Editorials 
A delightful rom-com made special by Shin Hye-sun
Filing for Love is a very enjoyable rom-com that, despite using plenty of familiar clichés, has enough charm and personality to stand out from the crowd.
For me, the biggest reason is In-ah. Shin Hye-sun is simply fantastic and seems to have a lot of fun with the character, especially in the first half. She can be hilarious one moment and surprisingly serious and emotional the next, making In-ah much more memorable than the character might have been in less capable hands.
The main couple is also a strong point. In-ah and Ki-jun are genuinely lovely together, and I appreciated that once they became a couple, the drama did not immediately destroy their relationship with endless misunderstandings. Their chemistry kept me invested even when the story became more conventional.
The supporting characters are more uneven. Jeon Jae-yeol is important mainly because he keeps the love triangle going for several episodes, but he never feels like a fully developed main character. Ah-jeong is even more disappointing: she starts as an interesting character with her own motivations, but later becomes increasingly the “antagonist because the story needs one,” which weakens her considerably.
The main problem is the second half. Up to around episode 7-8, I could easily have given this drama a 9. Then the pace slows and the office-drama element becomes increasingly dominant. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I found the workplace conflicts less engaging than the combination of romance, comedy and character dynamics from the first half.
The final episode is also rather underwhelming and feels almost unnecessary after everything that happens before it.
Still, I enjoyed the drama a lot. It is funny, charming, easy to watch, and Shin Hye-sun gives it that extra spark that makes it more than just another conventional rom-com.
Not perfect, but definitely a drama I am glad I watched.
For me, the biggest reason is In-ah. Shin Hye-sun is simply fantastic and seems to have a lot of fun with the character, especially in the first half. She can be hilarious one moment and surprisingly serious and emotional the next, making In-ah much more memorable than the character might have been in less capable hands.
The main couple is also a strong point. In-ah and Ki-jun are genuinely lovely together, and I appreciated that once they became a couple, the drama did not immediately destroy their relationship with endless misunderstandings. Their chemistry kept me invested even when the story became more conventional.
The supporting characters are more uneven. Jeon Jae-yeol is important mainly because he keeps the love triangle going for several episodes, but he never feels like a fully developed main character. Ah-jeong is even more disappointing: she starts as an interesting character with her own motivations, but later becomes increasingly the “antagonist because the story needs one,” which weakens her considerably.
The main problem is the second half. Up to around episode 7-8, I could easily have given this drama a 9. Then the pace slows and the office-drama element becomes increasingly dominant. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I found the workplace conflicts less engaging than the combination of romance, comedy and character dynamics from the first half.
The final episode is also rather underwhelming and feels almost unnecessary after everything that happens before it.
Still, I enjoyed the drama a lot. It is funny, charming, easy to watch, and Shin Hye-sun gives it that extra spark that makes it more than just another conventional rom-com.
Not perfect, but definitely a drama I am glad I watched.
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