"try living with the lights on, how nice would it be to live like that?"

even though it's not perfect, it's still fun. she's one of those actors who has chemistry with anyone she's on screen with (romantically, platonically, normally, or antagonistically) and brings energy to a scene. hye yeong taps into eun joo's genuine and pleasant nature, and eun joo is bubbly and sweet without being overbearing. rhy's character here matches her since eun joo isn't untidy at all (trust me, she isn't messy), but she was so fucking miserable that she couldn't break out of the fog of not having the life she wanted.

themes: baggage (literal and figurative), growing up/personal growth/millenial coming into adulthood, being a ~modern woman, depression, first love, slight labor commentary, family and indivudality

the drama's central force is eun joo's ability to inspire change in others through seemingly insignificant do it yourself endeavors. an account of a lady whose existence was governed by her job and how she ultimately had to let go of it or she would waste away. especially since the epidemic began, this is a familiar story of being exhausted, burned out, depressed, and wanting to just live for once.

it was good to see that the diy stuff wasn't random, and she started doing it because she admired min suk and his art; the writers didn't forget that they were both artists, and she transitioned from one medium to another, and it worked. he encourages her to use her knowledge and fighting spirit. he temporarily pushes her away, but she fights hard to maintain her independence rather than crumble. (she already was but being dependent on a man).

kim jae young was good too. they're both my type, and he's large and huge, so his awkward physique contributes to min suk's character. their love builds slowly, and we don't truly see them together-together until the end. it's not a slow-burn in the usual sense; the show is about her, and he's part of her life, but not all of it.

ryu hye jin, her ostensible foe, has an interesting progression throughout the story. there's an allusion to/expression of a romantic side/ connection of their ex-friendship. it hurt both of them a lot more than it should have to still care so much about each other, like, 15 years later. rhj was a huge bitch, but nothing could make eun joo not be herself. a significant part of who eun joo is comes from the love and support of her family, which includes her brother and sister as well as her parents and her childhood best friends. she has this pull, not in an annoying way—not in the way that is told instead of shown—and her friends, random individuals she's met, coworkers, and others she helps along the road are pulled to that.

anyway, the romance was my favorite part—they had chemistry and i wish we could see them be more intimate, but i'm glad we saw them kiss, which is important. they also demonstrated that they physically desired each other. i'm going to rewatch, but i remember thinking that min suk is hella bf material (and she gf material. bisexual wifeguy/husbandgirl) since she has a big effect on his life (and vice versa); they've known each other since they were kids. and their memories are so... tender and profound? if it were longer and more romantic, they could make it more intimate and make out more, which i'd love 2 c. they're just drawn to one other and made to just be together. we're spared a misunderstanding and a true love triangle.

as a viewer, i want to see them cool in love and hot 2gether, but eun joo had to go through her journey and emerge knowing she could weather any storm with him. i saw happiness after this and loved that a lot less due of the superfluous turmoil. because it's slice of life, they avoid it and let us enjoy their time together without it being overbearing (aka obnoxious).

i cried a bit— most people can connect to the feelings because d eath is simpler than living and that's part of the beauty of life; it's tough. you want to see eun joo do anything (and look hot/cool doing it) because she is unapologetically herself. she made a place for herself in the world and is always getting better, learning, and changing. even though her life isn't perfect, it's just good enough.

(i also thought the show's costuming were fantastic. very interesting for people who like style/fashion.)