A great watch if you don't mind the overbearing narcissism

While an extremely entertaining office drama, the biggest problem I had with this was the problematic narcissist main male lead – Lee Young – Joon. It was rather difficult (and slightly worrying) to understand how the female lead – Kim Mi-so could fall in love with him. Sure he goes through some character developments but honestly he’s such as ass at the start and it barely minimizes throughout the rest of the series. It’s only made tolerable by the fact that Kim Mi-so seems to be the only one able to put him in his place. However, it is not without its charm. If you’re willing to overlook the narcissism, there is plenty of heart and warmth in the story. There are plenty of swoomworthy moments – and despite my best intentions, I too did swoon (maybe it was just because its PSJ?). It is truly heart-warming to see the cold and rude boss become a more caring person (even if the recipient to this is only Mi-so herself) and once the plot twists come, it unravels some intense character development. The subplot presents an interesting and admittedly darker plot twist than you’d expect. It was a good twist but I felt like in some cases they used this to explain away his problematic behaviour.

The cast and performance:
Park Seo-joon and Park Min - young deliver stunning performances and while I might not have loved his character, you can’t hate on Park Seo-joon. His performance is masterful as we undoubtedly feel all kinds of things towards Lee Young-joon. Park Min-young again shows way she is a fan favourite. Her performance is wonderful and we have to credit her for being able to spend much of the series running in killer high heels!

Despite some of my reservations about the characterisation, the soundtrack does not disappoint. There are some wonderful ballads on here.

Final thoughts
Overall, a good show with some delightfully humorous moments and equally heartfelt moments.
For a seemingly innocent office drama- there is a lot of heart to be found within the story. As I understand it, this drama is a must see for those who enjoy the ‘office -romance’ trope. I can agree with to some extent, however, I’d say if you want something entirely wholesome and sweet with the ‘office/workplace romance’ without all the red flags go watch Business Proposal.

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A little touch of magic in everything

Review:

The series is split into two parts for a complex storytelling. The first part (20 episodes) really lays the foundation for an amazing character arc that comes full circle in part II. You have to be patient at certain points, but overall, the intensity of the characters and attention to detail does not disappoint. The secondary characters are a delight to behold as they bring a vibrancy to the story in an otherwise heavy on the plot story. The dynamics between the Four Seasons (Jang UK, Seo Yul, Park Dang Gu and Cho Yeong) are funny and makes you wish they had included more of those moments. It’s humorous without trying too hard and the endearing moments between the friends is something so real in a story set in a fictional town based entirely in the fantasy genre. Towards the end (especially in part II), I wished there had been more between some of the secondary characters (especially Park Dang Gu and Cho Yeong) as it felt their story was sort of rushed over for the benefit of the main leads.

The Cast and performance:

The Main male lead – Lee Jae Wook – brings a surprising intensity to the character Jang Uk that immediately has you rooting for him. Part I sees Jung So Min as the female lead and she does a brilliant job of layering the character’s story so beautifully. At one stage there are multiple characters and personalities and she plays them ALL flawlessly. The leads have amazing chemistry and its rather wonderful to see because you don’t quite realise it’s an epic love story until its too late.

The second female lead – Go Yoon Jung, (in part II) was an interesting but apt choice – as she immediately highlights the sharp contrast to the male lead especially to the character he once was. She protects him (Jang Uk) so he can protect everyone else. Her softness contrasts with the harsh reality of his pain and heartbreak. Go Yoon Jung deserves a lot of credit for being able to make the character her own while still drawing from part I so we’re not left feeling like we totally lost something. We grow to love the character she plays, nearly as much as we love Jang Uk does.

I loved the soundtrack on this one. There are some beautiful instrumental pieces that will leave you feeling nothing but utter peace. The opening sequence is pretty catchy and matched with great visuals. The OST can be found on spotify. I added a few of my personal faves to my own spotify playlist as well.

Final thoughts:
While the ending might have been a tad bit rushed for me (and others alike), I really enjoyed this from start to finish. The fantasy element really shone through for me. There might have been more I wanted form the show there was very little I would have changed. This is a beautiful story told with amazing scenes and an impressive cast. It’s a long haul of a story but definitely worth it.

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When the best friend goals are this strong you can't go wrong!

The relationship between the best friends in this show is so wholesome. They’re funny and messy and so chaotic it’s absolutely relatable. Shin Ha-ri and Young-seo are absolute goals. They’re both head strong women trying so hard to be independent and successful but also secretly wish to be wooed (a secret I think most of us share these days).

The main couple themselves (Kang Tae Moo and Shin Ha-ri) are so sweet. While Kang Tae Moo might start off as the typical cold-hearted mean spirited boss, it doesn’t last all too long as he opens himself up in a way that is both endearing and funny. The series presents plenty of wonderfully light-hearted moments intermingled with drama. Shin Ha-ri’s family dynamic is realistic and its what makes her so likeable as a main lead. She has an embarrassingly loud but loveable mother and a brother who is simultaneously always there and yet never around when needed. Kim Se – jeong does a remarkable job of portraying Shin Ha-ri, as she is sometimes clumsy and awkward around Kang Tae Moo but somehow it’s never cringey. A defining moment for me in the series was that at some point both female characters found themselves in an embarrassing situation and both male leads stepped up to help without blinking an eye. More over the fact, once it was over, they didn’t speak about it again. They made it so the girls were allowed to keep there dignity. Many shows would not have given them such a courtesy. The show is filled with moments where the characters learn to lean on each other – a particularly endearing episode sees Shin Ha-Ri realising one of Kang Tae Moo’s fears and subtly helping him through it. She’s rather masterful in how she does it and you can’t help but love her for it. It’s sweet and one hell of a green flag moment.

An important point to note (for me at least), is that unlike in What’s wrong with Secretary Kim, the female lead here does not sacrifice her own ambitions for the male lead. Shin Ha-Ri’s an ambitious and exceptionally smart woman and in both cases (Shin Ha-ri and Jin Young-seo) they follow through with their own goals. It’s hearty and wholesome and a completely perfect comfort show. It does not disappoint in the romance or drama genre. I only wished it was longer. 12 episodes didn’t feel like it was enough for these characters and I would have loved to see more of Shin Ha-Ri and the grandfather bonding towards the end. Another time jump last episode but it wasn’t as painful as you’d think.

The cast and performance:

Ahn Hyo-seop and Kim Se-jeong give a brilliant performance as the main leads in this drama. But if you’ve been following this drama you might have heard about the secondary leads, Seol In-ah and Kim Min-kyu who basically steal the show at every turn. The actors delivered so well on the comedy and managed to balance it out well with the romance and drama. It was an all round brilliant performance.

Final thoughts:
I personally loved with office romance over What’s wrong with secretary Kim? But that’s my own preference. There is plenty to love in this drama. Its sincere, heartfelt comedy that will melt your heart. It’s got some brilliant characters with great depth and the relationships in this are all top tier. From Shin Ha-ri’s relationships with Young-seo, to that she shares with her family and Kang Tae-moo, it will leave you wanting more. As I said 12 episodes was just not enough.

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