"It's Okay, That's Love."

I have so much love for this drama. Despite first watching it when airing 10 years ago, my love for this drama never changes. It remains a timeless classic and one of it's kind, despite it being already a decade old. Writer No Hee Kyung never disappoints, but out of all her works, IOTL will forever stay snug in my heart. It's just so raw, so tender, and so genuine.
We Koreans that love this drama like to say that, "괜사 계절이 왔다." which means "The season of IOTL is here." AKA A drama where it's just a mandatory rewatch every summer.

There are complaints time to time about how frustrating some of the characters can be, but to me, it is what makes this drama this drama. I don't necessarily blame anyone for not being able to see past the character's flaws, but for those who are able to, I think there is an unspoken understanding and love for these characters and why they are the way they are.

Hae-soo is a flawed character. In a way, she is written like a character that isn't asked to be liked. She is just simply Hae-soo. That's what I love about her. She isn't asking to be liked. She's headstrong, she's prideful, and she isn't necessarily someone that everyone would get along with. She is simply just a human being, who has been through shit, has ideals and virtues that were shaped by her past, and isn't simply just black and white like most humans are. Jae-yeol, our ML, is also a flawed man but there is more to him than being a cheeky asshole at times. Throughout the drama, you learn that these characters are not simply what you see at the surface, but people, that are just trying to navigate the world like the rest of us. I like to say it is a drama about people, just being people, that were once deeply hurt by the world around them.

There is a line I love from this drama that I feel like well portrays the characters and the drama.
"..Because this is everyone's first time living, it's inevitable that we aren't perfect. That's why we are pitiable, and that's why we can make some mistakes.."

This drama's primary theme focuses on mental health, which is often rare in an East Asian context. Mental health is often something that is brushed over and never deeply discussed in Korean culture and to think that this came out in 2014.. It has and always will be ahead of its time.

There are two main things that come to my mind when I think of this drama:
Chemistry and OST.

I've watched my fair share of dramas throughout my life, but no couple will ever do love like Jae-yeol and Hae-soo. You can feel so much love and tenderness between the two as their love progresses, no matter how many times I watch it, I always think it's just crazy how GHJ and JIS manage to portray being in love that transparently. I always am reminded, "Oh, that's right, that's what love is."

Second part, OST. The soundtrack for this show, just absolutely insane. Hero, Ship and the Globe, It's Okay, That's Love, Sleepless Nights, etc... It's just so so so good and there is no Korean drama to me that does OST like IOTL.

I also really love love the title. (As you can tell, I... just love the drama.)
"It's okay, that's love." or "It's okay, it's love."
I think it's just a beautiful title. That is what just love is sometimes.

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