I'm actually going to critique the comments and not the drama for once. Because I really feel like drama watchers have a hard time with mundane scripts. The mundane let's you appreciate the historical setting and nuanced human hardships. Not all historical dramas need an epic adventure and intrigue from the get go.

The first half didn't bother me at all for being "boring". I quite liked the way we were shown different historical settings than other historical dramas. I was able to appreciate and learn about interesting historical details. There's also a lot of realism in the way women are portrayed in this drama, we can see actual misogyny and hardships.

Second half is explosive and raw. This was my first time watching Joseph act and I am truly impressed. What a character! So much depth and emotions. I could write a whole essay on his character especially the last episodes. (if you watched it you know what scene I'm talking about)

On a last note scripts can be mistaken as boring when in fact they're intentionally mundane to showcase the historical setting, the human experience and nuanced themes. There were some weak moments in the plot and the development but the performance of the ML, the historical experience and the love story are enough to make this a very sold Cdrama.

On a side note, the school concept is interesting, it felt like I was watching boys over flowers historical edition.