L13

The thing is, apparently in the original novel Xue Fangfei possesses Jiang Li's body or something. Since they've taken out the supernatural elements in the drama adaptation and she gets to keep her own body and appearance, some of the original plot points don't quite work, like for example no one realising JL is XFF, or the Shen family not exposing her on the spot. It's true that noble women didn't go out a whole lot in ancient China, but they did attend parties and social gatherings just like Jiang Ruoyao's coming-of-age ceremony (ji li), so at least some of the other nobles in attendance should have known what XFF looked like.

That said, overall I think the change makes the story better, so I can easily ignore these minor plot holes. Otherwise, XFF would be romancing Duke Su while inhabiting the body of a teenager and while that's not outrageous, I like it better when they're around the same age. Plus, Duke Su recognised her immediately in the drama because he'd seen her before (though he'd only glimpsed her from afar when she lifted her veil). Also I'm just kind of tired of stupid face/body swap stories to be honest... It's giving 8-minute episodes.

Bodyguard romance with cheating and shirtless Rain scenes? Finally... a reason to live...

Thank you, ~25 is exactly what I was thinking based on context clues… and thank God they didn’t keep the body switch element! That would have been icky.

lol if you remember the details, please tell me how old XFF is supposed to be in the novel because I asked this question earlier and there seems to be some confusion about it. Is she 20 years old or older?

Nah, I'm here for the romance. Having someone who's worth sacrificing your most treasured possession for is a good thing! She chose poorly the first time around, but that doesn't mean loving with one's whole heart is bad or stupid, so I hope she'll come around. She'll be truly healed when she can love again without fear of loss or betrayal, not when she destroys her enemies.

Right, I really don't think it makes sense that she was shipped off to her in-laws at 15, both because she had enough time to gain recognition for her accomplishments before marriage and because her father is apparently a super-duper principled scholar-official and Confucius says women should get married at 20... but apparently that's what the novel implies? Although it seems they may have aged up the characters in the drama? I guess I'll just imagine XFF and Duke Su to be in their mid-20s because the plot makes more sense that way (and the actors don't look super young either).

She does look a little older than him, but I didn't notice it until I looked up their ages and realised they're quite far apart. They can pass for the same age IMO.

I mean, early marriage was common at different points in ancient Chinese history, but according to the precepts of Confucianism, women were supposed to get married at 20, and men at 30. Noble families like XFF's could afford to follow these recommendations, and indeed we see that Jiang Li's younger sister, who's supposed to be 15-16, is already engaged but not yet married. I'm guessing XFF got married at 16-18 (which was possibly a little earlier than her morally upright father would have liked, since we already know he disapproved of the groom and she was the one who pushed for it).

I mean, I should hope we get a wedding between the leads...

How old are Duke Su and Xue Fangfei supposed to be in the story? Jiang Li, whom XFF is posing as, was not yet 20, but XFF had been married to Shen Yurong for "many years" (which I interpreted as 4-6, not 10+) before her near-death. So XFF should actually be in her mid to late 20s (still young enough to pass for 20, in any case)? Which is, I assume, similar to Duke Su's age? Also, does the original novel give a specific reason he's not married yet? You'd expect a high-ranking noble like him to have been locked down by now.

He's deaf AND he has amnesia? This is like one of those dramas where the protagonist is both a chaebol heir AND a genius lawyer, or a doctor and a lawyer at the same time... Cliche overload! But I like both leads, so I'll give it a try when it comes out.

This sounds like even more of a hot mess than your average Thai lakorn. A social worker… falls in love with an abused minor… whose case she was in charge of… Jesus! Some of these writers need to learn where the line between sexy forbidden love and “you’re either a terrible person or an idiot if you allow yourself to end up in such a questionable situation and I as a viewer have no desire to see you happy” is.

I genuinely thought this would never come out. I've had it in my Plan to Watch list for years! OMG, so excited.

This sounds pretty interesting, but why only 10 episodes? I miss the times when something other than a star-studded romance could get greenlit for 16 episodes.

Gotta say, Yokoyama You is looking like a snack in this drama. And more in the manner of a Hollywood actor with a memorable face that draws you in than like a perfect idol. He's gotten more attractive with age!

I mean… I wouldn’t mind a crumb of romance…

Do you need musical cues to tell you how you’re supposed to react to every line?

Yeah, so his fiancée's father is a retired policeman and his father MAY be one of the top dogs in the Korean police (unless the rumour his boss heard is misdirection and it was another Cha Yeonho who passed the police exam at the same time... but I think it's more likely that our CYH is the son of the commissioner, because his father-in-law mentioned that CYH joined the police force because there was something he had to do; I assume he's on bad terms with his father and his father will turn out to be corrupt).

It's been 10+ years since his pregnant fiancée died, so it's very unlikely he's in his late 20s OR early 30s IMO.

But they're not enemies; he's perfectly decent to her and she treats him the way a bratty teenager treats their parents. That's totally unacceptable in the world of adults (and she's been acting this way since the beginning).