lilili

I think the FL & SML are going to help each other heal from their traumatic upbringings but not romantically

It's good but it's also really odd. Someone on Reddit commented "I'm still trying to figure out if I like it. I find it compulsively watchable, but all of the characters minus Gwang Nam are just...off (intentionally)...and I find myself struggling to connect with Jamie/Cha Eun (sic). She's a disaster. But a watchable one!"

The writers of this drama are very deliberately messing with your expectations. For one thing you get dropped into the story when the lead couple has already started to fall in love with each other. And the second male lead is never in the running at least up to episode 6. It's not a traditional triangle.

For the rest of your complaint I think if you keep it in mind that the FL is traumatized by her upbringing and is operating on the emotional level of a 14-year-old her behavior makes a lot more sense. Like I have no trouble understanding the dynamic with Madame Yoo who is her surrogate mother. You see this dynamic play out a lot in dysfunctional mother-daughter relationships

I agree with this. She told Jiho that his door was broken but the room is fine, but with her the door is beautiful but the room is a wreck. Her journey will be to emotionally heal and become a real adult.

It was a one night stand

He has a significant subplot. We had the scene where he tells Sang Eun that his sister blames him for his niece having a girlfriend and the scene at the family memorial where he fights with his sisters because they want him to get married. Plus there are gay rumors about the 2ML so at some point they are going to meet and I'm sure we'll get further development of that plotline.

When I got married we signed the papers at the church with the reverend as the officiant/witness so in our case it was all done on the same day but my understanding is that's not the case in Korea, you have to go to a government office and register your marriage. Re: the FL, she says in a voiceover that registered marriages cost more than simply having a ceremony. She's had multiple registered marriages but not all of the weddings are registered.

I agree, this is nothing like her previous dramas. In fact, a lot of people hated the first two episodes because they were expecting a standard issue PMY romcom and got weird dark trauma instead.

Yes but her registered marriagesdidn't overlap

People are confused about the FL's marriages so briefly: in Korea, the wedding ceremony is just that, a ceremony. You have to register your marriage to make it legal. The ML & FL have a registered marriage, in other words they are legally married. The FL has had wedding ceremonies with other men while she is married to the ML but the marriages haven't been registered so it's just a ceremony, not legally binding.

Okay, now that that's out of the way: four episodes in and I freakin' love this drama. It's so deeply weird. We thought we were getting a standard issue PMY romcom and instead we got romcom elements with dark childhood trauma and an LGBTQ character who isn't a caricature. Also Go Kyung-pyo's social anxiety disorder tsundere with a great body is making me feel things 😅

I think maybe the 2ML and gay bestie are end game and OMG I would love that so much.

There's a lot of time for the story to go completely off the rails but even if it turns into a complete mess in the end these first four episodes have been so good.

His facial expressions during the dinner with his boss had me literally screaming. But he's also bringing it in the more intimate and intense moments. I've always liked him but he is eating this role.

There's a gay character and the 2ML is entering the contract relationship to kill gay rumors so I'd say it's not the conventional SLS or love triangle but of course it depends on how it plays out.

I'm so curious if they will really go for gay relationship with the 2ML because that would be amazing.

I love your description of the relationship between the ML & FL. I think it's poignant that he struggles to connect with people so he pays for a contract relationship so he has someone to care for by feeding her. And she starts to fall for him because he's given her a safe, quiet space where she's fed and no one makes demands on her.

She had cheek implants put in and it's way too much.

I had the same thought about the male lead, and how it would have been interesting if Lee Min Ki had played him. I do really like Go Kyung-pyo though and I'm already hooked on this drama 2 episodes in.

I just finished Not Me which is a Thai BL but the romance is not the main point of the drama. There's a lot of social critique going on and the plot involves people who become vigilantes to try to correct social injustices. The actor who played Phupha in F4 Thailand is really excellent as the 2ML who is an artist and has his own romance.

Love this and just want to add that Thyme is a beast but so is Gorya. She's a fighter, she's loud, she's messy and she needs someone she can push on hard and who will match her in strength and emotion. Ren is not that person for her. He's too introverted and calm, it's not a good match much that I love him.

I agree with what you said about it being a masterpiece but only to a, certain point. For me it was up to episode 12 when Lita's arc ends. Then it was manufactured drama and implausible behavior from the leads. I would still describe this as a flawed classic that's a must watch, esp for Hana Yori Dango/Boys Over Flowers/Meteor Garden fans.

Some of the cuts of the plot were because of covid delays and not being able to travel overseas. They had a rough time on this production. It took two years to complete and they only filmed their last scenes last month.