“I tune pianos for a living.”
“Wow. You must be a great pianist.”
“Not all mechanics are good at driving.”

Slow moving and sweet.
The drama has gentle story telling and gentle characters.
It has a nice and different feel for a Korean show. If you skip past the credits at the end you’ll see another touching scene.

I've only seen Han Jimin in Rooftop Prince and her personality in this show reminded me of her character in the historical setting in that one. I was impressed with how she moved her eyes.
I haven't seen Park Hyung Shik in anything but he was rather cute in this.

My favourite parts are probably when they're trying to find each other.

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“Then the kids here are inside someone’s nightmare.”

Despite all the nature vs. nurture psychobabble, this drama doesn’t really address it that much. I think they used the theme to knit it together but it didn’t quite gel for me.

I’ve been meaning to watch this one for ages.
To start with, there’s a long list of suspects that appear to have the potential to be a crazy killer. We’ve got a bullying sociopath, giggly rockstar, victimised nerd, a silent mathematician, etc. I enjoyed the characterization of each personality.
The history of how each character relates to another is all slowly revealed. Why does this one hate that one? There are some really complicated relationships.

“Why didn’t I ever confess? The Eun Sung that I like the best is the Eun Sung that’s with you.”

Yoon Su – the muso
“It’s OK. It’s my fault for being born into a rich family.”

Moo Yul – the obedient one

Moo Yul is the guy you need in a crisis.

“Besides, Park Moo Yul is there. He’ll take care of it.”

Yep, for some reason Moo Yul has this magic about him that makes the toughest bullies and the most stand-offish characters listen to him. They respect him – they know he’s fair. He has to break up so many fights the poor guy.
He’s a really average kind of dude. Smaller than the others, 2nd place in the academic ranking and motherless. He has his own grievances against his classmates that seem slight, but it turns out there’s something more. Of course there is.

Jae Kyu – the follower

I found it funny that this guy is just like Moo Yul 2nd. I was just glad to have him around so Moo Yul wasn’t alone. In a world of loners having an ally really helped double the power of rationality. I found Jae Kyu’s presence comforting.

Chi Hoon – the genius
We don’t see much of this guy, but he comes in and out at key points to make a good point or ask the important questions. He actually becomes really important and his quiet reliability was on point. I loved how he always supported Moo Yul and those intense stares when they needed to communicate without words was great.

Despite them all keeping their distance from each other like typical study-holic students they still have some sense of camaraderie.

There’s an unusually limited use of music. We get heaps of silence at critical moments.

Musical complaint: or maybe a translation complaint? Kang Mo said he was playing the cow bells in school but the flashback clearly shows him playing hand bells.

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This show contrasts different family types. The family that never talks. The family that always fights. The family that’s warm and chatty. Of course, we are treated to the show challenging those stereotypes and pushing these characters outside of their boxes. I LOVE THAT. There is also consistency – Mr. Choi always gets talked over even when it comes to the considerate Sun Woo. Bo Ra is still mean to Taek even though as a rule everyone worships Taek.

All the families are in and out of each other’s homes all the time. They borrow each others stuff and shared each others food. Surprisingly, they are a close knit community with few dramas between them. The drama demonstrates how everyone loves in their own unique way – in true Asian style of more actions than words. I really appreciated all the family love in this drama. This story is so relateable from the family fights to the stereotypical treatment of certain personalities. There’s Jung Hwan’s older brother Jung Bong who fails exams after exams. Yet he knows lots of things and is useless, harmless and pathetic. Also, after seeing this, I think my parents are still stuck in the 80s.

I really disliked the flash forwards to present Duk Seon and her husband. He was mean and they weren’t sweet with each other. They were just annoying and antagonistic and it made me sad.

Of the five friends, Sun Woo is the nice one, Jung Hwan is the scary one, Duk Seon is the girl, Taek is the quiet one and Ryon Dong is the troublemaker. The five of them together are really so precious when the meaningful moments of life come along to test them. There’s a satisfaction that even though it looks like they hardly get along they are the five because they are the five. And they have a sense of identity and belonging with being together as friends. Also, I find it hilarious how they spend so much time reading together. It’s the equivalent of everyone being on their phones all the time. They are also really free to discuss the things that the adults try to avoid. They’re so direct when it comes to facing each individuals’ life circumstances. It was strange to me though how they could all get along in a group and have fun but when it came to one on one interactions it was very different.

As the show goes on you get to appreciate the dynamics and the relationships. I really came to love the mothers talk time and how they complained and compared their lives haha. Their personalities are so strong and honest.

“I’m fine with someone with no money, but I’m not fine with someone who’s no fun.”
“What about my husband then?”
“No thanks. You can keep him.”

The fathers are so different from each other. Taek’s father is the most normal. The other fathers are more caricatures. The show demonstrates how dysfunctional can be functional. While the women might complain about their men and vice versa, they feel that they can’t live without the others’ quirks.

“No matter how much better others’ things may seem, they all have their faults.”

Sun Woo
This guy is sooo nice. Nice to his mother, sister, friends, and everybody. My favourite thing about him is that he tells his friends that he is playing with his sister as a legit reason that he can’t accompany them somewhere or do something with them.

Duk Seon
This girl is pretty typical.

Bo Ra
Bo Ra is the sister from hell. It was funny how even the adults were scared of her. And she has no manners for anyone. As the show goes on she is really quite a funny character. She gives advice to the neighbourhood kids that is wise beyond her years.

Jung Hwan
Jung Hwan’s story had a big focus on his parents. He started off being a typical teen and being all self-focused. But he had to realise that he needed to give back emotionally to both his father and his mother in a different way. It was such a mature and family-oriented take, I loved it. He also is nice to his brother and never judges him and his lifestyle choices. He supports his brother’s varying interests.
One of my favourite things about Jung Hwan’s character is that he braves through the awkwardness to show his loved ones his affection for them. He’s definitely an action man over words but he’s not a Daddy Long Legs. He owns up to his love.

Taek

“You can mess with anyone else but not with our Taek. Taek is our block’s greatest treasure. We have to protect him.”

Come on guys, it’s Park Bo Gum. I still can’t get over how unreal his face is. He is so freakin’ pretty. Taek is a cute little fella who is only good at being a genius and nothing much else. He doesn’t talk much, do much, or think much. He struggles in everyday life so people are quick to take over and do things for him.

“If someone doesn’t take care of him, he’s a like a corpse in his room.”

He’s a big baby but he’s also got a bigger income than anyone so it’s a fun setup.
Because he is played by the ever enticing Park Bo Gum – he gets away with some behaviour that I would’ve found unacceptable and dull on another actor. Taek is often half asleep.

Jin Joo
I love this little actress! Her character is portrayed so well as the docile personality of a child who has grown up with too many adults in her life. She is dutifully friendly, easily entertained by herself through media, and passed from adult to adult but still has her favourites. I didn’t like her at all when she grows up.

Romance
The main thing about this show’s romance is that it is tinged with sadness. Either because there is unrequited love somewhere or because everyone is so hush hush about it.

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I like how I found every single character interesting right from the start. It might help that I’ve seen most of the secondary characters in other dramas.

I like a plot that focuses on little missions throughout the drama. It keeps it interesting and there’s something always happening. Their cases are not very predictable, there’s a lot of rabbit trails, so it makes for a pretty good detective story. The later episodes get a bit laden down with roundabout prosecutor politics.
This drama kind of has a weird feeling. This drama makes the profession of prosecuting cool.
Things move fast in the first episode. You can see frenemies and alliances form.
The pacing just slices through the usual of Kdramas. It’s not drawn out. By the end of the first episode, the two leads are already extending civility to each other.

I like that the team learns to work functionally together pretty quick. One of the things I really liked were how the team was so nice to kids.
Both main characters have their limits to respecting authority. They’re quite audacious actually and I like it for the change.
The main leads have an interesting dynamic of all being invested in their cases even when they’re not getting along. They don’t want to miss out.

The personal reveals are really satisfying.
Those last episodes are SO GOOD for the unraveling of the plot and the emotion behind it.


Dong Chi

“Were you fooling me then? Because I wasn’t playing with you.”


Choi Jin Hyuk is my bias. So I feel like I can’t say much about his role. I’m always going to be on his side. He plays his characters so coolly. His facial expressions are so awesome. I just like the way he portrays Dong Chi and makes use of the blank face just as well as he does the more emotional ones.

I think his character is fun. Yeol Moo shoots him down and he just gets right back up. I also find him to be really sharp and quick on his feet.

He starts off with the usual meanness of a Kdrama hero, at least he’s honest though. He does flirt with her, which is a relief, instead of just taking his frustration out on her. He also lets her fight her own battles and doesn’t always have to rescue her.
I just really felt like he was a refreshingly direct kind of guy who’s honest when he wants to be nice and doesn’t play games.

I like that Dong Chi doesn’t steal Yeol Moo’s thunder. I like that he tries to include her in the work.
He’s quite level-headed with her after he gets over his initial hurt. In a way, he’s not selfish at all. He’s thinking about her welfare most of the time. It can definitely be a little strong-handed, but at least he’s not a jackass.

Dong Chi is the senior prosecutor and the first born of the office if you like. He knows what the chief prosecutor means and doesn’t mean and he knows how much to push.

Romance
I like the way it developed. How much Yeol Moo despised Dong Chi, and how she came to respect him, trust him, and appreciate him.
Dong Chi has always liked Yeol Moo so there wasn’t such a progression. It was almost like he was just biding his time. His funny way of flirting is pretty cute. And he’s so easy going with his pursuit of her. He plays the game well.
Some of his advances is cringey due to his caveman approaches but other times he just is perfect. It’s not so much the push and pull but rather he is flexible to when he holds onto her and when he lets her go.
If Yeol Moo wants to talk shop, he’ll talk shop.
Yeol Moo and Dong Chi are interesting. And I liked how Dong Chi still has some of that overconsideration that is so appealing.
“I’m sorry for making you make hard decisions.”

Kang Soo

“He has been nice ever since he was little.”

Kang Soo is a really fabulous character. He is incredibly docile but he’s also very fierce when it comes to his loved ones. I enjoyed his complexity. Kang Soo is always helping people silently like his chivalry is a matter of course.
I like how quick Kang Soo is to take care of Yeol Moo.

One of the best scenes that really shows who Kang Soo is is in episode 7 after Kang Soo goes through a crisis and his grandmother is telling him to straighten his shoulders and his surrogate father is backing the grandmother up.
Actually Kang Soo’s story is probably the most horrific out of everyone’s back stories. The way Kang Soo’s history relates to everyone around him is just crazy. I like that even though it must hurt he doesn’t hold it in to himself and he lets the people around him know.


I liked how Yeol Moo and Kang Soo started getting grouped together as Dong Chi’s kids and Yeol Moo and Kang Soo would look at each other in their love and concern for Dong Chi with a silent, “We’re worried about Dong Chi.” expression.

Kang Soo and Chan is always gold but there’s this beautiful scene where Chan isn’t even in screen but it’s just his hand comforting Kang Soo and it’s so touching. Actually, Kang Soo getting comforted is one of the best things in this show because people relate to him differently. I love that one of the keys to Yeol Moo’s mother was talking Kang Soo out of his sorrow and survivor guilt.

Yeol Moo
Yeol Moo is not your usual flighty, sensitive heroine. She can take a punch. Right from the start she’s got a tough personality. She gets the prize for calmest reaction to forced kiss.
I liked her acting. Her grief has aged her. She has her reasons for everything she does.
Similar to me, she is attracted to competency. She hears a lot about Dong Chi from the people closest to him. And that’s the main thing that helps shift her opinion of him.
I like the way she puts her differences aside and is able to work with him pretty well.
Sometimes she’s so hot-headed that it frustrates me she won’t listen to Dong Chi’s experience and advice and just takes everything he says as a personal attack or chalks it up to him just being evil and heartless.

It’s a bit unusual to see the heroine compromise. Most of the time we see such a pure and righteous heroine who stalwartly never gives up on her values. But Yeol Moo goes against that.
I like how Yeol Moo is in her relationship with Dong Chi when they decide to date.


Gwang Mi
I like this character. She’s smart and subtle and she works with the buffoon airheaded character but she’s the brains of the office.

Random Thoughts
I really like the feel of Episode 19 where the Chief and Dong Chi are battling but not really battling it out. I love how clever Dong Chi is at seeing through his chief. There’s a lot of cat and mouse. But there’s also a strong undercurrent of family and emotion and how unforgiveable it is to Dong Chi that because of his chief, he had to let his father see him in handcuffs.
Even Yeol Moo comes out swinging in a rather impressive way using her brains and people’s perspective of her.

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“Do you know Ahjumma? In the end you and I, we changed fate.”

The start of this drama is quite dark but by episode three it starts getting into the swing of things.
The story gripped me and I really wanted to see what would happen with the scenario.
You wouldn’t think that a show like this could be fun, but at times it was.
It’s a bit repetitive with Soo Hyun losing her shit over and over again and just going into a panic and not thinking except in mother mode. Her character isn’t bad though. When she’s not flailing around, or even when she is, she does know how to use her brains and can act fast. She gets into a few fights and has to go tooth and nail to survive but she can wiggle her way out of a mess.
Not surprising, there are three men in Soo Hyun’s life who are protecting her in some capacity. And who are ready to fight for her in their own spheres.
The other annoying thing is that whenever a revelation is about to be revealed they get interrupted. That is such a lame plot device.
I liked seeing Soo Hyun’s attitude towards Young Gyu change.
The show gets intense towards the end.

Dong Chan

There is no romance but you can see the way Dong Chan feels about his Ahjumma. He never says her name, I don’t think.

“You’re wild just like your mother.”

Dong Chan is as nice guy. I like how tough as nails he’s supposed to be. And then he disguises his kindness in his rough way by saying sarcastic things but he makes it so much more cheery.
I love how natural singing is in Korean dramas. Dong Chan’s singing was definitely a highlight.
I liked seeing a bit of conflict between older and steady characters. There’s a really intense scene when Dong Chan intervenes between Soo Hyun and her husband and you can see the complexity of the situation.

A bit sad to see the beautiful Kim Yu Bi acting like a brat. But she also has an overgenerous spirit that can be charming when it’s not grating.
She fights with her mother a lot, but mainly because she’s afraid and in awe of her.

“I also want to become a person like you.”

It was really interesting to see Ji Hoon’s parenting contrasted and compared to Soo Hyun’s throughout the drama. Initially, he is obviously not in a panic and he doesn’t suffer over worry of his daughter because he has no idea. He is also the “good cop” when it comes to parenting. But things change.

It’s also fascinating to see how Soo Hyun comes to distrust her husband and trust Dong Chang. Even as Dong Chan is calling her ahjummah, he’s the one that can so naturally hold her and be her support.

The ending? Mind blowing.

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This drama is great and it’s a lot of fun. Probably the best gender bender I've seen and interesting that the drama chose to ignore some of the usual capitalised aspects of gender benders. e.g. like when people find out that the man is actually a woman....

I like that the characters weren’t unnecessarily mean to each other just to create some tension.
There were some truly beautiful moments of trust and friendship in this drama.

Zifeng – male lead
Everyone thinks he’s some kind of gangsta. He seems to like Yanuo straight away.

I really came to love Zifeng’s expressions especially when he was unimpressed or didn’t like something. He expresses a lot with his eyes.

That motorcycle bit was so hilarious when he thought Yanuo was asking him for something completely different.

Pi Yanuo – heroine

“I don’t think I have the courage to look into your eyes and tell you, we are no longer bros.”

Megan Lai is one hell of an actress. She is so generous with her emotions. Her excitement was always so cute.
I think Yanuo’s expressions and behaviour are very masculine. There’s a roughness to her that is pretty convincing.
I like whenever anyone confesses to her, she has this appalled look on her face.
She doesn’t have that over fussy personality that is often depicted in gender benders. She doesn’t overreact to things. But her responses are also very genuine.
I like her steady gaze and her brooding nature. It’s kind of fun.
She’s very cool. I loved her.
She doesn’t have any airs of a girly girl. And it was awesome. Even her facial expressions are so perfect when she sneers or when she’s angry.
I also love that she didn’t have bravado, she really did have confidence in herself.
Unlike other cross dressers in dramas, she’s really comfortable in her own skin. She’s not pretending to be anything.

Honestly, this actress has chemistry with everyone.

It’s great that she’s so tall.

Romance
For a while it gets a bit boring with Yanuo being all girly and ditzy, but then she jumps back in charge again and it was great.
I like that Yanuo and Zifeng communicate their jokes with a glance. I like how they teased their friends that way too. The drama really shows how well they know each other. And I find that very unusual the friendship they had.

Even though Zifeng sometimes takes his frustrations out on Yanuo, he is quick to amend his ways when he realises what he’s doing.

I like how the drama showed how openly Zifeng loved Yanuo and how Yanuo was always a little little bit closed off because of the secret she kept from him. Zifeng was so relaxed and affectionate but Yanuo always had this invisible line drawn in the sand that she had to keep from him.

Side Characters

The side characters are also quirky and interesting. The poor English made me crack up.
Xiao Jing is so cute and Zifeng’s mother is not overbearing at all. She has her opinions but she absolutely doesn’t strong arm her children. And I really loved what a beautiful character she is as the show goes on. She really has her own personality and story.

I appreciated Zifeng’s functional relationships with his family. They supported each other. They might get in each other’s way sometimes but they knew how to be united and they trusted each other.

The parental roles are surprisingly self-sacrificing. They at first looked like typical elders but the way they backed their children was very dignified.

Also, the themes of the bro-ship extend to the older generation as well and I like how they explored that.

In a way, it’s a bit hilarious how well the family get along.

Dr Chu
Just when I was getting into the swing of this drama. In comes Dr. Chu to liven things up. Sure it’s an age old trope of introducing a guy that knows the girl is a girl but come on, it’s hilarious. And the drama does it well. That hot springs moment...OMG.

Qing Ying

“The onlooker sees most of the game”

For some reason I really connected with Qing Ying’s character. He’s a bit too serious but that’s what makes him fun. Qing Ying is really cute and kind and sexy with his earrings and I know that’s what the drama is trying to shove down our throats, but I couldn’t help but fall for him anyway. He seems really real and he’s probably the first character that I had this impression that I could smell him. Isn’t that bizarre?
His role is a bit funny because he’s often observing but he generally has this look that says, “You guys are so weird/up to something”.
I also like his dress style.
He’s the kind of guy that doesn’t care about people until they are slightly in trouble or concerned and then he has the most gentlest and sweet attitude towards them.

And I really loved seeing Qing Yang’s role in the dramatic stand offs.
His secondary romance is surprisingly engaging.

Korean vs. Chinese Drama Notes
It’s funny how I also feel that in Chinese dramas it’s rude to call someone by their name with no -ssi or anything.

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I previously thought I wouldn't be as invested in characters who were middle aged. But it's a Korean drama, you just get wrapped up in people because their personalities and their stories are so compelling.
This is a family of contracts. They're crazy. The lengths they go to to figure out what each family member is thinking is hilarious.

No Ra
No Ra starts out so docile.

“You said you couldn't talk to me....And living with me was difficult, meaningless, and woeful for you. Then, if I become someone you can talk to, it should be fine. Am I wrong?”

I like that she's a good cook.

“Did she only cook all her life? Why does it taste so good?”

I like how the drama showed how Woo Chul felt suffocated by No Ra. And it's obvious their personalities don't really gel. Also, it was funny how she throws her husband's words back at him so innocently. The passive aggressiveness is epic.
No Ra is a bit of an odd duckling. Too calm and too polite and takes everything too seriously, I love it.

Hyun Suk - “Why do you keep saying sorry? It's not like you.”
No Ra - “Because you're being scary!”

I really liked how she just gave zero f*cks when it came to her husband and her son trying to bully her.
At first I struggled with the college kids treating her that way, but then I cam to understand it a bit more. The premise makes more sense in a Korean culture because the young folks have that literal language barrier that they won't feel comfortable speaking informally to an older woman. It took me a couple of episodes to realise that. But the legalistic culture also made the respect that developed between characters so worth it. I found so many little things cute how she calls the young men her senior.

Na Soon Nam
I loved this kid's relationship with No Ra. “Out of the producer I work part-time for, and my eternal Noona...who do you think I'd listen to?”

Romance
It's different to have the woman not so keen on the guy for quite a lot of the drama. Hyun Suk is a bit of second lead syndrome kind of guy, I loved him.

Min Soo
This kid doesn't like his mum. But I loved how outraged he was when he found out what had happened to her. That was when I first started liking him. He's not such a great actor though. But of course he and his mother are adorable.

“Where did you go, son? You should go clubbing. It's really fun.”

Hyun Suk

Most of the time I hate those plots of, “Oh, he's mean to her because he likes her” but Hyun Suk kind of pulls it off. He's so ridiculous.

“Why am I so immature?”

The way he looks at No Ra is gold.
I loved how the drama showed his interest without telling us.
You can see how he is still affected by her but can't figure it out. It's well done.
He's also got the best and greatest sad eyes. The way they drop down at the corners when he's hurt is so heart breaking. He has very expressive eyes. Lee Sang Yoon just has some of the best facial expressions.

One of the characters says in wonder about Cha Hyun Suk's feelings for No Ra, “He has that much affection for her?” Yes, yes he does.

Hyun Suk manipulates the situation nicely.
He has a female best friend. This is different.

Some Words of Wisdom from No Ra
“But I don't want to depend on Hyun Suk, or have him protect him. I'll never find myself that way.”

“Living my life by other people's standards...I won't live like that anymore. That's meaningless.”

Random Notes
Also weird how the Koreans like to click their fingers and say “O-kay.”
The funny thing about dramas is when a character is imagining another character doing something the actor portrays it so differently to how they actually portray their character. It's like seeing that person through the other actor's eyes. It's like character inception.

Random quote: “Seriously, who is that woman? How amazing is she that she started a multi-year divorce project?”

What is it with Korean dramas thinking that their actors speaking in English makes them cool?

Random quote: “I'm okay with becoming an adult real slow. I'd like to be 20 forever.”

Their silly bathhouses are always so hilarious.

Soundtrack
Pretty good! I actually liked quite a few tracks. Some of them are quite cheeky and others are beautifully French, nostalgic, sentimental and wistful.

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“Since I can't avoid it, I'll enjoy it. Since I started it, I should do it happily.” ~ Oh Dal Ja

The plot moves quite quickly, which is great. Things develop pretty fast so there's always something happening instead of having to wait for things to get interesting.
This drama is really about understanding people and resolving differences when disagreements and clashes of personality arise.

Dalja
Dalja is a competent business woman. Do you know how happy this makes me? She's a great heroine. She's steely and sweet.
I was worried the whole drama would turn into a weird rom-com revenge. But she gets over it by the second episode.
I love this woman's resilience.
I did get tired of her putting on a front throughout the drama but she's a great and genuine actress and I was always rooting for her.

Girl Power

“We may be a couple of hopeless divorcees and an immature woman involved with a married man, but we can do well too.”

I do enjoy a good enemies-to-friends plot line. I love that grown women can hold hands in a show of companionship and compassion.

Romance
I like that Dal Ja feels quite free to share her troubles in the guise of sort of sharing her philosophy with the “younger chap” that is Tae Bong. I like the way he hangs onto her words when she's rambling to herself about her life.
Also, this drama has one of the best, “Will you date me?” scenes. THE BEST.
I like that Dalja can see past Tae Bong's front he puts up and really is quite wise in handling him. And I like the way she deals with his issues.
Relationally, Dalja can be quite good, but romantically, she's always asking advice for her colleagues. Poor Tae Bong who isn't as smart as he thinks he is when it comes to relationships, always thinks she's mad at him, he should've learned by now that she has no idea what she's doing.
Finally, when they do get together, it's nice to have a casual vibe, but I didn't really like their dynamic.
Later on in the drama, the shaping of the romantic tension was good. I liked the realistic scenarios and crises that came up for the couple. It's not every drama that I feel physical heartache for the angst.

Tae Bong
“The only truth about Kang Tae Bong, is that I've never lied to Dal Ja.”
I like that even though he verbally teases Dal Ja, he isn't petty. He wants to make her life better, not worse for his own amusement.
There's something about this guy that never quite convinced me. I didn't ever really fall in love with him. I couldn't connect with his character. There was a detachment for me because the drama focuses on the heroine so much. Also, his facial features aren't that expressive.

Wee Seon Joo
I liked how this character really underwent such a transformation and how her relationships with the other characters developed. Most of the time I don't like women with her kind of voice, but I grew quite fond of her tone.
And the completion of her transformation in the last episode was absolutely hilarious.

Elders
The elder situation for Tae Bong is pretty funny.
Dalja's situation is good as well. I feel like it's been a while since I've seen such a lovely mother relationship.
Dalja's grandma is also really amusing.

Secondary characters
I loved how everyone became important and added something to the drama.
Her office staff are pretty cool and supportive of her. I like how they are both in awe of her and also treat her like the office pet because she was always does nice things for them.

Rep Eom
This guy and his secretary cracked me up.

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The plot of this drama is really compelling. It's the main driving force.

Bromance
The boys made me smile so hard. They had such great chemistry as mates with Min Gi always putting a smile on Soo Hyun's face. They're the kind of personalities that probably would've never been friends if they hadn't be thrown together when they were young.

Min Gi
Min Gi plays around a lot. His character made me nervous due to his immaturity. But he's not too bad. He really cares for Soo Hyun. And he's not as stupid as he looks. I liked what the drama did to give him levity to his character.

Soo Hyun
This guy is such a sombre character. He can kick some serious ass. He is such a tortured character. In the second half, it is nice to see him smiling all the time but not for the reason that you'd expect.
I do appreciate that he did wrong things. Considering he's working amongst the underworld, it is only realistic.
His character really changes throughout the drama as the ups and downs of his work really drag him around emotionally.

Ji Woo
This girl kind of annoyed me but not for the usual reasons. I mean, she's not a dramatic character, I guess she just lacked personality. She was just a nice person who just there.

Fashion
Even though this is a bit of an older drama. I was relieved to see that I didn't find the hairstyles distracting or offensive. Haha.
On a random note, the heroine wears some pretty low-cut dresses for a Kdrama.

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REVIEW
I really enjoyed watching this. There's no dull moments here. Even the side characters are powerful contributors to the vibe of the show. I love how they tied all the themes so nicely together. It made the whole drama a coherent piece of art.

Law
Yes, they're clever with the way they use the words. “not guilty” could there ever be sweeter or more evil words?

Romance
I love that the love declarations are just followed by, “Now off you go.” That Korean modesty is charming.

RAMBLINGS
Don't like the hero's looks. His face is annoying. I liked the opening fight scene. That was fun. Don't like heroine's attitude. But she's not wide-eyed ditzy, which is refreshing. She's mean. Which is also engaging. Of course the clincher is that the dude can read minds. That makes it interesting.
I'm curious as to how the romance will play out with the blatant age gap.
The cops are so friendly. That's nice.
Another trend, the girl patching up the hero...with cotton buds.
I like that he's already shown his physical dominance earlier on so from now on, it will just be mind games.
I'm glad the exits don't have the malicious corny smile.
I kind of like how she's impressed by Cha.
These poor kids, stuck in class till 9pm!
It's kind of cute that she likes the geeky Cha.
I like that she is feisty but she's not going to necessarily snap in hysterics when someone snaps at her.
This mother is always hysterical.
Hye Seong is so terrible.
Aww, oh dear, nobody wants him and now Hye Seong is being all rejecting.
“I'm going to admit that I was wrong, you idiot!”
And then he smiles, and everything is alright with the world.
This is the cutest love triangle.
Park Soo Ha was really quick to apologise. Why is that so sexy?
This kid is really good at crying.
I think there's a really good depiction of the Asian mother who will beat the child, call the child lousy, but yet be so damn proud of her and believe in her.
I don't know, I get a kick out of others being intimidated by the hero just because he knows how to use body language.
It is a bit amusing to watch Secret Garden and then come back to this and imagining the stiff Cha in leopard print.
The title of Episode 10 is “What's the purpose of searching for a painful memory?” With the music and Park Soo Ha's tentative tone, it's a bullseye.
the bromance between Cha and Yoo Chang is hilarious.
And also coming back to this drama after having a week long break, makes me really appreciate the soundtrack.
Even the way they film his body language is so brilliant.
You've really got to love how they develop the romance.
After he tells her the truth...what an incredible scene. Bravo. Bravo. And the music! Gut-wrenching.
“Let's look into each other's eyes and laugh together.” That is probably the sweetest thing she could say to him. Also, she's just going for it. I love it.
Isn't it weird that the judges are so scared of Lawyer Jang?
This guy is so tough as Lawyer Cha. I honestly, have no trouble going between Secret Garden and this. I completely forgot he was Oska.
Good one. “I'm not asking you to bury the truth, I'm asking you to look at the person first.”
She is stupid, but that look of defiance? She's damn brave too.

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This story is eerily similar to Sungkyunkwan Scandal. It’s kind of the scatter-brained version of that drama.
There’s something about this show that seems overdone. Everything kind of happens a bit fast and disjointedly. I’ve never had a problem with that before in previous Kdramas but in this one, it’s seriously obvious how the relationships don’t make that much sense.
This show isn’t the greatest but the feelings were still intense even if they weren’t always portrayed right. It’s a very strange and not well thought out plotline.

Ra On – female lead
She's quite a rascally heroine. I liked that. And she's got the charisma to pull it off.
I liked seeing her problem solving skills and how smart she was. Also, she was super tough.
Really interesting to see that she doesn’t get a choice to be a girl. Also interesting to see that the most you see of boobies is when the girls are dressing up as boys. They don’t mind showing the binding.
With Ra On, she’s very confident in herself. I like that she doesn’t back down.
However, I’m sorry to say, the darling Ra On (Kim Joo Young), just doesn’t match up to Park Bo Gum’s emoting. He’s saying everything and her face is just not saying much at all.


Prince Lee – main lead
As a prince he is actually very intelligent. There is very little that gets past him. Even at his lowest and most emotional, no one can trick him.
It’s Park Bo Gum. I know, I know, I myself get tired of the magic of this guy. But honestly, no matter what he does, he can’t do any wrong. So normally, I would dread this kind of personality, but it’s Park Bo Gum. So if he’s happy, I’m happy. Honestly, even his silly character, who I would hate under any under circumstances, he just makes me smile. I can’t believe this. The Park Bo Gum magic…
I do have a complaint. His face is so dramatic. His emotions, they’re too much. I’ve actually only ever seen him in Hello Monster and there, he was this serious character and the understated emotions that Park Bo Gum conveyed was amazing. But here, where he’s allowed to let loose on the facial expressions, I’m finding it over the top. At the same time, I think that’s supposed to be his character.
He is so seldom not putting on a show.
In a way, Park Bo Gum is too good for this stereotypical character. His face is too kind when he shows concern. And when he’s being a jerk, it doesn’t feel real haha. But as always, I’m impressed by how alive his face is.
I was fascinated by what his character is like when he’s in love. It’s very touching.
Also Park Bo Gum always has such brilliant chemistry with his male compatriots.


Romance
I wasn’t always convinced by the romance but towards the end, I desperately wanted a happy ending and I was really rooting for the couple.

Park Bo Gum is the one that really carries the value of this drama. His conveyance of emotion and scenarios makes me devote myself to the outcome. I didn’t think it was sad until Park Bo Gum showed me how sad he was.
I really liked the interesting aspect of how it went from general comedy to something a bit darker and that question of betrayal in the romance and how the characters responded to it.

“I’m frightened because I’m so happy. What if someone else’s happiness came to me as well?”


I also realised that PBG has man hands. Not every male actor has those. Most of the time it’s hard to tell if it’s the woman’s or the man’s hand.

“I will only listen to you. No matter what lie you tell. I will believe it.”

Byung Yun
I kind of rolled my eyes at his character at first, but I do always appreciate the stolid and silent best friend who is up to all sorts of night time activities. I was impressed by his loyalty but also sometimes conflicted by his secrecy.
The fun thing is when the best friend finally finds someone who is brave enough to rile the hero so they can join in and let loose on their friend most carthartically.

Jo’s Daughter

Finally a secondary daughter who isn’t some idiot. She is smart and brave and I was impacted by her decision making.

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This is more of an everyday life drama. I really liked it and it's easy to just keep watching episode after episode. It's got good flow. There's not a lot of conspiracy or over the top stuff going on. It was really relaxing and calming to watch. I only got bored at Episode 16.
The dilemmas that the drama presents are also great. They have some creative ideas to keep the story moving and exploring the characters and the relationships more. I liked seeing how they would respond to a variety of circumstances.

Romance
I love that Hyun Wook likes Yoo Kyung from the start.
He's pretty gruff but I was impressed that even at the antagonistic stage of the relationship he cheered her up by telling her all the great things about her.
When Hyun Wook starts out the list of all the reasons he doesn't want to like her (I hate this cliché) Yoo Kyung has none of it. Yasss.
Hyun Wook is pretty mean to Yoo Kyung but she gives it back to him which is awfully satisfying.
Gong Hyo Jin is awesome in her chemistry because she always has these genuine moments of connection. And they're always unique to the couple.

Hyun Wook
I like that he's not the all-powerful rich chaebol. He actually gets stepped on quite a lot by people who poke at his confidence and basically if anyone says, “Why, you scared?” then he feels he can't say anything back which is such stupid logic.

Yoo Kyung
Right from the start, she's great. Competent and confident. That's all I could ask for in a heroine. I like that no one's stepping on her and she knows how to avoid trouble. She is incredibly stubborn and persistent and hard working.
Yoo Kyung really wants to learn and she doesn't mind laying down her pride for the sake of her education. She's smart. I like it.
I like that she keeps the hero on his toes and she's really upfront. She'll let people know when she's unhappy with them.
She also doesn't forgive easy which I appreciated. She's definitely not a goody two shoes.
She's the kind of feisty that I can understand why a guy would like it. She's fun.

Kim San - second male lead
Yoo Kyung - “Is scaring me, lying to me, your hobby?”
Kim San - “Yes.”

Sae Young
She's a bit hoity toity but I liked that she was rivals with Yoo Kyung and was so civil about it.
I also started to like her when the boys started to rebel against her gender and she told them where they could shove their sexism.

Secondary Characters
The girls were just plain annoying. I had no interest in them and skipped over all their conversation and schemes.
The guys of the kitchen had a much more interesting dynamic with bro-ship and loyalty and competition between the “Italy” and Korean team.
The Korean team got more and more annoying and rude to Seo Yoo Kyung. I was so frustrated with their stupidity and their illogical thought processes in the way they blamed her for everything constantly or tried to cut her out.
The Italian team was a lot more fun and of course better looking! Haha.
Also, the beautiful Choi Jin Hyuk is one of the boys from Italy and his voice.... *sigh....so great.

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I had an on again, off again relationship with this drama. Most of the time I was watching it, I had the idea that I was just wanting to finish it. I was sure I wouldn't have that dreaded I'm-so-sad-it's-ended-what-do-I-do-with-my-life feeling.
But I did. It's that kind of drama. How could I not get sucked in despite all my disappointment with Lee Min Ho's character? Thanks to his personality, I had a break from this drama halfway through. I tried twice getting back into it but on the third time successfully picked it up again. I also read a spoiler that made me curious.
The second half of this drama is really solid. Some of the emotions that it captures are spot-on and really intense. The music as well was used powerfully to really get me swept up in what was happening.
This is my first wander into Kdrama action dramas. It starts aggressively and violently. We're not in rom-com anymore.

Yoon Sung
I was not expecting Lee Min Ho's character to be this laid back. I like seeing his playful side because I've only seen him dead serious. He has a great smirk face though.
I like that it's not really about revenge but Yoon Sung wanting to please his dad. He's really smart about revenge and practical about how he wants to live his life.

Romance
This is probably the worse part of the drama.
I did like at first the way Yoon Sung so awkwardly falls in love. He has some real cliché moments though. The stalking, the competitive gift buying, trying to kiss someone when they're asleep - ewww. I didn't like the way he treats Na Na. Whenever he feels attracted to her, (which is every five minutes) he makes a jab at her to hide it. Such a jerk. He's rude and picky just like he is in Personal Preference.

Young Joo - second male lead
Yoon Sung - “Excuse me, I got it first.”
Young Joo - “Shall we rewind the security tapes?”
Korean rivals. *happy sigh.
I wasn't crazy over this guy. He seemed a bit of an after-thought kind of character. But I liked what they did with him in the end and how he was with Sae Hee.

Kim Na Na
“That's okay. I'm a human bullet shield anyway.”
This actress has a great face. And I don't just mean she's pretty. Her face makes me feel calm. Haha.
I love that she dresses appropriately for her job. No silly short skirts and flying hair.
She manhandles Yoon Sung a lot.
There are many moments in the drama when I wanted to strangle her. But there are some moments of competency that are really satisfying too.
I like that she is her own woman and has her own ambitions and purpose in life.

“Excuse me, but can you take your marital spat back home?” Sometimes, I really I love this girl.

Kim Na Na is not a great heroine, but since I was watching My Princess at the same time...well, let's just say the stupidity of Lee Seol next to Kim Na Na's stupidity, there's no comparison. Also, Na Na's ability to grit her teeth in the face of all sorts of circumstances without uttering a word is admirable. Na Na also has a respectable job and she really is all on her own without any help. No parents, no siblings, nothing.
Kim Na Na still needs to be saved lots, but at least she gets to save Lee Min Ho at least once, right?

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I was emotionally invested in the push and pull of this show. The way the pairs have so many gazillion ways of being romantic is creative and unique. Even though in my mind I don’t like school dramas – I’ve always enjoyed the chemistry of them and the way the relationship is built on friendship and shared experiences within a group setting. The friends are so comfortable with each other, it’s great. They are individual friends as well as a group of friends. The little scenes at the end of each episode is also gold.

The second half of the show, is a little more angsty. The last few episodes really pack a punch of emotion and story telling. I loved how convincing it was that the characters were really older.

Xiaoxi – Female lead
Xiaoxi is the standard ditsy but there’s something about her that is likeable and funny compared to a lot of Chinese heroines that are whiny and immature.

I like that she is fearless when it comes to standing up for her friends.

Xiaoxi is obsessed with Jiang Chen and he mainly holds her at arm’s length but does throw her a few bones here and there that make her giddy with happiness.
But the relationship is kind of sarcastic too so it’s fun.

I liked seeing Xiaoxi grow up.

“I’m not a young girl anymore so I don’t want to show my excessive passion to such a cold person.”

JiaoXing

“You’re my buddy indeed. You never drop away at critical moments.”

I liked Jiaoxing for being beautiful, smart and fierce. We need at least one main female lead to be smart!

Jiaoxing: Make a phone call
Lu Yang: What?
Jiaoxing: Call.
Lu Yang: To whom?
Jiaoxing: Jiang Chen or Wu Bosong. Call them to see her.

Jiang Chen
To start with, Jiang Chen is not too stiff – which I appreciate. He can smile and act like a normal student. He also has a hilarious WTF facial expression when something weird happens which is often. He also happily cares for Xiaoxi and thinks she’s adorable. They are part of the same circle of friends which kind of makes her obsession of him a bit strange.
His relationship with his brother is super cute. His brother is tiny and Jiang Chen treats him just like a peer. His honest conversations about Xiaoxi in the form of dog analogies cracked me up. He is quite petty when it comes to sharing Xiaoxi’s affection with anyone else. Despite his indifference he’s possessive of her.

“Watch the car.” - [pulls on Xiaoxi away from Wu Bosong]
“Where is the car?”

I suppose he likes her attention but he doesn’t know how to handle her and he takes it for granted. The first time that Xiaoxi ignores him he’s so surprised he calls out after her.
He definitely does things just to annoy her but then there are also times that he is genuinely concerned about her and wants to make her feel better. Just when you think they are moments of slight consideration, there comes a situation where there is no reason that Jiang Chen should do something and he does it. I loved how the show demonstrated for us Jiang Chen’s instincts to bring about Xiaoxi’s happiness. It’s also fun to see how affected Jiang Chen is when it comes to Xiaoxi the way his eyes widen when he realises how he’s reacting.

“You won’t go? For Xiaoxi?”
“I want to be a doctor, and also be with her.”

Romance

“Will you write in my graduation album?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Only people apart from each other do that.”

I find it a really interesting dynamic the way Xiaoxi idolises Jiang Chen but is also so comfortable with hanging out with him.
I like that while there are plenty of times that Xiaoxi is sneakily spying on Jiang Chen there are plenty of times when he’s doing it too.
Xiaoxi isn’t afraid to show her ugly side to Jiang Chen as well.

As the story moves along you can see Jiang Chen gets a few surprises when Xiaoxi has moments of not really caring about him. Those moments are GREAT fun.

“Then does the smell of anti-mosquito water and essential balm turn you on?”

Jiang Chen very rarely smiles with his teeth but when he does he’s smiling at Xiaoxi. He also never raises his voice unless it’s shouting her name.

“Everyone thinks that Chen Xiaoxi loves me more.”

One of my favourite lines.

Swimmer Guy

“Xiaoxi, can you see me? I’m always here.”

Sorry, this actor was not handsome enough for me.

“But, as you know, I will be extremely insecure when I see him.”

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This show is fun! I watched the first four episodes in one sitting. I haven’t watched a Kdrama in ages. It felt so good to watch this.

Parents
The younger actors for the parents are just a beautiful pair with such great warmth and chemistry in their short moments. Even though the younger actor especially for the father has some very serious and harsh scenes, the actor portrays his innocence and kindness. Actually, the sincerity of the younger actor, made the older actor shine more because often the older actor didn’t show that vulnerability and heart that the younger actor did.

Hyeyeong
Favourite character! She’s so pretty and I loved her facial expressions and her responses. I even liked her voice. It’s rare to have a sophisticated heroine in Kdramaland who can hold her own and be calm and smart and sensible. LOVE HER. Her serious face when she’s being cute is so charming.

I probably relate to her the most because I’m the second born of a family of four with an older sibling who is not earning and still studying. The father dotes on Hyeyeong despite her reserved nature and it’s the same in our family.

Rayeong
I’ve often had a hard time connecting with this actress. I did appreciate her approach in romance and she and her boy are pretty darn cute and funny.

Yuji
Yuji was a pretty bad egg but she really learned how to become a sister.

Premise
I do find it hilarious how the family keeps adding to their numbers one shock after another. I loved their bonding moments as they learned to live together and accept each other.

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