Having now seen both, I prefer the current Kdrama featuring Choi Hyun-wook as the emotionally shut-down chaebol presumed heir to his Grandmaother's dept. Store empire and Moon Ga-young as the prickly, self-realized senior planning executive. Both are charming and their chemistry develops in a unique arc involving an epic first-love snafu that leaves both wounded, wary and hating their crush. Back when, she was an 19 y/o gamer "Strawberry" and he was a15 y/o master-gamer "Black Dragon." After their disastrous first IRL meeting, they never meet again until he arrives as the new Director (after she had gotten the last of many directors fired for bad behavior). They circle each other as adversaries, oblivious to their shared awful past. And she is difficult, prickly and judgey but capable. She rises to the management challenge he faces as a matter of professional pride. While they work together, they grow to trust & appreciate one another believably.
Each character has a well-developed arc and it never feels fake or forced to me.
A second couple, of older, more experienced and more wary lovers, know the true identities of the two but have no idea how to let them know who is who and as they fall in love. This couple is a lovely counterpoint to the other.
The chaebol's grandmother, a seriously flawed and aggrieved mother, blames her grandson for her son's death and clamps down on him.
Will they or won't they? Will he reveal himself and live his authentic life? It's great fun, doesn't drag in the middle that I noticed. Many funny moments. Choi really is a terrific leading man.
Unlike WWWSK, where the FL is a treacley-sweet perfect helpmate to Park Seo-joon's stiff chaebol, PSJ did too good a job of making himself self-involved and insufferable as a character attribute.
