Sungkyunkwan Scandal

Sungkyunkwan Scandal

5/10

Sungkyunkwan Scandal

Genre:                                                  Episodes: 20                                    Year: 2010

Romance

Comedy

Historical

Synopsis:

Since her father passed away, Kim Yoon Hee has needed to earn money to support her mother and her sick brother. She works by disguising herself as her brother and providing answers to the men's only national exam. After being discovered as a stand-in during the exam, Yoon Hee is forced to take the exam under her brother’s name, Kim Yoon Shik, and is admitted into Sunkyunkwan University.

Cast:

Park Min Young (Kim Yoon Hee)

Park Yoo Chun (Lee Seon Joon)

Yoo Ah In (Moon Jae Shin)

Song Joong Ki (Gu Yong Ha)

Seo Hyo Rim (Ha Hyo Eun)

Jeon Tae Soo (Ha In Soo)

Ahn Nae Sang (Jung Yak Yong)

Cho Sung Ha (King Jung Jo)

Kim Min Seo (Cho Sun)

Kim Kap Soo (Lee Jung Moo)

General Thoughts:

I totally expected to love this drama, so I was bitterly disappointed when that didn’t exactly happen. Considering that most people call this one of the best ever K-Dramas, it didn’t really live up to the expectations.

Another drama killed by the hype-train

It’s not that the drama was all bad, there were definitely fun and interesting aspects to the story, it just didn’t hold my interest well enough for me to appreciate the fun and interesting moments when thy came around. To start with, the story wasn’t exactly extensive enough to warrant 20 episodes.

Quit forcing your love-line on me

The crossdressing hijinks and the humour that ensued could be pulled out for a few episodes, but after that we needed some beefy plot to kick in, and that kind of didn’t happen. A lot of the beginning of this drama was dedicated to various goings-on in Sungkyunkwan that were basically only there as a cause for Yoon Hee and Seon Joon to get closer. Which is fine, I guess, I just wished there’d been a tad more meaning behind these events as it was painfully obvious that they were only included as a way to get the leads actually interacting with each other. And when it requires that much effort to get your leads interacting, their whole relationship feels a bit forced. The second half of this series was dedicated to finding the Geum Deung Ji Sa (which the King then didn’t even use), and having the leads actually get together. Which isn’t a lot to spread over 10 hours. The acting was either really quite good, or on the worse side of mediocre. I’m a huge fan of Park Min Young, but I will admit that she felt a bit green here. Granted it is one of her earlier roles, but she didn’t have the natural charm that makes you love her character that she has since developed.

Moody, moody, dark and broody 

I’ve never found Yoo Chun to be a great actor- he’s just passable. But I actually found him pretty bad here. His character was painfully emotionless and robotic, and Park Yoo Chun didn’t add anything to the character that made him stand out as a loveable hero. Song Joong Ki and Yoo Ah In were so good that it kind of served to make Park Yoo Chul feel worse than he really was. Song Joong Ki and Yoo Ah In just have so much charisma that they completely overpowered poor Yoo Chun in every scene they were in together. Which of course kind of made me wonder why the heroine would fall for the most boring man in Sungkyunkwan.

These two were so much more fun. And nice. 

Jeon Tae Soo did well as our main character of conflict, and I found him believably arrogant and manipulative. However, his scare-factor was reduced a fair bit by having two of his minions being silly, bumbling characters who couldn’t pull off a single scheme.

It felt like they just barley tolerated each other

I thought Seo Hyo Lim was delightful as the innocent noblewoman, and Kim Min Seo was so dynamic as Cho Sun that I wished her story had been explored a bit more. The bromance between the four boys (well three boys and a girl) was charming when it came about, but I always had this feeling that they didn’t actually like each other all that much. Seon Joon was far too busy looking down on everyone to actually be friends with any of them, and Jae Shin had a pretty big hatred for Seon Joon and the rest of the Norons. While I understand that the drama needed tension behind it, I wish that the writers could’ve come up with some other way to add tension that didn’t include the main guys not liking/trusting each other. There were so many moments that could have been used to bring the boys closer together, but the writers always seemed to opt for using every single situation as an excuse to push Seon Joon and Yoon Hee together. It just felt like a total waste of these other two brilliant characters they had in Yong Ha and Jae Shin. I actually thought Yong Ha as a character got shafted pretty badly.

You're so cute and so interesting and so underdeveloped

He’s one of our main quartet and he only gets a smidge of his back story shown right at the end. Yes, I suppose the drama could have been trying to maintain his air of mystery, but Yong Ha would have been so much more interesting throughout the whole series had we known he was masquerading as a nobleman.

A fangirl's fantasy

I also just plain wasn’t a fan of Yong Ha’s ambiguity when it came to the friendships. While it was cute that he just did things for fun and to stir up toruble, in the grand scheme of things it didn’t make a lot of sense. Yong Ha clearly knew that Yoon Hee was a girl and that Jae Shin liked her, and yet it felt like he was going out of his way to set Yoon Hee up with Seon Joon- even before it was clear that Yoon Hee liked Seon Joon. Which seems like a pretty cr*ppy thing to do to your best friend who is so obviously in love with this girl. These behaviours might have been excused if he’d actually had a crush on Jae Shin, and it seemed like the drama was going to go that way for a while before it pulled out, but as just friends its a bit of a d*uche move. The ending also left me a bit baffled. Yoon Hee was teaching at Sungkyunkwan, that much was obvious, but was she still pretending to be a man (the students called her Yoon Shik not Yoon Hee)? Her gender was outed to the King and the rest of the quartet had known for ages- but was it ever actually revealed to everyone? If so, how did she avoid punishment? And how did she end up teaching?

This whole ending was just a confusing attempt at fan-service

The new messenger that Jae Shin caught was also obviously a girl (as evidenced by Jae Shin's hiccups), and yet Jae Shin mentioned that she was studying at Sungkyunkwan. If the Geum Deung Ji Sa wasn't used then how did the King manage to get to that Joseon he dreamed of- and so quickly too. 

What Was Great:

Solid Base:

The ingredients for this drama were all there, it’s just that they weren’t put together quite right. Yoon Hee crossdressing was always going to be fun, and there were definitely some hilarious moments that were caused by this situation. The moments of friendship and bromance we got between the main four were usually pretty delightful, and left me wishing that there had more moments like them.

There were some cute moments

The idea behind the Geum Deung Ji Sa was a good one, and having these four scholars hand picked by the King was a great way to bring them together. The idea of political faction friction and the class divide was an interesting one, but I just don’t think it was used to its full potential. 

What Wasn’t:

Seon Joon:

I was not a fan of this character. He was boring and uninteresting and came across as exceedingly arrogant most of the time. From the start I got off on the wrong foot with this character when he was criticising Yoon Hee’s view of class divide,

Isn't cool, no, I don't like you

poverty and the world at large when he himself had only lead a severely sheltered life with a buttload of money and power. Despite Yoon Hee being constructed as a smart character, I always kind of felt like he was belittling her. Sure, I think it was more that the writers were trying to have him teach Yoon Hee and challenge her world views, but for me it just ended up causing him to come across as highly obnoxious. And then when he thought he was gay it only lead me to dislike him more. While Yoon see sometimes acted shallow and petty it was obvious that this arose out of jealousy. However, when Seon Joon started acting petty it wasn’t because he was annoyed with how close Yoon Hee and Jae Shin were, or because Cho Sun loved Yoon Hee, but because he himself liked her. And that’s a really stupid and childish reason to be mean to someone. To make matters worse, Seon Joon was actually engaged to another woman for most of this show’s run. And he treated her like total poo.

I felt so bad for this poor girl

Seon Joon used Hyo Eun to try and make Yoon Hee jealous and to try and get over his own feelings, and I’m never a fan of abusing a third party like that.

Go for the guy that makes you smile not the guy that makes you cry

Hyo Eun was sweet and naive and in no way deserved to have her feelings trampled on so carelessly the way Seon Joon did- especially when you consider that his selfish act of asking her to marry him and then changing his mind would have a huge societal impact on Hyo Eun regardless of which party broke the marriage off. Girls in Joseon whose engagements fall through aren’t exactly thought of nicely, and don’t tend to have a lot of suitors afterwards. It only made things worse that next to Seon Joon we had Jae Shin- who was encouraging and supportive of Yoon Hee, and always went out of his way to make her feel comfortable. Yoon Hee smiled more when she was with Jae Shin, which only made me question more why she liked Seon Joon. The whole relationship just felt forced. 

Aged:

I don’t think this drama has aged particularly well. I know that’s it’s almost 10 years old now, but the whole show felt very dated. From the way it was shot, to the side characters that were purely for slapstick comedic effect, to the way it took 500 years for the plot to get moving- everything just felt like it belonged in the past.

I know it's set in the past and all, but this drama just felt old

While there are a lot of K-Dramas that have withstood the test of time and remain engaging, interesting shows despite the year they were made, I don’t think ‘Sungkyunwan Scandal’ is one of them.

Recommend?

Not really. Despite still being one of the top K-Dramas people say are fabulous, I really don’t think there’s that much good stuff in this drama. I can see how it could’ve been amazing when it first came out- but that was a whole 8 years ago now.

I didn't really feel the sparkle

The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry

The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry

6.5/10

The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry

Genre:                                Episodes: 16                          Year: 2010

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Lee Shin Young is a reporter whose fiancé dumped her once she decided to go oversees to pursue her career. Years later Shin Young is back in Korea and has remained single. At the age of 34, she fears that she will never get married. She reconnects with an old school friend, Jung Da Jung, who is also 34 and desperate to get married. The two women often seek advice from their friend Kim Boo Ki, a successful woman who ended her 10 year relationship to find her own happiness. 

Cast:

Park Jin Hee (Lee Shin Young)

Kim Bum (Ha Min Jae)

Uhm Ji Won (Jung Da Jung)

Wang Bit Na (Kim Boo Ki)

Lee Pil Mo (Yoon Sang Woo)

Choi Cheol Ho (Na Ban Seok)

Park Ji Young (Choi Sang Mi)

General Thoughts:

This drama came so close to being really, really good, but then started to fall apart in the later stages (but more on that later). The cast and characters were all pretty delightful, and the first half of the series was loaded with laughs.

Slapstick humour done right

Park Jin Hee did a good job as our heroine acting out some rather ridiculous scenes, and had great chemistry with the other actresses. Kim Bum was just all kinds of delightful, and it’s almost worth watching the show just for him alone. He’s been great in previous roles, but the character of Min Jae just seemed to fit him perfectly- the right amount of charisma, mischief and charm to bring an absolutely gorgeous hero to life.

Kim Bum was just SO perfect. SWOOOOON

However, despite how wonderful the leads were separately, the chemistry between the two wasn’t all that great. Sometimes the vibe between the leads was really strong and emotional, but there were also times that they felt awkward around each other. The chemistry was best during more serious scenes, with some of the lighthearted interactions coming across a touch forced.

Flirting > Dating

Sure, similar lighthearted scenes were cute and fun at the start of the series when Min Jae was flirting and Shin Young was responding while still keeping a barrier between them, but these same sort of scenes seemed childish and put-on once the two started dating. Most often it was conversations between the two that ended in giggling that felt most awkward. But considering how much time the show spent on the love story between Shin Young and Min Jae, the two actually had very few scenes that required killer chemistry, so it was pretty easy to overlook some of the uneasiness between the leads. On the other hand, the chemistry between the three ladies was just killer. There was a beautiful vibe between the three, and they could bring in humour and annoyance without ever making the love shared between the friends appear any less. Even when the girls had disagreements or got annoyed with each other, there was always a deep sense of love and loyalty between them. I wish that the boys had maybe been given a bit more screen time to develop their relationships, because as it was it was quite easy to forget that Min Jae and Ban Seok were extremely close. And poor Sung Woo just didn’t seem to have any friends at all.

All Sang Woo has in an ex who doesn't want to know him

The crossed relationships were really such a hoot too. It was all a bit unfortunate (for the characters) how tangled everything was getting, but for us it just meant an amazing amount of awkward. The writers did a great job at choosing when to make the situations funny and when to make them emotional. The same situation could often be played for either laughs or drama, and the writers just nailed which direction to go.

Sweet yet substantial

I never thought that humour was being added in a scene that could have done without it, or that a light situation was being taken too seriously. The drama just hit that nice sweet spot of being a fun, fluffy drama that had just the right amount of depth. All the characters were developed beautifully (except Boo Ki, cuz what do you do when you’re already perfect). Almost all of our characters were given a chance to grow and mature and were in completely different states of mind at the end of the drama than they were at the start. Our hero goes from an uncommitted playboy to a devoted boyfriend and our heroine figures out that marriage isn’t the most important thing in life. The drama also didn't drag conflicts out for too long, which can often be the case for dramas that have no other conflict than the relationship between the leads. Many times I was expecting a situation or a misunderstanding to be drawn out in order to up the angst and get through more episodes, but I was happily surprised when that didn’t happen. For most of the show’s run, it’s characters communicated effectively, and never held onto grudges longer than was necessary. It kept the characters as interesting and relatable, and ensured they never tried the audiences’ patience (mostly).

Conflict → Tension → Resolution → New Conflict

Conflicts were resolved in a precise and snappy manner, meaning that we could quickly move onto the next segment of the drama, satisfied that the previous conflict was fully resolved. Being 7 years old the drama did feel a tad dated at times, but that’s to be expected- K-Drama has come a long way in recent years. Sometimes the editing techniques felt a bit old or the soundtrack felt a bit out of touch, but as the whole drama fit the same tone it wasn’t too jarring.

What Was Great:

Gal Pals:

Perhaps it’s because it happens so much less than bromances, but I absolutely adore really solid female friendships in K-Drama.

So much fabulousness 

And boy were these girls solid. Despite having three completely different personalities and wanting completely different things in their lives, the three women got along splendidly and were always fun to watch. Having the women be so close gave the viewers opportunities to understand their minds that you just don’t get in dramas that don’t have these type of friendships. Rather than being left wondering why the heroine was doing what she was doing, we were right in on her thought processes as she almost always spoke to her friends about it. And this was true for Da Jung as well as Shin Young. Without this insider knowledge to her actions, Da Jung was highly likely to become a dislikable character (because she is just a touch crazy). But instead we are exposed to her fears and vulnerabilities through these late night girl gossip sessions, ensuring that she remains sweet and likeable, even if she is still a little naive and crazy. I also loved how the show didn’t feel the need to give all three of the girls a love line, and that Boo Ki remained single and confident from start to finish.

Not Just Fluff:

This drama actually had far more substance to it than I was initially expecting. Usually dramas that aim to be light and fun tend to skimp on the more emotional, in-depth aspects of its characters and plot, but here the drama was more than happy to explore some deeper aspects. The noona romance was cute and fun, but the show was always ready to remind us that there were some pretty hard factors to deal with as well.

Cute but not without consequences

While Shin Young wants to get married quickly, once she starts dating a young guy that dream pretty much flies away. It’s an interesting point that not a lot of other noona romances actually deal with as their heroines tend to be work focused (‘I Hear Your Voice’), not looking for romance (‘Hello My Teacher’) or totally prepared to marry a guy that’s just way too young for marriage (‘High School King of Savvy’).

That grey hair is one of the worst K-Drama fashions I've ever seen

It’s a look in on the sort of sacrifice that older women have to make when they choose to date a guy that is that much younger than them. Because she decided to stay with Min Jae, Shin Young has to accept that she might not get married until she’s 40- and even then it’s not a guarantee as she and Min Jae might break up before then. The drama really explored just how much Shin Young was willing to risk for a chance to make things work with Min Jae. Because as much as it’s ridiculous and as mad as it makes me- men tend to not really want to date/marry a woman who is still single by 40. Another conflict that was often raising its head was the idea of work vs relationship. This played a part in not only the main romance but the side romance as well. Shin Young has already given up one relationship to pursue her career, and she is well aware of what that lost her the first time. It’s wonderful to see her make the same choice again, as she is fully aware of what the consequences of that choice are. Yet despite the fear and uncertainty, Shin Young still decides to do what it is she really wants, even if it means giving up something important. Similarly, Da Jung struggles to balance her working life and her home life. Unlike Shin Young, Da Jung has never really had to make a choice between her relationship and work, but it often became a problem in her marriage to Ban Seok.

Marriage isn't just weddings and honeymoons

We see Ban Seok’s father telling her than Ban Seok’s wife won’t even need to work, and Da Jung’s big conflict comes as a result of wanting to study and work rather than spending time with her in-laws. So while the drama was very fun and extremely enjoyable, it also didn’t shy away from commenting on some pretty heavy social issues that our main trio of ladies had to face, meaning that the drama remained memorable rather than just fading away like many other fluff dramas.

What Wasn’t:

Unresolved Issues:

Oh my golly goodness this drove me nuts and is ultimately where the show lost my love. The drama introduces all these really interesting, thought provoking conflicts and then just…ignores them.

Why did you have to let me down show?

It felt like the drama was gearing up for some pretty big explosions, but instead it just fizzles out. Da Jung encounters some extreme unhappiness in her new marriage which is awesome. Not awesome for her, but awesome for us viewers who get to see some of the downsides to Da Jung’s choice to rush headfirst into marriage with this man she barely knows.

All this angst for no real payoff

He meets all her criteria, but still isn’t the ‘perfect’ man, and she suffers a hard whack of reality. It felt like all this time we were waiting for Da Jung to stand up to her husband, say what she was feeling and then either choose to work together to solve their issues or walk away. But instead she only half-heartedly tells Ban Seok what the issue is and fails to really do anything about their disagreements. Then she falls pregnant and Ban Seok decides that he’ll just do whatever his wife wants. It was a pretty unsatisfactory resolution for the only really conflict that Da Jung has to face all series long. It doesn’t give off the feeling that the couple has the foundation for a strong marriage or that they’ll be able to work though issues together in the future. Instead it kind of feels like they're walking into an unhappy marriage that will turn them both bitter, but the writers didn’t want to go there so they tried tying things up with a big happy bow. Only I’m not buying it. Then all these issues that the drama brought up in the last few episodes between the main couple are just ignored. There’s no real thought given to how the two will cope with Min Jae’s mother’s partner being Shin Young’s ex-fiancé. Or to any of their other issues. Love conquers all. Which is fine for a fluff drama, but I was really expecting something a lot more substantial from this drama.

Aw, look at you just ignoring all your issues

Another thing that annoyed me was that all series long Min Jae never really had any consequences for his actions. Each time he wronged Shin Young he got off extremely lightly. I mean, he makes fun of her age in the middle of an apology so he dyes his hair grey and that apparently makes everything better?

I know he's super cute and all but please let him know he's being an ass

As it was early on in the series I could let it slide, but when it really annoyed me is when Min Jae stood Shin Young up for their last dinner to hang out with friends after Shin Young has given up hanging out with her friends to meet him. Then he’s doing love shots with some other young girl while his actual girlfriend is home alone waiting for him. 100% not cool. I was expecting some major grovelling. I was so on Shin Young’s team when she was giving him the cold shoulder because no matter how you look at it Min Jae messed up. While he wasn’t encouraging the young girl’s advances he wasn’t shooting her down either. He didn’t even tell her he had a girlfriend (which is a whole other barrels of worms)! And to act that way when you know your girl is at home waiting is pretty high on the d*uche scale. But instead of grovelling he gets in bed for some snuggles and it’s all good. Like, he doesn’t even apologise. Even though it was only one moment, it really made me lose confidence in Min Jae and his ability to love and support Shin Young and actually showed how young and immature he really is. So while most of the drama was really excellent, the lack of decisions from the characters and lack of consequences for their actions really made the drama quite infuriating.

Recommend?

Maybe- if you like noona romances this drama would be one to watch, otherwise probably not.

So, so, so, so, so close to being amazing

Oh! My Lady

Oh! My Lady

3.5/10

Oh! My Lady

Genre:                                   Episodes: 16                                   Year: 2010

Romance                                                             

Comedy

Family

Synopsis:

A divorced housewife, Yoon Gae Hwa, becomes the housecleaner for a popular, arrogant celebrity, Sung Min Woo. After discovering he has an illegitimate daughter, Min Woo moves Gae Hwa into his apartment and pays her to be the child’s ‘substitute mother’. Together the two must work together to keep any scandals from ruining Min Woo’s career.

Cast:

Chae Rim (Yoon Gae Hwa)

Choi Siwon (Sung Min Woo)

Kim Yoo Bin (Ye Eun)

Park Han Byul (Hong Yu Ra)

Lee Hyun Woo (Yu Si Joon)

Moon Jeong Hee (Han Jung Ah)

General Thoughts:

It’s not a good drama. I mean, when your whole show is carried by a singer and a 5 year old girl, you’ve got a problem. Siwon completely steals the show (what little of it there is to steal) as the stroppy actor unprepared for fatherhood- the mass amounts of fan-service don’t hurt either.

That's basically all you need to know right there

Kim Yoo Bin is just delightful any time she’s on screen. She’s basically perfect- whose heart wouldn’t melt looking at her adorable little face? I didn’t care much for our main lady, Yoon Gae Hwa. I get the feeling that she was supposed to be endearing- but a lot of the time I just found her naggy and annoying.

Aimed for charming- achieved irritating

There was also less than no chemistry between her and Sung Min Woo- Siwon’s character. I can appreciate that the writers were aiming for a relationship that wasn’t simply built out of attraction- but at least a little attraction is needed. The rest of the characters are so shallow and underdeveloped that it doesn’t even matter what they do because no one actually cares. Similarly, no one actually cares about the plot. The drama fails to capitalise on interesting plot-points, and never properly explores any of the plot-points it does go into. For a drama that touches on some heavy issues (single parenting, adultery, divorce, loss of personal freedoms) it’s extremely light on actual story developments.  If we’re all honest, the only reason anyone watched this drama is because of the gradual, but always adorable, relationship development between Min Woo and his daughter. And Siwon gets shirtless.

What Was Great:

Fan-service:

Mmmmm hmmmm

Before we even get any look in at the plot or any of our other characters we have Choi Siwon. A good way to start any drama. His acting is pretty consistent throughout, and he’s definitely got all the charms of a ridiculously handsome celebrity. Oh wait, that’s because he is one. Adding to this, for at least the first three, maybe four episodes, there’s always a scene with no top on. Fantastic, great, yes.

You're Welcome

Daddy-Daughter Relationship:

Unbearably adorable

By far the shining beacon of hope in this drama. While other storylines and relationships fell short, the relationship between Min Woo and Ye Eun is always pleasing. Min Woo’s slow progression from complete indifference to doting father is completely believable. Even in the early stages we are given little hints that the actor cares more for his illegitimate child than he is letting on, and his occasional, awkward displays of affection for her are to die for. It’s adorable to watch Ye Eun vie for her father’s attention, and her disappointment when she fails and excitement when she succeeds are perfectly acted. The gradual closure of distance between these two individuals is definitely the most enthralling part of the whole drama. I think it’s pretty safe to assume that without Kim Yoo Bin, this series would have been a total flop.

What Wasn’t:

Ajumma:

I just didn't find myself rooting for her

I get that Yoon Gae Hwa was a divorced mother. I get that she was older than Sung Min Woo, but boy did they hammer that point home. From her permed hair to her demanding attitude, Gae Hwa had ‘ajumma’ written all over her. Which in itself isn’t a bad thing, but the concept got tired pretty quickly. While we did have moments of development from our leading lady, she was never able to quite break away from her ‘ajumma’ stereotype. The hair, clothes and actions of Gae Hwa lead me to believe that she was far older than what the writers were aiming for, and killed any chance of a believable noona romance. Because she’s not a noona. She’s an ajumma.

Zero Romance:

There were no sparks flying between Gae Hwa and Min Woo. None. Nada. Zip. Sure, there were some cute moments- but they were never cute romantic moments. Many of these cute moments could happen between an 80 year old woman and a stroppy teenage boy, or between two straight men living with the world’s cutest 5 year old.

Anyone could act cute around Kim Yoo Bin

Any hint of romance between our two leads felt hideously forced and unnatural. While I’ll admit it was clear that Min Woo was developing affection for Gae Hwa, it felt more as though he was searching for a motherly figure in her- both for Ye Eun and himself.

It's weird. Just stop it.

I felt more of a mother-son vibe going on than a lover vibe. The fact is, our leading lady had far more chemistry (and couple scenes) with Yu Si Joon than Min Woo. The whole ending totally fell flat for me as well, as I never believed that Min Woo felt anything more for Gae Hwa except gratitude that she was a good mother to his daughter. His confession just felt like a desperate, and slightly confused, attempt to keep Gae Hwa as a mother for Ye Eun.

Second-Rate Secondary Characters:

So basically no one else gets much development. Si Joon is a wooden office-man with a failing marriage that he may or may not care about. It’s hard to tell. Han Jung Ah is a straight-faced choreographer who’s cheating on her husband, who she may or may not care about. Also hard to tell. Hong Yu Ra is the irritating first-love who hates the idea of anyone not falling at her feet, yet has the most round-about ways of trying to woo someone ever displayed in any drama ever. And there’s the annoying reporter. Oh, and Gae Hwa’s ex, but he’s actually so redundant it’s not even funny. None of these characters get any real development, and it’s hard to connect with them on an emotional level.

Just look at all these people I don't care about

Re-watch?

Never. I can look up Choi Si Won’s abbs and Kim Yoo Bin’s face on Google and get just as much enjoyment as I got out of this drama.

In the nicest way possible: Never again.