I started watching Devilish Joy because of Choi Jin Hyuk. I watched him for the first time in 'Fated to Love You' and suffered the second lead syndrome so badly that I wanted to watch him in a show where he gets the girl.

This drama captured my interest from the get-go, with an endearing story that started with the two leads falling in love at first meet. The show has all the key elements - great acting, a good mix of romance, comedy and melodrama, gorgeous cinematography, and good-looking actors. However, I have to warn you; it is also a bag of cliches! If you can get past the kdrama tropes, the show may pleasantly surprise you and exceed your expectations.

Choi Jin Hyuk as Gong Ma Sung looked really fine in his suits as the chaebol heir who was also a genius neurosurgeon. However, his character was not the typical cold and arrogant jerk. Instead, Gong Ma Seung was a warm-hearted, generous, and romantic man, who not surprisingly captured the female lead's heart immediately in the first episode. Choi Jin Hyuk did not disappoint, and he was able to convey so much through his expressions and body language. I was really into his character, and if I allow myself some fangirling - I love how his smile reaches his eyes and his voice...oh his voice!

It took me a little longer to warm up to the female lead, Joo Gi Bbeum. She seemed too silly for a 30-year-old top star, but she developed more depth soon after the first couple of episodes. Soon Ha Yoon was very believable as the unfortunate singer, who struggled against all sorts of challenges but managed to maintain her dignity. Her petite loveliness was a great match for Gong Ma Sung, and the chemistry between the two leads was palpable. This is a couple I can imagine as truly dating - their kisses (and there were many compared to other dramas) were so natural.

I also came to like Hoya's character, Sung Ki Joon - uncle/nephew bromance was fun to watch and their reunion scene was perfect!

Besides the leads, I did enjoy watching the other characters like Woo Jin and Nan Joo (the leads' sidekicks), and Gi Bbeum's family. They all had flaws that made them more relatable. However, I found the villains rather one dimensional and there was no character development. They are just shown as evil people with no other motives aside from greed. I found their backstories rather lacking, and not certainly not enough to explain why they hated Ma Sung or Gi Bbeum so much to inflict such terrible pain on them.

The music was good - the songs fit the moods accordingly but nothing memorable. I did not hear any that tugged at my heart strings and made me want to save it to a playlist.

As for the ending, I was very satisfied. Not going to lie, I almost didn't want to watch the final episode. The show went into full throttle drama towards the end and I was an emotional mess thinking that only a miracle can give me the happy ending that the characters deserve. Luckily, it is kdrama land after all, and one can toss all reasoning and logic aside. That said, I like that the show did not wrap up everything too neatly and the happy ending was not overly done with Gong Ma Sung recovering completely from his illness. With that, I ended the show with a feeling of hope, and thinking that there's potential for a season 2.

Overall, this drama is pretty entertaining. Yes, there were plenty of cliches but the story was well developed. The romance, focused on unconditional and timeless love was heartwarming and there were enough subplots to beef up the drama.