This review may contain spoilers
Ugly duckling is an inner swan
It's a funny storyline about a girl living her whole life ignored by her parents because of her spoiled, selfish, lying, scheming prettier sister. Enter the two male leads who genuinely like the female lead for her inner beauty, in spite of her drab, ugly duckling exterior. One says he likes her cute face, and the other says she is just his type! OH, WHAT DREAMY LEADING MEN WITH SWOON FACTOR!
I loved Minah in "Absolute Boyfriend," and here she reveals how truly versatile she is as a comedic actress. She alone could pull off the wig prop yet still be her beautiful self! The writers tell us that the female lead has a significant bald spot because of all the stress she has lived under! Most of her youth, she was having to struggle so hard at a countless number of jobs while her good-looking sister got everything handed to her on a silver platter by shallow parents who only played favorites!
I watched with SATISFACTION when the terrible parents reaped what they sowed from putting all their eggs in one basket so that when the spoilt sister got the results of her actions, they got humiliated! Finally, they did manage to redeem themselves in my eyes.
I have adored Namgoong Min since "Twelve Years Promise" or "Wild Chives and Soybean Soup." I find him gorgeous and so youthful looking for his age. He really pulled off his comedic role in this drama which left me in side-splitting laughter or chuckles many times. He is so obviously jealous when he bothers her on her dates with the other male lead, yet he questions himself why he's acting this way! Codependents are always last to see ourselves while it's so clear to everyone else, LOL.
Considering all he went through in the shrouded mystery of his past, can we wonder why it's so hard for him to KNOW HIMSELF, understand his own behavior and make the wisest choices in love? Yet he endeared himself to me in this role because of his extremely KIND HEART, his championing of the underprivileged and underdogs, and his puppy-love eyes for Kong Shim. He was completely his happy-go-lucky self in capris, flip flops, a glowing smile and his boyish haircut until truth hit.
Yes, I did feel second lead syndrome in this drama, as On Joo Wan was not down deep like his cheating, underhanded, conniving leeches of a family, and he wanted to protect his mother most of all. I thought he did show AUTHENTIC AFFECTION for Kong Shim! However, Namgoong Min saw her for who she really was, thinning hair and all. He even gifted her with a weird selection plus helping her with her stress level. That's how much he cared about her TRUE SELF so his character deserves to be main lead!
Other reviews were negative about her not getting a makeover until the last episode. For me, that reveals the men's genuine love for her inner beauty so that fact RATES HIGH on my love radar. Good plot twists, and there was no wasted time on title sequences, opening credits or previews.
Why does this drama have so much appeal? In everyone's heart, we ALL long to be loved just for ourselves! Not for our looks because they will fade with age, not for our success because there's no guarantee what the economy brings, not for our money because it can't buy happiness, and not even for our smarts because our mind could betray us. JUST TO BE LOVED FOR WHO WE ARE, AS SIMPLE AS THAT. I do believe the dear fair lady Kong Shim deserved that, as well as ALL OF US. That's the subconscious message coming through to our hearts when we watch an ugly duckling being loved for her inner swan.
I loved Minah in "Absolute Boyfriend," and here she reveals how truly versatile she is as a comedic actress. She alone could pull off the wig prop yet still be her beautiful self! The writers tell us that the female lead has a significant bald spot because of all the stress she has lived under! Most of her youth, she was having to struggle so hard at a countless number of jobs while her good-looking sister got everything handed to her on a silver platter by shallow parents who only played favorites!
I watched with SATISFACTION when the terrible parents reaped what they sowed from putting all their eggs in one basket so that when the spoilt sister got the results of her actions, they got humiliated! Finally, they did manage to redeem themselves in my eyes.
I have adored Namgoong Min since "Twelve Years Promise" or "Wild Chives and Soybean Soup." I find him gorgeous and so youthful looking for his age. He really pulled off his comedic role in this drama which left me in side-splitting laughter or chuckles many times. He is so obviously jealous when he bothers her on her dates with the other male lead, yet he questions himself why he's acting this way! Codependents are always last to see ourselves while it's so clear to everyone else, LOL.
Considering all he went through in the shrouded mystery of his past, can we wonder why it's so hard for him to KNOW HIMSELF, understand his own behavior and make the wisest choices in love? Yet he endeared himself to me in this role because of his extremely KIND HEART, his championing of the underprivileged and underdogs, and his puppy-love eyes for Kong Shim. He was completely his happy-go-lucky self in capris, flip flops, a glowing smile and his boyish haircut until truth hit.
Yes, I did feel second lead syndrome in this drama, as On Joo Wan was not down deep like his cheating, underhanded, conniving leeches of a family, and he wanted to protect his mother most of all. I thought he did show AUTHENTIC AFFECTION for Kong Shim! However, Namgoong Min saw her for who she really was, thinning hair and all. He even gifted her with a weird selection plus helping her with her stress level. That's how much he cared about her TRUE SELF so his character deserves to be main lead!
Other reviews were negative about her not getting a makeover until the last episode. For me, that reveals the men's genuine love for her inner beauty so that fact RATES HIGH on my love radar. Good plot twists, and there was no wasted time on title sequences, opening credits or previews.
Why does this drama have so much appeal? In everyone's heart, we ALL long to be loved just for ourselves! Not for our looks because they will fade with age, not for our success because there's no guarantee what the economy brings, not for our money because it can't buy happiness, and not even for our smarts because our mind could betray us. JUST TO BE LOVED FOR WHO WE ARE, AS SIMPLE AS THAT. I do believe the dear fair lady Kong Shim deserved that, as well as ALL OF US. That's the subconscious message coming through to our hearts when we watch an ugly duckling being loved for her inner swan.
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