Profile Drama: Love to Hate You (연애대전) Network: Netflix Episodes: 10 Release Date: February 10, 2023 Language: Korean Country: South Korea
Plot: A top star and a lawyer fake a relationship because of a scandal but ends up falling in love.
Main Cast Yoo Teo – Nam Kangho Kim Okvin – Yeo Miran Kim Ji Hoon – Do Won Jun Go Won Hee – Shin Na Eun
Review: Finally, a straight up romcom without murders or fantasy elements!! I wasnt planning on watching this until i saw the preview. Enemies to lovers? Top star and lawyer? Sassy lady vs Cool guy? Count me in!
I love Miran. She’s feisty, assertive and can beat the guys in any game or fights. No wonder Kangho was so impressed at this “unusual” woman. He doesnt get to meet a lot of them in his work. I love the maturity of their relationship even the dates and bed scenes looked more age appropriate and natural. I laughed at the scene where she spoke aegyo to Kangho while on the phone. She was so shocked that she can do aegyo, even the lawyers in the office were grossed out. LOL.
I also like Kangho, he looks cold but is actually playful and romantic when he finally got past his trauma. His bromance with his bestie was so funny and cute. I wouldnt have minded if they ended up together! i mean that scene in the early episodes when they were rehearsing a confession/kiss scene was so hot!
The second leads are cute but I wasnt as charmed by their story like the leads. Most of the time Na Eun was in love with Won Jun because of his looks and kept stopping him because of it (like hello, he wasn’t interested then!). On the other hand, Won Jun prolly fell in love because she understood him or was the only other female he can comfortably talk to.
This drama probably takes a jab at actors and actresses who look like they are friends in public but actually hates their guts in private. And all the insider rumors that go around the industry. Again, fans and netizens should also stop obsessing on their faves and let them live their own lives. Im imagining Lee Seunggi as I watched this show and how awful fans have been to him because of his upcoming wedding.
That super cringy public confession. I’m so glad Miran didn’t accept! The ending although is not bad is also not especially fantastic. But it also feels like it’s more realistic and the two leads stayed true to their characters.
Sometimes the vocalizing background music didnt fit the scene or was too loud.
Drama: Good Job (굿잡) Network: ENA, Olleh TV, Seezn Episodes: 12 Release Date: August 24 – September 29, 2022 Runtime: Wed. & Thu. 21:00 Country: South Korea
Plot: A young CEO of the Eun Kang Group sidelines as a detective to investigate who killed his mother years ago. He runs a small detective agency with his best friend lawyer Jinmo. He meets Don Sera during one of his cases and the two decide to work together to solve Sunwoo’s mother’s death.
Main Cast Jung Il Woo – Eun Sunwoo Kwon Yuri – Don Sera Eum Mun Suk – Yang Jinmo Song Sang Eun – Sa Nahee Yoon Sun Woo – Kang Tae Joon Lee Joon Hyuk – Director Hong Hong Woo Jin – Kim Jae Ha
Review This was so light and fun and easy to watch! The plot is simple but I like their silly disguises and solving cases. This drama reminds me a lot like Bruce Wayne (Sunwoo) and his secret batcave and alterego as Batman (Sunwoo as a detective), with his sidekick Robin (Jinmo), Batgirl (Sera — ok Batgirl is not Batman’s love interest but you get what I mean) and Alfred (Director Hong).
The show was mostly carried by the great chemistry between the main leads Sera and Sunwoo and the second leads Jinmo and Nahee. They were funny, sweet, romantic. Esp Sera and Sunwoo — whew!! I wish they get together in real life! (Time to watch Bossam!). I also loved the bromance between Sunwoo and his best friend Jin Mo — they know each other so well that they also have a Plan B.
I also liked all the OST songs. Too bad they didn’t release an album.
On the other hand, the villain is predictable (well, at least to me), I felt like he tried too hard to be like Joo Dan Tae (if you watch Penthouse lol) and I still really don’t really get his motive (it sounds shallow — boohoo daddy didn’t love him).
The other “bad guy” was just too angry from episode 1 without really saying why he is that way to Sunwoo. I don’t know if it’s the actor or the way the character was written. But I like that in the end, he got a little redemption — he was able to get out of his father’s shadow and accepted the consequences of his actions (and hopefully mature a bit).
Detective Han was largely useless as a character except for the last episode. Which was too bad coz he would have been a great part of the team, had he actually had better detective instincts. And as a detective, he should know better than stop Sera from knowing the truth behind what happened when she was younger. She deserved to know to be able to take care of herself.
Rating: 8.5/10 (8 for the story + 0.5 for the leads)
Profile: Drama: Monthly Magazine Home (월간 집) Network: JTBC Episodes: 16 Release Date: June 16 – August 5, 2021 Runtime: Wed. & Thu. 21:00
Plot: A guy with a house falls in love with a girl who dreams of a home.
Main Cast: Kim Ji Suk – Yoo Ja Sung Jung Somin – Na Young Won Jung Gun Joo – Shin Gyeom Kim Won Hae – Choi Go Chae Jung Ahn – Yeo Ui Joo Ahn Chang Hwan – Nam Sang Soon
Review: Watch this if you like the classic romcoms kind of Kdramas. For newbies, you might get annoyed with how Jasung treats Young Won.
I think without a great cast, this could have been really bad. Yoo Jasung is an a$$hat at the start but somehow I couldn’t get angry at him because how could I when he is played by Kim Jisuk who has effortlessly hilarious and handsome. I like Jasung. He wasn’t being a jerk because he is a jerk. It’s just that he had a bad childhood and decided to focus all his energy into making money. So much that he has forgotten to live. I wouldn’t mind having a generous friend like Jasung hihi.
Somin’s character is a more upbeat version of BIMFL character. She is wonderful and charming. When Young won, who maybe poor but also still very warm, came into his life, he couldn’t help but thaw his ice cold heart. After all, what’s the use of having too much money when you can’t share your life with someone? I believe Jasung was drawn by Young won because like her, he understands how it is to be poor and not to have a home. And he was also impressed how much Young won was trying hard save up to have her own house. So much that he started helping her in his own little ways. Soon, he was spreading his goodwill to everyone in his team.
I knew that when he falls for Youngwon it will be hard. HAHA. I love Kim Ji Suk’s expressions like he was always so stunned by Young Won’s beauty and how everything she does is like so amazing. And everytime she gives him a compliment, his frown turns into a big humongous grin that makes him want to dance to Bboom Bboom. And I love that he never nagged her or looked down on her just because she didn’t have money or expected her to grovel at his feet because he is rich.
Jasung who was so obsessed with money never had a chance to date or have a relationship. Just like how he deals with money, he was determined to succeed in being the best boyfriend to Young Won. Of course being a newbie, he made a lot of mistakes, and I like that he was quick to say sorry or learn how to be better.
Of course, like everyday Kdrama, after getting together and being cute, there will be this defining moment where the couple argues and break up. In this case, Jasung broke up with Young Won for Shin Gyeom, the second lead. For me, Shin Gyeom was cute but boring. He was no match to Jasung’s charisma and energy. And he never had a chance with Young Won because she never liked him other than as a friend. So I feel like his character was a waster or was just there to have some sort of conflict. When Jasung found out that Gyeom likes Young Won too, he decided to break up with Young Won because of his loyalty for Gyeom. Some said it was a noble idiot move, but for me, it was more than that. Jasung have known Gyeom for years. It’s bros before hoes. And it’s his first time to be in love and didn’t know how to handle it. Maybe he should have talked to Young Won about it. Gave Young Won an opportunity to decide what to do since she is part of the relationship. Jasung could also have confronted Gyeom about it and talked about it like a man. Or maybe they didn’t have to break up, just lie low and not rub his relationship in Gyeom’s face. After all, love’s fair in love and war.
When Jasung finally realized what a fool he was and begged Young Won to take him back, i love that Young Won didn’t easily bend and made him worked hard for it. You go girl! He can’t just dump her ruthlessly and think he can come back as if nothing happened. She eventually learned that again, Jasung wasn’t being an ass and realized that all this time he has been there for her and cheered for her even if it’s hard for him to sometimes express how he feels.
As for the Wolganjib team, everyone was funny esp the second couple Sang Soon and Ui Joo. I also liked their story from being a bickering colleagues with different lifestyles to falling in love. Opposites do attract! Of course my fave Kim Won Hae was both annoying at times when he’s trying to be a “good” boss but I love him more as a better friend and confidante to Jasung, Ui Joo and Sang Soon.
I love all the houses that got featured in every episode and all the tidbits about home and money saving. My favorite was the beach house in episode 8 because I also dreamed of retired in a beach front property.
The OST is so nice, especially Imagine and Here I Am. Yup I just bought my own copy! Will do an unboxing video once it arrives.
Now to the worst thing that almost ruined the show. I hate when the writer thinks he/she needs to make an explosive or out of the box twist to end the show. I watched Drinking Solo and the ending was a disappointment, but this was worse than that. Up until episode 15 the drama was so nice and happy. I thought they were going to get their happy ever after. I even liked the twist with the connection between Young Won’s father and Jasung’s past. I thought, hey, that’s so perfect! The writer even found a way to close their childhood traumas and bring the story into a full circle!
But dang what the F happened?!? Young Won got so guilty and disappeared for 3(?) years. Okayyyy maybe we needed the time jump where Young Won works for someone else and not under her boyfriend’s company and where she can heal. Maybe when they meet again they will be “equal” and they will find love again. Their eventual meetup was so nice, at the same place where they had a day trip together, with the crowds blurring and centering on the couple. I remember the exact same scene in Drinking Solo when the couple was also eating at a restaurant and saw each other from the other table. Exact same thing. They could have ended MMH like this and I would have been satisfied. But no, we see Young Won showing Jasung her own big house that she built on her own in just 3 years. Like where did she get the money to buy a land and construct a big house? Where did she even go for 3 years? Turns out she was just working in another magazine. What??? Then how come Jasung never found her? She never even went overseas. And the biggest question of all.. are they getting back together? To me, it felt like they ended up being exes turned good friends. Or worse, like Jasung was just a mentor/big brother to Young Won. Awww.. I’m not happy with the ending but overall, I still loved this drama.
KDrama Dreaming 