(bad) y/n fanfic meets k-drama

This is pretty much a fanfic adapted into a k-drama, so don't go into it with too high expectations.

Overall, it was an ok-ish watch. I would have liked to see better acting (particularly from Lee Sin Young, as he was supposed to be the "main" lead of the show—he had the emotional range of a plank of wood for most of it), and a different ending. Just let the evil guy be evil. Why throw in a pointless "oh, he's just lashing out because he's hurt" twist? The guy schemed, lied, cheated and stole with the objective of tearing down the mart to erect a building there. Evil is, as evil does; the villain should have been defeated and sent to jail.

Also, I didn't get what the point of Gina, the girl idol was. Her relationship drama with Young Min added absolutely nothing to the story. Same as the love triangle barely hinted at between Ho Rang, Ye Rim and Tae Ho.

I feel like a better writer could have actually made a fun, enjoyable show out of the premise of a bunch of estranged, washed-up idols running a mart together, like for example if Ye Rim had been a super fan of Thunder Boys, and thus had vested interest in them making up and being successful in running the business together (plus, her quietly losing her mind out of excitement over meeting her favorite idols at first, only to eventually learn they are just normal people would have been a fun, meaningful development). Disappointing, really.

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The ending SUCKED! (and that's not a pun)

Don't be tricked. This is NOT a dang rom-com. And that ending had to be one of the most disappointing ones I've seen in years.

To be perfectly honest, the first third to around the halfway point of the show was good. The leads were awesome, their chemistry was quiet but comfortable and beautiful, and they developed one of the healthiest, most honest, most grown-up relationships I've seen in any k-drama. But, the main idea this was written around wasn't complex enough to develop a whole 16 episodes around it, and that meant that the show got really draggy and empty of plot progression in the last few episodes. The last two were particularly barren. They were two hours of nothing happening and then a shitty ending.

I'm angry right now at how the writers threw the whole show into the garbage bin with that horrible, uninspired, unimaginative ending. Watch the drama and skip eps 15 and 16. I'll tell you what happened to the gold if you're curious about it.

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Too many episodes, too little story

Meh.

I liked the premise with the FL being pretty much a human lie detector and the light exploration of how the world isn't black and white, as she first believed, but full of nuance and how, sometimes, the lies we tell ourselves and others aren't always for bad reasons.

The ML was a little too beige for my liking, and the spark between the main couple was missing imo. They were comfortable together, but gave off the vibe of long-time friends, rather than romantic partners. I couldn't help but feel sort of uncomfortable whenever they kissed, because their lack of chemistry made me painfully aware that they were two actors doing a job, and not two fictional people in love, if that makes sense. Like they were following the script, but not actually feeling it.

Lastly, as evidenced by the last two episodes just being a fluff-fest of a mamut epilogue—to give even the most secondary of characters their happy ending—I don't think this drama needed to be 16 episodes, or had enough going on for that to be the case. Frankly, I got bored towards the end and think this would have worked better in a 12-episodes setting.

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Full on telenovela levels of cheesy melodrama

Wow! I can't quite yet believe I made it to the end of the full 50 episodes.

Was this show good? Not really. The acting was subpar, the main couple exuded this overwhelmingly awkward energy every time they had to get close to each other, the sets were cheap-looking and the outfits most characters wore were some of the ugliest clothes I think I've ever seen. On top of that, the writing wasn't very good either. The character's personalities and motivations were inconsistent and the melodrama was so over the top and ridiculous, at times I found myself laughing my 🍑 off during scenes that were meant to be tense and serious.

But, the sheer cringiness and messiness were what made this show addictive and entertaining. It was so bad, in the end, it was kind of good LOL

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I don't get why so many people love this drama so much

Before saying anything else, let me get this off my chest. I need Ji Chang Wook and Taehyung (V) of BTS to do a drama together as brothers! Some of Chang Wook's mannerisms, especially when he was acting as Bong Soo, were so insanely V-like. Also, from a few angles Chang Wook looked SO much like V it was crazy! I really hope it happens someday. I feel like they'd be amazing together.

Now, for the show itself, honestly I was gonna give it a 7/10 rating, but the last episode was so weird and unsatisfying that it left me with a bad taste. This is one of the longest k-dramas I've ever watched, but the last episode felt rushed and unplanned. Like they simply threw something together because they realized it was the finale, but failed to deliver on a proper ending. Threads were left hanging loose all over the place. I was very disappointed and underwhelmed.

The overall plotlines I enjoyed. The thing with the parents, the kids, all of the interpersonal relationships between characters (especially those, the show really shined in that respect). The fight scenes were also very good and entertaining to watch and the acting from the two main characters was top notch. Chang Wook particularly blew me away. It was insane how different he was as Bong Soo and Jung Hoo. Also Park Min Young is always a delight (I almost didn't recognize her at first because of the short hair). As a couple they were adorable, and anytime there's a more than average amount of skinship, I'm happy. But the rest of the cast, I wasn't so impressed with.

Now, for the bad, who chose the OST for this? Like, maybe it's a chronological thing and back when this aired the music choices would have been considered good? I don't know, but I thought they were largely the bad kind of cheesy. Especially that "It's a beautiful feeling" one. That one made me cringe each time it started playing. But beyond that, I think they made very questionable choices on how to musicalize plenty of scenes. Like, they'd play happy-ish, up beat music during fight scenes or tense moments, which completely wrecked the mood for me. This happened a few times during the endings of the episodes, but then, on the replay of that same scene on the beginning of the next episode, they'd use a more mood-appropriate song, and it was insane how much the vibe shifted.

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Started out so great, then flopped HARD

Every single time I started a new episode, Avril Lavigne played in my head:

All this time you were pretending, so much for my happy ending

LOL

The first few episodes had me on an absolute chokehold. The twists were twisting, the turns were turning and around every bend I kept wondering whether everyone was gaslighting the living heck out of Jae Won or if she was an unreliable narrator having a low key mental breakdown. The suspense and unpredictability had me holding my breath and looking forward to each new episode.

Then, the husband died and the drama died with him. Everything went to sh*t. The show nosedived into a death spiral of boringness and inconsequentiality. It was like the writers literally ran out of steam and cool ideas, and everything became a snoozefest. The last four episodes sucked especially bad and were so subpar compared to where we'd started off.

Still, Jang Na Ra killed it, and since this was my first time seeing her in a main role, I'd like to see more of her work.

My take? Along these same lines, Marry My Husband or Perfect Marriage Revenge are more enjoyable. Or just watch the first half of this, and then search for spoilers not to waste your time watching the rest of it.

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I think the best word to describe this drama would be lukewarm.

It was cute, it was entertaining. But it lacked spark for me. I don't think the chemistry between the leads was there. When they looked at each other I didn't see love. There was just fondness at best, like when you gaze at a loved pet or a young child. The OST had to work hard and pull a lot of weight to infuse some more feeling into a lot of the more emotional and pivotal scenes. Yay for ballads I guess.

I also had some issues with the characters and plot, too. The ML was quite abusive in some of his behaviors and the FL was too meek and floormat-y for my liking. Plot wise, I found it really dumb how the story basically went from "forced/arranged marriage" to "we could never get married because one of us is rich, the other isn't, and our families and society would never approve". It was so dumb. Like the first episode never even happened. Not to mention the fact that in this universe, apparently, super rich people somehow don't interest the media at all (and receive absolutely no news coverage ever) and are un-google-able 🤷

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It's a no for me, dawg

It took me forever to muster the strength of will to finish watching this show, and that is *never* a good sign.

This drama was just SOOOOOO FREAKING LONG! If they'd cut out all the unnecessary dragged out parts, it would have been half as long and probably twice as good. They had nowhere near enough story for a 16 episodes drama.

Do Hee was so mean for such a majority of the story. And don't even get me started about the whole thing with Ho Goo's sister and the (frankly stupid) misunderstanding Kang Chul had. That's a prime example of a plot idea that didn't have nearly enough meatiness to it to get stretched out over 16 hours of run time.

Also, either the type of humor they wrote into the show wasn't my cup of tea or things have changed a lot since 2015, because I just didn't find most of the bits that were supposed to be humorous even remotely funny. I thought they were cringy and grating.

I think this story would have worked better in a movie format.

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It was cute

Me? I actually really enjoyed this drama!

Was it perfect? No. The tie-in of the past and present storylines was unspeakably bad, and to be completely honest, the premise wasn't all that original and the execution could have certainly been better.

But I found myself smiling each and every episode because of the playful and endearingly silly relationship between the main couple. Rowoon really acted his ass off in this one and I really liked his and Bo-Ah's energy together. I laughed a lot during the first few episodes when he was waging an internal war with himself over his feelings for Hong Jo.

I think Destined With You has good re-watch potential, if only to watch the main couple slowly fall in love again (I'd skip all the scenes about the secondary characters' plotlines, since none of them proved to be all that interesting or important). Plus, I'm obsessed with the slow solo-piano version of I'll Always Be With You.

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20 episodes was a little too long. Maybe it wouldn't have dragged so much if they'd made it the usual 16 episodes. Also, I don't find revenge plots to be very entertaining, so that could have been an important factor as to why I was bored at times while watching this.

I liked the main couple. They're both great actors and had good chemistry. A lot of the supporting characters were quite fun, too. Huge cast in this one.

The OST, which tends to be a huge part of dramas, was completely unmemorable. So, if the same song playing each and every episode is something you find annoying, this is the drama for you! I don't even know if this show has a specific OST (though I assume it does).

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I wouldn't classify this as a comedy. It's definitely a drama. There's more serious moments than laughs

The plot was okay and the acting pretty good. Park Bo-Young did a wonderful job portraying two very different people.

The romance aspect of this drama fell short for me. The main couple was very cute and sweet, but there was no heat between them. There was no spark. They had great "friends" chemistry but no romantic chemistry. I didn't buy they were in love.

But I absolutely loved the other four kitchen guys acting like annoying older brothers to Bong-Sun. The kitchen antics were fun!

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I had a very tough time getting into this show and thought about quitting it more than once. But I'm glad I stuck with it, as this is one of those shows that gets better towards the end.

Shows that revolve around a killer are very hit or miss, since ultimately the identity of the killer is always what makes or breaks them. Viewers spend 90% of the show trying to guess who the murderer is and their motives, so if the reveal is unsatisfactory, it kind of ruins the whole thing (or at least it does for me). Here, I wasn't mad about the shaman being the killer, but I wish his motives would have been something else other than "psychopath". Like, this guy never actually killed or hurt anyone before getting his psychometric powers, so was that what turned him into a murdered? It doesn't make much sense.

Personally, I think trying to combine a serial murder plot with plenty of comedic moments was ambitious, and for the most part, it worked pretty well. The only parts I really, really disliked were the ones about the aunt and the police captain's romance (particularly the scenes of their "teenage" selves). Honestly, their story line added nothing to the plot other than profound cringe. Conversely, I always laughed at the guy calling Ok Hee "eonni". They were also a little cringe, but in a purposeful way that actually meant to be funny, and that's why I think they worked better. Their storyline was so silly and ridiculous, that it became endearing.

The call back towards the end to Ye Bun learning arabic during the first few episodes was a nice touch. At the same time though, Seon Woo could have just called Ye Bun and told in arabic that the shaman was the murderer, or sent her a text. Kind of a plot hole, really.

Other than that, the acting was good, the OST choices interesting, and a whole bunch more people than I ever could have guessed ended up dying. For a comedy show, there were a surprising amount of tears.

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A swoony love story that will have you smiling like an idiot (in the best was possible)

You know what the insane thing about this drama was? The leads had such boundless, blinding chemistry, the whole time I felt like I was legitimately watching two people fall in love. Almost always, while watching k-dramas, I can't help but be aware that I'm watching actors pretend to fall in love with their co-stars. That wasn't the case here, Jun-Ho and Yoona were so natural and genuine together, I forgot they were supposed to be playing characters and actually felt like I was intruding in a couple's private moments by watching them. I almost was tempted to look away in embarrassment when they were being all lovey-dovey. When they looked at each other, even without saying anything, it felt like they were communicating solely by the subtle changes in their expressions. It was amazing.

Other than that, this show was so cute, fluffy and fun. I smiled my way straight though it—seriously, I don't think I've ever grinned while watching a show as much as I did with this one. Sa Rang was such a lovely person inside and out, and the relationship with her BFFs was actual goals. If you told me these actresses had been friends forever, I wouldn't have doubted it for a second. Won was also a slightly different take on the chaebol heir. Yes, he was a little emotionally stunted because of his childhood trauma, but it was nice how open, honest and sincere he was in his feelings for Sa Rang since the very first moment. He fell hard and fast and it was adorable. Also adorable? His interactions with Sa Rang's grandma—her getting all emotional and weepy when they announced they wanted to get married almost about killed me with how heartwarming it was.

I think the weakest part of the show was the relationship between Sa Rang's flight attendant friend and her co-worker. The spark between them was sorely lacking (especially when compared with the main couple). Also, the guy was a bit one-note with his expressions. Little emoting to be found with him.

In any case, was this drama super predictable? Yes. Was it still lovely and a great time? Also 100% yes.

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Truly exceptional for an Idol webdrama!

I really enjoyed it.

The story was fun and well executed, the acting was fantastic (especially taking into consideration that basically 90% of the cast were idols and not actors) and it was nicely filmed and edited (which is not something you can typically take for granted).

Even if, like me, you don't follow or aren't very familiar with ONF, this is still a mini drama worth watching. I feel like the screen time was shared equally between everyone, and each of the guys got their own little plots. Personally, I liked Sang Hae the best. His annoying, over the top, dramatic antics were a lot of fun to watch. But Seung Hyun was a close second. He was a little ball of fluffy niceness. So sweet!

This one is available on the INSSAOPPA G YouTube channel, just keep in mind that even though it's the official place to watch it, the English subtitles still kinda suck.

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