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A Slow-Burn Romance Done Right

Shooting Stars really had me hooked from start to finish. I honestly didn’t expect this drama to become one of my top-rated shows, but it truly exceeded my expectations. The plot is great, and the storytelling from beginning to end is absolutely amazing. It also has a slow-burn romance between the main leads, which I really enjoyed — something that many other K-dramas don’t do as well.

I also want to highlight how refreshing it was that this drama doesn’t rely on a main antagonist or overly villainous characters, which most K-dramas tend to have. Instead, the story focuses on the characters’ lives, careers, and relationships. I love that it didn’t center solely on Lee Sung-kyung and Kim Young-dae. The other main characters had their own arcs, their own issues, and their own meaningful moments.

There’s also an overflowing amount of chemistry between the leads, and I absolutely loved watching their interactions. I’ve been watching K-dramas for years, but I never really realized how challenging it must be to work behind the scenes until this drama showed it. Seeing what actually happens off-camera — how actors handle their schedules, how PR teams deal with crises, and how staff members manage every little issue — made me appreciate the industry even more. I learned that being a manager is incredibly demanding, from scouting talent to guiding them into becoming successful actors.

For me, the whole concept felt fresh and new, and it made me want to binge the series in one sitting. There were no boring episodes, and I loved that it had a perfect blend of romance and comedy.

As for the acting, Lee Sung-kyung was exceptional. Her cute reactions reminded me so much of her role in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo, which I absolutely adore. This kind of soft romantic drama suits her so well. She was stunning in every outfit — truly slaying every look.

Kim Young-dae, on the other hand, genuinely surprised me. I wasn’t a fan of his acting in Extraordinary You, and I was honestly hesitant to watch this drama because of him. BUT this drama completely changed my impression. I got to see a different side of him — better expressions, stronger delivery, and a completely new charm. I found myself laughing in almost every episode because of him, and he made the show even more entertaining. Thanks to him, there wasn’t a single dull moment.

The rest of the cast also did an amazing job. Their performances brought their characters to life, especially the actors and actresses portrayed within the drama’s storyline. They added so much depth and humor to the show.
And before anything else, I have to give a special mention to Yuna’s manager with his iconic line:
“Yuuuunaaa yaaahhh!”

I swear I will never forget that.

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Nerd x Popular Boy

I actually have mixed feelings about this drama. It's marketed as a romance, I expected the story to focus mainly on Boreum and Yohan—and while it does, a lot of other things happen that I personally feel weren’t necessary. Alongside the romantic storyline, the drama also dives into school-related issues, a corrupt dean, preparations for a project competition, and even includes an LGBT subplot. I appreciate that it doesn’t stick to just one genre and that it attempts to blend romance with slice-of-life elements. I also like that it highlights the struggles students face and shows how much they care about their school, to the point of protesting for better facilities.

However, despite those positives, I often found myself bored. Many episodes focused heavily on school problems or Boreum’s life as a computer-science prodigy. If the title weren’t “Love.exe,” I might have understood the direction more—but since it implies a romance-driven story, I expected more romantic development and fewer scenes centered on individual problems or school politics. There were a lot of “dead moments,” especially when Boreum and her friends talked about tech topics that non-techy viewers might find dull. I caught myself skipping scenes and even felt eager to finish the drama just to get it over with.

In the end, I’m giving it a solid 6.5 because it does have potential. It has a story to tell, and the concept is interesting, but the execution fell short for me. I liked parts of it, but I was mostly bored. The drama covers a lot, but it still feels like something is missing—and with better balance and tighter storytelling, it could have been much stronger.

Boreum’s acting was also a bit mid. I like her as an actress, but I felt she failed to deliver the necessary emotion in several scenes that were supposed to be more impactful. Some of her expressions felt plain and repetitive throughout certain moments. While the character suited her and she portrayed the role decently, her overall performance still felt average to me.

Yohan, on the other hand, is noticeably improving. I liked his facial expressions and the way he carried his character, though he still has room to grow. His role in this drama was charming, and I genuinely enjoyed his chemistry with Boreum. Their scenes together gave me kilig moments, which is why I was a bit disappointed that they only had around 15–20% of the screen time together though I was hoping for more romance between them, especially for a drama.

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Baek Ah Jin- The Manipulative Sociopath

Dear X is undeniably one dark drama—honestly, it’s the darkest one I’ve watched so far. It’s the kind of show that can mess with your mind in a psychological way just by watching it. It made me curious, and even scared, about how manipulative sociopaths can twist people for their own gain. Baek Ah-jin, portrayed as a manipulative sociopath, is a product of trauma and childhood abuse. The series clearly shows how deeply childhood experiences shape a person. She grew up thinking she needed to use others before they could use her, and as an adult, her manipulative behavior just escalated—wanting more and more no matter who gets hurt in the process.

The story itself was incredibly well-written. I’m honestly at a loss for words. From start to finish, the pacing was consistent, and there was never a boring episode. The plot twists were insane and kept making the drama even better. And let’s not ignore the overflowing chemistry between the characters—I didn’t even know who to ship Ah-jin with at some point. If she had just stopped all her evil schemes, she could’ve ended up with one of the male leads, especially my boy In-gang or Jae-oh.

As for the cast, Kim Yoo-jung absolutely killed her role. Her acting was beyond outstanding. She delivered every expression and emotion so perfectly that you could literally feel the character through her performance. And the chemistry she had with EVERY partnered male lead was unbelievable. Her chemistry with Hwang In-yeop in particular was top-tier. Their scenes were so good that I almost forgot this was a dark drama. I honestly wish we could’ve seen more of their relationship—they had that lingering kilig effect that stayed with me for days. I still wish they ended up together.

Kim Do-hoon’s character, Jae-oh, was like a whole green flag forest. At least for me. He was always there for Ah-jin—doing everything for her, believing in her even when everyone else turned away. Jae-oh is literally the definition of boyfriend material. Kim Do-hoon himself was adorable and handsome throughout the drama, and his smile gave me so many kilig moments. His chemistry with Yoo-jung was also amazing. If it couldn’t be In-gang, I was rooting for Jae-oh. In Ah-jin’s world full of X’s, he was her zero—the one person who truly believed in her. He’s honestly the only second lead I have ever rooted THIS hard for. His death crushed me. I was genuinely sad when they killed off his character. :(((

Kim Young-dae’s character, Jun-seo, was… interesting. I’m not sure if his constant expressionlessness was part of the character or just him, but he really felt nonchalant the entire time. To be honest, I didn’t even notice he was the main lead because he barely did anything in most of the episodes. It was basically Jae-oh carrying the entire male storyline while Jun-seo was just… there. Aside from the final episode, Jun-seo didn’t really contribute much, which made his role feel overshadowed. He even doubted Ah-jin in some situations—maybe because he knew her too well and understood that she was capable of murder. Still, he did care for her and wanted the best for her, but it seemed like he eventually got tired of Ah-jin’s endless chaos and decided to end everything. But joke’s on him, she survived. His suicide attempt with her in the car was honestly not the best decision. If he really wanted to go that route, there were easier and less dramatic ways—but no, he chose the most reckless one.

Lastly, Hwang In-yeop. OMG, I don’t even know where to begin. He was one of the best “extra” characters in the series. His chemistry with Yoo-jung? Don’t even question it. It was so good that I kept forgetting he wasn’t the official male lead. I hope they get cast together in a proper romance drama someday. His emotions, acting, and heartbreaking scenes were so good that I almost cried with him. One thing’s for sure—I will forever hate Ah-jin for what happened, because she honestly played a huge role in why my boy In-gang took his own life. :(

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A Nightmare Without a Resolution

After seeing clips of Nightmare Teacher on reels, I got curious and decided to watch it. I didn’t expect it to be a mini web series, but I still gave it a try. Before anything else, I have to mention that I really didn’t like the camera quality. Maybe because it’s from 2016? It definitely shows. The visuals were so outdated and low-quality that it affected my overall rating.

For the series itself, it actually hooked me during the first few episodes. Every ending made me wonder what truly happened to the victims. Did they die? Did they disappear? What did the teacher do to them? It kept me curious, which was good — at first. But after those initial episodes, everything slowly went downhill. The rest of the series became boring, and I honestly didn’t understand the whole point anymore. I also expected a major plot twist at the end, but instead, I was left with even more questions. And honestly… the ending was just bad. I’m sorry for the language, but it was shit. I was genuinely curious to know what happened to the students, only to find out they were just on the upper floors looking hypnotized or possessed or whatever that was supposed to be.

And Kim So-hyun’s character? I didn’t get it at all. All I remember is that she and Minhyuk were trying to save their classmates, but she ended up trapped inside a mirror. Then her doppelgänger tried to take over her identity. And when she finally escaped, she randomly hugged the doppelgänger — and suddenly everything went back to normal? Like nothing happened? What kind of plot twist was that? It felt rushed, confusing, and honestly pointless. I also want to mention the final episode’s supposed “big twist” — the camera. The professor gave Minhyuk that camera, hinting that it would reveal everyone’s secrets, but it literally did nothing. It felt like a random prop carried around the whole series without contributing anything meaningful. I don’t remember it revealing a single thing except capturing the victims, and that’s it. Definitely not a worthy twist.

As for the acting:

Kim So-hyun’s acting here was not good. Her facial expressions remained the same throughout the entire drama, even in scenes that were supposed to feel intense or emotional. Her expressions were stiff — sometimes even motionless. And her chemistry with Minhyuk was nonexistent. Yes, the drama isn’t romantic, but even non-romantic leads should have some kind of connection. She really had no chemistry with him at all, or even with her other leading men in general.

Minhyuk, surprisingly, did much better than I expected. Considering this was one of his earlier projects, I thought he would be stiff, but he was actually more natural and charismatic. He suited his role well and performed better than Kim So-hyun, honestly.

The professor, though — amazing. He did an excellent job playing the creepy teacher. His subtle smile alone could send shivers down your spine. He pulled off the unsettling, mysterious aura perfectly. Creepy, yes, but weirdly charming. A handsome kind of creepy.

The supporting cast also impressed me. Their expressions and acting added more life to the drama, and sometimes they performed better than Kim So-hyun herself (lol). They made certain episodes more fun and engaging, and I genuinely enjoyed their presence.

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