Reviews

The Price of Loyalty

The Wind Blows from Longxi is an espionage drama in the truest sense of the word. Rather than using espionage as a backdrop for romance or political drama, it puts spies and intelligence work firmly at the center of the story. Schemes are layered on top of schemes, loyalties are constantly tested, identities are questioned, and undercover spies seem to be everywhere. Friendship and romance are present, but they are more like seasoning than the main dish, adding depth to the characters without taking away from the espionage at its core.

This is definitely a drama that requires your full attention. A good portion of the show is essentially bearded men sitting around having extremely serious conversations, and there is a lot of dialogue to process. Yet somehow, I was completely immersed. The script has a certain weight to it, and I often felt like I was investigating alongside the characters rather than simply watching them investigate. The first few episodes were easily the hardest to get through because there were so many names, characters, factions, and pieces of information being introduced at once. Once everything started falling into place, however, the experience became much smoother. I also appreciated the recaps at the end of each episode. Considering how dense the story and language can be, those recaps were a lifesaver.

What kept me hooked was the detective work. There are twists upon twists, and I found myself making assumptions constantly, only to question those assumptions a few minutes later. Even when I guessed something correctly, I still wasn't entirely convinced that I was right. That uncertainty became part of the fun. The drama constantly made me feel like I was one step away from figuring everything out, only to move the chess pieces around again. It really rewards paying attention to the smallest details.

The action was another pleasant surprise. Instead of relying heavily on flashy editing to make the scenes look impressive, the drama lets the actors, choreography, and sequences do the work. The result feels grounded and realistic, which makes the action more satisfying to watch. I also enjoyed the little mechanical details woven into the story, especially the bird-shaped wooden and bamboo glider said to be inspired by Lu Ban, the famous Chinese carpenter and architect. I ended up researching Lu Ban because of this drama, which is always a good sign that something has successfully piqued my curiosity. I particularly appreciated that the drama didn't just mention the mechanism but actually showed it being used to fly.

Chen Gong and Xun Xu, played by Chen Kun and Bai Yu respectively, left an especially strong impression on me. This was my first drama with both actors, and they made these two characters incredibly memorable. Chen Gong and Xun Xu are good friends, in-laws, and colleagues within Shu's intelligence agency, yet they could hardly be more different.

Chen Gong is cunning, morally ambiguous, unpredictable, and incredibly difficult to read. I was constantly trying to figure out what he was thinking, what he was planning, and what move he would make next. His ability to navigate through one impossible situation after another was fascinating. Somehow, no matter what decision he made, I found myself rooting for him.

Chen Kun absolutely owned this role. His performance is subtle but incredibly expressive. His eyes, facial expressions, and even the smallest movements convey so much without feeling exaggerated. I especially appreciated how his portrayal of rage and anger did not rely on the usual red, teary-eyed look. There was something much more restrained and realistic in his expression, which somehow made it more powerful. He completely embodied Chen Gong's gravitas as an undercover spy, while still showing his anxiety, charisma, restlessness, quick thinking, and vulnerability. There was so much happening beneath the surface. Breathtaking.

Xun Xu is almost Chen Gong's complete opposite. He is righteous, rigid, and deeply committed to following the rules. Bending them, even for someone he cares about, is almost impossible for him. I enjoyed watching him piece together clues just as much as I enjoyed watching Chen Gong maneuver around them. There were times when I desperately wanted Xun Xu to uncover the truth, and other times when I was practically begging him not to.

Bai Yu also impressed me tremendously, particularly in scenes where Xun Xu was overwhelmed by regret, guilt, and sorrow. His emotions felt raw enough that my heart genuinely sank watching him. And then, amusingly, we get to see this persistent, serious investigator turn into a complete puppy around the woman he likes. It was adorable. Still, I was relieved that the drama did not turn him into someone who would abandon everything in the name of love. Just when I thought he might become weak because of his feelings, Xun Xu reminded me who he was. Shu always comes first, and he remains steadfast in that conviction.

Naturally, the relationship between Chen Gong and Xun Xu became one of my favorite parts of the drama. Their bond is incredibly strong, to the point where distance cannot easily break it. But because they are so fundamentally different, there is always this lingering feeling that sooner or later, their friendship will be put to the ultimate test. The buildup to that test, and the test itself, became some of the most emotional material in the drama. Their relationship gives the espionage story a human heart without turning it into a friendship drama.

Visually, The Wind Blows from Longxi is just as deliberate as its storytelling. The muted color palette gives everything a rustic, vintage, mysterious, and serious atmosphere. It is also surprisingly easy on the eyes. The lack of overly bright colors and attention-grabbing elements means the visuals rarely compete with the story. Instead, they quietly support the mood and allow the audience to focus on the dialogue, expressions, and movements of the characters. The cinematography, sets, costumes, and overall production design come together beautifully. Combined with the OST and score, the drama creates an atmosphere that feels immersive from beginning to end.

The ending sucked me right in and left me feeling thoroughly harrowed. At the same time, I can't say I was completely surprised by it. In a story about spies and intelligence agencies, people are ultimately pieces on a chessboard, and the ending drives that point home rather brutally. Chen Gong and Xun Xu may be important to us as viewers, but to the larger machinery of the espionage game, they are expendable. Still, I couldn't help thinking that there might have been other alternatives, other solutions, perhaps even another possible outcome. Maybe that lingering frustration is exactly what the ending wanted to leave behind. What I do know is that the final moments between Chen Gong and Xun Xu were gut-wrenching. After everything going on, the ending was one of the strongest and most emotional moments of the entire story.

Ultimately, The Wind Blows from Longxi is a drama that rewards attention. It has a heavy start, dense dialogue, a complicated plot, and enough names and schemes to make you question whether you should be taking notes. But once you settle into its rhythm, it becomes an incredibly immersive experience. It may not be a drama everyone will enjoy, even among fans of espionage stories. It asks for patience, concentration, and a willingness to let the story unfold at its own pace. For me, though, the payoff was worth it. I came for the spies, stayed for the detective work, and ended up emotionally invested in the characters.

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Good chemistry yet Super morally wrong.

I will give loads of praise for the acting and chemistry, in this show it was great. You can really feel that theres meant to be a lot of desire, love, and feelings blended in hated and jealousy, but yes i will come back to that.
Tate (Tone) really feels like he gave it his all when he played this driver, you can feel his hidden desire towards the lady, the forbidden, its al of the things that he can't have. Morally, it is WRONG to pursue a married woman, That should not be argued about. There is no need to romanticise that fact either. And yet, when she begins to come toward him too, something happens between them. They both know there is a boundary they shouldn't cross, and somehow that knowledge makes the temptation even stronger. The human psyche it s interesting, as it is disturbing. Its in the name of the show as well its all about the whisper of desire, the hidden feelings never to see the light of day. This show shows hoe desire works for the human psyche snd that intrigued me enough to keep watching the show all the way through.
So, like i said the chemistry. There is the obvious chemistry it is intense. The show has this deliberately sensual atmosphere. I don't agree with the characters' choices, but the characters themselves knows how to create tension.
So if i had to give my thoughts of the show as a whole it would be something along the lines of how Whisper of Desire understands that sometimes the most effective way to keep an audience watching is to make them simultaneously think, “Don't do it,” and “Oh my God, they're actually going to do it.” But do watch at your own sanity, these choices are very morally wrong, so if that makes you uncomfortable don't watch it.

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The Rare Drama With Almost Nothing to Criticize

“Tight plot,” “gripping,” “realistic,” “mind-blowing,” “stellar cast,” “masterpiece.”

There’s hardly anything to criticize. The plot, pacing, suspense, acting, and the entire cast are all on point. The leads and supporting actors fit naturally into the story, with no one feeling unnecessary, while the directors and screenwriters did an excellent job bringing everything together. For once, I genuinely can't find a real shortcoming. Everything just works. A masterpiece.

The storyline is rock solid, with a very investigative approach to solving the case—gathering evidence, connecting the dots, following leads, and slowly uncovering the truth. Nothing feels rushed or conveniently handed to the characters. Every detail matters.

I especially like that there’s no unnecessary spotlight on the lead. Every cop has a role to play, and everyone contributes to solving the case. The story remains the focus, making everything feel grounded and realistic.

The suspense is there from beginning to end. The twists keep coming, and just when you think you've figured things out, another one hits. Until the very end, you really can't be sure what the truth is. And despite the serious story, there’s some humor sprinkled in naturally, giving you a chance to breathe without ruining the tension.

For such a complex story, fitting everything into just 16 episodes while keeping the plot clear, tight, and well-paced is impressive. Nothing feels dragged out, yet the story still has enough depth and emotional weight to leave a lasting impression.

The ending could've been better and a bit longer, but overall, no wasted episodes--just a gripping, well-made drama that delivers from beginning to end.

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Did people seriously like this show or is it just rage bait?

The Early Spring was a rough, deeply uncomfortable watch from start to finish, with virtually no redeeming qualities. I skipped almost the entire episodes just to get to the end.
Luke (ML) is a toxic, arrogant boss who stays despicable throughout the entire drama. His behavior toward the FL is constantly exploitative. Their first intimate night together was outright predatory—he lured his naive, intoxicated subordinate into his apartment and made a move on her. Even if she "sobered up" and "initiated" it later, the massive power imbalance and setup were deeply unsettling from the start.
The FL behaves completely irrationally. As a new employee, she has ABSOLUTELY no issue sleeping with her boss, only to spend the rest of the show whining about his terrible behavior—behavior he never even bothered to conceal. He was upfront about being a awful person, yet she willingly entertained it.
The plot is painfully boring. It feels like another "fake-deep," pseudo-realistic romance web novel adaptation turned into a braindead drama. Anyone who enjoyed this likely only watched it for the intimacy scenes ( ridiculous) which completely lacked chemistry and looked so awkward I had to fast-forward through them.. just like I did with most of the show.
The ending made zero sense. After a childish, teenage-level fight that leads to a big breakup, they immediately reconcile and get married out of nowhere after a couple of years.
Overall, this was an unsettling romance that left me feeling uncomfortable the entire time. China really needs to stop churning out these toxic workplace dramas.

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A crazy amount of comedy with a super positive, fun vibe

I'm begging you don't watch it if you don't like lighthearted, comedy with a fun, positive vibe and if you only expect a good plot. I don't want anyone else to give low rating. The plot is good, but the comedy is the main thing.

This deserves so much recognition! This easily fall into my top 10 Asian dramas of all time. I don't give 10 as rating to a drama easily, (in the past I did, but not anymore) but I just couldn't give anything less than 10 for this drama. It's perfect! 😍I love dramas that are full of positive, cheerful energy.

If you don't like comedy, please please don't watch it, but this is highly highly recommended for people who like comedy. Maybe the low rating is because there's too much comedy in this, and the comedy comes before the plot, sometimes the comedy is too much to the point it's like fantasy or supernatural 😂 You'll have so many moments you will feel "what the hell am I watching" but enjoy every minute of it😂
It's full of positive, healing, fun vibe, with some emotional ones with a good plot (good for a comedy drama), villains you can't hate, a lot of lessons, mainly about the business world and a few life lessons too. Sometimes they randomly explain business terms without making it boring.

This is the best drama to relax and elevate your mood. You will end up with positive cheerful energy after this. Don't mind the 1st half of the 1st episode, which is a bit stressful, but that is only the 1st half of the 1st episode. After that it's all fun and drama.

Again, begging you not to watch it for a good plot, but watch it to relax and to have fun.

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Miscommunications + insecurities -> toxic yet enthralling relationship

The Early Spring is so far my favourite drama of 2026.

Flora is a young, hardworking woman hired by LIME, where she works under her authoritative and assertive boss, Luke, with whom she eventually becomes entangled. During this years-long situationship, they develop deep affection for one another, which is marred by misunderstandings, only fuelled by Flora’s naivety and her feeble attempts to gain clarification, and Luke’s pride and lack of empathy, as well as their combined lack of romantic experience.
Sun Qian and Jing Boran not only did an excellent job portraying their characters through realistic and natural acting, but also had amazing chemistry with one another.
All in all, their flaws make them feel very realistic, which is something that many other dramas fail to achieve. This also applies to the side characters, none of whom felt extraneous.
The only thing I would have loved to see more of would be Sun Yu’s and Zhang Lei’s career advancement. The drama focuses more on Luke’s help, but in the novel, the roommates actually play key roles in Flora’s business development.

As for the storyline, those who have read the novel will have noticed that the screenwriters changed and added certain scenes and scenarios. Although I’m usually not too fond of such changes, I actually think they did a great job this time round, as they managed to tie separate plot-lines and events together, helping the story flow better. The additional scenes also contributed to the romantic build-up, for example the scene where they got stuck in the mountains during a storm.
I also believe that the decision to adjust Luke’s character, thereby making him less of a red flag than in the novel, was the right call.

As for the parts that fell a bit short:
From the beginning, I was anticipating the couple’s period of separation, but when it arrived, I felt that it fell a bit short of my expectations. I would have loved for it to be stretched out more to emphasise the yearning and anguish, especially on Luke’s part. Reportedly, they had to cut the drama down from 32 to 24 episodes, so it would be interesting to know how it would have been in the 32-episode version.
Also, Linda’s and Yilia’s roles felt a bit too condensed. The writers could have used Yilia more to show how her presence fed Flora’s insecurities and essentially widened the rift between her and Luke, leading up to their breakup.

All things considered, I really enjoyed this drama and hope to see more modern dramas like it in the future.

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Hate that it’s dubbed .. rather like English subs instead dubbing takes away from series

Wish it wasn’t dubbed !!!
Dubbing is to distracting !!!
Enjoy original language with English subs
Love the cast and plot but the dubbing makes me unhappy !!!
I’m hoping I can see it without dubbing ! Is that possible
Sweet love story ! Funny and entertaining. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🖤

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Decide for yourself whether to watch it

There was a lot to like about this drama. Personally, I'm glad they cut the number of episodes down. This didn't drag as much as a lot of Chinese dramas do.
The acting was top notch. I especially loved Qi Tian Qing as Sun Yu, and I loved the character of LuMi - such a supportive boss and friend! For me, the friendships really shone in this. They were very realistic - friends come and go through triumphs and tragedies.
Jing Bo Ran as Luan Nian was excellent. His wardrobe was amazing; he always looked like he was ready to walk a runway. Powerful, aloof, emotionally stunted, with moments of tenderness. His scenes in Norway were stellar.
Su Qian as Shang Zhi Tao was good as well. However, I questioned a lot of her clothing selections, they were weird and distracting.

Loved the acting of the leads, hated the characters. It's hard for me to decide who was worse, Luan Nian or Zhi Tao. With him saying things like, "Dating is too much work. If we want to date or sleep with someone else, we'll break up." Them meeting up on Fridays just screamed booty call. Admittedly, their chemistry was fire, and the intimate scenes were very tastefully done. But this wasn't love, this was hormones, plain and simple. They didn't get to know one another; their hormones were just running amok. Being a die-hard romantic, this is the first time I've wished that a couple didn't end up together.
Luan Nian - he was terrible to her! He was constantly calling her names and putting her down. He was often downright mean to her. Granted, he supported her so much behind the scenes, but she didn't know any of this. She could only base their relationship on his actions. Plus, he was very jealous, which made him even more mean, and he was very stalker-ish. He'd park outside her house and watch her with friends, etc. Watching him smoke (thankfully only one scene) was very jarring and all I could think was kissing him would be like licking an ashtray.
Zhi Tao - she was a doormat. After many years she talks to him about getting married and he came out and said he never thought about it. Break up, followed by makeup - over and over again. Get a spine, woman! She was great at her job, but still had such low self-esteem that she would put up with his behavior? She was willing to put up with whatever scraps he was willing to throw her.
I did like their time in Tibet. Spending time together, teasing one another.

What was up with everyone being assigned an English name? That made no sense and they sounded ridiculous using them.

Sooooo much drinking!

There was a happy ending for them, but honestly, we didn't get to see much of anything to show that he actually changed.

This is why I say decide for yourself whether to watch it. I felt that their relationship was toxic and unhealthy. Breaking up and making up repeatedly, yet allowing the same behaviors to continue. I never felt their love, only their obsession.

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Truly incredible

First before anything else I want to give a huge shoutout to Dew for not only starring in this, but for doing all the artwork for it as well! It was all so incredibly cool!!

Kaye: I loved Kaye so much! I loved that we didn't know if he was good or evil or what he was thinking for a good majority of the show. Even the last couple episodes made you question if he could possibly be involved or not in the killings. He was giving Light Yagami in so many moments and as a Light girly, I was eating that up. Dew did such an incredible job with this role! His best and my favorite yet. He gets better in every show, and this was on another level. That scene in the bathroom with the mirror proved how good of an actor he is.

Phat: He was such a good guy, and I loved what he stood for, especially with him being a cop. Him throwing all that out the window when it came to protecting Kaye was so interesting too. I liked seeing his relationship with Nop and his sister as too, especially with his sister getting closer and closer to Thun as it went on. Tee did such a good job as well. This is the first thing I've seen him in, and I thought he was great!

The relationship between these two was everything to me. I need them to kiss right now. The chemistry between Dew and Tee really sold their relationship as well. It was insanely good, especially for their first series together. I loved seeing them closer as the series went on. They
were very obviously in love with each other by the end. I know it isn't a romance, but we all know it's true. Their reunion with the big hug at the end was so cute and if we can't get a kiss, that's the next best option. They were so happy to see each other again. Don't get me started on the scene with the cigarette lighting...it was so hot.

Thun: I didn't trust him from the second he showed up but I still loved his character. I wasn't shocked that he was the killer, but they did a great job at making you think it could be anyone in the show. I also just love Off so I'm always happy to see him.
Praew: I liked her for the most part as well. I loved that she wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in, even if that meant putting herself in dangerous situations. I loved her relationship with all the boys and Prim too.
Prim: She wasn't super important in the show, but I thought she was a sweetie
Nop: I can't lie I didn't trust him most of the show. The episode I finally decided to trust him was the episode where he died unfortunately. He was actually a really good guy, and it sucks he had to die. I loved seeing his relationship with Phat a lot.

The lighting, directing, camera work, editing, and acting was all so incredible in this show. I think they really pulled off the references to death note and the themes of it really well. I loved hearing how different characters felt about the killings since they all felt so differently about it.

I just loved this show from start to finish and don't have a single bad thing to say about it. I'm going to miss it so badly and will definitely be watching again in the future. I highly recommend!

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The most unlikeable couple I've ever seen

I absolutely hated this show so let me breakdown why.
-The show had so many plot threads that went nowhere or had such little payoff. There was a lot, but one example is how Da Reum talked about wanting best employee to on the trip for multiple episodes and then we never heard or saw anything about it again.
-I could tell whoever wrote this show is not a kpop fan and just guessed what it was like from looking online. All the saesang behavior aside (which I'll get into later), there were so many moments that my roommate and I knew a fan would not do or react the way they did in the show. We are huge kpop fans and the whole time we were watching, we rarely related to the "fans" in this and not just because of cultural differences. For example: At the reunion concert, the three girl friends would've sat together. It's fine their boyfriends are there too but they would've sat next to each other. Their all-time favorite group and the whole reason they became friends in the first place, has reunited after over ten years...they would've sat together and they would've been way more emotional about it than they were. The whole audience would've been way more emotional about it than they were.
-Going hand in hand with that last one, so much saesang behavior was called normal fan behavior in this show. Why is the fan culture we're showing?!
-We should've gotten way more of DNX. I don't just mean when they are back together and reunited either, i just mean in general they should've been in it more. I literally didn't even know two of the members names until I looked it up. The storyline of them getting really famous, breaking up, and getting back together was far more interesting than anything else happening in the show. We should've seen more of why they ended on such awful terms and what brought them back together, but we didn't. We just got the tiniest little bits and pieces of their story. Even though Chan was a main character, we didn't even see or hear much about what he thought on the group splitting. The few moments we got of DNX was so good.

My very few positives
-The scene with Chan and Da Reum on the couch in episode 11 or 12 where he tells her that he was the one who gave her the necklace, was so beautifully well done. There was so much raw emotion from both of them in that scene. It felt like a different write entirely wrote this scene.
-They did a great job showing the protests and scandals for actors and idols in Korea and how it affects them as well as the fans
-They did a great job showing how bad groups breaking up can be for the idols and fans as well, especially when ending on bad terms
-Seeing the team at Appello grow closer was really nice and fun to see. I loved seeing how they all brainstormed new ideas and worked hard together
-The music was great. I even added a few of the DNX songs to my Spotify
-The sets were cool, especially the Appello office
-The actors all did great for the most part as well

Onto characters
-Chan: I'm starting with him because he's the only one I liked out of the main three and was the most likeable in the whole show. I really wish he was in it more than he was. For being a main lead, we saw him so little. He was such an interesting character and had such depth to him as well as a fun and flirty personality. His storylines were also just better overall. Like I said before, I loved everything with DNX and the idol side of things! I also liked to see his actor side of things, his friendship with the CEO, the budding romance between him and Da Reum, and his history with Cho I. All his just seemed more thought out and exciting. I'm not just saying that because he's one of my favorite actors either. Though I will say, I loved seeing him as an idol.
-Ha Gi: He's got to be one of the worst and most unlikeable leads I've ever seen in a romcom and I've seen so many. He was so boring, had no personality, obsessed with his AI bot (that could be for a sponsor though so idk), and was so delusional. What I mean by delusional is how much he thought that Da Reum was in love with him, even when she thought he was gay, even when she told him straight up she didn't see him as more than a boss, and even before she began to have the slightest feelings for him at all.
-Da Reum: At first, I thought she was pretty funny and thought it was cool to see kpop fangirly as the main lead, but as the show went on it showed more and more that she wasn't a fan but was a saesang. Nothing made me happier than when there was the episode with the protests calling her out her being one. Thought that happiness was very quickly taken away when everyone else she was talking to told her she wasn't and the showed tried to convince us she wasn't by all these people saying the "fan" behavior they've done in the past which was just EVEN MORE SAESANG BEHAVIOR!! Another thing that bothered me about her is that she seemed to never know what she wanted. She would want something until she got it and then she wouldn't want it anymore. It drove me nuts. I will say I loved how driven she was and how great she was at her job. She showed time and time again why she kept being offered new opportunities and I loved that.

-Cho I caused a little drama in the beginning but other than she was such a useless character. We honestly could've had drama even without her. It felt like they wanted her to be a bigger antagonist than she was, but we didn't see her enough for her to be one.
-Jeong Yeon was introduced too late in the show for me to care about her at all. There was nothing wrong with her character really, but she was introduced so late that she didn't really affect anyone at all.
-Seong Uk was barely in the show, but I was still able to guess really early on that he was the mole. I think the show did a decent job misleading on who it was though, even if I did guess it early. I thought it was still crazy he betrayed Ha Gi though since his kids literally call Ha Gi uncle and they're really close outside of work. I did feel bad for the CEO with that.
-Min A and Yeong U were a lot of fun along with some of the other colleges like Mi Yeong. I think they all brought some funny moments to the show.
-Min U was such a catch. I loved him a lot. He brought some good comedy as well was just a good guy all around.
-Mi Mi's character was fine but didn't really stand out at all.
-Seul A was just another saesang in the show. I did like how she helped Roy make his way back to DNX again.

Relationships
-Chan and Da Reum: I really liked their relationship a lot. I knew going into the show that she was ending up with the ceo and was curious how they were going to make her not want the man she's been in love with for 10+ years, and I think they did it in a stupid way to be honest. Not the worst, but it definitely could've been better. He was so sweet to her, constantly asking if she was okay, was opening up to her, and really tried to get to know her. She on the other hand didn't put any effort in at all. I completely understand being upset when he left her at the dinner, but as for the other times they were interrupted, she knew going into this that he was a famous celebrity. I think it would've made more sense with her being upset over it if they were together longer. If we saw they were together longer and every time they're trying to have date, he was ditching her or him not being who she thought he was, then it would've made sense why she ended things, but he left her one time and she ended things. It was so ridiculous. I'll also say I think these two actors had better chemistry together than her and the CEO by a long shot.
-Ha Gi and Da Reum: As you can tell I already didn't like these two as characters and I didn't really like them as a couple either. We only ever saw them at work or work-related events or talking about work. They so rarely talking about things outside of work that it didn't really make sense why they fell for each in the first place, other than that they were constantly around each other in the workplace. We never saw them bond or relate to each other on anything or got really any emotional scenes between them, so the relationship felt so empty to me. Which leads me into my next point about them. They both have the emotional intelligence of a toddler. These people are supposed to be 30+ years old and were acting like little kids. I've seen toddlers more in tune with their feelings and thoughts than these two. Neither of them ever wanted to or knew how to express how they were feeling about anything. Their kissing was some of the worst I've seen in a long time too. You could tell the actress did not want to kiss him. They just had bad chemistry together as actors. Even in interviews I've seen, they didn't seem super comfortable around each other, and she seems to just not like him very much.
-Chan and Ha Gi: Their friendship in the first episode or so was really cute and they had moments throughout the rest of the show that were sweet, but for the most part they kind of were bad friends to each (mainly Ha Gi towards Chan). They didn't really tell each other anything and they're supposed to be best friends...sure. The actors had great chemistry together though. In the interviews they seemed way more into each other than with her.
-Da Reum, Min A, and Yeong U: I loved seeing the friendship between these three a a lot. It was really cute. I was shocked the two ended up together because I thought he was gay the whole time I can't lie.
-Our three girls: They did have some really cute and sweet moments together as friends and I loved that liking the same group is how they became friends to begin with, but a lot of what we saw was just them supporting each others saesang behavior.
-Mi Mi and Min U's relationship was cute for the most part but the playing hard to get was so childish.

Overall, as you can tell, I really hated this show. It was only on for six weeks and those two hours every week really dragged. It's by far the worst thing I've seen Woomin in. I have very few good things to say about this show and absolutely would never recommend this anyone.

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Twelve minutes at a time, and it never wasted one

Yes, it moves fast. No, I don't think that's a flaw here. The format is the format, and instead of fighting it, the drama leans into it. Every scene has a job, and when something gets skipped, it's usually because the next scene tells you what happened more efficiently than a whole sequence would have. If you want twenty minutes of a character walking through a courtyard thinking about her mother, this isn't the drama. If you want a revenge arc that keeps its shape and lands where it promised to, it is.

Zhu Li Lan is the reason this works. Qi Yuan before the poison and Qi Yuan after are recognizably the same woman, and she plays that continuity without over-signalling it. The harder edge is already there, just buried under someone still hoping she can have a normal life. After the rebirth it simply stops being buried. And Deng Kai gives Xiao Yun Ting the thing I always want from these roles: the sense that he's saying less than he means, constantly, and that the restraint is heartbreaking. The chemistry between them doesn't come from big declarations. It comes from how they look at each other. Xue Ba Yi is genuinely unsettling as Prince Qi, too, not cartoonish, which would have been the easy read.

Is it deep? Not in the way a forty-episode production can be. Nobody gets a slow interiority arc, and some of the supporting cast are sketched rather than drawn. But I'd rather a short drama be excellent at short drama scale than pretend it has time it doesn't. This one knows exactly how much room it has and fills all of it.

I recommend it, especially if you've been burned by mini dramas before.

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