Choegoui Sarang

The series is mainly centred around a love triangle. We have a shy thoughtful doctor and an arrogant egotistical actor competing for the love of a disgraced ex idol star. The idol star is played by Gong-Hyo Jin who is always entertaining. The story does have some funny comedic moments but I found it difficult to really like any of the three main players. It does make a good point about online trolls but not in a preachy way. The writers could have probably made the protagonists less extreme to make it more relatable.

It took me months to get ready to watch this series. Not because of the very 'dramatic' storyline but because I hated the appearance of the main male character so much. I hated the extravagant clothes he was wearing, his over-styled hairdo, the rings and bracelets he had, not to mention his arrogant, irritating behaviour (about this part I only had assumptions based on the poster and the description of the series). Please, don't get me wrong, I don't prefer bearded cavemen with zero personal hygiene but the main character's looks was a bit too much for my liking. It became clear though that these accessoires were only used to make him look more ridiculous. After the first couple of episodes I was sure that the 2nd leading male actor: Yoon Kye-Sang had no chance of winning the leading lady's heart because of his schoolboy appearance. In my opinion he looked even younger than in his 2004 film debut: 'Ballet gyoseubso' as opposed to the leading man who was clearly somewhat older and manlier too. I thought that if he could have looked like in these movies: Poongsan, Beomjoidosi or Good wife, he could have had a better chance to win this 'competition'. (For those who haven't watched these movies yet: in 'Poongsan' he was a good-looking silent 'saviour', in 'Beomjoidosi' he was a sexy beast and in 'Good wife' he had the look of an attractive, sophisticated business man). But then I had to realize that it is again the old cliché: the character is more important than the appearance. His character here was unrealistically good: he was decent, kind, he thought that the red-headed but sly actress was attractive but he wasn't after her - moreover he kept refusing her constant approaches. He was a bookworm, with rather boring interests like doing a puzzle. I would say that his character was a tiny bit too soft, rather feminine. On the other hand, the movie star was loud, rude, temperamental and mostly egoistic, but he was also surprisingly self-aware and he was able to admit if he made a mistake or said something wrong. So I would say that Yoon Kye-Sang's character was too perfect to be true and this is why he never had a real chance (obviously apart from the fact that the film makers didn't want to couple him up with the short-haired main actress, hahah). I enjoyed this series very much, it was really witty and had a lot of hilarious moments. The game with the phone number was every time funny. For me it was a 9 out of 10 points entertainment.

Attempts to blend romantic comedy with the backdrop of the entertainment industry, but unfortunately, its execution is mired in sexist undertones. The series revolves around a former A-list actress who has fallen from grace and her encounters with a self-absorbed celebrity. While the premise had potential to explore the complexities of fame and relationships, the show disappointingly chooses to focus on perpetuating gender stereotypes.

The portrayal of the female lead's career struggles takes a backseat to her romantic pursuit of the male lead, reinforcing the notion that a woman's accomplishments are secondary to her relationships. Moreover, the male lead's arrogance and condescending behavior are often justified by the narrative, reinforcing the problematic notion that such behavior is acceptable. This not only trivializes issues of consent and boundaries but also sends a concerning message to viewers.

Although there are moments of humor, the overall narrative fails to address these troubling aspects. It's disheartening to see a series that could have delved into meaningful discussions about gender dynamics and personal growth instead opting for shallow comedic tropes. In a landscape where viewers are seeking more progressive and inclusive content, this drama falls short and leaves a lingering disappointment due to its missed opportunities to offer a more nuanced and empowering perspective on relationships and careers.

Well , at first sight the storyline seemed to be interesting. At the beggining the main leads had a nice love-to-hate relationship and it got my interest, but , God , this korean drama, totally lacks of plot.

The main lead man was always arrogant and behaved awful in front of the main lead woman which supposed he was in love with.

The main lead woman takes part in a TV show in which she must date a handsome ,single doctor , who also is in love with her. And then the main man starts acted like a spoiled child. That's the summary of the whole plot.. Nothing less nothing more. It's obvious weak so the scenariographs decide to fill the episodes with supporting characters and silly moments. In the end I catched myself skip almost whole episodes due to boredom. I didn't like it.

This is one of my fave romcoms!

Why do you need to watch it?

*It will give you a good laugh. Cha Seung Won's character was hilarious. You will laugh every ep. He's the only narcissistic person that I wouldn't hate because he's so funny. If you enjoyed watching him as Mawang in Hwayugi, you will love him as the childish Dokko Jin here. No wonder, his character became a pop culture phenomenon in SK.

*You'll get a sneak peek of what celebrities are going through. The dark and bright sides of the entertainment industry.

*The chemistry of CSW and GHJ was undeniable. Skinship and kissing scenes were great! What do you expect from the veterans?

*OSTs were also good! I started to like IU's Hold my hand because of this.

*2nd lead syndrome? Yeah, you might feel that coz the 2nd lead was likeable. But I'm all for Dokko Jin. I find good guys boring. 😆

*The casts, story and the witty lines were great! This is one of the best romcoms I've ever watched!

10/10 ⭐⭐⭐