This is the most perfectly crafted drama ever made. Everything, from the writing to the acting, is absolutely superb. It is not the best drama you can find. It is not particulary original, and it’s neither some heart wrenching drama that throws you under the bus using some cheap tragedy (despite the big theme of deafness, it mantains a very lightweight mood from the beginning to the end). But historically and in terms of crafting it can be considered the pinnacle of the classic korean drama. After this one the drama industry had to renew themself and started going in different directions than the usual poor-family-girl-meet-rich-family-boy trope. Thanks to one of the most skilled korean actress ever, the legendary Hwang Jung Eum, and a cast of the greatest actors of the time, this drama captures the audience hearts and never let them go. Even after the end, you will think about the characters for weeks, and never forget them. This is the work of a screenwriter whith incredible experience and skills, and of a director with a superior sense of pace, mastering the flow of the events without the smallest error.
This is why it can be considered a true “canon”. The word “canon” is derived from the Greek “kanon”, which translates as “rod,” “measuring stick,” or to “rule”, and is defined as “(...) an highly valued work that acts as arbiter of artistic value and that can be regarded as a reference for a genre; a "gold standard" against which all the others should be judged.(..)” This is how amazing this drama is.