Is It Fate? (2024)

didn’t want it to end

This was so worth every minute ! I loved how cute , sweet and thoughtful the ML was . How true the FL was to her feelings. And how it all came back to fate for them to be together ?

I truly couldn’t stop smiling ☺️ as I watched this. Made my heart melt !!! From the very first episode to the last I was hooked. The only thing i will complain about and I didn’t like was the fact it was only 8 episodes, I wanted more of them together. I wanted to see how things turned out between the ML mom and his little drama forcing him to go back to the US. I truly recommend this as it’s is a must see to watch !!! And is just to good to miss.

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Cliched , cute & fluffy romcom, done right

This drama's plot and story is quite common.... but this drama has all the elements in right amount. At first, the male lead Kang hoo young looks quite unsocial and aloof but he has a crush on and acts different in front of the female lead Lee hong joo. The female lead Hong joo is bubbly ,cheerful, clumsy, girl's girl type of person, who loves her best friend and helping her by any means to make her love life work with the ml. However, it was quite not fun watching Kim So Hyun playing essentially the same role in another romcom.
Their coincidences plot in this drama is common (like stumbling upon her in the street or living in the same house chance)..... at first it was funny because of the initial stage of the story . But eventually everything seemed coincidence to prove that they were destined lovers witch was quite dull. I get it the name is " is it destiny" but the bicycle scene or infirmary scene is too much. And Hong joo not realizing Hoo young's feelings after ALL those things he did was frustrating !!!
Hong joo and Hye ji's scenes were a charm of this drama. The way hye ji is soo protective of hong joo and kinda tested hoo young made their friendship look real. The actor playing Hye ji acted so naturally that I couldn't know she was much older than SH.
Bang jun ho being in the drama made it fun... their past reminiscing scenes or way he looks at Hong joo gave me butterflies and tbh the reason for him leaving was quite lame. The actor really did a good job.
Other than the leads the supporting actors played their role vey well. This is a cliche , simple romcom but it was executed right. The story wasn't over dramatic other than some scenes and that was fun too. It reminded me of 'more than friends' and '20th century girl' . Overall, the drama ended really beautifully ,wasn't unnecessarily lengthy and the songs & visuals were pretty too a which made me rate this drama 8.5.

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Short and sweet

This was a perfectly fine drama full of very easy to like characters who had confidence in themselves and others. Because of this, I think the strongest part of Serendipity's Embrace are the friendships and family relations, giving us a glimpse at how the people we choose are a fundamental part of how we deal with life.

The friend group was particularly special and wonderful to watch, and I loved to see a healthy portrayal of women supporting each other and, also, the possibility of being friends with the opposite sex without any romantic entanglement.

Story-wise this was a very sweet and stress free romance but I do think it wasted too much time on the flashbacks to the leads' high school days to establish their "strong connection". I get it, they were meant to be even back then but I am far more interested in their relationship now as adults than days and opportunities already gone.

That said, I was a little disappointed in the use of mental health issues to excuse bad behaviour or troupes that belong in the 2000s, were we left them for good reason. All of these are embodied in one particular character that we could have done without.

So if you are looking for a short and sweet kdrama to pass the time, this is it.

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a quick watch with lots of good feels, fun rom-com, and a very apt title!

I really liked this show, short and sweet!

If you are looking for a feel good, cozy and nostalgic romance, this is it. It will make you reminisce your school days and your old crushes. The chemistry between the actors is amazing, no misunderstanding trope (we love a healthy communicative relationship!) I feel like the decisions that the characters made were also grounded in reality which is not very common in romcom dramas lol

Overall, its a short drama so easier to watch, good acting, good storyline though not life changing and good romance! Would 100% recommend and worth your time!

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A Very Generic Romance Story

I was really excited about this show for a while since it was advertised like crazy and I love Chae Jong Hyeop and Kim So Hyun as actors. After watching this show in one night, I have to say I’m slightly disappointed with how the show went. I expected over the top cuteness, since it was advertised as a pure romance yet I finished a little unsatisfied. Keep reading this post to find out more about the show!

I give this show a 6.5/10. It is sweet and I love the actors, however, the storyline is overdone. The overbearing mother who is trying to force the ML to go back to America because she wants to be controlling? The FL who fears being abandoned? The Ex that left her without giving her a reason and comes back and wants her back? The romance that is all based on fate/ coincidence? It’s all over-done and has been seen before many times. Therefore, the ideas and concepts didn’t feel fresh at all. It was just a sweet watch, however, nothing felt unique.

BEWARE OF SPOILERS!!!






What Episode did the Main Couple Start Dating?
Hong Ju and Hu Yeong start to date in Episode 5. Hu Yeong confesses and kisses Hong Ju in Episode 4, however, she’s extremely flustered and keeps trying to avoid him. Hye Ji and Hong Ju talk in episode 5 about how making relationships complicated isn’t necessary since you never know what will happen and what will hurt them, so they should go for it. Hong Joo also has a dream that night where she sees Jun Oh is leaving and she tells him to stop showing up in her dream, and then Hu Yeong enters the dream and he says he’s going back to America and that she won’t stop him, and then he asks one last time if he really wants her to go. After this dream is over, Hong Joo decides she should just go for it, and tells Hu Yeong that she doesn’t want him to go back to America and kisses him.

Hong Joo’s Past
I thought they would elaborate more on this. However, the plot point is just there to show her fear of being abandoned. They don’t add any more to this topic. I was hoping to see why her mom abandoned her, and what her aunt and uncle did after one of the scenes where they show them talking about what to do with her because the aunt is pregnant. Yet, they never go back to it. It felt disappointing to be honest that it was never explored more.

Misunderstandings?
There are some misunderstandings between Hong Ju and Hu Yeong in episode 7. This is when Hu Yeong’s mom stirs up shit saying that he changes girlfriends too much and she’ll end up getting hurt if she stays with him. Hu Yeong also finds out that she might be working on Jun Oh’s animation project for his book and was butt hurt that she never told him. Yet, Hong Ju gets mad that he was mad about that because she doesn’t believe that he should care or that he saw how much she liked Jun Oh.

This gets solved literally a few scenes later when Hong Joo watches two students escape from the bushes, that Hu Yeong was there during the time she escaped school to go to confess to Jun Oh and saw her cry and dread over him before. Hu Yeong also learns that she has a fear of people who leave her behind without telling her why or saying goodbye, which is why she kept putting her distance from him and always saying goodbye, since he left the last time without saying bye.

Love Triangles?
LOL. This show is a fat love triangle/ square/ pentagon? Hong Ju likes Jun Oh, but Hu Yeong likes Hong Ju, and Hye Ji likes Hu Yeong and then I’m pretty sure Kwon Sang Pil likes Hye Ji. However, it's done very decently and doesn’t make it a big deal, if anything it just makes it more amusing.

A little love for the 2nd Couple
The 2nd couple in the beginning I didn’t care for. However, by the end they stole my heart. I actually enjoyed their story more than the main couple because I was giggling, kicking my feet and flailing my arms in the air when Gyeong Taek finally confessed to Hye Ji. It was such a funny, yet cute moment for someone who struggled with showing his feelings outwardly. His stuttering and hiccuping and then screaming I love you three times, was just so cute.

Then, when he finally agrees to let their relationship be known and he puts her heel on her feet, and grabs her hand and looks straight into her dad’s eyes to say “Abbu-nim, I'll take her”, and her dad at first says in a half angry voice “my daughter?” And then says super happily, “take her” and he picks her up princess style and runs away giggling that the dad accepted them, was just so funny and cute.

Serendipity’s Embrace Ending
The show ends with a sweet scene of Hong Ju meeting Hu Yeong at the airport to accompany him on his trip to America. She uses up all her vacation days she has saved up to go with him and be with him for a while as he settles his score with his mother regarding the lawsuit.

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Satisfying

This drama is only 8 eps long which is half the length of a typical k-drama. As such it is tightly focused on the A-plot and not weighted down by filler subplots. It almost has a j-drama feel.

The plot is straightforward yet nuanced. A chance meeting of two school friends after 10 years apart reignites a half forgotten school yard romance.

It is quite cute and swoon worthy as they rediscover the spark that drew them together in the first place. Of course, typical to this type of romance drama, it is the ML who carried the torch in silence. The reappearance of the SML who is the ex-BF of FL does complicate things. He disappeared 3 years ago without warning. Similarly, the ML immigrated to the US 10 years previous also without a parting word. As you can tell, abandonment is a theme of this drama.

Luckily, with so few hours to fill, any confused feelings and misunderstandings are steadily resolved and the leads lived happily ever after. Alas, it might have ended that way if we were in Tokyo but we are in Seoul hence things got complicated with the return of the meddling/controlling mum.

This is no loud and whiney ajumma but a classic queen bee with power and money to back up her words. It is as tropey as it gets. To be honest, this is probably the worst case scenario. The writer-nim double downed on it as well. It is challenging to watch as our leads are always respectful to her but she is willing to play dirty behind their backs. It got to the point where she is willing to entrap him in legal quagmire just to bring him to heel. It is hard to understand what she hope to gain from that approach as the ML is a well educated and a highly intelligent man. Being respectful is one thing, being cowed is totally different. It will not end well. In that regard, I’m glad that our leads are strong and mature enough to stand up to her and did not bend to her will. It will get messy, but a strong relationship needs to be tested (according to drama lore).

In terms of acting, our leads are in their elements. They have done similar roles before, and it shows. The support cast is fine. Several of them are there to provide comic relief. This is largely true for the 2CP. It is still a bit of mystery to me why the 2FL is so keen on the 2ML. He has the social skill of a block of wood and does not have a romantic bone in him. Never mind, it provides an interesting contrast to the swoon-y romance of our OTP. The writer-nim even find room for a 3CP but their relationship is tenuous to say the least.

In a sea of draggy dramas, this is a breath of fresh air. The storytelling is direct but still has depth. It is not burdened by extraneous side plots like crazed stalker or murders. The drama is not angst free but it is rewarding to watch our leads fall in love and grow stronger day by day. I enjoyed this drama and can recommend it if you want a weekend binge.

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A Beautiful Romance That Traverses Time and Tide

When I watched the pilot episodes, we were led to believe something else, but the reality is all together different!

So, I remember commenting that the synopsis and plotline were misleading; sadly they weren’t. Not exactly on point and yet, unhinged. Starring Kim So Hyun, Chae Jong Hyeop, Kim Da Som, Yun Ji On, “Serendipity’s Embrace” has messy love triangles, adorable friendships and a vengeful mother hellbent on destruction. The highlight of this show is obviously the somber romance which has inevitably been dragged on for a decade. While the initial episodes dwell into Kang Hu Yeong’s supposedly unrequited feelings and longing; the second half is a mature interpretation of Lee Hong Ju’s redressal. The script is carefully curated to portray their love, struggles and inner fears, as it depicts their soulful love story. The childhood romance is blissful and angsty, yet endearing. Let’s get to know them better!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/08/14/serendipitys-embrace-series-review/

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My delicious margherita pizza.

This drama is like a delicious margherita pizza.
There is so many pizza recipes out there, but the margherita pizza is the basis of them all.
When the ingredients are top quality and the recipe is well executed. You got a delicious margherita pizza that you cannot help but devour.

I have the same feeling about this drama. The story is simple: two former high schoolers reconnect after 10 years. The Male Lead had a big hidden crush on Female Lead. What will happen?

I was more and more drawn to this simple story full of clichés and tropes but the drama is so well executed that none of the tropes nor the clichés seemed annoying or out of places.
I found myself rooting for the Lead's romance at every single moment until the 8th final episode.

So, if you like a well executed classic k-drama rom-com featuring strong-witted leads and good side stories, this drama is for you.

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Why make 28-30 year olds behave like teenagers?

Mini series about the reunion 10 years later, of 2 high school friends, the ML and the FL. The ML has always loved the FL, but she has an ex and her bestie had a crush for the ML since 11 years.

The pace is a bit slow (annoying) and the FL is blah (without real expression & I'm not talking about the fake kisses), but there's Chae Jong Hyeop!

I wish the FL was different ? but it was somewhere a good watch. There were some parts for me, that were boring (too many flashbacks). I'm really happy for the ML though, I hope he keeps leading great dramas, definitely a great actor.

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very basic but cute

I watched this drama because Kim Sohyun was in it. Overall it's really basic as the characters and story follow predictable and generic script. The story was basic and so were the character personalities and their status. As generic as it was, I really liked it, the main couple was really nice but the second couple really caught my eye as they were fun to watch and seemed to have good chemistry. The music in the drama is really nice and adds so much to the scenes. I also liked how this drama focused a lot on 'first love' and how sometimes these kinds of things can be unsuccessful. The ending was quite wholesome and left me smiling. I got bored at some point after it kept dragging on but I am so glad they left it at 8 episodes, one more episode and it would have been way too long for the short and basic storyline.

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