This show was a great example of early Kdramas not being the shiny perfect ideal of life.
Some say that they don’t get the chemistry between the leads but it wouldn’t have worked if Hang Ah was always shown with stars in her eyes and rainbows coming out of her ears (and other places) Jae Ha had a wonderful rotation of his character that was never stuck in one place. On his first side he’s an ass. Then it turned, he was a coward, and again he changed to a man learning hard truths and finally became who he was meant to be. In the end I think this was the best written male character in a leadership role. (I do admit that I’ve watched Seung Gi’s roles in random order this being my third and I already know this is my favorite of his. Looking forward to Vagabond)
Before I watched this I was a fan of Jong Suk from Oh My Ghost but this was my favorite. And even though I saw his character taking that path, I enjoyed watching this serious character unlike the funny and awkward chef.
I was glad Jae Shin’s character had her hardships. If she went through this story unscathed the ending wouldn’t have been worth it. Even though she was only a side character, Jae Shin helped the audience understand the desperation of a family and friends who have no clue how to help a situation none of them have ever faced. Hang Ah’s compassion and hard love helped move the others to keep her going.
Bravo to the writers and cast. I will be looking for more of their work.