Ummm ... where do we begin? First things first, you don't watch this show for the romance. You watch it for the DRAMA. The drama of it all is what saved this show because the romance was sorely lacking. Also, I saw someone said that the show had a strong beginning and got worse. I'd have to wholly disagree - it had a weak beginning and got better as time went on. Sure, the plot twists were pretty predictable overall but the whole "he bullies me because he has a crush on me" shtick has gotten old. I know fans are really into this more recent phenomenon of awful MLs treating their love interests like crap, but I've never bought into that. Especially if the writers weren't going to allow the FL to have a backbone and be seen as a strong contender against the ML but I digress. You like what you like, but it's redundant and repetitive at this point.

So, the beginning of this show was NOT doing it for me and I almost dropped it because of that. I don't like bully love stories. I can't stress that enough. However, when we got closer towards one of the major plot twists of this show, things started to get a lot better. Here's where my primary issue lies - I wish they would have made the FL a lot more morally grey than she actually was. The ML's mother (yep, she's a major antagonist/villain in this story. albeit not the Big Bad by the end of the show, of course) was overcome with so much guilt that she ALWAYS assumed that the FL was to blame for every stroke of bad luck she had. Honestly, that would have made for a better story if you ask me. If the writers had decided to make the FL morally grey in the beginning before transitioning to illustrate that someone else was actually in the background pulling the strings, this show could have easily been a 9.5/10. That would have given this drama more depth and complexity instead of falling into the predictable and easy route of "Oh, I'm just a damsel in distress who hasn't really done anything wrong and my boyfriend's mom is blaming me because her guilt is eating her alive." That was boring and lackluster. Give me more!

Back to one of my original points - the romance was there but I wouldn't necessarily classify this as primarily romance because it's more suspense/thriller/mystery. The leads had decent chemistry, I guess. The chemistry wasn't the problem. Their story is the problem. I don't mind noona romances. I don't mind age gaps but this age gap is wayyy more intense than what you typically see. Sure, age gaps in CDramas isn't a new thing but age gaps in xianxia/wuxia dramas are a different ballgame for a reason. Age gaps in modern CDramas are already walking on a tightrope between acceptable and downright inappropriate. This romance fell somewhere in the middle but closer towards the latter if you ask me. The ML was 17 and the FL was 30. Sure, he eventually turned 18 during the series but it's still icky to me because I can't imagine why an established 30-year-old woman would ever be interested in a 17-year-old high school teenager who hasn't even graduated yet. Frankly, what would have resolved this issue is sticking him in college instead of high school. Yes, his mother still being in complete control of his life could have still worked here, as well. All of this could have worked in a college setting! Also, there were things that happened that were obviously misconstrued and no one ever called it out. The ML kissed the FL on the cheek at an assembly in front of the whole school, including the administration, and we're claiming that SHE seduced HIM. That was inappropriate on all fronts and the FL didn't even appear into it, but it was inappropriate because of the student doing it. Not because the teacher begrudgingly allowed it to happen. There were a LOT of bizarre instances like that. Yes, she eventually crossed the line in a big way with the ML but not at that point in time and that confused the FUCK out of me.

Now, onto the plot twists. The first plot twist being that the ML's mother was the mistress that ultimately led to the deterioration of the FL's parents' marriage. Now, if you've willingly read this, then surprise! There's the first big spoiler. However, I must say how juicy that could have been in the hands of more imaginative and creative writers. The wasted potential of that arc is something I will always mourn because the places we could go! That arc was chock full of potential twists and turns later in the story but the writers dropped the ball there. The second plot twist being that the Director was the weirdo behind everything the entire time was ... predictable, to say the least. I always had a suspicion that it was him. To me, it was quite obvious that he was responsible for most of what was happening. There was a slight second where I thought it was the ML's father getting back at his overbearing, domineering wife but nope! I almost bumped the rating up to an 8 because I thought that's where we were going but then they completely went into a different direction and settled on the predictable route. I was disappointed!

All in all, the actors did a decent enough job with what they were given but I didn't buy the romance aspect of their love story. I didn't buy it at all. Unfortunately, that's not enough to keep your interest in the grand scheme of things. If you're able to get past the first few episodes, then you may be surprised. I must must underline the fact that the first few episodes are ROUGH. Those episodes will absolutely lead to you dropping it if you're unwilling to go there and I wouldn't blame you at all. I won't lie and say it's a masterpiece but it's watchable. Would I recommend it? Yes. Would I rewatch it? No.