Sometimes I love being shamelessly emotionally manipulated. This show has its flaws for sure (such as the ML's improbable transformation from random angsty teen to powerful gangster that is never required to actually do on screen gangster business, paper thin secondary characters with inscrutable motivations) but I was so swept up in the central romance that I could forgive these things. I loved how the show juxtaposed the brutality of the characters' circumstances and the forbidden nature of their love (they're briefly step siblings) with the sweet wholesome innocence of many of their interactions. Park Shin Hye and Lee Wan gave such raw, powerful performances and they have a naturalistic yet potent chemistry with each other that gave the narrative a feeling of authenticity no matter how overwrought some of the story beats were. Even when their relationship was dysfunctional, I yearned so badly for them to be able to be together despite all the obstacles put up against them. Also, the 10 episode length ensures this is all killer, no filler. I was really moved by this.