Reviews

Exceeded expectation

I started this drama with no expectations at all. It turned out to be one of the few dramas I didn’t drop and watched till the end.

The main leads have amazing chemistry!! First time watching ML and I was very impressed by his acting and micro expressions (plus point he is sooo good looking and a cutie :P). I hope he will get more main roles in the future.

The supporting roles (classmates, ML father, FL parents, teachers) are great too. I love that the story didn’t only focus on the main leads and touched on other character’s story (i.e. teachers and classmates). Overall, a drama worth watching and (somewhat) satisfying ending,

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Oh, what can I say about this movie! It had so many elements to it that made it so wonderful. It was very heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. It really gives a nice view on what family can really mean and people who have hard lives. Even though some would say that the storyline is not something very possible, it is. I've had people in my lifetime that I know go through similar situations as Jae Soo and his Mom, so it really made me feel somewhat attached to this movie and imprinted it in my mind. Although... I would have loved for it to have a different ending... I think if the movie didn't have the ending it did, then the movie would not quite be what it is and it wouldn't have the same meaning.

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Be careful when you comment on the internet

In only five episodes, this series managed to touch upon cyber bullying, which is a very sensitive topic, in a very delicate and realistic way. The series focuses on Papang, a top student, who is famous in her school, especially through her social media account. One day Papang takes her own life and the series portrays the happenings that led her to that decision.
The Comments deal with the impact that social media have on our lives and how our false social media persona can devour our true selves. The series is a social commentary, about the things that people post online with the sole purpose of judging another human being, without thinking or caring about the consequences. It also deals with the hate comments that celebrities receive and how much they can affect them. The acting is really good throughout the series and I would recommend it to anyone interested in this subject. However, it is not that easy to watch, especially the last episode, so take this into consideration. I liked the fact that I was able to read the comments that the viewers made, while watching the series on YouTube. In that way it is even more impactful, because even though the characters are fictional, the situation was very realistic and the comments were concerning to say the least.
What I loved most about the series, is how the character of Papang is depicted. She is not just the victim of cyber bullying and she is not there to play that role. Papang made some selfish decisions, humiliated her friends and she definitely wasn't the most likable character ever. She was inconsiderate about her friends and maybe if she acted in another way, everything would have turned out differently. However, Papang was also a human being with her own feelings and she didn't deserve the hateful comments she got, no matter how she acted. She didn't deserve to lose her life like that and she definitely didn't deserve to feel that hopeless. This series is about the complexity of human emotions that can lead people to extreme actions. The moral is that social media can be used in a harmful, but also in a helpful way. There is always a choice and in the end it is our own decision if we will use them to hurt or help others.

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Don't give up after the first Eps, it gets better!

1. Story
First of all, I'm really into business dramas and I don't mind business talk at all - I have alredy read that there was going to be a whole lot of business in the storyline, yet I need to say that still I was surprised about how much it actually made up of the story. I almost dropped it after Ep.4 - but I didn't, which was definitely a good choice!!!
I really enjoyed the story behind though, but some cases were way too draggy, for example the very first one with Wan JiaHe, which didn't need to take up that many Eps as it did. But all in all, the storyline develops very well, expecially in the second half (!!).
I've read reviews where people found the love story between the first lead couple too much of "back and forth", but to me, honestly, it didn't feel that way. Yes, there COULD'VE been less of it, but nothing relly felt like it was forced to me, and regarding the fact that this drama has 40 Eps, the "back and forth"s were needed to keep the story going.

2. Characters
Well, finally a drama where I enjoyed every female character! No clumsy, childish characters - instead we got smart, strong and independent women - not only the first and second lead (Lin Wo & Alisa), but also Sun Miao and even Zheng WanYing (though she was indeed getting a lot on my nerves in the first half haha).
What also surprised me in a good way was the second lead couple: They were not "only" supporting roles, but each had their own stories - really nice to watch! And I loooved Su Yuan, he developed to such a nice character and became really enjoyable to watch :)
Also a big praise to the stylists! I loved the outfits, especially Lin Wo's business outfits, and needless to talk about Hu YiTian in suits.. ;)

3. Acting & Cast
To me, the first lead couple didn't miss any chemistry, besides they look really well together.
I am really impressed with Qiao Xin's (Lin Wo's) crying scenes, they looked very real to me - except some scenes around the end where it was a bit too much for me - but I could get the emotions she was trying to portray.

The music was nothing special to me, but it did what it should and matched the scenes very well.

All in all, a drama worth watching if you don't mind too much business! Personally, the second half was way better than the first, so I'd recommend everyone to just "bear" some scenes in order to get to the more interesting parts!
The story is indeed a more mature one, the drama contains some dark scenes, facing such topics like suicide and family problems; the love story of the first leads is also more mature (which was definitely pretty enjoyable to me!).
( Little plus: Lots of slap scenes of Gao Shan (Hu YiTian), really entertaining to watch.. I love him tho lol)

-- very small spoiler --
.. aaand last: Yes, I get why everyone is hating so hard on Bei XiaoRong, but honestly.. Wasn't it already pretty obvious that he is not gonna win over Gao Shan? :) So why not lean back and enjoy some more drama in the making..? ;))

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This was so brilliant I wanted more

3 short stories, each tackling various different issues (which I won't disclose), each of which were brilliant. It was like art, you got to watch it to understand it and appreciate it.

What makes this a must watch:

- Brilliant acting
- Great use of music at high points (and lack of)
- Brilliant writing - both dialogue and script (it was both natural and yet at the same time, so intriguing.. like the ideas the show tackled blew my mind. How did the writer think of those and how they executed it.. so so brilliant)
- Great execution; this could not have been pulled off without great direction and screenplay. An example would be the way his supernatural power was depicted with the different sized books and detailing in the books

I love the little details like how the ML wore the same clothes throughout.. I don't know how to explain it but it gave this feel of intimacy - like how we were watching his world through his mind the way he read others' minds.

I wanted each story / concept to be explored more but I guess the shortness also added to the charm? It's like the show was teasing you with these concepts and giving you the bare minimum, then leaving that with you to ponder on...

The only thing I would say that this drama really lacked was exploring the ML's eccentricity. We got to know him through the stories but I wish we saw more of what made him the way he was, the kind of mangas he wrote, and why he was so recluse..

I hope we'll get a 2nd season? Or the writer deciding to make more of such short stories because the show definitely deserved more time and has so much more to tell.

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While skimming Netflix for something to pass the time, I noticed this war piece starred both Shin Ha Kyun and Go Soo. This pushed me, along with an interest in the subject, to give Gojijeon a try. I'm glad I did, because I spent the next two hours entertained despite some minor issues.

Probably the strongest point of the movie is the cinematography. Battle scenes are tasteful but tremendous; the scenes done on the infamous hill were especially eye-catching and must have been difficult to film. Some of the scenery ended up being quite beautiful as well, which is sad considering so much fighting went on in those areas.

Go Soo and Shin Ha Kyun definitely carried the performance aspect of Gojijeon between them. Shin is always a pleasure to watch and brings any character to life with ease, but Go Soo was shockingly compelling. He played Soo Hyuk with intense complexity, often making me question how I felt about his character: was he right or wrong? Also, the interaction between the two felt natural...which is great since a good chunk of the story rides on their characters and their involvement with one another. I have to say the rest of the cast was somewhat forgettable just because their characters weren't as necessary or developed. There were several familiar faces if you often watch Korean drama, though.

My only real gripe with this film is that occasionally it would feel preachy. This is definitely an anti-war film, and you can really feel the atmosphere of futility the conflict had. Usually the subject was handled with grace, but on the instances it was not, I felt as though I'd been pulled out of the story briefly. Other than that, though it's been done before in other films, it's always nice to see a non-American focus on the Korean war during this time period.

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This actually started out amazing. The story was very interesting, though not scary, and it quickly became clear who the main characters were up against. By the time that Jin Hee was kidnapped, the drama went downhill really fast, to the point that I didn't want to watch the rest of the episodes and was not curious about the ending at all. Jin Hee and her husband don't act like a married couple, but more like distant acquaintances who just happen to share an apartment. He wasn't losing his mind when he heard that his wife was kidnapped.
The kidnappers had been doing this whole kidnap-beat-kill routine for a while, but they magically forgot to take away Jin Hee's bag which contained her cell-phone with the tracking app. That was so outrageous that it just put me off everything. The kidnappers kill everyone they kidnap but they let the private investigator go for some reason?? And didn't anticipate that he'd go and rat them out to the police?
Shaman Jin Kyung went down very easily, for a powerful shaman. The whole crumpled, twisted body thing was creepy the first time but it just made me bored the second time. Sung Dong Il did a good job in the first half of the show, but somehow I just couldn't continue to see him as an evil guy towards the end. And what is up with that end? All that So Jin can do is curse and kill folk, so how the heck did she manage to somehow unite the Inugami in her own body and drag it out of the Forest app? I don't even know what happened in the last episode and I am not the least bit curious.
I also wonder how Chairman could kill people after looking at their picture once, but he didn't do it immediately with So Jin? Why does he lose his energy when he does it? how come his power is different from So Jin's?
Too many potholes and such a lost potential. The acting was good though.

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Having been wow-ed by Ken Theeradeth in 'Neung Nai Suang (2005)' despite not liking the overall plot-premise of the show, I went on a Ken Theeradeth hunting spree and chose to settle for the non-slap/kiss romantic comedy that is 'Oum Rak'. Fantastic choice!

STORY (No spoilers)
In the 'Fated To Love You' style cliche of having main leads being thrown together through an intoxicated 'one-night-stand' which leads to pregnancy and all the resulting drama that comes with two unprepared parents-to-be, this show can be quite dramatically funny with occasional touches of poignancy.

There were comedic situations for our main leads but that was mainly during the first one-third of the show. The remaining two-thirds were surprisingly rather grounded and warmly heart-tugging as our main leads settled into an agreement to see through the pregnancy process together. This show is more involved in showing viewers the changes and stages a mother goes through during a pregnancy, more than any other show I've seen which involves this trope. I don't know about you, but this was really one of the best parts of the drama, for me.

I absolutely loved seeing how Rachen (Chen) quickly stuck right in and transformed from being an impulsive man-child into a dedicated, caring and responsible man through it all. He embodied your modern metrosexual man in that he not only didn't mind, but actually wanted to know all about what a woman goes through during pregnancy. He took pains to read, learn and get as involved in the process as he possibly could, and nothing was too squeamish or personal for him - from breast pains to morning sickness to foot massages and ante-natal classes. This guy is just such a precious sweetheart from start to finish!

On the other side though, you have the aggressive and hot-tempered Napat's detached and annoyed reaction at the whole pregnancy thing. She didn't want the baby, knew it would hamper her modelling and acting career, and she behaved exactly as someone who didn't want to get pregnant but had little choice but to suck it up and see the whole thing through - ill-tempered, quarrelsome, reckless and uncaring.

The difference in attitudes and in the characters between the would-be parents, and to have the male/ father being by far the more dedicated one of the pair, is a surprising but interesting twist to your average pregnancy trope. I liked this change in dynamic and I loved how this show so excellently depicts it. I'm glad to say that Napat eventually grows more emotionally engaged as her pregnancy advances, and with that comes another change in the relationship dynamic, which was another compelling watch.

What I thought was another good thing about this show is that a lot of the emotional heft and moments come from the agreement and arrangement which the main leads have settled amongst themselves. What was thought of as a good and suitable arrangement slowly grew fangs and they were gradually feeling the bite of it as time passed. For me, some of the best emotional moments in the show was when both leads were individually feeling that bite themselves. How nice is it that bulk of the conflict and issue within the drama was one of the main leads' own making, rather than a third-party interference?

And on that note, yes, of course this is a tv drama, so you will always have interfering third-parties, but for me, their interference was really of the pot-stirring kind, rather than the bomb-chucking sort. There were no real villains here - just interested parties trying to stir up an already rather finely-balanced situation. But those pot-stirrings didn't really last that long (another great thing about this show). The main leads generally know where their priorities should be and they are rather good at keeping their focus on the right ball. Seriously, how many shows are like this? Love it!

We do have a couple of other side stories running alongside the main couple. Both are secondary couples also trying to have a baby and finding it a lot harder than our main couple (who basically just hit the jackpot in one sitting). Both couples have very different dynamics in dealing with this, and I also liked seeing this difference. One is there for comic relief/ humour, while the other is more heart-wrenching. I thought both were lovely complements to the main coupling, even if the comedic couple were often a bit over-board in their characterisations.


ACTING/ CAST
The supporting cast and the secondary couplings were generally solid. Aside from the two second leads who were pretty one-note i.e. Mark (who is interested in Napat) and Jasmine (who is interested in Rachen), the other supporting characters and secondary couples had distinct personalities and motivations which made them more emotionally relatable, at least for me. I particularly liked Rachen's family unit and their portrayal through the show.

JAYME BOOHER as Anna, Napat's best friend (whom I also recognised as playing the rather annoying second lead female in 'Neung Nai Suang'), was great in her portrayal of Napat's BFF. She is what every BFF should be like - entirely supportive through thick and thin from buying pregnancy test kits to arranging doctor visits to lending a listening ear and offering sound advice. She was a huge advocate of Rachen having rights as the baby's father too, and made every effort to keep our main leads together - something I whole-heartedly supported. Her portrayal here is very different from that in 'Neung Nai Suang', but she pulls both off well.

ANNE THONGPRASOM as Napat (Pat). She did not impress me that much in the first few episodes - partially due to her character's arrogant and abrasive personality, and partially due to her looks which were not to my personal taste.
But she grew on me as an actress, especially when her character started to take her pregnancy more seriously and when she also started to reflect on her relationships and her future with her baby. Anne was able to show a lot more range and emotions when the show progressed, which was really wonderful to see. It is not an easy task to show conflicted internal turmoil (the hallmark of any good actor/ actress is whether they can pull this off well, for me), and Anne nailed her scenes here. She was able to show Napat slowly evolve and mature from your selfish and prideful woman into one who has learned to love and to seriously consider how to balance her future of career vs baby. She had her insecurities, hang-ups and doubts too which played a part in her making some of the decisions she chose to make, but there is no denying that her character had evolved through the show, and that Anne was able to show that progression all the way.

KEN THEERADETH as Rachen (Chen). What can I say? I was amazed and impressed by his portrayal of Anawat in 'Neung Nai Suang', and here he plays a very different character in Rachen and he nailed it once again. This guy has officially won me over for his stellar acting prowess and for his charming smile.
Rachen is a very different character from Anawat. While Anawat was in essence a gentleman of his time, Rachen is your modern day cocky and temperamental man. He is impulsive, loud and emotionally driven.
Unlike Anne's Napat, Rachen's emotional outbursts come across more childish than annoyingly offensive, and I think this is something only Ken can pull off. He can make a dislikable character, or dislikable character traits, less dislikable for some reason. I think it is a combination of his looks (yes, being that handsome helps a great deal), and his ability to imbue subtle nuances to his character's looks and actions.

Ken has great expressive ability and this show gives him lots of opportunity to showcase it. There is a lot of playfulness and cheekiness on show here (which is just great because Ken's smiles are so lovely, and his comic expressions hilarious), but there is also plenty of internal doubts and disappointments too. His character's earnestness in wanting to be involved in every aspect of the pregnancy process is also just too adorable and sweet for words.
Best of all, Rachen, like Napat, grows and matures throughout the series and from the man-child he was at the start, he slowly grows to be a man who takes his responsibilities seriously and carries them as best as he possibly can. This evolution was also wonderfully portrayed here.
In short, Ken plays every aspect of Rachen like a maestro and best of all, he makes it all look so effortless and natural.

This is my first time seeing Ken/Anne and I can't deny that Ken's chemistry here with Anne is a lot better than that with Janie in 'Neung Nai Suang'. Perhaps it is also Anne's acting ability (she is head and shoulders above Janie from what I've seen so far) because Anne is able to emote a lot better and so perhaps Ken is able to capitalise on that and also bring out more ability from his side. Or maybe they are really comfortable with each other from the start.
Whatever it is, I can see why they make a great on-screen couple. Their acting is very balanced between them - when one is being over-the-top, the other is equally over-the-top, but when one is being quietly emotional, the other can also be equally quietly emotional. There is a very good and equal balance when they both interact on-screen so both characters develop memorable and individual personalities that play off each other well and none are really completely overshadowed by the other.


MUSIC
I loved the background music and the sound effects on this show. I thought it really added to the tone and mood of each scene, and even though I don't understand Thai and the meaning behind the vocals of the songs, the melody is still a nice scene and mood setter.


RE-WATCH VALUE
Yes, definitely re-watchable, even if it is just for Ken's cute smiles and adorable sweetheart actions. A brilliant romantic comedy - it brings on the laughs but it also brings along the feels. Honestly, it has been a long time since my heart was so emotionally touched during some of the poignant and emotionally-driven scenes, and 'Oum Rak' has now become one of my favourite romantic-comedies.

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I don't hand out 10/10 very often. The movie or series I reward with such a high score, has to be a masterpiece in almost every single detail. To this drama I can't give anything but a 10.

The visual work wasn't outstanding in any way. There was no amazing costumes, makeup nor special effects. The musical score was very good, but not fantastic. There is no epic, earth shattering plot.
There was just the story of a guy, of a disease and of life. Just that simple. And just that amazing.

Carried by actors with talent, sincerity and emotional depth. Everyone in the cast made a good job,
even though some of the actors were shining just a little bit more than the others.
Tabe Mikako made a beautiful and tranquil portrait of a strong woman and good performances were given also by Asada Miyoko as her mother and Kazama Shunsuke as the likable Mamoru.
I liked Fukikoshi Mitsuru as the neurologist Dr Tanimoto and found Nomura Shuhei as Takuto's younger brother Rikuto, entertaining and endearing in his role as the socially awkward guy - who very clearly has Aspergers syndrome (even if it's never said outright.)
But the monster performance of tremendous impact was of course by Miura Haruma, who shines brighter than a star in the role as Takuto.
I believe there could not have been any better choice of actor for the role,
Miura nails it completely and absolutely CRUSHES any competition from Eddie Redmayne and "The theory of Everything". Stephen Hawking is an inspirational person and that movie was rather good, but how I wish that this series would be the one praised and well known.
Sorry Stephen and Eddie, but Takuto and Miura Haruma kicks your asses big time regarding inspirational impact and acting. I have always liked Miura but now he leapt right up to the #1 spot in my "Best asian actors" list.

As for the emotional impact of the drama - wow.
I have personal experience of the disease. My father died of ALS some years back, only 58 years old, about 2,5 years after diagnosis (rather fast) and 3,5 years after onset of symtoms. I worked as caretaker for him and am very familiar with everything related to the disease, it's progress and the care given to the patient. And I am very impressed by how meticulously every little detail was worked out and how Miura acted his role physically - it was very realistic.
And the agony, the emotions... I was completely blown away. I believed his acting every single minute of the series, I never once thought of him as an actor, but only as Takuto. I still can't shake off the belief that Takuto very much exists, that's how good Miura was.

It's sad, very sad. And painful. And agonizing. It WILL make you cry. A lot. And I mean A LOT.
But it's also beautiful, humorous, heartwarming, insightful, thought provoking and inspiring.
But more than anything else - it's hopeful.
I honestly feel that this story changed my life in a way. It made me think. A lot.
About who I am, what I am, why I am like I am, how I want to be, what I wish for. What my goal is.
Like Takuto, I will try to find my goals.

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Bromance School drama disguised as regular friendship drama

The trailer of this drama from the beginning showcased Bromance between the two male leads, it didn't even mention the female lead in the trailer
So I'm addicted to good friendships Bromance Not Bl dramas, I waited until the drama came out and my doubts became Clear, it's really Bromance drama disguised as regular friendship drama with the female lead there to pass censorship in China LOL
That said, this drama is family-oriented youth drama, it's not BL or gay love drama it's about two boys in school who were at odds at first with totally different personalities but when the male lead's father decided for his son to study under the A student of the school to raise his grades, they gradually became close friends, a typical friendship story
what is beautiful about this drama is the characters, the boys have amazing chemistry with each other, they have different personalities but each one adds to the other, and they complete each other's shortcomings
the male lead Jing Hui is such a naughty kind of lost boy but he really needs a good friend to take care of him in school and to understand him,, he needs love from someone close to him because he has trauma from his past
the other boy is a good boy in everything but he's not happy and he's immersed in studying and living a very sad life with his mother so he's also alone, he needs someone to make him happy and have fun
the female lead didn't disrupt this friendship she added to it, her presence made the boys bond more and they both were friends with her even the second lead had sort of crush on her but they didn't go down that Romantic road not entirely
also, the male lead knew about his female friend's crush and he encouraged it, so there was no jealousy nor fighting over the girl not any of that nonsense
the three characters were best friends trying to lift each other up and help each other, having fun, and living their youth to the fullest
There was not much angst in this,, they got separated for a while but returned back to each other again
they misunderstood each other but got back to being best friends again shortly
so this drama is a feel-good drama
it makes you feel lonely because you want to have such amazing friendships as the characters
This drama is really comforting very warm drama and you won't regret watching it
there are skinship scenes here .. they hug each other in various occasions as any friends do
they talk their heart out to each other, they comfort each other and they love brotherly love to each other
also, they aren't related as suggested at the beginning of the drama you will know why at the end
If you are a Bromance or Bl fan you will love it

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Emotionally exhausting and gave me more stress than my final exams

This drama is complete dog water. To be frank, I didn't even fully watch every episode of the series, I would skip huge segments until I got to see He Ping and Qiao Man interact. If you're seeing this, I'm assuming you've watched the trailer before watching the series, and the trailer lives up to the annoying and messy plotline of the story.

The acting is quite bad, especially the first few eps that took place in Barcelona, where we had to see a horrendous amount of Mandarin and English being mixed. The dub is horrible (especially the English dubbing during Barcelona), and I don't see why they need to to use such unnatural dub for this drama, the actors voices are completely fine. I like SWL and Jelly Lin as actors, and I love them together, but this drama does not do either of their acting justice. During the few scenes where they need to cry, they both lack a lot of emotion (esp my boy Weilong). This is ironic because this is supposed to be a melodrama, emotions should be exaggerated, and He Ping almost has the same looks/ facial expressions on his face the entirety of the season.

The story line is very cliche. I could've sworn I've seen a similar teleserye (Filipino drama) similar to that of Beautiful Reborn Flower. The "losing your memory" and falling in love again plot, the "jealous mfs who want to prevent the main character's relationships", the "workplace environment interfering with love" its all the same to me. Everything went downhill when they left Barcelona to go back to China. This is supposed to be romance, yet where is Qiao Man and He Ping together? No real first kiss (I am not counting when He Ping "kisses" Qiao Man after eating spicy food, or when he kisses Qiao Man's hand in ep 24), not even pg 13 sex, this is the equivalent to a middle school relationship almost. It also doesn't make sense that all of a sudden Qiao Man regains her memories in the very last episode. Too many plot holes, and none of it ever adds up.

The music is quite nice, I only rlly like the op and thats it. No need for further discussion.

Rewatch value= never. Please do not waste your time. I don't even think this drama has enough promotion, which such a shame because they shot in Barcelona and also SWL and Jelly Lin are very marketable together. I try to look for interviewers of them together on this drama and its almost nonexistent. In short, save yourself from the stress and go watch some of SWL's and Jelly's dramas.

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All I wanted was to watch a light drama. I should've known better--a ghost love-interest never ends in a everyone-gets-what-they-want way.

The story is short yet interesting--which is what you want in a drama special. The writer/director did a really good job of making you grow to care for the characters. That makes the ending really pull your Heartstrings.(See what I did there? Heh.) Seeing how this kind of story has a limited way of ending, I liked the way they decided to end it. How else is a ghost drama supposed to end?

Bong Tae Gyu and Park Shin Hye were great together. There were moments where Shin Hye would try acting mad/scary, but she couldn't really make me believe it--she's just too cute ^^. Tae Gyu was excellent in showing the pain and strain in his features.

The music starts off pretty whimsical. It's a nice drama soundtrack. The creepy music and accents come in at the right time and quickly made light following the mood. It's too bad there weren't more like-minded scenes.

I might watch this again. Even though I know what happens in the end, I'm sure that will just make my heart ache just as much if not more than the first time. Knowing what's coming makes it a greater tragedy.

Altogether, if you enjoy romance, tragedy, and a dash of the supernatural--all the while trying to deduce a culprit--then give this short drama a try!!

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