Was It Love is one of my most anticipated dramas in 2020 since it has Son Ho-jun as one of the leads. When the synopsis for the drama's story came out, it struck me as unique but somewhat familiar (Mamma Mia). A love pentagon (or even hexagon) is not something you often find in TV shows or even movies. It piques interest, but having too many characters in a 16-episode drama could lead to a mess if not written well. That is precisely what happened here. But then, the actors who played those characters were actually the ones who saved it and made this mess beautiful.

STORY:
Was It Love basically revolves around Noh Ae-jeong (AJ): her life, her dream, her love life. But branching off from her story is also the story of her daughter, Ha-nee (HN): a daughter looking for her dad. Around these themes the story moved.
Despite not receiving enough salary from her work in Thumb Film, AJ remained loyal to the company because she doesn't want to give up on her dream of becoming a well-known film producer. A certain misfortune led to four men appearing (again) in her life. Three of them have known her for a long time, one is reminded of a woman from his past because of her.
Despite her annual wish to not be curious about her father, HN coincidentally stumbles upon an item that led her to search for that person in her life that her mother wants her to consider as good as dead. Four men become daddy candidates.
NAJ's encounter with the four men led to an unraveling of a part of her past she didn't know she needed to see: particularly her past with Oh Dae-o (DO) - her ex-boyfriend and the writer and director of the movie she will be producing.

As much as I want to organize the drama's plot in a good, spoiler-free summary, I have to say that would be close to impossible, since it is a mess. So let me turn your attention to the saving element of the drama:

ACTING:
All the actors in this drama have done a splendid job with their roles. Only those who are inherently antagonistic will be the one you will hate (still that's a good thing - their acting was very much effective. LOL)
PROPS to Son Ho-jun who successfully made us ride the rollercoaster of his emotions as DO throughout the drama. You'd want to hit him when he's annoying, laugh at him when he's being pathetic, cry with him when he's hurting, and feel relieved when he is finally able to smile. His acting skills is a big reason for you to watch this drama.
APPLAUSE to Song Ji-hyo for portraying a new kind of female lead: a main character you'd like to hate but cannot help but cheer for. Her emotional scenes in the last episodes of the drama were the ones that moved my heart.
KUDOS to the rest of the cast, especially Um Chae-young who played the role of the mature and loving daughter HN, Kim Young-ah who made the role of ever reliable Sook-hee come alive, Kim Min-jun whose minimal scenes as Koo Pa-do never failed to capture the viewers, Song Jong-ho whose versatility as an actor was evident in his role as Ryu-jin (colorful!), Kim Dasom who once again dissolved into a role she nailed well, Joo A-rin (crazy af, but can't help but like her!), Koo Ja-sung who played the role of someone unrealistic but still swoon-worthy Oh Yeon-woo (he has potentials, may he receive more dynamic roles in the future) and the most loveable mother actress in K-drama land, Kim Mi Kyung.
The hard work of Was It Love team from the director, to the actors and staff members is also a good reason for you to watch the drama.

MUSIC:
Was It Love OST helped a lot in taking the viewers back to the college days of the main characters. In particular, the original and Korean version of The Cranberries' song, "Dreams", the remake of "Was It A Real Love" and "Me These Days" have that early 2000s sound which would not fail to take you back to 2006.

RECOMMENDATION:
As I've mentioned, overall, Was It Love is a beautiful mess. Messy overall, but there are particular moments in this drama that are worth everyone's attention. To be fair to the writer, a number of dialogue in the drama were able to strike a "I can so relate" cord in the hearts of the viewers. That's why, if you don't mind getting emotional, frustrated, annoyed and angry while watching a drama, (binge) watch this.

However, if you're the type who, by just one look, see the predictability of a plot; are particular with the sensibility, stability and consistency of the story and its characters; or not a huge fan of any of the actors--spare yourself the time and just watch it when you don't have anything else to see. But I must warn you, if you watch it, it'll end up getting stuck somewhere inside you.

Come to think of it, Was It Love is a story like our own lives: a beautiful mess. The only way to appreciate it is to love it. Enjoy!