Bad Guys

Bad Guys

7/10

Bad Guys

Genre: Episodes: 11 Year: 2014

Mystery

Thriller

Synopsis:

After a criminal murders his son, the Police Commissioner forms a specially selected team of criminals whose task is to track down and capture the criminals that the police cannot find. The team is made up of Park Woong Chul- a mob boss, Jung Tae Soo- a contract killer, Lee Jung Moon- a psychopathic serial killer, and is lead by Oh Goo Tak- a police officer who was suspended from the force after the murder of his daughter made him lose control. Inspector Yoo Mi Young is tasked with keeping the team under control.

Cast:

Kim Sang Joong (Oh Goo Tak)

Ma Dong Seok (Park Woong Chul)

Jo Dong Hyuk (Jung Tae Soo)

Park Hae Jin (Lee Jung Moon)

Kang Ye Won (Yoo Mi Young)

Jang Shin Il (Nam Goo Hyun)

Kim Tae Hoon (Oh Jae Won)

General Thoughts:

It’s a nice dark drama that’s not too dark. It has all the anger and pain of a much darker story, but manages to balance it well with a sprinkle of humour. I never found myself really and truly falling in love with the drama as a whole, but the characters were enough to snag me.

Everyone loves a bad boy...or three

I expected to love Park Hae Jin as the cold psychopathic murderer (I think he’s fabulous in anything), but I wasn’t expecting to fall so hard for the hitman Tae Soo. Jo Dong Hyuk nailed it as the contact killer with a conscience and I just adored every aspect of his character.

A badass fighter with perfect eyebrows- what more could a girl want?

He felt dark and mysterious (as all bad boys should), but also had a heavy, easily wounded heart and a lady love he’d leave his bad ways behind for (again, as all bad boys should). Tae Soo was slick, skilled and cool, and Jo Dong Hyuk became the character 100%. Similarly, Ma Dong Seok felt like he and his character Woong Chul were one and the same. I adored him in ‘Train to Busan’ as the zombie-punching strongman and I adored him in this as the people-punching gangster. Honestly and truly, no one does likeable tough men quite like Ma Dong Seok. I loved Park Hae Jin more for Park Hae Jin and less for his character, who I always thought could stand to be a bit creepier. Park Hae Jin acted him well, and when he was creepy he was chillingly scary- but there weren’t really enough of those moments. It was as though the writers didn’t want to make it too hard to turn the character around at the end, so they skimped out on Jung Moon’s over-all bad guy vibe. Kim Sang Joon acted the part of the hero (was he though?) Goo Tak to perfection. His expressions, tone and movements were all so in tune with Goo Tak that he felt like a living, breathing being in the way the other bad guys didn’t (they felt more like storybook characters).

As with any origins story, it started with the death of a family member

The writing and acting really came together in the character Goo Tak- he never came across feeling like a made-up hero the way the other boys sometimes did, and Goo Tak’s loss of morality and slip-ups made him feel distinctly flawed and human. Unfortunately, as real as Goo Tak felt, I can’t say that I warmed up to him much.

Tae Soo and Woong Chul's rapport was probably my favourite thing

My heart was stolen by the loveable, much less realistic prison-boys, and that didn’t leave a lot of love for Goo Tak- particularly when he went against the other three. I liked that each of the guys felt different and had their own story to tell. Their differences were always shown well, particularly in fight scenes- Woong Chul just used pure power, Tae Soo used agility and skill, and Jung Moon just kind of made it up as he went. As well as their fighting styles, their personalities all felt unique and distinctive as well. As for the story, I will admit that I didn’t always feel like I was making sense of it in the way that I should have been. I had most of the big issues figured out pretty early, such as Jung Moon not being a murderer (I’ve only seen one drama where a guy who’s killed 15+ people is painted in an even slightly positive light), and Prosecutor Oh being the Big Bad (I’ve just become used to seeing Kim Tae Hoon as a villain, and that character felt way too slimy). While the smaller cases were interesting, sometimes they did feel a bit like filler while we waited until we were deep enough in the story to get the the final villain. I wish that Prosecutor Oh had been a bit more proactive throughout the whole show, as it kind of reduced his scare factor.

I mean, he's creepy and well crazy but I feel like our bad guys can take him without breaking a sweat

Team Bad Guys never felt like it was in any real danger from an external force- it was more likely that they’d kill each other first. Internal struggle can have its merits, but in a show such as this, I do think the overall villain needed to be a bit more…well…villainous. I always prefer conflicts that are solidly based in the present, and let’s be real- dude ain’t murdered anyone in 2 years (until ep 15). In a similar vein, it also meant that I didn’t really feel what the end goal was of this drama. Like, clearly it’s about clearing Jung Moon’s name (cuz he obvs didn’t kill no peeps), but the idea of that is brought in a touch late to be THE main plot line.

So Jung Moon never killed anyone, but is he still a psychopath or was that a lie too?

What Was Great:

The Darkness:

Visually, I really loved how gritty and dark the show looked. The extreme contrasts in the cinematography really set this drama apart from others. As well as having a unique story line, having such uncommon visuals really made the drama stand out. The drama played really well with light and shadow, and incorporated that into the mystery of the actual story.

The visuals are certainly attention grabbing

The silhouette shots were not only super cool, but further enforced the not-everything-is-as-it-seems tone of the series. The happy flashbacks for all the characters were lighter and less contrasting scenes, and often had more colour than just the various shades of dark that the present day scenes had. It was a subtle way to maximise the impact of our characters’ pasts and exactly how much an event or events have weighed on these men and just how much they have changed.

Bad Guys:

The three prison boys were all delightful. You’d think that you wouldn’t like them much because they’re, y’know, bad guys, but it’s enjoyable to watch their stories unfold.

Bad boys, bad boys

Their backgrounds are revealed in ways that show their mistakes and vulnerabilities, so it’s hard to not like them. Of course it helps that none of the main guys are really all that bad. Sure, contract killing isn’t great, but even the hired hitman knew that kidnapping and harvesting organs was just evil and wrong. The whole idea of these three characters is quite a nice thought as well- they may have made some bad choices at one time or another, but it’s those bad choices that put them in a position to help people, and those who’ve never made bad choices wouldn’t be able to think and mobilise the way our bad guys do. The bonding moments between the three criminals were always pretty sweet, and it was nice to see them draw together as a team- though a bit more teamwork and boy-bonding wouldn’t have gone astray.

What Wasn’t:

Pieces Missing:

I will admit that sometimes I found the story a little hard to follow. I’m not sure if it’s because some things just weren’t explained enough, or if the dialogue simply made less sense once it was translated. The show was absolutely ripe with doublespeak and that could make it hard to follow at times for me as a non-Korean speaker.

Half the time I had zero idea what in the hell the Commissioner was going on about

Like, are the dogs we’re talking about the police, our bad guys or the real bad guys? I’m lost. I’m not against doublespeak here and there but I do feel like the show had just too many metaphors and layered speeches and hidden meanings.

Guuuuurl wat u doin'?

I had no clue why Inspector Yoo decided to change sides from the Police Commissioner to Prosecutor Oh. I actually questioned her necessity in the story at all, but I suppose we can’t have a 100% male cast. Similarly, I struggled to understand what was going on with Goo Tak most of the time as well. While he was a simple guy who hated injustice and would do anything to bring criminals down he was easy to understand, but as time went on I found myself questioning his actions. It wasn’t so much his motive that confused me but more how he went about doing things. Like, if he was so sure that Jung Moon was his daughter’s murderer, why didn’t he kill him straight away as soon as the criminals were released for the first case? And if he didn’t 100% believe Jung Moon killed his daughter why did he suddenly snap and try to kill Jung Moon at every turn? Maybe it’s because I was so positive that Jung Moon wasn’t a murderer that Goo Tak came off as confusing and blinded, but he really sort of stopped making sense when the time came to focus on Jung Moon’s story.

Either shoot him or don't, but make up your mind

Like come on, if you’d made up a bunch of evidence to imprison the guy maaaaaybe while he was out of your way you could gather up some evidence that either supported or contradicted your ‘hunch’. Just sayin’.

All my years of TV and movie viewing tell me you're a big ol' red herring

The series sure didn’t go out of its way to make things clearer either. Sometimes we would see a scene one way, and then we’d see it again and something would have changed. Sometimes we saw things on screen that just flat out weren’t true (such as Jung Moon wiping down a murdered girl’s body when by the end it was clear he’d never done such a thing). It was like the drama was trying way too hard to make us second guess Jung Moon, and that itself pretty much assured me of his innocence. Would they really put so much time and effort into making Jung Moon look like the murderer if he really was the murderer? My previous experience with mystery-thrillers tells me no. 

Recommend?

Definitely. Probably not a drama for the lovers of rom-coms and not much else, but if you like a bit of action and a bit of an underdog tale it’s a great story. I think Korean audiences can probably get more out of it than non-Korean speaking viewers, but it’s enjoyable all the same.

Come at me Season 2

I Need Romance 3

I Need Romance 3

8.5/10

I Need Romance 3

Genre:                                   Episodes: 16                          Year: 2014

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Shin Joo Yeon is a woman who used to be innocent and kind, but has been hurt badly by failing love and turned cold. Joo Wan grew up with Joo Yeon as a child, but hasn’t seen her since he moved to America. When Wan returns to Korea under the name Allen, he is sad to see how life has hardened Joo Yeon. Joo Yeon doesn’t recognise Wan as the boy she grew up with, and he uses that as a chance to show her real love.

Cast:

Sung Joon (Joo Wan)

Kim So Yeon (Shin Joo Yeon)

Namgoong Min (Kang Tae Yoon)

Wang Ji Won (Oh Se Ryoung)

Park Hyo Joo (Lee Min Jung)

Yoon Seung Ah (Jung Hee Jae)

Park Yoo Hwan (Lee Woo Young)

Yoo Ha Joon (Ahn Min Suk)

General Thoughts:

Well, well, well- that’s an adorable little drama right there. Sung Joon really carried the romance well and made this drama one of the better noona romances around. As far as the ‘I Need Romance’ franchise goes, I will admit that this one didn’t really seem to fit in the same mould as the other two before it.

More romance, less angst

I’m not complaining as I actually preferred ‘3’ over ‘2011’ and ‘2012’, but hardcore lovers of the franchise might be a bit put off or disgruntled at the differences. For starters the love-line. It’s far more dreamy, fairytale, not-quite-real than the previous two. Rather than being about the everyday struggles of loving someone flawed and getting to the heart of why the main couple fell in love, ‘3’ takes a much more typical K-Drama approach in that it’s mostly about the joy and fluffy feelings of a beginning romance.

Not the same three friends we're used to

It’s also a fairly new relationship. In ‘2011’ the leads were in a 10 year relationship, and in ‘2012’ they’ve grown up in the same house all their lives. Here, Wan and Joo Yeon may have known each other as kids, but they’ve never met as adults. This meant that the romance was more about falling in love rather than staying in love. This instalment also lacked the noticeable girl-trio. While it was a bit sad to miss out on all the girl bonding and friendships (we did get a bit of this in the last few episodes), it also meant that the characters felt new and interesting. The ‘2012’ girls felt a bit like carbon copies of the ‘2011’ girls, so it was nice to have some new personalities in the mix. The writers also didn’t commit as hard to the love triangle as they did previously. While in previous seasons there might have been some doubt as to who would end up with the girl, I don’t think anyone was really thinking that Wan would be left high and dry while Sunbae got the happy ending. Perhaps the biggest difference is that this story is primarily told from the leading male’s point of view. Joo Yeon does do a lot of voice-overs, but it’s mostly Wan’s thoughts and Wan’s side of the story that we connect to.

It was definitely Wan's show

These differences were what made the drama feel new and refreshing, but there were definitely similarities that reminded you that it was part of a franchise. We got the same voice-overs letting us in on our leads’ thoughts, the same thoughtful, contemplative tone, and the same editing style.

Do I believe this relationship will last? Not a chance.

It was enough to remind you of the things you loved in the other dramas but also avoided seeming like it was trying too hard to cram all three shows into one distinct set-up. Moving onto this drama alone, there were really so many things to enjoy. The romance is what takes centre stage (obviously), and the lack of a competitive love triangle meant that we got to see and enjoy every moment of our hero wooing his lady love. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, and there were definitely some sadder moments, but the show never lost itself in trying to drag out too much emotion. The characters felt genuine and sincere and their situations were relatable, so that let the emotion of the story flow naturally without feeling forced. We were sad when our characters were sad because we connected with them- not because of some angsty soundtrack and weeping actors. The characters were all flawed enough (except maybe Wan because he’s perfect) that they felt real. There were sides to each character that were both likeable and dislikable, and the relationships were all fun to watch develop. I really loved the inclusion of a man in the early friendship circle, as it meant that in the girly conversations it added a male opinion. The acting was pretty great all-round. Sung Joon was particularly delightful.

Sung Joon is the biggest big spoon I've seen in K-Dramaland

Even though Joo Yeon was a character that had a lot of defences (that sometimes made her seem dislikable), Kim So Yeon acted her with an undertone of vulnerability that kept the character likeable. The four different couples and their different issues felt new and interesting, and meant that our main romance could take its time telling its story, as there were many other plots to keep us entertained in the meantime- my favourite being Min Jung and her baby-daddy.

You don't even know what you've just started

I will admit that I wished the side stories had a bit more depth and/or screen time, as it felt like a rather abrupt end to their stories. But then again, that would take away time from how adorable our leads were, so I’m not super disappointed about it. Also, side note- the soundtrack for this drama was wonderfully enjoyable and added a lot to the series. 

What Was Great:

Goguma:

Ahhh the K-Drama hero that doesn’t exist in real life no matter how hard we wish. Wan was just an all-round perfect hero. He loves and protects his girl and never forgets to let her know just how special she is.

Things like this just don't happen to regular people

Sure, Wan had his (minor) flaws, but he’s the type of drama hero that every girl wants in real life. The last drama I watched Sung Joon in almost completely killed my love for him, so it was nice to be reminded of why I like Sung Joon so much in the first place. He does the sweet younger man so well, and was just too adorable for words. 

Learning Curve:

Throughout the whole series, each of the characters were learning things about themselves and about the people they cared about.

This is what happens to regular people

It meant that the drama felt like it was continuously moving forward, and we never got bored watching similar scenarios play out. Even though Joo Yeon’s brief stint with Sunbae felt really awkward and emotionally dead, it was easy to watch because we knew that it was something Joo Yeon had to go through in order to recognise her own feelings. Se Ryoung could at times be a character that was difficult to like, but she was great at causing conflict for our heroine. Se Ryoung brought out the worst in Joo Yeon, and not only was this a problem in that it made Joo Yeon a worse person, but also because it distanced her from Wan. While it was nice to see Wan calling her up on her mistakes, it did add a bit of nervousness to the relationship- when would Joo Yeon finally get sick of Wan nagging her? It was excellent that Wan eventually came to the realisation that he couldn’t force Joo Yeon to change, and that he had to accept her the way she was now, and not just love her for the girl she used to be. The two main girls, Joo Yeon and Se Ryoung, had mass amounts to learn when it came to each other. I’m glad that they were able to play nice by the end (even if it came on a bit quick), and they each took what they learned from that relationship and used that to better their other relationships.

All the b*tchiness was worth it to get our heroine here

What Wasn’t:

Fairytale Finish:

Every ending was tied in a neat little bow. I’m usually not one to whine about happy endings (because I love happy endings), but it did feel a little forced here.

I guuuueeesss I can live with all snoodles and no angst

Wan and Joo Yeon didn’t really encounter any really problems that stemmed from him being so much younger than her. It felt a bit like we ended on a happy note, but were going to miss out on so much growth and development they could have had- the downside of dramas that focus only on the start of relationships. I also think the friendship between Joo Yeon and Se Ryoung was wrapped up a bit quickly- as if the writers suddenly realised they didn’t have enough time to do a bigger reconciliation. I also wanted to see a little more of Min Jung and her baby-daddy and all the issues they would face. Of all the conclusions, I think I was most disappointed with the way Hee Jae’s story finished. While I really liked Woo Young and believed that he liked Hee Jae, I never really bought her side of the romance. I thought what her character needed was some single time without a man telling her who she should or shouldn’t be. I guess she sort of did get that a bit with her trip, but I would have liked a bit more of an open ending for her character (gasp- me? Wanting an open ending?!).

Recommend?

For sure. This drama has so many things going for it. Sung Joon is a delightful hero and makes the romance really addictive. 

Long live noona romances

High School King of Savvy

High School King of Savvy 

7/10

High School King of Savvy

Genre:                                   Episodes: 17                         Year: 2014

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Lee Min Suk is a high school student who is good at nothing except ice hockey. On the day his highly successful brother is due to come home, Min Suk gets a mysterious phone call from him saying he won’t be able to return. He convinces Min Suk to go to work and pretend to be him, as the brothers look almost identical, and Min Suk finds himself trapped trying to balance ice hockey and pretending to be a corporate director.

Cast:

Seo In Guk (Lee Min Suk/Lee Hyung Suk)

Lee Ha Na (Jung Soo Young)

Lee Soo Hyuk (Yoo Jin Woo)

Lee Yeol Eum (Jung Yoo Ah)

Jo Han Chul (Kim Chang Soo)

Oh Kwang Rok (Choi Jang Ho)

General Thoughts:

It’s not my favourite drama in the world, but it’s enjoyable enough. The writers really owe a lot to Seo In Guk’s portrayal of their character, because he did a splendid job as our hero. He was charming and funny, and was just so entertaining to watch- he does the best angry/disbelief stutter-rants I’ve ever seen. And any scene with him swearing was just hilarious.

Seo In Guk is the king of youthful hilarity

On the other hand, I actually think Lee Ha Na made her character seem worse than she was written. I can see how she was going for a quirky individual character, but I almost would have preferred a stock-standard Candy heroine- as I just flat-out didn’t like Lee Ha Na’s interpretation of the character. Rather than sweetly naive and clumsy, I found Soo Young more stupid and sloppy- which aren’t really traits I like in my characters.

Doesn't make much of an impression

I found Min Suk so appealing and Soo Young so not that it took a while for me to warm up to her character at all. I enjoyed the main romance purely because Min Suk was so into it, and anything Min Suk was into I rooted for because I loved him so completely as a character. The story-line was a little odd in that not much happened, but the eccentricities of our characters allowed for the episodes to flow nicely without becoming boring. Min Suk’s interactions with everyone were either cute or funny (or both), so it was quite nice to just watch this loveable teen flounder in his beautifully confident way. The love-triangle was never really a real thing for me, as I could honestly not root for Jin Woo at all. It wasn’t just due to my Min Suk love (because he could do better than Soo Young anyway), but Jin Woo was just such a wanker at the start of the series. And I don’t just mean he was kind of an asshole, but some of his actions were borderline sexual harassment. Sure, if you make a character hit rock bottom there’s nowhere to go but up- but I was a tad uncomfortable any time Soo Young was alone with him after his very creepy, almost rapey attitude in the carpark when he forced himself all over her. Of course, this also did little for our heroine as when she knowingly met Jin Woo alone she just seemed so incredibly stupid. Like, how has this woman lived as an adult for 10 years?

Just let him hit him once

Apart from his brief slip into creepy territory, Jin Woo had a nice progression throughout the story. Lee Soo Hyuk acted him brilliantly, so most of the time he was understandable even if you didn’t agree with him. Lee Soo Hyuk acted Jin Woo with an air of vulnerability that made it easy to sympathise with him. It was nice how Jin Woo and Min Suk became friends in the end, and do wish we’d had a bit more of that sprinkled throughout the show. I wasn’t super crazy about Jin Woo getting a girl in the final hour either, as I felt it was much more important he had a solid, loyal, supportive friend like Min Suk than a cute girl he didn’t know. But alas, K-Dramas tend to like tying up every single loose end there is, even if it doesn’t hurt to leave some ends untied. The Noona Romance was very cute (all because of Seo In Guk), and as with all Noona Romacnes, we get our dose of complete and utter angst.

What to do? He's sooooo cute, but he's sooooo young

I actually really liked the way the angst was handled here, as it played out in a natural way. Soo Young has to come to terms with the fact that the guy she loves is 10 years younger. There’s no magic spell that can fix this problem because it’s a problem that can’t be fixed.

Whatever makes our Min Sukie happy

It’s part of what makes Noona Romances so entertaining- it’s not so much a ‘will they?’ but a ‘how will they?’. While I did find the marriage a bit of a cop-out, I was at least happy that the writers didn’t solve the issue with a time skip so that Min Suk was older and thus the relationship more acceptable. The wedding itself was kinda on the tacky side, and it doesn’t actually solve any of their problems- Min Suk is still in high school, he still doesn’t have a job or money, and he’s still going to get embarrassed in front of Soo Young’s friends. But it's still better than the dreaded 1-5 years of needless separation. Most of the time I found the writing to be on the better side of okay, but there were instances (such as the rushed wedding) that felt pretty weak. Most of the characters were really fun, and their world mixed with the gimmick of Min Suk pretending to be his brother was hilarious, but sometimes there were just situations or dialogue that didn’t feel natural at all. I also didn’t feel it was strictly necessary to take hockey away from Min Suk in the end either. While it was horrifically sad the first time it happened, it was less so the next time, if only for the fact that we’d been there before. It seemed like the only reason Min Suk couldn’t play hockey was that they wanted him to end up in the business world where he’d been pretending to be all along, and I wasn’t super crazy about that. I guess you could view it as Min Suk growing up, but I kind of wanted our ice-hockey boy to…well…play hockey.

Why did you have to kill his dreams, show?

What Was Great:

Seo In Guk:

Seo In Guk is the star of this show. There was never a single moment that I didn’t like the character of Min Suk, and Seo In Guk filled him with such life and personality. He let his comedy come easily and just completely nailed the role of a young man brimming with unwarranted confidence thrown into a world of adults.

Can Seo In Guk just not age so he can be in every youth drama ever? Please?

Although much of Min Suk’s character was based around humour, he never felt gimmicky or unnatural. Seo In Guk always ensured that there was a base of genuine emotion for the humour to work around that gave Min Suk an extremely genuine and humane quality. While Min Suk was childish in many ways, I appreciated that the show didn’t portray this in a negative light. While there were downsides to being romantically involved with someone that young, the show did still point out that many adults lose something important as we transition into the ‘real’ world. Next to the company men that were so jaded and so desperate to get ahead, Min Suk was like a breath of fresh air. I also appreciated that the drama kept those traits about Min Suk even after the time skip. He was still confident and fun, just a little less naive. Seo In Guk also did a great job in portraying the two different brothers. While Hyung Suk didn’t get a lot of screen time, he still felt like a real and distinct character- one that was entirely different from Min Suk. I don’t think this drama could have been half as good as it is without Seo In Guk behind our youthful, loveable hero (and his brother).

Let Min Suk have everything cuz he's the best

Extended Cast:

The supporting cast added a lot to the drama. While they weren’t necessarily important to the story, they were essential elements in making the drama something you could invest in emotionally.

This family could never have too much screen-time

All the characters felt like they led their own lives offscreen whether they were company employees, high school students or family members. The high school kids were mostly there for laughs, but did provide a nice dose of heart every now and then. While I wouldn’t call myself a fan of Yoo Ah (I dislike pushy people/characters), I did find her growth interesting to watch. The company workers were similar in that they were mostly there to react to situations, but they were given enough personality and just enough time on screen to solidify that these could be real, functional adults just going about their working lives. The characters that really snagged my heart were Dad and Grandad. They were both so cute, and were essential as characters that shaped our loveable hero into who he was. Much of the emotion and heart of the series came from Min Suk’s interactions with his family, and any scene with Grandpa was lovely to watch- even if some were sad, they hurt in just the right ways.

What Wasn’t:

Almost Too Much In Guk Love:

The best thing about this drama by far is Seo In Guk. However, I will admit that this hurt the show a little as well. The only other people I felt were on Seo In Guk’s acting level were Oh Kwang Rok (Min Suk’s father) and Lee Soo Hyuk. Not our heroine. Because Seo In Guk dazzled so much brighter than everyone else, it was extremely easy to latch onto him as a character.

I want what our hero wants

Not only was he so wonderfully likeable, but we were seeing the new world of Comfo through this young man’s eyes. Min Suk was easy to connect with and relate to and became a completely brilliant character. However this complete character adoration can have a downside when the other half of the romance isn’t up to scratch.

Maybe you could, I dunno, talk to him sometimes

Seo In Guk was much more dynamic, interesting and likeable than Lee Ha Na, which unfortunately for Lee Ha Na meant that I didn’t connect with her character at all. Whatever was going on in the story, I was 100% on Team Min Suk. If Min Suk was mad at someone- so was I. If Min Suk was sad about something- so was I. Every emotion our hero felt I felt as well, which is a wonderful thing 95% of the time. But when the show is trying to create angst and tension between the two leads, I didn’t feel the heartbreak intended, because I only liked Min Suk and only really cared about the way he saw things. I only really cared for Soo Young when Min Suk did, so when the two had fights I didn’t think ‘oh no, poor couple, Min Suk didn’t understand’, I thought ‘oh no, damn Soo Young, she should have communicated properly’. It was a mix of pure love for the character Seo In Guk gave us and constant terrible communication from Soo Young that led to a little piece of dissatisfaction in the love-line.

Where’s BroBro?:

One of the more interesting plot points of the show is Min Suk’s brother. I mean, he’s the whole point there even is a show as he’s the reason behind the main gimmick- Hyung Suk can’t go to work so Min Suk goes in his place. It’s an interesting set-up with a lot of mystery surrounding Hyung Suk.

Where you at? What you do? Why you do it?

I was a bit disappointed when the whole fiasco was part of some rather poorly constructed revenge plot (his whole revenge was based around his un-studious teenage brother not being discovered impersonating a highly educated, successful businessman). I understand that it would have been difficult to do much with Min Suk and Hyung Suk together as Seo In Guk played both roles, but I found the wrap-up for main plot rather quick and not all that satisfying.

I could've watched a couple more episodes of this

Hyung Suk has spent months, maybe even years constructing this revenge, then Gramps dies so he stops and goes back to Germany. I would have really appreciated if the show had got onto the revenge-story a little earlier so that we had time to flesh it out and give it more depth. As it was, we learned about the death of the boys’ biological father at the same time as we learnt of the revenge plot, so it lacked impact because we were too invested in the Comfo employees. I would have loved to explore more dynamics between the brothers and how they became two very different people, and how they could help and understand each other, but it never really came. Even the reconciliation after Hyung Suk stopped his revenge was pretty light and unsubstantial. There’s a text message and they wave at the airport. Like, c’mon, where’s the emotion in that?

Re-watch?

Nope. Seo In Guk was spectacular and the Noona Romance was sweet at times, but it’s a one-time-only sort of show for me.

I came, I saw