Reviews

Ugh

I am very late to this cdrama because this didn't really appeal to me until a couple of days ago when I finished watching The First Frost and saw that this was sort of connected to it. I don't normally like cutesy female leads who can barely talk like a normal human being and this had exactly that. We start off with 8 episodes of the teen FL pining after the ML. These episodes were so boring and cringy and just kind of strange at the same time. I'm not sure why they focused so much on their interactions when she was underage. At least they changed the child that was playing the FL in the beginning cause that was super weird. Tbh even with the actress change later on, it was borderline creepy at times because the actress was doing this ridiculous voice that made her sound like a child. So I was just weirded out by their interactions. I pushed through since I can get over some dubious shit in dramas and I can ignore it somewhat if it's not too much. So I got through these 8 episodes and finally made it to the adult life bits excited to finally see some actual romance. And um, the same childish cutesy behaviour is there. Unlucky me I guess.

I still persisted and hoped that the romance would make up for the first 8 episodes. And nope. The romance is bad. I didn't really buy their chemistry. The fixation on the age thing seemed so strange. He's 5 years older, not 50. Although based on the immaturity of the FL, I guess the age difference seems larger and more significant. I don't think him falling for her was shown properly. They have some interactions and all of a sudden he likes her I guess. He wasn't really conflicted, didn't hesitate at all and just went for it. His flirting was so cringy lol. I guess when you don't buy the chemistry, it's bound to seem cringy. And the FL is still acting in the same way as before. It's so jarring, at times it honestly seems like she might have some developmental disability. Feels pretty harsh, but that's how it looked like to me.

Anyway, I still persisted and wanted to keep watching to see what this relationship will look like once they start properly dating. And ugh. I think their relationship is so weird. Her juvenile behaviour is so jarring and him being attracted to her when she is so childish is giving me the ick. I also really hate the way he keeps bending over to study her face from up close, it's so odd lol. I genuinely think that if she had an adult woman's voice and behaviour, it would make this much less weird and tolerable.

Now I'm at the end of episode 18 and I can't persist anymore. He's just bent over AGAIN to get close to her face and talk to her like he's talking to a child and that was the final straw. I can't take these two anymore, it's time to drop it and move on to something I'm actually enjoying.

I knew I wouldn't like this back when this first came out and everyone was raving about it. Nothing about this appealed to me and my instincts were right. I blame The First Frost for this lol. If I hadn't liked it, I would have never watched this.

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Where Pain Meets the Brush: Finding Yourself in the Lines of Life

I went into The Lines That Define Me because I wanted to see someone finding meaning or healing through art. And that’s exactly what I got, which is why I ended up really loving it. I watched it, finished it, and then just sat there for a while. Not because anything huge happened, but because the feeling stayed with me.

The movie is quiet and slow in a very intentional way. It doesn’t try to shock you or force emotions out of you. Everything happens gently, and a lot of it sinks in later rather than all at once. The way it shows grief and figuring life out feels real nothing dramatic or overdone, just steady and ongoing, like ink slowly spreading across paper.

At its heart, this story isn’t really about sumi-e painting. It’s about standing in front of an empty space and realizing you still exist, even after life has taken so much from you. Sosuke Aoyama isn’t chasing success or recognition. He doesn’t even know if art is his thing at first. He’s just drifting, unsure of what he wants, until life unexpectedly puts something in his path and asks him to try.

Sumi-e itself is simple and unforgiving: black ink, water, and space. No erasing, no fixing mistakes. Every stroke stays. And maybe that’s why it reaches Sosuke the way it does. When he encounters it for the first time, his body reacts before his mind can catch up. He breaks down without understanding why. That moment says everything: sometimes pain recognizes beauty before we’re ready to name it.

Kozan Shinoda, the master, isn’t the kind of teacher who lectures life into you. He embodies it. He paints the way some people breathe without panic, without apology. What he teaches Sosuke is deceptively simple and devastatingly profound: art is not about copying what’s in front of your eyes, but revealing what has already taken root inside you. Skill is secondary. Presence is everything.

And then there’s Chiaki brilliant, burdened, sharp edged with expectation. Living in the shadow of genius can dim even the brightest talent, and her struggle feels painfully real. Watching her move through self doubt, pride, resentment, and longing is like seeing someone untangle themselves from a legacy that both shaped and confined them. Her connection with Sosuke isn’t clean or romanticized it’s tense, awkward, and human. They help each other quietly through art, challenging one another, sharing small moments of understanding, and finding a way to stand on their own while still meeting in the space between ink and silence.

The visuals are impressive, and the acting is so good, really bringing the story to life.

What makes this film quietly devastating is how it understands contradiction. Love that nurtures and wounds. Care that exists beside cruelty. A past that both shapes you and suffocates you. Sosuke’s history marked by neglect, violence, sacrifice, and emotional whiplash doesn’t get neatly explained away. It lingers. It stains. Just like ink does.

The visual language mirrors this perfectly. Sumi-e paintings aren’t loud. They don’t beg for attention. They leave space. White space. Breathing room. And in that emptiness, meaning grows. Watching Sosuke paint feels like watching someone slowly grant themselves permission to live. Every brushstroke becomes an act of defiance against numbness.

This film believes something quietly radical: that people are not finished products. That we are unfinished lines, constantly redrawn by pain, love, chance, and choice. That even when life breaks us, it doesn’t erase us. It just changes the way we move across the page.

It isn’t flawless. It doesn’t try to be. Some moments are familiar, some emotions arrive softly instead of explosively. But that’s exactly why it works. Life rarely gives us climactic speeches. It gives us mornings we didn’t think we’d survive and somehow did.

By the end, The Lines That Define Me doesn’t leave you with answers. It leaves you with a feeling: that it’s okay to start where you are, with trembling hands and an unsteady heart. That meaning isn’t found it’s practiced. Daily. Imperfectly. Honestly.

Watching this film feels like borrowing someone else’s grief and realizing it fits disturbingly well. Like discovering that healing doesn’t always look like happiness sometimes it looks like sitting still long enough to let yourself feel again.

This isn’t just a coming of age story.
It’s a quiet reminder that even after everything, you are still a blank page.
And the lines you draw next are yours.

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I love this drama so much !! Like the story and script is top notch for me and the cast is amazing ✨ I can't imagine other actor of actresses playing role of Manman and Wei Xiao. I gave the story 9.0 because the story has some plot holes like Big ones. People making completely random decisions (I’m looking at you, Qiao Yue and Da Qiao). Some storylines vanish. Others stretch belief. But the rhythm works. The emotional arc had momentum. The humor landed often enough. And the supporting cast was pretty solid.

Also, that drunk scene was such a delight—SZE running around like a mischievous little kid, totally unguarded, and him completely losing his usual regal composure as he chased after her. It was such a fun contrast to their usual dynamic, and she played it with just the right balance of innocence and mischief. Honestly, moments like that really sealed it for me.

The only downside to this drama is the last two episodes because it was a bit too rushed. Too many things happened in the last 2 episodes, especially, just to conclude the series. Ending was way too much details pumped into those episodes just to finish up the series. Overall, I'd give it a solid 9.0 out of 10. It could have been a perfect 10, if the ending was done properly.

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Good Premise, Bad Execution

I dont like writing long reviews so ill keep it short.
Ive watched lots of Reality TV Shows from many countries and while I loved the premise of this show, the execution was really bad. The first few episodes are really good and hook you, but as the show goes on, it really is a hard watch. Not only that but in many scenes you get the feeling it was scripted or people behaved a way that seemed a little too exaggerated for their usual behaviour.
Also, what bothered me a lot was how they disqualify Yanboh for a drug joke but not Baby for physically hurting somebody.
On top of that, later episodes seemed really stale, as there werent many challenges or crazy date/ group dates anymore.
I also think the show wouldve been way more exciting if there were actual couples to be formed or challenges where people would have to tell each other their opinions of one another, stuff like that that add tension in formats like Singles Inferno or Love Island.
ALSO MY BIGGEST CRITIQUE: When Oto tells everyone how she was literally raped, everybody is silent. Not anyone in the cast says anything and not even the moderators. It is just glanced over and in the next scene they go on joking. That was REALLY WEIRD and not okay to see.

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Chemistry was 100000/10

This show was amazing. The chemistry was one of the best I’ve seen in a BL in my life. The acting… oh the acting. The actors devoured their roles. I wish I could give this show a 100/10. But why the 8.5? The plot and especially the screen writing. I just couldn’t deal with it some things they said and some of their actions. I cringed a lot of times, I faced palmed a lot of times. Felt like they weren’t adults some times. But other than that I really did love it. I fell in love with the characters. Felt like they became family and in the end even tho I was frustrated with some scenes I found myself not wanting this to end. An applause for the actors

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Lowkey love this series so much !!! This has to be my fav chinese Bl ✨

this show gets a 10/10 from me because of its splendid cast and acting... Like the storyline, plot, character delivery, emotions, background settings, lighting and all NC scenes are top notch. There is something about it that is just so addictive and good. I really enjoyed it, and Fan Xio's seemingly impossible redemption came covered in glory.

Now, let's agree that the sexual tension that existed between them since they met was difficult to overcome. Script, acting, production - all excellent. I love that they adapted a dark love story and it stayed a dark love story - very rare. I can’t imagine another Chinese drama topping this in the near future and it may well end up my favorite from any country in 2026.

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I was not too impressed with this series as a whole because my expectations were a lot more from it. Now let's get started with ep 16; The episode seemed rushed but also full of fillers at the same time? We never got to know what happened to Gao Tu and how he went through the pregnancy alone without an alpha.

Also how come did Shen Wenleng not suspect anything when Gao Tu's father brought up the abortion to him? I get that their relationship is built on misunderstandings but also how did even Gao Tu's father conclude that the child belongs to Shen Wenleng given that he's perceived as a character with negative IQ? I just find it unrealistic for him to be so distant and neglecting but to somehow figure out all of that based on the little vague info he had.

Now this is my personal opinion but I just couldn't bear the idea of an alpha bearing a child, especially when it comes to Sheng Shaoyou. Hua Yong looks like an actual Omega and I get that this is how he was acting at the beginning to manipulate Shaoyou but he still acted in a submissive way even after letting him know that he's an enigma, and honestly I just felt like his looks were way too delicate and soft for an enigma but that's just my view.

It feels kind of pointless mentioning this scene but it was really absurd I had to talk about it 😭 the scene where Shaoyou's half-brother (I forgot his name and low-key don't care about him) invites him and Hua Yong tags along, HOW COME NEITHER OF THEM SUSPECTED THAT HE'S ONTO SOMETHING? I get that Hua Yong was role-playing as an Omega to film the whole thing but he still drunk when that guy forced him to do so and got his glands severely injured it just feels stupid.

I just feel like the whole thing was underwhelming, I was also really excited about the series since it's the first ABO series that features bl so it felt disappointing to have all of these visuals and budget go to waste just because the script was way too mediocre. Also I need to mention that I didn't read the novel/manhua so I'm not sure if they changed many things in order to adapt it.

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Tough Topics Bound & Highlighted By Tight Storytelling

Often, when I finish a book, movie, or TV show, I go on and on in the review talking about why and how much I either loved or hated it. Other times, like I this case, I have no clue what to say or where to start. Because words fail me. I truly don't know if I have the words to explain why and how much I loved this show.

I started this coz I was in a romance slump. I wanted something darker and above all, something that would make me think. And BOY did I get that. The production is high value as with many Netflix shows, the acting is incredible, and the plot is well-paced and engaging — the plot did lag a bit in the middle, and I thought that the characters were being a bit too reckless, but perhaps that's to make things more intense.

I think what made me fall in love with this story is the issues tackled and the characters themselves.

🔬Fang Yi Jen - I do not know much about autism, let alone asperger syndrome. However, what I know from other TV shows I've seen is that those with this illness are usually utter geniuses or used for comedic relief, or a combination of both. Compared to the regular person, Fang Yi Jen could be considered a genius.

However, instead of this story highlighting that, it chooses to highlight how this condition, unfortunately, makes him both a bad husband and father. Because of how hard it is for him to interact with pple and understand them as a 'normal person' would, he ends up lashing out, when the 'normal' thing would be to be patient — i.e., in the car with his wife and their crying baby.

When his negligence of his daughter in favour of his job ends up getting her hurt, he serves his wife with divorce papers and leaves, never looking back again. He thought he was saving them from himself, but that ended up hurting them even more. He neglected his daughter when she was young and till almost adulthood. If she had never gotten involved in those murders, would he have ever looked for her again? Likely not.

Eventually, he does try and does change for the better, but that does not mean that the poor girl and her mother never suffered. My heart broke so much for them. I loved that by the end, there seemed to be hope for him and his daughter. Fang Yi Jen is still Fang Yi Jen, but where he'd have ignored her before, he takes extra care and time to show up. He also says thank you. This is a personal opinion (observation?), but I feel like most pple only say thank you to strangers, never to those close to them. He now takes the time to say thank you, not just to Hai Yin, but also to the captain, and that one friend (?) he had in the lab section of the police force.

📰Hsu Hai Yin - Lord, did I HATE her in the beginning. She was all for the story. The real people and feelings behind the hard-hitting deadline be damned. However, once she learns the truth about the deaths, after her interaction with the twins' stories, she starts to change, thankfully for the better. This time, it's not just about the hard-hitting headline.

She starts to care about the people she's writing about and how her stories affect not just the subjects, but also others who might be going through the same thing. I do like that she was the one person who seemed to understand Fang Yi Jen the most. He still acts like himself, but instead of demanding that he be 'normal' he takes him for what he is. And eventually, her giving him the space to be who he is leads to a very beautiful friendship.

👧🏻Chiang Hsiao Meng - We feel the most impact in the last two episodes and I cried. Okay, I didn't fall to the ground sobbing, but balancing tears were wiped severally times. She was so, so sad. Her life after her dad was filled with considerable pain. Watching her in the hospital with the mum, then again when speaking to her dad was.... my heart was hurt.

The societal issues were also a huge part of why I liked this plot. Like Hsia Meng, most of the characters were also neglected. They felt like they no longer had a place or a voice in this world because those who were supposed to care for and love them abandoned them when they were no longer of use. Or no longer fit into the mold they wanted — aside from perhaps the story with the twins and Liu Kuang Yung. The twins were a story of jealousy and invisibility, and the latter was about guilt. I'll say that of all stories, I found Liu Kuang Yung's the hardest to empathise with

Rewatch value is an 8, as I feel that this could be a hard story for many to rewatch. Especially once you tie in all the victims' stories and why they chose this path over staying alive and fighting to see another day.

Not sure how to properly end this, so I'll finish with this quote from one of the directors
"In The Victims' Game, there's a group of people who want to let go, and there's a group who also suffers from pain and oppression, but still believes in the value of life. They're trying to bring back those who wish to give up. We hope that the series can make their voices heard when they're still alive."

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How to Train a Puppy With an Emphasis on the S/M in BDSM

Enjoyable pretty much exclusively because of the lead's role reversal master/pet dynamic. Pretty much everything else about this drama was bad to barely watchable, but it didn't bait-and-switch its viewers, so for that it gets brownie points.

The Good:
- Dynamic - The leads have a role-reversed master/pet relationship from the very beginning. FL quite literally tames and trains ML into becoming her puppy, and he not-so-gradually realizes that he actually loves it. I thought their relationship was handled quite nicely and progressed surprisingly well for a vertical.
- No bait-and-switch - In the sea of dramas that start out role reversal but then pull the rug and turn the leads into a traditional couple, this one DIDN'T do that!! The FL is ruthless in the beginning and remains that way until the very end (YAAAYY). She doesn't go soft or submissive at any point (even though she does warm up to ML). Same with ML, he's submissive in the beginning, and he doesn't do a 180 later on. If you're here for genuine femdom x malesub, this is the one!
- Red flag FL - That's the whole thing. She's epic!
- FL's outfits - Dang, she really had some niice outfits. Very atypical and flattering.

The Okay:
- Leads acting - FL was pretty good. She sold me on the ruthless, spoiled heiress. ML was alright. He did the submissive pup role nicely, but his crazy role was more cute (and cringe) than intimidating.
- Plot prospect - It had potential to be melodramatic and cringe but in an entertaining way. It didn't really deliver, though.
- Humor - It's not really a comedy, but there were some comedic moments, and they actually got me giggling, so I'll give them that.
- Intimacy - I'm putting this in the 'okay' section because the actual romance develops differently than one might expect. The leads have a very master/pet bdsm kinda relationship that seems to exist outside of their romance and only develops into it later. Because of this, though there is intimacy in the form of closeness and dominance, there isn't much kissing, and I thought that was a bit of a shame, even if interesting (reminded me of Love and Leashes).

The Bad:
- Supporting actors - This was some next-level bad, like oh my god. Every. Single. Supporting role couldn't act to save their life!! Not even a little bit!!
- Plot - It was just not good. Important things happen off-screen, random things happen for seemingly no reason, it's just a melodramatic mess. You need to ignore it and only focus on the leads dynamic.
- Other quality - You know the drill. This isn't one of those "surprisingly good" verticals, it's the low-budget cringe you expect. I keep remembering and laughing at the wounds that are just a smear of red liquid T_T save me from the cringe

Conclusion: Watch it for the femdom. Ignore for the rest.

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Me and Thee – Review / Thoughts

Me and Thee – Review / Thoughts

Me and Thee is a lighthearted, entertaining rom-com designed to make viewers laugh and enjoy themselves. It doesn’t aim to be heavy or emotionally intense, and that’s perfectly fine — not every show needs a deep storyline to be enjoyable. The series is engaging and fun, and its strength lies in providing moments of humor and charm rather than dramatic weight.

The plot is easy to follow, funny, and keeps the audience engaged. Even without deep emotional themes, it succeeds in giving viewers a satisfying, enjoyable experience. The comedy is necessary and welcome, and the show delivers it consistently, making it a joy to watch.

It’s frustrating to see people trashing the show after just one episode or rating it negatively simply because they dislike the leads or the genre. Judging a series before it fully unfolds is unfair. If someone doesn’t like rom-coms, they might not enjoy the show, and that’s understandable — but giving it a poor rating solely to attack the cast or prevent its success is unreasonable.

Some jokes and references are specific to Thai culture and the lakorn format. If I were Thai, I might understand some of the humor better. Even without deep familiarity, the show remains accessible and enjoyable for international viewers.

Main Characters
• Khun Thee (Pond Naravit) — honestly, he surprised me with his acting. He has truly mastered the role of Khun Thee, delivering a performance that is nuanced, convincing, and deserving of awards. This role shows growth and skill that even longtime fans can appreciate.
• Peach (Phuwin Tangsakyuen) — calm, practical, and the perfect counterbalance to Thee. Their chemistry is a major factor in the show’s appeal.
• Beach — it would be interesting if the series delved deeper into Beach’s past: what really happened with his father, whether he’s still alive, in prison, or other circumstances, and even his mother. This part of his story feels missing, though perhaps the director chose not to include it to avoid making the series too dark or heavy — it’s not clear.

Supporting Characters & Relationships
• Aran & Tiewan: Their relationship is compelling, though knowing more about how they met and why their conflict began could add depth.
• Mok & Rom: Their subplot is interesting and could serve as the basis for a spin-off or additional episodes in the future.

Conclusion

Me and Thee succeeds in delivering what it promises: a fun, entertaining, and charming rom-com. The story is engaging, the characters are lovable, and the humor works well. While it doesn’t aim to be emotionally heavy, it fills its niche perfectly. For fans of light romance and comedy, it’s a series worth watching and appreciating for what it is.

Rating: 9/10

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Pheem is evil. Than is stupid. Risa is a girlboss. Chet is a victim argue with the wall.

Maturing is realising that Chet is the true victim in all of this. Say what you will about this manchild, because I too wanted a car to run over him at the start of the series, but by the end of it, I just felt bad for the guy cuz of how terrible everyone else was around him. He was one of those villains that couldn’t even fully be one cuz everyone else was an even bigger villain than he was, so now he’s just there suffering all the consequences since he put himself in the line of fire. Quiet literally in this case.

Sure, he kept screaming at my screen every two seconds and kept saying shit and did nothing about it, but I could mute the series and I wouldn’t have to hear any of it. Pheem, on the other hand, even if I muted this show I could still see through the fucking bullshit. Not like he tried to hide it, Than was the only gullible idiot here, but I saw so many people defending this boy that I thought maybe he did have a justifiable reason for all his actions towards Than. Um, yeah, no. He doesn’t. This man is just straight up evil.

And I’m not even angry about that. If anything, I’m totally down for a morally grey character. His past shaped him to be who is now, and every single one of his actions makes absolute sense to me. Even if all of his actions ended up with him being completely alone after achieving all his goals. And him realising that maybe not all of it was worth it was heartbreaking. And it surely doesn’t help that Offroad is a phenomenal actor that managed to deliver all of these emotions so perfectly. No, what got me angry about his character, and why I don’t like Pheem, is the fucking audacity.

I’m sorry, but he made the conscious decision to shoot Than after his back was turned to him. Than and him put the guns down at the SAME TIME, and the moment Than TRUNED HIS BACK he decides to shoot him. And the kicker? The fact that he immediately starts crying and apologising about “hurting” Than. I’m sorry, HURT?!! HURT?!! YOU FUCKING SHOT THE MAN!! Talking about hurt like he kicked him or something. And the orange juice and flowers in the hospital the next day while he acts like nothing happened?? Asking his aunt to speak to Than on his behalf because he didn’t mean to FUCKING SHOOT HIM?? Delusional. Absolutely, 100% delusional. You enter a delulu contest but this man is your opponent, pack it up.

And let’s not even mention the fact that he showed Than the ring just to emotionally manipulative him so he wouldn’t be mad at him anymore. I genuinely laughed at that scene.

I honestly thought I couldn’t hate anyone more than Ming from My Stand-In, but I was so wrong. Ming wishes he could be as bad as Pheem. Though, Pheem is still better than Day from Love Syndrome in my eyes, so I guess that’s a win. Bar is in hell I tell you.

But speaking of My Stand-In… just like Joe, Than is a fucking idiot. He’s so kind hearted to the point of stupidity. I don’t wanna say naïve, cuz he does know that Pheem is terrible and is using him, but at the same time, he lowkey is as well. So imma just stick with stupid. Because essentially, that is what he is. Love makes him so stupid that when he agreed to forgive Pheem again and marry him, I wasn’t even surprised when Pheem faked his death. I mean, what did you think was going happen? Pheem has constantly been shown as the type of person that never does anything without reason. So why weren’t alarm bells ringing when he proposed? Than should have known something was up, but nope, he was so happy and in la la land in his mind that he once again went through a whole depressive phase cuz Pheem “died”. I felt bad for him, but at the end of the day, you asked for this when you got back with that psychopath.

As for the other characters, Risa was interesting until she got fucking unbearable. Miss girlboss became someone I was rooting for to someone I wanted dead. Which Chet’s bodyguard did the honours for me.

And speaking of, the bodyguard deserved more. He was the one character in this melo-dramatic family drama that was catching strays for no reason. He should have packed up his bags and left the moment Pheem showed up into the building. But again, just like Than, he’s also fucking stupid because Chet was his everything. They deserved so much more than this show gave them. Should have ran away to a far away island and lived their best lives or something. The true victims, I don’t care what anyone says.

Also, the dad. If Pheem was the villain of this series, then his dad was the final boss. This man didn’t have to lift a finger and he was already the mastermind behind all of this shit. If only all of these siblings realised the fraud he was and got together to kill him off, none of this would have happened. No wonder all his kids are insane. It’s in their blood.

In conclusion, out of all the DaouOffroad shows, this was my least favourite. Which makes me upset to say because there was no much going for it. But I guess the premise got lost in there somewhere, and the only thing keeping it alive was how phenomenal everyone in their roles were and the undeniable chemistry between Daou and Offroad. Istg these two could be two plastic cut outs of characters and they’d still make a show interesting. I’m so glad they keep exploring different genres for all their series and I can’t wait for their project.

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this drama is way too relatable, watch on your own responsibility.

I was really shocked when I watched this show. The first couple of episodes had me spiraling, because of how relatable it felt. The male lead struggles with sensitivity and way too much empathy for others and has it under his control after years of exhaustion until he meets the woman who looks like is about to combust every single time whether with happiness or sadness. She always tries to hide it but the man knows every single time she's not okay.
I feel for the male lead in this aspect. I have struggled with being too empathetic before. I know what you think - how is being empathetic bad? At first it truly isn't, it's a gift, but the more you give out, the more you need to be given back, but if those people don't give anything back, it's so exhausting and it leads to being burnt out. Of course it's no one's fault but it's really hard. Once you try to protect your peace, suddenly everyone will be very mad at you, because you're not available for them anymore. But it's very important you do protect yourself from that. I hope you, reading this and maybe struggling with the same thing will get a bit solace from this.
I never have felt this heard and seen before I watched this show, I hope you enjoy it as well.

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