Losing someone is painful be it a friend, family, or partner and each of us handles the pain in our own way. Some drink their sorrows away, some keep themselves busy to keep their mind off of it, some show it in anger or act like nothing or drown themselves with sorrow and get sucked in a hole of constant pain with no end in sight.

You know those kinds of shows that you have no expectation at all that gives you the best shocks? Well, I did not expect to love this so much, the only reason that I gave this a chance was because of our beloved Ha Jin, played by Moon Ga Young.

STORY
The premise of the drama is about a guy who can never forget and the girl who can’t remember and how memories from the past connect them. I didn’t expect it to be cute and lean more on the romantic comedy side rather than a melodrama, I mean reading the synopsis, doesn’t it give you that melodrama heart-wrenching vibe?

“Which one of us is more pitiful? Me who can’t forget my memories for the rest of my life or Ha Jin who had to forget her memories to live?”

I think that question was repeated more than once on the drama and it was very fitting. Every time this line comes in, its really painful, I mean you can’t put value or measure on someone's pain to yours. Since we are all different, we also feel pain differently.

The backstory is really sad and I felt really bad for Seo Yeon, she was a really good person, and to suffer like that just breaks my heart and at the same time, it angers me to a whole new level. Stalking and kidnapping are just…….

“Memories are supposed to lose color and fade away as time goes by. Don’t feel tormented for not remembering”

I really love the way Anchor-nim comforts Ha Jin, it feels realistic, mature, and more relatable.

I really love the flow of the entire drama. It didn’t feel rushed nor did it feel like it was dragged. It gives you enough drama to keep you on your toes but then also giving you those fluffy romantic scenes that will definitely keep you giggling and all giddy.

I also love that the drama didn’t just focus on their love but a lot of other things like work ethics, sister/family love, stalkers and struggles of public figures.

I love that they showed how public opinion is so easily swayed, that one day you’re at the top of the world and the next, you’re at the bottom of the food chain. Public opinion can be easily manipulated which makes me really sad that that somehow became normal in our generation.

One of my favorite episodes where 21 and 22 cause like 90% of it was just full of fluff and love, not a lot of stress and then that was also the same episode where Anchor-nim visited you know who is prison and compared him to bat-shiiiii-crazy guy # 1 and how he strongly and aggressively argues that they were not the same.

Monsters don’t see who they really are when they are looking at the mirror, they don’t see a monster staring right back at them. That’s the art of denial and ignorance. When you have done something and can’t accept or even see the fact that you have done it for the wrong reasons, justifying it for something good when morally its not.

Monsters delude themselves with delusions and view them as reality to keep them from seeing that there is something wrong with them.

I hate that Dr. Yoo (the dad not the son) just wanted to sell his book about people with hyperthymesia . technically, he is breaching the doctor-patient confidentiality and I think for psychologists, it one of the most important part of their code of ethics (and so proud with Tae Eun for actually voicing this out in the drama)

If I remember correctly, the exemptions to this is *to protect their patient and public from harm *to report abuse and neglect of children, elderly or people with disability and to *respond to an order from a coart. And none of those things co-align to what Dr. Yoo is doing.

Another thing is recording people's private conversations without consent. I know that for psychologists it's not something out of the ordinary but I don’t think recording without permission of the other person is not right. Private conversations are private, and it's not like they are his current patients either, Anchor-nim is his “former” patient and although its normal for doctors to check up on his former clients out of concern but what he was doing is definitely not out of concern.

And when he said “I know him the best”, oh I almost flipped my desk How shameless and obnoxious he is! Who is he to decide other people's fate? Tbh, I hated the doctor more than the stalker. I mean the stalker clearly was not mentally stable but the doctor…. He is a doctor, a professor, supposedly a good one at that but he was ignorant and completely disregarded the code of ethics that he vowed to uphold when he first became a doctor.

“I’m devastated that my father is someone who ‘s this low”
when Tae Eun said this, I could hear the angels singing hallelujah in my ears. Aside from Anchor Lee and Ha Jin, Tae Eun is my favorite character, even surpassing Ha Kyung. Not only is he really kind and loyal but he is also a really cute doctor *wink, you know what I’m saying~

The chemistry between both leads were just…. *speechless.
They are such contrasts but perfectly just fits each other. I love how the writer wrote their love story. Both lost souls and found each other. It might be different for other people but somehow this pairing is my favorite out of all kdramas that I watched. I can’t put it into words but the way the drama kind of build up their love and trust was amazing.

Unlike Ha Jin’s explanation on her movie that it was a sadistic movie, that you know you’re gonna get hurt but you still love it and watch it, this drama didn’t get me enough pain for it to be soooooooo heartbreaking. ‘Cause at every pain in this drama, the director and writer immediately heals your heart.

This drama is also good learning material for couples, like relationship 101.
If you have a problem, talk it out!!! I love that they always end up talking about their feelings and that they don’t mind being vulnerable to each other!
If the other walks away, stop them! (well, it didn’t really happen) but they did talk about it and anchor-nim expressed his feelings about that scene before the time jump. His regrets and all.
Always be considerate to your partner, always think about what your partner might think before doing something, especially if it affects them.
Always find time for each other, despite hectic schedules and work, always find time to be with each other.

The ending….

I was really hoping for a really good ending and thank god that the director and writer did not break my heart. I love that it was more of a mature and realistic approach for the ending. You know that satisfaction of putting the last piece of puzzle after playing it for days and even weeks? That's how I feel with the ending, there was no big bang! But it is more real and more satisfying.


CHARACTER
Yeo Ha Jin is the quirky actress known for playing not exactly good girl characters and is apparently a huge fashion Icon. I’m living for Ha Jin. I just love her. She is clumsy and funny but can be very serious when she wants to be. I love that her character is really kind and considerate.

She can be quite naive and insensitive at times, like not realising things faster. I think you would either hate her or love her, she is very active and very approachable and sociable that it might not sit well with others and might come off as clingy, forceful but that just makes Ha Jin so good. Ha Jin is good to a fault. She trusts and forgives so easily, like what happened with Chul.

I think at the beginning it was purely out of her curiosity that drawed her in to him and the more she thinks about him the more she sees the other things that made him different. He was kind but distant, considerate but cold but despite being distant, aloof and cold, he has his own style of humor and is very loyal to those he values and he believes in. She even said that everything started because of the way he looked at her during the interview.

She was curious why he had those sad eyes.

Another thing that I love about her character is that, when she sets her mind on something, she does it (sometimes clumsily but still) . Her relationship with her younger sister is hilarious. Sometimes it seems like Ha Kyung is the older sister and Ha Jin is the youngest.

Lee Jeong Heon is the anchorman for the News Live for HBN, known as the “gentle tyrant” for exposing his guests with that calm and somewhat innocent face of his. Jeong Heon from the start came off as strong willed and opinionated.

Jeong Heon has a condition called hyperthymesia, that allows him to remember nearly every moment in his life, a condition that he sees as a curse, a disease. I mean it's understandable to feel that way, to be able to remember everything clearly even those memories that horrifies you, to be able to still recall it so clearly is just terrifying.

I love that Jeong Heon is really gentle and patient with Ha Jin, he is not the most affectionate guy when it comes to romantic gestures but he sure has tricks up his sleeves. At first, like Ha Jin he was curious about her. She reminds him so much of his first love and I think that really draw him to her and when he found out who she really is and what happened to her, I'm not really sure if he felt pity or not, cause even though he said to Ha JIn that he didn’t feel that, his face when Tae Eun told him the story, his face says he did. He realized that he wasn’t the only hurting.

I think in some way he was a bit jealous of Ha Jin cause even though she didn’t mean it, she got to forget all the painful memories but at the same time he doesn’t want to lose his memories as well, even though he views his condition as an illness he still values the memories that he has.

Yeo Ha Kyung is Ha Jin’s devoted baby sister. I really love Ha Kyung for being the “older” one between the two of them, imagine if Ha Kyung is like Ha Jin (oh the mess and chaos). Her love story with Reporter Jo was really cute too.

I really love Ha Kyung’s devotion to her older sister. She sacrificed so many things just to protect and support Ha Jin, and when Ha Jin said that she felt guilty for Ha Kyung being always by her side, it just tells you how much the sisters love each other. Ha Kyung didn’t stay out of responsibility nor did she see it as a job but she did it for her love for her sister and wanting to always be there for her since she saw first hand how Ha Jin suffered.

Now make way for my Tae Eun (lol)

Yoo Tae Eun is the good looking and overall good between the two Dr. Yoo in the drama (lol). He is Jeong Heon’s loyal childhood friend and also Ha Jin’s former doctor. Like I mentioned earlier, aside from the main couple Tae Eun is my favorite character not only because he is good looking but also his importance in the main lead’s story.

Tae Eun’s scene near the end was like the cherry on top for me, the way he handled everything and how he put importance in Ha Jin and Jeong Heon’s well being that he was willing to turn himself in for everything.

I love that he was more like the father and his evil dad is the son. I love that he was disciplining his dad. I actually didn’t expect him to be the one to end that line of the story, for him to actually put a stop to it ‘cause at the beginning he was like a pushover by his dad but damn, my Tae Eun did it!


Characters to mention:

Jo Il-Kwon is the Anchor-nim’s loyal Heobae, the tall good looking field reporter for HBN. I mean if all reporters are as good looking as him I’d probably be watching news all the time (lol). Anyway, I love that his character is very consistent ‘till the end, he is a bit weak, clumsy but affectionate and lovable. His love story with Ha Kyung is both funny and cute, a really good second couple.

Choi Hee Sang and Kim Cheol-Woong are probably the best boss out there. She is the director of the News Department for HBN, which makes her Anchor-nims direct boss. I really like that she was very supportive to Anchor-nim, always considerate but at the same time firm. She is married to Cheol Woong, the guy she met at church. He is the director for news live which makes him Anchor-nim’s direct supervisor. This pair is really funny.

Yoo Sung Hyuk is the worst psychologist ever. He is arrogant and opportunistic, using his patient to be famous. I hate him and unfortunately, he is also my Tae Eun’s dad. Although he got what he deserve, I guess his ending was enough (he is still my Tae Eun’s dad lol)

Moon Chul is the manager? I’m not really sure if he was the manager or the driver? I was kind of disappointed with him at first but now wow, what he did with that bucket was just an epic (though petty) revenge, go Chul!! I feel bad for him because of his backstory and was really happy with his ending. The first time that I laughed at him was when he was being interrogated and then he looked at the tv and cursed at the stalker and my face and the detectives face was like... lol

Park Kyung Ae is the bubbly and super supportive CEO of Ha Jin’s agency. I don’t know why but she reminds me of Nam Joo Hyuk’s mom on Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo. She has this motherly vibe that I really like. She was hilarious at the last few episodes, her accents got me laughing

Park Soo Chang is that piece of t**** paparazzi, I'm not even gonna call him reporter ‘cause it feels like it's giving that profession a bad image. He is the type of paparazzi that I really hate, invading people's privacy and has the audacity to be proud of it. Calling himself a reporter just makes my blood boil.

Ji Hyun Geun is the director for Ha Jin’s film First Love. not gonna say a lot about him but except for, my gut was right (lol, if you have watched it you’ll know)

Moon Seong Ho is the stalker.
*i don't want to tire my brain in thinking about him, just three words, I HATE HIM.

ACTORS
The main reason that I actually watched this drama was for Moon Ga Young, I first saw her EXO Next Door but I didn’t realise it was her until I saw it on her filmography. I love her in The Great Seducer, her character Soo Ji was really amazing. I fell in love with her because of Soo Ji.

I haven’t really heard of Kim Dong Wook before but I’m definitely gonna look out for projects now. Didn’t expect to actually like him since I like a certain image for my main leads but damn, Dong Wook converted me (lol) He is a really good lead.

It turns out I have seen my Tae Eun in other dramas, just didn’t realise it

I actually didn’t expect to see Kim Seul Gi here and I was especially shocked when Lee Jin Hyuk came one the screen. They have chemistry. It was cute.

Lee Seung Jun….. just… every time he's in a drama it just catches me off guard, does this guy even have a break? Why is he in a lot of the dramas that I watch? And then Ji Il Joo really fits his role (lol)

FINAL THOUGHTS
I'm just gonna go right ahead and say it, this is my favorite Kdrama of the first half of 2020, this is my personal preference but tbh I’d rather rewatch this again and again than other dramas this year so far. I mean there were really amazing dramas in the first half of 2020, some of them I have yet to watch and some I did enjoy but so far, this drama just jumps up my list.

Although my list is constantly changing, based on my feelings now (this instant) this is my favorite. You’ll never know, the next one I watch might surpass this but for now, this is ranking 1 and there is a gap, a big gap with the 2nd and the rest. That’s how much I love the drama.

Would I recommend it? A big YES. its a drama that plays on your heartstrings, it will make you cry and laugh but overall, it gives you great lessons as to how to make a relationship work. COMMUNICATION, DEVOTION, TRUST AND LOVE.