https://www.instagram.com/resumilii?igsh=emVrdWt4ZHJzbjhphi everyone I know this isn’t related to dramas, but I’ve just created a new Instagram page dedicated to students, where I’ll be sharing study summaries and helpful academic content. To help this page grow, I’d really appreciate your support by following me. I follow back 🙏🏻
https://www.instagram.com/resumilii?igsh=emVrdWt4ZHJzbjhphi everyone I know this isn’t related to dramas, but I’ve just created a new Instagram page dedicated to students, where I’ll be sharing study summaries and helpful academic content. To help this page grow, I’d really appreciate your support by following me. I follow back 🙏🏻
https://www.instagram.com/resumilii?igsh=emVrdWt4ZHJzbjhphi everyone I know this isn’t related to dramas, but I’ve just created a new Instagram page dedicated to students, where I’ll be sharing study summaries and helpful academic content. To help this page grow, I’d really appreciate your support by following me. I follow back 🙏🏻
This drama is truly a 2025 gem, and even the title itself carries a meaning within the story you’ll understand it as you watch. I haven’t loved a modern drama this much since "Lighter and Princess" I honestly place them on the same level. They’ve become my ult dramas.
There’s so much to say… At the moment, I’m still watching and I’m currently on episode 18.
The atmosphere is melancholic, dramatic, and romantic at the same time. It’s a true slice of life, grounded in reality, with no exaggeration or unnecessary drama which is exactly what I love. It’s subtle, never over the top. This drama takes a much more realistic approach, far from the clichés and caricatures of overly formulaic rom-coms. This feels like real life.
As for the story, there isn’t really a traditional plot. We simply follow the daily lives of young adults and the gradual development of their relationships, while touching on many meaningful themes such as family, friendship, love, illness, and grief.
I really appreciated how the past relationship between Wen Yifan and Sang Yan is revealed through short flashbacks at the beginning of each episode. It’s far more effective than having a long “teenage” arc placed in the middle of episodes, which often breaks the pacing. Here, the flashbacks are thoughtfully structured and never disrupt the rhythm of the story.
The characters are genuinely lovable (except for Yifan’s awful family). Sang Yan, in particular, touched me deeply he’s such a human and sincere character.
At first, Wen Yifan appears cold, sad, and emotionally drained, almost lifeless. But as the episodes go by, we slowly understand why. She gradually changes: she smiles more, reacts more, gets shy, and starts breaking down her emotional walls.
Sang Yan is very tsundere he acts like he doesn’t care, yet he’s always there for her. What I love most about him is that he’s professionally reliable and incredibly considerate toward Yifan. He gives her exactly what she needs: a quiet, reassuring presence, never forcing himself or his feelings onto her. He treats her with so much delicacy, pays attention to every small detail, and it’s truly admirable. He loves her deeply, but never excessively.
The second couple is just as compelling and has nothing to be ashamed of. Si Qiao, the female lead’s friend, is such a joy to watch the kind of friend anyone could have in real life: energetic, funny, full of life, and coming from a big family. Hao An, on the other hand, is a socially awkward young man who simply longs for love. It feels like he didn’t even realize the small joys in his life until Si Qiao helped him open his eyes.
I genuinely don’t understand people who say this drama is bad or that the main couple lacks chemistry. In my opinion, those viewers probably only watched up to episodes 6–11 and stopped there. This is a relationship that takes its time slow, subtle, and deeply realistic and that’s exactly what makes it so beautiful.
All in all, this is a 10/10 for me. And I’m convinced that once you finish it, it will stay with you you’ll remember everything.
If I had to describe this drama, I’d say it’s "cringe". I loved Wifty, and I’m currently watching The First Frost, which I’m absolutely loving as well, but Hidden Love just didn’t work for me I dropped it at episode 10.
just by looking at the poster I immediately guessed who the killer was. People kept telling me the plot twist would be incredible… so now I don’t even feel like watching the drama. Seriously, whose idea was it to make a poster like that?
Exactly how I felt about this drama, as the drama moving forward, I feel the characters and chemistry moving backwards.
The saddest part is that the first 13–14 episodes were really good… It’s such a shame . and now I’ve seen for myself that people were rating it based only on the visuals. There was absolutely zero objectivity in those scores, which showed me I shouldn’t rely on MDL'S ratings anymore.
The story is divided into three arcs (Immortals → Demons → Humans), with the first being the strongest thanks to its emotional depth, solid pacing, and Simajiao’s well-developed background. The second arc remains decent but begins to lose impact, while the third is the weakest, with slow pacing, repetition, and unnecessary stretching. By the end, it genuinely feels like each arc was written by different people the rhythm becomes uneven, increasingly slow, and draggy. The finale especially would have benefited from being shortened.
Simajiao is the standout of the drama, with Arthur Chen carrying the show through his emotional performance and character growth. Tingyan is realistic and gradually matures, but most supporting characters are underdeveloped and serve mainly as background figures.
The romance shines mostly in the first arc; afterward, the relationship stops evolving and becomes repetitive, with less emotional connection + less chemistry i dont know it felt forced and rushed ...and not enough time spent together.
The OST is solid and fits the emotional tone of the drama well.
- If you're watching for the story, expect something simple that slows down toward the end but remains watchable.
- If you're watching for the romance, the first arc will likely satisfy you.
The true strength of this drama lies in its characters and the nostalgia it evokes. It really captures the feel of our childhood, and just for that, it’s worth watching. I also discovered a whole new group of actors, and I have to say their performances were excellent.
My only regret is that the drama is nearly flawless during the high school arc. However, once it moves to university, there’s a noticeable lack of ideas and a rush to wrap up the story. It’s a shame, because with a few more episodes, it clearly had the potential to be a 40-episode series. The high school arc tackled some really great themes. What’s even more frustrating is that the university arc falls into the cliché of a suddenly-introduced love triangle with some convenient plot devices, when this period could have been much more interesting there was so much to explore during their twenties.
I had hoped the adult arc would continue in the same strong vein, but unfortunately, it didn’t. Still, it’s a very good drama, and I had a great time watching it: 8/10, highly recommended!
I'm on episode 13, and I think this is going to be my favorite drama of the year. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a C-drama as much as Lighter and Princess.
There’s so much to say… At the moment, I’m still watching and I’m currently on episode 18.
The atmosphere is melancholic, dramatic, and romantic at the same time. It’s a true slice of life, grounded in reality, with no exaggeration or unnecessary drama which is exactly what I love. It’s subtle, never over the top. This drama takes a much more realistic approach, far from the clichés and caricatures of overly formulaic rom-coms. This feels like real life.
As for the story, there isn’t really a traditional plot. We simply follow the daily lives of young adults and the gradual development of their relationships, while touching on many meaningful themes such as family, friendship, love, illness, and grief.
I really appreciated how the past relationship between Wen Yifan and Sang Yan is revealed through short flashbacks at the beginning of each episode. It’s far more effective than having a long “teenage” arc placed in the middle of episodes, which often breaks the pacing. Here, the flashbacks are thoughtfully structured and never disrupt the rhythm of the story.
The characters are genuinely lovable (except for Yifan’s awful family). Sang Yan, in particular, touched me deeply he’s such a human and sincere character.
At first, Wen Yifan appears cold, sad, and emotionally drained, almost lifeless. But as the episodes go by, we slowly understand why. She gradually changes: she smiles more, reacts more, gets shy, and starts breaking down her emotional walls.
Sang Yan is very tsundere he acts like he doesn’t care, yet he’s always there for her. What I love most about him is that he’s professionally reliable and incredibly considerate toward Yifan. He gives her exactly what she needs: a quiet, reassuring presence, never forcing himself or his feelings onto her. He treats her with so much delicacy, pays attention to every small detail, and it’s truly admirable. He loves her deeply, but never excessively.
The second couple is just as compelling and has nothing to be ashamed of. Si Qiao, the female lead’s friend, is such a joy to watch the kind of friend anyone could have in real life: energetic, funny, full of life, and coming from a big family. Hao An, on the other hand, is a socially awkward young man who simply longs for love. It feels like he didn’t even realize the small joys in his life until Si Qiao helped him open his eyes.
I genuinely don’t understand people who say this drama is bad or that the main couple lacks chemistry. In my opinion, those viewers probably only watched up to episodes 6–11 and stopped there. This is a relationship that takes its time slow, subtle, and deeply realistic and that’s exactly what makes it so beautiful.
All in all, this is a 10/10 for me. And I’m convinced that once you finish it, it will stay with you you’ll remember everything.
The story is divided into three arcs (Immortals → Demons → Humans), with the first being the strongest thanks to its emotional depth, solid pacing, and Simajiao’s well-developed background. The second arc remains decent but begins to lose impact, while the third is the weakest, with slow pacing, repetition, and unnecessary stretching. By the end, it genuinely feels like each arc was written by different people the rhythm becomes uneven, increasingly slow, and draggy. The finale especially would have benefited from being shortened.
Simajiao is the standout of the drama, with Arthur Chen carrying the show through his emotional performance and character growth. Tingyan is realistic and gradually matures, but most supporting characters are underdeveloped and serve mainly as background figures.
The romance shines mostly in the first arc; afterward, the relationship stops evolving and becomes repetitive, with less emotional connection + less chemistry i dont know it felt forced and rushed ...and not enough time spent together.
The OST is solid and fits the emotional tone of the drama well.
- If you're watching for the story, expect something simple that slows down toward the end but remains watchable.
- If you're watching for the romance, the first arc will likely satisfy you.
My only regret is that the drama is nearly flawless during the high school arc. However, once it moves to university, there’s a noticeable lack of ideas and a rush to wrap up the story. It’s a shame, because with a few more episodes, it clearly had the potential to be a 40-episode series. The high school arc tackled some really great themes. What’s even more frustrating is that the university arc falls into the cliché of a suddenly-introduced love triangle with some convenient plot devices, when this period could have been much more interesting there was so much to explore during their twenties.
I had hoped the adult arc would continue in the same strong vein, but unfortunately, it didn’t. Still, it’s a very good drama, and I had a great time watching it: 8/10, highly recommended!