K-lover61
UK
Accept it's a fluffy rom-com, not RL, and it'll be a fun watch
Aug 2023
A great big squishy ball of fluff, in the traditionally wonderful vain of many successful rom-com K-dramas.
You get the flashy backdrop of a wealthy family run conglomerate; the main story centres around the successful 5 Star hotel, while also featured are the company's Airline and a high end clothing branch, where each of the FL's 2 besties work.
Within these settings are power struggles, prejudices over education, divorce and social standing, with a smattering of greasy palms, connections and the usual jealousy, spite, bitching and abuse of the have nots/underlings. Some characters are wonderfully nasty and underhand... I was having a right go at the TV on many occasions! ;-D
Then, of course, there is the most important, most focussed on, romance between our drop dead gorgeous ML and effervescently can-do, pretty FL, who when at work speaks in the same way UK announcers did in the 50s ;-D and smiles through 99% of everything that a busy day as Hotel Concierge can throw at her.
Due to a childhood trauma, our ML hates what he sees as the false smiles automatically plastered on the faces of a large percentage of the hotel's staff and refuses to either conform, or acknowledge them.
With our FL gaining success with her attitude and having more and more dealings with our ML, it's very much an enemies to tolerated colleagues, to friends, to lovers.
There is almost every cliché in the book, from one falling into/onto the other, a bike ride, fairground visit and sudden overnight stay, to money getting offered to get rid of people.
There are also the trials and tribulations of the FL's 2 best friends sewn into the story and plenty of light moments with the ML and his dork of an assistant.
This fit absolutely perfectly with what I wanted to watch. There are imperfections (I never really understood why someone who disappeared, did) and realism is often overlooked to make things and people beautiful, and the story work... but the drama is a rom-com and from the very amusing first arrival of our ML, does not set itself up to be anything remotely true to life, so no disappointment in that respect, for me.
There was one scene near the end, with the FL's grandmother (played by a favourite senior actress, Kim Young-ok) that was so touching, I needed tissues.
The music I did find exceedingly odd at times, especially when a group of them visited Thailand... it was almost hilarious, with what sounded like bangra, and Ska!!! I've heard traditional and modern Thai music and it didn't sound like that!
It's no more than a bit of fun, and a great feel-good drama. I quickly ate up every second of it!
A great big squishy ball of fluff, in the traditionally wonderful vain of many successful rom-com K-dramas.
You get the flashy backdrop of a wealthy family run conglomerate; the main story centres around the successful 5 Star hotel, while also featured are the company's Airline and a high end clothing branch, where each of the FL's 2 besties work.
Within these settings are power struggles, prejudices over education, divorce and social standing, with a smattering of greasy palms, connections and the usual jealousy, spite, bitching and abuse of the have nots/underlings. Some characters are wonderfully nasty and underhand... I was having a right go at the TV on many occasions! ;-D
Then, of course, there is the most important, most focussed on, romance between our drop dead gorgeous ML and effervescently can-do, pretty FL, who when at work speaks in the same way UK announcers did in the 50s ;-D and smiles through 99% of everything that a busy day as Hotel Concierge can throw at her.
Due to a childhood trauma, our ML hates what he sees as the false smiles automatically plastered on the faces of a large percentage of the hotel's staff and refuses to either conform, or acknowledge them.
With our FL gaining success with her attitude and having more and more dealings with our ML, it's very much an enemies to tolerated colleagues, to friends, to lovers.
There is almost every cliché in the book, from one falling into/onto the other, a bike ride, fairground visit and sudden overnight stay, to money getting offered to get rid of people.
There are also the trials and tribulations of the FL's 2 best friends sewn into the story and plenty of light moments with the ML and his dork of an assistant.
This fit absolutely perfectly with what I wanted to watch. There are imperfections (I never really understood why someone who disappeared, did) and realism is often overlooked to make things and people beautiful, and the story work... but the drama is a rom-com and from the very amusing first arrival of our ML, does not set itself up to be anything remotely true to life, so no disappointment in that respect, for me.
There was one scene near the end, with the FL's grandmother (played by a favourite senior actress, Kim Young-ok) that was so touching, I needed tissues.
The music I did find exceedingly odd at times, especially when a group of them visited Thailand... it was almost hilarious, with what sounded like bangra, and Ska!!! I've heard traditional and modern Thai music and it didn't sound like that!
It's no more than a bit of fun, and a great feel-good drama. I quickly ate up every second of it!
Was this review helpful to you?
