THE SHORT VERDICT:
On the upside, Show can be fresh, fun and zippy, and serves up some unexpected narrative surprises that I personally found interesting &/or refreshing.
On the downside, I feel that Show tends to be a bit too matter-of-fact in its portrayal of its lovelines, and is therefore lower on the feels than I would like.
Additionally, I feel that the ending could have been better handled, on several fronts.
Not a bad watch, necessarily, but definitely could have been better.
THE LONG VERDICT:
Come to think of it, watching this show, for me, was like taking to a blind date quite nicely at our first meeting, and then proceeding to go on more dates, with the expectation that this could turn out to be a really special relationship..
..Only to find, 10 dates later, that we’re not really on the same page after all, and I’m not truly feeling sparks, now that my date and I are talking about more serious things, like how we deal with relationships. 😅
That basically sums up my personal experience with this show, and I’m fully aware that I might be the odd duck in the corner, because I know there are lots of other viewers who really loved this one.
..Which means, just because I didn’t end up loving this one, doesn’t mean that you can’t love it anyway?
OST ALBUM: FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE
Here’s the OST album in case you’d like to listen to it while you read the review.
I mostly really enjoyed the music in this OST; it all struck me as being very breezy and pleasant, and in my opinion, worked nicely to infuse our story world with that same breezy, pleasant sort of vibe.
In terms of a favorite, my pick would be Track 4, Falling into You, because I like how upbeat and cheery it sounds, and I thought it worked well as our opening song, to set the tone for our story world.
HOW I’M APPROACHING THIS REVIEW
First I’ll talk about how to manage your expectations going into this one, and what viewing lens would be most helpful.
After that, I talk about stuff I liked and didn’t like so much. I’m opting not to do a separate section on characters and relationships, for this review. Finally, I spend some time talking about my thoughts on the finale episodes.
If you’re interested in my blow-by-blow reactions, &/or all the various Patreon members’ comments during the course of our watch, you might like to check out my episode notes on Patreon here.
MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS
Here are some things that I think would be helpful to keep in mind, to maximize your enjoyment of your watch:
1. A manhwa lens works best
Our story isn’t based on a webtoon, but I personally found that a manhwa lens served me well, particularly when Show takes some of its more surprising narrative turns, or when our characters don’t behave in expected ways.
Keeping your manhwa lens handy would probably be helpful.
2. Show doesn’t lean into the feels
At least, it doesn’t lean into the feels as much as I would have liked, personally speaking.
Your mileage is likely to vary, but if you look for feels the way I look for feels, then it’s good to adjust your expectations around this.
3. Our story is quite female-centric
What I mean is, despite the marketing being around our central OTP, our story seems to focus more on the ladies in the various lovelines in our story world.
It’s not that the male counterparts aren’t developed at all, but I realize that their characters and journeys are less often the focus, and less developed, than that of their female counterparts.
I thought that that might be helpful to point out, so that you can adjust your expectations accordingly.
4. Show takes a pretty bold approach to all things sexy
Show’s different from most kdramas, in that it takes a bold, matter-of-fact, and sometimes rather cheeky approach to all things sexy, so you can expect some innuendo, some wink-wink-nudge-nudge, as well as some frank conversations about bedroom stuff.
I just thought I should let you know. 😁
STUFF I LIKED
When Show feels fresh and fun
One of my favorite things about Show, is the way it often manages to serve up what I felt were unexpected surprises, in what felt like little sharp narrative turns.
I will also add that Show’s manhwa-esque quality really comes into play, in those unpredictable left turns that it takes. Viewed through a manhwa lens, it all works really well, I have to say.
Mostly, I found that I either hadn’t expected Show to go in a certain direction, or hadn’t expected it to get to a certain point as quickly as it did.
This made the watch feel fun and fresh, and as someone who’s watched dramas seriously for the last.. 17 years, and has therefore become quite acquainted with the way most dramas tend to roll, this was quite thrilling, honestly.
Here are just a couple of examples of what I mean, about Show being rather fun and fresh.
[SPOILER ALERT]
E5-6. I thought it was very cute and unexpected, that Ji Uk (Kim Young Dae) keeps getting “threatened” so that he’ll cooperate and basically enjoy benefits like a stable job, a nice apartment, and even a nice car.
In my head, this translates something like, “If you don’t stay in this cushy nice apartment like we tell you to, you’re gonna regret it” – which is quite funny, yes? 🤭
To us viewers, it’s almost a given, that Chairman Dad (Choi Jin Ho) is intent on bringing Ji Uk – his hidden son – into the company, as a backup plan, because Gyu Hyun (Lee Sang Yi) is showing signs of being a disappointment, as far as being an heir goes.
And so it’s interesting to me, that it’s not us, but Ji Uk, who’s trying to piece everything together, as to why he’s being targeted in this fashion, and on the receiving end of benefits-with-threats.
I rather like the effect that this creates, where I’m rooting for Ji Uk to figure things out – which he very much is, these episodes.
Plus, I do get a kick out of the fact that Ji Uk is a hidden chaebol prince, unknown even to himself – at least for a while.
E5-6. I was really very surprised at how quickly writer-nim reveals to the world at large, that Ji Uk is, in fact, Hae Young’s husband.
I really thought that this undercover fake couple thing, where they would pretend to be strangers at work, would last for a lot longer.
Perhaps it’s because we only have 12 episodes of story to work with, or perhaps writer-nim is just bold that way.
It probably goes without saying, but having Ji Uk and Hae Young be a fake married couple at work is A LOT more fun and brings with it so many more possibilities, than having them pretend not to know each other. 🤭
[END SPOILER]
Shin Min Ah as Hae Young
I do love Shin Min Ah, so her casting in this was a big reason that I wanted to watch this show.
And, for the record, I do think that she’s great as Hae Young.
I will say, though, that the way Show plays it, Hae Young might take a while to grow on you.
She tends to come across as prickly, calculative and somewhat disingenuous, which might be a quick turn-off for some viewers, but I’m here to assure you that Show peels back her layers soon enough, after which you get to see how she’s a lot more good-hearted than she might first appear.
(I did think that it was kinda cute that, true to the tradition of kdrama name puns, Hae Young’s name, Son Hae Young, literally sounds like “zero loss,” with “son hae” meaning loss (损害) and “yeong” meaning zero.)
I didn’t dislike her, even from the beginning, but that might have something to do with the fact that I am generally very charmed by Shin Min Ah. 😅
The woman is so charming that even having to deliver unflattering, matter-of-factly calculating lines of dialogue, doesn’t actually diminish her appeal – at least in my eyes.
Plus, it does help that Show explains quite quickly, the context around why Hae Young’s turned out this way.
In this spoiler section, I dive a little more into why Hae Young is as calculative as she is, and also, highlight the various times we get to see that she’s a lot more caring than she looks.
[SPOILER ALERT]
E1-2. It’s hard to blame Hae Young for wanting more of her mom’s (Yoon Bok In) attention and affection, when all she’d seemed to see, growing up, had been Mom giving out that attention to other children.
Yes, Mom’s generosity to take in and foster all those children in need, had been amazing, but it does seem like Mom hadn’t figured out how to properly prepare Hae Young, and give her the sense of love and security that she’d craved.
And it’s not like Hae Young didn’t show her unhappiness; it was clear to see, that she hadn’t been happy about each foster kid that Mom took in.
I do think that Mom could have and should have put more thought and effort into assuring Hae Young, and helping her to process all these fosterings in a healthy way.
Anyway. Given the kind of environment in which Hae Young grew up, where she felt that she kept losing out in terms of Mom’s affection and attention, it’s not hard to see how she might have become an adult with a fixation on getting her fair share of anything and everything – not just in money, but in love and relationships too.
Additionally, if someone’s been losing out a lot, and on a consistent basis, over an extended period of time, I would totally buy the they’d be frustrated, and want to do something about it – and that’s the vibe I’m getting with Hae Young too.
Part of it is the wedding congratulatory money, yes, but I feel like that’s more like a symptom, than anything.
I get the sense that Hae Young’s been deeply frustrated in relationships too, and that scene, where she’s shown talking about that ex-boyfriend, who’d never ensured her, er, “happy ending” during their sexytimes, even once, says a lot, I think.
What I mean is, I get the sense that, if the sexytimes had been halfway satisfying, Hae Young wouldn’t have ended up making it an issue?
And so, overall, I’m getting the idea that Hae Young might appear to be prickly and calculative, but it seems to be coming from a place of long-term loneliness and neglect. At least, that’s what it looks like to me.
Additionally, even though Hae Young doesn’t really show it, we do get to see that she cares about her mom, and doesn’t like burdening other people.
She’d appeared heartless at first, with that scene of her breaking up with Woo Jae (Go Wook), while telling him that she simply doesn’t love him anymore.
But, with that extra bit of context, that the whole reason she’d broken up with him, was because he’d felt burdened at the prospect that he would have to help take care of her mom, if they were to get married, everything looks quite different.
And, as outrageous as some of her thoughts are, like wanting to march up to the photo op at the wedding, and let slip in front of the bride, that Woo Jae had two-timed her, Hae Young is, after all, quite restrained by her sense of decorum.
Extending that idea a little bit, you could say that she isn’t really living the way she wants, and is constraining herself, to fit into what other people deem acceptable or appropriate.
Maybe her big project, of getting married, is her way of allowing herself to do what she wants, for once?
After all, there are certainly some significant push factors, that build up on her.
First, there’s Woo Jae telling her that he won’t be able to give her back her congratulatory money until she gets married herself.
Then, there’s the whole company culture thing, where single women aren’t taken into elite project teams, thanks to Chairman Dad’s philandering ways.
And then, there’s how Woo Jae literally submits her idea as his own, and tells her to give it up, since she won’t be selected anyway.
Ugghh. I honestly can’t fault Hae Young for choosing to get married, if only to spite him. 😈
E3-4. I was touched to realize that Hae Young was using the wedding as an excuse for folks to see her mom, before Mom’s Alzheimer’s gets any worse.
The way Hui Seong and Ja Yeon (Joo Min Kyung and Han Ji Hyun) put it, that it’s Mom’s first funeral, makes it really poignant, particularly since we see that Mom already can’t remember many of the people who are there to see her.
Hae Young won’t admit it upfront, of course, but I do appreciate that we are getting to see her softer, more tender underbelly, in moments like this.
On a related tangent, I do love that we see that Hae Young’s much more tender and kind towards her foster siblings than she wants to let on.
Like in that flashback where we see Hae Young speaking up for Ja Yeon to the teacher, saying that Ja Yeon might become a bestselling author one day, and should be given encouragement instead of punishment, in her writing.
And how about that moment in episode 4, when Ja Yeon calls, panic-stricken, from the payphone, and Hae Young rushes over there, still dressed in her sloppy home clothes.
Aw. I am loving these little indications that Hae Young really does care, even though she wears a prickly facade so much of the time. 🥲
E5-6. I appreciate that Hae Young is earnest about asking Ms. Lawyer to investigate the child abuse case, even though Ms. Lawyer says that the child claims that he isn’t being abused, and that the case is beyond the scope of her team.
This is, again, one of those times when Hae Young demonstrates that she cares a lot more than she’d like to let on, with her prickly, ambitious persona.
In moments like this, she really does show up as her mother’s daughter, in the sense that I can see where she gets this concern from. I think it’s beautiful. 🥲
E5-6. The more I get to know Hae Young, the more I realize that she’s nicer and more considerate than she first appears.
For example, in that conversation with Hui Seong, where Hui Seong admits that she’s not interested in marriage, and just wants to keep dating Tae Hyung (Heo Jung Min), Hae Young is quick to tell her that she’s garbage, and should not keep dating him, because Tae Hyung wants to have kids; that she should set him free to live the life that he wants, if she doesn’t want the same kind of life.
That’s very fair of her, I thought, and considerate towards Tae Hyung as well.
Another thing that Hae Young says, that got me thinking, is what she tells Ji Uk about not wanting to be known as someone’s wife, at work; that she would be judged on everything that he does or doesn’t do, and she doesn’t want that.
That made a lot of sense to me, honestly, and given how nosy people show themselves to be, for a good bulk of these episodes, Hae Young makes a good point here, that being known as his wife, wouldn’t actually do her any favors at work.
Overall, I’m finding Hae Young to be fair and practical, not just with herself, but with others as well.
[END SPOILER]
Kim Young Dae as Ji Uk
To be honest, I haven’t seen much of Kim Young Dae’s work, and so, my impression of him was mostly what I saw of him in 2019’s Extraordinary You which I didn’t actually end up finishing (Dropped post is here), where I found him to be on the stiffer side of things. 😅
Let’s just say that, as a result, I didn’t have high expectations for Kim Young Dae’s casting here – so I’m really pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up liking him as Ji Uk.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that I think Ji Uk might actually be my favorite character in this show. 🥲
I do think that Kim Young Dae’s well-cast for the role, and I personally found it easy to think of any onscreen stiffness, as just part of his character; like that’s just the way Ji Uk is, as a person.
At the same time, I also really liked the glimmers of gentleness that we get from Ji Uk, particularly in his voice.
Like, sure, maybe Ji Uk’s not often super expressive in terms of his facial expressions, but the gentleness in his voice gives me the glimpse into his softer inner core that I want and need, and that just might be my favorite thing about him. 🥰
[SPOILER ALERT]
One of the things I liked about Ji Uk, is that he’s a smart lead character, and therefore gets his bearings pretty quickly in most situations.
For example, I liked that he clued in pretty fast, on who might be threatening him to join the company and why, and therefore was not in a position to be used by writer-nim as filler, in the way of him missing clues and not managing to figure things out.
Beyond that, though, Ji Uk’s got way more heart that I’d first imagined, and the more Show revealed of his tenderhearted core, the more I liked him. ❤️
[END SPOILER]
The sisterhood
I did really enjoy the sisterhood between Hae Young, Hui Seong and Ja Yeon.
[SPOILER ALERT]
I honestly kinda love the idea that Hae Young’s closest friends are more like her sisters, because they’d both been fostered by Mom.
Hae Young might have been really frustrated at Mom fostering kids all the time, but Mom had ended up giving Hae Young two really close friends, because of that fostering.
There’s something quite poignant about that, that I like. 🥲
And the thing that I love most about this sisterhood, is how, at the heart of it all, their love for one another is deep and unconditional.
For example,Hae Young doesn’t have to subscribe to Hui Seong’s polyamorous thinking, in order to love and accept her, and Hui Seong doesn’t need hide her full self, in order to be loved and accepted.
Also,I love the way Ja Yeon, in talking with Hui Seong about her pregnancy, emphasizes, from beginning to end, that Hui Seong is a good person, regardless of the choice that she makes, with regards to her pregnancy.
And of course, there’s how Hae Young continues to love and accept Ja Yeon, even though it had been Ja Yeon’s father who’d killed her dad.
These three women might not be related by blood, but they are true sisters, and you just know that it’s for life, and I love that. 🥲
[END SPOILER]
Some of the cameos
Show serves up a number of fun cameos, and I’d have to say that my favorite was Byeon Woo Seok popping up as a convenience store worker.
All I could think was, “Sun Jae-yaaa~!!” 😍😁
A close second, for me, was a cameo by Kim Sun Young, as her character from Her Private Life (review here!), which was also penned by writer-nim.
As someone who really enjoyed Her Private Life, including Kim Sun Young’s kooky character, this was an unexpected treat. 🤭
I was less into the cameos by Kim Jung Eun and Lee Joong Ok appearing as their characters from Strong Girl Nam Soon, coz I didn’t watch that show.
STUFF THAT WAS OK
The way Show tends to be low-key on the feels
I’ve made mention of this earlier in this review, but I just wanted to talk again, about how Show tends to be pretty tamped down and low-key, when it comes to the feels.
What I mean is, yes, we do get developments on the OTP relationship, but weirdly, despite the fact that we even get kisses and sexytimes over the course of our story, I still feel like Show’s in a restrained, matter-of-fact sort of space when it comes to the OTP feelings.
Your mileage may certainly vary, but I kept finding myself wanting more in terms of a focus on our OTP’s feelings for each other.
Is that.. just me? 😅
Anyway, that’s the reason I’ve got the OTP relationship in this neutral zone.
The OTP relationship
Like I just talked about above, I’m of the opinion that Show leans restrained and low-key when it comes to how it treats our central loveline and the feelings of our OTP.
Which means that ultimately, I did like our OTP relationship, but I wanted to like it more. I wanted to feel alll of the feels, if you know what I mean.
Unfortunately for me, that’s not how Show rolls.
That said, I did find it sweet to see how Hae Young and Ji Uk really do care about each other, as our story develops.
It’s just that.. sometimes, I felt like I had to look for all the clues to their love on hindsight, because I didn’t feel any OTP feels in the moment – if that makes sense?
And yet, when I looked for the clues, they were there.
Here’s a revisit to what I felt were the highlights to this OTP relationship.
[SPOILER ALERT]
E1-2. It does seem like Ji Uk’s been noticing Hae Young for a while now, and, even though he’s all bickery and prickly with her, we do get that nugget of context, where he’d overheard her tipsy conversation with then-boyfriend Woo Jae, where Woo Jae had drunkenly asked if there was no one else who could take care of Hae Young’s sick mom, and had, afterwards, offered a moment of sympathy.
Given how sensitive he seems to be about the smell of cigarettes, it does seem like quite a concession, that he would not only offer Hae Young a cigarette to help her feel better, but even sit with her, while covering his nose with his sleeve, to make the cigarette smoke a little more tolerable.
This little tidbit is what makes me think that perhaps Ji Uk likes Hae Young more than he lets on – and, as you know, I do enjoy it quite well, when we get a male lead who’s got some secret loving feelings towards his female lead. 😁
PLUS. He takes it upon himself to become Hae Young’s fake groom, if only to protect her from running into sleazebags like his acquaintance, who’s just looking to take advantage of a desperate woman.
This definitely smells like concern to me. 😉
I do find it quite endearing, that his condition for being Hae Young’s fake groom, is that she take care of his cat for a week.
Awww. A caring cat dad always wins in my books. 🥰
Honestly, he could have just given Hae Young his measurements, since she was asking, and let her take care of the tux, but when he hears that she’s going alone, he opts to go with her.
That’s thoughtful of him, I thought.
And how especially handy, therefore, when Hae Young runs into Woo Jae and his new wife Yi Rin at the wedding boutique, that Ji Uk’s right there, to blow them all away with how handsome he looks, in a tux? 🤭
I mean, look, I know it’s completely tropey, but I am a sucker for moments like this. 😁
Plus, Ji Uk really does look like he’d walked out of a manhwa; he cleans up that nicely, and even has that rakish longish hair to go with. 🤩
He’s definitely turning out to be the opposite of the forgettable average Joe that Hae Young had hoped for, in a one-day groom – but as we know, Ji Uk’s absolutely going to be more than a one-day groom, so I guess it works out? 😁
E3-4.Episode 3 is where we see Ji Uk start to be more overtly nice to Hae Young (versus the initial bristle that we saw last week), and I do like that we get the context for that, by the end of episode 3.
That reveal was well done, I hafta say.
That scene of Ji Uk bending to hug Mom, as the dutiful groom, while Mom lights up that it’s her Ji Uk come home, is so poignant, really.
I mean, the very idea that Mom’s memory might be shaky, but she remembers him, is so touching. 🥲
From here, we can extrapolate that Ji Uk’s kindness towards Hae Young has a lot to do with the fact that she’s Mom’s daughter.
At the same time, I think we can also infer that a lot of the bristle that we’d seen from him previously, towards her, likely had a lot to do with how Hae Young might have been less than nice or understanding to Mom, growing up.
This context also explains why Ji Uk answers, when asked, that he’s known Hae Young since childhood.
At first, it just looks like he’s making up a story to go with their fake marriage, but on hindsight, we see that he had been telling the truth.
I do like this idea that he’s interacting with Hae Young with more honesty than we might first understand or expect.
Like how he starts talking about his grandmother at the café, and says that Gran had always told him that living off his looks would lead to a tough life, before he catches himself.
Speaking of whom, there’s also how he eventually opens up about his mom, when he and Hae Young are counting the congratulatory money.
It honestly gives me a bit of a thrill to see Ji Uk loosening up around Hae Young, and letting more of his personality through.
Like how he admits that it had been pathetic of him to try to show up Woo Jae with his looks, back at the bridal shop – and I do love how Hae Young cuts him off, by saying that he shouldn’t admit it, because Woo Jae had never been as good-looking as Ji Uk, at Ji Uk’s age, so Ji Uk’s the clear winner here.
Hee. There’s just something very natural about this conversation that I enjoy, particularly the element of them being on the same side, and Hae Young telling Ji Uk that he wins over Woo Jae any day. 😁
I also like how Hae Young starts referring to Ji Uk as “Peon,” as a short form of “nampeon,” ie, “husband.”
The subs translate it to “Partner” which I suppose works, because the literal translation of “peon” is “side” so being on someone’s side could make you their partner.
I just like the casual intimacy that the nickname indicates; that they’re close enough that Hae Young has a nickname for him. 😁
One of my favorite moments in these episodes, is when Ji Uk initially refuses to propose, because theirs is just a contractual marriage, and it had all been Hae Young’s idea – but he ends up preparing one anyway.
And the proposal itself turns out to be so specific to them, with it being staged at the convenience store where they have most of their interactions, and entire shelves being filled with her favorite jelly – which has actually been discontinued.
I love how he phrases it, that if she agrees to his proposal, she gets alllll those jellies, with him as the bonus.
Tee hee hee. I found that very cute, honestly. 🤭 Especially with the cute little smile that Ji Uk leaks, when Hae Young seems happy with the cute jelly ring that he gives her.
I find it all super sweet, especially the part where he says that he’d made calls to distributors and asked to buy their remaining stock of the discontinued jelly. I mean, he put effort and sincerity into this. 🥲
E3-4. It’s completely tropey that Hae Young and Ji Uk keeping running into Woo Jae and Yi Lin and therefore have to keep up the ruse of them being a couple, even after the wedding, but because I am for this OTP spending more time together, I’m not fussed about the tropeyness of the how.
And, I’m especially not going to complain, if it gives us moments of hyper-proximity and hyper-awareness, like that moment when Ji Uk hovers over Hae Young on the bed, and makes like he’s going to kiss her.
Hae Young talks her way out of it, but I do appreciate that we get to see, after Ji Uk leaves to shower, that Hae Young’s actually very much flustered, underneath her bravado.
And, I can’t blame her one bit, because that moment did have a nice bit of crackle to it. 🔥😉
I’m a little disappointed that Hae Young doesn’t see Ji Uk for 3 whole months after their fake wedding, but I did really appreciate that moment at the airport, where Hae Young opens up a bit, and talks about not liking her mom; that even though she does love Mom, she also doesn’t like her, because she’d been the most neglected kid of all, thanks to Mom spending all her focus and attention elsewhere.
Aw. I feel like this moment would give Ji Uk a better understanding of Hae Young and why she might have acted in a certain way. 🥲
I really like that Hae Young’s parting words to Ji Uk, are that he should do whatever makes him happy, and that they are still a family.
And, isn’t it sweet that Ji Uk leaves her a letter, sincerely wishing her happiness? 🥲🥲
E5-6. I really like that Ji Uk and Hae Young seem to be genuinely drawn to each other.
Like, the first thing that Ji Uk says to her, when they meet at the lobby, is that he’s missed her.
And, as we see later, this isn’t just him paying lip service; he sincerely means it, and says it several times. He is genuinely glad to see her again, which I find very sweet. 🥲
And then, when Hae Young hurriedly pulls him aside to have a private moment with him, I’d seriously thought that he first words to him would be along the lines of what the heck he was doing, showing up at her office like this.
Instead, she jumps in with questions around where he’s been, and why he hasn’t been answering her calls, long before she gets to why he’s at the office.
Aw. She might not realize it, but to my eyes, this shows that she’s genuinely missed him, and has been worried about him. 🥲
Of course, as it stands, Hae Young’s the one who’s in denial, while Ji Uk seems a lot clearer about his feelings for her.
I do love the little indications that we get, that he’s sincere in wanting a connection with her.
Like the way he explains that he’d avoided her calls because he hadn’t been able to tell her where he was or what he was doing, and didn’t want to lie to her; he is so gentle and earnest about it, that I’m immediately melting that this is his attitude towards her. 🥲
It’s pretty predictable that Hae Young would try her best to get Ji Uk a poor evaluation, so that he’d be deployed out of the main office, but she has no chance, given that she’s up against not one, but two formidable opponents.
One being Ji Uk’s popularity, for his handsome visuals and his charm, and two being the fact that he’s being personally tracked by the Chairman and will therefore absolutely be assigned to the main office, regardless of his evaluation.
I very much giggled at that moment when Hae Young tells Ji Uk to take a break from his mascot duties, and then the entire world stops and stares, as Ji Uk’s handsome face emerges from underneath the mascot costume, all glistening and practically steaming. 🤭
I honestly felt very pleased that every parent there immediately wanted to engage with Ji Uk, thus pushing Ji Uk’s heretofore dismal rating right to the top of the pile.
Yes, it’s all because of his looks, but he does know what he’s talking about too, and I just like the idea of Hae Young’s plan to sabotage Ji Uk being sabotaged in turn, y’know? 😁
And then, when Hae Young gets attacked by that abusive father for taking photos of his kids’ bruises, I do love how Ji Uk is quick and unhesitating to jump to her defense.
In fact, it’s quite gratifying to see that both Ji Uk and Hae Young are on the same page about this; they would both willingly throw caution to the wind, if it means that they could teach Abusive Dad a lesson.
E5-6. Isn’t it pretty cute how Ji Uk and Hae Young fuss over each other’s cuts and wounds?
I lap up any and every indication that these two care about each other for real, and I love this visual, of them tending to each other’s wounds, while sharing conversation. 🥰
I like how he talks about his grandma, and how she gets all concerned, when he mentions that Gran had hit him, to make him tough.
And I like how she is open with him, about Mom. She doesn’t complete her sentence this time, but I just like that she never shuts down when he brings up Mom, even though it’s clear that her relationship with Mom is troubled and distant.
E5-6. I was very pleased, honestly, when Ji Uk hurries over to the disciplinary hearing, and, grabbing Hae Young by the hand, announces that he’s her husband.
Like, GASP. And, squee! 😁
Of course, first, they need to get past their mutual disgruntlement; her from thinking that he’s the one who’d reported her, and he from the realization that she’d given him such an unfair, negative evaluation.
I really like that he shows his displeasure, even though we already know that he’s fallen for her; it feels like this is his right, to feel unfairly treated, and betrayed.
..And yet, he comes back and catches her, when she falls from that height – aw!!! 😍 And I do love that when Hae Young tells him that it’s both a strength and trust test, because that’s how much she believes in him, he can’t help but smile a little, despite his very recent grumpiness. 🤭
E5-6. As we get to the end of episode 6, I very much like Ji Uk’s desire to be upfront and Hae Young, even though he’s already expressed that there are things that he feels that he can’t tell her.
When he gets the sense that things are about to get serious &/or complicated, what with Mysterious Dude reporting to Chairman Dad that he will proceed with “the plan” and make sure to include Hae Young as well, he tries to tell Hae Young about it.
I thought that was very considerate of him; he doesn’t want her to be caught by surprise, whatever the mysterious plan turns out to be.
It’s just too bad that Hae Young’s preoccupied with the press conference, and the chance to dine with Chairman Dad and Gyu Hyun, afterwards.
E5-6. I do rather enjoy Ji Uk’s passive-aggressive insults in Chairman Dad’s direction, with the way he describes his absent father in such negative terms, while answering Chairman Dad’s question about what had drawn him to Hae Young.
That said, Ji Uk’s answer, that Hae Young’s decision to choose him, in spite of her calculative nature, gave him assurance that he could be someone who doesn’t ruin the life of someone dear to him, felt very honest and real, to me.
Aw. If everything he says is true – and I tend to believe it is, since Ji Uk has tended to be very real that way – my heart really goes out to him, for how rejected he must have felt, for much of his life.
And, as unconventional as the logic is, to his statement, I do love the idea that Hae Young’s calculative nature, which, to most people, would be seen as a flaw, is actually a source of assurance, to him.
I love that. 🥲
E7-8. I suppose it should come as no surprise, really, that one of the key sources of suspicion around our OTP’s marriage, is Woo Jae, especially since we see that he overhears Hae Young and Ji Uk talking about potentially getting divorced, at the hotel cafe.
It’s because of Woo Jae’s suspicions, that Hae Young tells Ji Uk that they need to behave like a couple all the time, so that they won’t get caught.
And it’s because of all the various coupley things that result, that Hae Young starts to get more confused about her feelings for Ji Uk.
Because, trust Ji Uk not to just blindly follow instructions, like, “Tell me I’m pretty anyway,” but put his own spin on it, like the way he tells Hae Young that she should clean her eyes of muck, and cover her mouth when she yawns – but even so, he likes her anyway.
Ahhh! You know, I love when Ji Uk is honest like this; he tends to say the most melty things, in the most matter-of-fact, direct and sincere manner. I likey. 🥰
And then there’s the way he reaches over and holds her hand while he’s driving; it’s such a romantic sort of gesture, and the way he holds her hand looks so gentle. I can see why it would give Hae Young pause. 😁
And then, again, it’s because of the fear of getting caught, that Hae Young tells Ji Uk to move into her house – which I’m all for, because forced proximity can be pretty great for a contract marriage setup. 😁
These episodes, we do get Hae Young eventually embracing her feelings for Ji Uk and actually articulating them, and to get us (well, her) to that point, we have several things to nudge her along.
One of those things, unexpectedly, actually stems from the reveal, that Hui Seong and her boyfriend Tae Hyung have a polyamorous relationship, where we get that soundbite from Hui Seong, that you’d be lying to yourself if you ignored your feelings, and that time is running out, because we only live once.
That’s the soundbite that stays with Hae Young, and we find out later, that this is the thing that had galvanized her into asking Ji Uk, after he’d almost-kissed her, if he would wait for her – which is essentially her confessing her feelings to him.
To be clear, I really do like that we get mutually acknowledged feelings, these episodes.
At the same time, I have to confess that I would have liked those feelings to have been amped up, and not played so low-key, so that the evolution of their feelings would have have more of an impact, for us as viewers, if that makes sense.
It’s mostly treated fairly subtly, so that I actually had to think about the various cause and effect relationships, to get a clearer picture of how it all came together, to culminate in Hae Young wanting to confess her feelings to Ji Uk.
And since I’m mostly here for the feels, I would’ve liked that to have been clearer.
After all, the kiss that Hae Young plants on Ji Uk turns out to be a strategic one, because Woo Jae was watching from downstairs.
And then kiss that Ji Uk plants on Hae Young is quite ardent, but it’s also framed as retaliation, for Hae Young kissing him without his consent.
Along with that, he’s also hurt by the idea that Hae Young would be fine doing all sorts of things for the sake of their ruse – with no feeling behind it. Aw.
This disagreement is the reason there’s both tension and distance between Hae Young and Ji Uk for much of episode 8, but I do like that he still manages to give Hae Young a helpful hint that helps her with her work, and that in turn makes Hae Young happy enough to gloss over everything, and focus on getting him a new bed.
Aw. I do like that she really throws herself into redecorating the room for him, which had been almost completely bare before, but which turns into a really nice, cozy space, by the time they’re done.
I like the fact that she wants him to have a place to sleep peacefully, no matter what stressful situations he might encounter during the day. 🥲
It’s a little unexpected, but I do like how Ji Uk takes the bull by the horns, and just confronts the fact that there are feelings on both sides, with the way he says to her, “No matter how you beat around the bush, I hear you loud and clear. I like you too.”
Guh. I honestly thought this was very sweet, and would have really liked for Show to have sunk into this moment more, but instead, we have Hae Young brushing it off, and telling him that when a king falls into lust, his subjects starve to death.
I’m disappointed about that, no gonna lie, but like I said, I do appreciate that Hae Young does eventually confess her feelings, by asking Ji Uk to wait for her.
It’s a very understated confirmation of OTP feelings, and I would have liked something more overtly romantic, but it is a step in the right direction.
ALSO. I really wanted to say that I really like the tipsy moment in episode 7’s epilogue, where a tipsy Ji Uk helps a tipsy Hae Young take off her jewelry, but then earnestly asks her to keep her ring on, because as long as it’s on, he’s her priority and partner.
Swoon. That sentiment, said in that gentle tone and manner, is very lovely. 🥰🫠
E9-10. Y’know, it occurs to me that perhaps Show’s been keeping the OTP feelings in a more tamped down sort of space; because it makes it more believable for Hae Young to say she doesn’t have the confidence to stand by Ji Uk, no matter what?
Well, that, and there’s also the fact that our OTP is officially not yet dating; they’re only fake married, and fake divorced. So if they’re not officially dating, then it’s hard to navigate around things like commitment and expectations.
I appreciate though, that Hae Young, who’s gone to extreme lengths to further her career, isn’t mad at Ji Uk for the way she suddenly loses her job, because of her affiliation to him.
That’s huge, for Hae Young, and it is admittedly gratifying to see how she’s firm in directing her disgruntlement towards Gyu Hyun, and also, firm in wanting to stand by Ji Uk.
In fact, I am very pleasantly surprised by the ready empathy that Hae Young shows for Ji Uk, in the wake of all this.
Instead of fretting about her job, she’s putting herself in Ji Uk’s shoes and considering how hard things must have been for him, with no one to confide in. I do like that a lot. 🥲
I find it very endearing, that she would ask Ji Uk how he felt about it all, and offer to listen, even though it’s a little late.
It’s bittersweet to see Ji Uk open up and tell Hae Young how he’s always wanted to be a useful person, particularly to her, but how he’s sad, that he’s been used instead, and how he’s scared, that she might suffer because of him.
Aw. This is such a vulnerable moment for Ji Uk, and it’s sweet how she kisses him, and tells him that they should keep tomorrow’s worries for tomorrow.
Y’know, I do wonder how Hae Young might have responded, if, when she’d said to Ji Uk that they shouldn’t have any more secrets between them going forward, he’d told her about having been one of Mom’s foster kids.
Would she have taken it any better than the way she does, when she finds out at the end of episode 10?
I feel like most of us would rue this as a missed opportunity for Ji Uk to come clean, but at the same time, I get the feeling that it wouldn’t have made that much of a difference, because Hae Young has a deep wound in her heart that has to do with losing Mom to Mom’s foster kids.
Knowing that Ji Uk’s one of those very foster kids would have upset her, and I feel like she would have pushed him away, whenever she’d found out about it, I do think.
With that thought, I feel like I can understand why Ji Uk doesn’t tell her the truth about him having been fostered by Mom.
..Which is how we end up getting some OTP Cute, in the way of the bubble-blowing scene on the rooftop, and Ji Uk surprising Hae Young on the train, and going to Busan with her.
E9-10. Honestly, I kinda love Ji Uk’s sudden change of heart in the middle of episode 10, because it comes about in what feels like a very random manner?
Ex-Manager Jang asking to meet up, then telling him that he’d always wanted to be a professional jockey, but had given up his dream in order to honor his late dad’s wishes – and that it had been a stupid waste of time, is just so funny to me. 😂
Even better, is the way Ji Uk looks legitimately enlightened by this, and how he basically immediately makes up his mind not to make the same mistake, and to start living for himself.
The manhwa lens really came in handy here, because without it, this would have felt kinda random and nonsensical, but with the manhwa lens on, it’s just a really fun and funny development. 😁
I do think that that’s why Ji Uk goes and buys flowers for Hae Young; I feel like he was taking a step towards living his own life, according to what he wants, and not according to what his grandmother would have wanted.
And it does feel quite natural, that Hae Young would be all repressed-upset at the idea that Ji Uk might be leaving, and for good, and I’m glad that it all comes out, after that initial failed attempt at being polite and civil and distant.
I’m glad that Ji Uk comes back, and that Hae Young has that mini outburst and protests that he’s doing all this for people who’ve never held him nor told him that they loved him, which is what prompts Ji Uk to remind her that she hasn’t held him nor told him that she loves him – but then he goes and tells her that he loves her.
Augh. I just can’t help being fond of Ji Uk; he’s so uncalculating when it comes to Hae Young.
She’s supposed to be this very calculating character, and he’s just the opposite of that in the way he treats her, regardless of what he might say otherwise.
Here he is, saying that she’s never told him that she loves him, but that doesn’t stop him from telling her that he loves her. Melt. That’s very sweet.
And then we have kisses, and to Hae Young’s question about whether he’s leaving or not, Ji Uk actually says, “Words are too troublesome,” before leaning in for more kisses, before taking them into the bedroom.
Rawr. That was very nicely done, I have to admit. 🔥
It’s honestly really nice to see Ji Uk and Hae Young basking in the love, as morning comes around, and they make plans for breakfast.
..But it all comes screeching to a halt, once Hae Young happens upon that photo of Ji Uk with Mom, and realizes the truth; that Ji Uk had been fostered by Mom.
Oof. I hate that Hae Young tells Ji Uk to get lost; that feels particularly cutting, after the sweet coziness of just minutes before.
However, given Show’s manhwa-esque nature, I’m expecting – hoping? – that this rift between our OTP won’t last very long, and that Show will take us to a happy ending, without too much fuss.
[END SPOILER]
Ja Yeon’s story and loveline
Looking back on Ja Yeon as a character and on her arc, I have to give Show props, in that, the way it introduces Ja Yeon, she really appears to be a very minor supporting character; an ex-foster kid of Mom’s, who just happens to still live in the family home.
However, as we get more and more fragments of information given to us, it becomes clearer and clearer, that Ja Yeon has a poignant backstory that is quite significant to the main happenings of our story world.
I thought that was pretty clever, honestly.
I almost feel like Show had snuck Ja Yeon on me, and made me care about her, while I wasn’t looking. 🥲
Similarly, I had started out finding the potential loveline between Ja Yeon and Gyu Hyun (Lee Sang Yi) quite improbable, because, 1, Ja Yeon’s shown to have a serious crush on someone else, and 2, they just seemed so far removed from each other, in our story world.
Again, props to Show for teasing out this potential loveline, and taking it from improbable in my mind, to pretty much inevitable. 😁
By the time I was hitting Show’s final stretch, I found myself quite invested in this loveline, and even actively looking forward to the 2-episode spin-off, starring this very couple (quick review here!).
Nicely done, Show. Nicely done.
In this spoiler section, I share a range of thoughts around Ja Yeon and her loveline with Gyu Hyun.
[SPOILER ALERT]
E3-4. Gyu Hyun’s gotten off to a bad start, becoming a hater on Ja Yeon’s otherwise successful web novel. 😅
He’s got a looonng road ahead of him to winning Ja Yeon’s heart, I think, because, putting myself in her shoes, I find it hard to imagine falling in love with someone who’s written hate comments targeted at her. 😬
One thing that does jump out at me, is how both Gyu Hyun and Ja Yeon are so taken aback, when they encounter each other in real life.
They’re essentially both shocked to see that the other person is such a normal person in real life.
That resonates with me a little extra, because I’ve received some hate comments in the past, and it’s true, people can be very cruel when they’re anonymous keyboard warriors.
It does make me wonder what they’re like in real life – and I would also like them to remember that in real life, I’m just a normal person too.
So this basis for the real-life meeting between Gyu Hyun and Ja Yeon does land as quite poignant, to me, and I’m curious to see how this real-life meeting defines their connection, going forward.
E5-6. These episodes, as Ja Yeon’s and Gyu Hyun’s paths cross more, I’m starting to see how writer-nim plans to tease out a connection here.
The whole thing about the hate comments is quite dramatic and silly, but.. underneath it all, I don’t dislike that this is how they meet, because where with Secretary Yeo, Ja Yeon’s too embarrassed to tell him what she writes about as an author, with Gyu Hyun, it’s all laid bare.
At this early point, they’ve seen each other’s “worsts,” so to speak, and that’s honestly not a bad starting point, coz if they like each other in spite of these “worsts,” that’s a great thing.
And, there’s no fear of having to eventually disclose these “dark corners” to each other, because they already have.
I appreciate that Ja Yeon is firm on her stance that she will not settle, which then forces Gyu Hyun into a space where he needs to work to show his sincerity towards her.
I also appreciate that in expressing her anger, Ja Yeon also gets him to reflect on the hateful words that he’d written to her, when they’d been faceless to each other.
And while it’s true that it’s all for show at first, I like that his sincerity towards her, eventually becomes real, as he starts to see and understand her as a real person.
Ja Yeon’s decision to settle, on the condition that Gyu Hyun does community service at the orphanage, seems like a good compromise, and it does turn out to be a good learning experience for Gyu Hyun.
E7-8. Gyu Hyun’s really coming through, in terms of showing himself to be a good potential match for Ja Yeon.
First, there’s the moment he gets officially smitten with her, when all he sees around her are pretty blossoms, heh.
And then afterwards, there’s how he bends over backwards, to help her keep her secret from Ha Jun, because he understands her desire to keep her work a secret.
That moment when he drives by her, and his eyes look right at her, is quite intense and therefore translates as quite charismatic, honestly. 😁
Of course, there’s also how he angsts over the notice that she’s on hiatus, and tries so hard to find out whether she’s doing ok. With every effort that he makes on this front, I start to believe a little more, that he truly cares, y’know? 🥲
Plus, he’s so earnest about apologizing to her now, and doing his community service.
And when she spots her abusive father and runs away in a panic, he’s right there with her, and even sits with her in the cold and sings to her, while catching a cold because he’d give her his jacket.
All of that is pretty darn sweet, yes?
And so, I feel bad for him too, when Ja Yeon says goodbye, and tells him that she would prefer that they never meet again.
Aw. Plus there’s how we hear that he’s editing all his hate comments and leaving new ratings, which is honestly very thoughtful.
I feel bad for Ja Yeon, when she realizes that the most terrible comment which had caused her to file a report with the police, had actually been written by her crush, Ha Jun.
Ouch, that’s gotta hurt.
But I guess this is where her crush on Ha Jun will naturally come to an end, which might help her have room in her heart for Gyu Hyun?
E9-10. The more Show sheds light on Ja Yeon’s backstory, the more I understand her, and the more my heart goes out to her.
Show has been evasive about the truth behind Hae Young’s father’s death, and at points, it had even felt like Dad might have perhaps killed himself.
But these episodes, based on the fragments of information that we’re given, it’s becoming clear that Ja Yeon’s father had killed Hae Young’s father, in one of his rages, most likely when he’d been looking for Ja Yeon at Hae Young’s house, like we’d seen him do in that other flashback from before.
With that backstory finally in place, it becomes easy to see why Ja Yeon would be so uneasy at the idea of running into her father, who would likely be still looking for her, upon his release from prison.
And, it also becomes easy to see why Ja Yeon feels that she doesn’t deserve to be in Hae Young’s life, given that it had been her father who had robbed Hae Young of her father.
At the same time, I can also understand why Ja Yeon would feel like she’d do anything she could, to make Hae Young’s life better; by being her family, by supporting her and being her confidante, by not leaving her on her own.
Putting all of these things into the picture, I can see why Ja Yeon’s lived with Hae Young all this time, and I can also see why Ja Yeon now feels like she can move out, because Hae Young now has Ji Uk to be the family that she needs.
It’s not that Ja Yeon dislikes being Hae Young’s family; it’s that she feels unworthy.
And I would say the same for Ja Yeon’s feelings for Gyu Hyun.
Even though she’s reflexively thrilled to find out that Gyu Hyun has feelings for her, the way she has feelings for him, she feels unworthy to pursue those feelings, and that’s why she nips it all in the bud, despite liking Gyu Hyun too.
And y’know what, I find that I like Gyu Hyun too, when he’s baring his heart in front of Ja Yeon.
He’s so earnest, gentle and honest about how he feels about her, that in those moments, I can’t help but root for their love.
That little date at the office, that we get at the end of episode 10, is honestly really cute, particularly when he initiates the role-play, where he pretends to be the male lead in her story.
Firstly, it’s so cute that he remembers everything in such vivid detail, from her book, that he’s able to fall into a role-play just like that, and it’s also very cute that Ja Yeon looks so thrilled to join him in role-playing the scene.
Secondly, it’s such a fun little nod to the fact that these two are getting their own little spin-off, with exactly the same title, and coming up so soon, no less. 🤭
[END SPOILER]
Lee Sang Yi as Bok Gyu Hyun
I’ve seen a range of comments around Gyu Hyun’s character, with some viewers feeling especially disgruntled with him, because of his various actions.
After some thought, I’ve concluded that Gyu Hyun as a character, was basically done dirty by writer-nim.
I’ve realized that poor Gyu Hyun basically functions as a plot device most of the time – unless he’s busy with his loveline with Ja Yeon.
[SPOILER ALERT]
Outside of his loveline with Ja Yeon, we see him do some not very nice things, like repeatedly deny Ha Jun’s transfer application, simply because he wants to keep Ha Jun around.
And then of course, there’s the thing where, in response to the revelation that Ji Uk is his father’s son, he removes Hae Young from her post and threatens Ji Uk to leave the country for good, orhe’ll make things very painful for the people he cares about, particularly Hae Young.
Grrr. That did not make me think well of Gyu Hyun AT ALL. 😤
But the thing is, writer-nim doesn’t actually attempt to reconcile this part of Gyu Hyun with the part of him that’s all sweet, tender and romantic with Ja Yeon.
It literally feels like writer-nim decided to pretend that there were two characters named Gyu Hyun, and one was sweet and tender, and the other was, well, predisposed to being a bit of a jerk.
At the end of it all, I point my finger at writer-nim for this one, for making Gyu Hyun a plot device instead of a proper character.
[END SPOILER]
Show’s sense of humor
Show’s sense of humor worked out to be a mixed bag for me.
Sometimes, I found myself giggling at what Show served up, and at other times, I found myself wincing at the Intended Funny.
Your mileage may certainly vary, so here’s a quick spotlight on some of my highlights and lowlights, when it came to Show’s sense of humor.
[SPOILER ALERT]
When it worked for me
E1-2. I do like the idea of Lee Il Hwa being Chairman Mom, who’s the biggest fangirl of Ja Yeon.
I found her fangirl antics quite funny and endearing – at least at the beginning, before Chairman Mom became scary. 😅
E3-4. Honestly, I loved that beginning of episode 3, where all the ladies in the room, from Hae Young, to Yi Lin, to the boutique consultants, all go ga-ga over Ji Uk’s visuals, as he models the various tuxes.
I was quite tickled by all their exaggerated gasps, even more so because it annoys Woo Jae, Hae Young’s cheating ex, so much. 😁
Afterwards, I snerked at how Hae Young huffs at Ji Uk that he should have warned her about his handsome face.
Pwahaha! Like, what? Is it his fault that your eyes didn’t do a good job of discerning that he was a handsome one? 😏
When it didn’t quite work for me
E1-2. I’m less enamored by Lee Yoo Jin as Secretary Yeo; I feel like the banter and Intended Funny around his character lands as try-hard and awkward, though that is very subjective.
E5-6. I wasn’t so into the drunken shenanigans, which eventually leads to our OTP waking up next to each other the next morning – accompanied by none other than Woo Jae 😬
Also, for the record, I did not appreciate the various instances of toilet humor that Show employs, either.
[END SPOILER]
STUFF I DIDN’T LIKE SO MUCH
Goo Wook as Woo Jae
I disliked Woo Jae, Hae Young’s toxic ex-boyfriend, with a passion.
I mean, every time I thought I’d seen the limit of his doucheyness, he’d one-up me and surprise me by being even more douchey than I’d imagined possible.
[SPOILER ALERT]
E7-8. I can’t believe that Woo Jae even has the gall to tell Hae Young that he’ll take responsibility for her, whether or not he divorces Yi Rin.
Excuse me? Did he just tell Hae Young that he’d like her to be his mistress?
This, after cheating on Hae Young, and then marrying the woman with him he’d cheated with, on Hae Young??
Ugh. This makes me want to to stuff Woo Jae into a box and ship him off to, I dunno, Antartica. Grrr. 😤
[END SPOILER]
Hui Seong’s loveline [SPOILERS]
I’ve to be honest here; I did not enjoy Hui Seong’s arc – specifically, I did not enjoy her loveline (although the two are so closely intertwined that I’d almost consider them the same thing).
I’ll concede that writer-nim making her relationship a polyamorous one was quite a surprise; I hadn’t been expecting that, since we don’t actually see that, ever, in kdramas.
That said, I get the sense that writer-nim hadn’t been too sure about what to do with this polyamorous relationship, honestly.
On the upside, we have Hae Young telling Hui Seong that she accepts her regardless of her romantic choices, and Hui Seong’s words about there not being enough time to love, being one of the things to nudge Hae Young towards acknowledging her feelings for Ji Uk.
On the other side of things, though, I feel like we don’t actually see Hui Seong being all that happy..?
I’m guessing that it was because Show was trying to pull a red herring on us, with Hui Seong discovering little items of jewelry in Tae Hyung’s studio, and pretending not to notice.
Of course, my first natural thought was that Tae Hyung must be cheating on her, and she doesn’t want to let on that she knows; that’s probably why Hui Seong’s expression is shown to be a little awkward and uncomfortable.
But see, the downside to that, is that once we know the truth, that this was all part of her polyamorous arrangement with Tae Hyung, then it doesn’t look like Hui Seong’s all that happy, with that arrangement, y’know?
It also doesn’t say anything too positive, in the way that Hui Seong seems to default to breaking up with Tae Hyung, at the first sign of difficulty.
Like when she discovers she’s pregnant, and then later on, when he admits that he’d regretted, for a little bit, that he’d offered to be her baby’s father.
At the very end, when Tae Hyung begs her to give him another chance, it feels like Hui Seong realizes that her affection for Tae Hyung is greater than her insecurity, but.. that also feels a little hollow, to me?
As in, was that the extent of her growth, as a character..? It just didn’t feel satisfying enough, from where I was sitting.
When Show imposes too much on my ability to suspend disbelief
I know that suspension of disbelief comes with the territory, especially when I’ve told you guys that a manhwa lens works best for this show.
And yet, there were times when I found myself rolling my eyes at the way writer-nim was nudging our story forward.
At those times, I really felt like writer-nim was imposing on my willingness to suspend disbelief; like, are you seriously asking me to indulge you on this point? And more than once? 🙄
Here’s a big offender for me personally, in this category.
[SPOILER ALERT]
E7-8. When Yi Rin comes to the hotel room to collect Woo Jae, I thought that was such a rookie mistake, for Hae Young to answer Woo Jae, not just about where his watch might be, but to even follow that up with where his phone might be. 😅😅
I thought that was extremely careless and quite stupid, honestly. 🤦🏻♀️
But fine. I suppose anyone could make a mistake, right? Moving forward, I would’ve thought that that would serve as a big warning to the both of them, to be extra careful going forward.
But no. Soon enough, we have a similar-but-worse slip coming from Woo Jae during Hae Young’s housewarming party, where right in front of everyone, including Yi Rin, who’s already suspicious, he remarks that nothing’s changed, and that she hasn’t put in any new furniture, after the wedding. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Er. If I were in Yi Rin’s shoes, I’d be more than just a little suspicious, y’know? If I were Yi Rin, I’d be either confronting Woo Jae about it, or hiring a private investigator, to put on his tail.
But also. I’m slightly offended that writer-nim expects me to indulge the fact that our characters are acting in such stupid ways, to nudge the plot forward. 🤦🏻♀️
[END SPOILER]
When Show leaves things hanging
There are a couple of things that I personally wish Show hadn’t left hanging.
[SPOILER ALERT]
1. The initial bits of info about Ji Uk aren’t ever addressed.
In episode 1, he supposedly goes to that job interview because it had been an assignment from his professor, and he says that he’s working on something that no one else knows about, but we don’t ever get more information about this.
So.. why did he go to the job interview in the first place? Was there really a professor involved?
We will never know.
2. No comeuppance for Woo Jae whatsoever.
Given that Woo Jae was made out to be such a cheating, slimey, annoying character, I would have expected Show to teach him a lesson in some way, shape or form.
By the end of the story, however, he’s still got a Team Leader position at work, and Yi Rin hasn’t yet kicked him to the curb.
This was not satisfying in the least.
3. Gyu Hyun never takes back his threat to Ji Uk
We do get him alluding that he doesn’t mean it anymore, but Ji Uk does point out, right before actually leaving the country, that Gyu Hyun never took back his threat.
That was rather disappointing, to be honest.
[END SPOILER]
THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]
E11-12. Not gonna lie; this ending was a very mixed bag, for me.
It felt to me like writer-nim was just going, “Here’s a break-up for you! ..And you! ..And you!,” in conceptualizing our finale.
Of course, this was also followed by an equal number of reconciliations, ie, “Here’s a reconciliation for you! ..And you! ..And you too!” 🤦🏻♀️
I.. didn’t love it, if you couldn’t already tell, though I do understand that writer-nim used at least some of the break-ups to achieve personal or relationship breakthroughs.
I approve the breakthroughs; I just wish writer-nim had found other means by which to reach them. 😅
I suppose the saving grace here, is that, because I’ve never quite managed to feel properly connected to our characters, I didn’t mind as much as I would have, if these characters had felt real to me. That’s a silver lining, yes? 😅
I feel like Hui Seong breaking up with Tae Hyung made the least sense, to be honest.
I mean, dude wavers for just a teeny bit, and she cuts him off? Wow. That’s harsh.
Like, what do you mean, you only get one chance to be a good parent, and he’s already blown it? He just wavered for a few minutes! 🤦🏻♀️
I suppose it speaks more to Hui Seong’s insecurity than Tae Hyung’s lack of commitment, because her reasoning with this, made no sense at all, to me.
And in the end, Hui Seong realizes that her love for Tae Hyung is greater than her insecurity, which is good, but like I said, I would have preferred that we got here in a different way.
But really, this is what I mean about writer-nim handing out break-ups like they’re candy. 😅
The whole thing with Murderer Dad coming back for Ja Yeon at Hae Young’s house, didn’t make a ton of sense to me either, honestly.
Because, if you knew a murderer might come to your door the moment he’s released from jail, wouldn’t you actually do something to remove yourself from that danger?
And ok, sure, Show just wanted a reason for Gyu Hyun to save Ja Yeon, so that they could make up and reunite, but also.. just because the police took Murderer Dad away for breaking and entering, and causing bodily injury to both Ja Yeon and Gyu Hyun, doesn’t actually solve the problem, does it?
Especially since Murderer Dad seems so adamant about getting to Ja Yeon..? 😅 I get the sense that the moment he’s released, he’s going to come back again.
But fine. I suppose this isn’t something that Show actually cares about, and I think we’re supposed to conveniently slice off this troublesome piece of peripheral context, and just pretend that it’s all good, once the police have taken him away.
That said, I did appreciate that Hae Young and Ja Yeon finally clear that air between them, and arrive at a shared truth; that it’s not Ja Yeon’s fault that Hae Young’s dad had died, and that, despite knowing that Dad had been killed by Murderer Dad, Hae Young loves Ja Yeon anyway.
That was great, and I liked that very much. (Again, I would have preferred if this conversation could have been triggered by something else, like Hae Young talking with Ji Uk about it, for instance.)
Also, I did think that the reconciliation between Ja Yeon and Gyu Hyun is cute.
In fact, I feel like Ja Yeon and Gyu Hyun get the cutest scenes in this whole finale.
In episode 12, while he’s being a cutely supportive boyfriend at her lecture, and then taking her out on a beach date and taking out couple rings for them to wear, I was like, Oooh, cuteee 🥰🥰 – but also, shouldn’t this be something that our OTP gets to do? But.. they’re not?
Which brings me to howwriter-nim kills off Mom, which I’m conflicted about.
I would have preferred if Mom could have been included in our story in a more reconciliatory sort of manner, coz as it is, Hae Young is left with a lot of regret after Mom’s passing.
I mean, yes, she does finally see that Mom had loved and thought of her, and also, that Mom had sowed a lot of love into the lives of the those she’d fostered, but I can’t help feeling wistful that we don’t get a scene of Hae Young and Mom really coming to an overt understanding.
I suppose that’s a bit of realism there, in the sense that you don’t always get the closure that you desire, in real life.
(But also, there’s the rub; I’ve not been thinking of these characters or this story as real life, so why should I start now?)
Here’s the thing; I feel like if writer-nim had been intent on killing off Mom, then the next thing I would have wanted, is for Hae Young to really inherit the legacy of love that Mom had left behind.
Like, lean harder into the relationships that had been planted by Mom, as a way of honoring her, y’know? And maybe also make Mom’s passing the thing that jolts Hae Young out of her calculative mindset, because life’s too short to calculate love.
But no, Show has Hae Young break up with Ji Uk right after Mom’s funeral. Like, what?
I tried to understand Hae Young’s reasoning for breaking up with Ji Uk, but I’m sorry, it really doesn’t make sense to me.
Just because Ji Uk’s been giving to a fault with his grandmother and then with Mom, doesn’t mean that it has to be that way, with Hae Young.
If Hae Young can see that Ji Uk needs to learn how to put himself first, and live for himself while following his heart, surely there are ways to do that, without breaking up with him?
For example, she could send him off to Canada to finally meet and spend time with his mom and her family there, and have him live there for 6 months.
And how nice would it have been, if he’d spent that time in Canada, with the warmth and comfort in his heart, knowing that Hae Young was waiting for him, back in Korea??
And then, couldn’t we have had that 6 months apart be the thing that makes Hae Young realize how much she really loves him and misses him?
Why couldn’t we have had that??
Did Hae Young really need to be broken up from Ji Uk, to realize how much she really did love him and miss him?? And to realize that she doesn’t want to calculate love, with him?
To be brutally honest, I think that writer-nim just wanted that scene in the yard, where Hae Young gives Ji Uk a welcome hug, in an echo of the welcome hug that Mom had given him, all those years ago.
And yes, I get that that’s kind of poetic – BUT AT WHAT COST??
Was it really worth that writing decision, which split up our OTP for the bulk of the finale, and had them both be pretty miserable, just for that echo scene?
I personally don’t think so.
We literally only get 5 minutes of a reunited OTP, before the ending credits roll, and that does not feel satisfying, from where I’m sitting.
I know that there are lots of people who love this drama and its finale just as it is, and if you’re one of those folks, I’m glad for you, and I’m also sorry that I don’t feel the same way.
In principle, I’m also glad that Hae Young and Ji Uk find their way back to each other, and that our characters gain the growth that we see; I just wish that it could’ve been handled differently. 🥲
THE FINAL VERDICT
A little fun, but also.. a little underwhelming, unfortunately.
FINAL GRADE: B
TRAILER:
MV:
PATREON UPDATE!
The next drama I’m covering on Patreon, in place of No Gain No Love, is Family By Choice [Korea].
You can check out my episode 1-2 notes on Family By Choiceon Patreon here.
Here’s an overview of what I’m covering on Patreon right now (Tier benefits are cumulative)!
Foundation Tier (US$1): Entertainment Drop (Sundays) + the first set notes of all shows covered on Patreon (that’s 2 episodes for kdramas and 4 episodes for cdramas)
Early Access(US$5): +The Judge From Hell [Korea]
Early Access Plus(US$10): +Love Next Door [Korea]
VIP(US$15): +Romance in the House [Korea]
VVIP(US$20): +Family By Choice [Korea]
Ultimate(US$25): +Like Flowers in Sand [Korea]
If you’d like to join me on the journey, you can find my Patreon pagehere. You can also read more about all the whats, whys, and hows of helping this bloghere. Thanks for all of your support, it really means a lot to me. ❤️
