The show started out in a very promising way, and had many aspects which made me root for the show. There were a few unique traits which makes the show stand out compared to other dramas of the similar genre, but sadly it doesn't come to fruition.
The show attracted me with its realism, and the whole vibe that it created. The age gap, the workplace harassment, the societal bias and pressures, the hectic and unforgiving reality of adult life, and amongst all of this, an unconventional romance. These are the things which made the show extremely promising, but these points were not executed properly even though the show was slowly paced(which I didn't mind at all).
This show didn't have a 2nd pair of leads, which meant that, the whole show is dependent on the character development of the leads. The performance of the actors were phenomenal(probably the best thing about the show), but their character development was sub par. The obstacles towards the romance is extremely repetitive. The issues with the judgmental mother were dragged on for way too long. The female lead kept on making the same mistakes, to the point where I really started to get annoyed at the character who is supposed to be older and more mature. Then there was a pseudo breakup, which was then followed by an actual breakup which made absolutely zero sense. The whole moving to the US thing was extremely uncharacteristic of the male lead, and the circumstance just does not fit into the whole character development of the male lead. Even after the breakup, I still would have vouched for the show (even though it was unrealistic), but what ruined the show for me was the ending.
The ending really left a bitter taste, and made me feel like the time I spent wasn't worthwhile. The final episode started out quite promising, and it was very emotional, which again got my hopes up, but at the end the reconciliation and closure was so short(nearly non existent), that you don't even get time to get over the sadness and the emotions. The ending could have easily been more lengthy and the viewers could have at least finished the show on a happy and satisfied note.