Record of Youth (2020)

I mostly liked the ending & the drama

I read some of the reviews before I finished watching Episode 16 Finale. So my expectations
were low, but when I finished I had a smile on my face.

I read one comment saying this drama seemed like a fan pleasing story of the real Park Bo Gum. I somehow feel his career life showing his professionalism and his kindness and that his huge success has not changed the essence of who he is -- I hope that is true. If not, his acting is off the charts lol.

I especially loved the last scene in the ending montage where Park Bo Gum playing the resident doctor and gives that mischievous smile as he is walking out the door. That one moment made me a fan. I've only watched him in 2 dramas: Encounter which I could not finish and Hello Monster.

Back to the ending - it was an open ending but I like to think her wearing those sneakers a lot (they looked worn) with the adorable cartoon couple depicting the happiest moments of their relationship gave me hope for a reconciliation. I hope the writer will offer some clarity on her intention of that scene,

I do agree with another reviewer that there was a lot of wasted time with the reporter, the agent and Do Ha. That time could have been filled with followups on the characters that the writer spent writing time developing characters that we became invested in & grew to love . We definitely got shortchanged! Hae Yo is listed as a main lead! And some followup with Jinu & Haena would have been nice too. I'm going to lower my 8.0 because of being cut off mid story. Too me, that is not an ending if you do not tie up story lines. This is Writing 101, track the. arcs of your characters! They did not even get the benefit of open endings. Makes me appreciate even more the writing perfection of the Stranger & Stranger 2 writer.

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ok I think my short interpretation of this would be a modern 21st century love story that is still stuck in a cliche mold?
their relationship/chemistry feels natural and they dealt with the fan thing as best as they could (the best thing would've been no fan-to-lovers, but oh well)

the families are booorring and unfitting, I do not care for them one bit.

and I don't really care for the male friendship, even the bromance feels flat.. I don't get why or how they are friends, they just feel like 3 people that are in the same space. also the fact that they didn't give the fl any sort of friendship or family is alarming ;/

so the worst point of this is the super duper cliche arc they used for the fl! the drunk pity party that makes the guy fall for her weak "cute" side, the "it's all my fault everyone hates me!", the "I've never dated before becasue I am a sad unworthy person", the fact that she bickers back with everyone and then suddenly becomes docile is just bad writing...
in ep2 she was answering back to every criticism her boss told her as if they were friends and now she's the weak silent victim to the crazy boss who's randomly out to get her ;/
and then the ml is being possessive already? "don't drink with other me becasue you look cute".. you don't own her ;/

the worst sign is when I skip an ep and I don't feel like I missed anything, I didn't realize I didn't watch ep3 until ep4 was over and I was looking for the next ep xD
I personally have a rule, I give dramas 1/4 a chance and if I don't like them I drop

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a really cool premise with refreshing characters, but extremely poor writing.

Let's not play pretend and acknowledge that this drama is one of the mid-tier range ones that does not shy away from cheesy dialogues and kdrama stereotypes. (eg: What's Wrong w secretary Kim, Weightlifting fairy) It is not one with cool and sophisticated storylines- it does not try to appear like that. So once you treat it as just a Mid-Tier Drama, it really becomes much more enjoyable as it lifts off the pressure of expecting anything life-changing from it.
This drama is definitely not everyone's cup of tea and a disclaimer of it being a really ordinary and typical drama should be made. With that being said, I still found myself getting hooked in it really fast and thoroughly enjoying it! Esp the leads' rship.
But firstly, here are some major blind spots and weak points that caused this drama to be less enjoyable.

1. The relationship dynamic between Hye-Jun and Jeong-Ha was not developed enough to start a dating relationship so early on in the series. It is definitely a tendency for kdramas to drag on the “should-we-date” phase, forcing you to watch more eps of their flirtations- so it is definitely something to applaud that they did not waste time on this and simply cut to the chase that they were dating. But sadly their relationship dynamic was not stable enough as a couple, it felt so sudden and forced. I really really enjoyed their friendship dynamic in the first few eps (that’s what got me binge-watching). It’s such a waste to quickly jump into a dating rship, they had such a strong friendship going on. With that being said, it was not about starting the relationship per se that ruined the show - it’s how they completely changed So Dam’s character after they started dating!

2. Bad character writing for Jeong-Ha (Park So Dam)
I think this is the weakest point of the drama. As mentioned, what really drew me into the series was their friendship dynamic, and this is largely due to the character of Jeong-Ha. She’s ordinary, hardworking, and witty. When she was in scenes with Bo Gum, her character shined even brighter. But right when they started dating, she instantly became this flat character- nonchalant, apathetic, and just overall stupid??? It made their relationship looked super weak and one-dimensional. The lines they said also felt super scripted. I saw a lot of comments saying this as well, but I think the root problem is actually the bad character development for So Dam. Which I’m so mad, bcs she is the freaking actress from Parasite. Like, Parasite. Like the one that just won an Oscar??? She was so amazing in Parasite, so it’s impossible to say that the problem is her acting skills. It’s definitely the character writing- why didn’t they milk her acting chops more??

3. Really, really, really unnecessary sub-plots. (as with many kdramas....) Even if they were necessary, they always just left it hanging with so many loose ends left untied.

Most reviews commented on this as well, specifically directing it to the scenes with the leads' family. But I actually enjoyed Hye Jun and his family’s sub-plot especially when they showed how Hye Jun is faced with opposition within his home. That was a really interesting topic to cover in a k-drama, but as they went on...it felt kinda confusing...and unnecessary. Like the scenes about the father’s work, or the scenes about the brother’s work, or the scenes about the grandad’s modelling job (necessary, but they gave TOO MUCH screen time for that small plot). They should’ve just streamlined and stuck to the dynamic between Hye Jun’s acting dream and the rest of the family.

Then there are the extremely unnecessary characters just to fill screen time and to create more “noise”. Like the ms.Kim reporter? Like who tf? The ex-manager Tae-Su and bitchy actor Park Do Ha? lol.
Like Charlie Jung? I think first few episodes context was already enough, idk why they brought him back later lol and included a very weird sub-plot about gay rumours...yeah it’s not gonna age well. And Hye-Jun’s ex LOL, like we literally do not care. As well as the sub-plot of Jin-U and Hae Na's rship... I might even dare say that the scenes w Hae-Hyo and Jin-u became more and more unnecessary, couldn't feel their bromance at all. Just really bad momentum overall in these sub-plots.
——————--------------------------
Overall, it’s still 8/10 for me, even with all these weak points.
Here's why you SHOULD still watch it:
1. You should definitely watch if you like Park Bo Gum, his character is the one that was maintained well throughout. A few were saying how this is somewhat biographical to his story, so you would definitely love him more after watching this. This is also his last show before he got enlisted into military!! (tbh i suspect that's one of the reasons why the plots felt ao rushed haha, cos they have to rush for his enlistment maybe??? who knows)

2. I also really appreciate the relationship between the leads, despite point no.2 above^. It’s really mature and easy to relate to. Esp the part where they portrayed consent in their kissing haha. It's also somewhat unique and a fun arena to explore, with the whole fan-and-bias rship.

3. Make sure to not rush this show. It's a slow watch and that's the way it should be. The first time I watched it I binged 4eps in a row and I would feel so queasy after that. But when my brother was watching (in a much slower pace), I found myself re-watching really enjoyably and finding a deeper appreciation for some scenes I deemed unnecessary at first.

4. A really cool premise to explore! With the whole modelling and acting and part-time gigs that PBG had to do, it was so fun to have a glimpse on how the K-entertainment industry looks like (even though it might not be that realistic). I actually wished that spent more time to flesh out this aspect of the drama- instead of so many unnecessary sub-plots- this is after all that made this show stood out.

5. Also,,, ad-placements were not too bad. So that’s a good thing. Unlike The King ??

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This drama was make with the feelings of us fans taken into consideration.

This is one of my all time favourite dramas, and for one reason in particular: it feels like my imagination came to life.

The story ofhow Jeongha, a fangirl of Hyejun gets to meet him and actually become friends with him is something that I am sure most fans would love to experience.

Its not just a romance, we get to experince friendship at it's finest. Passion and determinate at it's peak. The story is just so inspiring.

You can learn so much from this drama. You can laugh and cry and relate to almost everything.

What made this drama really memorable to me was thst fact that I watched the episodes as it was being realeased while on call with my best friend.

Due to Covid, we could not watch together but just having that phone call while watching such an amazing drama was enough. Seeing the friendship between the characters even strenghtened my friendships!

This drama is so amazing, its worth the watch 100%

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Wow, there are very mixed opinions on this drama! Some would say this drama went absolutely no where and others would say that this was a beautiful and compelling story. I stand somewhere in between (despite my rating).

Reasons I watched this drama:
1. It's story about the the entertainment industry
2. Park Bo Gum
3. The mixed reviews

Reason you should watch this drama:
1. A dive into family dynamics and relationships (grandfather-grandson, siblings, mother-son, father-son etc...)
2. To understand the struggles of the entertainment industry - on screen and behind the scenes
3. A message of keeping to morals and principles, despite the pressure from others

Reasons why people may have disliked this drama:
1. The ending
2. Slow pacing/ The lack of action
3. Unnecessary plotlines


Story
This drama isn't supposed to have a dramatic storyline. The key focus is supposed to be on the familial, romantic and platonic relationships that the characters have, and how entering the entertainment industry will effect them.
I wasn't fussed about the slow pacing of the story line.

Episodes 1-10 were enjoyable. They delved into Hye-Joon's and Jung-Ha's relationships, aspirations and principles well. I liked watching the struggles and the determination needed to reach their goal. I fell in love with the Grandpa and his dynamic with everyone.

One thing that I especially enjoyed was the looming enlistment time. Although I, myself, am a female and not from South-Korea, so I will never have to go through it; I learnt how difficult it was to choose when to join - to drop your career, to leave your family. It was an interesting process to watch.
Everything was smooth sailing with the occasional drama with Hye-Joon's ex and Hae-Hyo's growing jealousy.

However, I will admit that from ep 11 I began to skip through episodes. I lost interest in the continuous scandals and rumours. One scandal plotline would have be fine, particularly the Charlie incident, as it explored Korean society's views on people in the LGBTQ+ community. But back to back scandals were too much to take. The former manger was not an interesting antagonist, he was just boring, repetitive and annoying. And I have a hard time believing that a news reporter, who's job is to alter and obscure the complete truth to captivate readers/ viewers, would completely believe what one of their sources told them without considering that they may be lied to.

The plotline between Hae-Hyo and his mother was not the most interesting of plotlines, although it was necessary for a drama about the entertainment industry. I felt it would have been better if the audience was also kept in the dark about the fact that his mother was buying followers. Hae-Hyo was proud of his follower count, and if it were revealed later in the story to the audience that his follower count was fake or even when he found out himself, it would have been more gut wrenching. Because we found out so early on, I pitied him every time he talked about his success, or that one time when Hae-Hyo was chosen over Hye-Joon for a role because he had a higher number of fans - I just felt bad for him.

A plotline that was kind of glossed over, is the fact that Hae-Hyo's parents clearly were having some marriage issues. They don't communicate well with each other, they don't agree on the path for their children, they don't even sleep in the same bed. She even tries to suffocate him with a pillow while he's sleeping and it turns into a comedic scene. I felt that their plotline was there, just to prove that being rich wasn't perfect and to make you sympathise even more for Hae-Hyo.


Cast/ Acting
This was an anticipated drama for many, being the last drama of Park Bo Gum before he enlisted for his mandatory service. He most definitely didn't disappoint. His crying scenes felt so real and raw that I was half convinced that this was merely an opportunity to let out his emotions in a façade of acting. This is my second drama with Park Bo Gum; my first being 'Love in the Moonlight' (which I have yet to finish), and in both he played his character well. His ability to play a sweet, innocent guy, to an antagonist in the production that Hye-Joon was in, was mesmerising.

Although I have yet to see Parasite and Cinderella and the Four Knights, I know that Park So Dam was also highly anticipated in this drama. She has a very natural way of acting, like she isn't playing a character, but is actually Jung-Ha. She portrayed both an independent, strong willed character and a fan girl extremely well.

Romance/ Chemistry
At first I was sceptical when he confessed his feelings only 5 episodes into the show, because, as we all know, if the lead gets into a relationship particularly early into the drama the characters are either, not the ultimate couple (second lead), or they will break up with a whole lot of drama, then get back together before the end. Luckily, there were no issues. The romance wasn't explored too greatly and was by no means the main focus of the story, so it was sweet when they had scenes together.
The chemistry that they had was very natural, and they can banter and play off each other without having to force it.

There was an intention of a love triangle. But, I don't believe that Hae-Hyo ever stood a chance as Jung-Ha seemed completely loyal to Hye-Joon and even admitted to regretting calling him for help, when Hye-Joon was unavailable. The ex girlfriend wasn't pushy enough to be a part of a love triangle. She knew that she should back off quite early on and she was mostly introduced to cover up the rumours.

The chemistry that the Sa family had was perfect. Although I am not from a large family, I felt that the dynamic between them felt very familial and real. The relationships between mother and son, and grandfather and grandson, made me want to be a part of their family.

The Ending
Many did not like the ending. I however enjoyed it, only a few things irked me. We end with Hye-Joon and Jung-Ha breaking up and Hye-Joon and Hae-Hyo enlisting in the army. Which I am completely fine with. I felt that this shows that not everything will go as planned and life isn't as smooth sailing as in the dramas. I especially liked the line she says when they break up 'Promise me that you'll remember the time that we spent together', (that's roughly what it was since I don't have the drama in front of me). I felt that would have been a good closure to their relationship and the drama. Saying not only to Hye-Joon but also to the viewers, that although we watched a drama about their relationship, it doesn't mean that it was insignificant to their lives.

Then we have a two year time skip...

A time skip that I probably wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't literally filled the screen with the words TWO YEARS LATER. They continue as if they never left. We start with Jung-Ha who's driving to her next job. Then we see Hye-Joon being all successful; despite, not having a stable career before he left and we see him unpack his things. Had I looked away from the screen for a couple of minutes I would have thought that it was the same scene as when he was packing to leave.

I liked that the Grandpa's modelling career was going well and that he thanked his son, which made my eyes water. It was a given that Hye-Joon and Jung-Ha would meet up again or else viewers would be dissatisfied, but I felt that they should have just left of with them looking at each other and smiling (something like that) rather than a conversation that they had.

Overall I gave this drama an 8, which may seem high compared to the many negative points I made. However I did enjoy it for the most part, I was intrigued enough to not drop the drama and I did find myself pondering about it during school work. Was it the best of the best? No. Do I regrets spending my past couple of days watching it? No.

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Good Enough

I'm torn whether this drama was good or not. It wasn't boring, but it had a rather slow pace; it wasn't cliche, but it didn't really lead anywhere; it had interesting cinematography, but a messy timeline.

So, what drama is 'Record of Youth' ? It's a slice of life, family drama, with some romance and a bit of friendship genre into it. It contains two of the most popular nowadays actors, who, to be honest, could have worked in anything they wanted and yet they chose this drama(...). Simply stated, it's more like a drama about the life of Park Bo Gum with some fiction added to it.

Now, for its components, the slice of life was okay, portrayed with interesting editing and a youthful outlook. The romance was refreshing, original, but, at the end of the day, will not be memorable. The family drama, however, was the driving force of the story. The dynamics of the three youngsters with their families were probably the best things in the drama, as they were real and one could sympathize or even identify with them.

Finally, the performances were great and the atmosphere was spot on. However, there were multiple times when I thought that the story was just pointless and I didn't have anything to anticipate.

So, overall, five and a half out of ten.

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a very light drama, the storyline was literally a record. where it was about life of a guy, what he goes through, his relationships, his struggle, stuff like that. at first i find it very fun, i enjoyed the light-ness of the drama, and the way both lead worked hard but stay humble. but i guess i was expecting a lot. in the 2nd half i feel like it was kinda draggy, slow, nothing happened. the issue was handled lightly, so i couldn't feel his and her hard times. there was no climax as well. as much as i enjoyed its lightness i wish more dynamic could taken place, because the potential was there. but still, i love his character, humble no matter how successful he is, and the message the struggle would still be there wherever you are. all in all, i do like it minus the boring slow parts.

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Amazing Family and Career Drama

Upfront: I do not understand why this doesn't have a higher rating... I stayed up until 7am to finish this! Let me give you the rundown as to why:

PRO
- This was the first kdrama I've watched (admittedly, I haven't watched a ton) where the story and the characters felt emotionally and psychologically realistic. It's amazingly written and acted and there was no drama for the sake of drama, everything happens for good reasons and all the characters react to problems in individual and believable ways. They felt like real people, not like cardboard cutouts, which is always something I'm looking for in a drama.
- Park Bogum is an amazing actor and he does a fantastic job. Period.
- All the family relationships (Hyejung's, Jeongha's and Haehyo's) were really interesting and realistic. I could especially relate to Hyejung's situation and I cried several times seeing his sweet relationship with his grandpa. I was so happy that most of their family difficulties could be put to rest by the end. It felt really earned, too.
- There were several amazing quotes in this and I might rewatch this drama just to write them down.
- I'm curious about the realities of the acting/modelling life so I found all the behind the scenes stuff really cool. I also liked how seemlessly they wove the scenes from the movies/dramas they shot into this drama. It's a bit overused, but I like this joke where you watch some really intense action scene and then someone yells "cut!" and you realize that action scene was just that: a scene, and in reality everybody is at a movie set. They did that a few times. On the same note, I liked that they actually put in the effort to shoot some real scenes for movies and shows that the characters are in and used that to further the story instead of going the cheap route and omitting those things. (My favorite of those being the first movie that Hyejung is in, where he gets to beat up Park Doha. He had such a menacing aura, I would've watched the whole movie but alas.)

Now for the stuff I didn't enjoy 100%, but keep in mind these were minor things (tho I write a lot about them, but that's down to me being able to talk forever about very small things that annoy me, so take that as you will).

CON
- They did my boy Haehyo so dirty. That guy was really nothing but soft and nice and supportive and encouraging and he got jackshit for that. It's not like he didn't have a character arc, bc there was definitely something satisfying about his development. I just felt like he kinda got the short end of the stick in the end. Not even mentioning Jeongha... He was so in love with her and she was so damn rude to him all the time... It got kinda infuriating towards the end and after a cople times I really started wondering why he even liked her.
- Speaking of which: I wasn't super happy with Jeongha. Park Sodam is incredibly cute and pretty (I was in love with her hair in this drama btw), and obviously a great actress, but for me she gave too much of a dead-pan performance. I got almost nothing from her, which stood out because both both Park Bogum and Byeon Wooseok gave really emotional performances (and that's not even mentioning the amazing supporting actors like Park Sooyung who plays Hyejung's dad and Han Jinhee who plays Hyejung's grandpa). I saw her in a state of normalcy, frustration, or happiness. Those were all the emotions I could identify. It's not that her portrayal of the character wasn't realistic, bc Jeonha definitely felt like a real person, it's just that the way she played the character was a bit unlikable bc of the lack of emotions. For example, when she delivered her breakup speech, it felt like a kindergarten teacher explaining something to her students instead of a girlfriend making an incredibly emotionally difficult decision and trying to tell her boyfriend about it.
- Like so many others I also didn't really understand why Jeongha broke up with Hyejung in the end. I empathised with the crushing weight of his immense popularity, I totally understand how that would put a relationship through the ringer, but that wasn't mentioned at all when she broke up with him. So why did she do it? I sure couldn't tell you.

In conclusion: The family drama aspects, career aspects and friendship aspects of this drama are amazing and some of the best written and acted stuff I've ever seen. The romance on the other hand... Gave me very little. You should still watch it for the other stuff.

But that's just my two cents.

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Started strong but ended flat

Likes:
1. I really loved Park Bogum in show. Extra special because it is almost like him and not Sa Hye jun reminiscing about his 20s and saying goodbye to all the fans.
2. From the title and from the narration i already felt like they were talking about the past and the romance was always about making good memories so i already braced myself that they were going to break up. I also expected the time jump. I honestly think they are better off as friends. There was something off about their relationship. It was too fast and surreal. And i felt that Hye Jun loved Jungha more. But it's not bad i think it was a prefect way to sum up their 20s.
3. I really loved all the scenes with Hyejun's family. Esp loved how much Gyeong Jun, Grandpa and Yeongnam matured. And how they grew closer.
4. Super loved Minjae! I was hoping we see her get more clients after 2 years and be more successful.
5. I really loved the start with the 3 friends together but it dwindled in the middle and we barely saw them together. At least the last two episodes they were back to almost normal and are close again.
6. I love the ways the drama tried to portray different relationships between parents and children. In the end, parents just wants the best for their children. And children should learn to appreciate their parents more.

Dislikes:
1. The show really started strong. I loved everyone and all the possible storylines, but after Hye Jun hit big time, the story slowly went downhill. Then ending was underwhelming. The romance fell flat. Lots of storylines were never resolved.
2. Park Sodam and her character didnt get a lot of screentime and her character was underdeveloped. It felt like it's Sa Hye Jun show and the girlfriend was a cameo.
3. Too much about Charlie Jung and the endless scandals that are false. I hated Suman and Taesu, they never paid for their misdeeds and are still working. That's how scary media can be and how they can ruin a person's life.

Rating: 7.5/10 ?

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I don't know

There are so many I don't know why's as to the aspects of this show. I don't know why I binged it for two days straight. I don't know why I wanted to see certain characters get hit by a truck. I don't know why I dislike the second lead so much. However, what I do know I that this was an ok show with an ok plot, that just hit the spot for me. The story in general is pretty basic, there isn't much conflict faced by the lead except for what the main antagonist caused him when he achieved his dreams. Even though I understand how basic this show is I couldn't help but feel attracted to this. Coming from someone who does not know Park-bo gum I did not come for the hype. I just saw a cute little show pop up on my recommends that I ended up binging. This show does not have a deep plot, but its pretty attractive especially with how the main lead prioritizes his beliefs over fame even if it means looking bad in front of the media

Now onto the negative stigma on this show and why I understand why this is rated so poorly
First of all this last part of my review spoils whether or not there is a happy ending so pls proceed with caution



The last episode was so satisfying for me to watch. To be honest, I was mad at Jeon-Ha's decision, but we kind of had it coming. I mean this story's whole idea is about growth and acceptance and I felt that everyone was so much more mentally stable in the finale which was so much more important than whether or not she accepted. Yes, it would have been nice but I'm not complaining.
As to the second lead I just felt like he liked Jeang-Ha because she was his bestfreind's girl. Since, out of nowhere he began to feel things for her. Which only occurred after the lead got more famous than him and his inferiority complex began. I do feel bad for him in terms if the bs that his mom put him through. However, I still can't come to liking his character, even with all of his crying scenes I can't empathize with him.

Remember at the top when I said I wanted a few characters to get hit by a truck.
Well, hahahahaha you'll meet them :\

All in all, basic plot, basic score, amazing acting, amazing expressions all around. Such a satisfying show to watch, It's not to intense, romantic, or just anything really. I don't know why but I found it to be nice.

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Why is the rating so low?

So this is probably one of my current favorite series that I am rewatching. This reminds me a lot of the genre slice of life, something I haven't watch in a while. I am not usually into watching Korean drama because of the eye candy with bad acting but this blew me away!! Park Bo Gum do you have to drive me crazy each time you cry, smile, or just do what you do best! :D

I totally recommend this if you're looking for something that is different. It is not your typical k-drama. The stories between the characters felt so real. Their struggles, their weakness, their relationships, and how each individual portrayed them was probably one of the biggest reasons why I kept watching this series. I can't say enough about how much I love the chemistry between the characters, especially the female and male first lead. It is so beautiful and light-hearted, definitely reminds you of youthful love. I like that it wasn't "wow you're so beautiful and now I'm in love", it wasn't a shallow chemistry between characters. The development of understanding what you like and dislike, coming to understand and come to terms with why the relationship grew apart, I love everything about it.

Story-wise, I think it's a simple story of struggles youths have to go through. They're trying to find their next steps in life, either they're a momma boy living under the light and the protection she gives, or you're struggling to try to live your dream regardless if you young or old like grandpa. Most people probably hate the ending but I found it beautiful and different. The ending was open-ended, left a lot to your imagination. In my mind, it was still a happy ending!

Music I am pretty bias when it comes to this because I love Wheein from Mamamoo. Beautiful voice!

Overall, this is probably not for everyone but if you're looking for a good slice of life, family drama, great chemistry between leads, and acting give this a try!

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