Ireine song is a favorite of mine so she drew me to the drama initially. . I’m a sucker for going back in time, transmigration and such. , ive seen her in other dramas and to me her characters seem like they are similar to her personality in real life., She’s quirky, street smart, funny , pretty and capable. . In this drama she has her “thinking cap” on from the very first episode as shes trying to figure out where to be and what comes next.. all the while the story seems to be re-written right in front of her and that’s challenging her to know how to respond.. add to that - not revealing her “character identity “ and evading the ML who’se trying to figure out who she is and him pondering .. how does she know what he’s planning….?
.When we first meet the ML (Ju) he’s the “main villain” the one FL created in her story. Initially he behaves as if he is that character but then he starts to become his own person and in some way she challenges him to become smarter to outwit her (i love the snarky way he deals with her and yet one can see that he is somewhat initially attracted to her -even as he is aware/not aware of it in the beginning. He’s the character that has a difficult background and every reason to be resentful…no one seems to understand him and the 4 royal siblings /step sibling seem to have a happy life unlike him ..they expect him to return home happy content like them
Qing (FL) seems to know his every move before he makes it and she is determined to stay alive and reveal his plots so she can go back home. . He is pretty sure she’s his “consort” who has escaped his place (because the “real Qing was a spy planted there” and he was trying to kill her ) he is determined to play cat and mouse with her (it was seriously enjoyable to see the two of them go at it :)
I loved that it wasn’t a story where the FL “ is like “i hatenyou & never fall for you..” it was more of a “ let me see what I need to do to stay one step ahead of ML ..save myself from being killed by him and change the story as I go along.” ML seemed to be intrigued by her ability to “see” him & he was determined to outsmart her. His best friend is an interesting character - he has his own story also very sad. While both are deserving of their resentment - in their plot to take down certain people other people unfortunately become collateral damage.
The moment FL realizes that a person is never angry/resentful for “no reason” and all things in life create who we are …she makes an attempt to give him a conscience.. that was actually interesting to watch bc that move changes his view of her…as in “why should she care about me ?” And we see the beginning of trust growing in him.. he’s a hard nut but she’s no frail flower and it’s those moments of challenge with opening to possible trust that sucked me in deeper. His eyes and ability to reflect his feelings through those eyes that seemed to reveal his desire to be understood and have someone believe in him .. her understanding of his character allows her to open doors that others couldn’t. There is one scene where she sings him a lullaby his mom used to sing to him to help him fall asleep that I really loved ..it was heartfelt and he falls deeper for her .
The relationships of all the characters are really fleshed out and no one is left undone. To me, the writers seemed to pull me into the story and see from many sides the strengths and weaknesses of all the main characters. This was really well done. Some characters had to follow a path that unfortunately didn’t turn out well. Throughout the story there’s a hint of romance and one could say it’s a slow burn for the leads but when the relationship starts to form -it becomes more apparent .. his focus is her and his actions show that .. I was surprised that you actually get to see real kisses, beautiful confessions ..honest understandings (and some intimacy that normally I won’t see in Chinese dramas:)
. I loved how honest they become with each other and how the trust is built to allow change to flow and some forgiveness to happen.
The ending is challenging because we all want a happy ending for all couples but I think some of the message was ..resentment and getting even doesn’t always end well. Sometimes there’s a price to pay…Whereas the ML is able to temper himself and understand the big picture (not always l.but he tries) lol …another character is unable to stop himself from trying to end his nemesis’s life and it’s that move that causes heartbreak for him .
The ending for the leads was a bit rushed for me but I :”got” the ending and thought it was cute. I would have liked more time with the leads but was happy it was not an open ending. The main consensus is the two leads need a modern drama because the chemistry was fabulous and they did an awesome job from beginning to end . I’ve watched a-lot of dramas and this one will go down as one of my favorites. I already rewatched it and plan to rewatch some episodes to see what I missed. It gets better and better as it progresses and reveals more plot, schemes, struggles , romantic feelings and sweetness
Some things happen that make you go …” wow.. did not expect that .” as well as “ oh my gosh.. he really really loves her”
so enjoy and let the story unfold ….