THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show works really well as an homage to the golden era rom-com; it’s got a light, frothy sort of vibe, where the main order of the day is joy in spite of the ridiculous, and logic is quite optional.

Modern tweaks like a male lead who only looks like a golden era tsundere but is really a very easily persuaded green flag, and OTP sizzle that’s allowed to be front-and-center, definitely add to the sense that the classic rom-com is getting an upgrade.

My favorite thing that Show does, though, is how it works to stay faithful to the emotional throughline of its characters; our OTP in particular.

Show does wobble in the final stretch, but not enough to be a deal-breaker, in my experience. Some lens adjustments definitely help – which I’ll talk more about, in a bit.

THE LONG VERDICT:

So… I have an analogy for this show, and it might sound a little odd at first — but hear me out. 😁

This show reminds me of a cream puff — but not just any cream puff.

On the outside, it’s all fluffy, silly hijinks: light, airy, and very easy to inhale. But instead of a filling that melts away the moment you bite into it, this one has a center with a bit more chew to it.

There’s real emotional density here — a sweetness that lingers, and a stickiness that makes it cling to the corners of your heart long after the episode ends.

That, more or less, sums up my watch experience. 🥰

OST ALBUM: FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

Here’s the OST album, in case you’d like to listen to it while you read the review.

Overall, I’d say that I enjoyed the music in this show very well. All the tracks were east listens for me, and amplified my watch experience exactly the way I would hope an OST does.

In terms of a favorite, hands down, it’s Track 3, Special Day, which is the opening song for our episodes.

I kid you not; every time this song came on, I would automatically start dancing in my chair. 🤗  SUCH a great mood-setter, and it always pulled me into Show’s playful zone, without fail. 🥰

Here it is on its own as well, in case you’d prefer to listen to it on repeat. Just right-click on the video and select “Loop.”

HOW I’M APPROACHING THIS REVIEW

First I’ll talk about how to manage your expectations going into this one, and what viewing lens would be most helpful.

After that, I talk about stuff I liked or didn’t like, on a more macro level, before I give the spotlight to selected characters and relationships, in a separate section. Finally, I spend some time talking about my thoughts on the penultimate and finale episodes.

If you’re interested in my blow-by-blow reactions, &/or all the various Patreon members’ comments during the course of our watch, you might like to check out my episode notes on Patreon here.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS

Here are a few things that I think might be useful to keep in mind, if you want to maximize your chances of enjoying your watch:

1. Tropes are par for the course

Show uses quite a few tropes in service of its story, and it’s best to just roll with it, instead of try to fight it.

Most of the time, the tropes feel fun instead of tired, and it also feels like Show is self-aware, and having fun too, which definitely helps.

2. The golden era rom-com lens

I found that this show reminded me a lot of the rom-coms from the early 2010s, which is often referred to as the golden rom-com era of kdramas, in the way it’s light, cheeky, often a little hyperbolic, and regularly leans into tropes in service of bringing the feels.

With this lens on, you’d feel much freer to roll with any nonsense on your screen, and I think that would likely increase your enjoyment a great deal.

3. The emotional throughline

This is THE trick that kept me engaged to the very end:

I found that keeping my focus on the emotional development of our leads and their relationship really helped this story come together as a whole, in my mind.

It’s basically the drama equivalent of keeping your eye on a fixed point in order to not get seasick. 😁

I hope that helps you too. ❤️

STUFF I LIKED

The way Show leads with promise

One of the things that struck me right away, is that Show knows how to lead with the promise of what’s possible, and I love that, because it gives us a bit of quick gratification, while also giving us something to look forward to.

[MILD FOUNDATIONAL SPOILERS]

Like the way we open with the scene of Ahn Eun Jin’s character, Da Rim (Ahn Eun Jin), all beautiful and polished in a sharp corporate suit and killer heels, looking effortlessly confident and self-assured, before we cut to her actual much more schleppy sort of state, because that had all been a dream.

How this works, is now we know for a fact that Da Rim cleans up beautifully, and looks like a legit goddess, and therefore, we don’t mind so much, when our story opens with her a little uglified, with the big glasses, messy hair and sweatpants being her daily uniform, almost.

And of course, there’s the very sparky, very electric dynamite kiss that our OTP shares at the end of episode 1.

Yes, Show does take them back to an almost ground zero sort of starting point quite soon afterwards, but the point is, it’s now given us a foretaste of what is possible with this OTP – and that worked really well to bolster my positive expectations, as I watched the show. 😁

[END FOUNDATIONAL SPOILERS]

The way Show leads with our OTP

Like I alluded to earlier, there is no lack of shenanigans in this show, and the great thing, is that Show knows that we are here for our OTP.

This means that even during stretches when our OTP has reason to stay away from each other, Show is wise to keep finding ways for our OTP to interact.

[BROAD SPOILER]

Like in episodes 3 and 4, we often find our OTP alone and within very close proximity of each other – even though they are officially merely colleagues, and practically strangers at this point in our story. 🤭

I really liked the creativity, intentionality and pure cheekiness that went into this. 😁

[END BROAD SPOILER]

Most importantly, I love that Show keeps a steady hand on the emotional throughline of the OTP connection, even when – or should I say, especially when – there are a lot of other narrative pieces at play.

In fact, I’m so impressed with how Show handles the aftermath of the inevitable fallout – which is where I feel a lot of other dramas stumble – that I’m leaving my notes for episodes 9 & 10 intact for this review, to illustrate how well Show manages to track that emotional throughline, during a tricky narrative stretch.

You’ll find it further down, right before I discuss the penultimate and finale episodes.

The way Show serves up poignance

One very important thing that Show does, is serve up moments of genuine poignancy, because I find that it helps to ground all the slurpy hijinks for me.

The moments of poignance – not just between our OTP, but involving secondary characters too – add up to give Show a sense of emotional heft, which I really appreciated.

Because, at the end of the day, beyond silly hijinks and surface swoon, it’s emotional heft that keeps me invested.

[MINOR SPOILERS]

Like the way Da Rim makes it a point to visit Mom (Cha Mi Kyung) at the hospital on her first day of work, because it’s been Mom’s dream to see Da Rim get a job and go to work in the morning.

Aw. I love how thoughtful Da Rim is, to do this for Mom to lift her spirits while she’s recovering in hospital. 🥲

Or like the way our Mother TF team members are so affected by their employee tags, because it feels like they are finally reclaiming their identities, after being known for so long, only as their children’s mothers.

I thought that was rather poignant at its heart, even though it’s delivered quite lightly.

I also really liked that all the insight that Da Rim gains on the job, into motherhood, causes her to appreciate her own mother more.

I thought that was a very nice touch. 🥲

[END SPOILERS]

Show’s sense of humor

If you’ve been around the blog for a while, you might be doing a double-take right now, because my track record with k-humor is patchy, at best.

I am as surprised as you are, to be saying that Show’s sense of humor worked for me quite well.

No, I didn’t find every bit of Intended Funny actually funny, but importantly:

1, When I didn’t take to the Intended Funny, it didn’t distract me enough to break my watch, and

2, When I did take to the Intended Funny, I found myself genuinely amused – sometimes even a little thrilled.

That’s a big win in my books. 😁

There’s one specific thing that Show does well, that I wanted to highlight.

It really has a way of layering different plot points that make isolated sense, but are on-course to make a collision with one another, and (for me anyway), it’s only upon collision, that I realize that writer-nim had been deftly setting the stage, from early on.

This always got a delighted chuckle from me, because I wouldn’t see the collision coming, until it was basically almost smacking me in the face. 😁

This first example is just a great cocktail of ingredients that I found very fun and amusing, and the second example is a great example of the collision course I just described.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E5-6. I find the multi-layers of stuff going on with Seon U (Kim Mu Jun) being present in Da Rim’s work environment, a pretty delicious combination.

First, we have Ji Hyeok being jealous, because of course he would all hot and bothered by the idea that Da Rim’s husband is right there.

That alone messes with his ability to forget that Da Rim’s even married at all, right?

And then, there’s Seon U living his fantasy, basically, because he’s in love with Da Rim, and pretending to be her husband allows him to interact with Da Rim in a capacity that, up to this point, he could’ve only dreamed of.

Additionally, we’ve got Ha Yeong (Woo Da Vi) doing her darndest to get Seon U’s attention, because she’s decided that she’s in love with him, and that no one else would do..

Which then gets Ji Hyeok even more hot and bothered, because he can’t stand the idea of Da Rim getting hurt, and here, before his very eyes, is her husband betraying her.

This all tickled me quite a bit. 😁

E5-6. I must say, the way Show sets things up, everything flows very organically towards the next plot point, and I am quite delighted by this.

Mainly, I’m thinking of how Da Rim is shown talking with Seon U about how baby powder scents aren’t so suitable for adults in the office.

Separately, Ji Hyeok hears the Mother TF team talking about that cheating husband who’d suddenly started dressing nicely and wearing cologne.

And then it all collides in a situation where we see Seon U dressing better and wearing cologne, to distance himself from the image of just being a dad (versus being a man) in Da Rim’s eyes, and Ji Hyeok therefore immediately jumping to the conclusion that Seon U is displaying classic cheating symptoms.

Tee hee hee! It’s delightfully organic within the context of our story world, and that’s why it lands as so amusing to me. Well, that and Jang Ki Yong’s fantastic tortured reaction faces, of course. 🤭

[END SPOILER]

The way Show fleshes out our bad guys – just enough

Show indicates from pretty early on, that Ji Hyeok’s Nasty Noona (Jung Ga Hee) is one of our key Bad Guys.

It’s not hard to see, based on all the dark looks that Show has her shooting in Ji Hyeok’s direction.

What I appreciate, is that Show offers us just enough context for her character, so that we understand why she’s acting the way she is – without belaboring the point.

This gave me a useful lens through which to view her character, even as I mentally filed her away as largely plot catalyst.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E7-8. These episodes, we get to see a bit more of Nasty Noona’s backstory and perspective, and well, now that I see that all of her scheming stems from a deep insecurity that she will always be rejected because she’s born of CEO Dad’s mistress, I do feel rather sorry for her.

Especially since she’d dated and then been rudely forsaken by Ha Yeong’s Nasty Oppa (Jung Hwan), for that very reason.

I can see how that would become a chip on her shoulder, and why she would resent and target Ji Hyeok, the legitimate child who has no interest in the family business but gets all the attention and opportunity anyway, purely by virtue of his birth.

[END SPOILER]

STUFF THAT WAS OK

Show’s use of traditional rom-com devices

Full disclosure, you guys. The only reason this is here in the neutral zone, is because I do feel that Show wobbles noticeably in the finale stretch, and that wobble involves its use of traditional rom-com devices (more on that in a bit).

For the most part, I felt that watching this show brought back a lot of nostalgic rom-com feels, for me.

As you guys know, I’ve been watching kdramas for a long time, and there’s something about this show’s tropes and also, the style of its music, that strongly remind me of kdrama’s golden rom-com era, specifically the 2010s.

And so, whenever these tropes showed up on my screen in this show, backed by its signature rom-com track, I couldn’t help but get all these nostalgic fangirl feels.

Which very likely means that the feels that I got while watching this show, are partly attributable to a whole archive of golden-era rom-coms, and not just this show specifically. 😅

However, to me, this just means that Show does a pretty great job at bringing back the silly, fluffy, frothy quality that made golden era rom-coms so slurpable – while managing to retain the most important quality of all: the feeeels. 🥰

And the pay-off in terms of feels, is exactly why I was more than happy to roll with the hyperbole and convenience inherent in Show’s storytelling approach.

Let me walk through Show’s early set-up, just to illustrate what I mean.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. It does feel rather excessive, that the people around Da Rim have such a low opinion of her abilities, but I get that Show’s trying to make a point, and is being a little hyperbolic about it.

Coz, look at the point that Show works to make about Jang Ki Yong’s character, Ji Hyeok, with our introduction to him being that scene where he’s looking all handsome and sexy in that crisp white shirt and vest combo, with the rolled up sleeves 🔥, and demonstrating that he’s uber competent, with that multi-screen conference call where he speaks in several different languages.

Yes, if you’re wearing your regular logical lens, you might feel like Show’s hitting you on the head with the idea that Ji Hyeok’s Extremely Successful, and top-tier desirable husband material, in terms of his specs, but I like to approach it with the belief that Show is very self-aware and is being cheeky about it, which then makes this whole thing land as quite funny to me, actually.

Of course the main thing Show gets busy with, aside from introducing us to our characters, is, find a reason for them to both be on Jeju Island at the same time, naturally. 😁

As with traditional rom-coms, the road to getting the setup complete can be full of coincidences and logic stretches, but I’m not mad at it; it reminds me of the good ol’ days, when I slurped up silliness with a spoon, while anticipating all the OTP hijinks and goodness that promised to follow.

So yes, it is a jerk move for little sister Da Jeong (Kim Soo A) to ask Da Rim to hide away in Jeju during her wedding, because she’s lied to her in-laws, that her sister works in the US, and yes, it is a bit martyre-esque of Da Rim to pretend that she’s sooo happy to be going to Jeju and missing the wedding, but I don’t really mind or care.

And yes, it is super convenient, that the person Ji Hyeok needs to scout, in order for his big business deal to go through, happens to be Da Rim’s Jerk Ex, who also happens to be spending time in Jeju, at the same time Da Rim will be there, and again, I don’t mind or care. Do we see a trend here? 😁

Show does lean into the almost-meet moments quite a bit, which is sooo classic kdrama 🤭, and then the requisite meet-cute isn’t very cute from either of their perspectives, with Da Rim drunkenly mistaking Ji Hyeok’s jubilant hollering at the ocean as an indication that he’s suicidal, and then tackling him with a backhug; a chaotic situation that lands them both in the hospital, ha.

..Which turns out to be the key event that seals this first part of the setup in place, since Da Rim’s indignant that Ji Hyeok’s left her with his hospital bill, in return for “saving” him, and approaches him at breakfast to settle the score.

This is exactly when they run into Jerk Ex (Park Yong U) and his girlfriend (who happens to be Da Rim’s ex-schoolmate), so Da Rim does what any rom-com female lead worth her salt would do – she grabs onto Ji Hyeok and announces that he’s her new boyfriend, pfft.

Also. I have to say, Da Rim’s family situation suddenly becoming so dire overnight, is kinda-sorta giving me Full House vibes (coz Song Hye Kyo’s so-called best friends sold her house while she was away and thus she became homeless overnight), but again, I’m buying it in the name of Classic Rom-com Happenings.

It’s all blithely running purely on drama logic (ie, real world logic need not apply), and I found that I was truly happy to roll with it all – until the wobble happened, which, again, I’ll get to later. 😁

[END SPOILER]

The handling of problematic behaviors by our leads

I’ve come across a good handful of comments from viewers who really struggle with various elements of the show, specifically to do with behaviors by both leads, which they find to be problematic.

With regards to this, I do think that my original recommendation in terms of lens adjustments is critical.

It’s true that some recent dramas have managed to be a lot more politically correct, but to my eyes, this show is leaning into the way rom-coms used to roll, in the golden rom-com era of yore, and a lot of times, in that era of dramas, putting up with questionable plot nonsense was just par for the course.

We put up with all of it, if the dramas were serving up good feels and good chemistry, and I personally think that this show is doing well on both those fronts, so I find myself very willing to wear that cartoon-esque “I’ll put up with nonsense” kind of lens, in order to enjoy this one.

Again, if you find this very difficult to do, then there’s no shame in dropping this one. You don’t have to force yourself to watch a drama that you aren’t able to enjoy.

To put things in “golden era” perspective a bit, let’s think about Coffee Prince (review here!).

[SPOILERS FOR THIS SHOW AND COFFEE PRINCE]

In a way, you could draw a parallel, between Ji Hyeok’s situation, and Gong Yoo‘s character Han Gyul angsting about the fact that he’s increasingly attracted to Yoon Eun Hye’s character Eun Chan, whom he believes to be male.

In both scenarios, our female leads are lying, and that is leading to a great deal of emotional struggle and torment, for both male leads.

I don’t recall that there were people protesting about Eun Chan lying to Han Gyul, back in the day; we understood that part of the beauty of the journey, was getting to see Han Gyul struggle, because this demonstrated to us, the depth of his feelings for Eun Chan.

This is the same thing in spirit, even if there’s a difference in the details.

Because yes, Da Rim is lying to Ji Hyeok, driven by her circumstances (much like Eun Chan had been driven by her circumstances), and that’s why she’s sticking to that lie for dear life.

She believes that if she were to tell the truth, she would lose her job – and she really needs the income, for Mom’s medical bills, as well as to repay Ji Hyeok the amount that he’d paid for her, to the loan sharks.

And yes, as Ji Hyeok spends more time with Da Rim, and grows more attracted to her, his angst just keeps increasing.

This is actually the reason I feel that this drama does better than many others that we’ve seen lately, in the same rom-com bracket.

Where we’ve seen other shows lean into all kinds of external factors and circumstances in order to create narrative tension, while glossing over the feelings of our leads, this show leans hard into the emotional struggle of our leads, and that gives me the emotional heft that I want, from a drama.

So yes, our leads display problematic behaviors, but importantly, the show doesn’t wave it all away as excusable – at least, when it matters.

In terms of Ji Hyeok forcing the marriage with Ha Yeong, I discuss that in a bit, when I talk about Ji Hyeok as a character.

In all the smaller instances of Ji Hyeok being mean to Da Rim, this was framed as petty and quite harmless, and for that, I found a manhwa-adjacent lens very helpful.

Ji Hyeok actually being putty in Da Rim’s hands, despite his gruff, petty exterior, also helped a lot to balance things out.

[END SPOILERS]

STUFF I DIDN’T LIKE SO MUCH

Show’s late-stage wobble

Even as a proponent of Show leaning into classic rom-com tropes, I have to admit that Show does go rather too ham on this, in our finale episodes.

In my discussion of the finale, I go into more specifics in terms of what perplexed me and didn’t work so well for me, but for now, I just wanted to state for the record, that, yes, there was a wobble, and yes, that wobble made a not-great difference to my watch experience.

SPOTLIGHT ON SELECTED CHARACTERS & RELATIONSHIPS

Jang Ki Yong as Ji Hyeok

My friends, I love-love-loveddd Jang Ki Yong in this role. 🤩 This might seriously be my favorite role of his that I’ve seen to date – that’s how much I loved him in this.

Jang Ki Yong makes Ji Hyeok a fantastic blend of cocky-but-dorky-but-also-tender-and-gentle-but-also-smokin’-hawt🔥-ahem, and I delighted in every little turn of our story that allowed another aspect of his personality to shine through.

I just found it completely captivating, that Jang Ki Yong would make all of these disparate angles of Ji Hyeok’s character come together in such a believable, organic, charming package. 😍

As for Ji Hyeok himself, I didn’t mind his petty behaviors too much, because his true heart came to the fore more than enough, to balance it out for me.

Below, I wanted to highlight a key turning point for Ji Hyeok, and walk through the character logic a bit.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E7-8. I thought Show handled Ji Hyeok’s internal turmoil very well, with that dream that Ji Hyeok has, of confronting his father – and then himself – over the fact that he wants a married woman, which makes him not much different from his cheating dad after all.

It’s a guilt that cuts deep, and I can see why, after waking from this very confronting nightmare, Ji Hyeok would be extra cold to Da Rim, when she shows up at his door.

I can see this being the key thing to push him towards announcing that he would like to hasten his wedding to Ha Yeong.

Now, I saw some viewers getting really upset with Ji Hyeok for “doing this to Ha Yeong,” but I don’t view it in the same damning light.

I think the key here, is that this his understanding is that political marriage was always going to happen, whether he and Ha Yeong like it or not. This has been clearly established from early on in our story.

Earlier, Ha Yeong had been the one keen on the marriage while Ji Hyeok had been noncommittal, and now, it’s Ji Hyeok asking to hurry things along, while Ha Yeong is trying to stop the wedding from happening.

I know that this is upsetting for Ha Yeong, but at the same time, Ji Hyeok is right, that if Ha Yeong tries to stop the wedding, all she would achieve, most likely, is getting grounded in her room, until the day of the engagement.

It’s not like her parents are going to say, “Oh, you like someone else? Well, we’ll have to cancel this political marriage, then.”

In that sense, I don’t see Ji Hyeok as forcing Ha Yeong into a marriage she doesn’t want; I simply see him as aligning himself with the wishes of their parents, and trying to hurry something that he’d always believed he couldn’t escape from anyway.

Previously, we’d seen Ji Hyeok tell Ha Yeong that he wanted to get married quickly, because at that time, his main aim was to get Ha Yeong away from Seon U, but this time, the urgency is greater, and that’s because, this time, his aim is to curb himself, when it comes to Da Rim.

[END SPOILER]

Ahn Eun Jin as Da Rim

I’ve had a soft spot for Ahn Eun Jin ever since I first saw her in both seasons of Hospital Playlist (reviews here and here!), so I was basically primed to like her here, too. 😁

I know that some viewers found Da Rim to be weak and gullible, but I didn’t have the same struggle.

I found Da Rim understandable, given the context that Show provides for her character from the beginning of episode 1, like how everyone around her has thought of her in a pitiful sort of way, for years – thus making it easier to understand why Da Rim might have deep insecurities at play, during the rest of our story.

[SPOILER ALERT]

Although it isn’t Show’s main focus, I really enjoyed watching Da Rim proving her value at work, and thus inching towards a healthier sense of self-worth.

I mean, she proves to be such a strong member of the Mother TF team, despite not being a mother herself, that makes me proud of Da Rim for managing to flourish, in spite of the odds stacked against her. 🥲

Additionally, I really like that Da Rim’s self-worth is explored via her work, rather than via her relationship with Ji Hyeok, ie, she’s not portrayed as having value just because the chaebol prince likes her.

[END SPOILER]

Ji Hyeok and Da Rim

This OTP really worked for me, you guys.

First, Show establishes within our very first episode, that Jang Ki Yong and Ahn Eun Jin have great chemistry with sparks to spare 🔥 – and then it goes about putting them (almost) back at square one, making sure to keep our OTP front-and-center of our story, while consistently tracking character interiority.

This made it easy for me to feel absorbed and invested in their burgeoning connection, and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to witness their entire journey – from the initial sparks to the eventual happy ending, and all the fun, foibles and angst in between. 🥲

Their characters and their relationship isn’t perfect, yes, but that’s also why I found it easy to think of them as real people, even in the midst of this frothy rom-com world. ❤️

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. Honestly, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense that Ji Hyeok suddenly finds himself falling for Da Rim when he witnesses her being kind to that lady, but in a rom-com world, this is par for the course, and HEY, Ji Hyeok henceforth wears a mix of smitten puppy eyes and smolder in Da Rim’s direction, and I LOVE IT. 😍🥰

This certainly adds a tantalizing additional layer of fun to the fake relationship hijinks, and I found Ji Hyeok’s soft spot for Da Rim leaking out all over the place, very delicious indeed.

It injects an unexpected thread of sincerity into the proceedings, like the way Ji Hyeok rephrases his earlier pronouncement that her clothes are dingy, saying, “I don’t want the person I love to feel even slightly pitiful in front of her ex. Tonight, I want you to be the most beautiful. It seems that my greed led me to make such a rude comment.”

Woah. That sure lands differently, and I’d argue that it’s not just the words that he chooses, but it’s the way he comes across as sincere, that makes Da Rim’s heart (and mine!) wobble.

The makeover scene is played for comedy, and we even get Ji Hyeok declaring that he’s her fairy godfather, but that doesn’t take away from the dazed, slack-jawed reaction that we first see from Ji Hyeok, as he takes in the sight of Da Rim, all glammed up for the party.

That definitely feels genuine to me, and that’s the stuff I’m here for. Slurp. 😋

And of course, I did get a stab of satisfaction from Jerk Ex getting all jealous, because it’s only now that he realizes what a mistake he’d made, breaking up with Da Rim like that.

Afterwards, it’s entirely tropey that Da Rim would kiss Ji Hyeok out of desperation, to keep Jerk Ex, who’s very suspicious, from finding them out, and I wasn’t a fan of the frozen bug-eyed stunned response that we get from Ji Hyeok, but I’m choosing to see this as Show playing around with the trope where most female leads from kdrama’s rom-com era would respond with bug eyes and fish lips, whenever the male lead would plant a kiss on them.

That lens makes it much more amusing, to be honest. 🤭

AND THEN. We get our dynamite kiss, and again I say, Show is verrry smart, to let us know upfront, that our OTP are fully capable of kissing like they mean it. 🔥😉

Given that it’s become fairly common for dramas to tease a good amount of spark between an OTP, only to give the spicy crackle a wide berth when it actually comes to OTP skinship and kissytimes (lookin’ at you, Love Scout 😏), this feels like an upfront assurance from Show.

Like, trust and belieeeeve, this OTP will surely crackle and spark, even when we eventually get to skinship (again).

I love this, and am suitably assured (and amused 😁).

PLUS. How could I not flail, at the way Ji Hyeok looks at Da Rim, completely breathless and entranced, as he asks, “Should we.. do that again?”

Spazz. 🫠 Yes, please do that again. 🫠

But of course, Jerk Ex goes and proves what a jerk he is, by propositioning Da Rim, AND making it sound like she’d gone to allll this trouble, just to get to him. Blech. 🤮

The fact that Ji Hyeok comes to Da Rim’s defense, and doesn’t care two hoots that this will tank any chance he might have had, of scouting Jerk Ex, definitely endears him to me. 🥲

And then, the fact that he would ask to spend more time with Da Rim, and clarify that it’s not for work, but for personal reasons, endears him to me even more.

Yay for a male lead who acts on his emotions, and is honest about it, to boot. 🤩

E3-4. It’s true that Ji Hyeok is glowering with anger through large chunks of these episodes, and directing a lot of that anger in Da Rim’s direction.

It’s also true that I found some of his actions towards Da Rim rather excessive and hard to swallow, but I will say that it does help to make everything land a lot better when I remind myself that the whole reason Ji Hyeok is this upset, is because he likes Da Rim this much, and is completely devastated that the one woman whom he’s sincerely liked, possibly ever, is now off limits because she’s married to someone else.

And of course, the classic rom-com lens, where we tend to close our eyes to bad behavior in the name of Feeeelingsss, absolutely applies.

I know that more recent rom-coms have managed to work around this, but this particular show is leaning into the Classic Rom-com sensibilities of kdramas of yore, so I figure that rolling with it is a lot more enjoyable than trying to fight it. 😅

I would add that it also does help that Show reminds us quite frequently, of just how deeply Ji Hyeok continues to be affected by Da Rim, and that also helps to mollify me over his harsh approach towards her.

Those glimpses at the soft marshmallow teddy bear that’s under that prickly, accusing demeanor, definitely helps to calibrate my view of Ji Hyeok as our romantic leading man.

Like, awww, look at him, he can’t help but be fixated and mesmerized by his memories of the time he’d spent with Da Rim.. 🥲

Which means that Show has effectively trained me to see that Ji Hyeok’s bark might be harsh, but his bite is.. more on the love bite side of things? 🤭

Sorry, couldn’t resist. 😁

E3-4. I do think that Ji Hyeok’s got it worse, because he is just absolutely shocked and crushed, really, to realize that Da Rim is supposedly married and even has a child.

The way he blusters about their kiss in such disbelief, on a fairly regular basis, kinda becomes a running gag, these episodes, and I am suitably amused.

Honestly, I believe that the reason he gets angrier and angrier, is because Da Rim keeps dismissing their encounter in Jeju as a mistake, and just a casual encounter (ping pong! 😂) with a stranger.

Because their encounter means so much to him, and because it affects him so deeply, Ji Hyeok only gets more offended and hurt, each time Da Rim brushes it off. 🤭

At the same time, at a deeper level, we see that Ji Hyeok’s life has been deeply affected by infidelity, seeing as how his father had brought home another child out of the blue, and insisted that Ji Hyeok’s mom help to raise her, which had devastated Mom so much, that she’d attempted to end her own life.

I can see why Ji Hyeok’s fundamentally against infidelity, and that’s also likely playing into his devastation at learning that Da Rim is married to someone else.

Altogether, I think that makes up his instinct to tell Da Rim to quit the job; he just wants to cut her off quickly and then try to pretend that this whole thing had never happened.

On Da Rim’s side of things, I appreciate that she is very much cognizant of her wrongdoing in deceiving Ji Hyeok, and that’s why she even goes so far as to prepare her resignation letter.

But it’s her thoughts of Mom and Mom’s hopes for her (and I’m sure, the money that she needs in order to pay off their debts) that cause her to change her mind.

I do love the way Da Rim then stands up to Ji Hyeok when he demands her resignation, and refuses to leave, while promising to do anything that he asks.

..Which is how we have that ridiculous situation where Da Rim’s stationed at that very makeshift open-air lab in what looks like the middle of nowhere, boiling and measuring baby bottles, in order to get data for a report.

It’s so ridiculous that it reminds me, very starkly, that I’m watching a rom-com where logic need not apply – because who does lab work in the open, while using tents for shelter?? 😂

Of course, the tent catches fire, thanks to Noona’s Shady Assistant doing his thing, and importantly, Ji Hyeok absolutely freaks out, thinking that Da Rim’s trapped in the fire, and tries to save her.

And when he realizes that Da Rim’s safe, I’m really glad that he instinctively grabs her in a hug; he’s just that relieved that she’s ok. 🥲

Aw. He literally looks like he’s on the verge of tears, and any unhappiness that I might have had towards him, for being mean to Da Rim, just melts away.

Sure, he backpedals and blusters something about worker compensation, but it’s too late, Ji Hyeok, we’re onto you. 😁

AND, when he demands that Da Rim quit (again), I’m very pleased that Da Rim defends herself without hesitation, and points out that she’s done all the work – and that there’s no way she could have prevented the wind from blowing sparks.

(On that note, I’d add that this is Ji Hyeok’s fault, for making Da Rim work in the open with open flames, in the first place. 😏)

It’s true that by the end of the scene, Ji Hyeok’s thrown away the four-leaf clover that Da Rim had given him, and driven off without Da Rim, BUT it definitely helps, that we get to see that Ji Hyeok’s very emotional and shaken, as he drives away. 🥲

E3-4. I can understand that Da Rim would volunteer to take the report to Ji Hyeok when Secretary Kang (Shin Joo Hyup) becomes unavailable; she knows that she’s the reason Ji Hyeok’s staying away from the office, after all.

I have to admit that it was rather triggering for me to see Ji Hyeok toss the report into the swimming pool like that, because something similar happened to me in the past, but I appreciate that when Da Rim runs into trouble in the water, he’s quick to jump in and save her.

And then, amid all that heavy breathing, as they are, once again, in close proximity, all glistening wet from the pool, the OTP electricity sparking everywhere 🔥 – I found that I quite easily pushed any unpleasant thoughts into the farthest corner of my brain. ☺️

Afterwards, again, Ji Hyeok reverts to his sharp tone, biting out that she’d nearly died trying to save a few pieces of paper.

And again, I’m proud of Da Rim for not being cowed by his continually thorny attitude, and defending the report as not just a few pieces of paper, but the lifeline of her entire team. 🥲

To Ji Hyeok’s credit, his softer side peeks out soon enough, when he insists on driving her home, then gives her his jacket and puts on the heater so that she won’t catch cold, then gives her permission to tell him about the report – and then even teaches her how to condense it into something much sexier, for presentation to upper management.

On that note, I do like the fact that our male lead actually knows how to work, and isn’t just swanning into the office every day, for romantic plot purposes. 😁

What does go on, purely for romantic plot purposes, are random events that, like I mentioned earlier, exist purely to push our OTP into the same space – preferably a small, enclosed one. 😁

Like that ridiculous chase, with the loan sharks bearing down hard on Da Rim and Ji Hyeok – which is why they end up ducking into that small roadside cupboard, all up in each other’s personal space, within literal kissing distance, while still breathing hard from all that running.

Altogether, this does replicate those sparky feels from the swimming pool, doesn’t it? 🤭

I am amused that Show not only makes sure that our OTP end up sharing the same small space, but each time, makes sure that they have reason to be breathing hard, at the same time. It does add to the crackly tension, I have to say. 🔥😁

To Show’s credit, our OTP run-ins aren’t limited to the kissing-distance, hard-breathing sort of thing; we also get to see them engage in meaningful conversation from time to time.

Like when they run into each other at the hospital, after Ji Hyeok’s mom is hospitalized.

At least, Da Rim’s able to tell Ji Hyeok about the loan sharks, and how her sister’s actions had led to Mom’s heart attack and subsequent surgery.

I really appreciate that, in this moment, they’re able to empathize with each other, on how it feels, to suddenly be faced with their mothers’ mortality; that it feels like the earth is crumbling under their feet.

It’s not a long moment, but it’s meaningful, and carries weight; you can see that Ji Hyeok’s literally looking at Da Rim differently now, and I like that.

It’s almost like this shot of poignant connection has jolted him into seeing Da Rim as a person, beyond the fact that she’d lied to him, and is married to someone else.

Perhaps this is why Ji Hyeok gruffly agrees, when Da Rim asks him to please give the team another chance.

Also, wow that Ji Hyeok tells her that he’s going to forget the kiss incident, so she shouldn’t mention it again either. That’s pretty huge, coming from someone who’s only been obsessed with the kiss since it first happened. 😁

E3-4. Thanks to Secretary Kang, we have Ji Hyeok going shopping with Da Rim, and getting mistaken for her husband – and then actually pretending to be her husband, for that couples’ contest.

Honestly, one of my favorite things about this scene, is the fact that it’s Da Rim’s idea to participate in the contest, and that Ji Hyeok is fully incapable of saying “No” to her. 🤭

..Except, that is, when it comes to the game where they need to pass a piece of paper to each other using only their lips. He’s too paralyzed at the prospect of getting that close to her lips, that he can’t function, heh. 😁

Isn’t it sweet though, the way he goes and buys the BeBeZza off the winning couple, just to make Da Rim happy?

Plus he looks so pleased with himself, too, which I think is cute.

And then, when Da Rim inevitably bungles the diaper change demonstration, thanks to Shady Assistant’s meddling, I do love how Ji Hyeok steps in to defend her, and tells Shady Assistant that she’s his team member, and therefore, if anyone’s going to scold her and take responsibility for her, it’d be him.

Aw. That’s pretty cool, especially considering that Ji Hyeok had been reluctant to let the team take on the broadcast in the first place.

As we close out episode 4, Ji Hyeok spies the loan shark guys bundling Da Rim into their van, and swings into action to save her.

I do like how intense Ji Hyeok gets, whenever he perceives that Da Rim’s in any kind of danger. 🥲

It’s unclear how Ji Hyeok actually hunts down the loan shark guys, but the important thing, is, he gets there right in time, and makes that dramatic, backlit, slo-mo entrance, then offers to buy out Da Rim’s debt – with his black card.

Pfft. It’s completely unrealistic, but I don’t care.

I just like the idea of Ji Hyeok sparing no effort or expense, in order to keep Da Rim safe. Boy’s still very much in lurve, and I’d love to see him become more cognizant of that, in our next episodes. 😁

E5-6. I think one of the things that helps my enjoyment, is the fact that Ji Hyeok often forgets that he’s trying to give Da Rim a hard time.

Whenever he perceives that she’s in danger, or is unwell, or is being threatened or unfairly treated in any way, his own determination to be hard on her just dissolves into thin air, and he becomes her knight in shining armor – until he comes to his senses and remembers his resolve.

I find it amusing, and it definitely helps to soften how his mean streak lands, when it is in force.

Additionally, his mean streak is absolutely played for comedy, and it’s clear that Show is hamming the whole thing up, with the way Ji Hyeok declares that, until Da Rim’s repaid him the money he’d used to buy her freedom from the loan sharks, all her organs belong to him – because he’d bought them.

Hahaha. That’s a pretty creative angle that Show takes, to frame all the bossing around, and I am suitably amused.

And, aligned with the fact that Ji Hyeok’s way more of a softie than he’d like to let on, it also very much helps that he often uses that bossiness in order to protect &/or take care of Da Rim.

That’s so “gruff on the surface, but big marshmallow softie teddy bear on the inside” and I kinda love it. 😁

It definitely helps that the power dynamic isn’t completely skewed in Ji Hyeok’s favor, even though he’s officially Da Rim’s boss.

First of all, it’s clear to us to see that he’s basically at Da Rim’s mercy, because he’s literally putty in her hands, for all of his bluster and bravado about wanting to be mean to her. 🤭

Secondly, it helps that Da Rim isn’t truly intimidated by him, and even manages to cajole him into making cute poses for the camera when they take photos of him with the tree, to show his mom, and then she even laughs at him and ribs him for being afraid of bees.

That definitely helps to neutralize the power imbalance that’s inherent in their boss-employee relationship, for me.

And it is lovely, that thanks to Da Rim’s suggestion, Ji Hyeok gets to show Mom how her earlier efforts have paid off, and share such a heartwarming moment with her. 🥰

E5-6. Honestly, Jang Ki Yong’s reaction faces really make this whole affair misunderstanding pop for me; he always looks like he’s the verge of busting a blood vessel, trying to keep Da Rim from finding out about the “fact” that her husband is cheating on her, while fighting his feelings of jealousy against said husband, AND while still doing everything else, to stay close enough to her to give himself joy, yet also staying professional enough, to satisfy his conscience – all while being in denial of it all. 

There’s a lot going on for Ji Hyeok, and it’s delightfully amusing. 😁

Additionally, I find all of Ji Hyeok’s efforts to protect Da Rim really quite swoony, coz they all stem from a place of care and concern, and a desire to shield her from any kind of discomfort or pain – even if it means marrying Ha Yeong himself, in order to stop her from stealing Seon U from Da Rim.

That.. honestly makes me both giggle at the ridiculousness, and also, sigh with appreciation, at how far he’s willing to go, for his love of Da Rim. 🥲

Underscoring all of that, Show does give us moments of raw sincerity, and I really like that helps to ground all the hijinks.

Like that scene at the beginning of episode 6, where Ji Hyeok tells Da Rim that he’s thought about their earlier conversation, and still thinks that, when love ends, it’s better to think of it as coming to your senses, rather than thinking that you’ve failed to protect your love.

This is clearly him trying to future-proof Da Rim, in the event that her marriage to Seon U is harmed by his supposed affair with Ha Yeong, and the quiet seriousness of his tone really appeals to me.

Or like the scene where Da Rim gives Ji Hyeok back the four-leaf clover, and sincerely wishes him luck for the presentation, and acknowledges that she knows that his real desire is to fulfill his mother’s wishes, by reviving the tree-planting project that she’d started.

The quiet sincerity of the moment; the way he just looks at her, while digesting her words; it all lands as very genuine and heartfelt, and that just adds a nice amount of emotional heft to their growing connection, I feel.

E5-6. The way Ji Hyeok shows care and concern for Da Rim is all classic rom-com tropey stuff, but I’m lapping it all up anyway.

The way he buys her abalone porridge then pretends to be allergic to abalone so that she’d eat it; the way he buys ginger tea for everyone, claiming that the ginger tea was on special, because he knows that she’s battling stomach discomfort; the way he nonchalantly puts his hand at the edge of the table because he knows that she’s bending down to pick up her pen and doesn’t want her to accidentally bump her head.

Slurp, slurp, and slurp again – is how I’m receiving all of it. 😋

As for the drunken episode, where a tipsy Da Rim basically outs Ji Hyeok for all the nice things that he’s done for her, and admits that she’s been swayed by him, I totally recognize this as part of the classic rom-com machinery – because we do need a mechanism via which Ji Hyeok gets a glimpse of how Da Rim feels about him, yes?

And as an officially married woman (who really isn’t married), of course Da Rim would only admit to it, if she’s drunk.

As for Ji Hyeok looking like he’s pretty much ready to kiss Da Rim back, if she leans in to kiss him, even though he’s fully sober, I can only say that he’s just that much swayed and affected by Da Rim, especially in her moment of tipsy openness and vulnerability.

Yes, it’s true that he still fully believes Da Rim to be married to Seon U, but that’s where the tension comes in; he’s constantly wrestling between his conscience and his growing feelings for Da Rim, and that adds a layer of complexity to everything.

Plus, let’s bear in mind that this is supposed to be a logic-lite frothy rom-com in the spirit of the golden era of k-rom-coms, so we’re not meant to be too fussed about this.

Also, there’s the thing where Da Rim has said, while sober, that if she were the wife in the cheating scenario, she’d prefer to let her husband go, because he no longer has feelings for her.

So in Ji Hyeok’s mind, it’s highly likely that Da Rim would let Seon U once she finds out about the fact that Seon U’s having an “affair” with Ha Yeong, and this blurs the line between right and wrong sufficiently, for him to feel able to entertain his feelings for Da Rim, just a little bit.

And of course, that little bit will then grow beyond his control – which is meant to be part of the fun.

As we close out episode 6, we already start to see a bit of that happening, as Ji Hyeok accompanies Da Rim in the hospital for her stress-induced stomach cramps, and, when Seon U calls Da Rim’s phone, determines that he wants to be the one who’s there for her, at this time – and doesn’t pick up Seon U’s call.

With Ji Hyeok’s final voiceover, saying that he thinks he’s really lost his mind, it does feel like he’s starting to surrender to his feelings for Da Rim, and I’m extremely curious to see how this plays out, in our next episodes. 😁🥲

E7-8. Much like it was with Han Gyul’s struggle in Coffee Prince (review here!), the beauty of these episodes lies in us getting to see just how deeply affected Ji Hyeok is, by his deepening feelings for Da Rim.

At the same time, Show does lean into the comedy a little bit, in teasing Ji Hyeok, and Jang Ki Yong does a great job balancing the comedic beat with the more emotionally raw ones. 🥲

I must say that among all the various tones and moments that we get, my favorites are the ones where Ji Hyeok is able to forget the context that surrounds them, and just relax while enjoying the fact that he’s spending time with Da Rim; it’s at these moments when he’s the most gentle, tender and open, and I love it. 🥰🥲

Not that I don’t enjoy the other types of moments, certainly, because I did enjoy all the gruff nagging that we get at the hospital, followed by that moment of hyper-proximity, when Ji Hyeok adjusts Da Rim’s bed for her, and ends up within literal kissing distance of her face.

I thought that was nicely electric. 🔥

And it seriously feels like they are hypnotized by each others’ nearness for that lonnnng moment, until the spell is broken by the nurse entering the ward. Aw. 🥲

Show doesn’t lean into it as much, but these episodes, we do see Da Rim also growing more hyper-aware of Ji Hyeok, like the way we see her blood pressure is unusually high, after being so near to him, and the way she’s all shifty-eyed and awkward afterwards, like she doesn’t know what to do with herself, being all alone with Ji Hyeok.

Can’t blame her, though; I think I’d feel exactly the same way, in her shoes. 😁

And as much as Da Rim is standing firm in her cover story, you can see that she’s absolutely wavering in Ji Hyeok’s direction.

That’s why she allows her knuckles to barely touch Ji Hyeok’s hand, as he sleeps by the side of her bed; I can literally feel the ache, because he’s so near, yet so far, for her. 🥲

One of the big moments, these episodes, is when Da Rim gets lost in the forest and Ji Hyeok goes out there to save her, bringing in one of the most enduring romance tropes in all of Dramaland; I feel like I’ve seen this trope in just about every classic romance drama, possibly ever. 🤭

Happily, this amuses me rather than annoys me, and I’m perfectly happy to roll with this development.

Aside from the adrenaline that this introduces to our would-be OTP, with him showing up to save her, and bring her to safety, there’s another, arguably more important function that this scene fulfills, and that is, it allows Ji Hyeok and Da Rim to be together in a bubble, outside of the context of real life.

In this bubble, there is no context, very much like their first meeting in Jeju, and they can simply be themselves, for a little bit. 🥲

I really like that bit of conversation that they share, where Da Rim thoughtfully remarks that Ji Hyeok reminds her of her late father, who’d always show up for her whenever she was in trouble, and Ji Hyeok quietly answers that she’s being looked out for.

He does go on to say that it’s her father who’s looking out for her (which must be such a comforting thought to Da Rim 🥲), but I do believe that Ji Hyeok’s also referring to the fact that he’s looking out for her too.

I also like that Da Rim’s opening up to Ji Hyeok, and sharing pretty personal memories, like about how she’d felt so lost after her father had passed.

It’s in this bubble, away from the inconvenient context, that Da Rim’s married to someone else, that Ji Hyeok pulls her close and holds her next to him, with the pretext of keeping her warm in the chilly air.

As for the almost-kiss, I absolutely buy that Ji Hyeok’s judgment and self-control would be clouded by his fever.

And, can’t lie; there’s something very alluring about him being practically delirious from his fever, but only having eyes for Da Rim.

The way he looks at her and leans in toward her, is so intensely raw and heated, and I flail. 🫠🫠

Of course Seon U would show up to break up the moment before any lip contact actually occurred; I just knew that this was coming, because, drama convention, so I wasn’t too disappointed or fussed about it.

What I hadn’t seen coming, though, was the way Ji Hyeok grabs Da Rim’s hand out of Seon U’s, and stares him  down like he’s a panther protecting his own.

Yes, it’s inappropriate given Ji Hyeok’s understanding that Seon U’s Da Rim’s husband, but I do believe that this is Ji Hyeok showing his anger at Seon U for “betraying” Da Rim by having an “affair” with Ha Yeong.

Also, on a purely shallow level, quietly seething Ji Hyeok is pretty hot. 🔥😅

E7-8. Ji Hyeok’s determination to keep his distance from Da Rim shows in that new firmness in his jaw – and those glasses (in which he looks pretty darn hot, if I may say so 🔥), which I believe function as some kind of shield.

The whole problem, for Ji Hyeok, is that his resolve is like a quickly sinking ship, in the face of Da Rim’s presence.

That’s why he gets all terse about her always getting into a fix and needing help; it’s not that he doesn’t want to help her. The problem is that he wants to help her – too much. 🤭

Things aren’t easy for Da Rim either, with the announcement of Ji Hyeok’s marriage to Ha Yeong.

She tries her best to put on a professional front, but when her heel breaks in the middle of the street, I do think that the reason she breaks into tears, is not because of her broken shoes, but because of her broken heart. 🥹

However! Thanks to Shady Assistant being tasked by Nasty Noona to get evidence of Ji Hyeok’s inappropriate relationship with Da Rim, we get yet another classic trope being called into play: the overnight stay at an island, because they’ve missed the last boat.

Again, I am amused by this, because it’s such an old trope, and that’s just as far as Shady Assistant’s imagination can take him. 😁

And again, this offers Ji Hyeok and Da Rim a bit of space to be in a bubble, away from the context of their situation.

I liked that moment involving the spider, not because of the silliness of Ji Hyeok panicking over a spider, but because it demonstrates to us, all over again, that Da Rim isn’t actually afraid of Ji Hyeok, and is perfectly able to not only protect him from spiders, but tease him about it too.

It’s moments like this that helps to defuse the whole power imbalance thing, where Ji Hyeok is her boss.

That, and the fact that to Ji Hyeok, Da Rim herself is his kryptonite; just look at the way he gets all antsy next to her, while she sleeps like a baby. 😁

It is getting serious, too; just look at the way he basically hallucinates that vision of Da Rim in that dusty pink gown, when it’s actually Ha Yeong’s gown-fitting.

I think, as far as Ji Hyeok is concerned, he’s likely getting quite desperate for this wedding to take place, if only to put him out of the misery of being so close, but yet so far, from Da Rim. I think that in his mind, increasing the distance is the only way to survive. 😅

Poor, poor Ji Hyeok; he’s just drowning in angst, by this point. And as much as I want him to find out the truth, I kinda actually really like that we get to see his angst.

That moment, when he goes to Da Rim’s neighborhood, and spies her with Seon U and Jun, looking like the perfect, happy little family, that sadness and defeat in his eyes, is so beautifully played. 🥲

At this time, I’m glad for Secretary Kang showing up at the bar, and dragging Ji Hyeok for a cathartic round of bromantic noraebang.

Poor, poor Ji Hyeok, but also, like I said, the angst hurts so good. 🥲

And of course the party that Jun’s attending is at the same hotel where the engagement is being held, which is how Ji Hyeok finally finds out the truth, when he hears Jun addressing Da Rim as “aunt” instead of “mom.”

You can literally see Ji Hyeok’s entire world turning upside down, as he tries to digest the meaning of what he’s just heard, and its implications (really well done, by Jang Ki Yong, I must say! 🤩).

[END SPOILER]

Kim Mi Jun as Seon U

I did come across some viewer frustration with Seon U as a character, and again, I found that I didn’t share the same struggle..

It’s true that sometimes I wished he’d made different choices, but even so, I felt like I could understand the reasoning behind his decisions.

Overall, I’d say that Seon U came across as a genuinely decent person; much better than many clingy second leads of yore (like in Goong, my gateway drama 🥲).

[SPOILER ALERT]

I’d kind of hoped that Seon U wouldn’t be written to have feelings for Da Rim, but he does, and even though this wasn’t my original choice, I found that I didn’t really mind it.

It makes sense to me that Seon U might grow feelings for Da Rim, since Da Rim’s such a sweet and kind person, and it also makes sense to me that he would hesitate to risk their decades-long friendship, by confessing his feelings.

Unlike what Ha Yeong says – that this is perhaps the extent of his feelings for Da Rim, if he hasn’t done anything to confess yet – I actually think it’s the opposite: he treasures the friendship too much, and doesn’t dare take the risk, for fear of losing Da Rim in his life altogether. 🥲

Where we begin our story, they have an almost old married couple sort of dynamic going, with the way Seon U cooks for Da Rim, and they eat together, often with Jun. To a casual observer, they totally look like a little family, yes?

I could see why Seon U would hold this very preciously, and not want to risk rocking the boat and have Da Rim potentially withdraw from his life.

[END SPOILER]

Woo Da Vi as Ha Yeong

I found Ha Yeong really quite likable, as our second female lead, and I think that a good amount of credit belongs to Woo Da Vi, who manages to make Ha Yeong’s chaebol princess mannerisms land as charming rather than annoying.

I also liked her cheerful, positive outlook on life, and her buoyant attitude – nothing seems to be able to get her down for long.

[SPOILER ALERT]

I’m also quite charmed that Ha Yeong is a woman of principles.

Yes, she does fall into insta-love with Seon U, especially after she walks in on him all shirtless and flashing his abs while changing into a new shirt (classic early 2010s stuff, honestly 🤭), but she also makes sure to check on his eligibility, before putting the moves on him.

And later on, she continues to pursue him, while knowing that he’s not actually married to Da Rim.

All of that helps – and even though she does blackmail him from time to time, in order to get him to spend time with her, it is played lightly for comedy, and she never veers into overly clingy second lead territory.

[END SPOILER]

Seon U and Ha Yeong [SPOILERS]

From pretty early in our story, Show starts hinting at the possibility of a loveline between Ha Yeong and Seon U, rather than a classic love triangle.

I was very supportive of this idea, because I’d much rather have two happy couples on my screen, rather than one happy couple, and two miserable second leads.

I’d expected that Show would figure out a way for Ha Yeong to eventually win Seon U’s heart, but ultimately, this loveline receives an open-ended tending positive sort of ending.

I can understand this narrative decision disappointing viewers who’d rooted for this loveline, but y’know, I do think that Show chose the more emotionally honest outcome.

If Seon U had been able to just suddenly start being open to receiving Ha Yeong’s feelings, then that would cheapen his own feelings for Da Rim.

Giving them both the time and space to heal, and to figure out where they stand in terms of their feelings for each other, feels like the more grounded choice. 🥲

[END SPOILER]

The Mother TF team

The hodge-podge Mother TF team really grew on me over the course of my watch.

I loved the idea of this underdog team with no “proper” qualifications getting to prove themselves, against all odds and beyond all expectation.

I especially loved that their practical experiences as mothers come in so useful, and they are able to prove their value and worth in the workplace, even though other people, like the marketing team, look down on them for their lack of pedigree specs.

I do kinda love that no matter what Nasty Noona did to suppress our Mother TF team, Show always found a way to allow our little group of underdogs to come out on top. 🥰😁

Go, Mother TF! 💪🏻

The friendship between the moms [SPOILERS]

About halfway through our story, Show has Ji Hyeok’s mom making a connection with Da Rim’s mom at the hospital, and eventually striking up an unlikely friendship.

Even though their friendship does feel a little fast-tracked, I did find their solidarity touching, and I really enjoyed watching them support and encourage each other, through the rest of our story.

SPOTLIGHT ON EPISODES 9-10 [SPOILERS]

E9-10. On balance, I found these to be a very solid pair of episodes, my friends – especially considering where we are, in terms of our story.

I mean, considering that this is the point in our story where Ji Hyeok finds out the truth, and therefore, there is inevitable fallout – and therefore angst, I’m pleasantly surprised by how many times I found myself chuckling at my screen.

I’d say this was a very strong outing from Show, especially when comparing it against other similarly pitched rom-coms, at this particular stage of the story (not naming any names here – but you probably already have a few other shows jumping to mind, yes? 🤭)

One important thing that I do notice, is that after coming away from these episodes, I still do feel wistful that this show will be finishing its run in just 2 more weeks.

I’d say that this indicates that Show is doing a good chunk of things right – at least in my books. 🥲

To be clear, any chuckling that I did started from the later portion of episode 9, which makes perfect sense, since where we begin episode 9, Ji Hyeok’s reeling from the realization that Da Rim is not, in fact, married to Seon U.

I feel like Show is very astute in handling the moment; it doesn’t swing right into Ji Hyeok wrestling with this information in relation to Da Rim herself.

Instead, we see that Ji Hyeok’s mom comes out to greet him, and this immediately brings him back to a very specific reality; that the whole reason that he’s getting married to Ha Yeong, is to save Mom from the emotional wasteland of her marriage to Dad.

That’s when we see Ji Hyeok smile sweetly at Mom and tell her that she’s the most important person to him, and as he ushers her inside, we see his gaze indicate that he’s still processing the bombshell about Da Rim, but we also see his jaw hardening, which I believe we can safely interpret as his resolve to see this through – for Mom’s sake.

Even at the moment when he holds the ring and is poised to put it on Ha Yeong’s finger, you can see his resolve – except, now that it’s had time to marinate for a bit, I feel that we can now see a growing sense of sadness and a creeping sense of hesitation.

I believe that if Mom hadn’t faked a collapse right then, he would have gone through with it – not because Da Rim is not important to him, but because Ji Hyeok is desperate enough to sacrifice his own happiness, if it means that he can save Mom.

And, I can’t help but be moved by Ji Hyeok’s heart like this, y’know? 🥲

In that way, I find it quite affecting, to think of this mother-son pair, who’ve lost so much of their time together due to Mom’s poor mental health, do everything in their power, to save each other. 🥹

I also deeply appreciate that Ji Hyeok is lovingly persistent in wanting to establish that Mom’s really ok.

From the time that she reveals that she’d faked her collapse, even up to the point where she tells him that she’s going to divorce his father.

He’s not quick to jump on and say, “Oh really? I’m so glad! Let me go make sure I get my girl, then.”

No. Instead, he’s still primed in protective mode, ready to sacrifice his happiness for Mom, because Mom matters that much to him.

I have to say, this endears Ji Hyeok to me a great deal, because I feel that this helps to establish more firmly in my eyes, what he’s truly made of, and what he really stands for, as a person.

It’s only after this, when the dust has settled around him for a bit, that Ji Hyeok’s brain registers that Da Rim has lied to him – which is when we get into the whole stretch of Ji Hyeok behaving in a passive-aggressive manner towards Da Rim.

Of course, taken plainly, his behavior towards Da Rim isn’t very appealing, but with the context taken into account, and a golden era slurpy rom-com lens on, I actually find his reaction to be funny instead of aggravating.

He’s pouty and petty in his chosen forms of “attack,” like grilling Da Rim during the meeting, about her “son” and what he likes, and accusing Da Rim of not having any sincerity in her report – when really, he means, in her sincerity towards him. 🤭

If you struggle with this at all, I feel like a manhwa lens would come in handy, because, honestly, most of this fits right in, in a cartoon universe – the exaggerated reactions; the jabbing of the finger pointer; the sulking; it all fits. 😂

And it’s exactly in this space, where Ji Hyeok grabbing Ha Yeong to avoid being seen by Da Rim, and getting promptly misunderstood as making out with Ha Yeong in the office, is perfectly chuckle-worthy.

Of course, I did feel bad for Da Rim, who’s suitably taken aback, but I completely understand that Da Rim needs a bit of a nudge, to become more cognizant of the fact that she still very much likes Ji Hyeok, and is very affected by the idea of him kissing another woman.

At the same time, I like that the fact that Ji Hyeok now knows, loosens the valve for conversation between him and Ha Yeong, and I find Ha Yeong very likable, in the way she cheerfully informs Ji Hyeok, that it’s a very happy, blessed thing to be able to like someone unreservedly.

Aw. I’m suddenly actively rooting for her to win Seon U’s heart. There’s still time! 🤗

Going back to Ji Hyeok’s pouting and posturing: the important thing is, just as before, when it matters, he shows up to protect and save Da Rim.

Like when Nasty Noona catches Ha Yeong saying that “Da Rim’s a single”; it feels as though Da Rim is on the brink of being exposed — until Ji Hyeok steps in to cover for her, shielding the very lie he’s furious with her for.

I mean. Doesn’t that show us his true heart for Da Rim, even amid all of surface anger?? 🥲

To be clear, I do think that Ji Hyeok’s anger at Da Rim is justified, because she did lie to him, even though she’d felt that she’d had no other choice but to fabricate that lie.

And to be fair to Ji Hyeok, he only withholds his reason for his anger, for about half an episode, which means, importantly, that after a relatively short period of perplexed confusion at Ji Hyeok’s weirdly passive-aggressive behavior, the lights come on for Da Rim, and she now understands the source of his anger.

When Ji Hyeok tells her that she’ll be fired immediately, I’m reading it as it not only coming from a place of personal offense; more than that, he’s executing due process.

As Da Rim’s manager, he’s actually obligated to do this, as a matter of duty, because Da Rim has indeed deceived the company, in order to secure the job. That is a reason for dismissal, in any corporation where honesty is expected of its employees, yes?

I also appreciate that Da Rim understands this in principle, which is why she doesn’t start by trying to fight for a second chance; instead, she tearfully accepts that this is the price for her deception.

I like this, because this reflects on Da Rim’s integrity as well.

So, it makes good character sense to me, that it’s only because Da Rim doesn’t want to disappoint Mom, that she decides to take a gamble, and appeal to Ji Hyeok, just once.

And again, this is when Ji Hyeok’s protective heart comes into view again, because he can’t bear to have Da Rim soaked in the rain, especially on his account, and that’s why he goes out there with the umbrella, even though he is still angry with Da Rim, and rightfully so.

Plus, he then brings Da Rim inside (instead of sending her away) and gives her a chance to speak. Again, I feel his heart here; he’s softer, particularly for Da Rim, than he’d like to let on.

I also very much appreciate that when Da Rim starts to speak, she doesn’t grovel or beg for mercy; she speaks calmly, acknowledges her wrongs, explains her situation and why she’d reached for the lie in the first place – and then and only then, does she ask for grace: not to let her keep her job, but to delay her dismissal, just until she’s found another one.

I find her ask so calm and gentle, despite her wobbly, tearful heart, that I can’t help but love that she remains dignified, even in a situation when it’s very easy to lose one’s self-respect. 🥲

With so much on her mind, I can see why Da Rim would be blindsided by Seon U’s (to her) sudden confession of feelings.

To be fair to Seon U, I don’t think that he understands that his confession to Da Rim adds more stress to her, rather than take away from her existing stress.

I think, in his mind, telling her that he likes her is a way of assuring her; that because he likes her, he’ll take care of her, ie, she doesn’t need to worry about finding a job.

However, we can see that this totally does add stress to Da Rim, and I believe that this small but important difference that we see between Seon U and Ji Hyeok, at this time – where Seon U adds stress, but Ji Hyeok actively chooses to protect – reinforces the idea that Seon U is sweet, but is not the person Da Rim needs.

At around this point in our story, very importantly (to me), Ji Hyeok starts leaking little smiles around Da Rim, even while maintaining his gruff persona, and these little leaked smiles delighted me greatly.

Like that moment when he walks away from her, after handing her that toilet roll that she’d been chasing after: you might blink and miss it, but that little smile – pleased, delighted and amused – is absolutely there, and I love it. 🤩

This is also the point where we see Ji Hyeok start to consciously tease Da Rim, like with the way he gets all up in her personal space while putting up that poster, then, just as she’s starting to protest, deftly moves back into a more professional stance, where his focus is entirely on the poster being straightened and in place.

Now, depending on your lens, this moment could be received in quite a few different ways.

I suspect that some folks would really struggle with this beat, because he’s invading her personal space, and this can be seen as sexual harassment, even if he already knows that she likes him back.

Other folks would slurp this up giddily because Ji Hyeok’s allowing his true desires to leak out, while doing his best to uphold his gruff stance.

For me, I see the problematic side of this, but I’m choosing to accept it, because Show has established early that Da Rim likes Ji Hyeok too, and that Ji Hyeok knows it too, based on their interactions in Jeju.

Certainly, you could argue that her feelings might have changed since then, but let me remind us all, that we are currently firmly in Dramaland, where a brief childhood exchange translates into a strong first love and lifelong yearning. 😁

In this world, of course Da Rim still likes Ji Hyeok – duh. 🤭

This is about the point in our episodes, where Show actively pits Ji Hyeok and Seon U against each other, as part of the comedy.

I typically do find myself eye-rolling at such juvenile antics between grown men, but somehow, it didn’t bother me in the same way, in these episodes.

Perhaps it’s because I feel like Show has done so well in other areas, like establishing character coherence, and teasing out character emotion, while still nudging our study forward in important ways, during a challenging narrative stretch where other shows tend to lose their balance, that I feel extra generous?

Also, with the manhwa lens in place, the silly becomes much easier to digest. 😁

Importantly, there’s the narrative role that Seon U’s confession plays; because his feelings are now out in the open, Ji Hyeok now has a catalyst to galvanize him into action, because if he doesn’t do something, he risks losing Da Rim.

..Which is how we end up with that scene at the end of episode 9, where Ji Hyeok bodily blocks Da Rim from leaving the room, and then, leaning in, all husky and intent, tells her that he’d like her to stay with him, because he doesn’t want to send her away.

(The subs say that he doesn’t want her to leave, but the more accurate translation, is that he doesn’t want to send her away from himself, and I do feel like that more precise translation adds a layer of nuance.)

And then, we have a kiss! – A deep, hungry kiss, full of pent-up emotion.

The key here, for me, that makes it all work, is Da Rim’s expression.

She shows surprise and shock at first, but that very quickly morphs into bodily relief; you can see that this is something that she’s been yearning for, for a long time – and this is why Ji Hyeok kissing her without express permission, works in this case, to my eyes.

I do appreciate that, we see Da Rim push Ji Hyeok away, mid-kiss, because her brain has now caught up.

I like it because it shows Da Rim’s integrity; yes, she likes Ji Hyeok and is deeply longing for him, but she believes that he’s engaged to marry someone else, and she refuses to encroach on that, no matter how much she likes him.

That is character, and I love Da Rim for it. 🥲

Certainly, Ji Hyeok tries to explain, but Da Rim’s seen and heard so much about this marriage between him and Ha Yeong, that she finds it hard to believe – which tips us into the next stretch, where Ji Hyeok keeps trying to tell Da Rim why he likes her, because she does ask, at this point, “Why?”.

I do believe that her disbelief that Ji Hyeok, as apparently “perfect” as he is, would like her, is rooted in all the insecurity and lack of self belief that we see established in episode 1.

Everyone in her world has thought lightly of her, to the point that her own sister had hidden her in Jeju because she’d been too ashamed of Da Rim, to have her at her wedding.

With that as our context, it’s not hard to buy that Da Rim struggles to buy that Ji Hyeok genuinely likes her.

She knows that he’d been attracted to her on Jeju, enough to want to kiss her and sleep with her, but beyond that, she has no real reason to feel confident in his feelings for her.

It’s actually pretty cute, how he goes about dismantling her perception of him, his relationship with Ha Yeong, and his feelings for her.

I was especially tickled that he went and scolded each team member in the exact same space where he’d held Ha Yeong quiet, leading to Da Rim’s misunderstanding – coz now Da Rim can see for herself, that she could have really gotten the wrong idea, based on what she’d seen. 😁

After this, he starts to flat-out tell her the reasons he likes her, and I do love the matter-of-fact, deadpan delivery, while Da Rim gets all unsettled and discombobulated by it all. 🤭

And, I love that quippy sort of tone that he uses, when Da Rim asks why he’s doing all this. He basically says (and I paraphrase), “You asked for reasons, so I’m giving them to you. Reasons.” 😁

Tee hee hee! Jang Ki Yong’s naughty-mischievous face is so great here. 🤭

I do love the idea of Ji Hyeok’s mom staying at Da Rim’s place for a while – possibly almost as much as Ji Hyeok loves it, heh.

He’s absolutely gleeful here, and to my eyes, that glee translates as due to the fact that he’ll now have more opportunities to be in Da Rim’s orbit, and honestly, I do find that endearing.

Amid the love triangle hijinks with Seon U, which I continued to roll with, one of my favorite moments is that moment when he asks Da Rim to get the hair out of his eyes, then pauses, and says quietly, “Da Rim-sshi. Do you know how pretty you are?”

At this point, I thought it would be useful to point out that “pretty” in Korean doesn’t only refer to physical appearance.

It also carries a significant nuanced meaning that extends beyond physical beauty to include character, behavior, and heart.

And in this moment, Ji Hyeok’s gentleness makes it clear to me, as he emphasizes to Da Rim, “Do you know just how pretty you are?,” that he’s not just talking about her appearance, but about her person and her heart, and I love that. 🥰

The jostling between Ji Hyeok and Seon U does go a little long, in episode 10, but I happily forgave it, because I liked the idea, that Da Rim would suggest this picnic in the first place, because she saw the wistfulness in Ji Hyeok and his mom, at all the things that they never got to do together, while he was growing up.

With that lens – that this is to make up for Ji Hyeok’s truncated childhood – I find that it’s quite easy to forgive the fact that Ji Hyeok’s letting his inner child come out a whole lot, in his multiple face-offs with Seon U.

One thing I also appreciate, is that Ji Hyeok’s mom offers Da Rim context into Ji Hyeok’s childhood and upbringing.

This way, Da Rim can understand Ji Hyeok more fully as a person, and I feel like this is a key point at which Da Rim starts to really see with more clarity, beyond the “Ji Hyeok’s a perfect man” kind of lens that she’s had, to becoming more able to understand and sympathize with Ji Hyeok as a person.

And then, I love that it all clicks into place, when Da Rim has that conversation with Mom, about how Dad had never confessed his feelings, but had demonstrated his love through action.

That’s when it clicks for Da Rim, that Ji Hyeok’s been demonstrating his love through action, all this time – even when he was gruff, and even when he was angry.

I love that we get to see this all come together for Da Rim in such an accessible, comprehensible way, because this makes her decision to give in to her feelings for Ji Hyeok carry an emotional weight that I feel really helps to ground any peripheral silly that Show might be serving up.

I thought it was really cute and fun, that Ji Hyeok and Da Rim have that quasi-couple-bickery moment at the exhibition, when he assures her that him being there with Ha Yeong is purely business, and she quietly pouts while pretending not to care. 🤭

There’s a layer of security at play, I feel, where Da Rim is finally secure enough in her belief in Ji Hyeok’s feelings for her, to even arrive at a place where she can feel pouty. 😁

And then, of course, we have the whole sabotage of the exhibition, planned by Nasty Oppa.

It does feel a little out there on one level, but within the scope of golden rom-com convention, this kind of catalytic ridiculousness is par for the course, and I totally get that this is to give Da Rim the final nudge that she needs.

With Ji Hyeok’s safety at stake, Da Rim is galvanized into action, and I kinda love that (I assume) nod to Coffee Prince (review here!), with her piggybacking Ji Hyeok out of the fiery building.

After this, it makes perfect sense, that all her reservations would be stripped away, and in her relief that he’s alright (and not dead, like she’d feared), she would grab him in a hug.

I love that it’s at this point, that Ji Hyeok tells her the most perfect thing of all: that he’d lied; that all the reasons he’d given her weren’t why he likes her; he just likes her because she’s herself; he likes her for who she is.

That is just the sweetest, most loving, most accepting, most unconditional thing, and it’s the perfect reason for Da Rim to respond by grabbing him for a kiss. 💋

Ahhh!!! How perfectly satisfying, that after all of the angst that they’ve worked through, they’ve arrived at a place where they’ve finally found each other. 🥰🥲

Going forward, my hope is that, among the scheming shenanigans that are likely to come from Nasty Noona and Nasty Oppa’s side of things, Show will continue to dwell richly in the emotional beats, and explore the dynamics between Ji Hyeok and Da Rim, as they establish their relationship – because the emotional beats are where this show shines brightest.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE PENULTIMATE EPISODES [SPOILERS]

E11-12. Overall, I liked these episodes well, my friends.

The key want that I’d had, coming into these episodes, is that Show would not neglect giving time and space for our newly minted OTP relationship to come to the forefront, and I do think that it does a nice job in these episodes, of weaving in enough OTP relationship development, to feel emotionally satisfying to me.

Yes, we are in the thick of easily recognizable tropes, but Show does very well at peppering OTP interactions through these episodes, so that I feel like I’m still witnessing our OTP taking their first steps together as a couple, and finding their footing, together.

I liked this a lot.

One of the first things to jump out at me, is the way Show has Da Rim reciprocate Ji Hyeok’s heartfelt confession – with her own.

Augh. I love that, so much, because it evens out the dynamic between our OTP so well.

Now, it’s no longer about this being Ji Hyeok’s confession being sweet and swoony; it’s now about our OTP being open and honest about their feelings for each other, and this feels so balanced and lovely, to my eyes. 🥰

This also reinforces a sense of balance in our OTP dynamics.

Da Rim isn’t a female lead who’s just there to receive our male lead’s gestures of affection; she’s a female lead who also proactively expresses and fills out her side of this love equation. That makes this relationship feel whole, and I very much enjoy that.

On a macro level, can I just say, I really like the fact that in the ensuing wonderment moments, we get to see both Ji Hyeok and Da Rim soaking in that highlight reel of memories, of milestones leading up to the minting of their relationship.

I just love that both of them get to internally spazz and flail and tear up with joy while being a little breathless, where this is something that we traditionally tend to see from the female lead’s point of view. 🥲

Afterwards, it is tropey – but also, completely understandable – that Ji Hyeok and Da Rim would strive to keep their new relationship under wraps.

I mean, this isn’t just any old office romance; this is a romance between a staff member and her reporting manager, so it’s extra delicate, yes?

I personally found the hijinks coming out of this to be pretty fun, but I gotta say, my favorite thing in this stretch is Ji Hyeok’s “I can’t help it I’m so happy” face. It’s ADORABLE. 😍 (And quite infectious, if I might add. 😁)

And I love-love-LOVE that we get to see that exuberance spill out of Ji Hyeok, when he does that shirtless dance the next morning, all glistening wet and clad only in his towel.

Way to make Ji Hyeok sizzling hot 🔥 and endearingly dorky at the same time! And how absolutely fantastic is it, that Ji Hyeok pauses to squee into his hands, mid-preen??

I LOVED THIS. SO MUCH. 😍😂

At the office, I dig the dynamic of Ji Hyeok spilling over with affection for Da Rim – like holding her hand in the elevator, then telling her that she’s so pretty that he can’t help himself, and then sending her flowers – and then looking super pleased with himself, for making her feel all squishy inside. 🥰

That scene, where he’s pretend-scolding her (for everyone else’s benefit) while actually asking her out, is quite brilliant, I have to say.

I mean, I still found it dissonant, because I couldn’t quite ignore the shouty tone, but I do love how creative the idea is. 😁

Also, I have to give a shout-out to Show for allowing Da Rim to pronounce Ji Hyeok as sexy – and right to his face, over PPL egg sandwiches for lunch.

This feels pretty progressive, for a show that vibes so much like a golden era rom-com, yes?

Afterwards, they are just so cute, delighting in being able to hold hands while walking down the street. Cute! 🤩

What I appreciate, though, is that Show remembers to flesh out their relationship, beyond the cuteness and squee.

For example, I really liked the open and honest conversation that they share, while digging into the company archives.

Not only do they talk about his mom, they also talk about his childhood, and how Da Rim now understands him better. How very lovely, that she acknowledges his loneliness, and now assures him that he won’t have to be alone anymore.

Such a lovely, grounding sort of moment. 🥲

It’s moments like this, that help give this relationship a sense of foundation and substance, so that it’s not just all about fluffy hijinks and electric sparks – as fun as those are.

In fact, I’d say that Show regularly switches between scenes with a bit more emotional heft, and scenes meant for silly and hijinks, and is pretty deft at it.

Like the way Ha Yeong and Da Rim go for drinks and have that conversation where Ha Yeong shares why she likes Seon U; that feels emotionally nuanced, because now we know that she’s gravitating towards Seon U’s warmth, and isn’t just randomly crushing on him because he’d caught her when she’d slipped on that ladder.

And then Show undercuts it, with both women getting roaring drunk, and both Ji Hyeok and Seon U showing up to take them home, lettuce leaves stuffed in their handbags and all. 😁

As for Seon U, I found it predictable but entirely understandable, that he would claim that his confession to Da Rim had been a joke.

On the surface, this could read as Seon U being cowardly, but because I can understand his fear of losing his long-time friendship with Da Rim, I can sympathize with his choice.

By lying that the confession had been nothing but a joke, he gets to preserve his friendship with Da Rim, and avoid any potential weirdness from settling in and irrevocably changing what they’d once had.

Rather than lose Da Rim twice over, Seon U grabs onto the path that allows him to lose Da Rim just once, and I can’t begrudge him that.

The way he later talks with Ji Hyeok, to tell him to treat Da Rim well, is nicely calibrated too.

I feel like it’s a bit of a trope, for a second lead to tell the main lead to treat the female lead well, and be all protective and “I know her better” about it, but in this case, Seon U comes across as sincerely rooting for Da Rim’s happiness, and I came away from this scene feeling more strongly, that Seon U’s a very decent human being.

Later on, when he makes it clear to Ha Yeong that he doesn’t see her in a romantic light, he also lands as well-meaning and kind, which I appreciated.

And, y’know, it makes sense that if his feelings for Da Rim had been genuine, that he wouldn’t be able to suddenly develop feelings for Ha Yeong.

His decision to not lead her on – and not have her lead Jun on either – feels fair and sensible for everyone involved.

Speaking of turning tropes on their heads, I also liked that when Da Rim’s being pelted with flour and eggs by angry protestors, it’s not Ji Hyeok who shows up as her knight in shining armor, but her Mother TF teammates.

Aw. That is very wholesome, and I’m very pleased that Show doesn’t relegate our Mother TF team to the sidelines, just because our OTP’s been minted.

The way Show has Ji Hyeok take Da Rim aside after the fact, and then wrap her in his arms, while asking if she’s unhurt, is a perfect way to balance it all, I feel. 🥰

Juxtaposed like this, it really feels like our Da Rim is basking in riches, with so many people genuinely wanting to protect her. 🥲

I did think that Show was a little sneaky, in the way it swaps out the ending of episode 11 with the opening of episode 12, where we see that Nasty Noona doesn’t really expose Da Rim’s single status in front of everyone.

However, I’m willing to forgive Show for this little (or rather, big) tease, because it’s doing so many other things well, and, it is plausible that the version we see in episode 11, is just all in Nasty Noona’s mind, ie, Show does have a narrative purpose for the scene, rather than gratuitously wanting to mess with us.

Importantly, we see, in the opening minutes of episode 12, that Da Rim starts to want to tell the truth about not being married, before that scene with Nasty Noona.

This means that her sense of integrity comes to the fore before anyone actually even thinks about confronting her with the truth, and this does sit a lot better for me.

I also appreciate that when Da Rim tries to resign in order to appease her conscience, Ji Hyeok talks to her with such gentleness and tenderness, telling her that she didn’t steal anyone’s rightful place, but instead, has helped the team to flourish.

The way he asks her to delay her departure just long enough to help her team members become permanent employees, makes her choice to stay feel wholesome and noble, instead of morally dubious, and I liked this a lot.

Another thing I enjoyed, is the way the team members eventually react when Da Rim tells them the truth – after a spot of misunderstanding-driven hijinks, of course.

It’s very heartwarming to see the various members rally around Da Rim, and then tearfully group hug it all out. 🥲

And then, how meaningful is it, that after we get the warm, rowdy visual of the whole team ribbing our OTP, we also get to see Ji Hyeok hugging a tearful Da Rim, and telling her that she did well, by telling the team. 🥰

With scenes like this cumulatively solidifying the OTP relationship in degrees, it feels quite perfect, when we then see Ji Hyeok and Da Rim move to consummate their relationship.

Things have kind of come full circle since they’d first made their dynamite connection on Jeju Island, but this time, it’s even better than before, because now they have a strong relationship foundation on which to build this key milestone. 🥲

While Show demurs from giving us the fireworks that we’d glimpsed in their Jeju encounter, this flame is gentle, steady and tender, and therefore more meaningful.

I also appreciate the touch, that the following morning, Da Rim and Ji Hyeok want to cuddle in bed all day, rather than jump up and go back to life as normal, like quite a few drama OTPs tend to do. 🥰

Not only that, we also get to see them going on dates, and just enjoying each other’s company. This feels like a natural next step to me, and I love that we get to see them basking in their couplehood – as they should.

Of course, not all is well in paradise, since Nasty Oppa and Nasty Noona are still on a mission to take down Ji Hyeok, which is why our Mother TF’s new product gets leaked to a competitor, who releases the exact same product – before Natural BeBe does.

..Which is why Da Rim gets slapped by Chairman Dad, right at the close of episode 12.

Now, this is something that I found quite jarring, honestly, because it feels unnecessarily harsh, particularly in a corporate setting. I mean, this is far from professional, yes?

But fine. I’m willing to give Show the benefit of the doubt, that it might well be able to reframe this (or, as is the case with these episodes, even poof away the incident from actually happening) – so let’s see what our finale holds.

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]

E13-14. So, full disclosure: I came into this finale knowing that there are widespread rumbles among fans, about Show basically dropping the ball in its sprint to the finish line.

I will agree with you all upfront, that Show definitely does wobble, in these last two episodes.

At the same time, I am quite happy to report that this wobble did not break my watch.

I believe that the reason for this is twofold:

1, I’d had the benefit of being late to the party, and therefore, even though I didn’t know the specifics of how Show had let down so many other viewers, I had enough of a sense of that disappointment, to know to manage my expectations, and

2, My specific ask of Show, for the finale, was that it would continue to stay true to the emotional throughline of our OTP that it had established in earlier episodes.

Amid the questionable decisions to lean into various tropes in these episodes, I do still feel that Show manages to stay true to the emotional journey of our OTP.

In fact, I found it helpful (and even a little fun) to imagine that this finale was a trope obstacle course for our OTP, and their challenge was to navigate the tropes, without losing the emotional authenticity of their characters or their relationship.

This little bit of framing actually helped my watch of these episodes quite a bit: it not only made everything much more fun (Trope Overload landed more as Trope Bingo), it also sharpened my focus a lot.

In effect, my lens adjustment had me looking through the tropes, instead of at them, and that made a world of difference.

And so, when Big Trope #1 hit – Da Rim opting to take the fall by lying that she was, indeed, a corporate spy and then breaking up with Ji Hyeok – I wasn’t focusing on the fact that Show had introduced a big trope; I was more interested in what effect this had on our OTP’s characterizations.

I believe some people feel that Da Rim is too gullible in buying into Nasty Noona’s lies, and my alternative take on that is that she loves Ji Hyeok too much to take the risk.

Happily, Ji Hyeok’s characterization also holds up well; he’s heartbroken when Da Rim breaks up with him, but he continues to focus his efforts on getting to the truth, because, despite Da Rim’s claims, he steadfastly continues to trust in the kind of person he knows her to be.

And then, when he finds evidence, he wastes no time in hurrying to Da Rim, even though it means arriving at her aunt’s house in the middle of the night.

That’s just how important this is to him – and I think that part of that sense of urgency, also comes from him understanding at a visceral level, how important this is to Da Rim as well.

Yes, Show does go a little ham with the petty jealousy and rivalry, in introducing eligible bachelor Sang Sik into the picture, but I forgave it, because I was happy to see Da Rim and Ji Hyeok back on the same page again.

Afterwards, I actually thought the big corporate takeover attempt was pretty well-handled, in that I liked that it was over so quickly – and I liked that Ji Hyeok comes out of it not only unscathed, but basking in the fact that his mom is now in her rightful place, as the new Chairman of Natural BeBe.

Where I thought that Show really wobbled, was in its choice to have Ji Hyeok get knocked down by Nasty Oppa – and then promptly suffer from amnesia.

To be clear, within the confines of Trope Bingo, I technically don’t begrudge Show its freedom to lean into extreme and ridiculous tropes like these, because it’s part of the territory, right?

Where I think Show misstepped, is in how long it allows Ji Hyeok to stay in this amnestic state, and also, how much it adjusts his personality, to date back to his “Pre-Da Rim” days.

Not only is Show interrupting the emotional continuity it’s worked so carefully to establish, it interrupts it for an extended length of time, and in my view, that does dampen the watch experience, quite noticeably.

With the benefit of hindsight, I understand that Show’s basically putting everything in place for that final dynamite kiss callback scene – but I still think that Show could have tightened it up, so that we wouldn’t have had to watch Ji Hyeok being distant and dismissive of Da Rim for so long.

It felt jarring, particularly after all the sweetness and tenderness that we’d come to expect from him towards her, and it also doesn’t really make logical sense, that he would be so firm in pushing her away, despite photographic evidence that they’d been in a loving relationship – because even without emotional recall, it’s hard to reconcile that level of dismissal with the man we know him to be.

To be clear, when I say “so long,” I’m not just referring to screen time – I’m also referring to the time skip. Because, with the time skip, we basically have Ji Hyeok and Da Rim separated for a full year, thanks to his lack of ability and interest, in remembering her.

In the meantime, I’m glad to see Da Rim make inroads in her career, but the OTP situation still niggles and stings, y’know?

BUT THEN.

Once we clear the jungle of tropes to get to the callback to the dynamite kiss, I found myself having fun again – enough to be sufficiently mollified over Show’s (in my opinion) misstep.

Sure, Da Rim’s search for Da Jeong is promptly forgotten, not just by Da Rim, but also by writer-nim, but it’s fine; Da Jeong was only ever a plot catalyst and not a real character, right? 🤭😅

Afterwards, I did find myself smiling through the highlight reel that Show serves up, to seal everything with some warm, fuzzy feels:

Ji Hyeok and Da Rim, reunited and basking happily in their coupledom; the Mother TF team reunited with Da Rim and working for her start-up; Seon U reunited with Ha Yeong and now appearing to be much more open to the idea of their relationship turning romantic in the near future.

As a final note, I honestly really enjoyed that final flash forward, where we get to see that, 2 kids later, Ji Hyeok and Da Rim are still very much in love, to the point where their kids are used to seeing Mommy and Daddy lose themselves in a bit of kissytimes, just because.

Awww. I love that this is the kind of relationship that Ji Hyeok and Da Rim grow into, and I’m really glad that Show decides to give us a glimpse into their everyday happiness.

This final scene, especially, left me with a lingering sense of the sweet, warm fuzzies – and I’m still basking in that glow, as I type this. 🥰

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Wobbles somewhat at the end, but is, overall, slurpy, sweet and heartfelt in all the right ways.

FINAL GRADE: B++

TRAILER:

MV:

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