You guys. When this show was announced as a spin-off of No Gain No Love (review here!), I was honestly sooo excited.

Not only is this whole spin-off thing rarely done in kdramas, this would also mean that we’d see Lee Sang Yi in a lead role!

I’ve had a soft spot for Lee Sang Yi for some time, so this was a must-watch, for me.

And now that I’ve come out the other side, I’m here to tell you guys allll about it. 😁

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS

I’d say that managing expectations is pretty important with this little show.

Honestly, I’d had very little idea of what to expect, coming into this one, and only with the trailer, posters and other stills that were released ahead of Show’s premiere to inform my expectations, I’d imagined that this show would be on the spicy side of things.

I mean, just look at this second poster that the production released:

It creates a certain vibe and expectation, yes?

Well, I’m here to let you know that this show is a lot less spicy than its promo materials suggest.

So think fun and funny instead – with more eventual sweet, than spice. 😁

Also, because our story is short, don’t expect anything to be all that well fleshed-out. For the record, I do think that Show does a decent job, considering its time limitations.

STUFF I LIKED

1. Getting to see Lee Sang Yi in the romantic male lead space

Ha. No prizes for guessing that this was a biggie for me, since this was one of the key reasons that I was interested in this little spin-off, to begin with.

Honestly, it feels like we’re witnessing an important milestone in Lee Sang Yi’s acting career, like he’s graduating into romantic male lead territory before our very eyes.

Plus, let’s not forget that he’s playing a bit, in the shirtless, sexy space, and even singing a track for the OST; isn’t that all very Romantic Male Lead stuff? 🥲

2. Han Ji Hyun as Ja Yeon / Yeon Seo

Between our two leads, I was admittedly less enamored of Han Ji Hyun, but I thought she did a solid job of the role.

In particular, I thought she was quite bold, leaning into the spicier moments, as Seo Yeon Seo.

3. The idea of Ja Yeon trying to figure out the rules of her story world

I thought it was quite fun to watch Ja Yeon working to get a sense of how her story world worked, while trying to find a way to outsmart the system.

It amused me, that even though she’s the author and therefore creator of this world, she has no real control over it, and is basically at its mercy.

Like, whoops, why would you write your story that way; see how you’ve basically trapped yourself..? 🤭😅

4. The actual workings of the story world [BROAD SPOILERS]

Some of the details around this tickled me, like the way the bus only actually goes to the hospital, because that’s the location of the entire episode, and the way the same dude (Kim Yong Myung) cameos as every side character that’s needed, from bus driver, to doctor, to taxi driver, to store manager.

In a similar vein, I thought it was rather cute, that every actor / celebrity in this world looks like our male lead – because he’s the most handsome man in that world.

I was inordinately tickled by this. 🤭

Other details, like the way Yoon Seo (well, Ja Yeon) suddenly finds herself in a new location, as demanded by the events of the episode, reminded me of 2019 drama Extraordinary You.

Overall, I thought that writer-nim did a decent job of teasing this out, given Show’s short running time.

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]

Honestly, for the duration of our first episode, I’d felt a little perplexed, because of the way Ja Yeon was fighting on the inside, while her body, as Yeon Seo, was basically programmed to engage in sexy scenes with her male lead Ha Jun – who now looks like Gyu Hyun instead of Yeo Ha Jun (Lee Yoo Jin).

For one thing, it felt wrong, like she was being forced into doing stuff that she didn’t want to do, though I told myself that in this fantasy setting, where she’s writing the goings-on, it doesn’t really matter so much. 😅

For another, her mortified, grossed-out voiceovers took all the heat out of her skinship with her new male lead, Kang Ha Jun (and therefore, all the heat out of the scenes featuring Lee Sang Yi 😅).

Happily, by the middle of episode 2, she manages to convince Kang Ha Jun that she really is the author of the story, Nam Ja Yeon, and this changes a lot of things.

I was honestly quite pleasantly surprised by the immediate poignance that this gives us, as Kang Ha Jun goes through an instant identity crisis, because he’s devastated that the love that he feels for her isn’t real – and that he himself isn’t actually real. Aw. 🥲

And then, I thought it was sweet and affirming, that Ja Yeon shows him that he, and this world that they’re in, are all real – because they’re all a part of her.

I thought that was a very nice angle in which to approach it.

After that, I thought it was very sweet that Kang Ha Jun would love Ja Yeon for real; not because he’s written to do so, but because he really does love her.

I’m not too certain of what it means, that Ja Yeon and Kang Ha Jun gain more autonomy as our story goes on; perhaps it’s because Kang Ha Jun becomes self-aware?

That moment on the hospital roof, where Kang Ha Jun tells her that she’s the reason he exists, feels so full of heart and meaning.

Like, yes, she did write him, and that’s why he exists, but also, with his newfound autonomy, he’s choosing to love her, and he’s pledging himself to her, to always be next to her, and it’s all very sweet. 🥰🥲

..Which also, in turn, gives a really nice added layer of meaning, when Ja Yeon then wakes up in her real world – and Gyu Hyun’s right there, thus fulfilling Kang Ha Jun’s promise. 🥲

Aw. What a sweetly poignant ending, yes?

And also, what a nice additional layer of context to how Ja Yeon’s view of Gyu Hyun began to change, in our principal story. ❤️

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Cute and fun, with some nice layers of sweet poignance.

FINAL GRADE: B+

TRAILER:

MV: