Okay, first off, I never watched the web toon version of this show and I had never seen the main two actors in any other drama before I watched this show back in 2021. Therefore, unlike a lot of other people on here, I didn’t have any prejudices, biases, or expectations when the show began. From my understanding, this was meant to be an ADAPTATION and not an exact replica of the original source. The original creator gave the director and screenwriter creative license and control to interpret the material how they saw fit. So, I am able to review this as a stand-alone piece of art.

In the beginning, I think the show did an excellent job at showcasing Nabi and her ex boyfriend’s relationship dynamic and made the audience well aware of her trust issues and how they developed.

As a fellow creative and artist, I LOVE the aesthetic and the attention to detail to the artists’ habits, tools, techniques, and in the cinematography of the entire show. Plus the music was AMAZING. I downloaded every song from the show.

I’ve noticed that a lot of people are saying that there wasn’t any character development or growth in the main two characters and I strongly disagree. Compared to the very beginning when Nabi was full of doubt and suspicion due to her last toxic relationship, to the end when she candidly communicated her feelings to PJE even though it was a little harsh, I saw a change in her. She went through an emotional battle in this show and the actress did an incredible job showcasing that internal struggle she was having even when there wasn’t dialogue.

I’m baffled that people think she didn’t grow in the show just because she had an happy ending with PJE “the bad boy”. That perspective is dramatic and inaccurate. How could she give her friend such solid and realistic advice about love and navigating feelings for a friend if she didn’t learn ANYTHING from her experience?

I think one of the main lessons in the show is to follow your heart, speak from your heart, and to enjoy the people that love you without fear. All of her internal dialogue was full of doom and anxiety about the future even while she was spending time with someone that genuinely made her feel comfortable, appreciated and seen. By the end of the show, when she was happy and going on a date with PJE, she saw her childhood friend in a cafe and stopped and almost dropped hands with PJE but she shook her head and kept going. That proved to me that she’s finally living in the moment and no longer allowing her anxiety of other people’s opinions stop her from enjoying the now. I mean, the fact that her ex boyfriend had the audacity to pop up and get mad at her for casually seeing PJE despite his reputation of being noncommittal, showcased how people’s outside opinions are a big deal. Even the worry of Seo Ji-wan for Nabi being caught up in gossip around school because of PJE also showed that significance of people’s opinions. Her teacher even commented on how Nabi was distracted and unfocused on her artwork because she was soooo caught up on the gossip around school concerning her and PJE. And at the very end during the art exhibit, that same teacher told Nabi to follow her heart, eat the food she wants, travel to the places she wants, and love the people that she WANTS! How could the director and writer of the show make the overall lesson of this show any clearer?!

Nabi definitely grew from her experiences in the show, she was also the catalyst to PJE growing and becoming more self aware of how his emotional noncommittal behavior negatively affected those around him. I honestly think some people HATE character arcs. Listen, if PJE started off as an abusive evil villain, I would be on the same page as the haters saying it’s outrageous that Nabi ended up with him. Hear me out, just because someone starts off with noncommittal issues doesn’t make them an irredeemable person undeserving of a character arc and change of heart. People need to remember that no one goes from a teenager to a fully developed emotionally intelligent adult the moment they graduate high school and start college. Y’all need to give grace to people and their individual growth.
However, If the show tried to give Nabi’s toxic ex bf a character arc, I would be pissed and immediately check out from the show because that level of disrespect is difficult to forgive over the course of 10 episodes. Now, THAT I can understand. But PJE was always a kindhearted person from the start, he just lacked emotional intelligence and Nabi helped him realize that. I mean…did y’all not see the rain scene when he FINALLY understood how she felt and how his behavior caused her so much pain? Because before that confrontation, he was GENUINELY clueless and confused. Which is very realistic because people today, even at their very big ages, are emotionally immature and lack emotional awareness and commitment.
The show could’ve gave MORE of his background but the tiny bit they gave us definitely explained that his distant relationship dynamic with his Mom caused him to be noncommittal and emotionally distant because his Mom was that way with him, even on his birthday. With Nabi he actually felt cared for and loved and realized that he also loved her but didn’t know how to properly express it at all. It seemed that his love language was, spending quality time together, buying or creating gifts, and physical touch. But Nabi needed more assurance and commitment than PJE was capable of giving her so she understandably checked out.

The only thing I am STILL confused about is why would Seol-A tell Nabi they were dating again when they actually weren’t dating at the time and PJE clearly viewed her as a good friend from the past? That confused me since PJE never corrected Seol-A’s statement and told Nabi he wasn’t cheating on Seol-A with her. That was a huge trigger for Nabi since her ex also cheated on her, I felt that misunderstanding should’ve been cleared up. Other than that, I feel like I completely understood the direction of the show. It made sense to me. Sorry to those that didn’t understand.

I definitely felt bad for the childhood friend in the end but his life is on an upswing and he’s flourishing in his career so, I think he got a happy ending too. He didn’t deserve to be with Nabi if she wasn’t genuinely in love with him. He deserves better. She only had platonic love for him, and that’s okay. Especially since Nabi was so upfront with him and didn’t play around his feelings while she figured hers out. As soon as she was sure about how she felt about PJE, she told him straight up at the art exhibit and I really respect her for that.

Since this show first aired in 2021, I’ve rewatched this show about 6 or 7 times and even introduced it to a few of my friends who also really like the show. I think not knowing about the webtoon helped with that perspective because there wasn’t any disappointment or original source standards that needed to be met in my eyes.

I highly recommend this show for any artist at heart that likes to see themselves represented in Kdramas. Also for anyone that wants a mature Kdrama for 17 year olds and up that ISN’T traumatic and filled with violence, zombies, horror, or physical abuse. Which I feel is too common in Korea. Like, if you wanna watch a mature Kdrama for an older audience, you’ll either get the cheesy PG13 type of romcoms, even if the entire cast is 30+, or you’ll get the violent horror abusive kinda drama that could give you nightmares lol, there’s rarely a middle ground where you get grown adults discussing and engaging in adult things without any bloodshed or horror themes. I thought this drama was such a breath of fresh air. I love it and will rewatch it until it’s no longer available online :)