I was so pleasantly surprised by this after watching a string of bad k-dramas. This show deals with some interesting topics and sometimes they do take some storylines a bit too far but as long as you don’t take things too seriously, you’ll have a good time.

What worked:

1. Main storyline. It was so bizarre in a good way that everything else kinda fell into places without rocking your sense of logic too much. I think the overall flow of the story stayed within the confines of the world they created. They didn’t rely on (not too much anyways) crazy logic jumps to push the story forward. I hate that so much!
2. Main characters. Definitely one of the main reasons why this show worked. I really liked Ji-ho and Se-hee. I did find Se-hee a bit weird at first but he grew on me. I really liked Ji-ho’s journey and where she ended up at. I also loved her constantly surprised look on her face.
3. Challenging traditional Korean men/women values. Like I said, some storylines were taken too far to keep up with the established characters and their behaviors but they mostly succeeded in getting people to at least think about things.
4. CEO Ma was great. He was a great character. Caring for his best friend and standing up for his girlfriend (would be) even though they both treated him badly at first.
5. Ho-rang. Not everything about her made sense but she was relatable and the actress did a great job portraying her. She’s upbeat (when she’s not crying) and had a goal. I just wish she didn’t get back with the loser. Sigh...
6. The ending. I really like the way they handled the inevitable “temporary” break up. Ji-Ho had a plan, albeit only she knew about it but she stuck to it. Good for her!

What didn’t work:

1. Soo-ji. She was made to fulfill the strong, independent career woman type. Did not work at all for me. Maybe her storyline or maybe it’s the actress. Well, both but I really couldn’t stand the actress.
2. Ho-rang’s boyfriend. How big of a loser can you be? It’s one thing to chase your dream and struggle in the beginning but he has an understanding of a 5 yr old when it comes to life in general. He also looks like he’s about 5, too.
3. A lot of these characters are supposed to be in their early 30’s but they behaviors/ lack of knowledge of life in general made them seem like they’re just starting out in life.
4. Inevitable relational conflicts. Kidnapper story was so dumb and it just came and went. They started the obligatory love triangle which was bad enough but decided to sprinkle in kidnapper elements, too!!! And after all that, Se-hee once had a lover/wife and she was the reason why he’s the way he is!!! What???
5. Se-hee’s ex. It’s really not the character but the way they introduced the storyline and the character really went nowhere. I think it could’ve been anybody off the street.
6. Challenging traditional Korean men/women values. I know I put this as one of the pros but like I mentioned, the writer had a certain narrative she wanted to tackle and either went too far or stuck with it even though it didn’t make sense/ didn’t work within the given storyline.

All in all, I really enjoyed the show. Like I said, it probably helped that I watched it after seeing some horrendous shows. I feel so attached to the main characters. I wish I could stop by to check in on their life here and there. Sigh.