This review may contain spoilers
AN AMAZING ROM COM THAT WILL BLOW YOU AWAY.
OK, so Crazy Love wasn't on my watchlist because the synopsis didn't really pull me at first. However, after finishing 25,21 and A Business Proposal, I got into a slump and since my sister had downloaded some episodes, I decided to give it a try and guess what, I wasn't disappointed. The first 4 episodes are a bit not interesting but if you choose to continue am informing you that you are in for a great ride.What I liked.
Some amazing character development for the Male Lead. Older k dramas had ML jerks who were so rude to everyone but somehow they always got away with it. This drama addresses that issue in that the ML reflects on how terrible he used to treat the people that surround him and in the end he decided to apologize. The last 4 episodes of this drama actually have some beautiful life lessons.
Steamy Kisses (LOL). Am not one to usually whine about kiss scenes in k dramas but for this one am choosing to comment. The kiss scenes in this drama are few but amazing and satisfying. The chemistry is top notch with some cheesiness but it's ok since it doesn't make me cringe.
The acting. Am a viewer who seriously cares about acting. The plot of a drama may not necessarily be interesting but the acting can actually make up for that IMO. The acting of the main leads is amazing and fantastic. I hope they win the best couple award.
What I didn't Like.
The first four episodes had so many over the top scenes that at times it was a bit distracting and annoying to watch but it was bearable. Also, the ML had a lot of enemies some of whom were even just ridiculous, NGL.
All in all, I highly recommend this gem. You won't be disappointed.
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Another underrated drama
I know you hear a lot about relationships wherein they both started out as enemies, but how often do you hear about relationships that started out as a "murder" plan? hahaha I think that's where the drama got its title. Planning to kill your future partner is really a crazy way to start loving someone.Overall the drama was cute. I honestly liked the perfect balance of light vs serious scenes here. It was just right. I really love KJU (the actor who plays the ML here). He is really a versatile actor. He can play any role. I love seeing him in serious roles but my heart flutters every time I see him in roles like this. Kinda makes me wish I can meet a guy like him someday lol. i love KJ also <3 her acting has really improved a lot. Would love to see her in more dramas soon.
This drama is far from perfect. I know for sure that if this was a crime drama a lot of the characters here would've spent some time behind bars. Especially those who were plotting against the ML a lot but since it's not a crime drama, everything can be solved by an apology. Honestly, this is the main reason why I did not give it a really high score (IMO 8 = just okay, 9+ = really good). With the things that Segi and his minions did to the company, and even the ex-secretaries, I think that their endings was too good to be true. Well I guess that's how it usually works for romcom anyways. But yeah, nice drama. I liked it :)
Now... unto the next one...
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Its a crazy ride
Why is not everyone's talking how good this drama was? Its one of the underrated drama when it gives good vibes. I find it its crazy funny in the start, it gives a WWWSK ( What's Wrong with Secretary kim) vibe wherein the secretary feel for her boss. I like their chaotic relationship at first, I find it very funny. The comedic scenes are very on point it really makes me burst into laughter. It hàs a good casting very perfect for the drama as well as the lead actors they are matched on their comedic act.I like their chaotic relationship at first its very funny to me but when they are together its getting more serious and the comedic scenes becomes lesser but still ot has a good story.
I can say that the boss ex girlfriend is more prettier thAn the lead ?.
Their are lots of revelation in this story that you will be shocked. Wherein you revenged on the wrong person good thing that it was revealed before its too late. And good thing that she was misdiagnosed that thing they will continue their love.
Its a good drama wherein you will laugh hard in this drMa and you will also feel loved.
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"Love is an enchanted dawn of every heart"
What are you doing with your life if you're not watching Crazy Love?As an "enemies-to-lovers" romance trope enthusiast who loves mystery and not to forget, another office romance, CrazyLove features Jung Soojung and returning of my all time favorite, Kim Jaeuck.
I'm 12 episodes in sofar and I can guarantee you, in all my years of watching KDramas, this one is literally one of the best, hillarious, and romantic drama I've experienced. Every episode is another thrill ride with our leads and there's a spark of some mysteries and unknown characters and their motives. The OSTs, background music effects, nd top notch chemistry just make it the ultimate Kdrama of 2022. If you're seeking something thats "perfect chaos", CrazyLove is for you!
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The revenge plot was kind of farfetched, but still, the pacing was good for me, and anyone who wants to see rom-coms in corporate world can give this drama a chance.
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All Aboard the ‘ Crazy’ Train Of ‘ Love’…
There’s a lot to discuss when it comes to KBS2 and Disney +’s trope-induced series ‘ Crazy Love’. It is intrepidly bold, brash and off-the-wall with its setup and premise and will likely appeal and displease viewers of equal measure. ( Especially dependent on expectations.)
The plot initially introduces viewers to Noh Go-jin (Kim Jae-wook); an elitist mathematics tutor, spearheading one of the most prestigious and private education hubs in the country. However despite his prodigal skills, Go-Jin has a foul temper and personality.
He absolutely terrifies his staff with his short fuse , yet he is still able to somehow earn their respect and admiration through his sheer talent in solving and teaching equations and mathematics problems.
Nobody knows this love-hate relationship with Go-Jin better than his unassuming personal assistant, Lee Shin-a (Krystal Jung). Often being the target of his ire, Shina-a’s reasons for not throwing in the towel are sourced from her own desires to become a personal tutor and help teach and educate others.
However, Shin-a finds her life going on a downwards spiral. Her constant migraines seemingly from stress and fatigue are diagnosed as acute symptoms of glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumour brought on by bouts of long-term stress from Go-Jin.
Enraged, Shin-a’s plans for revenge against Go-Jin are soon backfired as she finds herself in a sticky situation with her boss.
‘ Crazy Love’ was the brainchild of screenwriter Kim Bo-gyeom ( ‘Drama Stage Season 2: All About My Rival in Love’). Although the comic relief is variable at times, the series is surprisingly satirical in parts and self-aware of its own over-the-top setup. In particular, this was shown through the screenplay reimbursing old cliches and tropes ( including amnesia, misunderstandings and fake identities).
In addition to this approach, it was noticeable ‘ Crazy Love’ often approach its satire with a darker edge, often shown through sardonic irony or circumstances. ( This was particularly shown in the series through the gradual snowballing case of crimes that were shown throughout the narrative such as impersonation and attempted murder, often landing female lead Lee Shin-a- directly or indirectly- into hot water or complicated situations .)
However despite its satirical take upon old cliches and tropes, ‘ Crazy Love’ was often subject to the faults of its own shortcomings also. ( Sadly this was evident through the cataclysmic approach taken by the writing and direction of plot within early episodes. )
Before exposing the issue of these problems in the narrative, it is important to acknowledge that the main cast of ‘ Crazy Love’ delivered fairly solid performances as the main leads. Actor Kim Jae-Wook( ‘ Coffee Prince’, ‘ The Guest’ and ‘ Her Private Life’) has often been associated with taking on unconventional or unusual roles throughout his career, and his performance as Noh Go-Jin n certainly was no different. Admittedly, Jae-Wook’s performance could sometimes come across as somewhat overblown at times but this was not necessarily the fault of the actor per say.
As a character, Noh Go-Jin was purposefully presented as “unlikeable and grating” during his introduction. It was evident from his initial portrayal by Bo-gyeom that his ultimate drive as a character would be for viewers to see the undertaking of his “ redemption arc”; a process which can be overly convoluted dependent on the approaches taken by screenwriters.
Go-Jin’s character development was admittedly a mixed-bag to say the least. It was refreshing to see that the male lead was not given an excuse to become overly redeemed by his faults and flaws per say . ( In fact even into later episodes and during particular events of the series , it was shown that some of Go-Jin’s initial personality traits are still displayed.)
On the other hand, it still remains a divisive issue towards the approach taken for Go-Jin’s character arc and development. (This is mainly due to the fact that while there are elements of the main lead developing and becoming aware of his past mistakes, his main source of development and growth comes through his potential feelings and romance with main female lead Lee Shin-a. )
This is certainly not an unusual approach per say in dramas and the “ enemy to lovers” trope has remained a classic staple in storylines over the years. On the other hand, it can often remain a controversial and complex issue to approach a potentially romantic relationship, especially if the individuals in question have displayed abusive or threatening personality traits towards their significant other.
Of course, ‘ Crazy Love’ does attempt to subvert the issues of this setup through Go-Jin’s “softer side” coming to light as well as intensifying the potential romantic chemistry between the leads. However it is fair to say that while Jae-Wook and Krystal’s onscreen chemistry was fairly decent, it certainly raised a lot more issues and questions with regards to Jae-Wook rarely being held accountable for his actions or coming to terms at times with his own mistakes. ( In addition to this, the final part of ‘ Crazy Love’ showed Jae-Wook’s decisions and choices feeling fairly out of character at times without a lot of explanation aside from “ becoming a better person because of Lee Shin-a”.)
This isn’t to say that heroine and main female lead Lee- Shin-a didn’t suffer from writing issues either. Although the actress has respectfully received mixed-reception for her onscreen roles, Krystal’s (‘ My Lovely Girl’, ‘ The Heirs’ and ‘ Prison Playbook’) performance as the main female lead is certainly decent enough.
Lee Shin-a is purposefully presented to viewers as the “ likeable heroine”. Indeed despite some later writing issues, for the most part, Gyeom’s intentions were successful. ( Especially with consideration to her trials and tests over the course of the series with snowballing situations and Go-Jin.) On the other hand, this is naturally where we hit a rut with Shin-a as a written character; her personality and character-arc were often flatlined in order to make way for her romance with Jae-Wook.
Perhaps it is arguable that screenwriter Bo-gyeom wanted to explore Shin-a’s natural passion and empathy through her potential chemistry with the main male lead . However even in the series filled to the brim with sheer absurdity and comic relief , it still seemed an ineffably odd writing decision to allow Shin-a, a fairly level-headed individual despite her conflicted situation, to break into her boss’ home with dark eyeshadow and hand in her resignation aside from attempting to generate a few laughs.
In addition to this, it seemed even stranger that screenwriter dd that Bo-gyeom did not attempt to at least highlight a moment of vulnerability for Shin-a during her initial news in the first episode, or at least help to portray her own internal conflict between attempting to act on reason and emotion beforehand. ( As mentioned previously, specifically with consideration to her character.) Instead although the series sometimes discussed her family relations, the issues surrounding her cancer and personal conflict with her illness and work life, were nearly entirely brushed aside in order to make way for her romance with the main lead.
Again, this isn’t always necessarily a bad writing decision per say in dramas and it did arguably allow some opportunities for Shin-a to come to terms with her own situation as well as personal stigmas. On the other hand despite the drama’s attempts to “cushion ” the relationship between the main leads( especially with regards to their initially problematic setup ) , is still offered a less than resolute reason at times for Shin-a to become attracted to Go-Jin. ( Especially with regards to early episodes having placed heavy emphasis on the characters being complete opposites that completely despise one another with a burning passion. )
Of course, while it isn’t an unusual approach to see “ opposites attract” in dramas, ‘ Crazy Love’ rarely allowed this development to feel completely symbiotic or enthralling, instead often glossing over some more problematic issues of the series ( such as abuse, lies and crimes) without allowing either character truly being held equally accountable for their actions .
Then of course there’s the discussion surrounding the side characters. Actor Ha Jun ( ‘ Black Dog: Being A Teacher’) took on the role as supporting character Oh Se Gi, Go Jin's copartner & friend, as well as one of the few staff members shown in the series to be initially kind to female lead Shin-a. Se Gi had a lot of potential to be an intriguing character with regards to his character- growth but due to the result of attempting to enforce several predictable “ plot twists”, it often left his character arc feeling poorly developed by the latter-half .
In addition to Se Gi, there is also Go-Jin’s first love Baek Soo-young ( Yoo In- Young- ‘ A Man Called God’, ‘ Oh My Venus’ and ‘ Good Casting’) as well as other supporting characters such as Shin-a’s best friend Chu Ok-hee ( Park Han Sol- ‘ A Poem a Day’, ‘ Sell Your Haunted House’ and ‘ Hospital Playlist 2’), the main female lead’s brother Lee Su-ho ( Astro’s Yoon San-ha-‘ To Be Continued’) and the nosy cleaning lady ( Lee Mi-young- ‘ Time Between Dog and Wolf’, ‘ Mr.Back’ and ‘ Our Gap Soon’); all of whom played their necessary roles in the storyline and helping to pad out the narrative, but rarely being given further development as a consequence.
Naturally this brings up the issue of pacing and execution in the series. The first-half of ‘ Crazy Love’ was grating at times due to its overabundance of running gags and tropes and incoherent plot logic . ( As exemplified with the police during the initial few episodes.) Arguably the final-part of ‘ Crazy Love’ did give opportunities to finally get the ball rolling with the main plot but due to poor pacing issues, it often left to certain counterplots and character-arcs feeling somewhat neglected by the finale.
Director Kim Jung Hyun ( ‘ Sassy Go Go’, ‘ After the Rain’ and ‘ My Fellow Citizens!’) certainly took a fairly avant-garde approach during initial scenes of the series. ( Often leading to dream-like and surrealist sequences and moments such as when viewers were transported into the imagination of Shin-a, with the tutors of her workplace being imagined as towering and deity-like figures) . Although later episodes of the series were not as ambitious and could sometimes feel stark in parts, the cinematography was still fairly glossy and professional .
The OST of ‘ Crazy Love’ was mainly composed of upbeat and fast-paced pop tracks . While admittedly some of these songs blended into one another and were certainly dependent on personal tastes , there were still a couple of compositions such as “ Bite!” ( “ 물어 !”) by Baekho, “ Wide Open” by JUNIEL and “Maybe” by DAVII which did surprisingly stand out.
‘ Crazy Love’ is a series which can offer viewers with an off-the-wall setup and a star-studded cast. However despite the potential for ‘ Crazy Love’ to carry forwards a well-executed storyline and narrative, the series was often shaken in parts by inconsistent pacing issues, character-writing and execution. Overall ‘ Crazy Love’ will likely vary for viewers dependent on expectations. For those looking for a quick and disengaging binge-watch then ‘ Crazy Love’ is certainly worth watching. On the other hand for those looking to invest time within a well-executed series throughout, then ‘ Crazy Love’ may not appeal to all.
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This review may contain spoilers
Wonderful old school style drama - excellent cast and acting. Could be a Christmas drama...
Why did I wait so long to watch Crazy Love? I'll tell you why - I couldn't warm to Kim Jae Wook in Her Private Live, and ended up dropping that one. However, was I wrong and I'll definitely go back and watch that one now.Krystal was amazing - again, this was my first time seeing her in a drama and she was brilliant. Both carried this drama brilliantly.
I mean this as the ultimate praise here but, Crazy Love had the feel of a great Christmas movie where the protagonist learns the true meaning of Christmas ? Essentially, that classic Kdrama trope where the lead experiences a terrible trauma as a child and so becomes a horrible person. They then meet an amazing, fun girl, and learn the true meaning of Christmas!.. I mean learns to love again and be nice to people.
I'm simplifying this too much but that's how I felt. What sets Crazy Love apart is the underlying storyline. the twists and the drama. The comedy is top-notch notch too. I felt that Krystal should have been the main lead, but I get why Kim Jae Wook was as he has the strongest story arc, that works brilliantly with hers.
If I have to nitpick, there is an older character who is really annoying but thankfully a side role (throughout the show). Additionally my pet peeve of not paying to show the car logos! We all know it's an Audi R8!
Go watch this! It's full of charm and has an old-school quality to it. Very satisfying.
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A hidden gem
I don't get why people are missing this drama. I think it is much better than some of those who are getting 10 stars hyped by the fact they are from some popular webtoon and are not even close to the acting and story line this one has.Unless the next six episodes fall short, I think this is one of the best Romantic Comedy K-Drama out this year. The acting of the main leads is amazing. I like the reaction of the female lead. I like her burst of rage the most. Do not let the synopsis steer you in the wrong direction. I almost missed it because of the last line. Not to add spoilers, but not all is what it seems.
Kim Jae Wook does such a great job in this. I think both him and Krystal Jung have great chemistry.
I love the romance, i love the mystery. I have never wanted time to pass so fast to see what happens next.
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An underrated gem, one of the best rom-coms out there
A year and many kdramas later I finally got to write a review about this drama - imho, it's still one of the best rom-com kdramas out there, very underrated. It flew under the radar when it aired due to lack of proper promotion and because there were other overhyped and frankly overrated dramas airing at around that time, like A Business Proposal, for example.Yes, on the surface it has your typical boss and secretary premise, but the plot itself is far from being generic, it's actually quite unpredictable. The first giveaway is in the premise itself - FL learns that she doesn't have much time left to live and ML is in danger of being murdered by somebody (don't worry about it being scary sounding though, nobody's actually going to die and it has a very happy ending). As the episodes unfold, this drama breaks away from the stereotypes and cliches you'd expect, and turns them on their heads in a creative and hilarious fashion.
This drama doesn't rush character exposition, but doses it expertly throughout the episodes. It has a rather slow start to give time for characters introduction and to show the crux of their problems. So after the first few heavy episodes you can't really say anything definitive as to where this is going. But after everything is established and the plot starts moving in full swing you'll see that this is a rom-com at its finest, with lots of unpredictable situations and funny moments that are very entertaining to watch. And while it's not some brainy mystery thriller that the audience has to solve, there are elements of that here as well. This drama mixes familiar tropes in a rather unpredictable and surprisingly balanced way, and doesn't falter or fall off until the very end. The narrative is strong and well thought out. And it rewards viewers who paid attention by meaningfully referencing and shedding new light on earlier events and dialogues in later episodes.
The two biggest points of this drama are:
- a strong overall message of redemption and forgiveness;
- an absolutely fantastic character development.
ML initially comes off as cold hearted, arrogant jerk with nasty temper and terrifying boss aura, who bullies his secretaries for nothing (for which FL makes him pay for later). But later it turns out that he's just a lonely, miserable guy who was backstabbed and abandoned too many times throughout his whole life. With such bad attitude and due to complicated past with some of the characters, ML becomes a target of ire of many antagonists, who gang up on ML to ruin and even kill him. And there were a lot of them for various reasons - revenge, competitor elimination, jealousy, financial problems, etc. Some were justified, but as the plot unfolds it is revealed that mostly he was made a scapegoat for other people's problems. This drama's doing well at showcasing that people generally are flawed, selfish, egotistic and like to put the blame on someone else, instead of themselves, because it's easier. But it was all done on purpose for ML's and their character development, as most of these characters in the end will come to realize that they were in the wrong and will make amends. So even though ML comes off first as a real cold bastard, the drama does a good job at portraying the why of it and his eventual path to redemption.
FL initially comes off as unassuming, timid, hard working girl, with presence that of a wind in ML's company. But after she learns the dire news of her imminent death due to health issues, she decides to put the blame on ML for being a giant stress generator source for her for over a year, which reasonably could have exacerbated her illness. With nothing to lose, she decides to go out with a bang and to take revenge on ML before she dies. To help FL with this endeavor fate conviniently throws her a great opportunity, enabled by one big mistake made by ML. While being hospitalized after an attempt on his life was made on a fateful day X, ML decides to fake his amnesia to expose the suspects. FL uses this to her advantage and pretends to be his fiancee to gain full access to his body, so to speak. And from here on out hilarity ensues as she starts implementing her revenge in an unfazed, zany fashion and ML has no choice but to suffer through all of it, lest his cover is blown.
The first half of the drama is focused more on FL and her inner turmoil. I really liked FL's somber, self-reflecting scenes in the first seven episodes, as well as ML's gradual shift of attitude towards her starting from around episode 6, as they start spending a lot of time together. And though the later part of the drama is focused more on ML's redemption arc, the writers didn't forget about FL in later episodes either. Though her main problem is effectively resolved in the first half of the show and she turns back to her kind and nice self, she gains a newfound courage and profound realization how she should be living her life from now on, and starts pursuing her dreams in earnest. This all helps immensely to resolve ML's problems in the second part, as she's there to support him and lead him in the right direction. This plot division seems very deliberate, as one plot point leads to the resolution of another. It couldn't have happened in parallel if FL was still dealing with her problem till the very end and continued having crazy bouts with ML, however hilarious they were.
Once the leads clear their misunderstandings, stop hating each other and find themselves falling for each other, they are all in for one another. No dumb break-ups, time skips or LDR. It is very sweet.
That this drama basically has no love triangles is a big plus for me as well. The leads have eyes only for each other here. ML's delulu ex, with zero second chances given, ends up being just another one of the antagonists.
So all in all, I liked how the show gradually showed their character growth and how competently all the plot points led to a satisfying conclusion, with a moral to the story even. Not every drama out there can boast the same.
Maybe the list of people having a grudge against ML could have been shorter, especially considering that most of them were not out there to get him for his nasty demeanor, but for their own selfish reasons. But I think it was done deliberately for that explosive dramatic culmination in the later episodes.
So, a great drama overall, definitely worth the watch. Starts a bit slow in the first few episodes, but gets really good later and doesn't let go until the very end. Nothing is rushed, for once, and the ending is very satisfying. The first half of the show where the leads were at each other's throats was absolutely hilarious, with pinnacle pillow fight being simply iconic. And the second half of the show was full of surprising revelations and sweet moments.
I think ML's actor did a formidable job here at playing a competent, but terrifying boss on the outside and lonely, betrayed guy on the inside. I absolutely loved his performance. In many rom-coms of this type actors can't pull off a proper boss role, they often turn up either too soft or too dumb to be convincing. But here he practically had that aura about him.
One might say that everything that happened to ML in this drama was accumulated bad karma, but he came out of it a better man in the end. And it's funny that it was the timid and introverted FL of all people, who mustered her courage due to her life changing circumstance and stopped putting up with his scumbaggery, that was the catalyst of ML's change for the better. I wasn't a fan of FL's actress before, but she really grew on me here.
Not giving this drama a perfect score only because some side characters in this drama were pretty useless/underutilized and more often than not were wasting screen time. For example, the gossiping ex-secretary club or goofy FL's brother and girl friend couple. And also, be prepared for good old staple of all contemporary kdramas - PPLs in your face.
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Crazy about this one^^ - Recommended!
When I tell you I watched this drama over 5 times I am not lying! This is one of my favorite drama's out here but it's definitely an underrated gem. Wish I could watch it for the first time again!The drama itself was delicious lol I really enjoyed watching it and as well as the main as the side characters did a good job. I personally LOVE love-hate relationships/enemies to lovers and this one is HIGHLY recommended! I laughed a lot and each time I watched it I enjoyed it even more.
The only couple things I could not stand:
The wig he was wearing as his younger self, it was outrageous and I could not take him serious + his ex. It's the standard "I'm back now, let's get back together now" type of shit.
Overall, great funny rom-com drama with some nice kiss scenes^^
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Just because you're hurting doesn't give you the right to hurt others.
No Go Jin is a rude CEO, who treats everyone around him like trash. He doesn't care about the well-being of his employees as long as he gets his work done. He cannot empathize with the people around him, repeatedly causing emotional pain to his employees. His eccentric personality is a result of his traumatic childhood and his failed relationship. But in no way can it justify his repeated abuse of his employees.Later he falls in love, and with guidance from his girlfriend, he learns to understand the cause of his actions and later repented with all his heart. But in the end, no amount of repentance could bring back the times lost and the emotional pain his victims went through.
The entire story is built up with misunderstandings. His secretary finds out she is terminally ill and she threw all the blame for her stressful life on her boss, NGJ. Later she finds out that her CT was mixed up with someone else in the hospital and she was perfectly healthy. Afterward, NGJ gets into an accident and he pretends to have amnesia to catch the one who attempts to murder him. Thinking he is amnestic, his secretary pretends to be his fiance. At one point his ex-girlfriend comes back and wants to win him back. But NGJ repeatedly rejects her, blaming her for the breakup. But later he finds out that she left to protect him. In the end, NGJ's bestie tries to destroy his company misunderstanding that NGJ killed his sister. Like this, every misunderstanding snowballed into a huge mess. This pretty much sums up the story.
Although I watched it until the end, because the overall story is weak, I won't recommend it to anyone to watch.
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An underrated gem
This drama is literally the best office rom com I have watched till date like comedy scenes are so funny and natural like Krystal and Kim jae wook were just made for these roles I still can't believe how underrated it is with this kind of story acting and comedy I still can rewatch it any time this is definitely worth the watch their chemistry is really great and I liked the overall story it was kinda different beautifully done for me it's a solid 10/10Was this review helpful to you?
