I’ve recently gotten into kdramas in particular and because of the current situation, I’ve had the opportunity to find gems that will stay in my mind forever. This is one of them.
After finishing another great drama( “It’s Okay to Not be Okay”), this was suggested to me as a sort of, apt replacement. And, it didn’t disappoint. First two to three episodes are probably the weakest, only because of unknown confusion, since you can’t really figure out what’s going on, but don’t be afraid and DON’T drop this drama, you’re in for a ride of emotions.
What I loved about this drama(apart from the music which I’ve been blasting for a solid month now), is the unspoken chemistry between all of the characters, especially main leads. These are Gong Hyo-jin and Jo In-sung’s best roles, by far, and that’s saying something, since they are both immensely talented. And others are great in their roles as well, especially Lee Kwang-soo. The struggles of characters are believable and the way they are talked about and discussed is too. You won’t find immature conflicts that can be resolved by just TALKING in this drama and I can’t believe how much I needed that. There’s no petty jealousy quarrels, no tiring love triangles, just trials and tribulations that somewhat broken humans go through. There wasn’t one moment in this drama that I thought was boring or unnecessary. And cinematography, at times, appeared masterful. This is not one of those artsy dramas where you need to find the answer in each frame. In turn, it is warm, understated and special.

In fact, there is one scene that stood out to me and hit me so hard I started bawling. I won’t spoil the scene in question, as it is the most pivotal scene for our main character, but the way it was constructed, from the way the camera zooms in and out, the “Hero” song that softly plays in the background...All I’m gonna say is that this scene will change your perception of many things regarding mental health and help you learn.

As for the romance aspect, as I’ve mentioned previously, it’s great. The relationship between
Ji Hae-soo and Jang Jae-yeol is like a dance. It’s careful, wary, done with great effort and most importantly, is electric. When wrong steps are taken or when errors are made, they`re talked about and they are plausible. Because, as much as we would all like a drama male lead who looks good and says all the right things at the right time, I think that this kind of romance is what we should all strive for realistically. You can take the wrong turns and misunderstand, but communication is key and there's no place for hesitation. And I`m not saying this just because Jae-yeol is exactly my type. Also, with this drama, Gong Hyo-jin became my favorite Korean drama actress and I went on a drama marathon of her projects. So take that as you want.

Now, for drawbacks of this drama, I would say there are only two and they are minor. First, the sets at times can look a bit too perfect and not lived in enough. The house where they live is fine, but the cafe, the hospital etc. sometimes look like they came out of a commercial and that can break the immersion for a bit. That`s just my personal opinion. Another one for me is the character of Jae-yeol`s brother. Sometimes he can feel like a cog in a machine necessary to start drama and chaos and he can be a bit one dimensional. Also, and this is my problem with most Korean dramas, as that`s the format that they are in, some background stories of minor characters could`ve been left out and it would make no difference at all.
Finally, THE ENDING OF THIS DRAMA IS SO SATISFYING. Oh man, I love it so, so much. And thank you, drama writers, for including normal words like condom, which seem to be the bane of all existence dramas-wise, since they are an absolute NO-NO. I don`t know, it`s refreshing. Overall though, if you haven`t watch this drama. It`s a masterpiece, like my title suggests. And I hope I`ll see Gong Hye-jin and Jo In-sung together in another project, because that will be another treat for my mind.