First of all, do not confuse this with the 2015 k-drama with a similar name.

The premise of the Show is based on the rich guy/poor girl trope. The one key change is the ML has a "rare" genetic disease that cause him to grow younger every day and the FL is the cure. When we first meet the ML, he appears to be around 18-20yo. This allows the Show to turn this into an idol drama. There is nothing new about a young handsome CEO in this genre but it is more problematic here. The issue is that the ML is supposed to be in his thirties, a high profile businessman and a man of the world.

I did try to meld the two characters together but it only serves to break my immersion far too often. I’d do a double take between scenes when I’m trying to realign my bearings. Am I watching the ML being himself or an older man acting out of character? Neither options are a good fit for the Show.

Let's just say it out loud, our young ML just don’t have the acting chops to pull this off. He looks, dresses and acts like an idol. He doesn't possess the gravitas nor the maturity to pull off heavy duty scenes and when he is with the FL, he is just a young gun in love. The script has to share some of the blame because it did little to hide his shortcomings.

On top of that, this Show’s plots are both transparent and predictable. That is a fatal combo in my book. You really don’t need a crystal ball to foretell the future here. Most of the trials and tribulations are piled on in set pieces instigated by cookie cutter antagonists. Some are even self-inflicted.

The antagonists' motivations are crystal clear and their schemes are rudimentary to say the least. To paraphrase a famous movie quote, “of all the trouble spots in all the towns in all the world, the FL walks into every one of them.” Inexperience and naivety can only paper over so much before you start to facepalm as the next pain point approaches like clockwork.

I accept that C-dramas and tropes are two peas in a pod. I can put up with cliché characters and tropey plots as long as the show is enjoyable. Fourth wall/immersion breaking can be fun and an effective tool of the trade but when this is a regular yet haphazard side effect of the plot then it has the opposite effect.

One final thought. With so many c-dramas being produced, new setting and themes are hard to come by. Gaming is popular, so are the medical and business worlds. However, this is a double-edged sword. Some shows do well with the help of learned consultants and industry involvements. You can see and appreciate the effort they've put in. Others resort to a jumble of jargons and make-believe scenarios that are more sleight of hand than creditable. Thus it is brave of the Show to choose the local wine industry as the setting.

It started decent enough, While the narrative is skewed, it is mostly harmless. However, the longer it goes, the more fanciful it becomes. This feeds into the immersion issue I mentioned before. When the plot and acting are good, you can ignore minor issues. In this case, you just can’t unsee/unhear some of the crazy stuff them put up as truism of the whole wine culture. It might sound ok to people who knows nothing about wine but for anyone else, it can be laughable if not downright grating.

Acting wise, I've said enough about the ML. The FL turns in a passable performance but this is essentially a bread-and-butter role for her cadre. The support cast are not doing much better. Their roles are one dimensional and the bar is set fairly low. Nobody is rushing to set a PB.

So, after 13 episodes, I have decided to drop this Show. It is not unwatchable (I have seen worst) but I have lost all interest. I could shelved it indefinitely but why bother to pretend. Maybe quaffing a bottle of vino like they do in the Show would help but my bottles are my Little Precious so I'll take a raincheck instead. Peace out. ;)