I'm super sad to rate this drama with only 5 stars, but here we are. If I'm being honest, even these 5 are given for the beginning glory (the first couple of episodes pulled me in), and also because of fantastic Woo Gwang-nam, and cutie Kang Hae-jin.
I really wanted to love Jung Ji-ho, because I really like Go Kyung-pyo. However, I could not bring myself to like his character this time around. There were too many red flags in his behaviours (e.g. deciding things concerning Sang-eun's life without even discussing with her first, withholding truth etc. All the while Sang-eun was super annoying in her own right!), and then some romance that felt kind of forced.
The dialogues were mostly redundant and boring. It seemed like the writers lost their direction pretty quickly, or forgot their intention. A lot of times a Kang Hae-jin scene would appear out of nowhere, completely disconnected from the rest of the plot, looking like a candy you would toss in front of a child to make them forget you're supposed to be telling them a story.
Scenes that were intended to be touching, endearing and cute between the two main characters felt strange, awkward and somehow artificially fabricated most of the time (I do realize this is a tv show, so by definition it is a fabrication, however, it shouldn't be obvious unless for comedic or similar purpose).
I could probably list many more grievances, but I'll stop here.
p.s. I believe the cast did the best they could with what they were given.
It appears I fall in love with JTBC dramas again and again every time we meet. Love the complexity, the layers to characters and their relationships, inner conflicts between rational mind and desire, story-telling through facial expressions. Love how they portrayed insecurities, passions, manipulation, trust, expectations, contradictions, doubts, and butterflies in the stomach.
Love how beautiful the visuals are, photography and scenes - all so lovely, enhancing the atmosphere, along with characters' feelings. Love how unconventional the characters and their stories are, but all the more real for it. They are not perfect, but ordinary extraordinary young people seeking freedom to live their best lives.
Would have loved if we got to learn more about Park Jae-eon's backstory / history: what hurt him, and made him hide behind the walls as he did for such a long time. Kudos to Song Kang for nailing that almost-crying-barely-holding-composure goodbye scene in episode 10. That was some superb acting, I got chills.
**A note to a younger me (and all young people out there who might be reading this): please say what you want / need to say clearly, to avoid misunderstandings and pointless suffering. Other people likely won't be able to guess what you're thinking unless you tell them. (There's little to none mind-readers out there.)
Anyhow, keep them coming, JTBC! I'm here for it.
9/10
