Fun, Time-Traveling Romcom Takes a Detour
Starts out as a fun, fluffy romcom, with a college student waking up inside the world of her favorite serial novel and falling in love with the male lead. But the story takes a turn in the last several episodes with a darker tone and some villainy added for dramatic tension.
However, it’s the characters and cast rather than the uneven plot that makes this worth watching.
Yi Beon is the ultimate fictional crush — flirty but respectful, devoted, tall and handsome, with a deliciously deep voice. Taecyeon plays him to perfection. Do men like this exist in real life? It’s no wonder our female lead can’t resist him despite her best efforts.
Seohyun is also charming as Cha Sun Chaek, a supporting character turned female lead, who adapts to Joseon-era life with surprising ease, putting her college smarts and cocktail-mixing skills to good use.
But the series never quite recaptures the spark of the early episodes as the plot takes a detour into Serious Drama Land — complete with unhinged villains, betrayals, and obstacles to keep the leads apart. Unfortunately, the genre-mixing feels abrupt and disjointed.
We do get a happy ending, but the conclusion feels a bit rushed and leaves some unanswered questions. The story would have benefited from extra episodes to flesh out the some of characters more and explore the late-stage plot developments.
Despite these issues, I still enjoyed the series for what it is: a mostly lighthearted historical romance. The leads’ chemistry, banter, and swoon-worthy moments are the main draw. At least their devotion to each other is one constant even when other aspects go awry.
However, it’s the characters and cast rather than the uneven plot that makes this worth watching.
Yi Beon is the ultimate fictional crush — flirty but respectful, devoted, tall and handsome, with a deliciously deep voice. Taecyeon plays him to perfection. Do men like this exist in real life? It’s no wonder our female lead can’t resist him despite her best efforts.
Seohyun is also charming as Cha Sun Chaek, a supporting character turned female lead, who adapts to Joseon-era life with surprising ease, putting her college smarts and cocktail-mixing skills to good use.
But the series never quite recaptures the spark of the early episodes as the plot takes a detour into Serious Drama Land — complete with unhinged villains, betrayals, and obstacles to keep the leads apart. Unfortunately, the genre-mixing feels abrupt and disjointed.
We do get a happy ending, but the conclusion feels a bit rushed and leaves some unanswered questions. The story would have benefited from extra episodes to flesh out the some of characters more and explore the late-stage plot developments.
Despite these issues, I still enjoyed the series for what it is: a mostly lighthearted historical romance. The leads’ chemistry, banter, and swoon-worthy moments are the main draw. At least their devotion to each other is one constant even when other aspects go awry.
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