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This review may contain spoilers
"Your delusions are sad because they're beautiful"
Note: I talk about story details as they were essential to connecting my thoughts to the drama. I still tried to avoid heavy spoilers, though.
Before anything else, if you’re hesitant to start this drama, I hope you try it first. Test the waters. You can always drop it if it’s not your type. I don’t think extreme negative or extreme positive reviews should be the deciding factor here. This drama depends a lot on what you value emotionally as a viewer.
Going into this drama, my expectations were shaped by the trailer: a slow-burn, slice-of-life romcom. And lots of yearning. Actually, emphasis on the yearning. To some extent, the drama does deliver that vibe, especially in its early stretch. But as the story unfolds, it also reveals a gap between what it wanted to be and what it actually was.
⁂ The first half vs the second half
The opening episodes gave me what I was expecting from the trailer. The pacing is comfortable, the banter easy, and the chemistry between the leads immediately readable. It has a solid romcom foundation, paired with a calm, scenic atmosphere despite the somewhat chaotic energy between the leads.
The second half is when we get to know Do Ra Mi better. When Do Ra Mi finally steps into the story not as an inner voice but as a physical presence, the drama shifts. Unfortunately, this makes a painfully clear shift in tone. Around this point did I realize, however, that the entire story revolved around the FL's inner struggle.
⁂ FL and her alter ego
One of the most important aspects of this drama was the FL’s mental health, especially her hallucinations coming to life (DID), and should've been emphasized more before the drama even started. After all, we realize that this isn’t a minor plot device, it’s in fact central to the story, the romance, and the overall.
I was honestly bummed this wasn’t clearer in the trailer, synopsis, or even the MDL tags. From the description alone, it’s easy to assume the “dual image” simply refers to an actress’s on-cam vs off-cam behavior.
Contrary to some complaints, I didn’t find the reveal abrupt, although the tonal shift in the second half is very evident. As early as ep 2, the hints began as inner voices and hallucinations, tied to past trauma, anxiety, and the pressure of popularity and public perception. Later on, when the FL accepted the alter ego's existence, it becomes clear that Do Ra Mi exists to carry emotions the FL couldn’t process on her own, and conceptually, this could've been one of the drama’s strongest plotlines.
⁂ The rom ....and the com?
The romance itself is a study in contradiction. This is not meant as a negative comment. It was quite entertaining to watch, even if it came with frustrations.
The ML is consistently gentle, thoughtful, and caring, yet also emotionally distant and cold when it comes to the female lead’s feelings. He clearly cares, sometimes too much, but he keeps drawing invisible lines. He’s painfully professional even when he clearly knows the FL’s feelings and is already being swayed himself. His words can be sharp, and he knows they are, yet he doesn’t soften them.
Their dynamic becomes a push and pulls of mutual concern and emotional misalignment. They banter, they communicate, they look after each other… and yet, they never quite speak the same emotional language for quite a while. His jealousy clashes with his emotional restraint, and while this does get addressed to an extent, I wish the drama explored his inner conflicts at least a bit deeply as it explored the FL’s.
What I thought this drama will be filled with was what it lacked: yearning and maybe angst. There was real potential for deeper yearning and angst, especially given the leads’ acting ability, but the drama least commits to it. Ironic how I felt the trailer had a lot stronger yearning than the entire drama. Emotions sometimes feel rushed or underdeveloped, making certain conflicts feel emotionally hollow rather than deep. I felt this especially when Do Ra Mi fully entered the story, I guess understandable because she exists because FL escapes the angst lol. I guess I should blame her for cutting the yearning short. The result is a romance that tells us it’s a painful scene without allowing us to actually feel that pain.
I'm more than okay that misunderstandings are resolved almost as soon as they are introduced, but there were moments that should've let the ache linger longer before the plot moves on. I only felt this after the "breakup" (because they weren't even together yet lol) before Do Ra Mi surfaced.
⁂ The attempt to add everything for every chance possible
I’m not entirely sure what direction the Hong sisters ultimately wanted to take with this drama. At times, it feels messy, not because of the ideas themselves, but because of how abruptly the story shifts tone and focus. One moment we’re grounded and reflective, the next we’re pulled into a comedy skit, then a psychological thriller, then something else entirely.
The alter ego’s goodbye, for instance, arrives with narrative importance but little emotional aftermath. Instead of sitting with the loss or allowing the FL to fully realize being her whole self again, the story quickly feeds us twists to add more problems to the ones barely even resolved.
By the final episodes, the drama introduces yet more twists that feel like they were always meant to matter, but never fully had the space to unfold. There were answers, yes, but also a sense that some mysteries were solved too late to resonate as deeply as they could have had. Maybe it would've been the better choice to leave certain things unanswered.
⁂ Final thoughts
One of the drama’s strongest ideas is stated outright by Mr. Kim, the ML's novelist friend and our second half cupid: everyone has their own personal language, and misinterpretation is inevitable when we assume others speak ours. This theme echoes throughout the series, not just between the leads, but also with the side characters' own stories, and even within the female lead herself.
Although I spoke a lot of what I saw were the cons, the drama isn’t without its strengths. The banter remains consistently charming. The dialogue occasionally lands with surprising emotional clarity, and there are conversations I still remember fondly: the aurora metaphor, the kitchen wordplay, and a few of the quiet moments that briefly captured what this drama could have been at its best.
At its core, this drama did touch on the themes I was looking for. While these ideas weren’t explored as deeply or as satisfyingly as I had hoped, there were moments where they still resonated. Moments where I paused and reflected. In the end, this is a drama I'll choose to remember closer to the feeling that its trailer promised than the story it ultimately told.
Before anything else, if you’re hesitant to start this drama, I hope you try it first. Test the waters. You can always drop it if it’s not your type. I don’t think extreme negative or extreme positive reviews should be the deciding factor here. This drama depends a lot on what you value emotionally as a viewer.
Going into this drama, my expectations were shaped by the trailer: a slow-burn, slice-of-life romcom. And lots of yearning. Actually, emphasis on the yearning. To some extent, the drama does deliver that vibe, especially in its early stretch. But as the story unfolds, it also reveals a gap between what it wanted to be and what it actually was.
⁂ The first half vs the second half
The opening episodes gave me what I was expecting from the trailer. The pacing is comfortable, the banter easy, and the chemistry between the leads immediately readable. It has a solid romcom foundation, paired with a calm, scenic atmosphere despite the somewhat chaotic energy between the leads.
The second half is when we get to know Do Ra Mi better. When Do Ra Mi finally steps into the story not as an inner voice but as a physical presence, the drama shifts. Unfortunately, this makes a painfully clear shift in tone. Around this point did I realize, however, that the entire story revolved around the FL's inner struggle.
⁂ FL and her alter ego
One of the most important aspects of this drama was the FL’s mental health, especially her hallucinations coming to life (DID), and should've been emphasized more before the drama even started. After all, we realize that this isn’t a minor plot device, it’s in fact central to the story, the romance, and the overall.
I was honestly bummed this wasn’t clearer in the trailer, synopsis, or even the MDL tags. From the description alone, it’s easy to assume the “dual image” simply refers to an actress’s on-cam vs off-cam behavior.
Contrary to some complaints, I didn’t find the reveal abrupt, although the tonal shift in the second half is very evident. As early as ep 2, the hints began as inner voices and hallucinations, tied to past trauma, anxiety, and the pressure of popularity and public perception. Later on, when the FL accepted the alter ego's existence, it becomes clear that Do Ra Mi exists to carry emotions the FL couldn’t process on her own, and conceptually, this could've been one of the drama’s strongest plotlines.
⁂ The rom ....and the com?
The romance itself is a study in contradiction. This is not meant as a negative comment. It was quite entertaining to watch, even if it came with frustrations.
The ML is consistently gentle, thoughtful, and caring, yet also emotionally distant and cold when it comes to the female lead’s feelings. He clearly cares, sometimes too much, but he keeps drawing invisible lines. He’s painfully professional even when he clearly knows the FL’s feelings and is already being swayed himself. His words can be sharp, and he knows they are, yet he doesn’t soften them.
Their dynamic becomes a push and pulls of mutual concern and emotional misalignment. They banter, they communicate, they look after each other… and yet, they never quite speak the same emotional language for quite a while. His jealousy clashes with his emotional restraint, and while this does get addressed to an extent, I wish the drama explored his inner conflicts at least a bit deeply as it explored the FL’s.
What I thought this drama will be filled with was what it lacked: yearning and maybe angst. There was real potential for deeper yearning and angst, especially given the leads’ acting ability, but the drama least commits to it. Ironic how I felt the trailer had a lot stronger yearning than the entire drama. Emotions sometimes feel rushed or underdeveloped, making certain conflicts feel emotionally hollow rather than deep. I felt this especially when Do Ra Mi fully entered the story, I guess understandable because she exists because FL escapes the angst lol. I guess I should blame her for cutting the yearning short. The result is a romance that tells us it’s a painful scene without allowing us to actually feel that pain.
I'm more than okay that misunderstandings are resolved almost as soon as they are introduced, but there were moments that should've let the ache linger longer before the plot moves on. I only felt this after the "breakup" (because they weren't even together yet lol) before Do Ra Mi surfaced.
⁂ The attempt to add everything for every chance possible
I’m not entirely sure what direction the Hong sisters ultimately wanted to take with this drama. At times, it feels messy, not because of the ideas themselves, but because of how abruptly the story shifts tone and focus. One moment we’re grounded and reflective, the next we’re pulled into a comedy skit, then a psychological thriller, then something else entirely.
The alter ego’s goodbye, for instance, arrives with narrative importance but little emotional aftermath. Instead of sitting with the loss or allowing the FL to fully realize being her whole self again, the story quickly feeds us twists to add more problems to the ones barely even resolved.
By the final episodes, the drama introduces yet more twists that feel like they were always meant to matter, but never fully had the space to unfold. There were answers, yes, but also a sense that some mysteries were solved too late to resonate as deeply as they could have had. Maybe it would've been the better choice to leave certain things unanswered.
⁂ Final thoughts
One of the drama’s strongest ideas is stated outright by Mr. Kim, the ML's novelist friend and our second half cupid: everyone has their own personal language, and misinterpretation is inevitable when we assume others speak ours. This theme echoes throughout the series, not just between the leads, but also with the side characters' own stories, and even within the female lead herself.
Although I spoke a lot of what I saw were the cons, the drama isn’t without its strengths. The banter remains consistently charming. The dialogue occasionally lands with surprising emotional clarity, and there are conversations I still remember fondly: the aurora metaphor, the kitchen wordplay, and a few of the quiet moments that briefly captured what this drama could have been at its best.
At its core, this drama did touch on the themes I was looking for. While these ideas weren’t explored as deeply or as satisfyingly as I had hoped, there were moments where they still resonated. Moments where I paused and reflected. In the end, this is a drama I'll choose to remember closer to the feeling that its trailer promised than the story it ultimately told.
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