I watched this drama as it was airing and always looked forward to the next episode, a sure sign that a drama is pretty good. If watching feels like a chore, why bother? Yes, yes, of course I have slogged through a couple of shows I really didn’t enjoy – but this one I did. Here’s why:

1. Interesting premise. Our heroine opens a café with a legal aid office and deals with different issues such as bullying, child neglect and sexual harassment in a very refreshing and no-nonsense way. The cases were interesting and showed the human aspect, not court proceedings.
2. Strong female lead. I really liked the main character a lot. She is outspoken without being obnoxious, dedicated, with a strong sense for what is right and what is wrong. Excellently portrayed by Lee Se Young.
3. Surprisingly good romance. While the “fake dating turns into the real thing” is nothing new, it was still very well executed und even unexpectedly passionate.

There were a few things I didn’t like. Some of the supporting characters were annoying, like the ahjummas and the over-the-top crazy uncle. The café staff, on the other hand, was pretty good. One had an interesting backstory and the other was portrayed by Kim Do Hoon, who played a poor tortured soul in Today’s Webtoon. It was delightful to see him as a happy camper here.

The writing was rather uneven. The show wavered between interesting scenes and dull dialogues, total clichés like the murdered father (are there any fathers actually surviving in Korea?) and fresh scenarios like openly discussing birth control. A scene would be pretty boring and then suddenly a character would elevate it by uttering some profound wisdom. I was struck by this several times.

Would I watch it again? Hm, maybe some scenes. It is well worth a one-time watch though, if for nothing else than the memorable female lead.