, and everything her family did to her. But can’t we also highlight Sang Yan’s pain? Most of the comments here focus only on the FL’s struggles—so what about his? Do his struggles not matter just because FL’s trauma seems more genuine to you, while ML’s suffering feels insignificant in comparison?

It’s a slow burn, and a really good one at that. But there are some issues—like the ML taking 99 steps while the FL hesitates to take even one. That being said, her personal growth and trauma are portrayed really well. Her hesitation makes sense, to be honest, but you can’t help but feel sorry for the ML and everything he’s had to endure.

There’s also a really annoying SML, but thankfully, the FL doesn’t respond to him—he’s just plain irritating.

All those comments saying, Do you know how much trauma an SA victim has to handle? How much PTSD they might have?—and insisting that we can’t understand her actions, that she did the right thing by leaving Sang Yan, and that there’s nothing wrong with her behavior—just one question. And don’t take this the wrong way, but how can you determine that what she did, like leaving him and going MIA, was the right thing?

Did all of you personally go through that experience, or is this just a hypothesis of what should have happened? Some of you might have personal experience, but that’s not the case for everyone, right?

Just like you argue that we don’t understand why she left Sang Yan because we don’t fully grasp SA and PTSD, the same can be said about you. You also don’t know for certain and are commenting based on your assumptions. So don’t use that argument to shut down criticism by claiming only you are right and we are wrong just because we’re pointing out flaws in her actions.

Having trauma doesn’t justify causing the same pain to a loved one that you yourself have suffered.

Hey, let’s keep the discussion focused on the drama and its characters. If you don’t agree with someone’s opinion, you can always ignore or block them—there’s no need to make it personal.

Drama opinions are subjective; just because you liked something doesn’t mean others have to feel the same way. And no matter how passionate we get about a show, basic manners shouldn’t be forgotten.

It’s because, in the end, she’s the one who gets a happy ending with our ML after everything. If, hypothetically, this were an older drama like Boys Over Flowers or Playful Kiss, where the ML treats the FL terribly but still gets a happy ending with her, would people hate him or his awful family members?

Since we are closer to WYF’s perspective, it’s natural that she’ll get some criticism for leaving the ML—just like the reverse would happen if he were the one who left her. So, in my opinion, the reaction is pretty accurate.

https://mydramanovel.com/first-frost/

If this is what creativity means, then I’m not sure it’s the kind we need in a drama. Logically, it would have made sense if she left the first time without realizing how much pain Sang Yan would go through. But now, she knows exactly what happened six years ago and how much he suffered because of it.

Her PTSD from SA is portrayed really well—I don’t think I’ve seen a C-drama handle it this heavily and accurately except for Tender Light. But even so, it doesn’t quite align with her character. Just because she disappeared for six months, are we supposed to believe all her trauma is suddenly gone and she magically gained the strength to fight back? That seems pretty illogical. If she had stayed and relied on Sang Yan for support, it would have made more sense. Instead, it feels like the script just decided, WYF will go MIA for six months, and when she returns, most of her trauma will be resolved as if she received strength from the Buddha.

But whatever—I was expecting too much from a C-drama. These days, very few manage to avoid disappointment, especially with how they always show the ML taking 99 steps while the FL refuses to take even one. Now, all I want is a genuine apology from her—one where she properly acknowledges everything she did and actively makes up for it in the future. If she proposes for marriage to him in a meaningful way, this drama might just make it to my favorites list.

Just because Sang Yan doesn’t mind doesn’t mean we shouldn’t either. He’s like a lovestruck puppy, so in love with Wen Yifan that he didn’t even ask for an apology when she left him six years ago. Honestly, his entire role in this drama revolves around WYF. We barely know what drives him or what struggles he faces beyond those related to her.

While I understand why she left this time because of her trauma, it doesn’t make sense for her to disappear twice without saying anything. Does she really think that just by leaving, her uncle will stop causing trouble for Sang Yan and his restaurant? That’s pretty naive, especially for a reporter. She could have at least done something for him before going MIA.

The novel handled this part beautifully, so there were no complaints. But in the drama, her leaving again—despite knowing how much pain she caused Sang Yan six years ago—makes her character feel two-faced and different from the WYF that we knew before.

The ML is incredibly immature, and the FL is so mature and understanding with him. Noona romances usually work for me because the FLs tend to be more mature while the MLs are a bit younger, but that doesn’t mean the ML should be so clueless that he creates unnecessary misunderstandings. He threw a completely unnecessary tantrum over the whole design-stealing issue, while the FL, being the more understanding one, helped him resolve it. Even when she saw pictures of him with another girl, she calmly asked him about it instead of immediately jumping to a breakup, unlike many older FLs in other dramas.

Watch The Atypical Family and your opinion will change for sure

If you're taking a break just because people are calling out the FL’s actions, maybe it's worth reconsidering why that bothers you so much. FL literally flirted, kissed, and led ML on while drunk, only to turn around and reject him with a half-hearted "sorry if I led you on"—without even properly acknowledging the hurt she caused to him. Meanwhile, ML is the one constantly making efforts, despite being treated unfairly.

It's not about "too much negative emotion"; it's about holding characters accountable. If the roles were reversed, people would be outraged, calling ML a walking red flag. But when an FL does it, suddenly it's "too much negativity"? Double standards much? If people are frustrated, it’s because they have a valid reason to be. Instead of dismissing the criticism, maybe try seeing why so many viewers are upset.

Then they’re just weak-minded and easily influenced. In my opinion, drama opinions and views are always subjective. Just because you liked something doesn’t mean I have to, and vice versa. If they decide not to watch a drama just because of something they read in the comments, that’s on them. It’s actually good that they’re not watching—it saves them from something they wouldn’t enjoy anyway.

Just because you like the FL doesn’t mean you can dictate whether others shouldn't dislike her or not. This is a public platform, and everyone has the right to share their opinions. If you can’t handle that, maybe stepping away from the internet would be better for your mental health.

Nah, she isn’t this annoying in the novel. The novel was really short, only about 46-47 chapters, and it focused on how the FL healed from her ugly breakup. Her ex-boyfriend treated her even worse in the novel—he cheated on her—so her trauma was much deeper.

Also, the ML didn’t get rejected in the novel like he does in the drama because he didn’t confess until he was sure of her feelings for him. He even went to the same country where the FL went to study, pursuing further studies himself, and that’s when they became a couple. I really hope the drama doesn’t follow the same storyline as that happens quite late in the novel and we didn't get much scenes of dating at all.

The whole attraction about the drama was because the couple from Love O2O were coming back together in a drama so maybe he declined the role after the ban of Zheng Shuang. It's only my guess so I'm not 💯 sure.

Men don’t seem to have dignity or pride in these dramas—I guess that’s reserved only for women. The situation in today’s episode, where the FL rejected the ML, is similar to what happened in May I Love You. In that drama, the ML rejected the FL simply because he didn’t know her well enough to be in love with her. But during its airing, the hate he received was overwhelming—almost incomprehensible. He even had to chase after her like a dog for most of the drama because, in the eyes of the FL and female viewers, he had committed an unforgivable sin.

But in this drama, the reaction is completely different. Around 90% of the comments support the FL’s decision, which, to be fair, I can understand. Still, the hypocrisy in how these situations are treated across different dramas is honestly baffling.

ML's Ex was shown to be quite mature in the novel so if they don't see it then I'm not sure if it will act as a sense of crisis for FL.

Zheng Shuang was banned by the industry so the drama never materialized.

What a toxic SML this drama has! And the way people are rooting for him says a lot about their mentality. If he weren’t that handsome, most of them would be singing a different tune.