When I was a child, I had a cat. Every now and then that cat would need a bath for some reason and like most cats he hated the water. Afterwards when he was wet and bedraggled and upset that we'd treated him with such disregard he limped off into the garage to show us his displeasure. But once there he realised that we couldn't see him. And if we couldn't see his poor wet put-upon self then how would we know that we'd done wrong by him. And so he limped back into view and sat there looking sorry for himself: just far enough away so we knew he was upset but always close enough for us to see him, And he sat like that for ages, following us around at a strict distance but just close enough that we could be reminded of his martyrdom.

The female lead in this drama is basically that cat. And while it's adorable and amusing behaviour in a pet, it's unbelievably frustrating in a grown ass woman. Especially one whose situation is not just of her own making but her outright choice.

The most annoying thing is that this drama had a fantastic first episode. When Xu Youxi's fiancee dies she goes back in time to save him by making sure they never fall in love. In exchange, her ballet career is destroyed by an injury. Now five years later 'fate' (where has fate been for five years btw, did it take a vacation because it knew it was about to get a workout?) has thrown Youxi and her boyfriend back together as her boss and sister's fiancee. Because it's DESTINY my friends. DESTINY.

Except - it isn't? Youxi could leave the situation at any time and, in fact, declares her intention to multiple times. But always in a way that makes her look like that cat and gives him time to come up with a reason for her to stay. She follows her former fiancee around with big eyes and quivering lips while martyring herself for him over and over, always staying a discreet distance but just close enough that he can see her suffering. And all of this is supposed to be noble or something but as it went on I was increasingly sympathetic of her batshit insane half-sister for seeing the behaviour as manipulative. Because it is.

Suddenly this drama is a workplace romance between a lowly Candy and her boss complete with an insane second female lead and a second male lead whose behaviour borders on deranged. The female lead comes off as manipulative, the male lead as wishy washy and inconstant, the second female lead as a raging lunatic and the second male lead has a different personality every scene.

Instead of enduring it, I should have just gotten myself another cat.