Mixed Thoughts and Feelings

I have a lot of mixed feelings and thoughts about this drama.

I first tried to watch it a long time ago before I knew who Lee Dong Wook was and couldn't get into it.
I am not a big fan of the arrogant CEO/Leading Man trope, especially the ones where they are not only arrogant but emotionally and verbally abusive as well. And this one seemed even worse than others I've watched as he is also physically abusive here as well and it was hard for me to see a reason to continue.
After becoming a fan of Lee Dong Wook I decided to try to give it another chance simply because he was in it. It took more than one attempt though. On the third try I pushed through the first few episodes. Once I managed that I found that this story has a lot more depth and complexity than the other arrogant, abusive CEO stories. It revealed the origins of how he became that way. Showed him having true insight and desire to change. Instead of being like other romances where he just changes out of nowhere simply because he likes the girl (or sometimes doesn't change, but the girl ends up liking him anyway).

I think there were a lot of things I still didn't like about the story, but I found a lot more to like than I expected I would too.

The main reason I like it is because Lee Dong Wook is often so wonderful to just watch. He is so expressive. Especially when he's showing his gentle side. There were times when his anger seemed quite forced and unnatural in this show though.

There were lots of moments that were pure, over the top, ridiculousness that I didn't care for too.

What I liked second most, was Han Jung Soo as Secretary Go. He portrays such an unlikely blend of hotness and adorableness. He made me laugh a lot and made me want to hug him.

But there were things about the story that, if one looks for it, shows more meaning than one might expect initially.

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The Side/Second Love Story Is Atrocious

I would give this show more stars except I find the side story for the second couple so horribly awful.
I find the kind of lies and manipulation going on there appalling, and not at all funny or cute. It doesn't make sense either. I find it kind of mind boggling that the writers and producers went forward with this. I think the couple could be quite cute together if it weren't for this messed up storyline.
I have an extension on my browser that lets me speed up videos, so I'm using it to speed through the scenes with the second leads. But this storyline is honestly making it hard for me to continue watching the rest of the series, as it's taking away from my enjoyment of the main storyline.

I don't love the "white lies" told in the main storyline, but at least they're not on quite the same level as the stupid, appalling, and horrible lies the CEO is telling in the side storyline, and the reasoning behind them does make some sort of sense. I find the chemistry between the main couple enjoyable. While I'm not a fan of the cutesy, babyish ways of the female lead I don't find it annoying either, and it makes sense for the storyline. When the ML assumes she's stupid because of the way she looks and behaves she decides to double down on that impression, hiding her true intelligence from him. Slowly the ML seems to realize there's more to her than his snap judgment initially led him to believe.

For me the best thing about this show though is the scenery. It's so absolutely beautiful. The way this has been filmed is really great too. Visually this series is very soothing and peaceful to watch.

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