I felt that most Korean dramas start well but can't keep the pace to achieve a satisfactory ending, which is further debatable. This one falls directly into such a category. One can't exactly point out how this drama was received when it first aired, but now that I've watched it, it does not seem to have hit the points it initially set out to complete.
The pain experienced by the characters throughout the series was not fully evident from the performances on screen. The music associated with the main lead was the only consolation prize to an overtly exaggerated dramatic past of the MC which never really hit a chord for the audience to sympathize the least. The cliched version of the female lead to not be able to realize her father's wishes beforehand was well within the bounds of the creative block that the writers could have avoided, arriving at a better ending..... can't know for sure, but maybe it's just alright.