Reviews

Perfect combination of script, director, and actors - Comprehensive ongoing review

Well ... I am not going to say that I wasn't disappointed with the ending. I was hoping for a wedding. However, it ended like a Disney movie without any surprise.
I also felt disappointed that the last 6 episodes spent too much time on a repetitive theme: revenge. First, CSS was kidnapped by an obsessed woman. Then the revenge again with Yao's sister-in-law.
I also felt disappointed with the way YS went out without any emotional scene from the book.

In any case, the director did well in most of the parts but the ending could have been a little better.

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Once in a while, Chinese drama delivers a high-quality production with some artful direction, entertaining script/humor, and solid acting.
The 2nd part of the drama is about how the romance between LBY and CSS will develop to a climax: they will separate and reunite after 5 years. Questions that will be answered: Why do they break up? Why does she become engaged to a YS? Will she forgive him? If so, why?
While the first part of the drama is lighthearted, the second part will propel the characters to new heights: deeper love, revenge, separation, and redemption. It will be an entertaining ride. I hope the script will not deviate so much from the novel.

DIRECTOR:
The director of this drama is probably one of the best. He delivers high-quality cinematography and shows the interaction between the characters to create an entertaining drama. This drama is basically family oriented. It's difficult to make it entertaining. But it delivers!

SCRIPT:
The script is almost better than the novel. There are a few changes but overall the changes are for the better. Comic relief moments are appropriately inserted.

CHEMISTRY:
All the MLs have chemistry with ZLS. The looks (eyes) between them and her show how much they like her. This drama would not have been what it is without ZLS. She carries the show, acting like 15 years old girl convincingly.

ENDING:
Happy Ending in the Novel. They didn't get married only talked about it in the epilogue. No actual ceremony. Let's hope the drama will script it in.

EPISODE REVIEW:
49- CSS raced to be with LBY despite his not telling her the truth. She confronts him. He has to take revenge before he marries otherwise he would implicate her family.
48- LBY revealed his identity to his enemy and killed his "father" who is really his uncle. He swapped identity with his cousin.
47 - LBY's mom died
41-42 episodes mark the beginning of the revenge arc.
41 has a lot of romance. LBY volunteered to go to battle against a defector. CSS makes outfits for him.
42 while LBY & CCS's father heads out to battle, CSS's father was accused of treason. The whole family is imprisoned while waiting for the case to be solved.

39-40 The murder case of the Crown Prince's ex-fiance's husband...

37-38 The Queen's birthday banquet

35-36
Mostly, these episodes continued the romance and added more intensity to the conflict between the 5th Princess and CSS. It's a peaceful time during which CSS planned the banquet for the Empress and showcased her talent. Because of the banquet, her family misses her. LBY came to bring her belongings to the Palace so she won't become homesick.
These episodes show a gradual progression of their relationship after the engagement party.

33-34
These 2 episodes are more balanced in terms of Palace drama and romance. So much happened in ep 34: the first kiss, the engagement party, the abolishment of 2 scheming ladies (the king's aunt and the stepmom).
Moments I especially loved:
1) the humor in ep 34 ... so funny and gratifying to finally see the bad people being effectively dealt with
2) the cinematography: the camera looks directly down at CSS's face as she thought about CSS while discussing her feelings with her friends in 33, the heads of the empress and the aunt as they confront each other, and the men waiting around as spectators while the women came up with the solution.
3) a fresh take on Palace drama: both the empress and the consort work together to maintain harmony. You always see the opposite case because it's more dramatic. Here, it's just as dramatic ... and funny at the same time.


31-32
Not too many romantic moments here. These two episodes develop the characterizations and conflicts of the main players in the palace: the polarization of the two personalities of the 3rd prince vs. the Crown Prince, who doesn't have the personality to be in politics or rule the country. He is too soft-hearted.
The episodes also show the lovers in conflict: LBY doesn't tell CSS all the details so CSS doesn't know any politics in the palace; she blindly follows her independent thinking as she often did except now the stakes are much higher.
The Palace drama is slowly heading toward more and more conflicts to a resolution that necessitates the removal of the Crown Prince. The good thing is there are no absolute bad people: one prince is more suitable for ruling the country. The other is just as happy to not be a King!

29-30
I normally don't like Palace drama because it's full of cliches and catfights. There is some of that here. But the difference is that it is seen through the eyes of a 15-years-old girl who has no power to intervene, and yet she did. She herself will navigate this perilous journey through the palace life and triumph. Here she will learn to adapt and distinguish between good and evil. What makes these palace drama stories different is that they are not ridiculous caricatures! The evil people are curbed appropriately. The royal parents don't allow their kids to go wild: they punish them.

In these 2 episodes, we saw the difference between Consort Yue and the Empress: the former is strong and decisive while the latter has a soft heart. Likewise, the difference between their sons: the Crown Prince, who caters to useless people to keep the peace, while the Third Prince, who like his mom, speaks out.

Romantic scenes:
1) the stars in the sky and CSS is the brightest star of them all in LBY's eyes.
2) the first innocent kiss on the forehead and she felt giddy
3) CSS is starting to feel loyalty and love for her fiance

28
Love doesn't conquer all ... Adjustments and compromises are required. I find this scenario to be very realistic. Romantic love is balanced with conflicts and character development. I like how smoothly the script transitions the story to the Palace.

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Better than I expected

I started watching this drama just because of Luo Yun Xi (Leo Luo) and Cheng Xiao pairing. I just wanted to check how well it worked. The whole drama turned out to be better than I expected.

Plot (8.5 stars)
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I am quite disappointed by the plot. The synopsis had much potential than the actual drama. The romance is given more importance than mystery. The amnesia plot was rather disappointing as it only lasted for a few episodes. The truth that LZL was not instigator wasn't revealed little by little. So, the SXY's hatred towards LZL did not last for long. As said in the synopsis, SXY didn't have to try 'desperately' to save their relationship as LZL was always ready to go back into her arms.
The romance plot was quite interesting. It is not much of a 'hard-earned romance' as it is mentioned in the synopsis. The only disappointment is that it was there throughout the drama, for almost the beigining to the end. Had they given more importance to the mystery pIot, the romance could have been more sweeter. Also, have not seen much dramas like this, in which the FL usually initiates kiss.
The drama had many nice quotes too..

Acting or Cast (9 stars)
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I would have given the cast 9.5 or 10 stars if not there were scenes where the FL cries lol. Cheng Xiao had improved but she has yet to study how to handle emotional scenes. Yun Xi nailed his character perfecty as usual. The chemistry between the leads was quite lacking. And there is Gao Han and Tian Yi Tong. Their acting also was really nice and I really liked Gao Han's character very much.
Then, Chestnut. I don't know if he could be said as a pact of Cast haha.. He was the cutest of all and the most sensible one!

Music (10 stars)
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The music was superb. The title song really blended with the theme of the drama. Music was played exactly where it was needed. Some songs I like:
Meory of Last Life by Curley Gao
Circle of Love by Tien Chong
Venus by By2
This drama had many songs and I like most of the songs in English.

Rewatch value (5.5 stars)
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The rewatch value is actually quite low. I don't think I would rewatch this drama at any point of time.

Overall (7.5 stars)
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I liked the drama eventhough it is not one of my top favourites. Overall, it turned out to be better than I expected. I am also at ease seeing Cheng Xiao improve in this drama. This drama is an enjoyable watch.

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more melodramatic series that didn't stick the landing

Overall: this first episode really hooked me, but similar to most of GMMTV's series, the existing plot would have paced better at fewer episodes and I was especially disappointed at the last 2 episodes. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel.

Content Warnings: violence/beaten up, see my spoiler comment for another one, fights/punches

What I Liked
- how the intro notice was blurry to make the viewers feel how Day felt
- the premise was explained/shown well
- sweet moments
- laughed a few times
- enjoyed several of the supportive side characters

Room For Improvement
- pacing was too slow for me, I watched most at 2x speed
- I couldn't get into some of the conflicts because I saw easy(ish) work arounds for most of them
- ep 11 curse/cliche plot point, time jump and a rushed ending
- it felt like Mhok was doing more of the heavy lifting in their relationship and Day's fast change of mind felt unrealistic

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This drama has everything you'll love.⭐

From beginning to end, this drama truly delivered. Fresh concepts, great synergy among the cast, amazing music, and just the right amount of comedy without any cringe—plus some of the best actors in recent years. Liu Yu Ning was outstanding and consistently excels in roles like this. I hope we continue to see him in more historical or fantasy dramas.

It’s definitely a rewatch-worthy series because you’ll enjoy yourself from start to finish. The overall concept stands out—just when you think you can predict what’s coming next, the show proves you wrong every time. I’d 100% recommend it to anyone who enjoys a perfect blend of historical romance and comedy.

A 10/10 banger! This one’s officially going on my “never forget” list.

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More of the same…

For me, I would say this drama is a little overrated. It’s more of the same type of Xianxia that many of us CDrama watchers have seen many times before. It does have some high points that many shows within this genre doesn’t have.

The Good

Production quality was definitely higher than a lot of Xianxias but by no means perfect. The CGI was more polished, the costumes looked pretty well. I can appreciate that ShenLi did not have a million dangly bits and fake jewels hanging from her. The OST was one of the highlights as the music was very nice. The overall acting was good which I typically expect from an older cast. If this would have been played out by a younger cast, the perception may have not been received well by older watchers due to many younger actors having limited experience in acting. Although this was a serious drama, the comedy was well balanced through out.

The Bad

The plot is typical and predictable. These CDrama Xianxias tend to go through the same cycles and not too many of these stories offer anything new. This story was a character driven plot which they tend to be very slow and at times, not much was happening in most of the episodes. I found myself starting to skip through it towards the end. There were a lot of throwaway episodes that could have shorten this show down to 24 episodes. Although I liked the overall production, the skin smoothing and whitening was overdone and sometimes made them look too unnatural and unrecognizable. I would have also liked to see the actors dub themselves. With more CDramas doing away with dubbing, it’s refreshing to see the actors display their real talent. The credit in this drama goes to the great voice actors who can pull off different emotions in their voices.

I am a fan of the genre and will keep hoping and waiting for a new thrill. This one was average and I likely wouldn’t rewatch it. If you are a fan of the cast, it’s worth checking out. Make your own judgement.

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Passionate, slow-burn romance for the win!!

There’s something about the Chinese Republican era that’s so captivating, it has the ability to draw you in, and the settings and costumes also make it very spectacular to watch. This is the type of drama while you’re watching you’ll want to bang your head against the wall if you’re single, and will be definitely yearning for a man like Jiashang to pop up in your life, at least that’s how it made me feel. Although the main protagonist is an arrogant 20 yo in the beginning, as the storyline progresses he’s getting his character development by being more mature and responsible which I liked very much, not to mention he’s manly and extremely handsome. Shizhen is the epitome of elegance and beauty, impeccably well-mannered, sophisticated, and confident in any situation, the actress’s delicate features make her perfect for this role, and this era suits her so well.

The main leads' chemistry is no joke.. literally out of this world, whoever made this pairing and cast them together in this type of drama, I can’t thank you enough! They don’t have that much skinship, but their every scene was on fire, the crazy sexual tension, the ml’s yearning for fl, those deep long stares, lustful glances and passionate kisses, I wish I could erase all of it from my memory so I can watch it again for the first time *sigh*. I replayed their scenes again and again. Kudos to the actors, their acting is top-notch, I could feel their every emotion. Sometimes I wonder how can they not fall in love with each other while shooting these intimate scenes, it’s a forever mystery to me.

The music matches well with the scenes, making the viewing experience even better, and creating the atmosphere it should.

Now I do think that this drama is more for a mature audience rather than the younger ones as the story gets heavier and complicated after around episode 27. The story is complex and I got so immersed in it, that I wanted to pay full attention to the details as well in every episode not to miss out on anything. I won’t go into details because those would be major spoilers, and I want my review to remain spoiler-free, but the drama portrays some serious issues. The first half is more focused on the blooming romance of the main leads, while the other half is about revenge and revelations, packed with more action.

I wouldn’t mind getting more episodes just to watch more of their extraordinary chemistry, it wasn’t enough at all. The drama may be slow-paced but I never once got bored, instead I got addicted to it. Despite that it had some flaws, I couldn’t care less, it was a fun ride for me. To my delight, I just found out that the novel is even better and hotter so I’m on my way to read it.

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" Hospital Playlist " is one of the hyped dramas of 2020 and you are going to like it if you loved dramas like Reply 1988. However, even though there are not many reviews that are not praising this drama, Hospital Playlist is not for everyone.

The drama keeps a slow tempo, with the story being spread throughout the drama, probably so it can serve the next two seasons coming up next. Maybe that's when the drama picks up. And yes, this is a slice of life, but, at times, it felt like there was nothing to look forward to in the next episode. Also, there were moments when the drama got boring too.

That said, they did handle the romance masterfully, as to not overshadow the friendship and so that it didn't become the main focus of the drama. They did a good job with the blend of music and story too, as well as with the flashbacks of their old days.

Finally, when it comes to performances, the drama of course had excellent ones, as the cast was consisted by the best of the best.

So, overall, six and a half out of ten, because there were some nice moments to the drama, but it felt like there was no story to it.

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Everyone is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness

I wasn’t planning on writing a review for this one but after finishing it, I’m almost in awe. I haven’t cried this much when watching a drama in a long time.

The writing and the storytelling are so beautiful. It makes you think, it makes you feel and it makes you empathize. The characters are flawed; at times they are cool, at times they are pathetic but mostly, they are just humans. They have their good, bad, best and worst moments. No one is a saint or purely evil, they are just trying — trying to live their life in the way they best know how. And its titles really capture the essence of this drama.

Hwang Dongman is an eccentric character. He is not very likable at first, second or even third glance. It’s almost understandable why everyone dislikes him. But is it? The more you know him, the more you understand why he is like that. He is like a mirror who reflects other’s feelings and actions towards him and amplifies them. The more people drive him into a corner, the harder he fights back, and the more people try to make him smaller, the louder he becomes. It’s as if he’s trapped into a vicious loop of negatively fueled by his own worthlessness and other’s contempt until he meets Euna who finally breaks that cycle.

Byun Euna is also someone trapped in her own trauma. She is a person full of brilliance and light but is scared to shine because she can’t let go of the people who hurt her. She lives with one foot in her past and every time someone hurts her, she is pushed back into the time when she was alone and helpless. She traps all her emotions — her pain, her hatred and hurt inside her until it grows out of control and hurts herself. Euna calls that emotion self-destruction while Dongman calls it a cry for help and slowly, she learns to fight back and channel her emotions outside instead of letting it fester inside her.

Dongman and Euna's relationship is heartfelt and raw. They found each other like a lifeboat at a time when they were both drowning. They gave each other a moment to breathe and to gather the strength to swim again. For once, they felt seen, they felt heard and found comfort in someone else’s presence.

Park Gyeongse and Ko Hyejin are characters I honestly didn't expect to like but ended up loving so much. Ko Hyejin is such a strong and amazing woman. She isn’t perfect but she has her priorities straight and sees people for who they are without the sugar-coating or being unfair. Park Gyeongse is, in all honesty pathetic but just so real. His writing is beautifully layered and executed so well that you can’t help but empathize with him. The same goes for the rest of the characters too. All of them are flawed but really, they are just struggling too.

Overall, everything in this drama just works. The production is incredible, the writing and the storytelling are beautiful, the acting is phenomenal, the osts are fitting, the comedy delivers and the emotions are felt. We Are All Trying Here is one of those dramas that lingers and stays with you long after you finished watching it and personally, it’s the best kdrama I have watched this year.

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The first season was good, but the second season after all the wait seemed to just rehash pretty much all the old gags and make them less funny. The writer could've come up with new gags but it was written very lazily.

As much as I loved the original cast, having Lee Yi-Kyung or Lee Jun Ki remain as the only person from the original cast and write them off like they were side characters was not pleasant, if anything it was another example of lazy writing. I hated how while they could've used an entirely new cast, they kept him and just copy-pasted the cast into an entire portion of his past and assumed it would be convincing.

It's a comedy so lets focus on that: watch 2 episodes and you've essentially watched them all. Just a bunch of running gags overused to the point of not even being funny anymore. Lee Yi-Kyung's role was an over-the-top kind of role in the first season, but it wasn't so bad because there were characters to balance it out. But here, it's the focus of the show, the characters were dull and the acting was stiff or unnatural.

Cinematography was good, and whoever wrote the script, planned to just make a few easy bucks by capitalizing on the nostalgia of the first season -- had pretty much everyone hooked just by reminding them it was Welcome to Waikiki.

Overall, not really funny and too predictable. It was just something to watch for closure after the first season or if you just need help moving on from it. The conclusion was good though, I liked how they wrapped it up.

Hopefully they don't make another season.

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This was a struggle to watch...

Despite all the rave reviews, I REALLY struggled to watch this drama. The meet cute of love at first sight is not my favorite trope, but it can be good if done right (DOTS, Strong Woman, Go Go Squid. Etc…). Here it seemed unreasonable and forced. There is absolutely no build up of why the ML falls in love with her.

I was not fond of the FL either. She lacked depth, and her expression remained the same throughout which makes it hard to become engaged. Also, I just would have liked to have seen the ML paired with someone who could have matched his intensity, at least a little bit. I think Leo Wu’s infatuated stare works best with FLs with a little more energy and reciprocation.

Let’s face it, with his longing looks, Leo Wu could make a tree fall in love with him. I might have preferred a tree opposite him in this. At least it wouldn’t have kept dodging him every time he tried to get close. I just felt the ML was dragging the FL through most of the scenes.

The slow pace is also an issue for me. While I do appreciate these types of dramas, and I do like them sometimes, I have to be in the right mood and patience to watch them.

I do think if you're looking for something that is very low angst, a lot of eating, sleeping and minimal dialogue or Hallmark Channel-isk (skin deep love vs bone deep love), then you might really like this.

For the record, because of the hype, I tried to watch this several times, but after numerous attempts, I had to let it go. Summed up: This series is like hating tomatoes (LAFS trope, FL, slow pacing), knowing you hate tomatoes, but having everyone tell you to just try it, you’re going to love it, but in the end, you not only still hate tomatoes, you’re mad.

2 Stars. 1 for Effort. 1 for Leo Wu.

Note: The above review is based solely on my opinion which I feel is important to express. It is not meant to offend anyone who is infatuated with this series.

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A Journey Through Night and Day..

Miss Night and Day offers a refreshing twist on the classic curse trope.. Jung Eun Ji was really good in her role.. She had a magical yet challenging double life.. Which she potrayed very well.. The fantasy part was straight forward nothing complicated and nothing extraordinary.. Mystery part was okayish i would say..

The drama was going very well until ep 8.. It was funny, interesting, and had a refreshing vibe that I genuinely enjoyed.. But then the writer decided to give the annoying SML more screentime.. Even though his screentime was considerably less than the support characters his behaviour was very annoying.. I dont know why he is included as main role when he actually had a minor role..

The SML quickly turned into a borderline stalker.. He started crossing boundaries in ways that were uncomfortable to watch.. Curiosity is one thing but his behavior went far beyond that.. It was invasive and showed a complete disregard for others privacy.. He kept touching her ignored her clear discomfort.. I dont know how anyone would like such a charatcer..

The romance part was lacking.. They took too long to get together.. Lot of misunderstandings which could have been avoided.. And she should have told him the truth about her double identity when they both started their relationship.. Its a huge mistake on her part.. And she broke up with him once the case was solved and her curse was revealed.. That was completely avoidable.. I really liked the MLs character.. He would have supported her if she had told him the truth about herself..

A standout element of the drama for me was the role of the FL’s parents.. Her friend and the investigator too were fun to watch.. I liked that they didnt try to overly complicate the storyline..

The subtle hint that she started studying again so that she could go to Seoul and be with the ML was a nice touch.. It was a thoughtful choice by the writers.. Infusing the romance with a sense of quiet determination and growth which it clearly lacked..

One aspect where Korean writers often fall short is in crafting satisfying endings.. They honestly need a crash course on how to write truly fulfilling conclusions.. Especially when it comes to happy endings..

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First Impression

This show is going to be FANTASTIC. I already knew this show was going to be great just from watching the trailer but, so far for this being the first episode....this show is unbelievably amazing. The concept alone is amazing...not to mention the cinematography is absolutely stunning along with the plot and cast. I can just tell this show is going to be a rewatch for me once it's finished.


Alongside the NC scene...it is an absolute masterpiece already. The side-couple....yeah, you heard me THE SIDE-COUPLES NC scene is so fantastic and intense that I'm sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the next episode on Friday

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Lot of potential but ultimately never lived up to its expectations.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the drama is terrible or anything. It has its moments when it shines bright but at the same time, it's too far and few between. One of the highlights is undoubtedly the female lead. She had a lot of charm and sass to her character that it was refreshing to see. It's her character that brings the most interesting and refreshing dialogues in the entire show. The story was reasonably well-paced and give enough screen time for each and every character instead of focussing only on the main leads. The relationship between the main leads was definitely another one of the highlights as well..
And that's where my positives end.

Even though I listed so many positives it was a frustrating experience.
I have seen many reviews raving the main lead for being such a gentleman and such a refreshing character, I mean I get it where the praise comes from but at the same time, the character never had any personality. He's one of the blankest slate a character can be, so ultimately the viewers can ultimately project themselves or anyone else. This is lazy writing more than anything else.
Without going into too many spoilers, let's just say they introduce a character who is gay and never fleshes his character out and just uses him to create a conflict that ultimately does not even affect the story in an impactful way.
The second couple's story is generic and something we have seen a million times. The characters have good chemistry but the story was just basic and by the books. This is something that I have seen a lot lately if the story of the main leads is somewhat different or modern, they introduce a secondary couple with the most cliche story to satisfy a certain section of fans. I can understand why they do it because ultimately the success of the drama depends on how many audiences watch it. I don't consider it as a huge negative but I'm just stating facts for what it is...
The acting was ok overall wasn't impressed with the mail leads performance but was not hugely disappointed either.

Ultimately my frustration arises from the fact that all the negatives I mentioned above were easily avoidable if the screenplay was written a little better.

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One of Jun Ho's Best!

This is definitely Jun Ho like you've never seen before ...
Some reviews were so brutal here, I'm not sure we were watching the same series. I found this drama to be so fantastic in every way. Jun Ho is masterful as always. For anyone who lost a parent and had to pick up the pieces of their lives and go on, this series shows us exactly that. In the beginning, you can't imagine Tae Pung taking over the family business for his recently departed dad, but not only does he transform himself, but everyone around him changes for the better as we get deeper into each episode.
Watching the two lead protagonists fight the evil and dishonest practices of the main antagonists, Hyeon Jun & Bak Ho (Pyo's Owners), it's exhausting to say the least. At times it gets a bit too overwhelming, watching the evil father and son get the best of Tae Jung over and over again ... but you know eventually things will change. It does take forever for this to happen, but don't give up hope. It really does happen!
Early on I couldn't see or feel the magic of Tae Jung & Mi Seon becoming a couple, but somehow it happens and becomes quite believable about halfway through the drama. They become perfectly matched, making for a one two punch tag team to keep Typhoon Trading alive. I think episode 8, the Thailand trip, is when it begins to show us anything is possible, especially seeing Jun Ho sing in English. That was definitely the pinnacle episode of the series. That's where everything started to gel with all the characters, and you could see and feel an unofficial family starting to bond.
Toward the end, I must admit I was hoping for a better demise of the wicked Hyeon Jun. Even though he gets what he deserves, it would have been nice to see the full retribution that was coming his way. The writers seem to leave that up to our imagination.
Throughout each episode, as things kept appearing to be so bleak for Typhoon Trading, one line used earlier on, seems to apply many times over... ... "stars still exist even when they can't be seen"
Don't give up hope!
Extremely enjoyable series with great performances to match!!

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