Understanding Love (2022)

Sad and Frustrating

I seen the finale at least 10 times, and I probably continue trying to reconciled with facts that they stoped loving each other. I feel so sad and frustrated at the sane time.
I have reading again the lyrics of the songs to realised that they were down the hill from beginning. The writers played with us from day one and give us some sort of hope in the chapter 16 finale.
Too late !!! Unfortunately my hope for a love history was just down the rubbish bin.
Although in my desesperación for them to find their love back, the open ending give me the opportunity to dream
- If they could have a fresh beginning after opening they’ hart’s realised finally after get to the top of the oblivion they were destined to be together.
I hope the writers would give us a better ending in the future when they write a Drama like this. We need a closures as well however I fund the acting and the production excelente!!!

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Realistic relationships? Just an overly sugarcoated toxic scandal.

The story was supposed to be about the romantic relationships of four people in the same workplace. I expected so much when I saw the gist, and the character backgrounds.

An average bank clerk who is quickly going up the ranks because of his good performance.
A charismatic young assistant manager who is all about her independence and self-reliance.
A young security officer of the lowest rung trying to achieve his dream of joining the police force.
A high school graduate trying to fight her way up in a discriminatory workplace, to become more than a replaceable labourer.

How did these 4 people's lives turn out to become a romance sob story in the hands of writers and directors?

From the overused OST, locations, art pieces, to the strikingly similar portrayal of the 4 main characters, was extremely off putting. I don't think I have enough fingers and toes to count the amount of scenes with Ahn Su Yeong walking or sitting with that blank lost look with the same OST in the background. I almost lost it when I saw people describe this drama to have portrayed relationships realistically, because I just want to know what kind of rose tinted worlds do you guys live in?

No relationships are like this. This was supposed to be a melodrama, emotions are supposed to run high, conflicts highlighted, with raw feelings and actions dramatised. There was nothing like that in here. Even during a critical scene like the one where Sang Su finds out Ahn Su Yeong slept with his best friend, the same sad romantic music played, and he right afterwards, Sang Su just kept up his lover boy act. Like I get he is supposed to be hopelessly in love, but is it even possible for someone to act that way?

Sang Su likes someone else but is dating his junior from college, and it wasn't like Mi Gyeong and him had no chemistry at all. But he is just shown as hopelessly in love with Su Yeong to the point that he was just wavering everyday. His struggles with Mi Gyeong and the reality of a possible miserable married with her could have been highlighted, and we could have gotten more backstory on him, but nothing connected. His mother was just a character that was there to emphasise his feelings towards Su Yeong.

Su Yeong just ended up buckling to the pressure and discrimination of society and love failure. And like every other character with a failed love life, ends up opening a cafe. The writer gave so much about her background and family, but never explored into her character itself, and the personality was all soft and wrong. She always had this I am depressed about life look, while I imagined someone like her to have a stronger personality. It is no easy feat to become a senior bank clerk without going to college, but everything is focused on the romance. And do you know how expensive it is to run a cafe in a city like Seoul?

Jeong hyun that boyfriend, also could have had a great story coming to terms with finances and the reality of the world and trying to get to his dreams through all that. But it gave me a really bad feeling that his success came from following the instructions of a girl he liked, and had no mind of his own, other than to feel ashamed by his circumstances. In reality, he would have never made it that far with that attitude of his.

Mi Gyeong's relationship with her father could have been the highlight of her storyline, but what was that really sorry conclusion? She just accepted it like that? I had expected her to have a strong personality different from Su Yeong but strong. Someone that understood the privileges she had given how much she preached about independence. In fact, I agreed with that friend of hers who called her out at that wedding banquet. Thought herself as better than others.

Overall, it was consistently slow and boring with such a disappointing storyline. I get this is a romance Melo, but life is not just all romance, rain and tears...honestly disappointing. The only character I liked was that office worker who got pregnant with her third child at the end. There was something so down to earth and straightforward about her character I couldn't help but appreciate.

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It was good drama

I am here to write a review as I don’t agree with the rating and honestly I put all 10 so the rating will go high but my actual rating is like 8 to 8.2

This drama is okey with me or let me say my rate is 8 out of 10. I was hesitant to watch because of the low rating but I still watch because I love both the leads.

It’s melodrama that’s why it’s slow phase.
It’s so low rating because MAYBE some people are used to see the Female lead in school or teen set up drama like or not sure. Actually the Female lead role in this drama is in the mature role (Mature in Life) and I just now realized that matured role (Mature in Life not like sex and kissing scene mature role LoL) is okey with the Female lead.

And for the ending, I think it’s a bit of happy ending because the Male lead made her feel that he loves him and so the female lead do so. They let each other know that they still love each other in a different way.

So for anyone doesn’t like melodrama then don’t watch:-)

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Torturously realistic to the point of pessimism

This is a very well-written show with well-developed characters. None of the characters are shown to be particularly good or particularly bad - but as human beings, which is something I greatly appreciate as a writer and avid drama-watcher. The realistic themes covered here will definitely get the viewer to think long and hard about our societal framework and how that can either help or hinder our happiness.

Another thing I like is the acting of the main four. Though all of them are subtle with their emotions, they still form distinct personalities which make for great performances overall. Understated acting is perhaps one of the hardest types of acting to accomplish, so I believe the lead actors did a superb job with their characters, being neither overdramatic nor wooden.

A warning for those who want a happy ending: you will be sorely disappointed. The ending is an unconventional one which feels like a missed target. Especially with the emotionally-draining situations the characters are often stuck in, not experiencing even one moment of true happiness, the ending feels like somewhat of a waste, especially for viewers like me who watched the drama as it aired. If you decide to watch this show, be careful to not get too emotionally invested in the main characters as I did.

To close, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys rich character development and unpredictable, yet realistic outcomes. The best part of this show is how incredibly human the characters are, which is something I believe needs to be shown more in movies and TV.

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Avoid

Might appear as realistic drama but
Gives you Depressing , negative, frustrating and toxic vibes thru out watching the drama……………….,…..
Should have called Misery Loves Company. The story is about a woman who makes everyone miserable and suffer around her. She makes the ML suffer for five years because he hesitated on the first date……….,,…….

I don’t usually write reviews but this one I just got deceived by the title, lead actors and Netflix banner………………

I think this is one series where viewers don’t feel sad even though the ending is ???

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The Interest of Misunderstandings

Looks like it's about a huge hot steaming pile of misunderstandings between the love interests. I've only seen the ML in Mr. Sunshine and Narco Saints. He really shone in his role in Mr. Sunshine, my GF thought it is worth a try with this series because of that. At this point, I'm not sure what to make of this. It is slow for sure. By the first four episodes, the story should sink their claws into the viewers to keep them engaged. It kind of meanders and you don't really feel much between the ML and FL. Are we supposed to root for them? It goes straight to the ML having a crush on the FL, he timidly tries to go after her; some misunderstandings take place which shuts the whole thing down. Since their love story is supposed to be the main arc of this romance drama, it would be better if episodes were dedicated to the build up and process of him falling in love with her instead of through a flashback of how she was helpful to him when he started at the bank.

The scene where she trips and falls into the SML arms accidentally, it felt like a good long while before she disengages herself from him. It was used as a plot device to add to the whole hot pile of misunderstandings. It could have been more realistic since people who aren't close to each other don't linger like that and it was not clear if she was attracted to the SML for her to pause like that. The trope of tripping and falling into the man's arms is so overused in the KDramas and CDramas. At least he didn't catch her by the waist and swung her around in slow motion while the love ballads are played in the background and the confetti falls.

The actors and actresses acted well in their parts and have good visuals but so far the story is missing some key ingredients.

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Pity me please!

This must be the most frustrating series I have ever watched.

I dont know how many times I wished to flip the table, chairs , tv and everything around me because of frustration.

The characters are walking on eggshells around each other the entire time and makes me want to pull out all of my hair.

The level of self pity and the need for sympathy by all of the characters is just depressing!

It would make a world of difference to everyone's lives if they'd stop walking on a tightrope and grow some balls and be honest to each other.

The only saving grace in the entire series thus far is the pilot ep. I'm not even a fan of cringey kdrama romcoms but I wanted that fluffy, cutsey and happy vibes back again but instead as the show went on it just got slower and depressing.

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A relationship black hole that sucks the joy out of everything it touches

This show is a melodrama build upon notions of love. Note that I didn't say a romantic melodrama because in a way, this show is the antithesis of romance.

I watched 11 episodes before deciding to shelve it until it finishes its run. After reading final comments and reviews, I’ve decided to drop the show as it is actually worse than expected.

The setting of the drama is rather claustrophobic. It is a suburban bank branch with about 10 workers. The work environment is not particularly harmonious. There is a degree of workplace harassment and obvious office politicking. The employees have a propensity to gossip. Dating rumours springs up all the time. In this melting pot we find our leads.

The FL is smart and capable but only has a high school diploma. She came from a poor family and has a tragic backstory. Possibly suffering from PTSD after her brother's untimely death. The ML is a bit bumbling and was trained by the FL and yet he was promoted ahead of her by deem of his college degree. They worked together for several years before the ML finally decided to confess to the FL but she rejected him because of her inferiority complex and it is her way to avoid being rejected later.

Into this already sad state of affair is airdropped the rich and entitled SFL who was a classmate of the ML. If this is not enough, they added a SML who is working part-time at the bank as a security guard while he tries to pass the police entrance exam. He is struggling financially and surviving hand to mouth while support his parents. You can imagine his outlook on life. It definitely does not involve rainbows and unicorns. This square shaped cauldron is fast boiling over.

The writer-nim gave this witches' brew a good stir and we ended up with two tenuous and unfulfilling entanglements and a two-timing third (up to end of ep.10). The relationship between the ML and the SFL is a cat and mouse game of desire, greed and loathing. The SFL showers the ML with expensive gifts and the promise of a fast track up the corporate ladder. The ML is on a rebound and the honeytrap is hard to ignore. Nevertheless, his pride is hurt and he knows that he is hitting above his weight.

On the other hand, the FL reluctantly accepted the SML because she needs someone to distract her from the ML. On top of that, she sees the SML being in a worse position than her and for once, she can help him and claim the moral high ground. In both relationships, love or its facsimile, is overshadowed by a plethora of mixed feelings and twisted rationales. Needless to say there is constant foreboding as we watch on with tenterhooks.

By now, the show has created a pressure cooker where all those flawed characters are forced to live and work. Is this realistic? I'm not convinced. It is overbearing and distorted. There are tendrils of reality but the weightiness is too much for such a small space so it collapsed into a black hole. It sucks all the joy from the characters and much of the viewing pleasures.
We are confronted with situations where lies, disdain, trepidation and regrets sour and poison relationships at every turn. This is angsty, frustrating as well as unrewarding for the viewers. The writer-nim baits us into shipping the CP's only to offer up heartbreaks instead. Cobbe could have used this show as case study for schadenfreude.

It is a real struggle to keep watching by the end of ep.11. The dread is palpable. I'd return to the show in a heartbeat if there is even a hint of a happy ending or a satisfying but sad conclusion to the OTP's love line. Alas, from what I learn from feedbacks, the writer-nim double downed on the tortuous plot and littered the rest of the narrative with sad, broken and disillusioned people. I gather the show is unsatisfying and ambiguous to the bitter end. I suppose when you are in a graveyard spiral, you can't expect a soft landing.

The sad fact is that both the production and acting from most of the cast are good, especially the ML. He got put through the spin cycle and have to slog through a range of heighten emotions. The FL is not wooden, but she has distilled the essence of self preservation into her pose. Not much chance of second lead syndrome, no sir.

In the end, the script is the main culprit. Too much is never enough for our writer-nim so we ended up with this tsunami of relationship woes that spreads and consuming all before it. Love, desire, longing and fulfilment are cornerstones of a romance drama and this show is largely an antithesis of that.

To those who has finished this show, Salut! Thank you for taking one for the team. Peace out.

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OVERRATED - FRUSTRATING - ANNOYING

This should be the most overrated dramas of 2023. Really frustrating leads who is surprisingly annoying.
.
The story:
It's a dumbass story where it portrays a pathetic male lead who is really in love with the female from the very beginning but somehow when he had a chance to date her he was lost in this frikin' imagination/doubt which was really childish.
The female lead is just a b***ch. This frustrating human is really damaged. She has no clue what she wants & she keeps on playing mind games with people around her. Especially the two male leads. She knows that the male lead really loves her yet she petends like she doesn’t.
Both of these losers got someone who strongly loves them but these dumbs don't know who they should love. The second leads are really the ones that deserves love but they are kind of off also. Especially the male one.
Genre:
It's not a romance genre. It should be cheating genre. Everone is cheating with someone else. Everyone is hiding something. Literally everyone.
.
Rating: Frustrating/10

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Give me my time back

I should have known from episode 1 that this series was not for me. I love fairy tales, happily ever afters, empowering, concrete endings and etc but I can also enjoy a decent bitter sweet series but this one was one of the worst experiences for me in the supposed romantic genre. In all fairness, just because the word love is in the title should not grant automatic permission to be placed in the romance genre. Whew!!! This was a depressing toxic mess.

We have a male and female lead who clearly like each other but they never get together. Why? The FL got issues…….
Just because she’s calm and quiet doesn’t redeem her at all.

ML like female lead, very evident. She goes through great lengths to push him away, only to slightly give hope again. So what you’ll view is a man in love with a woman getting disregarded, then given hope, then being hurt and pushed away. No dating. Just a guy falling in love with someone who got emotional issues. Never really getting accepted.

From the female standpoint she didn’t do anything g wrong by not being with a guy.

From a viewers standpoint we watch a sincere mans ‘ affections get trampled. The end.


There’s no healthy love here. There’s no dating. This is one of those experiences someone has gone through that you remember but it’s certainly not something you’d want to watch.

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This is not a love story

This is not a romance kdrama. This is a story of 4 people trying their best to find companionship in a world that is often too cold for them.

To be fair, I can see why people don't like this. The plot is very slow, the characters are quite downbeat and it doesn't seem like there's any point to watching this. People like watching kdramas to see leads get their big happy ending. But this drama is definitely one where it's more about the journey than the destination.

The main 4 characters you'll be taking the journey with are very complex, nuanced and realistic. They make bad decisions because people make bad decisions. They hold back their words and feelings because very often, it is hard to be brave and outspoken with someone you like. They get into relationships for the wrong reasons because that's what happens in the real world too. No human or relationship is perfect, and this drama reflects that.

If you want to watch this drama, you have to accept that you will be frustrated. You will be annoyed at the leads. You will wish things happened a little faster. I had all these feelings. But you also grow to understand them. You can see why they make the decisions they do, even if you don't like it. But just like you can't judge the decisions of a friend, you can't judge these characters' decisions either. You just have to let them make their mistakes and hope that they get their happy ending.

The 4 main actors did a fantastic job. They bring every facet of their character to life so vividly. And they're the main reason I stuck with it to the end. This drama has flaws for sure. It is slow and can become quite repetitive. But I liked it all the same, because it really is like a window to 4 human lives, in all their complexity and contradictions.

You'll like this if you enjoy dramas like My Mister or My Liberation Notes (though it isn't on the same level as those). If you're a traditional rom-com enjoyer, this isn't for you. There are no big gestures, dramatic plot twists or majestic words here. It's just 4 people doing everything they can to find someone they can be at peace with. If you want to see that journey, then watch this.

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Implicit explanation of an implicit idea

Since ep5 I’ve been shouting at TV. The story is infuriating.
Absolutely infuriating. Throwing in a few class differences, sexism issues, bad biz practices doesn’t make it a good story!

What a sh*t character she has!
Her character is beyond comprehension. She came across so bad to me! He is a bit better, but not much!

What saved it for me was the acting.
Kudos to the two leads, it carried a story that could have easily be done in a film!! And all supporting roles were good.

It will be interesting to see if people who can watch it in one go think - watching it weekly was ok, tho the writes ears are probably burning!

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