Disappointing - didn't live up to high ratings, in my opinion

I honestly don’t know why this drama has such a high rating other than it’s based on e-sports/gaming, but I wasn’t crazy about Go Go Squid either so maybe it’s just me. Other than a lot of time spent on showing gaming action, this plot is the same ole plot you get with a lot of other C-dramas. All the same old tropes/cliches and plot devices are used – FL tripping and being caught by ML, ridiculous social media scandals, mom forcing ML on blind date, obsessed blind date (although thankfully brief), corporation buckling under pressure by ‘fans’, etc. There’s nothing new here, and in some ways, it’s a lot worse than I’ve seen in other similar C-dramas. So, let’s get into the details.

1) Lu Yue who is the younger brother of ML. He explodes into the drama in episode 7-8, and geez, this boy is incredibly annoying. At first, two team members don’t want to accept him back, and then, ‘oh, he was protecting us’, and now, we’re all good and we’re sorry that we thought you were unprofessional (which he definitely was - I don't care if another team threatens your team, you don't break a whiskey bottle over their heads, ok?), and yeah, go ahead and compete with FL for her starter position even though she’s only lost one game and she has a signed contract. Ridiculous and not a good message re: assault. Fortunately, the director/screenwriter muzzled this character in following episodes, making him slightly less irritating.

2) The way in which FL is constantly being singled out and targeted by 1) a player who just wants to humiliate her because she’s a newbie; 2) a player who’s got a crush on her; and 3) a player who wants revenge because she didn’t help him cover up his cheating with a fan. All these players are on opposing teams, and they all just happen to be Korean. Do the Chinese have something against Koreans? At least, two are portrayed as womanizers.

3) The social media scandal plot device is far worse than anything I’ve seen in other C-dramas because it goes on and on. Just a question – why does FL keep reading fan comments if they bother her? Just put down your phone, girl, ok? First of all, in the general population, how many people actually know who these gamers are? But the screenwriter/director makes it seem like everyone in the country is paying attention to this nonsense. Second of all, I’m tired of these corporations buckling under ‘fan’ pressure when we all know that most of this outrage is caused by a minority of loud trolls. Thirdly, these fans are lunatics, ok? They have no right to dictate a player's (or celeb or CEO) private life. I suppose it comes from the same mentality that says a parent has the right to interfere and dictate their adult child’s life. Ridiculous, and I’m frankly sick and tired of this plot device of public ‘outrage’. Social media is a scrounge on society and has caused unimaginable damage to people’s lives so we need to take away it’s power and stop paying attention to it.

4) I wasn’t impressed with FL. The more I saw her, the less I liked her. I’ll give her credit for not looking like the typical Chinese actress – long hair, high heels and bright red lipstick (that persona was saved for the blind date). She wasn’t overly ‘cutesy’, but she was still immature (she wore a mask in the workplace because she was ashamed of her drunken behavior – what is she? Ten years old?), and I got tired of that pouting expression on her face. Maybe this role would have been more likeable if played by a different actress.

5) In my opinion, Xu Cai’s acting abilities were wasted on this drama. He plays the rascal role much better than the tsundere. His best role, in my opinion, was in Arsenal Military Academy where he played the rascal and was given the opportunity to display his ability to show tender and heart-wrenching emotion. Nevertheless, I liked his character’s attitude towards fans, especially when he refused to settle with the parents of the psycho fan who sent razor blades to FL. But, why do these MLs always have to be rich? C-dramas insult capitalists whenever they get the chance, yet they sure do like wealthy, successful MLs.

6) The best part of this drama? The supporting cast, especially the trio of Fatty, Old K and Old Cat. They helped me make it through this social media scandal nightmare. It was nice to see the actor who plays Old Cat acting in a light-hearted role although his performance in By My Cat was amusing and cute. If I were FL, I would have gotten back together with the ex-boyfriend – I found this actor very cute. Sorry, Xu Cai, I loved you in Arsenal, but I found Jian Yang damn good-looking. Also, the secondary romance of FL’s bestie and Ai Jie was - thankfully - kept at the minimum.

If you like gaming, then I guess you’ll like this drama. For me, I don’t think it lived up to it's rating.

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Better than most WeTV shorts but still B-rate

I enjoyed the storyline and even the acting (although worse than a higher budget C-drama) until the final episode. I think the introduction of a kid was totally unnecessary, and frankly, these two didn't look old enough to have a five year old. I also think a five year separation was overkill, and tell me, how could his eyes still be healing after FIVE years? But that's what he said at the end. Also, if you're eyes aren't fully healed 1) why are you driving and 2) why aren't you wearing glasses? Little details like that just didn't make sense. It's clearly a 'short' C-drama, but it needed to be paced better so the ending wasn't so rushed and unsatisfactory. Yeah, they got back together, but it seemed too easy after five years, he didn't show much shock at being a daddy and he just gave her back the necklace rather than saying 'I love you, let's get married'.

The love rival apparently plays the b**** role well since she played a similar role in 'Love Starts From Marriage'. Can't miss that blonde hair.

I felt ML was rather stiff at times, but he was a better kisser than a lot of Chinese MLs. There actually looked as though there was some passion involved. His acting skills were ok, but I don't expect to see him playing ML in any high budget C-drama anytime soon. As for FL, I liked her better than a lot of these 'short' FLs because she didn't look or dress like a tramp/femme fatale. She looked ordinary with limited make-up and her hair in a messy bun. I really hate the FLs with the bright red lipstick, stiletto heels and long hair, not to mention the short shorts with a baggy suit coat. They look so trampy. Sorry - that's just the way they appear to me.

I liked Cheng Mu and wished he'd gotten the girl, but alas, he was cast in the role of SML who goes away frustrated and lonely.

It's an acceptable little drama to watch when you're bored and want something quick and easy to watch.

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So relatable!

I simply loved this drama because it was so relatable. In other words, I could relate to both FL and ML as well as many of the other characters. Theirs were real situations and real reactions. We didn't have any tripping and falling into ML's arms or accidental kisses that frankly, never happen in real life. (If you have experienced or know someone who's experienced an accidental kiss by falling on top of each other, I apologize, but it's practically impossible without at least getting a bloody lip.) The romance was the slow burn kind and wasn't a bunch of hearts and flowers and unicorns. It was a mature meeting of souls and hearts, common to what you'd experience in real life. That's why the first word I'd use to describe this drama is relatable. The situations you're going to witness could happen in real life.

I could see myself in FL – reserved, awkward around so many boisterous people, liking the finer things of life, unintentionally snobbish. I liked how the drama allowed her to have flaws, some of which were unpleasant but common. She was difficult to like at the beginning because of her city snobbiness. Even ML wavered back and forth between like and dislike. However, the viewer accepts her with her flaws just like the townspeople accept her. The only thing I didn't like about her was how she turned much too cutesy once she and ML were a couple. It was overdone in my opinion. The only thing she didn't do was pout like Chinese FLs. ML fell in love with you when you acted like a mature woman; why would he want you to suddenly turn into a little girl?

As for ML, I could understand his fear of allowing himself to love again, having lost so many loved ones in his life. I mean, heck, is this guy cursed or something? He lost far too many people – couldn’t they have spared him losing Gam-Ri as well? But, I guess, the writer felt we needed to experience all of life in this small town by the sea. It was amusing how ML basically could do everything – but dance. He had certificates for everything, a true jack of all trades, and I honestly felt there was no reason to change his preference for part time jobs and simplistic living. He wasn’t unemployed; he just made his living doing whatever was available, and by keeping his living simple, he didn’t need a lot of money. Not everyone defines life by a successful career. Some prefer a simple, peaceful life based on relationships. I liked how this drama didn't feel the need to turn Du-Sik into a man defined by his material wealth or professional ambition. I wish I were as brave as him. Seems like an idyllic life to me. And it was heart-warming in episode 15 how the town people had a hard time coping with their businesses when he secluded himself. It was also great how he and his love rival (Seong-Hyun) became good friends. A nice bromance.

Now, I'd like to comment on responsibility and blame. Du-Sik had a guilt complex. He blamed himself for everything. For example, he blamed himself for his grandfather’s death because he was out playing soccer when grandpa had a heart attack. Then he blamed himself for what happened during those 5 years in Seoul, which was not his fault at all. He was only coincidently involved because it was his job yet he received the blame (and accepted it) from the grieving family members. Why do these family members always have to find someone to blame rather than the person who’s really responsible? Gun-ho’s son viciously attacked ML, repeatedly calling him a bastard, yet the father (Gun-ho) was ultimately to blame for making the decision to invest in risky funds and then his attempted suicide. It wasn’t ML’s fault that the market crashed. He was even less to blame for his friend’s death yet the widow went off on him at the funeral. This blame game that relatives engaged in needs to stop in Korea and elsewhere. Sometimes crap happens, and nobody is directly to blame for it. It's just life. I was so angry at how Du-Sik was treated by these two families and even angrier when he willingly accepted the blame.

Poor Seong-Hyun – he should have confessed to FL back in university since she had a crush on him at the time. I really feel bad for these male love rivals who hesitate and then end up losing the girl. Seong-Hyun was a real sweetie and even more outgoing than ML. I really didn’t want him matched with Ms. Wang in the end. I don’t know why some writers think everyone needs to be paired off for a drama to have a happy ending. MC couple, yes, but other couples/characters, no.

I congratulate the writer/director for being able to juggle a supporting cast of 10+ characters. It was done effectively with each character adding to the overall story. At no time did it feel like there were too many characters since each had a part to play, and they didn’t distract from the MC at all. A Chinese drama wouldn’t have been able to do this. I would love to comment on each character, but I haven’t the time or space to do that so I’ll just mention my favorite of the group – the little boy, I-Jun. He was just such a mature kid and his little childhood romance was so cute. It’s obvious that when he and Bo-Ra grow up, they’re going to be a couple. Koreans love the childhood connection thing.

Speaking of childhood connections – I loved how ML/FL met each other throughout their lives in various situations. I also liked how at the end of each episode, there’s a short scene expanding on something that’s happened earlier. It allowed the viewer a peek into motivations and actions.

This is definitely a drama worth watching. It’ll make you laugh, cry and just feel really good about living in a small town. Plus, it’s so nice to see a drama set outside a city (Seoul). I wish more dramas would be set in the countryside rather than the city.

P.S. I also loved the 'la la la' song!

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Tragic for most characters but oh, so good for MC!

For me, this is the best dynasty era historical that I’ve watched even though FL spends at least a third of the drama married to another man (against her will, of course). Usually, I’m bored with dynasty historicals because there’s too many forced engagements, psycho female love rivals/evil moms/concubines and political intrigue, but I was not bored with this drama at all even though it contained several of those elements. I guess it was how and to what character those elements were applied that made the difference for me.

FL (Rong Le/Man Yao) – I loved her calm, dignified, mature nature. There’s none of that ‘cute’ crap that C-dramas like to add to their heroines. No baby talk or pouting. I did wish, however, that she had begun a bit of plotting herself instead of being a pawn in this game of revenge that’s going on. It wasn’t until she got the silver hair that she became kick-ass. That doesn’t mean that she’s a damsel in distress. She’s trained in martial arts and can fight with a sword; she’s just used and betrayed by a variety of people in her life. One inconsistency that bugged me - in the final episodes, she becomes pregnant and was determined that she would give up her life for the child (had a fight with Wu You about this too). Yet at the very end, she's apparently no longer concerned about the baby because she spends 5 years away from her husband and child mourning her first love, Rong Qi. Where's all those motherly instincts now? I know there was a blood bath at the end (7 people die), which can be traumatic, but it takes her five years before she returns to her husband and child's side? That just seems like an exaggeration of grief to me.

ML (Wu You) – I call him ML because he’s FL’s love interest and she ends up with him, but General Fu was also a male lead in terms of screen time. Poor Wu You - what bittersweet irony! He was so opposed to a marriage alliance (good for him, BTW!) that unbeknownst to him, he caused the woman he loved to be married off to another man! Yeah, he was deceived, but talk about the regret! I loved this guy despite his earlier schemes to get the book that everyone’s obsessed about. He’s honorable, capable, committed wholeheartedly to the woman he loves and is strenuously opposed to marriage alliances. His children will thank him! You’ve got to love a guy who purposefully takes poison to turn his hair silver in order to protect his woman! He and FL are such a striking couple when they have silver hair! I was sad when their hair returned to its original color. He's a rare breed - a Chinese ML that I simply loved! He was strong without being cold and had such a regal demeanor. Everything you’d want in a benevolent dictator. He and FL are such a beautiful couple! Once they are officially a couple, there are no longer any misunderstandings between them - they trust and are totally devoted to one another - which is part of the reason this drama is different than other dramas.

General Fu – oh, how I loved this guy even though he starts out as a villain! He’s the 1st husband of FL and acts as an impediment to the MC’s love story. It’s so sad how he longs for the love of his wife yet can’t get it no matter what he does. She constantly misunderstands and thinks the worse of him despite his patience with her (a true villain wouldn’t let her keep him out of her bed). Part of me wished that she would love him just a little so he could experience a little happiness but the other part of me wanted her to remain true to ML. Listening to his dream of a life with Rong Le in episode 33 was heart-breaking, and even more heart-breaking when he gets tricked by Hen Xiang. He finds out as the drama progresses that revenge isn’t as sweet as he thought it would be. In fact, it’s pretty devastating for himself and everything he cares about. The bitter irony is that he’s been used and is being used by the true villain (Fu Yuan) of this drama just as much as FL. Aw, my heart aches for him. I loved his expressions, especially when he's shaking his head and laughing to himself as though thinking 'what fresh hell is this?' Also, I loved his thoughts when the dying Hen Xiang promises to find him in the next life. Basically, his voice over says, 'Please don't. Just leave me alone already.' If there were such a thing as a next life, I hope he finally gets Rong Le.

Hen Xiang – one of the women obsessed with General Fu. She’s so obsessed that she puts on FL’s face to trick this poor guy into sleeping with her. All I can say is at least she pulled this on the General and not Wu You (keep our MC’s love pure!). Personally, I think this drama didn’t need her. She was just another character obsessed by unrequited love.

Sun Yali – this pitiful character had a ‘hero’ complex. Whenever she’s ‘saved’ by some guy, she falls in love with them. Instead of accepting the proposal of a man that actually wants her, she spends her life fantasizing about men that will never love her. She and her father were delusional to think they could force WY to marry her. WY never does anything he doesn’t want to do; peer pressure/imperial decrees don't faze him. He won’t be your typical C-drama emperor with numerous concubines. He makes it clear numerous times that he will only ever love and marry FL.

Emperor Qi, FL’s brother – Leo looks much better with short hair and glasses. The long hair doesn’t suit him. He’s another tragic character, another plotting male. It’s clear that he loves his ‘sister’, but he’s got an evil mom (the ultimate villain of this drama) to deal with.

Fu Yuan & Lin Shen - evil incarnate. Enough said.

There are many other characters I’d like to mention but I don't want to write a book. Let’s just say I was interested in all of them, which is unusual for me with a C-drama. This drama had it all – irony, regret, revenge, unrequited love (everybody pretty much didn’t get who they wanted except for MC), obsession, betrayal, but the worse of this was applied to supporting characters, leaving MC’s love pure and unshakeable even though they experienced difficulties. The story itself was interesting, held together and had a few shockers at the end as the main plot was finally revealed and the viewer understands the motivations behind things that have taken place in earlier episodes. It’s tragic on many levels, but the MC’s ending is so satisfying that it makes up for how many characters get killed off.

If anything these historicals make it clear that men marrying multiple wives/concubines and having multiple children via different wives breed hatred and strife. Wives/concubines constantly scheming, brothers constantly scheming for the throne. One husband and one wife is best for family unity as well as a peaceful nation.

58 episodes is a lot but it’s definitely worth the watch.

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A little slow but worth a watch

My observations:

1) ML is an absolute cutie pie and pretty much perfect…although some might consider him a bit too obsessive in his pursuit of FL. However, in my opinion, FL doesn’t deserve this guy. It’s not that I don’t like her; it’s just that I don’t like how she treats him, especially at the end when she dumps him for her career. Honestly, I can’t believe this nearly perfect man is dumped twice: once by his ex-girlfriend for another guy and once by FL for her career. I agree with her mom – no career is worth leaving a man like this. He’s a once in a lifetime find. It’s really unfair of the scriptwriter to have him dumped twice. And, honestly, how realistic is it for a guy to be dumped twice, especially one as wonderful as this guy, but I suppose one can ask the question – how realistic is it for a guy like this to even exist in real life.

2) One reviewer I read said that ML’s motives for showing FL the truth about Jae-Shin were purely selfish in nature. Perhaps but honestly, she needed to know. If I were her, I’d want to know before I made a bigger fool of myself. Plus, ML took this course of action, knowing that she might hate him afterwards so was his motives purely selfish? He could have waited and let her discover the truth in 3 months, but of course, maybe Jae-Shin would have kept seeing her after his marriage, making the betrayal even worse. I think ML did the right thing despite the benefit he received in their break-up.

3) I didn’t like how FL wasn’t straightforward with Jae-Shin. She avoided telling him the truth as to why she was breaking up with him over and over again. Just tell him that you know about the fiancée instead of making him guess! This guessing game just didn’t seem to fit her normally straightforward character. Yeah, to her and ML, he was a jerk, but the viewer knows that Jae-Shin isn’t as bad as he seems. He’s a man being suffocated by his father, a woman who’s mentally unstable and her rich family. Instead of Jae-Won begging JS to accept his sister, he should have been making arrangements for her to be placed in a psych ward. No doubt JS’s relationship with FL was the one place he could go and BREATHE, which is why he didn’t want to accept the end of it.

4) I think Jae-Shin is an interesting character, probably the most interesting of the drama. On the surface, he appears like a typical cheating boyfriend, but I felt real sympathy for him and the life he was living. He clearly didn’t want to marry the Hyo-Joo (I despise people who threaten suicide to blackmail the object of their obsession) but felt he couldn’t resist because of his dad’s debt and the deal he made with Jae-Won as a teen. The best thing that happened to him was his dad’s death since it made it possible for him to break free from the toxic Hyo-Joo & Lee family. One of my favorite moments of the drama is when Hyo-Joo asks him later on (after she’s recovered from her obsession) if he ever regrets ending it with her, and he says, ‘Not once.’ Good for you, Jae-Shin! I’m so glad he was able to live free in the end, although, by that time, there was no hope of recovering the woman he loved. Just a side note: Hyo-Joo's outfits were ugly - too big on her and loud.

5) I liked FL's calm voice and manner. She behaved maturely except for the guessing game she put Jae-Shin through. However, I found it hard to like her when she leaves for Europe and eventually dumps ML. Clearly, ML loved her more than she loved him since he was willing to suck it up and wait it out until she returns, but she throws him away like something you once cherished but no longer have time for. Oh, sure, she cried – boo hoo - but the fact remains, that she chose herself over the man she claims to love. I guess, in the modern world, sacrifice is a dirty word, and now, it’s all about ME and MY dreams because you know, I don’t want any regrets. All of us regret at some point, no matter what choice we make. At least, when she comes back, she does acknowledge to her friend how shameless she’d be to expect ML to take her back. If I didn't prefer happy endings, I would have rooted for ML never to take her back. At the very least, he should have made her suffer longer than he did, but we only had an episode to get them back together, I guess. Just one question – why do all these FLs’ dreams involve studying aboard, working aboard? Can no one further their career in their own country, in their own city? And why do most of these dreams seem to be about acquiring power/prestige through career? Is furthering one’s career the only dream these days? I guess I must be showing my age because I still believe that relationships are important and shouldn’t be thrown away so casually. But I guess in the end, since she returned after only 3 years, she found out that her dream wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. That’s the dirty little secret dramaland doesn’t tell the young women watching these dramas – dreams aren’t always what you imagined them to be.

6) Jae-Won and Ji-Seong added a bit of humor, which this Rom-Com was seriously lacking. Uh, writer/director, this is billed as a Rom-COM, which means there should be some comedy involved. This relationship (thanks mostly Jae-Won), the little girl, Ha-Eun, and the coworkers were the only comic relief. For the most part, it was pure romance. I would have liked to see more of Jae-Won and Ji-Seong – it took forever for their romance to get off the ground, mostly because so much time was spent on FL rejecting ML, and ML looking like a lovesick puppy. I know FL was coming out of a broken relationship, but geesh, for the sake of viewer interest, could we move her romance with ML along a bit faster? Heck, why not send her off to Europe early on so she could get Jae-Shin out of her system and be ready for a new love? It would have been kinder to breaks ML’s heart before she actually started a relationship with him, but alas, this great guy is destined to be kicked around by the women in his life.

Overall, it was an ok drama, but I'm not likely to go back and watch again. If I did watch again, it would purely be in order to gaze at that Cutie Pie, Chae Hyun-Seong.

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Surprisingly Good!

I don’t expect much from C-dramas so I go in with low expectations. The Sweet Girl, however, exceeded those expectations. Not once in the 24 episodes did I get bored and press the fast forward button. I think that’s due to most of the drama being focused on ML/FLs romance rather than side romances or intrigue. Don’t get me wrong, there is, indeed, intrigue as a competing workshop tries to cheat their way into winning the chamber of commerce’s competition, but those scenes are kept at a minimum. Just like the secondary romance between Su Yi and Lvshai. Also, there’s plenty of psycho chicks who think they’re the only ones worthy of ML/SMLs love because somehow hanging around them entitles you. But, the psycho chicks, although annoyingly sure of their own worthiness, in no way has a rat rear end’s chance of coming between ML/SML and FL, and subsequently get banished by ML/SML for trying to do so. Nice to see men that take immediate action against these toxic women. Well, anyway, on with the review.

This period piece was set – I think – in the 1920s, which immediately wet my interest. Any time I find a C-drama set in a historical time period other than the dynasties, I pounce like a cat on a mouse. The costumes were romantic and a welcome change to the typical dynasty garb. I just wish more of the women had 20s hairstyles – really only Su Yi’s mom fulfilled that wish. At least, the men had short hair (although with A LOT of product in it), not man buns or long flowing tresses.

ML – If I didn't have a bad case of SML syndrome right from the start, I would have liked him better. Also, if his hairstyle for the first half hadn’t remind me of Edward Scissorhands, I might have like him better…but it was cute how he could expel a puff of air from his mouth and move that one strand of hair on his forehead. Wonder if he could do that naturally or it took him practice. I was impressed with the actor’s ability to express his character’s emotions. His expression turned so sweetly loving when he looked at FL (once he’s fallen in love with her, of course). He really did look like he adored her. And he expressed a fair amount of angst when FL nearly died and then when she was scheduled to marry SML. He also brought humor to the drama – not laugh out loud humor – just smiling to yourself humor. I would have been perfectly satisfied with FL’s choice if it weren’t for SML syndrome.

SML aka Mr. Pei – FL didn’t fall in love with him, but I did, and my heart broke for him as FL gravitated toward ML. I guess that’s the advantage of proximity. Honestly, there was no reason for her to choose ML over SML other than proximity…and the script told her to. Mr. Pei was sweet and kind and elegant. He was so happy when the evil Mrs. Qin arranged for him to marry FL, and my heart broke once again when she was snatched away from him at the last minute. Too be so close to your dream and then have it taken from you – no wonder he hated ML after that! Yeah, he strayed in the psycho chick territory for a while – she’s not yours if she loves the other guy, sweetie - but I still loved him. I kept telling FL that there were worse things than marrying Mr. Pei, and she just wouldn’t listen to me. Darn it!

FL – a typical spunky heroine although she was also incredibly stupid. How could she not know for 20 episodes that ML knew who she was? How could she think that he was in love with the previous Manager Lu when he told her to her face over and over again that he loved her? I can understand thinking he used you to get the book- since you heard something to that effect - but there’s no way she can't know that he knows who she is unless she’s just stupid.

Second couple – Su Yi and Lvshai. They were one of the first C-drama second couples that I was actually interested in - probably because the scriptwriter/director kept their story to the minimum. Their romance didn’t distract from the MC. I did find SFL’s timid behavior rather annoying, and honestly, would these Chinese parents really accept their son marrying a maid/shop worker? I know we’re in the 1920s, but these parents were surprisingly kind and accepting of their son’s choice in wife. Not that I’m complaining – I’ve had more than enough meddling Asian parents! I’m always happy to see nice Asian parents – although I could’ve done without the concubine thing. Sad to know that kind of stuff was still going on in the early 20th century.

The villagers did get on my nerves. First of all, what is this? A village of women and children only? How come Agui was the only male in the village? And why was FL the only woman willing to stand up to the bad guys? I guess the helplessness and dependency of the villagers just rubbed me the wrong way. Also, Grandma had TB but somehow recovered? TB was pretty deadly in those days so I found her recovery a bit far-fetched.

Finally, the ending seemed a bit odd to me. Why would FL suddenly decide to take the kids and head out on an adventure, leaving ML behind? Did she get bored because she was no longer Superflash? I don’t get it. And then ML runs after them to join them in their travels. Uh, who's minding the shop and producing money? Why did this family suddenly decide to travel when everyone was perfectly content at home for the previous 24 episodes? Just makes no sense to me.

But, overall, this drama exceeds my expectations, and I would highly recommend it.

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Worth the Watch if You Can Tolerate the Exes

This is basically a drama about first loves vs. new loves so be prepared for far too much time spent on ML/FL’s exes. I would have enjoyed this drama more if we’d had more time watching the sweet and emotionally mature romance between ML/FL rather than watching their annoying (ML’s ex) and psychotic (FL’s ex) exes trying to win these two back. The audacity of these two exes is breathtaking, especially the female ex. So, let’s start with the bad first.

The bad – the exes. ML’s ex is No-uel. I call her the Christmas cupcake since her name looks like ‘Noel’ and she’s got the personality of a cupcake – nauseating sweet and fluffy, a typical ‘damsel in distress’ who thinks men have to roll over and do her bidding because she’s pretty. What ML (Hae-Kyong) ever saw in this woman in beyond me other than the script told his character that he had to love her in the past. She has absolutely no personality or uniqueness that warrants this man’s devotion. She a selfish, spoiled, narcissistic, immature, entitled brat of a woman. All she’s got going for her is her body and her looks. I wouldn’t expect a man of ML’s depth to be in love with such a shallow, superficial character. Her character is totally useless to this whole drama other than ML had to have a ‘first love’ to correspond with FL having a ‘first love’ who comes back out of the blue. It makes absolutely no sense why ML would still be confused about his feelings for this woman because she doesn’t deserve his love. I never once believed that No-uel ever truly loved ML. It was always all about her, and it's still all about her. Now, FL’s ex. Jae-Hyuk is a first-class psycho, but at least, his character is interesting, and I did feel some sympathy for him because of his emotional torment and mental illness. I didn’t doubt his love for FL although it was an obsessive, unhealthy love. The actor, Lee Ji Hoon, does a terrific job portraying this character. Unlike No-uel, Jae-Hyuk was an actual danger to this couple & himself. But around episode 10, I had had enough of these two exes and simply wanted them to GO AWAY, especially No-uel. I didn’t mind Jae-Hyuk sticking around a bit longer since I wanted to know the real reason he left FL and his background with Keanu. Jae-Hyuk mattered to the plot; No-uel didn’t. Way too much time was spent on the exes and the leads’ continuing relationship with them. Honestly, ML shouldn’t have had as much trouble as he did turning the cupcake down flat, considering how she treated him during their relationship (she admits cheating on him). However, I could understand FL’s struggle since Jae-Hyuk treated her well before their break-up.

Now, the good. ML was WONDERFUL! This man is a saint! A true gem! How any woman could treat him like No-uel or even FL (she was always pushing him away; I wanted to shake some sense into her several times) is beyond me. He was perfect…other than being a tad too cautious and reserved. And he was just too nice. He needed to be firmer with No-uel and tell the woman ‘there’s no way in hell I’m getting back together with you so keep your tears and your hands to yourself, especially in front of my new woman.’ Don’t just look uncomfortable – take action and push her hands away, buddy. In this instance, he needed to be more like a Chinese ML who is flat-out rude to the female love rival. Other than his lingering feelings for that cupcake – which was completely illogical in my opinion - he was everything a woman would want – handsome, successful, gentle, understanding, etc. Why FL took so long to see that is purely a contrivance of the script to drag out the drama – a real woman would have pounced on this man and never let go! I do like how his character does become bolder, more willing to display emotion and take risks - the very things cupcake wanted, Do-Hee, without any conscious effort on her part, manages to pull out of him.

I liked FL (Do-Hee) a lot. She had spunk but she was mature, especially in her relationship with ML. They both trusted and respected each other so there wasn’t a lot of jumping to conclusions or misunderstandings. They felt like one of those couples that are just ‘meant to be’ since they managed to stick together despite the clingy exes that circled them like flies. At about episode 10, if I were either of the two leads, I would have gone off on my ex since they were starting to behave like dog poop you can’t get off your shoe. Stop harassing me already! I don’t love you anymore! It was frustrating how it took Do-Hee so long to commit to Hae-Kyong, but I suppose it's reasonable for her to hold back after the two ex-boyfriends she'd had, but it made so sense to me how she felt her past was an obstacle to her relationship with ML. He knew all the ugly bits and still loved her so what's the problem? She played the noble idiot 1-2 times, but at least, it was brief! But, boy, it was heart-breaking for the viewer to watch Hae-Kyong's confusion and misery.

My biggest complaint: the scriptwriter/director really needed to give us more sweet romance between the leads – they were so darn cute together. It was so adorable when they both were imagining romantic scenes with each other. And boy, it was a long wait for their first kiss! Fortunately, as we near the end and the problem of Jae-Hyuk is resolved, we get more cuteness as they settle into their relationship. The final episode is like a sigh of relief after the tension/angst of the proceeding 2-3 episodes.

The supporting cast was good as they are with nearly all K-Dramas. I don’t know how the Koreans do it, but they have a wonderful knack for creating interesting side characters. The side romance between Ah-Yeong and Keanu was cute as well and was well balanced so it didn’t distract from MC’s romance. It was a little odd how Geun knew everybody in the love square individually – what’s the probability of that in real life? He was like a spoke that they all revolved around. I absolutely loved how he finally scolded No-uel for her selfish behavior. My advice to her - look, honey, there are consequences to the decisions you make so now you have to live with them. You can't have back the toy you threw away.

Overall, I enjoyed this drama, although I fast forwarded through most of No-uel because she was just an irritant (although her character does improve once she stops harassing Hae-Kyong). If you can put up with exes that just won’t go away and a slow burn romance that makes you want to shake the leads at times, then watch this drama. The sweet moments between ML/FL are worth it…not to mention Song Seung-heon’s (ML) smile. If they ever made the webtoon/comic ‘The Office Blind Date’ into a drama, I think Song Seung-Heon just might be handsome enough to play the lead role of Kang Tae-Mu. The only reason I marked the re-watch value low is because there's too many scenes with the exes and not enough of the leads being romantic.

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Beautifully romantic

Absolutely LOVED this drama. It was so romantic, and the music was outstanding, from the melancholy cello instrumental to ‘Forever Shine’ sung by ML, Evan Lin. I highly recommend. You won’t be disappointed. It just has a wonderfully dreamy, romantic feel to it.

In every drama that I’ve seen Wan Peng (FL), I’ve liked her immensely. The characters she plays aren’t too cutesy (so they don’t get on your nerves after 24+ episodes), and they behave in a mature, straight-forward fashion – just like an ordinary girl/woman. In Crush, her character was certainly persistent as she pursed ML in the 1st half of the drama but not annoyingly pushy. She simply didn’t let his cold attitude deter her, and her persistence paid off as he finally, as he says later, ‘allowed’ himself to fall in love with her. Even when she was acting emotionally/irrationally during their break-up, she was still likeable. Her reaction was a ‘real’ reaction – you could imagine a real woman making the same decisions she made under the circumstances.

As for ML (Evan Lin), I’ve found a new Chinese actor to fan-girl…even though I’m far past the age of being a ‘girl’. He’s not handsome; he’s beautiful, and he does a good job of looking ‘other worldly’ when he’s playing the blind portion of this character. He looks like he belongs in a serene, ethereal garden. Sort of untouchable. He looks even hotter in those glasses. It’s so romantic when he’s carrying FL down the stairs even though he’s blind! And he manages to get her all the way to the hospital too! Yes, his character is insecure and needy (especially when he finally allows himself to ‘need’ FL), and he does morph into the domineering, somewhat obsessive CEO during the 2nd half of the drama, but his behavior is still believable. Honestly, he sort of has to become the obsessive CEO since FL freezes him out when they meet again. His character certainly has its flaws, but you love him anyway. At least, I did.

The break-up. This, too, was believable, and to me, both characters were to blame. Both were dealing with sick fathers and external pressures so there was a lot of emotion flying around and they made rash decisions and statements. There shouldn’t have been a break-up because they loved each other, but circumstances and overcharged emotions sort of forced it upon them. Once everyone calmed down, they should have gotten back together again, but it took three years for that to happen. I do think FL didn’t need to treat ML so coolly when they met again, but I suppose it was a defense mechanism. I’m glad ML took the initiative to pursue her; I guess it was a reversal of their first meeting where she pursued him despite his coolness. I loved how, to him, they’d been engaged for three years despite their separation.

The parents. ML had a complicated family, but they really didn’t factor into his romance with FL – other than his dad’s illness adding to the emotional break up and how his mother’s death shaped his worldview In other words, they didn’t actively interfere. FL’s dad was the typical kind Chinese dad but ends up dying. FL’s mom, however, played a large role in ML’s insecurities. First half of the drama, mom was the typical control freak Chinese parent – trying to direct FL’s career choices and basically, telling ML he was a burden to FL because of his disability. So unkind and insensitive and really discriminatory. By 2nd half, mom had mellowed and was all for their relationship. Mom’s initial opinion of ML is one of the reasons he went through with eye surgery and accepted the role of CEO; he wanted to prove that he wasn’t a burden.

I did think it odd that ML's 'aunt' was counseling FL on why ML responded or act as he did - I thought FL was the psychologist. Shouldn't she have been able to figure that out herself? Also, shouldn't she (or someone) have realized that she needed counseling in regards to her dead roommate? Until ML showed up, it seemed like everyone was fine with her hallucinations - at least, no one was actively urged her to get counseling. The hallucination thing was sort of creepy, and I really don't know why it was added.

The second couple – I wasn’t interested in them or their band (although their song was pretty cool!). I really wish C-dramas would stop spending so much time on second or third couples. It distracts from the MC, and for me, I’m usually bored with the relationship and fast forward through it. There’s nothing wrong with having other couples but spend less time on them. K-dramas have figured out how to do this; C-dramas haven’t…although ‘Poisoned Love’ does a fairly decent job of balancing MC & 2nd couple.

The music was wonderful! Loved this soundtrack. I love it when MLs sing some of the music.

Like I said before, I loved this drama because of its romance, its music and its characters. I highly recommend it.

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Cute and amusing yet serious as well

My favorite C-drama blogger dropped this drama because she couldn’t keep track of what was going on with the cases, but I didn’t experience that problem. It lagged a little prior to episode 20 due to the writer focusing on establishing the romance/relationship between ML/FL, but once attention was turned back to solving the mystery of Master Shi Bo Yin, it progressed nicely and in a logical fashion. Most loose ends were tied up by the final episode. There weren’t any unexpected twists like in a K-drama, but at least, things made sense. We also got all three Long brothers married off as well as cleaning house at court by at least two corrupt families being wiped out. There’s concubines, but they’re all limited to the emperor. Fortunately, the parents of the brothers are dead so they’re not being pressured into a political marriage. Only older brother’s love interest, Shu Ruo Chen, is being forced to become a concubine to the emperor…but of course, she gets out of it.

I suspect the drama is called ‘Marry Me’ because ML/FL get married to each other a total of THREE times…although it takes a few episodes before they get around to the first marriage. A large part of the first half involves ML refusing to admit he’s in love with FL although it’s obvious to everyone else (except himself & FL) that their ‘fake’ marriage is actually a real marriage in terms of how they feel about each other. I think ML knows that he's in love; he's just too pompous to admit it.

As far as the other brothers/couples: I liked older brother because he was what you’d expect from an older sibling – steady, mature and cautious. He doesn’t say a lot and he doesn’t rush into things. I didn’t care for the girl he was paired with. Although she displayed spunk at times, and she was likeable enough, she seemed too young and childish for him. I think the third brother’s girl, Feng Wu, would have been better for Long Teng. It was sweet, however, when near the end, LT gave RC a puppy to replace the one her dad killed. Awwwww! I liked the third couple although nothing really memorable sticks out in my mind concerning them. I will say, however, that they interested me more than the third couples in a lot of modern C-dramas.

To be honest, my favorite character was the villainous mastermind, Lord Yun. I just couldn’t hate him. His one-sided love for FL made him sympathetic - at least to me. I had no trouble hating Shu Bo (older brother’s girl’s dad), but I just couldn’t hate Yun, even though he was the mastermind behind most of the intrigue. He single-handedly wiped out the entire Ding family except for the youngest sister. Bravo! Dad Ding was corrupt, and I disliked Yun’s wife, Xiang Ding. Yeah, she was supposed to be this kind, sweet girl, but to me, she came across as too sweet. I was always waiting for her to drop the mask and become a harpy like her sister. What kind of woman goes and proposes marriage for her husband? Yeah, I’m going to go out and get my husband the woman he’s obsessed with, and yeah, FL is going to agree to that. Her love for her husband was pathetic, especially when he was hung up on someone else. I was glad when she finally kicked the bucket. I guess I liked Yun because he played the role normally reserved for female love rivals – he was obsessed with FL & schemed to get her. So refreshing to see a psycho dude instead of a psycho chick.

My second favorite character was FL’s dad. He was good-natured and funny (especially at the end when ML is attempting to marry FL for the third time). Loved how the dowager empress declared that Long Yue was footing the bill for the weddings. HAHA. I wonder if the guests were thinking to themselves - What? We have to attend ANOTHER Long wedding?

About mid-way, the drama turned more serious as the writer began focusing more on unraveling the mystery. We see a lot of power struggles among families – first Family Ding is on top and then Family Shu. Family Long gets involved because of FL trying to clear her master’s name and Yun’s schemes. And ultimately, all this intrigue is centered upon the emperor securing an heir to the throne. I was really quite amazed that the plot held together so well, and most lose ends were tied up at the end.

By the time I reached mid-point, the drama became amusing just because of how ridiculous some things were. Here’s a few examples: what’s with the white ribbons of cloth that Lin Yue Yao unfurled from her wrists? All I could think of was Spiderman! And then that flying blade that Feng Wu used that could take out a whole pack of assassins like a deadly boomerang. I especially liked how Lin Yue Yao and Hua Yi Bai died together – she throws herself in front of him and they both get speared by the sword. How romantic! I mean, if you’ve got to go, why not go with your lover, right? Hua, however, never got to be her lover while alive. Poor guy. Also, how did Big Ears (Shi Bo Yin) manage to secure the obsessive devotion of three women? Really, I got a little sick and tired of hearing FL wailing about her precious master. I did enjoy the Fuxi Score being played on the qin – it sounded really cool!

Overall, I liked this drama and found it entertaining. It was worth the 33-35 hours of time spent watching it. Maybe the chemistry between the leads could be better, but at least, the plot managed to stick together with a logical progression although it did seem to get bogged down a bit as the writer focused on developing the relationships/romances, and everyone managed to find a love interest, even ML’s servant and the younger Ding sister. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you invest the time like I did watching it.

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One of my favorite Rom-Coms!

This Rom-Com really struck a note with me because I'm a writer. I don't write professionally, just as a hobby, and I really found the relationship between writer/editor/publishing house interesting. I learned a lot about editors/publishing. So, first off, the subject matter really struck a chord, and then the lead characters kept my interest.

At first, I really found FL's voice/mannerism annoying, but I ended up really liking her as the drama progressed. She seems like a dingbat, but she was really quite smart, easily manipulating those around her with her charm and sincerity. The chemistry between her and ML was a delight to watch as they bickered and bantered with each other. They were one of those couples that just seemed 'fated'. For me, not all drama couples seem like they're meant to be, but this couple did. Even though I loved SML (so mature, so sweet, so sensitive), I was always on Team Mr. Fox/Zhou Chuan.

Now to my favorite character - Zhou Chuan or The Disappearing Mr. Fox. I simply adored this character! He is my 2nd favorite C-drama ML, just below the ML on 'Arsenal Military Academy'. I loved his grumpy obtuseness. I just found him so cute even though he had the unfortunate tendency to be childish and bad-tempered and completely clueless when it came to romance/relationships. I loved how FL could so easily control (or manipulate) this uncontrollable, demanding, prickly author. I loved how they were online 'best friends' before they became a real couple. I loved how ML was always calling SML for advice and then grumpily rejected the advice he got. The chemistry between ML and SML was nearly as good as the chemistry between ML/FL. It's probably not intentional, but ML's voice inflections reminded me of the puppet Reynardo on the old Leslie Caron movie 'Lili'. And oddly enough, Reynardo was a fox.

I didn't have much interest in the second couple's romance and fast forwarded through much of it. I just didn't care for SFL. I adored SML (too bad FL can't have both men!) but found SFL too chic. I just wanted SML to have someone better. But tell me, why does the second couple always seem to sleep together first and have hotter kisses in C-dramas?

I was pleased to see that both sets of parents were likeable although ML's dad was as bad-tempered, uncompromising and demanding as his son. BUT it was a lovely moment when dad presented the award to ML at the end. It brought tears to my eyes. So glad that neither set of parents were opposed to ML/FL's relationship.

The two scheming male bosses in the publisher house were super annoying - I guess this time the men got to be the villains. Usually, it's the women in C-dramas. But FL outcame both. We did have a psycho chick after ML few a few episodes, but she was more pathetic than threatening. ML was on to her antics way before FL and made sure he didn't spend any time alone with her - such a conscientious and shrewd ML (which was amazing considering how clueless he was concerning other matters). As I've said before - men, be careful with your random acts of kindness - you may end up with the a psycho chick obsessing on you.

Overall, I loved this drama, especially the relationship between ML/FL. There was not a lot of angst (which I prefer). The only time ML/FL was separated was when FL found out about ML's online identity and was rightly angry, but their separation didn't last long. There was no bouts of noble idiocy or the 'I love you but I've got to chase my dreams' thing. No serious, scheming love rivals or past loves that suddenly come back from the dead to haunt the future. It was a simple story about an editor's sincere desire to help her writers succeed and the romance she has with one of those writers. Nice ending too! Everything wrapped up nicely.

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So, so bad in so many ways!

The plot idea itself could have had merit if it had been executed properly. I like the idea of a husband trying to get his ex-wife back, and the ex-wife giving him the cold shoulder. However, this drama was pack full of bitches - his mom, his sister and his - well, I don't know what she is - wannabe girlfriend? It's very confusing, especially at the beginning with two women dressed up as brides and one bride stabbing the other. Did this happen or was it some sort of dream? Why are both dressed as brides? So confusing and poorly executed. ML is an absolute asshole, and he doesn't improve much even when he comes to his senses and realizes what he's lost. He pulls her around like a rag doll and punches her male friend when he no longer has the right to do so. I will grudgingly report that he does improve somewhat once she comes back, and there is one bright spot with MLs like this - they treat the obsessed (a.k.a. bat crap crazy & psychotically delusional) love rival like crap as well. But, most importantly, the acting was bad, bad, bad, especially ML's sister and mother. Honestly, the best acting came from the 5 year old kid! HAHA! Loved when she sprayed the psycho chick in the face with a water gun! At least she knows how to take care of vermin! This drama is what we call a B-rate in the US. It might even be worse than a B-rate in terms of acting. Thankfully, it's short. That's all I can say about it.

I raised the music score 1 point since they used a song from 'Strong Woman Do Bong Soon.' Apparently, someone on their crew had good taste.

UPDATE: it's amazing how quickly FL forgives this asshole. I guess because he saves her from being run over by his bat crap crazy sister? But hey, it's a short drama so I guess we can't have her lingering over hurt feelings. The scene where the sister tries to run FL over is so bad it's funny. Two questions: 1) why is FL wandering down a deserted street in the middle of the night when she has a kid at home; and 2) why the hell is she walking down the middle of the road instead of a sidewalk? Why does she want to run over FL? Well, the delusional love rival puts her up to it, saying that if FL was gone sister could have SML (Yiran) and crazy love rival could have ML. Yeah, love that logic. It never occurred to these two egotistical twits that both men wouldn't want either of them even if they were the last women on the planet. But I will give this drama credit - it's 10 times better than the other short series called 'If I Never Loved You'. At least, FL knows when to get out of a toxic relationship, and ML is smart enough not to fall for psycho chick's tricks and delusions.

So, why do I keep watching? Well, there comes a point when a movie/TV series is so bad that it becomes funny. It's like Mystery Science Theater 3000. You watch to make fun of it.

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I could only tolerate FL for 13 episodes

I dropped after episode 13 because FL and her overly sensitive attitude was getting on my last nerve.

She began picking fights with ML starting in episode 10. Can’t you two just sit down and discuss business related issues like professional adults? I understand her being upset with his know-it-all attitude – I get it, it’s annoying - but her attitude was just as know-it-all, and she was not willing to compromise. If you want to act like this because he's your ex, then keep it in your free time, not during working hours. It was like she’s just looking for ways to take offensive when it comes to ML. Yep, I’m clearly on ML’s side because he has every right to feel insecure based on how she prioritizes everything over their relationship and how she broke it off with him in the past. Yeah, she was sort of forced to do that by evil boss lady, but still, it was brutal. And he forgives her too easily and instantly wants her back. I’m sorry - she's the one who should work to get him back, not the other way around.

She’s really a mass of conflicting behaviors. She takes care of him when he’s blind, but as soon as he can see again, she’s pushing him away, having cat fights with him in the office and suspecting him of sabotaging her exhibition. She’s the kind of woman that drive men crazy because they can’t figure out what the hell she wants – nothing seems to please her. He disagrees with her and she takes offense; he agrees with her and she takes offense. This is not how you do business, ok? Frankly, this is not spunky or gutsy behavior; this is immature, childish, unreasonable behavior. Episode 13, she has them stop the car in the middle of nowhere so she can get her suitcase and apparently stomp off in a huff. So childish. At this point, he’s supposedly the bad guy because he’s trying to ‘control her’ yet everyone has apparently forgotten how she broke up with him earlier. Why he wants this unreasonable, childish, short-tempered female back is beyond me. She’s only thinking of herself and disregarding what his shrink and Mingcheng has told her – he’s insecure because of how you’ve treated him in the past and you need to show him more warmth and affection and take your revenge later. Revenge? If anyone should be taking revenge, it’s ML! He’s the one that had his heart stomped on without any explanation. Even now, has she shown any REAL remorse? And she has the nerve to call ML childish! ML has control issues, yes, but they are exacerbated by her placing their relationship so far down on the priority ladder, and she's too selfish to realize that even when other people flat out tell her. The shrink asks her if she still likes him, and she says 'yes'. Well, sister, that's hard to believe right now. Go back to Europe and finish junior high school. Once you're an adult, give it another try with ML...if he's still available, which he probably will be because he's stupid enough to love you.

I'm so tired of immature C-drama FLs who become loud, nagging, control freak mothers. Immature, unreasonable, overly sensitive, easily offended, jumping to conclusions, my career/dreams come before our relationship behavior does not equal spunk, spirit, guts, strength of character, maturity, whatever, Screenwriter/Director, and the mature members of your audience know that. Why even bother with the romance genre if the career/dream is always going to trump the relationship?

I really had no interest in the other couples (I hardly ever do in C-dramas). I will say I liked Ning Fei as the mouthy devil better than the fragile, sensitive artist of Season 1.

I would have liked to keep watching, but I've run out of patience with FL and her attitude.

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Disappointing

I left this drama with a bad taste in my mouth. Although the ending was acceptable, I was not happy with it because I really didn’t see how Ji-Hun was better than Derek…other than the fact that he was a cop who caught spies while Derek was a spy. Both men kept their careers a secret from FL. I can understand Derek doing so (after all, FL did exactly what he feared she’d do once she found out), but I don’t understand why Ji-Hun felt the need to hide his from her. There’s nothing shameful in being an Interpol agent. If FL had such a gigantic issue about her husbands lying to her about what they did for a living, then she shouldn’t have ended up with either one of them.

Yeah, I’m a Derek fan, and I think his character got the shaft in this drama. He was royally screwed by his mother AND his wife. The wife insisted that he leave the life he’d been trained from childhood to live and then she goes bat crap crazy when her world starts falling down around her ears. Derek, of course, gets the blame. Hey, sister, you were the one that insisted he stop being a spy to save your marriage. Did you think it was going to be easy? Not only that but he has to leave the spy game with the help of his wife’s ex who just happens to still be in love with her. We, the viewers, are constantly told that Derek is selfish, cold and calculating with a fake smile yet he basically gives up everything for this wife of his. Yeah, he runs away in the end, but I don’t blame him one bit. He gave FL the opportunity to disappear with him and start a new life, but she refused because she had to find Sophie’s killer…so don’t tell me that she was ‘abandoned’, ok? In my opinion, she abandoned him. Derek’s character was the most interesting yet he’s the one that gets shafted the most. We’re constantly told he’s a scumbag, but I just don’t see it, and I would have preferred his character being redeemed with his marriage healed and happy once again. If the scriptwriter wanted her to end up with her ex, they went about it the wrong way, and I disliked the feeling that she was actually cheating on Derek despite her and Ji-Hun not exchanging anything but hugs.

FL – although she’d supposed to be a strong, independent, professional woman, I no longer felt sympathy for her once she went bat crap crazy on Derek in episode 15. She totally forgot that he’d been instrumental in bringing down his own mother, that she’d forced him to choose between the two of them, that he was in the hospital because he’d taken the hit by Tinker’s car instead of her. Everything is suddenly all Derek’s fault. Pardon me, but I think it was her prying into Sophie’s death that started this whole ball rolling. It wasn’t as if Sophie was her best friend either yet she was obsessed with finding this woman’s killer. If she hadn’t started prying, she could have remained in blissful ignorance so some of the responsibility for her situation in episode 15 was hers. I wanted her to suffer long and hard when she thought Derek was dead. Not only that but she’s partnering up with her ex-husband who’s obviously still in love with her. Love and regret are dripping out of Ji-Hun’s eyes and yet she makes her current husband turn himself over to this man. That’s just clueless, showing no respect for Derek’s feelings. I mean how humiliating to have to turn yourself over to your wife’s ex! By the end, I disliked this woman because she threw all the blame on Derek when she instigated this whole mess and then insisted on Derek giving up his spy career. She was not abandoned. He gave her the opportunity to start a new life with him, and she turned him down. She claims in episode 16 that out of love, she tried to accept him as he was – that’s total BS. As soon as she found out he’s a spy, she insisted on him leaving his career and turning himself in. That’s not accepting him; that’s an attempt to forcibly change him since she threatened that if he didn’t, their marriage was over. This woman is just full of self-righteous baloney.

Just an aside, there was more chemistry between Derek and Ji-Hun than FL with either of these two leads.

The supporting cast wasn’t as memorable as I would expect from a Korean drama. The most interesting supporting character was Doo Bong. Young Goo was cute, but I wasn’t crazy about his crush on the cynical, tough girl Seo-Ra.

That’s about all I have to say about this train wreck. The action, story line felt slow, the only twist was who ‘Mrs. Big’ was, and I definitely was not satisfied with the ending.

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Typical short WeTV C-drama

This drama is typical of the short, low budget, badly acted C-dramas on WeTV. The storyline had promise if the FL's character had been more likeable; she sort of remains in the snooty rich girl persona, and I could never really sympathize with her dilemma. As for the actress playing the part, she's fairly common in both looks and acting ability. As for looks, she just doesn't stand out - she looks like a hundred other Chinese actresses. There's nothing about her that you'd say 'oh, hey, that's so-so. I like her dramas.' She's not a Tang Seven, Bai Lu, Zhao Lusi or Yuan Qian. In other words, there's nothing recognizable about her. Her acting ability is below average. I don't expect her to ever land a leading role in a major C-drama unless she plays the part of obsessed love rival.

Now ML is a different story altogether and is really the only bright spot in this drama. The viewer immediately sympathizes with him because FL, as bitchy rich girl, dumps him for no good reason other than she's rich and he isn't. Why he wants this chick is beyond me. As she tells him in episode 11, he could do a lot better than her. Ditto! But he's obsessed with her so she's going to remain our FL, unfortunately. His acting ability is above average - his demeanor is more natural and he delivers his lines in a more believable fashion (like he was actually the a character rather than just reading lines). He's wasn't as stiff as a lot of these B-rate MLs are. He has potential of moving up the ladder to a supporting role in a higher budget drama. With better direction, he might even land a leading role some day. The 6.5 stars for acting is based solely on FL and the other characters, not ML. I would have given him an 8.

Overall, the drama was slightly better than other short C-dramas I've seen thanks mainly to storyline and ML.

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Thankfully short

Cute but packed full of typical C-drama tropes/clichés. I really don’t know why the Chinese viewing audience wants to see the same ole plot (and tropes/clichés) over and over again. Isn't there anything else that's romantic other than accidental kisses and slipping females who need to be caught? Come on – FL has TWO rich guys (heirs, of course) pursuing her? What makes her so special as to attract two rich guys? (oh, oh, now I sound like a female love rival!) And how many average girls attend college and run into two heirs? It’s amazing how these dramas insult capitalism over and over but yet ML is almost always from a rich family, and mom/dad always wants their prospective son in law to be successful, i.e. wealthy. And can I just say I’m sick and tired of all this feminine bullying? Just because ML likes FL, the bitchy love rival and her minions have to harass and torment FL…like that’s going to change his mind about who he likes? You’re in college – it’s time to grow up. What’s worse is that the teacher (supposedly the adult) just let’s this kind of behavior slide or believes what the crazy love rival and her minions claim. So, ML has to come to the rescue when the adults in the college ought to crack down on this kind of behavior in their classrooms. And in this case, the perpetrators receive no punishment for their acts (destroying everyone’s project). They show crocodile tears and teacher says ‘ok, there's nothing more to see'. I'm not going to bother watching the rest even though it's short because I can probably guess what the other 16 episodes contain - nothing new, just more tropes/clichés and love rival bullying that goes unpunished. I'm sure at some point the love rival bitch will say to ML - 'I've loved you forever (translation: so I deserve your love because I'm like dog poop stuck to your shoe - you'll never get rid of me. And never mind that I'm a spoiled brat and have the personality of a viper- force yourself to love me, damn it!). Why her and not me? I'm so much better than her (translation: my ego is to the point of being delusional, and I ought to be in a straight jacket but this drama needs, well, drama, so I'm free to torment both you and your love interest until I suddenly come to my senses and then, hey, we're all good, right?)' Been there, done that, I'm not interested in listening to it again...and again...and again. Oh, and another thing that's typical - the costuming of the females. FL designs and wears some really ugly outfits. Can't believe that thing she designs and dresses ML in at the end actually won 1st place! Honestly, he looked like a male figure skater getting ready to compete in that get-up and the tennis shoes really finished the look {eye roll}. And let's not forget the perquisite control freak rich parent that refuses to accept ML's choice because they've got his partner already picked out - the bitchy love rival, of course. Yep, this drama has that too. At least, ML tells Mom to shove it and continues living as a pauper rather than give into his parent's plans for his life. If you can stand all these tropes/drama devices/clichés, it's one of the better template romances - probably because it's thankfully short.

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