Encounter

Like many of the recent Korean dramas, the story really starts off in a foreign location, Cuba. The series has wonderfully captured the charm of Havana with its beautiful cinematography and music. Park Go Bum, expert traveler and amateur photographer comes to the aide of a hotel CEO who has lived a life dictated by others up to this point. Despite her reserve, his warmth draws her in and she allows herself one evening to really live. Fade away and they are next in Seoul where she is the CEO and he is a newbie employee. The friendship continues to grow despite her desire to keep him at length. No wonder. Who can resist his smile? You can't help but hope that there is a happy ending despite their differences in social class or wealth or age.

I was waiting for this drama for so long, that I had such high expectations for it. I loved it. But it lacked that "oomph" aspect from my perspective. The storyline at the beginning of the drama was beautiful, but then it was sort of repetitive and I kind of watched the last few episodes with a bit of lack of interest although I'm very biased towards Bo Gum that I didn't have enough looking at him. It was okay for me, magical at first but then cool down but the reality of things.

Just finished series. The scenes in Cuba were beautiful. Both lead actors are very talented just felt it was a mismatch. As a mom, it was a little cringy to see a 20 something year old with a 40 year old. I know I would be upset. And her hairstyle made her look even older. This was a series since I started it had to finish it.

This show is extremely well written and acted. When I watch the scenes between the 2 leads, it makes me smile ear to ear because it's so heartwarming. The way the 2 leads flirt and joke with each other is very cute and endearing. The supporting actors have their own interesting sub-plots and are great also. When I saw Park Bo Gum in "Itaewon Class", I thought he was just a pretty face but boy was I wrong, he is an excellent actor. He is very natural, and does a great job expressing the emotions of his character. I love all his facial expressions. It's just so fun to watch. I love his carefree character in the drama, so charming, witty, kind, sensitive and selfless. It's a kind of character that you don't see much in dramas.

While I have been a longtime fan of Korean movies, especially the thriller genre, it has been less than 6 months since I started watching kdrama. With the help of the confinement I have watched a good number since then, including a few romcom or love stories which I liked. Believe it or not, this is the first time I saw either leads and it's only by reading other reviews here that I learnt they are both big stars despite their age difference. Hence my review is not influenced by their reputation nor am I in a position to compare their performance with their other roles. I am rating this show simply based on my enjoyment and my expectation from a love story.

Many reviewers considered the plot too simplistic and boring. That's one of the main reasons I loved this show. I did not want a thriller or political intrique. I wanted to see two people falling in love and eventually falling out of love. I wanted to see their relationship grow as they talk to each other. I am not looking for plot twists unless they come from the couple themselves - fear, lack of trust, over possessiveness, pride, self-interest... so I was happy that a large part of the show is focused on the couple. Apart from the mandatory breakup, I am relieved there aren't many plot twists. Everyone knows there are always at least one or two evil or well-meaning characters who will get in the way and they are here but, as far as I am concerned, they don't distract from the core love story.

Is the love story realistic? Of course not, in terms of a beautiful and tragic CEO's chance meeting in a foreign land with a handsome but much younger man who turns out to be a future entry-level employee in her company. But in the context of a love story and a modern day fairy tale, this is not a problem.

In real life, for better or for worse, the office romance between a (female) CEO and a much younger (male) employee, if that actually were to happen, would obviously be problematic and considered socially unacceptable by most. In a fairy tale drama, that makes for a good story.

As a guy I at first found Park Bo-gum's physical feature too feminine and his smile too cheesy and borderline creepy. However, after getting used to it, I admit his youthful, idealistic and always sunny outlook is exactly what his character is supposed to be in order for the CEO to fall in love with him. More than anything else in this drama, I find his forever optimistic and never-angry personality the most unrealistic element. Yet, because I view this as a fairy tale and the actor played this role so naturally, this does not distract from my enjoyment of this show at all.

As mentioned, my enjoyment of this show comes from watching our couple's relationship evolve. Truth be told, their relationship is rather simple. He fell heads over heels for her (for her beauty?) and she for his optimistic and free spirit life view, romantic character and ultimately his ability to rescue her from her self-imposed habit of sacrificing her own desire and happiness for that of others. Literally, he is her knight in shining armor and, viewed from this angle, her attraction and love for him is totally believable in my book. The actress Song Hye-kyo is classy and her portrayal of a stoic figure with tragic history is touching.

This is my first 10 rating for a kdrama. Not because it is perfect, but because the actors are fabulous and they brought to life this simple love story and feel-good drama which happened to be what I am looking for at this time, without too many tedious subplots and turn twists which are common in most Kdramas.