This review may contain spoilers
The acting is good, but good acting alone isn’t enough to make a great drama.This drama feels more like a palate cleanser, especially for viewers coming straight from Pursuit of Jade. It’s a completely different story, tone, and style of acting, so expecting it to be another POJ isn’t giving the show a fair chance.
That said, I enjoy a well-written drama, and I think this one missed an opportunity with its storytelling.
Imagine if the series had opened by showing Qingyi and Susu falling in love—letting us witness how their relationship developed, why they meant everything to each other, and what made their bond so unbreakable. Then, halfway through the episodes, Susu is shot. We watch Qingyi spend the next three years mourning her, taking the blame, and enduring the consequences. We also see how the Hou family manipulated events and orchestrated his mistreatment in prison.
If the story had been structured that way, the audience would have been emotionally invested from the very beginning. When Susu suddenly returned with a new identity, viewers would have been completely hooked instead of trying to piece together what happened afterward.
C-dramas are known for their slow burns, emotional tension, and carefully built relationships. Unfortunately, this drama doesn’t quite deliver on that. The first episode starts strong, but we don’t have enough emotional connection to the characters for the major moments to land the way they’re supposed to. Instead, the show spends its time playing catch-up, revealing pieces of the past after the fact rather than allowing us to experience them alongside the characters.
One aspect I genuinely love is Susu’s connection to the organization rescuing women from sex trafficking. That’s an important and meaningful storyline, and I appreciate that the drama shines a light on such a serious issue.
My biggest criticism isn’t the plot itself—it’s the order in which the story is told. A different narrative structure could have transformed this drama. I honestly believe it would have gone from a 7/10 to a 9/10. We would have understood Qingyi’s unwavering devotion to Susu because we would have experienced their love firsthand. Instead, many viewers are left wondering why he’s so deeply devoted while she appears emotionally distant. Even when they share scenes together, the emotional payoff just isn’t there because the foundation wasn’t built early enough.
This drama has so much potential, and that’s what makes it frustrating. The ingredients are there: capable actors, an intriguing premise, and meaningful themes. I just wish the director and producers had trusted the audience to fall in love with these characters before asking us to grieve with them.
I’m still hopeful that by the end, this drama will become a masterpiece in its own right. I genuinely want it to prove me wrong and make me glad I stayed until the very last episode.
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