I watched this drama without any knowledge of the folklore the story is based upon nor have seen any previous dramas the main leads have starred in. I picked it based on the recommendations from past titles I’ve already watched. I had no biases going in, I simply wanted wanted to be entertained without investing too much time and this drama cleanly ticked all of the above.

Viki did not carry this title in my country and as this was an old drama I had a hard time looking for it on the net so I could not really enjoy the prologue/epilogue sageuk scenes. Apparently they were funny and would have been fun to watch. I liked the plot and the fast pace although it slowed down quite a bit in the last 5 episodes. The main characters were introduced and the heart of the story was revealed in the first 30 minutes. Two things I disliked: too many brooding scenes of the 2nd lead in the final episodes and the confusing messages the FL kept giving 2nd ML . I get that he is deeply reflecting and contemplating his next steps but how many “drink alone” , “look at the window” and “stare at the necklace” scenes do we really need to get the point?

The actors did a wonderful job, special mention to male best friend, dad and Chun-hyang. Best actor definitely goes to Jae Hee who played Mung-ryong. He might be over the top sometimes but in a forgivable cute sort of way. He reminds me of the actor who played the lead role in Chief Kim (aka Good Manager), Namgung Min. I will be on the lookout for his other works. This drama touched my heart in a special way and will be in my re-watch and recommended list.