Reflection of You (2021)

"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are."

Sure, people can change themselves and their life, and it's good when you are trying to better yourself and prosper. But when you want to change yourself just to surpass the standards of certain someone, you end up loosing yourself, which is immensely evident.

REFLECTION OF YOU is a story of such desires and the constant urge of vengeance from someone who had pushed you off the cliff just when you were about to embrace your dreams. This is a story about two women: one who despite of her achievements, couldn't help herself in making choices and another who after loosing herself has become revengeful; both, thereby creating unavoidable consequences, that somehow drags their families into the mess. This is a story of love, desires, betrayal and revenge, as the synopsis states.

"Reflection of You (2021)" is the live action adaptation of the novel "Someone Who Looks Like You (너를 닮은 사람)", originally written by Jung So Hyeon (정수현)

Director Im Hyun Wook has done a very good job here, even as a newcomer with lesser experience; I am sure his work in his previous drama of similar genre, has helped him a lot. Yoo Bo Ra jakka-nim is a known and acclaimed face in the industry and she must be applauded for the stupendous plot development in this drama that carries several peaks and keeps the same intense throughout the series. Her method of storytelling as well as the monologue narrations and dialogue writing are all praiseworthy indeed.

Jung Hee Joo is a famous artists and essayist, married to a rich family. He got a loving husband and 2 adorable children: a highschool daughter and a 5yo son. She loves her family to the extent she can do anything for them and has to manage it along her artist life that she has built-up through passion. Gu Hae Won is a failed artist who has lost her path to happiness and changed from a happy-go-lucky girl to a revengeful woman. Both of them share a past that has ruinned themselves to different levels. The story shows their encounter after years, which involves the unveiling of the past events that has dragged them to hell and they try to bring down each other by any means. This major plot invoves many other characters involved with their individual lives and some sub-plots that is related to the main storyline, more or less.

What I loved about the production is that the script of the drama never ran out of substances. Whenever you feel like it might become boring and context-less, leading to subsequent exaggeration, the writer comes up with another enraging scenario which serves as a side dish. First episode successfully establishes an intriguing impression upon the audience, creating plentitude curiosity. In my case, I was mesmerized from ep1 to ep6 so much on my first day of watching that my anticipations was raised high. The way everything about their pasts got revealed within those episodes just so the viewers can draw the entire picture on their own, bothered me a lot as to what else they got to offer next. But I'm happy didn't go blank at all till the end. There's in fact no episode that didn't see development or was boring. The last 4 episodes become very intense, typical makjang vibes, that is frustrating and anger inducing like usual.

Jung Hee Joo (Go Hyun Jung) doesn't lack anything other than constant love and loneliness has grasped her.. She has seen the harshest of days but to her fortune, she falls in love with Ahn Hyun Sung (Choi Won Young), who always wants to remain flawless. Her family comes first to her and she's become very strong over years, despite which she's indecisive and can be easily manipulated that lands her in pickles many a times. Gu Hae Won (Shin Hyun Been) is a budding artist and was Hee Joo's teacher years back. She was a easygoing girl back then but situation and time has made her rude, arrogant, resentful and crazy for vengeance. She can now go to any extent to get her job done. She is married to Seo Woo Jae (Kim Jae Young), another aspiring sculpture artist who doesn't have any control over his feelings and can be reckless to get what he wants.

Other minor characters are Kim Bo Yun as Park Young Sun (Hee Joo's MIL), Kim Ho Jung as Lee Jung Eun (Hwain Museum Director), Kim Sang Ho as Yoon Sang Ho (Pub owner), Hong Seo Joon as Lee Hyung Ki (Min Seo's husband), Park Sung Yun as Lee Dong Mi (Hee Joo's friend), Seo Jung Yun as Goo Jung Yun (Hae Won's mother) and Shin Hye Ji as Lee Joo Young (Lisa's friend) , who are more or less good actors with experience.

Being a mystery-revenge thriller with makjang elements, this drama comprises of many important factors of reality. Loneliness being one of them, has won over almost everyone's mental health for which they choose to keep everything to themselves and be submerged within illusion. The worst part of it is not the pain inflicted by sad memories, rather the loneliness of it. Second being revenge, is a means to intrigue the viewers in here; they say, the best revenge is to unlike them who has caused the injury. But do people really believe in that? No! We are mostly who choose to avenge through damage, even so it is caused upon us. Obsession being another factor, proves once again that it in itself is a way of ruined beings to destroy themselves further. Of all human weaknesses, obsession is the most dangerous and the silliest. Also, lying being considered the worst habit of human beings, is something that can't be fixed. But we must remember, our lies catch up to us someday, somehow. Jealousy too is a factor that immensely dominate the story. The inner consciousness of one's own inferiority is something that can eat us out completely. Domestic violence, disturbances in marriage, parental love as well as negligence, bullying culture in highschool, greed, hate speech, extra-marital affairs, cheating, competition, insecurity, possessiveness, mistrust, etc are also a part of the drama.

I was worried the writer and director might forget about the few side plots that was incorporated into the major plot via the minor characters like Ahn Lisa (Hee Joo's daughter) played by Kim Soo An, Jung Seon-u (Hee Joo's brother) played by Shin Dong Wook and Ahn Min Seo (Hee Joo's SIL) played by Jang Hye Jin. Since there were long gaps before they brought forward the consequences of those scenarios, I was uncertain about them not turning into plotholes, but thankfully!

This has a set if good OSTs. My most favourite is "The Moment" by Lim Kim which is an English song that reminisces past and resonates the consequences with a sense of guilt and regret. The harmony in the track is very soothing, indeed. "Moving Away" by Savina & Drones is a lowbeat, despondent track with immense vocal works. "I Am Lost" by Lee Seung Yoon is a melancholic song about heartbreaks whose high note rhythms are enough to melt your soul. "Knocking On" by Jannet Suhh and "Midnight Sun" by Kim Kyung Hee are the other 2 tracks.

The sound production is also well done. The background scores and the OSTs have been utilized appropriately and were able to keep up the thriller plus makjang vibes throughout.

Knowing own-self is the beginning of all wisdom and can prove a great teacher. But the attempt to imitate someone else's reflection will only bring you misery and land in a horrendous & repulsive situation. What matters is the timely realization and withdrawal, followed by self-reflection and learning.

The finale week had the most dramatic consequences. 15th episode in fact laid a foundation for a superb finale episode but to my disappointment, that seemingly amazing seqence actually got wasted somehow; the peak at the end of ep15 somehow calmed down as soon as within 30 minutes of the 16th ep and the resr 1 hour of it was heading down some unknwon path. I don't wanna comment on it firmly bcs I am uncertain about the writer's intention, nor have I read the original work to be aware of it. But let me simply put it, that it might have another season, otherwise, we'll have to move on from it, considering that the drama got some plotholes. The ending sequences in the last 15 minutes have left me all confused and I have got at least 5 questions, which can be answered with another season only.

Its not new for Kdramas to have unsorted endings just to leave the audience to interprete and assume by their own but ai believe that's not the case here at all. I would have been happier if they had wrapped up the entire story within one season bcs I don't honestly see a potentially amazing drama out its 2nd part. Sure, this one is good but adding more to it will somehow feel like an unnecessary exaggeration, I think. Hoping to listen from the makers soon, I mean they should be clarifying about their intentions by now.

Overally, this is very good, if not something unique or groundbreaking but surely has different kind of moods and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire thing. It's more of a combination of mystery thriller and makjang, and not the typical frustrating makjang kinda drama. The last 6 episodes have the actual intense makjang stuffs, which might not be that sensitive. But anyways, enjoying this depends on your expectations and taste in makjang drama. For example, I am not a fan of intense makjangs so this mild dose was honestly good for me. It has it's own flaws of drawing plots and characters at few points but it's definitely worth the one time watch.

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A Slow Descent Into Hell…

Life is rarely a straightforward and narrow road and for artist Hee Joo (Hyun-Jung Go), her road seems to be an incessant path of bumps, twists and turns as she gradually begins her descent into “ Hell”.

The storyline places emphasis upon unravelling questions towards Hee Joo’s fall from grace.The female lead seems to have all ; she had a rough start but now has two beautiful children, a doting husband, a lovely home, and a successful art career, yet something still seems to haunt the female lead . Yet when a terrible incident happens to her daughter Ri-Sa (Su-an Kim), Hee-Joo is shocked to end up meeting someone she used to know in her past Hae Won (Shin Hyon Bin); a ghost of her former lively-self. Hee Joo and Hae Won’s encounter marks the beginning of a hellish journey that will test and trial everything that Hee-Joo believes she already knows…

Adapted to the small screen by director Im Hyun Wook ( ‘ People You May Know’) and screenwriter Yoo Bo Ra ( ‘ Just Between Lovers’, ‘ Snowy Road’) from Jung So Hyeon’s novel ‘ Someone Who Looks Like You’ , ‘ Reflection Of You’ takes a noticeably darker and bittersweet tone than most melodrama revenge-tales, and a slow-burn plot which will test viewers’ patience spans to the maximum.

Of course this isn’t to say that there isn’t intrigue for viewers surrounding the plot premise or initial start; it wastes no time hooking audiences ( shown as a literal metaphor through the fishing line thrown into water in the first episode) and adds a few little threads to keep the series interesting; the mysterious and unconscious John Doe visited by Hee Joo’s husband who later disappears, the tension between Hee Joo and her affluent , aloof mother-in-law , Hae Won’s use of an alias as well as her evident connection to Hee Joo .

The acting front of the series was admittedly fairly good. Whilst there were a few questionable line deliverances at times it’s undeniable that our main cast really shone throughout . Hyun-Jung Go delivered a brilliant performance as her complicated onscreen persona Hee-Joo whilst Shin Hyon Bin would often steal the limelight as Hae Won ; the chillingly vengeful, enigmatic and mysteriously paradoxical character who acted as the main foil and plot drive throughout ‘ Reflection Of You’.

Yet amongst screenwriter Yoo Bo Ra’s smoke and mirrors tactic through using mysterious subplots and haunting scenes to shield viewers from the actual truth of the past and events to follow, ‘ Reflection Of You’ isn’t without its more evident loose threads either.

The series is undeniably slow-paced. Whilst this is a necessary tactic for keeping the storyline afloat and the input of cliffhangers during most episodes helped the drama to gradually reach its apex , ‘ Reflection of You ‘ could often ward off viewers and potential newcomers. The series would often become bogged down with its arbitrary soap-opera trope-worthy moments, occasional out-of-place transitions and use of over-the-top dialogue and line deliverances. Whilst it does present a form of ( intentional or unintentional ) dramatic irony in the lavish and melodramatic world of ‘ Reflection Of You’, it could often create a sporadic and disjointed plot with many loose plot ends sticking out like a saw thumb by the ending of the series.

The finale of ‘ Reflection Of You’ undeniably divided audiences; a final conclusion towards the twisted world of the series, but leaving a lot of unanswered questions and logic on the sideline with main characters Hae-Won and Hee Joo’s arcs feeling underdeveloped .

So is ‘ Reflection Of You’ actually worth watching or is it a waste of time? ‘ Reflection Of You’ is a drama which will admittedly engage or disengage audiences dependent on expectations. Whilst this is generic situation for a lot of K-dramas, ‘ Reflection Of You’ often finds itself digging its own grave at times by its snail-paced progression and dragging out plot points behind its expiry date . This isn’t to say the series is “ terrible” or “ unwatchable”; the acting is fairly dynamic throughout the series, the plot premise is intriguing and there are some wonderfully-interweaved scenes by director Im Hyun Wook to give viewers goosebumps. However the incompletion of a series which was dragged out for viewers alongside mismatched storyline and plot points, can admittedly lead to some mixed-feelings and uncertainty towards the finished product.

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Very serious drama

It kept my interest all through it. I loved the story, loved the acting, especially Kim Jae Young. He is such a good actor, and also nice to look at. Jung Hee Joo kind of got on my nerves with the same blank expression and fake smile, but that was her character. If you don’t like slow moving dramas, infidelity, revenge, rage, or obsession, you won’t like this, don’t bother. That’s virtually the entire drama, but is was done well. I liked the ending, but it was a shame, because nothing was accomplished with any of their lives. There is a million different ways it could have ended, but one thing is for sure, none would have been happy. With this kind of drama, with this story line, there is no way it could have ended happy, with any of the characters. As I watched it, I disliked all of them, but that was how the story was written. Every one of them was out for revenge, but in the end, did they all get it? You’ll have to watch to find out…

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Most Frustrating kdrama that I have ever watched - a story of how NOT to get revenge

I will first start off with a warning that this drama is EXTREMELY slow-paced and repetitive , especially in the first 10 episodes. There are points where the story is seriously dragged out and with the same things happening over and over again. This drama was advertised as being based on a book, but I did some googling and discovered that it was based on a short story and not an entire book (the short story collection is also called reflection of you) which honestly explains why the story is so dragged out - there simply isn't enough content to last 16 episodes!

Aside from the plodding pace, almost all characters in the drama are portrayed as unlikeable, unsympathetic, with virtually ZERO redeeming qualities. Even the kids. Everyone is so bad that I felt myself rooting for the affair couple in the show... which is making me reflecting on my own morals right now lol. This drama has a very typical makjang plot centered around the theme of extramarital affairs, betrayal, love... you get the idea. Nothing groundbreaking. Except the woman who got cheated on (Gu Hae Won) is the most unlikeable person EVER. Even worse than the "third party" Jeong Hui Ju. Why? Because our introduction to Hae Won is where we see her while working as an art teacher, slap the shit out of Hui Ju's daughters Lisa who happens to be a student in Hae Won's class. It is later revealed that Hae Won being an art teacher at Lisa's school isn't a coincidence at all, and her main reason for slapping Lisa was to kickstart her revenge plans and punish Hui Ju for having an "affair" with her husband. It's hard to retain any ounce of sympathy for a woman who decides to viciously assault one of her students just because of a past transgression by said student's mother, and when viewers did not even know about the supposed "affair" at the point of the assault. Haewon also does other scummy stuff like manipulate one of her student's deadbeat dad into kidnapping Hui Ju's other kid, resulting in prison time for deadbeat dad. She also manipulates said student into taking secret videos of Hui Ju's husband and Lisa. Compared to this, Hui Ju is a saint, whose only crime (not counting her actions in the last ep) was just being an unfaithful spouse and a terrible friend who just wanted to have a live in boytoy while enjoying the perks of being a chaebol wife in peace (LMAO)

The reason why "third party" and "affair" are in quotation marks is simply because the show doesn't adequately explain Hae won's relationship and her husband (Seo Woo Jae). They were described as getting married for the sake of obtaining a visa. Hae Won addresses him as "sunbae" throughout the show and there were no scenes of where he treated her as anything more than a friend. She on the other hand, is obsessed with him, if anything, it was an unrequited love relationship on her part. So how does one feel sympathy for a woman who is supposedly being "cheated" on when she isn't technically in a relationship in the first place? Though to be fair, Hae Won did mention rather obliquely about possibly having a miscarriage after Woo Jae went to live in Ireland with Hui Ju, which brings me to my next point of critique: WHY DO ALL THE CHARACTERS NEED TO SPEAK IN SUCH A CRYPTIC WAY?????

When Hae Won first starts harassing Hui Ju, she goes on and on about Hui Ju needing to apologize yada yada without actually saying WHAT exactly she wants an apology for. Of course, at the start the show needs to build suspense and wouldn't reveal all the events that happened but COME ON. This dragged on till literally episode 10 at least. She/Hui Ju refuses to speak about the affair when it's plain as day she is referring to it. They dance around the topic, talking in circles about forgiveness, being wrong...waxing poetic about pain and suffering like they were philosophizing about the root of mankind's suffering when the crux of the issue is just one woman stealing the other woman's husband. This really boggles my mind. If Hui Ju was actually sorry she would have apologized YEARS ago, not now. And if she was actually a decent person she wouldn't have had an affair right? So what's the point of all these apologizing bullshit? Seriously. And Hae Won had evidence of their infidelity too. She could have gone public and ruined Hui Ju's reputation and career as a high profile artist but no...her solution is to stalk Hui Ju CONSTANTLY, make cryptic comments, ingratiate herself with Hui Ju's friends/family for some reason and lastly...reintroduce an amnesiac Woo Jae to Hui Ju JUST SO HE CAN CHEAT ON HER WITH HUI JU AGAIN.

To add to the frustration, all these long winded conversations occur when the characters (Haewon, Hui ju, Hui ju's husband, woo jae) "unexpectedly" run into each other. The frequency of these run-ins make it seem like they are living in a small town with a population of 500 people instead of metropolitan Seoul. Because what in the world???? Yes it's a show but it doesn't mean all logic flies out of the window. The frequency of these run ins drop off after episode 11 but no, the frustration does not end. Because Hae Won still miraculously retains the ability to be in HJ's proximity at any critical juncture, especially in the last episode. With superpowers like that, who needs revenge plans? She should have just straight up teleported to Hui Ju and just murdered her.

Plot critiques aside, the only bright spots in this drama are the acting, cinematography and OST. Shin Hyun Bin is excellent as a self-righteous mentally deranged/traumatized woman and Go Hyung Jung is excellent at portraying a repressed chaebol wife who shows no remorse for her infidelity. The OST is sublime and while I won't rewatch this show, I will definitely be replaying the OSTs.

TLDR: woman gets cheated on and decides to get revenge in the most ridiculous way possible. watch world of the married for more satisfying revenge plots instead.

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Shin Hyun Bin is lights out. The rest is more of a flicker, but it's intriguing enough overall

Viewing “Reflection of You” may require a different mindset for viewers who prefer their shows with a clear good guy(s) versus bad guy(s) or at least someone in the character roster that a viewer might aspire to be like and relate easily to. This is not that production. The suggestion for those who might find this disconcerting is to think of “Reflection of You” as less like a work of fiction about a conflict between a rich family with a troubled marriage and the couple that becomes entwined in their affairs and more of a competition. But instead of competing in a sort of athletic superiority, it’s a race to see which character can be the most horrible person alive. Only it’s not just among the characters on the show, they’re competing to be number one awful human on the planet. And folks, this is a crew with Olympic level quality across the board.

A bit of a digression here. For those readers that have seen the brief marketing writeup of the show, it is misleading and should be wholly ignored. This is a story of two women who became friends through their painting. One married into a rich family and the other was romantic with another artist. The married woman, Hee Joo, begins an affair with Woo Jae, the boyfriend of Hae Won. Hee Joo and Woo Jae end up in Ireland together, then Hee Joo returns to Korea, Woo Jae ends up in a coma for three years and Hae Won begins to seek revenge for being wronged. There’s also a whole circle of other characters with axes to grind and knives to stab and grievances to air. Honesty is rare, kindness is served with a side of self-serving purpose and warmth has supply chain issues.

Hee Joo is the central character as she is the only character directly connected with the other major players, her husband, her former friend and her lover. For the present day events, she’s the target of revenge but Go Hyun Jung never satisfactorily sells the character as a sympathetic one. She crushes the scenes when Hee Joo drops the mask and her desperate anger and hypocrisy are on full display. But most of the time, Hee Joo is trying to act normal and it doesn’t connect nearly as well. That’s a problem as without a sympathetic character in the middle of everything, it saps the tension that should be building between the other three pulling her in different directions.

Woo Jae shows up late to the proceedings as he begins the show still recovering from a coma. Kim Jae Young doesn’t do anything particularly special with the character. He’s definitely got the brooding looks and has no trouble with the half-baffled state that Woo Jae spends much of the narrative within. But when Woo Jae regains his faculties, Kim Jae Young doesn’t muster the intensity and rawness needed to transform the character to what he should be.

Quality of performance is no issue for Shin Hyun Bin. She magnificently captures the most subtle expressions, changes in tone and cadence and Hae Won’s wearied posture. Hae Won has a maelstrom of anger and resentment internally but outwardly is measured and mysterious. Of all the characters that alternate between victim and agressor, she is the most compelling in either form. When she is the character that is moving the narrative forward, whether with rightful anger or morally questionable methods, “Reflection of You” gets serious traction when she is in the spotlight.

There’s also a supporting performance by Jang Hye Jin, who follows a couple of roles in comedy centered productions with a blistering performance as Hee Joo’s sister-in-law and an afterthought child under a powerful, cold mother.

Unfortunately, the arc must bend away at a certain point and the steam that Hae Won has generated slowly seeps out. Although the confrontations and arguments and unpleasantness continue to build as the players each seek widely disparate objectives, the emotional resonance over the last third of the show never connects at more than a half-fever pitch.

Despite some manner of imperfections, “Reflection of You” is a strong show and worth watching, but it is primarily for the masterpiece of Shin Hyun Bin’s performance. It is among a very few of the finest acting performances of 2021.

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I have a love-hate relationship with this drama. Even as I write this review, my feelings are still mixed? Was it entertaining? Yes, for the most part. Was it predictable at times? Yes, very. Did most of the characters annoy me? Yes, I could not stand Hui-ju the female lead, her daughter Li-sa, the rude sister-in-law Doctor, the annoying, overbearing mother-in-law and even the male lead Woo-jae at times. Did the ending suck? YES!!! It's kinda anti-climactic really.

I should say that I only watched this for two reasons: 1) For Choi Won-young, my sexy dilf who I'm OBSESSED with and 2) For Shin Hyun-bin.

The acting on this show was flawless. All the actors were superb. Even the child actors understood the assignment despite however annoying Li-sa was at times. I really enjoyed seeing Shin Hyun-bin in a role completely different to her character in Hospital Playlist. She proved that she has a lot of potential. I think she perfectly played a tortured and complex character so well; whereas the other female lead had like the same two facial expressions (either fake smiles or a shocked face)

For the most part the storyline is entertaining but very, very predictable. I found it very hard to like Hui-ju as a character because of her cheating. I felt sorry for her wronged husband who loved her so much that he was willingly to pretend to be in denial about her affair despite knowing for all those years. It was heartbreaking to see him unravel as Woo-jae re-entered his wife's life and tormented him about their relationship .

Woo-jae annoyed me a lot. He shouldn't have married Hae-won again if he was just going to obsess over Hui-ju. He started the drama saying that he wanted to apologise to Hae-won for the hurt he had previously caused her, but he just turned her into a bigger monster by the end. Granted I know he didn't exactly regain his memories when he married her, but he could've told her that he was against getting married again until he was sure it was what he wanted. I started to really hate him when he kissed Hui-ju on his wedding day and then still went on to marry Hae-won. Despite her drive for revenge being annoying at times, I did feel for Hae-won. She deserved better than to have the two people she loved the most do this to her. I was hoping that she would end up with Hui-ju's brother because he treated her so much better than Woo-jae and she deserved a proper shot at love and happiness. I guess its implied that they will end up together but not shown.

I knew the show would end up with a reversal of fortune. Hae-won returning back to her old self again as Hannah, a sucessful artist, no longer dark and twisted but happy and full of life again; and Hui-ju now being the one living in hell, tormented and tortured by her mistakes and her past. I definitely think Hui-ju deserved that kind of ending, but I really felt so sorry for her husband. He truly did not deserve to live with the feeling that his wife abandoned him and her family for someone he was always felt insecure around due to his inferiority complex. The husband deserved so much better in my opinion. I would've rather see Hui-ju take the fall for Woo-jae's death and do time in jail than this ending.

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Should be renamed "Then this B@%# had the nerve..."

"Reflection of You" seems like such a weak title for a drama like this. A title like "Then This Heaux had the nerve to..." or "Can you believe what this B@$#% did???!!!!" would be much more fitting. It's been a while since a drama made me curse at the screen like this, so I can't believe the rating for this show is so low. This drama was slow to get me interested. I was pretty bored for the first few episodes because it takes a while to get to know the characters and their relationships with each other but once you do the pace is relentless and filled with intense betrayal, ruthless pettiness, and Draaaaamaaaa. The cast is phenomenal. Every character is multidimensional, duplicitous, and yet somehow still empathetic. There aren't any likable characters, to be honest, but I enjoyed the fact that these characters were so messy and sometimes outright awful without being too unrealistic. If you're looking for happy escapism this is the wrong drama. If you want to watch how characters keep digging themselves into a hole until they finally reach the hell they deserve then grab some snacks and enjoy!

This story centers around Go Hyun Jung as Jung Hee Joo. I despised her character so much but that's because she played her so well. Most of the fun of this drama is how details about the story unfold so I don't want to say too much about what she does, but her self-centered, manipulative, audacity as she tried to hide behind a phony victim persona was what fueled my interest in the story. I loved watching her gag every episode, and anticipating how everything would eventually backfire. Yes, the mood of this drama fits that of a thriller but the plot is mostly melodrama with some of the shadiest characters ever. At times it was a little distracting that her age gap with the other characters was so noticeable but I also liked seeing a more mature female lead. I only remember seeing her in a rom-com when she was younger "What's Up, Fox?", but this is the exact opposite of a comedy. I also saw her more as the villain than the character who was probably supposed to be seen that way, Shin Hyun Bin as Goo Hae Won. I actually loved Hae Won as a character, which may be worrisome lol, but I could empathize with her so much. Also, Shin Hyun Bin deserves extra praise for playing her character's evolution so well. These two ladies had rival chemistry that was perfect. Their scenes were like watching a great tennis match between star players. That's how all of the scenes felt honestly. Even the teenage characters were strong players.

I can't emphasize enough how great this cast is. I wish I could name all of them. Kim Jae Young as Seo Woo Jae is definitely obsession-worthy, although his character was the least fleshed out in my opinion. He felt like the only lazily written main character, but Jae Young still made the most out of the role. Choi Won Young as Ahn Hyun Sung is always so good at playing cool with something sinister hidden right under the surface. His role in this is not quite as epic as "Hello Monster" but it's still a great performance. Kim Bo Yun as the worst mom ever was another favorite of mine. Even with a subtle look and fewer scenes, she was legendary. Then there's Shin Dong Wook as "good guy" uncle Jung Seon Woo, and the angstiest KDrama teen maybe ever Kim Soo An as Lisa. I loved that I got to know so many characters' stories and struggles without it distracting from the main plot too much. Maybe being based on a book is why the characters seem so well written. The stories also have complimentary themes of choosing to hold on to the past, the cycle of revenge, flawed parents, broken trust, the punishment fitting the "crime", and how hurt people hurt people. I may not have been moved to tears by the story, and some parts of the plot seemed weaker than others, but I was moved by their self-discoveries, even when they chose the less righteous path.

Would I watch this again? Yes. The scenes are well done with intense dialogue as well as catty banter throughout, although knowing the story would take some of the thrill away. The ending did feel like a bit of a safe cop-out and rushed at some moments, with things resolving a little too nicely and neatly, but by the very end, it felt well done. I don't like vague endings, but this ending left me with enough closure. I am also sure with a rewatch there will be some details that I missed the first time, especially in the flashback clips. There are a lot of flashbacks, but I didn't mind that.

Overall, I'm glad I didn't pay too much attention to the rating and gave this drama a chance. I'm also glad I binged watched the whole thing because waiting each week would have been too hard. I think we all have different thresholds for being able to move on, so this story may be too obsessive and dark for some viewers, but I loved it. If you like stories about how complicated human nature can be then this drama is a must-see. This is not your average melodrama about spoiled rich people and random amnesia, these characters surprised me often. "Reflection of You" may not be a new favorite but it's certainly underrated. I could point out holes in the plot, and specific parts that I wish were less vague, but I was so involved in the characters that those things didn't affect how much I enjoyed this drama as whole. If you've ever felt like a member of #teampetty this is a drama for you!

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More and Better than Expected!

Although I love a story with a happy ending, this story delivered reality and true life for me.

Jeoung Hui-Ju as the Main character was believable and relatable. As a woman in a marriage, sometimes temptation gets the best of you and you make a huge mistake. I am not sure the mistake would have gone as far as she went, but I can understand how quickly things can get out of hand when emotions run high and your comparing your husband to your lover.

Gu Hae-won was another great character, but started lose me when she could not let the past go. I understand that two people who should have known better hurt you, but it has been quite some time. You need to let it go. It takes more time trying to get revenge then just to get a new man and move on and have a happy life. The best revenge is a better, happier, prosperous life without them.

Seo Woo-Jae was a lost cause from the onset. He was a great actor, but we knew he was not wrapped to tight. I have always found the most passionate people are the craziest people. That is just how it adds up. After getting back his memory, he could not seem to remember the fact they were not good together nor that they shouldn't be together. One sided love is dangerous ergo why he ended up in the lake. We knew someone in this love triangle/square/pentagon/hexagon whatever was going to die.

An Hyeon-seong is played by one of my favorite actors by the way, so he can do no wrong. Anyway, this character was not all innocent although he played the role of innocent well. I do believe, he truly wanted to keep his family together. He did love Hui-ju more than she loved him which may have been part of the problem in the beginning. I do not believe the children nor Hyena-seong should have ended up without her in the end, but I guess that was his punishment for his wrong doing in the story.

The moral of the story was that the bad things you do cannot and do not stay in the dark. Somehow and in someway the some they see the light of day and may disrupt the normalcy and peace you hold dear.

Definitely a great difference from the normal k-drama for me!

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Reality , BitterSweet Romance

I notice many were disappointed in the choices Jung Hee-Joo made with her affair, however, the reality is we can not control who we fall in love with . Sometimes, we are stuck in a situation and stay in a marriage for conveniences. I felt her love for Woo Jae was beautiful , we all desire someone whom we can be our-self with, she shined brightly with him. However, she did have a greed and he reminded her of her poor self and didn't want to be with someone poor, she had goals and a family. She abandoned love for her goals but is that always the best decision?

Though Woo Jae was erratic and reckless, he was passionate .Someone who is stuck in a boring situation will be drawn to someone like him easily. I would have like too actually see them both run off together. People sacrifice a lot for their family which we tend to find admirable in society , however, all the sacrifices we make, if you still feel empty or desire more, is it all really worth it ? We still need to be happy in the end and do what is best for us. I don't believe her love and past with Woo Jae was a mistake or moment of weakness . I believe she found what she was lacking in life within Woo Jae. Sadly, his love turn into obsession but I still empathized with his character because to have someone just abandon you ( throw you away like a used toy) after you gave up everything for them - move to another country and they made you feel special , could make anyone become a little crazed and confused momentarily . ( Kim Jae-young acting was really good, I want to see him in more lead roles , I became lost in his character )

I knew from the start a main lead would die in the story, because this is the way life events normally turn out or someone end up in jail or hurt badly. As she looked out into water in the end, I wonder if her thoughts were of her love she had for him. And if so, she will spend rest of her life thinking about him. That love , she would never be able to escape will be mixed with more regret and sorrow.

I'm heartbroken for Woo Jae ending. No justice for him . However, im going to watch it again! overall I loved it

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A slow burner leading nowhere meaningful...

Let me start off by saying there is not a single likable character in this 18 hour-long drama, which felt double that due to the extremely slow pace at which everything unfolded. So if you feel a need to be able to connect with at least one character, or even their motivations, to make a drama worthwhile, skip this one.

Normally I'm not one to complain about slow-paced dramas or how many turns the plot takes if the payoff feels rewarding. But with this specific drama, it took so long to get to the end that by the time I reached it I was just glad to be done with it.

The acting was great though - especially the moments when characters broke down under the weight of their actions, with palpable despair, and grief - and every member of the cast did a wonderful job portraying these poorly developed, often contradicting characters. The issue is that these were poorly developed, often contradicting characters...

I believe that for a drama like this to be successful, the audience must be able to connect and feel empathetic towards - at the very least - one character and the reasons they do what they do. It doesn't even have to be the main character, it doesn't have to be a noble goal, sometimes we even connect with a supporting one. But I failed to connect to any character whatsoever throughout the 18 hours of this drama and the fact the ones I did start to feel some sort of sympathy towards eventually changed their personality halfway through the plot, made it so much harder to finish the drama.

Goo Hae Won (portrayed by Shin Hyun Bin) played, to the very end, the role of the main antagonist. Without her, the events we see unfolding in the drama would not have happened. Her motives were clear from the beginning - to inflict the same pain she felt on those who caused it. However, the way she went about it felt ridiculous at times, extremely frustrating, and incredibly convoluted. By Episode 5 I was done with her entire plotline - which is an issue because her plotline is essentially the entire reason anything happens in the drama...

Her character, as a whole, was frustrating. It felt like she was making things up as she went along and even if it makes sense for her character to do so, it also doesn't make sense at all because we're shown time and time again how calculating she is, but then she's not because she doesn't have any real agenda and just reacts to things as they happen, usually by crying or being smug about it depending on the situation.

I was much more invested in the story and chemistry between Jung Hee Joo (portrayed by Go Hyun Jung) and Seo Woo Jae (portrayed by Kim Jae Young). Seo Woo Jae had reason enough to be the titular antagonist with a compelling motive we could get behind, even with the cliché amnesia. Their past and their interactions felt raw, emotional, and kept me interested in what would happen next.

If Goo Hae Won had simply been a flashback-only character, this would have been a much more enjoyable drama. I truly believe Goo Hae Won would have served the plot better as an alluded character than actually being an active force in the story.

To wrap it up - if you feel like wasting 18 hours of your life getting frustrated at fictional characters and their choices to the very end, definitely watch Reflection of You.

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A heartbreaking journey

Reflection of you was a drama that I did not expect much from because it seemed very slow-paced, but something about the drama kept me hooked from the first episode. At first, I was curious as to the weird energy I felt between Gu Hae Won and Jung Hee, I must commend the mysterious element in the story that made the audience want to solve the puzzle, how it all made sense when Woo Jae was introduced and the role, he played in twisting the relationship between the two women. It was indeed an intense story of revenge, obsession, and infidelity. I loved the acting of all the cast especially the female leads, they really brought life into their characters making the unraveling of the story more exciting. The somber music and melancholic atmosphere were intriguing aspects of this drama. I also loved the chemistry between Jung Hee and Woo Jae despite the age gap, I literally felt goosebumps from their interactions.
The story seemed to center on the consequences of infidelity and the consequences it can bring, this is shown in Jung Hee's struggle to escape her past mistake and how it keeps haunting her no matter how hard she tries. It was also weird, from the story's point of view, I expected to pity Gu Hae Won since she was technically the victim having been cheated and betrayed by her husband and best friend, but I found myself understanding and supporting Jung Hee and her decisions. I could not understand Gu Hae won who wanted to not only hurt herself but everyone around her, I was weirdly relieved that she did not get her happy end either especially after she deliberately lied to Jung Hee's husband as to what had happened.
The person I pitied most was Jung Hee's husband who only loved her and wanted to protect his family at all costs, I felt he did not deserve the pain he experienced at the end and should have been told the truth. Though I found it odd that all the characters were punished in the end, butthere was no mention of how he had attempted to kill woo jae, it seemed to be buried.
But in summary, it was an enjoyable but heartbreaking experience, I perversely wanted it to go on, but it had to end. I may not have liked the ending, but I understand that a complex story such as this would not have a happy ending.

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Psychological thriller from the writer of Just Between Lovers

This is a psychological thriller with hitchcockian undertones. I'm stunned by how original and interesting this is. Capturing. The writer and director have achieved an amazing series. I guess pychological dramas are not everyone's piece of cake (comparing to likewise low ratings of Cheese In the Trap) but this is definitely amongst all time top serious k-dramas for me. It's offering a lot of food for thought. I don't think the descriptions the drama or its themes do any justice to it - jealousy and vengeance are too superficial ideas/drivers and this drama is much more deep and layered to be described in those terms. If something, it tells that some people just don't seem to have the gift for happiness. Looking for another person to deliver all the goods things in life is a doomed mission. Happiness is a choice as much as anything else. The writer would deserve the award this year, that much is already clear. All the actors are great in their roles. There is no overacting . I was always wondering why didn't we hear more of the Leo in "Black". Here he is now, maybe still starting but starting good. Poor Kim Bo Yun always has these roles as the obnoxious mother - she's good but I'd like to see her in the "good mother" role for a change :)

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