What impressed me about this show is not the plot, which feels tropey and bloated, but the acting of our leads, especially our FL.

Allow me to explain. I knew the FL has great visuals especially her eyes. They are so expressive. She certainly looks glam from her first scenes, but her role soon required her to pull all her carefully curated facade down. We are talking total demolition. So much ugly crying, drunken antics, and serious faux pas. This is not unheard of in k-dramas where excessive drinking seems to be a national sport but most rom-coms would not take things too far and will let the leads down gently before buoying them up with a new lease on life and love. It is rare for a show to drop their FL in a pit of despair like this. So, hats off to Yoo In-na for her dedication to her craft.

Now, the plot was running reasonably well up to the halfway mark and you'd think that we are on course for an easy jog to the finish line. Unfortunately, we are hit by a relationship tsunami;
a) Both leads have had a nasty breakup, and both are hurting. Their growing feelings for each other is helping them to heal but their burgeoning romance begins to founder after their first passionate kiss. Add a couple of clingy ex's and it is a party. Hey, maybe we should start a drinking game. We take a shot after each cliche plot device. (Shot #1/2/3)
b) The marriage of the 2CP (FL's BFF) threatens total meltdown. It is also the usual growing apart/you changed trope (shot #4). I’m not saying that it can’t happen in RL, but it feels scripted and the resolution swings their relationship in the completely opposite direction without much preamble. It does make you wonder if it is sustainable.
c) The 3CP failed to launch when the older boss rejects the young pretty part-timer. It is the classic ahjussi-sonyeo setup (shot #5). The boss was burnt by a messy divorce, so he pushed back hard initially. This is not helped by a lack of chemistry between those two. Does the 3ML loves the 3FL at all or his took the path of least resistance once his male ego was suitably stroked. I see troubles ahead.
d) The 4CP's (FL's sister) romance is a textbook "love at first sight" trope. (shot #6) It is cute and sweet enough but it gets complicated real fast. Which resulted in another tropey situation. (shot #9? I'm too drunk to count)

When you consider there are only 14 eps rather than the usual 16, we have a petri dish of woes. This creates a lot of interference and left little room for our OTP.

This is a serious issue as it is the chemistry and connection of the OTP that captivated us in the first place but then it hits a wall while the ML tries to overcome a speech impediment anytime he needs to confess. All the while, the FL is suffering from terminal frustration. The extra 3 CP's and sundry ex's are fillers and they take the wind out of the OTP’s sails. Who’s show is this anyway?

By now, I'm hanging on with grim determination. There is no reason for the show to go dark on us and commit hara-kiri but there are moments of self-doubt. It is with a collective sigh of relief that the final episode delivered a sugar overdose. It is pretty much pure fan service. Not that I’m complaining but it really highlighted how the show took some serious detours before arriving at the designated spot. Honestly, I can pinpoint scenes where the ML could have said the magic words to the FL and we are home and hosed.

Acting wise, the FL is the star of the show, but the ML is very charismatic. His chemistry with the FL is undeniable. I loved his ability to portrait his inner thoughts, but I hated that aspect as well because his indecision has a major impact on the flow of the plot. However, this is a script problem.

Speaking of acting, the support cast is ok but most of the roles are tropey and one dimensional. For a shortened run, there are too many side plots/characters. It is hard for us to sort the wheat from the chaff. This is where the show lost points with me. Focus! Writer-nim focus!

In hindsight, I can see why the show wants to push the idea of loving someone for their real/imperfect self, rather than someone who is roleplaying the perfect partner. It is particularly true in this age of unrealistic expectations created by overheated social media. However, is that message consistent across all our CP's? I'm not so sure.

The show is entertaining, and I enjoyed watching our leads falling in love and healing each other. There are some skinship and a decent amount of swoon worthy moments. The rest is a bit of a crapshoot, and your mileage will differ. I do think that a better script with more clarity, fewer side plots and a smaller cast can take this show to the next level. Peace out.