While You Were Sleeping (2017)

For a change, I've decided to get straight to the core of my enjoyment of While You Were Sleeping: the collective alchemy.

This drama is a constellation of highly interesting characters who shine individually, but are amazing as a group. When talking about chemistry, we invariably think of romance, but I've come to consider this an oversimplification, since the bond between friends, relatives or even respected colleagues can be just as strong and palpable as any romantic relationship, given these characters are well written and acted out.

After watching 4 dramas by the same pen, I can affirm this is the writer's signature. Her characters are always intensely human, imperfect, goofy… unripe even. Then, they grow, they overcome obstacles and they learn but, guess what, they stay human, imperfect, goofy and incredibly relatable.
Therefore, while I fully agree with all the other reviewers here who were not convinced by the love story, I don't consider it a major problem. Hong Ju and Jae Chan are a lovely couple, one we could all meet at the bus stop; they are very real, they talk to each other and their growing affection is not dragged for ages. The only downside of a "feel-real couple" is that it doesn't pierce the screen or our heart.
Again, I didn't really care. I loved the ensemble and was truly sad to say goodbye to them all. Even the main villain had a twisted charm. And although Woo Tak must be one of the dearest, most hug-worthy and adorable character I've come across in a long while, I venture as far as to say that had he got the girl, the end result would have been the same: sweet, but not sizzling.

The way I see it, this has nothing to do with the acting, but the way each character was written. The whole cast played exceptionally well and empathy for them was always high.

I loved the soundtrack too, but not at first. I warmed up to it slowly but steadily and particularly enjoyed Suzy's "I love you boy". Songs and instrumental pieces are used with due parsimony and don't overpower the scenes.

WYWS is sure worth re-watching. I'm already planning on luring one or more of my fellow watchers into sharing the pleasure with me.

Leggi di Più

This was the drama I was most excited about and I had high expectations and I can tell you that I wasn't disappointed.
The story is original and the first episode starts pretty well. I really liked the opening and the structure of the episodes. I really love Lee Jong Suk and I knew that he's going to give everything in this role, and he did play amazing. I did like the other characters as well. It's true that there were few that I didn't really like, but the storyline and the way things were explained made me forget about the hate.
I really enjoyed watching every single episode, and the last ones were incredible. They kept me in suspense and I couldn't really tell what was going to happen. I did like the fact that they didn't give a big attention to the love triangle, the producer decided to focus on the friendship of the three 'dreamers'.
I can't really say bad things about this series, I mean, the things I didn't really like were essential and they made everything more interesting. If I would have to choose one thing that I hated about this drama, I would choose one of the suspects/criminals. *I am not going to tell the name of the one I hated the most, just because I don't want to give any spoilers.*
I seriously recommend watching this drama, not only because this is somehow a goodbye from Lee Jong Suk because he's enrolling in the army, but because the story and the characters are built up in a beautiful way that makes this drama stand out from the others.

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After reading reviews and comments on this drama, I have arrived at this conclusion: While You Were Sleeping is that popular drama you either hate or love. It all depends on your preference and/or drama watching experience. Examples of dramas like that are Goblin, Descendants of the Sun, and Scarlet Heart: Goryeo. I am the kind of person that dislikes most of these for several reasons.

One word I would use to describe this drama: average. This drama is really no different from every other drama. It really let me down and failed to live up to expectations (for me).

Note: When I am referring to an ‘episode’, I am talking about a 30 minute episode :)

Story: 5/10
The show starts off with a huge bang. Just in the first four episodes, a ton of stuff was going on and I was not sure what to think because my brain was very confused. It was cleared up in the next few episodes, and I genuinely enjoyed the beginning. But after that point, things got repetitive. From episode 9-24, the show was basically a repeating itself over and over. I could easily predict what was going to happen, and the supposed “cliffhangers” were terribly predictable. Even the last cliffhanger in the finale did not get my attention since I knew that everything was going to be the same. But the show does conclude really well. The last few episodes were the most exciting and I really liked how this drama ended. But... that's kind of late, don't ya think?

Acting/Cast: 8/10
I do have to say, Suzy’s acting seemed to have improved. She played Hong Joo pretty well, but I didn’t like this character at all because she was one-dimensional and had zero development. Lee Jong Suk, playing Prosecutor Jung Jae Chan is same as always (he always chooses the same types of roles, which leads me to believe that he can’t act and is only popular because of his looks… please don’t fight me on that xD). Also lately I noticed (after listening to his OSTs for this drama which are mehh imo) that Lee Jong Suk speaks with the most boring voice ever. This also leads me to believe that he only has one tone of voice: a flat, monotonous voice. But Jung Hae In’s character, Han Woo Tak, completely stole the show for me. He had a way more more interesting character than the other two leads combined, and he was one of the reasons I stuck through to the end of this drama.

Characters: 5/10
There was barely any character development in Hong Joo or Jae Chan. But I did really enjoy the side characters and their storylines way more than the two main characters.

Music: 10/10
I can probably say this without getting attacked: WYWS is the drama with the best OST of 2017. A few were mehh but the majority of them were beautiful.  I like “It’s You” by Henry soooo much. I may be biased since I love Henry and English OSTs…

Enjoyment level: 6/10
I did like the beginning, but it got boring in the middle. WYWS only got better in the last four episodes in my opinion (but that is too late to save). There was true suspense; suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat in the last episodes. I thought that I would not be surprised by the ending one week before the finale, but I did end up getting surprised xD. I think that WYWS ended really strongly, which is pretty hard to do since all the viewers want to be satisfied. I also really loved the comedy in this drama. Some parts had me rofl xD

Rewatch value: 1/10
This drama was average and boring most of the time so I will never touch it ever again.

If you are looking for a good law drama, go check out Witch’s Court. Witch’s Court is literally the polar opposite of While You Were Sleeping (can’t explain or I will be giving out spoilers xD) and is a lot better in every aspect.

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Imagine this situation:

A person is driving a jeep on a rocky mountain. It's a bad idea from the start but he's hoping for the best. Suddenly, he takes a wrong turn and finds himself on the edge of a steep cliff, about to fall in an abyss. He's still hoping for the best.

Out of nowhere, a heavy gust of wind comes and makes his jeep topple over. As it falls the person gets all of his limbs broken and his tongue caught between the teeth. He's still hoping for the best.

Suddenly, there's a landslide and huge rocks fall on top of the jeep. Now the person has his abdomen torn apart and his intestines pouring out. But he's alive and still hoping for the best.

The pressure from the rocks causes the jeep to stumble forward and miraculously an ocean appears in the front. The jeep falls in the water and now the man can't breathe. Finally, when the jeep sinks down among debris and lost souls and the man takes his last breath, he realizes that all that hoping was in vain.

Did that all make sense?
No? Well, neither does While You Were Sleeping.

You want to know how the plot unfolds?
Exactly like the events in the above mentioned story: Unrealistically and taking its merry time from bad to worse.

Wanna know how you'll feel after finishing the show?
Exactly the way the driver of that jeep must've felt. You keep hoping for the best but things stays at their worst.

And now I'll explain why.

The show's biggest problem is the flawed characterization. Our protagonists that are portrayed to be these brilliant and hardworking individuals are essentially idiots, only being able to succeed because 1) they can see the future in their dreams 2) somebody from the supporting cast helps them sort out all their problems.

It's like praising an SAT student for scoring high when he saw all of the correct test answers in his dream. Though he didn't even bring his own pencil to the test and had to borrow it from someone, atleast he was able to correctly remember the answers and jot them down.

That has to count for something, right?
In my opinion, that something is bullshit.

After a very long time, I actually started off with liking the role Lee Jong Suk was given. I always say that he's a great actor who's sometimes given bad roles and in the beginning of this drama, I felt like after a long time he was finally given a good role again. Prosecutor Jung made mistakes, messed up and didn't feel as flawless as some of LJS's other roles. But soon, as the episodes progressed, that bubble burst for me as I saw him again mould into his typical run-of-the-mill T.V persona. I'd still say that he acted good but unlike Ji Chang Wook in Suspicious Partner, his acting alone wasn't strong enough to solely carry an otherwise flop show on its back.

Suzy was unmemorable like always. Not annoying but not standing out either and the chemistry between the couple was non-existent.

Surprisingly, the life of the show was the supporting cast. Han Da Wook; sexy and adorable detective was so precious but didn't have enough screen-time that was needed in order to develop his character to its full potential. The side story lines (consisting of 1 or 2 episodes) were so much better than the main ones. The prosecutors were all a source of bliss and some of the best acting was done by people who were there only as guest roles.

It's a shame when you feel nothing for the main characters and instead, gravitate towards the one's that are used as mere plot-lines. Unlike the protagonists, I found the antagonist to be far better developed and dimensional. Even though he was rotten to the core, he actually used his head and had some brilliant planning. He was far more intelligent than our hero and he didn't even have the advantage of knowing the future.

The OST had some good songs but because of the drab plot, I couldn't get a solid feel for them.

The show has classic Park-Hye Ryun written all over it. While You Were Sleeping is an ignored love-child of Pinnochio and I Hear Your Voice but unfortunately, is less captivating than the both of them.

To be honest, all the convenient plot-devices, medical inaccuracies and ridiculous circumstances could've been ignored if the show wasn't boring as hell.
While the last 4 episodes were the best (since Lee Jong Suk's character finally showed some growth) the rest of the show remains horribly dead.

When you don't feel a connection to either of the main guys, finishing such a dull show becomes a feat. I have to say that WYWS was literally the hardest show I've had to complete and it was only because of my utter aversion to dropping shows, that I was able to finish it.

I personally don't reccomend this drama.

Nobody should have to be the person in the jeep but if you're a fan of the casted actors and the writer, you can give it a try.

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Well I believe that this is one of the most powerful and worth watching drama of this year. In the mid of this year my watchlist was mostly full of dropped Dramas than the completed drama. This a star-studded drama with not only the best cast but story, Writers and even plot.
Firstly the opening of the drama introduces you to the lead female protagonist bae Suzy who as a reporter is smart, intelligent and have a different way of looking into things. Tbh this is my first time watching bae Suzy's drama. Her character is portrayed as someone who can forsee the future. She is woman with beauty and intelligence both but knowing the future is also a curse because she can't change what she sees.
The other male lead is Lee jong suk who after meeting Suzy starts to see the future too but unlike Suzy he has a capability to change the future. Unlike other dramas where he is portrayed as someone who is an ideal type of person with nothing wrong with him here he portrays as someone who take up things and sometimes try to prove his worth but regrets it later because he fears that he might not be able to pull it off.
Now the next role of woo tak who is a dedicated police officer. But even though he was in a side role he's an eye candy, drawing all the viewers attention and making us drooling over him. We had our eyes more glued over him than LJS. Like LJS he develop the ability to see the future too. The most interesting way is how the different characters in the drama are connected together by the same ability to change and forsee the future and thus shares a adorable friendship to help and protect each other.
Finally there is a villain Lee yeob who is a prosecutor like jae Chan but unlike him he support the criminals and act as a parasite to manipulate evidence for them and feed  his greed for money and power. He being in his profession has destroyed so many innocent life by tampering and changing the evidence that his deeds made him hate himself for helping wrong people.
The overall drama was good but sometimes LJS and bae Suzy's acting seems too much at places. They looked more like overacting at places but thankfully the powerful plot was able to deal with it.

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While You Were Sleeping starts off as a suspense thriller that instantly catches your attention within the first couple episodes. The fast paced actions and jumps between scenes keeps you guessing and wanting more. This pacing however, slows down drastically with a rather repetitive, slice-of-life-like nature as the drama gradually inches towards its main climax. So if you're expecting a constant thriller ride, you might find your expectations unmet through the middle of the series. If you enjoy the every day life scenario with crime & law and romance, with a hint of supernatural dreams mixed into it, then this drama is right up your alley.

The plot isn't the most original idea, with dreams somewhat akin to the premonitions of the Final Destination franchise, though with slight modifications in the mechanics of said premonitions. The execution of the dreams is definitely done far more superbly however. The story doesn't just lead you with a series of events that occur chronologically, but pieces together a larger puzzle with dreams and events that foreshadow one another and tie up loose ends. This makes a lot of cases and mysteries more unpredictable than what meets the eye, though by the drama's repetitive nature, some conclusions by default are predictable to a means.

What really makes the drama for me are the acting and characters. If you have a strong distaste for Suzy's acting, know that I have not seen Suzy in any other dramas, nor have I known her from her singing career, so my conclusion on her acting is solely based on this drama. Suzy does Hong Joo a great service in portraying her character's ordinary yet quirky personality. She doesn't rely on pretty appearances to pull off her character.  In fact, we see very early on that Hong Joo would rather sacrifice her beauty for the lives she cares about most. Lee Jong Suk does a great job playing Jae Chan as well. The character is actually quite similar to Jong Suk's many other roles, so if you've seen him before, you can know what to expect. As far as the leading pair's chemistry, I won't deny at times their relationship felt awkward, but it's not the worst. They have their moments, but the romance isn't as strong as your usual romcom.

Jung Hae In does a fantastic job as Han Woo Tak, and you just can't help but feel for him. I would argue this drama may contribute to a large case of second lead syndrome. At many times, it felt as though he and Suzy shared more chemistry than the latter with Jong Suk. Above all, I was absolutely blown away by Lee Sang Yeob's performance as Lee Yoo Beom. His character drove me insane. I absolutely hated him, but can't help but respect how Lee Sang Yeob could portray such a menacing character. He got every little detail down in persuading viewers of Yeo Beom's conniving nature, from hand motions to slight changes in facial expressions.

There's not much to say about the music; it was amazing. The soundtrack was beautiful, and was always inserted at the right times. There were no scenes where I strongly felt that the background music did not fit the scene, and many of the records ranged from a comedic euphony to an intense, suspenseful orchestra.

If you enjoyed the romance and comedy moments, you might enjoy a rewatch, but I'd say the show loses a lot of its surprise factor spark after you finish it, especially as it deals with crime & law. Overall, this drama was a great watch. There were some bumps along the ride, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Leggi di Più

This isn't really a review but just my thoughts after finished watching this. Contains major spoilers so if you want read this with discretion please.

First problem, the biggest plot came pretty late, after 27 out of 32 episodes, and it wasn’t even that momentous, it was basically 3 people recognizing each other, and it had no impact to the show’s crux.

Second, they focused too much on the romance. The main couple was a bit all over the place. Romance scenes popped up every 5 minutes, even inappropriate sometimes, and often really cheesy. And what makes me mad the most is, they literally killed my second favorite character to fortify the main couple’s relationship.
Like, the death just didn’t make any sense and absolutely wasn’t necessary and other than that it was to prevent something that could’ve been avoided easily long ago. Feels like they used that in order to cover up a massive amount of plot holes and most of all it was their last solution to save the show which is viewers tears.

Third, acting is not that good. All they did good were smirk and squint, and cry. LJS still can’t act panicking right. I love him from Doctor Stranger but somehow he got worse in this one. Especially when the show was climaxing. That kinda makes romance scenes feel cheesy to me.

On the other hand, the show looks nice, good cinematography and good soundtracks. Humor was alright. TBH the biggest plot twist for me is who was the bride at that last episode. Jesus it still giving me shiver while writing this.

I think the show could have done much more. Because the 'can tell the future, messing with the time' theme has been used in so many other works that been considered Masterpiece in different forms such as anime, games, movies,... I was super hyped when I found out this show contains that material. If you’ve came across an anime called ‘Steins Gate’ or a game called ‘Life is Strange’ you’ll know what I mean. You save this person, 10 more people die because of that. The more time you save that person the more you create a butterfly effect. You save this girl 4 times to prevent her inevitable death and somehow a typhoon with a size of the moon appears and wipes away the whole town clean. So you gotta choose between stuff, stuff that as same important to you and that person, you gotta sacrifice either one of them, but if you do it good you can still get a happy ending. Now I’m not comparing these to the show, but the way they handled it, and the way they built it up was so clever and engaging and immersing. You have these first 10 episodes full of sunflowers and silky roads, and after episode 10 it feel worse than standing on Normandy in WW2. That’s how you do a plot twist. That’s how you make a show good. I was preparing all my body and my mind for something like that. I was ready to give this show a 11/10. Now I can’t tell that I’m not a bit disappointed. I personally thought they would inherit and learn from those successful factors and develop them into a new story but no, they just didn't do it. They chose to remain a formal KDrama and insisted too much on the romance aspect. They made the name of the show less meaningful. 

Well maybe it’s just me who set the bar too high. I’m totally new to this KDrama thing and after all, there are things you can draw and code but simply just can’t film it out.

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I would just like to specify that this is not a bad drama. All in all I enjoyed it, but it is definitely not without its flaws.
 
The story: The first couple of episodes were very good, but sadly, that did not continue for the rest of the series. It became a one story per episode kind of series that felt very predictable. Though they tried to keep the main plot present throughout, it didn't really feel like one story told over several episodes, but more like a story referenced in some of the episodes. The side-characters were by far the most interesting and were a crucial part of my enjoyment of this drama. The best episodes are the first couple and the last couple of episodes. As the last episodes rolled around I came to remember why I liked this drama so much in the beginning. The story is not a bad one, but it had the potential to be much better.

The acting: If you have ever seen any drama with Lee Jong Suk you probably know what to expect. He seems to pick the same type of character to play in most dramas he appears in. He acts quite well, but I didn't really feel anything from his performance (except for a few scenes in the last episodes). Suzy was probably the weakest link in this drama. I wouldn't go so far as to say that her acting was bad, but she won't be winning any awards either. She mostly has the same face throughout the entire drama. Neither did she have any chemistry with Lee Jong Suk. I didn't really feel anything from their relationship. I neither loved it nor hated it. I would not care whether they stayed together or broke up. The rest of the cast did quite a good job. As I mentioned before, the side-characters were done very well. The child-versions of the main characters  did a good job as well.

The music: The music was quite good. Not much more to say about that.

All in all this is an enjoyable drama. It does feel kind of repetitive so I might have liked it a bit less if i saw it all in one go rather than watching it as it came out. The acting was ok, but lacked in some ways. If you dont mind a one-story-per-episode kind of show I would recommend this.

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Guess what?! I'm the unpopular opinion (again...). Anyway, "While you were sleeping" started so so strong, with beautiful cinematography and griping story, dreamy like. Unfortunately, the cinematography later on appeared here and there only, and I really, really wish that they had more of it, like Goblin. Another plus was the cast. Love the two leads, but Suzy wasn't at her best. Maybe it was her character that was kind of odd and annoying at some point, but it just didn't work. Not that her performance wasn't great, it just felt like the role wasn't for her... The love story and the couples chemistry, moreover, was okay and really good at first, but kind of felt weak towards the middle, picked up though towards the ending. In addition, the soundtrack was perfect! Really good indeed, Scarlet heart quality (you should check it out if you're interested in OSTs). Finally, the cases: they were interesting at first, but they got weaker and weaker, especially as the story focused on the couple rather than them. So, 5 out of 10, not too bad but not too good.

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I remember watching the teaser trailer of this drama and thinking it was going to be amazing so I went into it with high hopes.
Unfortunately I have to say that it didn't meet my expectations and it was quite average. I was actually quite shocked to see the amount of praise it got because although it wasn't a horrible drama, it definitely was average at best.
The concept was interesting however the actual plot failed to engage me. It was one of those dramas that I just forced myself to watch just so I could complete it.
Overall it's not a bad drama but if you like crime/thriller dramas there are many out there that are better then this one such as 'Voice', 'Stranger', or even a more recent one like 'Flower of Evil'.

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It was quite difficult to rate this drama because there were many things that I liked but also many things that I didn't like.

The  idea itself was actually quite interesting and the first two to four  episodes were strong. Even their first case  made me quite excited. But  after that the story became somewhat watery.

The idea of their  dreams were inconsistent. Whatever the writer thought about it, she  didn't think it through and therefore created some screaming plot-holes.  The majority of the story rippled from episode to episode and never reached a real climax, even though some court scenes were entertaining.

I  think the main leads were the biggest problem of the drama. Their  acting felt kinda flat and didn't reach me. Sometimes Suzy's gaze even ruined some touching moments and made them less enjoyable. There was not much variety in her expressions and therefore felt very bland. I also don't like the way she is crying. It seemed way too forced. And what I missed the most was that she didn't made the role her own, something that would make her character memorable was missing altogether. I could have done without her scenes.

Lee Jong Suk was not at his best either. I really liked him in his other dramas but here... Whenever he smiled, it looked like some commercial input. I don't know why, maybe the way his character was written? I mean there was not even any similarity to his child version. Because it's still fresh I had to compare it to Money Flower and Jang Hyuk and his younger self were 10 times better than this here. Although I have to add that LJS got better in the last couple episodes. It reminded me a bit of Pinocchio what I loved. (And I will probably always love his eyebrows but that doesn't contribute to his acting, lol)

I admit that both of them had some funny scenes together, too, but those few didn't make up for everything else that failed to reach me while their cheesiness sometimes hit the border to "awful/cringe-worthy". Their childhood counterparts on the other hand need to be mentioned because they delivered their part perfectly.

What I really enjoyed in this drama were the sidekicks. Every single one of them were just lovable and every actor/actress contributed to the liveliness of the story. It was fun to watch their scenes, the comedy was well put in my eyes and their dynamics were well balanced. The prosecutor team, the news channel team, Woo Tak's partner in the  police force and also Hong Joo's mom. She was great.

I also enjoyed both (or all three?) second male leads way more than Lee Jong Suk. Gawd, they pulled the story forward. If it weren't for them, this could have become one tiring journey. Whether it was Woo Tak, that cute police officer who totally won me over with his charm and his performance, or Jae Chan's little brother who was just as cute in his behavior. I loved his love story as well as his scenes with his  brother. The third person to mention here would be Lee Sang Yeob. His performance was probably the best of  them all, even his character was the best written one - and what was well transformed by the actor. His development throughout the drama was palpable and made the most sense to me.

The guest roles of each case... Even though  not all of them (I didn't like the teacher), I think that most of them did a really good job with their short time given.

The ending  was... Well, without telling too much, I was happy that they went the  way I was hoping for because otherwise it would have concluded quite disappointing and as flat as the leads' acting. There was also an unnecessary event the drama could have done without, but I guess  they wanted to "close the circle". On the other hand the last trial had some nice unexpected turns. The dialogues and some clever word twists entertained me quite a lot. And I also have to add that I was very happy about the fact that the drama didn't feature any corruption. Thumbs up, because that trope is so worn out, imo.

I did like some of the songs, but I didn't like all of it. There was too much happy go lucky theme for me.

Would I recommend it? Hard to tell... If you're a hardcore Lee Jong Suk fan, probably. If you can put up with a lot of plot holes or don't judge flaws too hard, probably. If you don't expect too much, probably. This is just one of those action-crime/comedy/romance dramas that pop up out of the ground like mushrooms. It doesn't hold any specialty or uniqueness.

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I AM SO SO PLEASED THAT THIS DRAMA DIDN'T DISAPPOINT ME! After watching The Bride of Habaek and being completely disappointed, I was hesitantly looking forward to this one. The last drama I watched Suzy in, I dropped after 3 episodes. But I fell in love with LJS and was excited to see these two leads together. This drama drew me in on episode 1. Rarely ever in dramas, have I ever had a first episode grip me and keep me on the edge of my seat. The attention to detail in this drama is superb. Things that happen that don't make sense in the moment, come back full circle and leave you sitting there gasping, "SO THAT'S WHAT IT WAS!" Kudos to the writers for weaving such intricate plot points. And the finale brings everything back full circle and is so satisfying. The OST in this drama is 10/10. For me, it was on par with Goblin's OST. Which is pretty hard, to be honest. I downloaded every track and even the background music. Suzy did such an amazing job with two of her singles for this ost. The whole thing has a soothing, melancholy vibe to it. It makes me feel all cozy and relaxed.  The actors were wonderful in their roles. Even supporting ones. Suzy gets a lot of flak for her acting, but I really think she did a good job here. And of course, LJS did a great job as well. This drama sort of gave me W vibes since the tension is so ramped up every episode. And there are sooooo many plot twists. All brilliant. All executed at just the right moment to give it maximum impact. I don't know why there are so many negative reviews for this drama. It's a must watch of 2017 for sure. If you are hesitating about watching it, I urge you to just take a chance and see. A running theme through this drama is fate and chances. And how one choice could impact your entire life. So take a chance and just click the first episode and you may find this right up there on your top drama list.

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