AnicsiRoscoe

I dropped this the first time I watched it at episode 8 or so but recently started from the beginning and sort of fell in love with it. Why 'sort of'? Well, I still think it has its flaws, but overall I had a new appreciation for the drama that I didn't have before. There are so many superficial or lighthearted romances out there these days, that it's rare to find one that actually teaches us things about life. Some parts felt like poetry, others just like every day life. I loved how the drama shows there's not one universal truth to a relationship or happiness. Marriage might not be for everyone, and that's okay. All the characters in this are flawed, but that's what makes it so real. Song Kang and Park Min Young have excellent chemistry with all their fellow actors, and I was curious to see how the age gap would affect their game, but personally I think they made a sweet and believable couple.

I do have to say I am torn about second lead couple: The show made us hate them so much at the beginning, that I found it hard to root for them throughout the show. I also think they were forgiven too easily by the leads, (especially FL and SML, how they could go back to being friends after he betrayed her like that is beyond me) Maybe it would've helped to have some flashbacks earlier on about how their affair started, on how they perhaps fought to not fall into it, but couldn't help it in the end, yet with feelings of guilt. Because the way it was portrayed, they were just dirty little cheaters with no regard for anyone else's feelings. So even though their struggle and pain was understandable, I wished they didn't have that much screen time.
I did love the romance of the sister and neat-freak, it was adorable! All in all a 8/10 for me, for memorable life-lessons.

I actually think it's part of the problem, her whole demeanor and looks changed after Jeju, she was sloppy and in sweats/not really nice clothes (studying and busy making a living, I get it) and it seemed like she barely owned anything else. Now, while her wardrobe is conservative, it's nice, and she seems like a different person. It's not like I don't support her character change, I just think it was too sudden and unbelievable (considering she has no money and is up to her neck in debts) and also character wise.... Plus, I don't think it makes sense her mother is still in the hospital btw, did they ever explain that? It just seems it's more convenient to have her there because of married couple facade. I just think there's a lot of lazy writing going on and i'm not enjoying it.

Even though the first two episodes were a huge cheesefest and somewhat cringy, I still enjoyed the setup of the following episodes. But now it's getting boringly repetitive and FL falling into some kind of disaster with ML rushing to her side in EVERY SINGLE EPISODE is seriously annoying. She's like those 2010 heroines: poor background, all smiles, clumsy and needs saving all the time. I really loved 2FL so far, but her childishness is reaching levels of epic proportions. Steadily dropping my rating for this and wondering if I should even continue.

I dropped after episode 3, didn't really like the drama.

Even if you like complex and flawed characters, this is incredibly boring. It didn't live up to what it promised in the first two episodes, which seemed promising. I'm not saying it's the worst drama ever, I even made it to episode 9, but even the touching bits aren't touching, the thoughtful things barely matter, and most of all, some of the deep talks seem so terribly forced that I wonder where the good acting suddenly disappeared to. Perhaps I catch more of it than others because I know some korean and lived in Korea for a while, but... seriously, in episode 9 they're just reciting lines. I would still say give it a go and drop if you cannot take it anymore.

I really wanted to love this (I'm a sucker for small-town dramas, friends-to-lovers and painful past). But it's an absolute snoozefest. I don't even know what I'm watching here. There are some funny and cute scenes, but it could have been easily condensed into a movie, there's not enough substance for a 12 episode drama. I mean, even the architecture work-aspect, which I was really looking forward to, is too plain. The 'mystery guy' plot is forgotten somewhere in the silly love-triangle and just--- It's just really really boring and there's zero chemistry. Very disappointed, I love Lee Jae Wook, but even he cannot save this.

Junho really knows how to pick a project and he's such a great actor himself. None of his films or series are below a 8.0, that's a feat! He's one of my fav actors ever since Good Manager.

I am usually the same and hate tragic endings, and it did sting a little. But the ending is bittersweet, we know they loved each other. I would still recommend watching it. Junho is great, and he actually doesnt have that many scenes with FL. It's also about his growth as a character.

I watched it for the second time after many years and it's still a fun, light watch for the most part. The ending is more bitter than sweet, but it does make sense. I love the scene of all the women meeting at the Gisaeng house, chattering and laughing and being mesmerized by male Gisaeng. Who can blame them, Junho is just freaking hot lol Loved his dance moves!

I read your comment before watching the drama so I paid a lot of attention and what you say is completely false. It is true that he discovered her and was mesmerized by her voice and said he would protect her, probably because she said she didn't have any family and she followed him to Korea where she didn't know anyone and ended up in a group of people hating her... But not ONCE was it implied that he had feelings for her beyond those of a protegée. In fact, after the change, he asks FL if she's in love with him or something, because she is acting strangely, and his face shows complete disbelief. He very clearly always drew a line, and there is also no sign that 'Emily' had a crush on him. And naturally he would look for her frantically, firstly because the debut and with that his freedom was on the line, secondly because of course he did care for her as someone he needed to protect. I also don't get the 'spent 10 episodes being in love with her', because as I said, there were no clues that he was in love with US Emily, and there were only two flashbacks about their interaction at all. And then I also have to disagree about FL, because even as a young version she tried to be supportive of her granddaughter, her daughter and even her son in law. She did everything in her power to set things right, and only after the realisation that she would not be able to remember anything because of Alzheimers and possibly be a bigger burden yet to her family, she allowed herself to fulfill her dream.

Also, does everyone know about the song 'Forest' she sings in the studio in episode.. 7 (?). Is that a cover or an original. It's so beautiful, but I cannot find a full version. Her voice is really amazing!

Oookay, so I'm a bit torn about this one. I actually really enjoyed the first half of the show. I thought there were quite some important life lessons here, especially in the mother-daughter relationship. The characters were mostly likeable. The second half wasn't bad, but it just lacked a bit of the spark? The romance felt forced and too sudden, especially from her end. And I it's a shame they focused more on dance than singing in the second half. She was supposedly a one-in-a-million discovery, but suddenly none of that seemed important. All in all, it was a cute drama, not sure if i'll rewatch though. Reminds me a bit of Trot Lovers, the genre. 7/10 from me.

I agree with everything but 2ML. When they were younger, she did seem to have feelings for him. But then he went away to the military and when he got back, she was already married to another guy (I think military service back then lasted longer than it does now). So he probably thought he could have a second chance being young again. I thought he was a nice guy, not clingy, and really had in mind her best interest always.

This is so insanely cheesy, it reminds me of some of the dramas in the old days, especially 'my secret romance'. lol It's a bit too over-the-top for me, but good for a no-brain watch after a long day.
I do have to say, though: if you've got such important documents that you'd risk your life for them, make a damn copy before you go anywhere, geez....

Yeah, what I meant with buildup is that they very clearly express their feelings in the latter part of the show, but it doesn't progress into anything until the very end and there aren't many scenes of flirting. But a lot of support and trust between them. It depends on what you're looking for. If you want a story focused mostly on romance, I would say this isn't for you. If you're okay with it being subtle, but enjoy a mixture of genres, this could be good.

What annoys me most on disney+ Is that they ONLY have english subtitles for hearing impaired. It's so freaking annoying to have to read 'suspenseful music' 'audible gasp' 'loud slurping', when you just want to focus on the drama. What's so difficult about adding a plain english sub option?!

so up until second to last episode of season 2, she is still with 2ML?

Ending was weak, we got a 2 minute reunion between the leads, an expressionless confession and lackluster kiss. For all the buildup of their romance, there should have been something greater, really. I'm also disappointed there wasn't a scene with FL and ML's son, he cared so much for her and they just completely forgot about that.

I think people are hating on the show too much, I don't get the negativity. It's not the best show I've ever seen, it's with flaws, but it was still entertaining until the end and even had an unexpected twist or two. I actually liked that it switched between city and small town, it kept it interesting and introduced new characters. What I will say, though, is that this is not a romance drama, and imo that category should be removed. It would deserve a 'slight romance' tag perhaps. Yes, the leads care a lot for each other and there are feelings that go beyond friendship, but there are hardly any scenes that could be considered 'romantic' or 'flirting'. The ending was a letdown, too, more under a spoiler.
The cinematography and music were quite good, though, some comedy, and there were some scenes that did touch me. I'll rate it 8/10, because it was quite a ride and I was looking forward to new episodes each week.

I really loved it. Wouldn't recommend binging, as it could get repetitive after some time. But watching it slowly as a way to unwind is really nice!