Reviews

Another Under Rated Great Drama

Once again, this is another under rated drama in my opinion
as per I'm writing this review, the current rating is 7.7 and I am giving it 10/10 for every aspects

The story is very well built, not to slow nor fast
I Love Qin Lan and now I love Deng Jia Jia as well (she is very look alike Android No 18 in Dragon Ball series hahaha)

The story is really close to reality, just like my All Time Favourite Drama (The Centimeter of Love)
No complicated love story or unnecessary broke up

And the 2 main characters really represent the title of this drama
their bond creates magic in their life

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By the end I was filled with a feeling of emptiness…

And I honestly do not know how to explain what it means. I just wanted to feel a little bit more, understand the characters a little bit better, connect to the story a little bit deeper, but it all stopped right before it hit the spot.

How to put it… every new revelation made me disconnect from the plot more and more. Soramame started as an amazing and relatable character, but then was stripped from that mundane context that made me love her so much. Oto stayed frustratingly consistent throughout the show, but by the end some of his choices just made me roll my eyes - why so dramatic? Why can’t you act like a normal adult?

While I enjoyed the mutual pining and I have no issue with slow pace plots, the fact they were able to build misunderstanding on already existing misunderstanding was one step too far. The story focusing on chasing their dreams also lost its charm the moment we found out both leads some really unique skills that most people do not have. Not exactly motivational storytelling if you ask me.

I liked the show a lot, but I also liked it a little bit less with each episode I watched, and by episode 10 I had too many conflicting feelings about it.

Writing aside, the acting was great. I loved how the whole cast was able to deliver such unique and vibrant characters in such an approachable way. Hirose Suzu did an amazing job especially during the more emotional scenes. With that performance you can truly relate to the saying sometimes some of the happiest people are hurting the most.

Directing and editing was great. Loved all the shots during the sunset/dusk and how warm the tones were during them. The set designs were also to die for, made me want to live in the house with the leads, enjoying each day and anticipating what the next one will bring.

Overall, it was an enjoyable drama, but I cannot stop myself from feeling like something was missing.

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Lots of kisses, mix of romance and thriller

The story revolves around a woman who takes the place of her famous twin sister to participate in a dating show. Her enemy stops her from pairing up with the guy she wanted, so she decides to approach another guy with a fake dating contract. Unfortunately, or luckily, for her, he's not the other guy, but the ceo of the hotel, her first love. Aside from the romantic development there's also a subplot about an SA event in their youth. The assaulter seemingly comes back to haunt them all.
The main leads were a terrific match: i could feel the chemistry overflowing. Her eyes are amazing; his face looks great in 90% of the shots but sometimes they messed up the styling or makeup, making him look less attractive. They kissed a LOT for a cdrama, and the kisses in the last episode were almost steamy with the thigh action going on. The kisses aren't very chaste pressing off the lips, but actual kisses. The show had some production errors, which is not uncommon for a mini series (most notaby, the book he's reading upside down). Overall, i enjoyed the mix of romance, light humor, and thriller. I want to see both leads in another romance where they have more chance to develop their characters.

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The best and must watch Chinese modern drama

Firstly I'm not a very Big fan of cdramas bcuz it's all mostly costume dramas or normal modern drama(fr some reason games are involved most of the time)
But this drama is one of those rare ,fresh and very realistic concepts where they portrayed the daily life and struggles of doctors and firefighters as the leads overcome all the challenges together .
And I must mention ,the chemistry between the Leads was just as ?? i had butterflies tingling in my tummy ,although I'm a little disappointed that the story is stretched and they deleted many potential scenes of them together and kept unnecessary ones for which otherwise would make the plot more interesting and better
Apart from these the actors have done a great job portraying the character very well ...like the emotions hit straight to your heart

As fr main lead i got attracted Yang Yang though ‘You're my glory ' as always his acting and chemistry with fl is always perfect
And FL Wang Chu Ran i got to know her through ‘Have a crush on you ' drama ,although she is a rookie actress I'm impressed with her acting that you can't even make out that she is a rookie I'm sure any one can get hooked up with her acting

Overall it's a very very wonderful drama
It's a roller coaster throught the drama , i thoroughly enjoyed it and I miss SongQin and Song Yan's cute little teammates already

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not your typical time travel story and definitely for adults

This is not your run of the mill time travel story. I like that the story lines are both in the past and the present.

The secondary characters appear to have all been re-incarnated. Hopefully past and present will be reconciled eventually.

The first couple episode are confusing but I believe that it's done deliberately on the part of the writer until all the pieces start to come together. The writer is being extra careful to not give hints of what's coming, so every move is a surprise. The action is neither to slow or to fast. I'm really curious to see what will come next.

The writing is good, the acting is superb, the sets are good and the costuming is excellent.

I rated it a 9 and dropped it to an 8 because at episode 12 the story it is getting weird. I am just a little nervous in the direction it is taking. I have to say I hope it has a clear happy ending and at this point i am not sure if it will.

Update- Episode 13 and 14 were better. I like how some of the characters are getting their karma. I can't wait for the remaining 2 episodes there are many possibilities to be explored it will be interesting to see where the story goes., I will not put spoilers in here but I will say it's starting toward the ending and I hope it's happy..

The Ending is not satisfying. You just shake your head and say WHAT WERE THE WRITERS THINKING?

I like clear happy endings and this is not one.; I think they are setting it up for a season 2. I hope it comes. It would have to be after the solar eclipse and focus on the past.

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A kdrama with a horror twist is one of my favorite genres of Korean tv and with a show starring Kim Tae Ri, that’s written by the same writer who gave us shows like Kingdom and Signal, I couldn’t help but be excited about Revenant.

The series is mostly a murder mystery that intertwines evil spirits and other horrors into its narrative, which is not so different from many other horror-kdrama I’ve watched. The plot builds the tension within the narrative rather well, and each episode usually ends in such a way that you have to see the next one as soon as possible, but it does have a bit of a pacing issue.

The story works more like a mystery than a horror story in my opinion, but the evil spirits and the Korean folklore about such spirits and shamanism is used in an interesting (but perhaps familiar way if you’ve watched many such dramas) as such a tool to communicate moral questions about society, as well as the weaknesses and behavior of the characters to the viewer, like horror stories of this nature do. That’s the purpose of the horror.

For a while it seems like the story goes in a few too many circles with the main characters’ quest to get rid of these evil spirit, and the narrative loses a bit of momentum towards the middle. There is a lot of repetition and too little progress whether it was in the story itself or the characters own personal arcs, even though we are always learning more and more about these evil spirits and the past that explains the present. But towards the end the story does pick up the pace again.

There are plenty of great, interesting characters here, and of course Kim Tae Ri, like the other actors, is doing a great job in their roles but the drama struggles to give all of them time to tell their story while managing to keep a good flow to the story. There were almost too many character and it breaks the flow. The story affects the characters, but the characters don’t affect the story too much. Therefor the story overwhelms the character a little.

In some instances the narrative does seem to drag things out just because they need to fill the time with something. I’ve seen this screenwriter do horror very well before, as well as murder mystery, but mixing the two together seems to have been a struggle at times. Perhaps if the drama had been allowed to be longer, it wouldn’t have felt like it was holding too many balls in the air at once and allowed the story to breath a bit more or add more things in so it felt less repetitive.

An exciting story that allows the story to unfold through the characters and their actions, but ends up dragging them a bit unhesitatingly forward for the sake of the narrative. There is always something hooking you within each episode, but the build up between each cliff-hanger could have been better in some places. It makes the narrative a bit uneven, and I personally would have liked more horror. But overall a very entertaining watch despite the hiccups in the narrative structure.

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I CRIED .....

This was for me...I think it was better than S1 in some sense and aspect? I guess I'll be doing a mini comparison.

Personally, I preferred the storyline of This from EP 1...to 3... Better than S1. and for S1...The storyline was Overall good and passable. But from EP 4 to the last of This season...I somehow got...Lost?
not confused but basically...Yawn.

Overall z It's type of storyline Overall where people interested in such Genre would really enjoy. But for me felt flat in some sense. Especially the ending side? could be better.

But I appreciate this Season for staying true to it's Original season and picking up accuracy where it was. one could literally put the two together.

The acting here...was Overall nice. I have no complaints. Ost? beautiful and suiting.

now let me take a minute to thank them for that beautiful storyline of ep 3. It literally was the best thing that has ever happened to me in s2.

as someone who has slightly similar storyline with that ep..I could feel a heavy connection to it and basically thanked them for the tearjerking depiction of that. It was beautiful done..But...sigh...No spoilers lol.

Overall it's an amazing drama I'd recommend to anyone who likes such genre. I think you won't be disappointed. that's based on taste

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Underwhelming

The cast characters and relationships are likeable. Even the overall story concept is likeable. But the execution is just very very boring. The mystery aspect them trying to solve and stop the murders is so uninteresting that it's sad, a letdown. The only thing that kinda kept my attention was Jin Kijoo's character dynamics. Her relationships with her parents in the past was the biggest like of the show for me, and then her with the male lead was okay. Apart from that…

I wouldn't say it's a bad show. Just bland, slow, -which is sometimes fine in general but here I feel they were in no way intending for it to be that way. They probably expected us to be wrapped up in the mystery but, for me at least, that was not the case. I just wanted it to be done and over with to be honest.

I do not recommend, though again, it's not horrible. Just something I view as the opposite of a must-watch drama(lol).

If you're the type of person to watch shows for the actors and not just story, then go ahead. Both Jin Kijoo and Kim Dongwook are good here.
All of the supporting actors are great as well, especially the younger characters from the past. I look forward to seeing them in future shows.
Lee Wonjung is a definite stand out.

Any other thoughts? Hmm.. maybe it would have turned out a little better if they followed the current trend that lots of networks seem to be doing lately: 12 episodes instead of 16.

I'd like to note that I am a massive sucker for time travel shows&movies, which is why I was actually really looking forward to this. While it was a let down in the previously mentioned ways, I will also say that I often forgot that this was a time travel show. The story focused so much on the investigation that whenever the younger versions of her parents weren't around, I genuinely forgot we were in the past.

I know I've given a lot of negatives while simultaneously saying “It's not that bad!”, so I will provide a compliment to even this out and wrap it up: Kim Dongwook's character's father being the killer was a very good twist. Especially when you take into account how for a good portion of the series he was adamant that it could've been Jin Kijoo's character's father, it gives the reveal a nice contrast to the storyline overall I think.


That's about it. The end.

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It's making me cringe watching each episode

I honestly did not have high hopes the storyline of this drama will got me hooked, but I tried to watched it anyway, cause I don't wanna passed on Chen Zhe Yuan acting. However, I think after 19 episodes, there is no improvement and prositive development in the storyline, It's getting very boring to the point that it's embarassing for me to watch and ridicilous after each episodes.

The reason I give high scores for acting is purely because Chen Zhe Yuan superb acting skill, If it isn't because of his extraordinary acting skill I don't know how he was able to delivered through the many cheezy and cringe scenes in this drama. I find the FL acting annoying I t hink she needs to take on more acting lessons, I'm embarassed and annoyed seeing her acting, especially in crying scenes. I'm getting cringe all over.

I probably skip watching the rest of the episodes and watch only the finale out of curiousity of it's ending. This drama is definitely have no re-watch value. It is beyond me why Chen Zhe Yan or his agency took on this project,

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The best drama in 2023

Watching this drama reminds me of the drama Pinocchio, even though it's a different genre, the plot of this drama has similar stages. This drama really has a very neat plot and minimal plot holes. With 12 episodes of this drama, it manages to present the plot in each episode very well. The story given in each episode has a very consistent quality and is not one-sided. This drama is very intense and gets more intense and gripping with each new episode.

The acting of the actors also deserves thumbs up. We have succeeded in getting into the story of each actor so that when these actors are in danger or even die, feelings of pain and sadness really feel as if we have known them for a long time. This drama is a horror genre, but I often cry when I'm watching this drama.

The message of this drama, which I think is very good. We can know that even though ghosts are evil, we can also see that humans can be even more evil than ghosts. Where greed is the real ghost. Greed is a trait that eats away at the human heart and turns it into a breathing ghost. This drama is very extraordinary depicting human greed for worldly things. Where all the problems in this drama are not born because of ghosts, but because of human greed. This drama also shows how dangerous it is if we can't love ourselves. How dangerous it is when we become people who hurt ourselves, blame, and hate ourselves. At least, among the many bad things and bad people in this world, don't let us become one of them. If the world is mean to us, at least we have to be good to ourselves.

I was really saddened by Sanyeong's character who suffered from the past, and how hard she lived all this time. How spacious her heart is to care for her mother who has severe trauma when she also has trauma. When she had been living not for himself, and when she wanted to live for himself suddenly she was diagnosed with a disease. I feel like I want to hug Sanyeong, wants me to tell him that all this time she has lived very well. I hope in the future she can walk on the flower path.

Actually, I'm one of Hongsae Sanyeong's team compared to Haesang Sanyeong. I don't know what the writer made, but for me from the beginning of the episode, I felt that Haesang was not someone who pursues worldly things. This is proven at the end of the episode by donating all of his family's assets to the community. So I think Haesang is not the typical person who wants to have a romance genre in his life. Not to mention that during my drama marathon, I avoided all spoilers, so I didn't know that this drama was divided into two teams. But my honest opinion looking at Haesang and Sanyeong, they both feel more like two unfortunate people who met each other. They both could feel feelings of sadness for each other that others couldn't easily feel. But the two don't depend on each other, more like when you fall, you will be relieved when you see other people also fall, then you laugh together. Well, at least we're not ashamed to be alone. That's how they both look to me.

Haesang is such a pitiful character, he is forced to pay for his entire extended family's sins. He seems to be forced to take responsibility for a sin he did not commit. But I think Haesang lives up to it. And another reason why I can't see Haesang and Sanyeong's relationship as romantic is that they both met because of a 'ghost' in common. Every time they met they only talked about ghosts, Haesang wasn't interested in Gu Sanyeong, but she was attracted by the evil spirit that clung to her body. Likewise, Sanyeong is not interested in Yeom Haesang, but he needs Haesang's help to get rid of the evil spirit from his body. From the beginning of the conversation, the two of them never discussed themselves with each other, they weren't too curious about each other's lives unless they had something to do with ghosts. So I feel their relationship is more like partners in crime. And that's interesting, I feel like this kind of platonic relationship must exist in the real world.

This is a little different from Hongsae, from the past, like Hongsae, he was amazed by Sanyeong, with her hardworking nature. Hongsae, who at first didn't really know Sanyeong, was able to distinguish the real Sanyeong and not at the end of the episode. We know that all this time apart from chasing evil spirits, Hongsae has also been paying attention to Sanyeong. Although I don't know if Sanyeong also feels the same way. But at the end of the episode, it can be seen that the two of them are talking about themselves, not about ghosts.

I think this is one of the hints that the two of them have started to open up to each other. When they started talking about themselves. I feel that Hongsae is interested in Sanyeong, but he appreciates Sanyeong who is still going through a hard time. I don't know what Sanyeong's feelings for Hongsae are like, but I can realize that Hongsae likes Sanyeong secretly. He doesn't need to have Sanyeong, he just wants to be someone who can take care of Sanyeong. I think this is a very interesting thing, where I can see pure love in dramas in the Horror genre. Hongsae knows that what Sanyeong needs right now isn't a lover, but serenity, so he always tries to be beside Sanyeong.

I feel this drama has a bittersweet ending. I'm sad for the character who died, but I'm also sad for the reason the spirit became an evil spirit. I can't explain how I felt when I finished watching this drama, I was relieved and happy but at the same time, I was also very sad and felt like crying. The writer really wrote this drama very well. I'm happy because the writer made this drama end with an open ending. Even though it's an open ending, all the problems in this drama have been resolved properly, so there's nothing that stands in the way of this drama. Everything is done, then we are left to our own imagination.

In my opinion, this is the best drama in 2023, the drama plot is very neat and has consistent quality in each episode. Minimal plot holes combine horror and mystery very well and are not too imaginative. It has a good story message, the story is also presented in a very interesting and not boring way. The acting of the actors is extraordinary and the feelings can be conveyed well to the audience.

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BL version of a Korean romcom drama

The year 2023 is the season of office bls. Last year we had an abundance of sports and mafia series and the year before, 2021, cooking was most prominent theme while 2020 was the school centered bl year. Step By Step is one of the better office romcoms if not the best.

So there are two versions released: the uncut version has episodes 20 to 50 min longer than the 45 min/ep TV version. Usually when we talk about uncut version of a BL, viewers think that the steamy scenes had been cut. Considering that there are the grand total of two hot scenes in all of the uncut version of the series, I do not think it is the case. Probably just plenty of regular scenes though I do not understand what they managed to cut since there is not one single unnecessary scene . The flow of the story is steady without idle time and in spite of it being a slow burn romance and full of usual tropes, I was not bored for a minute.

Story is a rather simple office romance about Pat and Jeng. Pat is the youngest member of the marketing team and is regularly asked to do chores for his coworkers. One day while carrying coffee cups, he bumps into Jeng and the connection is immediate. They accidentally meet like that a few more times and it seems like they really like each other. Until it turns out that Jeng is Pat's new boss and the developing feelings need to be put on a back burner because Jeng as a boss is a completely different person, so much so that Pat is scared of him and gets to be very insecure and emotional. Jeng on the other hand proves to be rigid, controlling, micromanaging and inflexible.

The love story develops slowly over 10 episodes, step by step while they are learning about each other and changing and mostly because of the boss/employee relationship which makes any other kind of relationship a very risky business. When they eventually get together, the whole hell breaks loose and they split only to get back together two years later (trope).

There are a few side stories involving Pat's ex, who wants to try again, of course (trope), Jeng's father doing everything to discredit Pat (trope), a straight couple getting pregnant (trope), a long term gay couple (fem gay trope), and Jaab, Jeng's rebellious younger brother having a crush on a taken coworker (trope).

Main couple is comprised of a tsundere Jeng and doormat Pat. And while Jeng is perfection, I never managed to understand what could have possibly attracted him in Pat. He is short, too emotional, ugly, weak of character (can't say NO to anyone), too sensitive, not particularly smart and very unlikable (this last is due to the poor choice of actor: he is so wrong for this role!). I watched this Man, who played Jeng wonderfully well. I believed him to be in love even though the chemistry with Ben (who played Pat) was minimal almost non existent. Man literally carried the whole drama all by himself, he's the one who made the drama worth watching to the end! Ben cannot act nor is he cute, casting director made a huge mistake there!

The writing was on the spot because they managed to show us over time (the first 11 episodes take place over about a year) the slow , step by step progression of their relationship, how they get to know each other better and go beyond boss/employee relationship fully understanding the problems that that may cause (which of course happened!). I was also surprised by an almost total absence of misunderstandings: they regularly talked when problems arose and when they didn't, it caused major rifts between them. So the writers learned the lesson of communication being important and managed to find other issues to create drama about.

Another actor who actually stole the show is Saint who plays Jaab, Jeng's younger brother who decided to stay away from his rich family and their big corporation. Jeng is a heir to the company but when he needed to choose, he chose happiness. Jaab is the same: pursuing happiness. Though his relationship with Jane is not resolved, they keep dancing around each other for a long time with Jaab trying not to cross the line since Jane was dating someone already. Their relationship also grows slowly, step by step through misunderstandings and lack of courage.

A special shout out to the costume designer. The clothes were nicely color coded for characters and all were in light dull colours: Pat was always wearing oversized shirts in stripy and beige while Jeng was in slim mustard coloured suits at work or jeans at home! The rest of the characters were similarly dresses: Put, Pat's ex was always in black etc.

Few miscellaneous notes:
- supportive friends you can call any time: they were fun to watch!
- why are drunk people considered cute? Because they tend to talk without a filter so you get to find out their secrets?
- at a usual mid-series beach escape(trope), a room was missing in a hotel so Jeng asks Pat to share his room not his own brother? Smooth!
- this is the second series (after La Pluie) where an adult has a meltdown because the parents divorced though here it was solved in an evening by talking about it.
- the most horrible scene that i have ever seen in an asian drama: a woman was giving birth on a bus and the other passengers were filming her while the Police was standing on the side and only the threat of a lawsuit had them lower their phones. These smartphones have created monsters out of all of us!
- we never really got the answer to Jeng's mysterious departure from the company two years before the beginning of the series
- and of course a totally unnecessary two years later time jump: they could have sorted everything out two months later or even better two days later when everyone has cooled off.

This is not so much a BL as it is a regular romcom. It is on the same level as the ordinary korean rom coms: cute couple, hot ML, great group of friends, awful ex who tries to butt in,a horrible rich parent, understanding middle class parents, supportive fem gay friend (no screaming trans characters, yey!!!!), final fight and a time jump until the honeymoon happy ending.

I want to see Man in something else. Stat!

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Great tv series from start to finish!

Yet to get to the end, but with this one I am sure I won't be disappointed or set up to be let down.

It is more or less about a Professor and young woman being brought together because of her father and a hair accessory that attaches an evil spirit to her. In turn, they are trying to work out the when, why, what and who from the present to past.

I am really enjoying this drama series - just as much as The Glory and Bloodhounds as it is quick paced and well written.

Have to say I really like the OS music in this, like some of the upbeat R&B/Pop songs that just hit the spot for me when it comes to sound, rhythm and melody.

It took me a little while to recognise the actor that acted in It's Okay Not To Be Okay (?)- he is that good! All the cast are great, actually.

I would rewatch this again no problem!

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"I won`t give you up. You are mine. Only mine." - Naparoot

***
"Fai Luang" is a old-school slap-kiss soap opera with lots of intensity in its melodramatic essence. It has all that i love in lakhorns of this genre. Romance, passion, hatred, revenge and two main-leads that refuse to back off from their purpose. It stars the handsome Willie Ruengrit as the avenging and domineering hero Naparoot who in every sense of the word wants to ruin the life of his deceased father`s mistress and in turn hurt her younger sister, the one woman who ever infuriates him and makes him go mad with anger and passion, the very gentle but stubborn Yotien starred by Tao Sarocha. She is furious over her sisters actions and betrayal but with fierce patience and good will she tries to gain the forgiveness of Naparoot`s family, which only infuriates him even more. Their love for each other became the burning fire that at first was built by intense hatred, both Naparoot & Yotien get hurt by it and both refuse to even acknowledge it or even give in to it.

I totally lost sleep over this incredible story. All the characters felt so real to me and their emotions were well acted out by the whole cast. Willie just took my breath away with his gripping performance by truly showing how Naparoot was at the peak of losing his mind. He was the soul of this story, no one was above him and could really stand up against him, well except for his very beloved heroine who refused to surrender.

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Potential but Underwhelming

The series is related to accounting and for those unfamiliar with the terminology will feel lost because there really isn't much explanation. You'll have to read up on it to enjoy the show because there is a LOT of tactics and plays based on that. You can ignore and try to get the gist of things.

The story is about a high school graduate who joins an accounting firm in order to take it down because his adopted father's company was run to the ground which resulted in his death. The story felt had so much potential but right off the bat I didn't exactly enjoy the first couple of episodes. A lot happening but hard to make sense of it. But the actual story develops quite slowly. Makes sense because it's not easy for someone who has no idea of the inner workings of an accountancy firm to do any real damage so the first few episodes are just him trying to learn the ropes. I only started to enjoy the show midway when a lot of exciting things were happening - both good and bad.

Until episode 11, I was finally enjoying the show and happy with how things were being resolved. Episode 12, however, was a big let down. When you think of all the crimes committed by a certain someone and the way they let things play out, it feels like a betrayal to the time I, as a viewer, put in. Some like of think of it as realistic but we aren't exactly watching a documentary. And even if we talk about realism, the director seemed to want us to experience some kind of empathy for a horrible character. Are we supposed to forget the people who lost everything including their lives? I don't see how the male leads can be happy considering the circumstances. It doesn't feel real to me at all.

Overall, I just feel disappointed.

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