9/10 is my rating. This is a 2023/2024 South Korean romantic comedy with 16, 70 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Cho Yong-pil (Ji Chang-wook) and Cho Sam-dal (Shin Hye-sun) were childhood friends who grew up in a small community on Jeju Island. The adults termed them soul mates as they were born minutes apart on the same day. And their life follows the trajectory of that destined fate as close friends as children then a young couple later on. An incident drives them apart and lead both to separately pursue their dreams. Yong-pil remains on the island as a weather forecaster to fulfill his dream of providing accurate forecasts so that others will not die from weather events as his mother did. While brilliant in his field, he is a thorn in the side of the other forecasters as he is very vociferous in his demands for perfection in forecasting. Many of the youth from the Island are eager to escape that limited geography and make their mark in big city Seoul. Sam-dal also wants to escape the small town and is determined to thrive in Seoul. After much hardship, Samdal finally becomes a highly successful fashion photographer known under the professional name Cho Eun-hye. At the peak of her career, she is in the circles with all the top celebrities as a highly demanded artistic and entertainment photographer. A series of events causes Cho Eun hye’s professional and personal life to completely come apart. Samdal decides to take a pause on her career and leave the city that now felt like it turned on her. Her hometown has always been her safe haven filled with all the people she was once very close to. When Samdal and Yongpil find themselves back in the same circles, they discover their feelings for each other never died. With two very different dreams is there a way for them to be together without sacrificing their own life goals? Can Samdal prove her innocence and re-establish her career?

Review

This is a really good romantic drama with friends to lovers, coming of age and even revenge elements. People who grew up in an island culture or in a small town will relate to a lot of the content. It is an overall feel good romance served up with slices of small town life. The small insights into Haenyeo (female diver) culture is a bonus.

Spoilers

Yong pil’s dad Cho Sang-tae (Yu Oh seong), was so emotionally and physically abusive to others I seriously disliked the character. It was satisfying, in the last few episodes, when the rest let loose in him. Look she wasn’t just your wife she was my best friend, my mother etc. You are not the only one grieving. I wish someone had said your wife would have hated this. He was obsessed with her leading up to them being together and was obsessed with her after she died. Blaming her best friend when his wife as an adult who chose to go was misplaced anger. He was such a cruel selfish person, I was glad he came around for the other characters but I did not feel there was any redemption for him.

The assistant who falsely accused her was eventually revealed as a liar. That was great to get to see some justice served. A little bit more about her and the fall out of her misdeeds would have been better as so much of Samdal’s story centered around her assistant’s lies.

I loved the story with her older sister and ex husband who so clearly still loved each other but had been driven apart by his horrible family. I would have liked to see them get remarried.

The chemistry between Shin Hye sun and Ji Chang wook was surprising. I just never pictured them together as they typically choose very different scripts. But they are both such great actors it was completely believable. I became a fan Of Ji Chang wook from his action shows but this sweet boy next door role worked perfectly too which just shows his diversity.



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