This is the third version of this story I've seen (don't ask me why I keep watching different versions of this story, cause I honestly can't answer that), and it's definitely not the best version out there (although if we're being honest, every version has major flaws as they are all built around difficult-to-like and sympathize with characters), but this is one of the more light-hearted, fluffy, easy to sit through versions, so it at least has that going for it. If you aren't put off by clingy characters and jerk male leads who don't really ever see the error of their ways, then this drama (and all it's versions) are tailor-made for you.

I'd like to say here that I won't be watching any other versions of this drama. But while I might be able to lie to myself and pretend I won't, I can't lie to those of you reading this.

I might watch another version.

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I started writing up my review of this drama a few episodes or so from the end, because I had a pretty good idea of what my overall feelings were going to be once I finished. I was disappointed with the lack of development in Bong Sun and Seon Woo's relationship compared to Sun Ae and Seon Woo. There was not an even split, and it made the viewing experience frustrating. (I took a couple of hiatuses because of it.) It's not that I didn't love every moment Sun Ae and Seon Woo were together, because I did. I love Kim Seul Gi to bits, so I'm never going to complain about seeing her more often or about her characters getting lots of delicious character development. I also enjoyed watching possessed Bong Sun chasing after Seon Woo, and thus by proxy, Sun Ae developing a relationship with him. Minus the ghost issue, she would have been a strong contender in the fight for his heart. I just wanted there to be an even playing field for our two girls, and there wasn't. Only one of them was ever going to have better than a snowballs chance of being with Seon Woo, and she wasn't the one whose romance the writers chose to focus on most of the drama.

Then I watched the next to last episode, and my frustration and disappointment didn't seem to matter anymore. Seeing what happened to Sun Ae, how horrifying it all was, experiencing this flood of gut-wrenching emotions in the pit of my stomach. I was so angry and heartbroken for her, that she had to die so young, and by the hands of someone she cared for and trusted. And then the biggest surprise of all (for me at least), discovering there was still some scrap of humanity left in Sung Jae. The entire drama, we were lead to believe that he was just pure evil, that he had been possessed by an evil spirit for so long that there was nothing good left in him. But in those last moments, what we saw was a broken young man fighting against a destiny that was unfair and recognizing the man he had become and maybe not being so happy about it. He wasn't so far gone that there wasn't still room for redemption.

Of course, then I watched the Last episode, and I was back to being disappointed. Finales are hard for even the best of dramas, and Oh My Ghostess (which I do consider to be one of the best of dramas) is no exception. So much of the last episode felt unnecessary, frustrating, a little confusing. I could have done without much of it, to be honest.

Sun Ae's final day was beautiful and moving, each goodbye a perfect send off to the people she loved, but it seemed a little unfair to me that such an important character should get her send-off at the very beginning of the episode and then be completely forgotten about afterward.

And we have to talk about the forced separation of our main couple. I'm not inherently against main couple separations in dramas. But drama writers always utilize them so poorly or just throw them in for no reason other than it's the finale and they need to fill screen time, and it Really felt unnecessary here. Bong Sun and Seon Woo are only just starting to really get to know each other as people and develop a genuine relationship. Do you really think this is the right moment to separate them? It's just not on.

I think the most confusing writing choice though was what the writer did with Sung Jae. It is hard to be sure just how much was the evil spirit and just how much was him, because the drama never made it fully clear, but at some level, whether conscious or not, Sung Jae was inviting the evil spirit into his life. Even with possession as an excuse, there was at least a part of him that wanted to do some of the things he did. I'm probably in the minority here, but I was willing to forgive him and give him an opportunity to atone for his part in all of the terrible things that were done while the demon was in his body. Just...not that way. That wasn't justice Or redemption. It was just...confusing and weird.

Now that I've finished the drama, I still think my initial feelings were correct, that Seon Woo and Bong Sun deserved more relationship development. And I think the finale did the characters and overall story a disservice in many ways. But I'm also really glad I finally sat down and finished it (and pushed through my frustration during the midway portion.) I think this is a good drama, despite its flaws.

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(Updated Review January 2023)

I rewatched this drama last year, and it ended up being a pleasant ride down memory lane. Radiant Office has its flaws, there’s no denying it, but there’s also a lot of heart to be had with this story. That reason alone makes Radiant Office worth watching at least once, in my opinion.

My advice is don’t expect this drama to go in quite the same way as most Kdrama’s of it’s time and genre. The office politics are pretty standard fare (and pretty boring, honestly), but everything else about the story kind of goes its own way. A subtle romance without all of the big hallmark moments we typically expect, a delightful main trio of friends who cheer each other on while also making mistakes but always making amends, and this ever-present spirit of perseverance and determination and belief in one’s ability to overcome struggles. But best and most important of all, a determined and principled female lead who when faced with the prospect of her life being cut far too short, chooses to take it as an opportunity to make the best of the days she believes she has left.

And maybe cause a little righteous trouble while she’s at it, lol.

I’ll say here that a lot of people complain about the last three episodes of this drama, and for understandable reasons. There’s some rushing in the finale, and a particular character finds out some very serious and heartbreaking news pretty late in the story, which some felt should have been brought up sooner and handled a little better. But after my rewatch, I have a deeper appreciation for what the writer was doing, and I now think the episodes played out mostly as they should have.

The other big complaint you’ll probably hear is that the romance is too subtle. But while it is subtle in some ways, it’s not really in the way you might think. There’s pretty consistent build up between the leads throughout the drama as they each gradually come to like each other and slowly find themselves forming a relationship. I think a lot of people missed that a relationship was forming between them, because there aren’t any conversations addressing the changes in their relationship until the finale. But in some ways, it’s sort of truer to life, as many relationships happen gradually over time without all of the grand gestures and pointed conversations we’ve come to expect in dramas. My only complaint about the romance is that we deserved a better kiss at the end. He gives her a mild peck, and that is simply not sufficient, lol.

It's interesting to think about this drama now, 6 years later, considering it was written by a contest winner. It seems they never went on to write anything else, and I often wonder what happened to them. Why did they never write anything else? I assume getting into the industry is quite hard and winning a contest wouldn’t necessarily mean they would go on to lead more of their own dramas. In fact, that probably was always unlikely. But I still wonder if the experience at least got their foot in the door, or if this drama was the only time they got to work on anything. Hopefully, Radiant Office was the beginning and not the end of their drama writing career, and maybe someday in the future, we’ll see this writers' work again.

Now wouldn’t that make a great story?

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I don't think it ended as strong as it started (it began to drag a bit in the last quarter, lost the darker edge it started out with, and certain plot points weren't given as much attention as they deserved), but I enjoyed it for what it was and what it aspired to be. Hell Joseon is a real place, and I felt the characters pain each time they tried, failed, then pulled themselves back up to try again. I ended up being more invested in the secondary couple than the main couple (cause they were just too dang cute), but I appreciated the main couple's struggles in their relationship and how they supported each other and held each other up when one was falling apart.

I wouldn't watch it again, but I'm glad I watched it at least once.

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As I get older (about to be 33 soon), I find myself becoming more and more drawn to dramas that tell stories about adult women (ie. women in their late 20's and early to mid 30's). Some of this obviously comes with being older myself and wanting to watch characters my age in relatable situations and circumstances. Some of it is my drama tastes changing and maturing over time. (I still love most of the same genre's and tropes, etc. that I did when I was younger, but my tastes have expanded in some areas and shrunk in some others.) As such, I've been on a bit of a mission the last few years to watch more of these particular types of dramas, and this drama is one of the first of this type that I watched.

And I have to be honest and say the story left me feeling very disappointed.

Maybe I'm just stupid, but I didn't get the vibe from this drama that it was going to be the type of story that didn't give you a romantic ending. I watched with bated breath to see which suitor our female lead would ultimately choose, knowing in my heart it had to be her co-worker, because they were so clearly right for each other.

And then she chose no one.

I didn't get it. I didn't understand. The female lead had such strong chemistry and compatibility with her co-worker. They were so clearly in it deep for each other. And she had spent the majority of the drama wishing to find someone she could be with. The trajectory was clear.

What compounded my frustration was how uninterested and uninvested in the other female leads stories and love lives I was. I pushed through their parts of the drama, not because I really cared all that much about what happened to them but in dedication to the main couple. And then at the last minute, the female lead decides she wants to be a 'cool single lady' instead of finally find love?

I didn't invest all that time and energy into the drama for an ending like that.

Blegh, I say. Just blegh.

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2023 Review:

I watched this drama for the first time back in 2016 (I think), and while I enjoyed a lot of things about it, I also remembered kind of forcing myself to overlook some aspects of the story. So when I decided to rewatch it recently, I was unsure how things would go.

Guys, the way they made this drama work should not have been possible.

There were absolutely places where I cringed my way through, but then the writers would pull me right back in and make me root for the main couple. The male lead would do something egregious, and I would want to shake him into pieces, then he’d give this heartfelt and meaningful apology, and he would MEAN it. Or the writers would give a really darn good explanation for his behavior that really made you understand him. Or they’d just make him so dang likable and sympathetic. The romance gave me plenty of frustration, but it also worked its way right into the depths of my heart.

One thing that was consistently nice about this drama was seeing the female lead getting so much joy out of her work and working so hard towards her goals. She clearly loves teaching and is very good at it. Then at the end of the drama, when the leads love is tested and she decides to quit her job in order to prove she’s worthy to marry the male lead, he is actually upset by her decision. I was honestly surprised by this reaction, as I assumed he would eventually expect her to quit. But then we find out that he doesn’t want that at all, and it made me very happy.

Granted, them registering their marriage right before she moves to New York in the final episode for an undetermined amount of time (the drama never tells us how long she’s going to be gone) makes no practical sense whatsoever, but this is a drama where you just have to go where the writers are taking you, and by that point, I was on board that train, lol.

I’m sure I’ll watch this again someday in the future, and I’m sure the same moments will make me cringe, and I’m sure the drama will win be back over every single time. I fully understand that there will be other viewers who won’t be able to deal with the male lead in this drama, and I totally get it. But just like Takane won over Junko’s heart, this drama won over mine.

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I love it! I love it! I love it! I WAS PUMPING MY FISTS AT THE END I WAS SO HAPPY!

Oh drama, how I love you. Let me count the ways.

You were fun and engaging. Your characters were bang on fabulous. Your story went in so many unexpected directions.

I love everything about you. (I'm totally glossing over the wooden acting that other reviewers have brought up, because everything else about this little show was so much fun.)

I even don't mind how you made me intensely anxious half the time cause the female lead kept doing things that seemed to be totally screwing everything up, and all I wanted was for her to make better life choices. You made up for it all in the end.

Dramaworld, you are perfection. Will you marry me?

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This is a very short comment I wrote earlier this year that I wouldn't normally add as a review cause it's so short, but I feel sad that this special has no reviews, so here you go, lol.

I didn't enjoy this special as much as the first, even though I do think it is well written. Mr. Lookalike clearly has nefarious plans, and it's obvious throughout most of the special, so I spent most of the time wanting the female lead to figure out what he was up to and foil it, which doesn't happen. That was a little disappointing.

This also felt a bit like an ending to this story overall. I'm still crossing my fingers for another season where we finally get to see Akiko and Akira end up together, because I NEED IT, but this special makes the series feel...done. Which makes me want to cry, so I'm not going to think about it too much.

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I probably would have given this drama a 9 or 10 if the last four episodes had matched in quality with the first 8. A lot of the MDL comments I saw before going in called the female lead too self-sacrificial, a claim I always take with a grain of salt. I personally find that while there are plenty of legitimate complaints about female leads who will literally lay themselves on the train tracks or burn themselves at the stake or sit themselves in the electric chair for some of the most foolish and unreasonable of reasons, there is also lot of disdain out there for too much kindness in female leads, like if a female lead sacrifices herself or something she wants for another character, even if it's truly a noble sacrifice, she actually Deserves to be laid on those tracks or burned at that stake or put in that electric chair. With this in mind, I decided to go into Usokon open-minded. I truly like kind and self-sacrificial characters, and I'm always happy to see them represented in dramas, so I was hopeful and excited for this drama.

For the first 8 episodes, I can genuinely say Usokon is very solid. I enjoyed the episodes so much, in fact, that I struggled to understand what people had been complaining about. The female lead can be more self-sacrificial and kind than she might need to be, but all of her kindness and sacrifices are for truly kind and worthwhile reasons. She never did anything I found to be outrageous or stupid. I really, really, really liked her. Of course, like most everyone else, I found the male lead charming and adorable and a riot to watch as he acted surreptitiously silly and excited over his feelings for the female lead. The romance was so easy to root for, because the leads were sweet apart and together.

But then came the last four episodes.

I'll just jump straight in and say that a random girl who went on one date with the male lead in high school and who he obviously didn't really like back shows up and is all 'I've loved him for ten years! Give him to me!' (I'm exaggerating a bit, but that was essentially her attitude), and the female lead...acquiesces. Granted, two of our side characters have a heart-to-heart with her telling her she's being foolish and way too self-sacrificial and she sort of, finally, sees some reason, but the whole plot twist is completely unnecessary and leads to a rushed finale where the female lead and the second male lead have to fake a wedding ceremony in order to lure the male lead there, because He is so heartbroken over the female leads behavior that he decides to walk around moping about it. As you can see, this ^ story choice...is a real buzzkill.

Now, I know there are going to be people who disagree with my assessment of the female lead as a character in the first 8 episodes. In response, I can only say that there's a vast difference between sacrificing your job on behalf of for your single-mom co-worker who is struggling to make ends meet and giving up your man because some girl he went on one date with ten years ago shows up saying she's in love with him and she'd very kindly appreciate it if you'd gtfo. The first scenario is relatable and shows just how much the female lead cares about other people's well-being. The second scenario is stupid.

I do have to disagree here with some viewers who have said the female leads nice-to-a-faultness rubs off on the male lead, because I think they missed some important context clues from the flashbacks about his character. He starts liking her when they are children but never makes a move until in his late twenties. The reason? Because he's intimidated by the other friend in their friend group and feels like he has to prove himself in order to be good enough for the female lead. He believes (we never find out if he is right or not) that the female lead likes this other friend, and he (the male lead) doesn't measure up. The whole drama, there's this big, neon sign over the male leads head telling us he struggles with insecurity/self-doubt. This is fine with me, because I think it works for his character, and I really felt for him, but I don't think you can act like his difficulty with expressing his feelings are because of the female leads influence. No, he already had that problem. I will, however, agree that his response to the female lead stepping aside for this nobody girl is pretty dramatic. Why he doesn't confront this girl and be like 'We went on one date. You need to grow up and leave the woman I love alone' is beyond me, but he doesn't, and we all just have to live that.

I honestly went into this drama hopeful that it would be a more positive portrayal of a kind female lead. I don't need, nor do I want, all drama female leads to be super kind, but I would like to see more dramas treat female leads who exhibit such kindness and self-sacrificial behavior with the respect they deserve. True kindness and self-sacrifice, the kind that actually puts good into the world, is not for the faint of heart. It's for the strong.

I'll end my review by saying that if the female leads kindness had continued in the same vein as what we'd seen in the first 8 episodes, my opinion of this drama would be very different. It's amazing how much only 4 episodes can completely change the way you feel about a story, isn't it?

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I enjoyed a lot of things about this drama. It's not completely realistic with how things really work in the idol music industry, but the drama is very intentional about showing the group actually doing the work of being an idol group. They're practicing their choreography, they're doing performances, they're going to photoshoots, they're writing their own songs, and they're facing some of the sorts of challenges you would expect for a group attempting a comeback after falling out of popularity. Group members struggle with figuring out the best pathways to take in their lives, they get into fights and disagreements because of stress and pressure, and they frequently recommit themselves to each other and the hard work it's going to take for the group to come back. It can admittedly get a bit saccharine and dramatic at times, but more often than not, I felt sympathy for these boys rather than annoyance or second-hand embarrassment. I would say this aspect of the drama is where it shines most.

There are some story choices towards the end that are admittedly head-scratching, even if they mostly make sense. The most head-scratching is when one of the members voices his very strong opposition to the leads dating. His opposition has nothing to do with the leads very sizable age gap (which I will get to in a minute), but because a relationship between them would divert the male leads focus away the group, and apparently, the group should trump every other area of his life. This is obviously a nonsense attitude (although it's certainly how the record labels themselves would like their artists to act), and it also comes semi-out of nowhere. There are hints leading up that this character is bothered by something, but you never would have guessed this was the thing they were bothered by. Personally, I think the drama would have been better served by either removing or toning down this plot point, because doesn't serve the story, and it actually ignores the very real problem with the romance.

And that is that this romance has an unnecessarily large age gap. If the male lead had been just a bit older or the female lead just a bit younger (or better, he had been a bit older And she had been a bit younger), I wouldn't have had a problem. But he's quite a bit younger than her, to a degree that the mental gap is just too wide. She was also his teacher in high school years prior which adds another uncomfortable layer. A better scenario would have been for her to be an assistant teacher when she worked at his school, maybe 23 or 24 years old and getting work experience so she could eventually become a regular teacher, thus lowering the age gap to more along 5 or 6 years. I could have been more comfortable with that. The romance is admittedly very subtle and left somewhat open-ended at the end. I think it's pretty clear they get together in the last scene, but other viewers got a different impression, so your mileage may vary.

And I can't end this review though without telling you my absolute favorite thing about this drama. The soundtrack. This drama's songs are literal Bops, nicely weaved into the storyline as songs being written and performed by the drama's fictional group, 8loom. It's amazing just how much they add to the drama. I'm 100% going to buy them on iTunes, and if you enjoy Jpop or Kpop, etc. I imagine you'll probably love these songs too.

Overall, this drama has its charms and its flaws. It's not one of my favorite dramas I've ever watched, but it was a fairly pleasant and satisfying viewing experience, flaws notwithstanding.

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It's hard to sum up your thoughts for a drama that had such a great start before making a really good go of squandering its characters and stories. But sum them up I will try, because I do have some thoughts about this drama.

First and foremost, this drama has great chemistry between its leads. Ayaka and Togo are fun to watch together as they bickeringly charm their way into each other's hearts. Their little online videos together start off as part of their contract marriage obligations but quickly become some of the best moments of their genuine enjoyment of one another's company. (Not to mention they become more and more hilarious as the drama goes on.) These two are a couple you really want to see truly become a couple. Secondly, although I consider this of equal importance to the first point, the female lead is an incredibly sympathetic and complex character. I always love it when a drama surprises you with its characterizations, and Ousama ni Sasagu Kusuriyubi definitely does that with Ayaka. Ayaka has always been naturally pretty, and it has garnered her lots of attention in her life from the opposite sex. Unfortunately, much of that attention has not been good. A male teacher in her high school behaving inappropriately towards her, a client at her job as a wedding planner attempting to cheat on his fiancé with Ayaka, etc. To add insult to injury, Ayaka never does anything to encourage this behavior and she actively tries to avoid it, but the people around her consistently leave her holding the proverbial bag, wielding her attractiveness against her like a weapon, an excuse to turn her into the scapegoat for their own behavior. She's so pretty, so it's obviously her fault.

Not surprisingly, Ayaka has learned to handle this by acting nonchalant and unbothered, pretending she doesn't mind all the (truthfully negative) attention she gets from these men and that the sneers and accusations from others are like water off a ducks' back to her. Of course, we learn better when we see her alone holding back tears after she's been unfairly blamed for another incident. This characterization is very beautifully done, and gosh does it make me really like her. Unfortunately, the story drops this characterization in the second half, which I consider a serious misstep by the writers (among the multiple missteps they make with this drama). Ayaka is a strong female lead with a lot of depth worth exploring, but the writers appeared to only be interested in exploring it half-way.

Sadly, the writer's decision to step away from developing Ayaka as a character means they have to fill their time else ways, and they are two specific plot decisions in the last four episodes that deeply hamper the overall story. One is a very common, and often bemoaned trope, in Asian dramas that I actually think could have been made to work if given the time to develop properly. But the other is an infuriating, mind-boggling, head-scratching choice that was so improperly conveyed to the audience that there's really no way to fully salvage it as a writing decision.

Starting in ep 7 and concluding in ep 8 is a plot point around a possible sexual assault against Ayaka by the second male lead, Kamiyama. Personally, I don't believe any sexual assault actually occurred, but the whole things plays out in a way that does not make that clear. From the way things are set up, it very much looks like Ayaka has been assaulted. We start with her leaving a school reunion drunk, then she's passed out in a taxi with Kamiyama who intentionally hangs up her phone when Togo calls her, then Ayaka is waking up in a hotel room not wearing her dress and Kamiyama walks in without a shirt and intimates that something happened between them. Then when Ayaka tells Kamiyama she doesn't believe him, he tells both her and Togo that something absolutely did happen. Of course, Ayaka was passed out drunk while Kamiyama appeared to be relatively sober, so the perfectly rational conclusion for anyone watching would be that he did, in fact, assault her. But THEN in the very next episode, Kamiyama apologizes to Ayaka, saying he lied about something happening between them, and it's clear from the way this is presented to the viewer that he is telling the truth, and we as the viewer are supposed to believe him.

The problem is that the writers thought this one moment of apology was sufficient enough to clear up all of the confusion around what actually happened. But why Ayaka is not wearing her dress the next morning is a very important detail that the writers never explain, and not explaining it leaves viewers with the very strong impression that Kamiyama did, at the very least, attempt to sexually assault Ayaka and then maybe stopped himself part way. (Which is still assault.) I'm someone who tries to understand and respect the writers' intentions for their story, so since that's what the writer intended, I've chosen to believe that Ayaka took the dress off herself when she crawled into bed, and that Kamiyama left her there for the night and went home. But it's perfectly reasonable and understandable that some viewers would believe she was assaulted.

Of course, I have to talk about Togo's reaction to this situation, because it is not the best. His immediate reaction is anger and distrust, which very much upset me. He has no questions for Ayaka or Kamiyama about what happened, he immediately makes assumptions about Ayaka's character, he just has no interest in having an objective understanding of the situation. But it's also not clear he actually understood that Ayaka had potentially been assaulted in that hotel room. I get the impression that he thought Ayaka and Kamiyama had a consensual sexual encounter, which is obviously completely different from rape or assault. Since Ayaka never tells him what she remembers (for completely understandable reasons), and Kamiyama straight up lies, Togo never gets the full picture. I still think his reaction was unfair, and he owed Ayaka an apology when things were cleared up (and Kamiyama a swift kick in the groin and a clear warning never to come near Ayaka again), but I am willing to be more gracious and understanding towards Togo since I'm not sure he ever truly understood what was going on.

I wish I could say it was a surprise what the writers decided to do next, but this trope is so overused it literally never surprises me when I see it in a drama anymore (although it certainly often induces rage deep with me). After the very heightened events of the (very poorly handled) potential sexual assault, the writers decide the last two episodes are the perfect time for a forced separation between our leads (some drama writer habits die hard, apparently), and there's nowhere near enough time left in the drama to deal with all the varied aspects of this plot point. It comes with arranged marriage (between Togo's father and step-mother), prior relationships of both parents that both produced sons (Togo and his suddenly introduced half-brother), Togo's stepmother's unhealthy attachment to him, her terrified unwillingness to acknowledge her biological son, and a rushed conclusion where all four of them are suddenly happy and reconciled. There is so much to unpack in this plot point, things I actually wanted to see the drama unpack, and if the writers had not chosen the last two episodes to address all of these things, I think we might have actually gotten to see this part of the drama be more fleshed out. But it's not fleshed out. Instead, it's rushed and awkward, and Togo's stepmother ends up looking completely unhinged and irrational.

Overall, the writers bungled the last four episodes of this drama. They should have chosen to focus on one of the above plot points instead of trying to do both, because trying to do both hurt the story. For my part, I think it would have been a wiser use of their time to focus on Togo's relationship with his stepmother and her secret son and all of the things that come attached to a situation as tenuous as that. There was a lot of really interesting stuff brought up in that situation that was never explored, and I even think the forced separation could have worked if the writers had really wanted to do it.

But we'll never know what that would have looked like in this drama, will we? Cause it didn't happen.

Having finished this and gotten plenty of genuine enjoyment out of it, I wouldn't tell people not to watch this drama. I think you might want to be aware of the missteps that happen in the latter half so you can temper your expectations. But some viewers aren't going to be so frustrated by the writing choices in the latter half of the story as I, and many other viewers, are. I myself might even rewatch this someday just to relive the leads amazing chemistry and the comedy and enjoy the short-lived effort at exploring such an interesting and sympathetic female lead.

Key word being someday.

Someday farrrrr in the future when I've gotten over the disappointment that the ending of this drama was.

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This is one of those dramas that I wish I had watched when it was airing so I could have joined in with all the drama lovers out there who squealed and swooned and fell in love with these characters and story. It's pretty close to perfect in my books, even if it has a couple flaws here and there.

First off, I was genuinely surprised, given the year She Was Pretty came out, at how consistent the storytelling is, how good the pacing is, and how well-written the characters are, not to mention how delightfully free it is of draggy plot points and noble idiocy and name any another irritating trope you might expect from a Kdrama. Given She Was Pretty came out in 2015, I was expecting some of these oft bemoaned elements to arise, but they never do.

I will acquiesce that the conceit of the drama, Hye Jin's best friend pretending to be her, does go on a bit longer than it should, and I felt some frustration with her character for not manning up and admitting to the lie. I empathized and sympathized with her deeply, but I also wanted her to stop putting herself in a situation that was only going to cause everyone hurt. Ultimately though, the drama's main conceit is used in an effective way that doesn't leave you hating any of the characters. I was sad for Ha Ri that she was so desperate for love she would lie, and I walked away from the story very happy that she finally decided to do the thing she really needed to be doing all along which was pursuing her own purpose.

I was admittedly not totally on board with the writing decision to have the OTP get together immediately after Sung Jun discovered that Ha Ri had been impersonating Hye Jin. I knew he would be angry with Ha Ri for what she had done, but I expected him to be angry with Hye Jin as well, since she was the one who asked Ha Ri to pretend to be her initially, and I figured he would assume she had asked Ha Ri to continue the lie as well. In retrospect, having now finished the drama, I'm glad the writers didn't go in that direction, because it would have probably meant last minute shenanigans the story did not need.

I think it is a fair critique to add here that while the first half of the drama spends some time exploring what it means to be the main character and what it means to be a side character with the female lead seeing herself as someone not all that important who just lives on the sidelines, this all kind of disappears for much of the second half. The last couple episodes bring it back in a really lovely way with the female lead deciding to be the main character of her life, but I wish the drama had explored this more before then. For example, I was hoping the drama would show us what it was like for Hye Jin and her family to go through the financial struggles they did and just how that impacted Hye Jin's self-esteem, but the story never goes there, and I don't know why. Of course, the female leads makeover and her honest and determined effort to succeed at her job at the magazine are intended to be an unspoken exploration of the main-character-versus-side-character theme as well as aid in her ultimately deciding to stop standing on the sidelines of her own life, and I think it is all very beautifully done.

The romance is pretty solid. Sung Jun starts off as an unnecessarily harsh boss, but he isn't the sort of jerk that's typical of older Kdrama's. There's no manipulation or abuse toward Hye Jin or cruelty or real insult to her appearance or personality. He is unnecessarily unfair to her in regard to the quality of her work, but he treats all of the magazine employees that way, not just Hye Jin. I do think the drama could have evened things out a bit by showing him being mean to the other employees a little more often, because it does seem a bit like him singling her out at times, but he is still quite mean to the other employees. He's just a little extra mean to her on a few occasions.

Of course, then he begins to fall for her (before the makeover ever happens, which I absolutely love), and he really begins to soften. By the time Ha Ri is caught in her lie, Sung Jun's pretty much gone for Hye Jin and hasn't been even the tiniest bit harsh to her for some time. In fact, he softens with all of the magazine employees over the course of the story and sort of becomes part of the work family.

Some people probably aren't going to like his harshness in the beginning but having lived in Korea for a time myself and knowing a little bit about Korean workplaces, I don't think his behavior is all that out of place, unfortunately. In fact, Sung Jun is downright nice compared to some bosses.

My only complaint with the subplot of the drama, the magazine possibly shutting down, is that the reason for it makes no sense. Businesses close because they're not making money or they're actively losing money or it's a small business and the owners don't want to run it anymore and a variety of similar reasons. No business is going to shut itself down because it's coming in second place in sales compared to another business. Second place...is profitable. Second place...is keeping the lights on. Second place is solid. Despite this illogical aspect of the subplot, the drama does show a strong portrayal of the magazine team working to turn things around, and Most's inevitable ranking as #1 is, in my opinion, appropriately bittersweet. If they had saved the magazine and everything had ended on a perfectly happy note for everyone involved, it would have been way too cliche and tied-together with a bow. Shin Hyeok's sacrifice for the magazine is absolutely beautiful and moving and made the win feel earned rather than simple and easy. It also made me cry.

Speaking of Shin Hyeok, I now understand what all the hype is about around his character. He was a constant ray of sunshine, provided at least half of my smiles while watching, and I loved him So. Dang. Much. It hurt to watch his heart be broken, and it hurt to watch him push through it to still be Hye Jin's friend and to help the magazine survive. If Shin Hyeok were ever to spring from screen as a real, living, breathing human being, I would gladly fill the hole in his heart.

I haven't talked about Hye Jin yet, but I honestly have no end of good things say about her character. Hye Jin is such an 'I'm gonna face whatever comes my way head on' kind of character, and it was so incredibly easy to both like her and root for her. She obviously struggles with her self-esteem due to her appearance, the way people clearly treat her because of her appearance, and the financial struggles her family experienced while she was growing up. But even when she's struggling, she doesn't quit on herself. Some people will think she's too 'positive' and 'upbeat,' that she's not realistic, but it's exactly her positivity and upbeat-ness (and her deep, un-ending well of kindness) that make me like her so much. I personally struggle with depression, finding my purpose, with insecurity and self-loathing. Hye Jin was a timely and hopeful reminder that I Am the main character of my life, and I should never give up. I really quite love her, and I may end up adding her to my favorite female leads of all time.

This is somewhat to be expected of a drama of its era, but they definitely don't do a great job of making Hye Jin's skin 'condition' look believable and realistic. Technically, it's not a condition. The drama treats it as the natural way her face looks, and when she has her makeover, one of the characters even comments that she's lost all of her freckles, so I guess that is supposed to be part of what was going on. But it's obvious to everyone watching that that is not how people's faces normally look. I'm truthfully not all that bothered by this so I'm not docking the drama any major points, but I do think they could have gone with a skin condition like rosacea to give it more believability.

Finally, I know Kdrama lovers don't typically like their romance dramas to spend too much time with the characters after they've already gotten together, because it's all about the lead up to the relationship, but I enjoy a good romance where we get to see a couple be a couple (case in point, the Jdrama We Married as a Job), so I loved the finale episode. All of the major plot points of the drama are mostly wrapped up by the next to last episode, so a lot of the finale is our leads being cute together. And they are very cute together, lol. But there was also a really nice amount of focus on Hye Jin pursuing, and succeeding, in her goal to be a writer as well as becoming fully comfortable with her own body, freckles, red cheeks, and all. The three of those things combined make the finale more than worth for it me.

While this drama doesn't quite make it to a perfect ten-out-of-ten rom-com for me, it gets pretty dang close. I'm just sorry I waited so long to watch it. 2015 me really missed out.

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There’s not really a lot to say about this drama, whether positive or negative, but it’s been in the back of my mind since I finished it to write a review, so I will just have to write it in order to get my brain to shut up, lol.

Attention, Love! is a very typical story for its genre. It has its charming and funny moments, but it also has its fare share of frustrating character choices and some wheel-spinning. It’s certainly not the worst offender out there in this regard. You will find much, much worse. And people who enjoy stories that involve lots of pining and characters’ inability to move on will most likely enjoy this one. For my part, I found the enemies to friends’ relationship between the leads in high school fairly sweet and enjoyable. I think that was the strongest portion of the drama, as while their path to friendship is sometimes dramatic (like things often are when you are a teen), it’s not utterly ridiculous, and the characters are pleasant to watch together on screen.

The premise of essentially a future arranged marriage between the leads is really not necessary to the plot as it’s only discussed earlier on in the story and barely ever mentioned as the drama goes on. It also doesn’t have any real impact on the characters apart from the female leads initial dislike of the plan. But then she sees our male lead and has a change of heart, lol. I mostly ignored this part of the plot because its lack of importance in the story makes it very easy to do.

Where the drama starts to wheel-spin is once the leads head off to University. This portion of the drama (which makes up the majority of the rest of the story) is a very long stretch of the female lead pining for something she can’t have and the male lead sending mixed signals over how havable or not havable he is. The frustration this creates for the viewer could have been lessened with some smart usage of the drama’s chosen clichés and tropes. In my personal view, most clichés and tropes you see in dramas are usually fine within themselves. The issue is with how they are used by a story. Here, the trifecta of the female leads pining, the male leads refusal to admit his feelings, and the forced proximity between the two does very little to serve the story. They certainly create tension and jealousy between the leads as they watch each other interacting with other love interests and try to convince themselves that they don’t care, but it does nothing to help our leads grow closer together in any way, particularly the forced proximity.

If you’re going to have your female lead stuck in a loop of pining for a guy who isn’t making himself available, and you are going to force her to live in the same building and on the same floor as him, you’ve got to provide some level of growing openness between them to fuel said pining. The leads should have begun spending more time together at this point, not less. The male lead should have begun to blur the lines between friend and more than a friend. There should have been moments where things almost crossed over into romance. But there’s very little of this. It’s mostly the male lead manipulating things in the background to keep her from moving on but being openly hostile towards his own feelings for the female lead, and at a certain point, you have to ask why he won’t just let her go if the writers don’t intend for him to be a selfish jerk.

It’s this dynamic, the male lead refusing to let the female lead move on and the female lead endlessly pining, that ends up being the most frustrating part of this drama. Otherwise, this drama is very easily watchable. The female leads best friends from high school have a super cute romance that in some ways is far better than the romance between the OTP. The pretty, prissy new friend she makes in University is a super fun character who turns out to be fiercely loyal and protective of those she loves. And the female lead herself is a very determined and go-getter character (outside of her blind spot that is her crush on the male lead). Something I particularly liked about this drama, which I've seen no one talk about, is Shao Xi's natural trajectory from a tomboy who doesn't spend much time on clothes or makeup, to a young woman still every bit as fierce and determined and pretty tomboyish but who also develops a more active and realistic interest in said clothes and makeup. She never felt like a different person to me, just like a young woman growing up and into herself, and I thought it was really well-done.

I wouldn’t say to anyone don’t watch Attention, Love! because this drama might be your thing. Definitely give it a shot if you enjoy pining and male leads who can’t admit their feelings. You might like it. But personally, I think there are better dramas out there. And now that I’ve written my review, I realize I had more to say about this drama than I thought, lol.

(I have to add here that while I didn't love this drama, I did love the remake of "Close to You" that played repeatedly throughout to the point that I eventually bought it. That song is beautiful.)

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