The Time We Were Not in Love

Only fans of Ha Ji Won or Lee Jin Wook could sit through this overly long show. The two leads of the show look good together. They were both at their prime for rom Coms and wear their fashions well.

This story could have been told in 6 episodes. They are best friends since school days. And live next door to each other. She is a shoe company exec and he is a steward. BTW in Korea a flight attendant is regarded as a more prestigious a profession than it is in the West. Her secondary romantic interests are more interesting than the main romance. Kim Myung Soo L is intriguing as a young intern and Yoon Kyun Sang as a rather strange pianist. More excitement with their characters. The main romance is so dull they really are like old friends.

There are so many unnecessary repetitive scenes. This would have been OK as s short series. Too bad they needed to fill 16 eps. Their main obstacles are indecision. There is no parental opposition, quite the contrary. And her other paramours were too young and too unattractive.

As a side note, the two main stars of this drama are not correctly displayed in the cast information. It stars Ha Ji Won and Lee Jin wook, who are shown far down in the cast list.

While this drama is predictable and slow, it's a good one for Ha Ji Won fans because her character in this drama is probably the closest of any to her real personality. In great dramas like Empress Ki or Secret Garden, she does a superb job playing impressive, tough women. In this drama, she's not only beautiful, but her personality sparkles and she is super cute. If you want a great drama, look elsewhere, but if you want to spend time with a fictional version of the real Ha Ji Won, this is a way to do it. This drama is just a vehicle for her to shine on the screen.

This is quite a disappointment for me since Ha Jiwon is such a talented actress. I blame the script that no talented actor can save. There was no real tension and the flashbacks were just there to make the structure of the plot avoid taking a linear progression. For me, a linear storytelling technique is acceptable as long as the story is captivating. Scriptwriters need not do the non-linear technique all the time just to appeal to the modern-day sophisticated viewers. A story has to be compelling to hold the audience, whether it is told in a linear style or a non-linear style. I feel sorry for Ha Jiwon for starring in this boring series. Such a departure from her Empress Ki series.