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This review may contain spoilers
A story of love, pain and longing
I’m addicted to this drama.
I have watched it 3 times and plan to rewatch it again after sometimes.
For me everything is perfect. The acting, the pace, the story, the beautiful cinematography, the background music and soundtracks.
The slow build of romance. The angsts. The turmoil.
Lessons.
There’s actually lots of lessons to be learned here.
Contrary to what people think, this drama doesn’t glorify cheating. If anything the most important lesson is, don’t start an affair if you’re not prepared to feel all the pain, the despair. Don’t even think of having an affair if you don’t want to hurt people around you.
Son Ji Eun and Yoon Jung Woo are 2 lonely people in their respective loveless (and sexless) marriages. They were starving for love and care.
Both are nice but timid people.
They went through motions in their lives like robots. Devoid of emotions.
Then they met and felt instant attraction and connection. They suddenly feel seen. Ji Eun started blooming. Jung Woo started looking alive.
Choi Soo Ah is a beautiful elegant woman, a perfect housewife with a rude, unappreciative husband who thought everything can be solved with money. It turned out money can’t buy love.
She looked dead inside, she’s craving attention. Yes you can love your children, you can be busy but still feel lonely and empty.
She had a string of ‘no string attached’ afternoon affairs to fill her emptiness.
Until she met Artist Do Ha Yoon. She gave him all her heart, risking losing everything she had.
You can feel all the conflicting emotions, the dilemmas, the tough choices both couple faced. You immersed in their battle against themselves. They were fighting their own feelings but they lost.
You want both couples to be happy.
But of course it’s not meant to be.
Because they’re cheating after all.
They can’t feel totally at ease.
They’re NOT supposed to feel peace.
Yoon’s wife, Ji Eun’s husband and Soo Ah’s husband, even Artist Do’s ex-wife, all stubbornly refused to let their spouses go even though they don’t really love each other. They don’t want them to be happy. They don’t like being inconvenient. They don’t like being humiliated.
Ji Eun’s and Soo Ah’s husbands both taking their wives for granted. They also flirted shamelessly with younger women.
They learned their mistakes in the end, but of course it’s already too late.
And that’s another lesson. If you have someone by your side in your life, never take them for granted.
But Min Yung (Yoon’s wife) stay consistently selfish until the end.
She came back after leaving him for 3 years expecting him to be full of love. But love needs effort too.
Instead she insulted his school which he loved, belittled his choice of career and lying to everyone about his degree because she’s embarrassed of him. And you expect him to be grateful? That’s not love. That’s psychological abuse.
She threatened to kill herself when she found out. That’s manipulation. She’s a hypocrite, she treated Ji Eun like she’s the most disgusting person in the world, she forgotten that she used to have an affair with a married man too.
After Teacher Yoon asked for a divorce she refused it just to spite him and Ji Eun. She even faked pregnancy just to separate them.
She forced them to sign an agreement that they will have to pay a huge fine if they see each other again.
I couldn’t find it in myself to feel sympathy for her at all.
But after all that commotion, Jung Woo’s wife and Ji Eun’s husband were the ones who easily and quickly move on.
While Jung Woo and Ji Eun still couldn’t contact each other in case they might breach the contract.
They were separated for around 3 years when they finally met again.
Yes, the reunion scene was not enough. We want some more.
But I love it that both had time to heal and learn to be happy on their own. And we know that they became the better versions of themselves, ready to be together again. Not out of loneliness or desperation. But simply because they love each other.
Acting:
I love Park Ha Sun and Lee Sang Yeob chemistry.
Ye Ji Won is beautiful and ethereal. Her acting is perfect and subtle.
Jung Sang Woon and Choi Byung Mo are very good albeit sometimes too dramatic.
Ryu Abel played very well to evoke my emotions.
Jo Dong Hyuk acting is mediocre.
Look out for the symbolism of Love, Faith, Hope and shoelaces.
I have watched it 3 times and plan to rewatch it again after sometimes.
For me everything is perfect. The acting, the pace, the story, the beautiful cinematography, the background music and soundtracks.
The slow build of romance. The angsts. The turmoil.
Lessons.
There’s actually lots of lessons to be learned here.
Contrary to what people think, this drama doesn’t glorify cheating. If anything the most important lesson is, don’t start an affair if you’re not prepared to feel all the pain, the despair. Don’t even think of having an affair if you don’t want to hurt people around you.
Son Ji Eun and Yoon Jung Woo are 2 lonely people in their respective loveless (and sexless) marriages. They were starving for love and care.
Both are nice but timid people.
They went through motions in their lives like robots. Devoid of emotions.
Then they met and felt instant attraction and connection. They suddenly feel seen. Ji Eun started blooming. Jung Woo started looking alive.
Choi Soo Ah is a beautiful elegant woman, a perfect housewife with a rude, unappreciative husband who thought everything can be solved with money. It turned out money can’t buy love.
She looked dead inside, she’s craving attention. Yes you can love your children, you can be busy but still feel lonely and empty.
She had a string of ‘no string attached’ afternoon affairs to fill her emptiness.
Until she met Artist Do Ha Yoon. She gave him all her heart, risking losing everything she had.
You can feel all the conflicting emotions, the dilemmas, the tough choices both couple faced. You immersed in their battle against themselves. They were fighting their own feelings but they lost.
You want both couples to be happy.
But of course it’s not meant to be.
Because they’re cheating after all.
They can’t feel totally at ease.
They’re NOT supposed to feel peace.
Yoon’s wife, Ji Eun’s husband and Soo Ah’s husband, even Artist Do’s ex-wife, all stubbornly refused to let their spouses go even though they don’t really love each other. They don’t want them to be happy. They don’t like being inconvenient. They don’t like being humiliated.
Ji Eun’s and Soo Ah’s husbands both taking their wives for granted. They also flirted shamelessly with younger women.
They learned their mistakes in the end, but of course it’s already too late.
And that’s another lesson. If you have someone by your side in your life, never take them for granted.
But Min Yung (Yoon’s wife) stay consistently selfish until the end.
She came back after leaving him for 3 years expecting him to be full of love. But love needs effort too.
Instead she insulted his school which he loved, belittled his choice of career and lying to everyone about his degree because she’s embarrassed of him. And you expect him to be grateful? That’s not love. That’s psychological abuse.
She threatened to kill herself when she found out. That’s manipulation. She’s a hypocrite, she treated Ji Eun like she’s the most disgusting person in the world, she forgotten that she used to have an affair with a married man too.
After Teacher Yoon asked for a divorce she refused it just to spite him and Ji Eun. She even faked pregnancy just to separate them.
She forced them to sign an agreement that they will have to pay a huge fine if they see each other again.
I couldn’t find it in myself to feel sympathy for her at all.
But after all that commotion, Jung Woo’s wife and Ji Eun’s husband were the ones who easily and quickly move on.
While Jung Woo and Ji Eun still couldn’t contact each other in case they might breach the contract.
They were separated for around 3 years when they finally met again.
Yes, the reunion scene was not enough. We want some more.
But I love it that both had time to heal and learn to be happy on their own. And we know that they became the better versions of themselves, ready to be together again. Not out of loneliness or desperation. But simply because they love each other.
Acting:
I love Park Ha Sun and Lee Sang Yeob chemistry.
Ye Ji Won is beautiful and ethereal. Her acting is perfect and subtle.
Jung Sang Woon and Choi Byung Mo are very good albeit sometimes too dramatic.
Ryu Abel played very well to evoke my emotions.
Jo Dong Hyuk acting is mediocre.
Look out for the symbolism of Love, Faith, Hope and shoelaces.
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