Youth of May (2021)

A beautiful memoir to the Gwangju uprising and a even more beautiful Love Story

I started this because I fell head over heels in love with Lee Do Hyun after watching 18 Again. So I anxiously counted down the days to its release and watched every episode while they were aring, waiting and checking for subs. Staying up late just so I could watch the next episode.

AND. LET. ME. TELL. YOU!! THIS DRAMA!! Thiis FREAKING dramma!! Right heere is...everything.
There are so many things i absolutly adored about it. The music was perfectly chosen from the uplifting lighthearted tunes to the heartbreaking balades, it all fit the mood and the charachters so perfectly that it just completly melted into the story. You know the Ost is good when it just feels natrual for it to be there, almost as if its just backround noise.
Plus watchign Lee Do Hyun play the guitair is always a straight way into my heart.

The acting was "Chefs Kiss"
I already knew that Lee Do hyun is a great freaking actor. I stan him for a reason after all but Go Min Si really also positivly suprised me. The intimacy between them felt tangible and real. Every emotional scene, kiss and hug was just wow. Hands down has one of the best Kiss scenes i've seen in K-Dramaland. Not because it was dramatic but because you could really feel the emotions in they'r slow tentative actions. The kisses were always filled with love and you could feel it as a viewer.
This drma was just overflowing with emotions. When they cried you could feel the pain and desperation. And daaamn I just wanted to scream who hurt my babiiies.

Knowing the historic backround of the Gwangju uprising I was expecting angst but daaamn I was not prepared. All I will say is that I bawled my eyes out more than once watching this so be sure to keep tissues near.

I absolutly adoored the characters. All of them, even if they were anyoing at times (yes I mean Lee Soo Ryun) were lovable and human. They all had their own struggles and passions and developed throughout the story. Lee Soo Ryun, even if i wanted to hit her at times, i can also understand her. She had her reason for acting the way she did and you cant fault a girl for being passionate about the things important to her.

Hawn hee Tae was so freaking lovable and adorable and passioante like a puppy. I just want to hug him. And Kim Myung Hee my giirl. Ughh I just want to give them all a hug and keep them away from the big bad world.

One of the things i absolutly loved about this drama was the way the love story progressed. You dont see this kind of passionate but at the same time sweet and pure love often portrayed. Theyr love really felt like those once in a life time kind of loves that are larger than life. I loved that the characters were just head over heals for each other. No pretending not to like each other or acting coy. Oh noo boyy these two love each other deeply and they show it. Of course bad things happen, but the way to love was never a straight line. But through all the desicions they make I never doubted their love for each other. For my Romance loving heart I got everything I wanted in this. The Angst was delicious and I felt butterflies during the fluffy scenes. They had a really good balance between the fluff and angst. The story never gets stuck or stays rooted in a problem for too long. And when a problem gets solved it was always so freaking satisfying. Not to spoil but daaamnn so many good and satisfying scenes that just make the angst and heartache soo worth it!

And last but not least the Gwangju Uprising. I loved how at the start of the Drama its just about normal people living theyr lives. You get to know these characters and love them and then you see what happens with all these characters when tragedy strikes out of nowhere. Pesonaly I didnt know anything about the Gwangju uprising before watching this drama and I was even more schoked after looking it up. How such a thing could happen is beyond me. And my heart really ached when I imagined that this really happend. Real and inoccent people lost they'r lives and loved ones. And maybe this show didnt show everything that happend during the uprising but it did show the sheer violence and brutality used by the military and just how freaking unfair and unjustified it was. As a plus point you actually get a lot of different points of view throughout the story from characters in the military to characters who gave the orders. Even the smallest character got a full story and development. Which Kudos to that. It aint easy with little screentime but they even made me love the small side characters.

So do I need to count down anymore reasons to watch this? I dont think so. If you havent already, give this Beautiful Piece a try.

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I want Go Min Si and Lee Do Hyeon pair up together again in a drama.... Their chemistry was just wowwwwww... I think the casting director chose the best artist to fit in their roles....
It was a really tragic story but sometimes I like these type of ending... I loved how Hee Tae remember her and tried to found her alive.....
My mom used to tell me when you can't end up with your lover , there will be a pain inside of you forever ....this pain will give you a pleasure forever how you remember only good things about him .... Now I think my mom is right ... We saw how Hee Tae remembers about Myeong hee after so many years and think about only good things ... There wasn't a moment they hated each other for a second... Whatever today's youngsters should watch this drama to know history, to know they are leading a better life ....
this drama doesn't need so many words .. it's simply awesome and I really love this dramaaaaaa....😍😍🖤

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Bluest May

PLOT.
I started watching this drama knowing it'd be a really tragic one, and finished watching it bawling my eyes out. I probably can't rewatch this drama anytime soon 'cause it was too painful, everything was too much to handle so I must recover first. Sad to know my theories were right since day one, and even sadder because most of it probably happened irl. I hate Heetae's father so much, he wasn't human istg. Many of us saw it coming but thank God it was still possible to laugh throughout some episodes. Ngl, there were moments where I coudn't dare to feel a bit of happiness watching the episodes since I knew it was just a warm breeze before the cold storm. Youth of May is a great drama to bring awareness as it was extremely realistic, and it definitely left a giant impact on me.

CHARACTERS.
- Hwang Hee Tae & Kim Myung Hee:
They deserved WAY better, life was immensely unfair and cruel to both of them. Sometimes I just wished Heetae would stop talking so much to refrain getting on his devil father's uglier side. On the other hand I also wanted to see a less sour and regretful relationship between Myunghee and her father. She had a whole life ahead of her with so many dreams, it was really sad.

- Lee Soo Chan & Lee Soo Ryun:
I felt bad for Soochan, he wasn't a bad person. He didn't care Myunghee was poor, instead he admired her for being so strong. He tried helping her out as much as he could despite knowing how much she loved Heetae. He had yet to find a way to live after feeling guilty. Sooryun started the drama as a revolutionary rich girl who wanted to fight and protest, but was way too comfortable inside her bubble. She had a good character development imo. Almost too late but she got out of her comfort zone even being scared of the consequences of her doings.

- Hwang Ki Nam & Kim Hyun Cheol:
It's just unbelievable how cruel and heartless Kinam was to his own family. He even killed Heetae's best friend, what a monster. What goes around comes around but unfortunately his younger son suffered the same fate as his childhood friend/neighbor. Hyuncheol's entire family was destroyed by Kinam, that's too much. As I said above, I really wanted to see him and Myunghee getting back on track somehow. He also deserved better.

CAST.
Hands down to everyone involved into this project. Everyone's acting was on point, I was left empty on the inside many times but I could be comforted as well somehow. Both Go Minsi and Dohyun nailed their lead roles! The two kids who portrayed Heetae's and Myeonghee's little brothers did a pretty good job. Also, last but not least: Won Young Choi was awesome as Heetae's older version. I could see the younger one there for sure.

COLORS & OST.
Wah, such beautiful sceneries! I really appreciate how well they used the color scheme to create the whole atmosphere from the 80's. They delivered that nostalgic vibe perfectly here so I have at least 3-4 songs I really really like! The ost will be even more heartbreaking to listen to once you finish watching it.

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This drama had everything… love, family conflicts, tragedy, family love, betrayal, protests, it was lighthearted, serious, and at times violent. It kept my interest every episode, from beginning to end. I didn’t know what to expect when I decided to watch it, but it definitely surprised me. The beginning was kind of light hearted, but the last part was very serious and disturbing. The ending was kind of what I was expecting, but it was good, and didn’t leave you hanging. I was sobbing during the last episode. The end can kind of make or break a drama, but this tied up all loose ends. This is something I will watch again. I want to also mention that the actors/actresses were excellent in their roles.

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NOT a cliché catastrophic love story but in fact a marvellous jewel.

I have never been a fan of “love stories” or any dramas that have been set up in 1970/1980s. I prefer modern or extreme historic dramas but this one is so different then many other that I’ve watched.

Story/Plot:
Youth of May- the name itself signifies the story of the leads. It’s a love story taking place in Gwangju during the 1980s in the midst of the democracy movement. The main love story isn’t directly connected to the movement but plays a big role in the story. The basic plot of the story depicts Hwang Hee Tae, who comes from a well off and well known family but hasn’t lived the best life. On the other hand, we have Kim Myung Hee a kind and selfless nurse who although is very strong, tries her best to not show her weak side. Although many might find the story a little slow paced, I in fact adored how beautifully we could see the chemistry of our leads grow scene after scene. There are many life lessons of this drama that truly did catch my attention in many ways.
While focusing on the leads, I loved how the support cast was had their fair share in the story and none of the support characters were “useless”. All the characters played an important role and made the story what it is.

Acting/Cast: (EXCELLENT AND OUTSTANDING)
Each and every cast member did an outstanding job in portraying their roles. The most notable actors for me were lee do hyun- I’ve seen him in many dramas playing totally different roles in all and he has scored each and every one of em’! He’s definitely one of the most remarkable actors of the generation. Go min si- I’m shook at how versatile she is. From love alarm to sweet home and now THIS- they are all completely different roles and yet she’s portrayed them flawlessly!
Geum Sae Rok- this is my first drama with her and man I’m in love with her skills! It doesn’t look like she’s acting and that’s how real she is. In fact she’s definitely my favourite character!
Choi seung hoon- I’ve followed this little man in a few dramas and man he’s good. He depicts the emotions of his character extremely well! He’s pretty talented!

Characters: (of imp roles)
Hwang Hee Tae: I think it’s safe to say that he was MADLY in love with Myung Hee, which is why he could be considered somewhat selfish. I mean love does make one selfish- which is why his top priority had always been to make sure that Him and Myung Hee were safe and together. I loved how he was EXTREMELY respectful and gentle. Genuinely, he’s not a man anyone world wanna lose. He’s playful yet sad- he’s perfect with all his imperfections!

Myung Hee: I love her. She’s tries her best to live with honesty and her selflessness is very attractive. She’s the kinda person who’ll risk herself to help a stranger. Although she does have a hard life, she’ll never show herself being sad in-front of the people who care for her. She’s an extremely strong woman, which is why I respect her.

Soo Ryun: I started from strongly disliking her to absolutely loving her. In the beginning, she was selfish and not the most honest person- but I get where that came from. As episodes passed, I understood her more and I absolutely loved and adored how she didn’t give a damn about her love life and dedicated herself to her country and citizens. She’s extremely strong and doesn’t need anyone to take care of her, which is why she’s my favourite!

Hwang Gi Nam (Hee Tae’s dad): Annoying, hateful, cunning, merciless, disloyal and if I could- I would love to kill him myself.

Overall: Truly a masterpiece and definitely worth a one time watch. It has it’s own fair share of tears (a river or maybe a sea) and happiness! I recommend this to everyone if your looking to watch a drama that’s of high quality and amazing presence.

Rewatch Value: If your strong enough, then yea go for it! Watch it again! I personally wouldn’t rewatch it except for a few scenes!

Edit: Yayyy! I’ve been analysing and writing this review since episode 1 and now I’m finally here!

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i cried for like 30 minutes and i never cry for movies/drama

I finished youth of may about 25 minutes ago and I just need to write a real review to let this off my chest.

I loved it so much. I genuinely love every thing about this drama. There's not one single thing I wanna complain about. Of course there are things that hurt, and that annoyed me, but that's the whole point.


The fact that Myeong Hee dies, the character who literally caused the least trouble and who just wanted to study in Germany and heal people, is just so painful but also so real. The fact that so many people around her survived and she couldn't , breaks me. I genuinely got so attached to her character, the way that she was with others, her humour, her outfits, her smile, i fell in love with all of her character and then she died... all alone, on the ground, bleeding out with no one beside her.


I also love how this drama taught me how quickly you can love someone. They only knew each other for a few weeks but they loved each other in such a pure, innocent way. I just loved seeing them together, they simply make sense.

It's a historical drama, so I never expected a happy ending. Honestly, I would've been almost mad if they had given us a happy ending cause this is something that truly happened, and sugar coating it by making all of the main characters live happily would just be... disrespectful to me?I don't know but i definitely liked it. Truth is she probably wouldn't regret dying, because she did manage to save her brother (who btw, must have horrible abandonment issues since both his father and sister said they would "come back", just to save him).

There are small things that were so well written, like the way Hwang Hee Tae's little brother gets shot in the leg (indirectly by his father i guess we can say), like his father literally taking his son's dreams away of running. We first see him with his fancy shoes making Myeong Hee's brother jealous, and now here he is, bleeding on the ground to save his sister (wearing those shoes).

Soo Ryeon's brother also realises just how stupid he's been for trying to hold his sister back. She had empathy and understood altruism from the start but some people, like her family, need to be thrown into the real world to understand that they're living on a cloud while everyone is in pain. Indirectly because of them and their actions.

Even the fact that Hwang Hee tae's father never truly gets punished is good writing to me. Sure he gets his position taken away and loses his family but he never lives through as much pain as the people he hurt with his own two hands. He's a monster who, in a way, gets away with it. Just like in real life.

Hwang Hee tae watching the music competition on the tv, crying in the cafe while handing out missing person flyers was so painful. He would have been on that stage if he had never met Myeong hee. Then in the graveyard, he looks up at a plane, just like Myeong hee might've gotten on a plane to Germany if she had never met him. Her father wouldn't have died either probably. yet so many other people would have died instead, because they saved them in the hospital.
I'm also proud of Hwang Hee Tae for partly keeping myeong hee alive by becoming a brave doctor, the same way she was a brave nurse. She's the one who pushed him to get over his fear of hurting people. And the parallel of him helping the nurse just like when he first saw myung hee.. it stung. then again everything in this drama did.

I also love how they switched the actors at the end, the way that the writers knew that seeing the older actors crying wouldn't hurt as much. Seeing young doctor hwang hee tae finding out that her body has been found was the peak of my crying session.

Anyway this was so so so unorganized sorry, it's more of a rant than a review. But i truly just love this drama, and I don't think I'll ever forget it. It was so beautifully written, the actors did an amazing job, the scenery was beautiful (the spring 1980s vibe made me feel warm and fuzzy), the OST was beautiful as well (my personal favourite is Starry night, thank god they didn't play it at the end cause i would've cried even more i think).
i started watching the drama right when the first episode aired (i was excited cause lee do hyun is my favourite actor) and i've been so attached to it since then. I'm sad it's over and I'll miss the characters a lot.
thank you for making me sob. I'll watch it again when I've healed.

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Love Destined By Fate

This might be a long-ish review, so bare with me :) for I have a lot to say about this amazing drama. While the leads are well-known and have gained popularity over time, this drama to me still feels underrated in the long term.

Story:
The story progressed well in terms of introducing all the characters within the show in the beginning and seeing each of theirs unfold towards the end and how they contributed to the overall story. I really enjoyed the relationship between Myung-hee and Hee-tae and how two were each other's 'love at first sight.' The lessons learned throughout this show is another reason as to why the story is well written and how beautiful this drama is. Myung-hee's persistence and compassionate attitude into helping others really shows how strong of an individual she is. She saw the importance in her family, but the cry for help for others and decided to help those who couldn't help themselves during a time of despair which is why I really loved Myung-hee. Hee-tae risked his life for the one he loved and showed how far love can someone to, his bright personality and strong will is a reason why he deserves 'best boy' <3.

Acting/Cast:
I am so glad they casted Lee Do-hyun and Go Min-si as the leads because of their great acting, you can really see the chemistry between the two and how well it was portrayed in the show. With the other leading and supporting roles such as Lee Sang-yi and Geum Sae-rok, their amazing acting really shines in the roles and we hope to see them star in other dramas. We can't forget about the iconic Kim Won-hae (Kim Hyun-cheol) for taking a role in this drama.

Music:
The OST for this drama was really nice, for a lot of the songs were just vocals and instrumentals.

Overall:
This is amazing melodrama hopefully continues to reserve the hype it deserves. From the beautiful cinematography to the outstanding chemistry between the leads, this drama will leave you with a bunch of emotion; for it definitely did for me. From gushing over the cute romance between the two, to crying over the tragic scenes that left me heartbroken, this drama really left an impact on me. I would highly recommend this drama to someone who's beginning to watch K-dramas, for the length of the drama is perfect and has a well written story overall. This would definitely hit home if you enjoy melodramas. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the event that took place during this time. I know many friends and family lost loved ones and suffered during this time, with many victims still going missing till this day. Sending all the love towards these families that suffered the most from this event, for you will never be forgotten.

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A heart-felt Love story during mayhem.

1st of all if you want to complain about the subtitles do it under discussion where it will be seen. The people doing subtitles are volunteering and it's not always 1 show- they could be responsible for multiple. I watch at least 3-4 shows at a time so this way subtitles are done by the time I return.
Now for the review: Make sure to have tissues and there's are time the violence is to real. This drama is absolutely outstanding and so is the chosen cast the chemistry between hee tae and myung hee is so touching and emotional. The 2nd ML-FL brother n sister also did a great job with emotions you could feel and be happy or sad with them all. This drama tells about the uprising of gwangyu may 18-27,1980 for Marshall law. Hee tae got his degree to be a doctor, but really wanted to write music with his friend until he shows up in his dorm with a girl who severely hurt during a protest demonstration (every time he see blood now it causes him anxiety) . His friend Kyung soowas sent to the military as punishment and hee tae was rescued by his father a powerful military leader who hee tae hates. In return he has to go on 3 dates with Lee soo ryu whos father owns a medical factory that needs to expand GI nam help. Hee tae agree to go on a date, but soo ryu convinces her friend Kim myung hee to take her place and she'll pay for her airplane ticket to Germany nursing. So soo ryu teaches her how to get him to reject her, but instead he wants the 2nd date(he'd too)
He tells he fell for her the moment she stopped to help at a accident and knew she wasn't Soo ryu and was just going along. With them starting to fall for each other it's messing up plans on both sides so they need to figure out there plans. Soo ryu is one of the protest leader fighting against Marshall law and is causing problems within the two families. Both fathers agreed for marriage and then sending them to seoul to live until they are given permission to return. Only problem is hee tae loves myung hee and asked her marry him she said yes the night before. She tell hee tae to marry and leave its for the best and so they marry and are out on a train asap. Once in seoul they argue and he tells her he's in love myung hee and she keeps getting involved in protest so they agree to sneak back into gwangyu. Once back Marshall law is becoming out of control government lied stating spies from NK are mixed with college students so they beat and torture them. Then once they had guns it was worse there were no questions asked just shot to kill, but not all military men wanted that. Now back to hee tae dad who is worse then even and how he beats people to get fake confession and trying to find his son, myung hee and soo ryu. He finds out hee tae and myung hee are working at the hosp. and hee tae leaves with dr.song to get supplies but is ambushed in an accident and disappeares. After a few days they find out he alive and abducted by his father and a prisoners in his own house. His little brother and stepmom free him and father is pissed, but at hosp hee tae surprised myung hee and they go to church to hide and leave next day.
Now the unexpected as her father is killed trying to protect her brother myung soo and in the meantime hee tae father orders to kill her, her brother and hee tae but his younger bro Jung tae. hears it. She gets a note telling her to meet hee tae and as she walking past a quard he takes out his gun to shoot when Jung tae jumps him. At home they realize Jung tae is missing and drive to church. Next she turns around to see Jung tae shot and she try to stop bleeding when hee tae, father and mother show up. They take him to hosp and has surgery and will be ok, so they return to the church and told myung soo is missing he took a map and trying to go home. They go to look in different directions and myung hee finds him, but there is military looking for anyone. She finds him and tells him to run as she stands up, but one guy aims to shoot him, but she jumps in front and Kyung soo runs after the boy and tells him to run fast and shot in the air. On his way back he see her shot and finds her vows and a watch sticks them in her hand and walks away now we see hee tae on his knee trying to tell them he from gwangju they don't believe and about to kill him when a friend from military takes him away for Interigation. Next we see them in May 2021 41 years later. You have to watch for ending..

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PURE LOVE WITH SAD BEAUTY...

There is so much to write about this series. I must say that I still can't get over it. The story, the acting, the music used in the series... I don't know where to start. First of all, if I briefly describe it, I think I can say that it has a sad beauty. There is no element in the content of the series that I would say if it were not. On the contrary, I wish it was a series with longer episodes so that we could feel the characters more deeply. We can say that it is a very good job in terms of cinematography.
This series was like a book or a poem, describing a deep love.
The fact that it was built on real events affected us emotionally. Yes, such people really existed. They loved and were loved despite the difficulties. They had dreams, hopes, loves. Most of them were ordinary people. Just like the characters in the series. Then there were evils, intolerance, cruelty, greed. People acting with these feelings have turned the lives of thousands of people into hell. In fact, the feelings and experiences of the people described are so universal. Even now, bad people who can't tolerate any other thought other than their own and disregard human life unfortunately still continue to exist, in many different ways in many different parts of the world.

Returning to the series, the way the main characters love each other is so ingrained that we have become one with them. The details of the script, the music and the great acting play a big part in this. The screenwriter especially wanted us to connect with them and empathize with them, and I think he wrote his screenplay accordingly. The actors also reflected the emotions very well. There is already an incredible attraction between the couple, which makes it easy to get into the story. In every scene where they looked at each other and held hands, I was excited with them, I felt those emotions.


By the end of the episode, we were all devastated. Because we were too attached to the characters. Myung Hee was such a strong, loving, kind hearted woman. It was the first time she had wanted something for herself. That girl was brave and passionate. She was not like the leading female characters in most of the series. She first held out her hand to Hee Tae, she kissed it first, she was the one who grabbed her hand and ran ahead as she was running away from the engagement ceremony with Hee Tae. Episode 11: "I'll be your family, let's get married." it was she who said it. She deserved to be happy, she. She breathed her last, alone, on the cold earth. I can't forget their last breaths. Imagine how lonely and scared he must have been. When I saw Myung Hee like that, I didn't just think about the people in Gwangju who actually experienced it. I thought of all the people in the world who are still experiencing this. Yes, at first I was very angry. I was so attached to the couple that I got used to the happy ending without realizing it.

Then I realized that the happy ending would probably go against the message the show wanted to give to the audience. This is the best way to understand the people who died and lost loved ones in Gwangju. We can think of this series as a homage to the memory of those who have died and to the pain of those left behind. If it had a happy ending, maybe we wouldn't be able to understand the feelings of all those people who died and stayed behind. In addition, the fact that it was so sad did not detract from the beauty of the series in my opinion.


We need to talk about the music. The music made is so in harmony with the feeling of the show. "Days in Memory" is already the song Hee Tae wrote for Myung Hee. We also heard Hee Tae muttering in the scene where the girl died. It was incredibly impressive. The lyrics and interpretation of "Words I Want To Say To You" made my heart ache. The scene where he was used in episode 11 was magnificent. "Winter of May" reflected the emotions of the characters exactly. I can't listen without crying. Then there is the need to mention other music used. The Rose, Annie's Song... They are both so meaningful. They have been carefully chosen, adding tremendous emotions to the scenes in which they are used.

Some words from The Rose:

And the soul, afraid of dying
That never learns to live
...
When the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed that with the sun's love
In the spring becomes the rose

And finally, in the last episode, the song playing in the restaurant while Hee Tae is looking for Myung Hee... My heart aches as I listen to it.

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A heart-wrenching and bittersweet drama

Youth of May is a wonderfully made drama that will make your hear flutter but at the same time suffer. Its story is different from any other cliché and typical kdrama and the acting of each actor is top-notch.

Despite it only being 12 episodes, it managed to capture the deep affection that the main leads had for each other and the struugles and cry for justice of the citizens of Gwangu during the month of May in the year 1980.

This drama will make you fall in love with the main lead's charming personality and look up to the female lead's hardworking and sefless personality. But this drama also shows that behind their strong and interesting character, lies their painful past and struggles in life. Watching this drama will make you realize that we shouldn't always carry our burden by ourselves, we should sometimes learn to say "no" to others and choose our happiness instead of living in regret. Aside from that, it also teaches us that those left behind shouldn't let sorrow take over nor drown in tears and get blown by the wind, but instead, they should courageously swim and fly high with the wind as they face their remaining years in life.

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Memoirs of May

Here are few reasons why you need to check out this drama:

✨It featured one of South Korea's dark history.

This drama showed a glimpse of what happened during those years when Martial Law was implemented in SoKor. You will learn about SoKor's history during 1980s through this drama.If you are up for a background about what happened during the timeline of this drama, you might want to search: Gwangju Uprising.

✨Cinematography. Story. Acting.

I'm not really into Film Making but definitely this is one of those Kdramas with amazing Cinematography. The composition of the scenes, the color grading, the lighting. It was very pleasing. Story wise. Awesome. Back to reason number 1. I really love how they feature their History through this drama. Acting of the casts was also superb.

✨Chemistry between the two main leads.

Lee Do Hyun is definitely making a mark in the Kdrama world. I can't think of another actor that would best fit the role of Hee Tae. Go Min Si was also able to portray the role of Myeong Hee very well. I was hesitant if she could perform the role of a woman in a province during 1980s since I've only watch her in Sweet Home and Love Alarm, where she has a very strong personality. But, she was really able to pull it off. Their chemistry was overflowing. It was "kilig" watching their love story. They will also definitely make you cry.

✨Lessons about family and love.

This drama shares lessons about family and love. Circumstances revolving our family can really affect our choices in life but in the end, we still have the right to decide for ourselves. Loving someone can also be difficult and it could forever change our lives but if the other person is worth the risk, then do it.

Overall, this 12 Episode drama is worth my time. A must watch. Highly recommended. ❤️ If you haven't watched this yet, check it out. 🙂

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Tough viewing. But view it you must.

Short: A romance story draped over the utterly horrific real life events around May 11th 1980 in Gwangju. This is not the Korea you know and love today, they are the people you know and love, in one of Korea's many terrible times. This is not a happy story. Watch this when you want food for the soul, not when you want a lift. Google "Gwangju Uprising" to start learning more about the real events going on in this story.

Detail:
May 11th 1980 was a terrible day in Gwangju, though it was just the pinnacle of the terrible days leading up to it. In this story you have two people in very different walks of life. The Male Lead is in a rich privileged family, he's well educated and successful and enjoying starting university in Seoul. The Female Lead is the opposite, a poor family whose name is disgraced by a father accused of being a traitor. Their paths cross when the female lead's friend, the daughter of a rich businessman, pleads with her to go in her place to a blind date while she goes to organise and participate in demonstrations and protests against the government. Of course the blind date is the male lead.

The story has some lovely warm moments in it, the romance the blossoms between the couple of lovely, and there's clear chemistry between them. It also has some really tough moments in it as well, so I'm going to flag this one up with a caution that you shouldn't watch this if it's a nice romance to boost your mood that you seek - while this has a lovely romance, it is not a happy story and I do not want to sugar coat that in the slightest.

I like that most of the cast are relatively unknown, they've been in other dramas but they're not "A-listers" - this drama gives a superb opportunity for these brilliantly talented actors to show their skill and they deliver in abundance.

I marked the music on this one down a bit - honestly, for no other reason than it was utterly drowned out by the intense emotions flying around throughout. I can't remember any of it, but I think that speaks more to being immersed in the story than anything wrong with the music necessarily. Let's say it was "just right", because I think anything more may well have interfered.

I strongly recommend to spend some time reading up on the real events depicted in this drama, it's horrifying to think that this is not some 1500's historical drama, it's in the 1980's, which is only 40 years ago.

I absolutely recommend this drama, but only when you're in the right frame of mind for it.

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