Payu Sai truly drew me in, and I could not help but binge-watched over the weekend. It's a real slap & kiss but not so much between our main couple. There's definitely tons of slapping where almost no one was spared, and the kisses between the male and female leads, Nares and Sai, were hot...phew!

Why I like this lakorn?

* Awesome leads
I actually liked the female lead in this one. I'm not sure whether it is Esther who seems to be able to bring life to any character or the character itself but Sai was not a boring and weak damsel in distress. She can fight and shoot a gun with great accuracy. She was smart, independent and calm but she can be irritatingly stubborn and tight-lipped.

As for the male lead, his character development was a plus point and even though he may seemed self-centered, I actually found Nares adorable whenever he realized how important he was to Sai. He always wanted to be the first when it came to Sai which can come across as being possessive. However, Film managed to pull it off with charisma.

* Great kissing
In the first 6 episodes, Nares and Sai demonstrated angry passion that translated into some great kissing. After seeing them in their other shows, I always knew that Film and Esther could kiss well on-screen, and they delivered again. That said, Esther could have tried to avoid the wide-eyed "Oh, we're kissing" look that took away from the heat of the moment.

There was great chemistry and Film as Nares brought his usual flirty charm which worked well with Esther's more subtle appeal in her portrayal of Sai. They, of course, looked good together, which increased my enjoyment of watching them together.

It did get tamer after the two became more romantic. However, I appreciated how the writers developed the progression of Nares' and Sai's relationship, which brings me to my next point.

* Realistic relationship progression
Even though the kisses became fewer after the major misunderstandings were cleared up, there were still many sweet and cute moments in almost every episode. Nares was constantly hugging, trying to kiss, and physically expressing his love for Sai, while Sai would react with modesty and fake outrage. I did wish that Sai did not react so shyly, especially after seeing her initial ardent responses to Nares. However, after having watched numerous Thai lakorns, I somewhat expected it.

There was also a secondary couple whose endearing interactions caught my interest. At least for the couples, the writers focused on keeping the romantic relationships healthy and respectful. As for the other relationships, oh boy, it was toxic but entertaining as heck.

* Tropes used in a refreshing way
This drama was riddled with worn-out tropes, but... they were not that bad. The show used some tropes in new ways and managed to surprise me. The screechy supposed nang rai was dealt with quickly. The bitchy stepmother found redemption. Unlike many Lakorns that were all about forgiveness and earning merit, the villains were punished satisfactorily.

* Engaging plot
The story unfolded pretty nicely for me, and I like that the show revealed the villains early on. Even then, there were layers of manipulation and scheming that kept things fresh. It is also gratifying that the main couple developed quickly, allowing more episodes of sweet romance. I find many shows so frustrating, having to watch the couple go through many episodes of denial before finally getting together in the last 15 minutes. It was also enjoyable to see the villains unravel as they got closer to being caught.

* Memorable theme song
For posterity, I included the link to it. It is quite a lovely song and has made it to my playlist. As expected, it heightened the romantic experience for me.

ARTIST : มาเรียม เกรย์
SONG : หัวใจเลือกจำ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpSP67RocUo

Why I couldn't give a higher rating?

* Trite dialogue and overuse of flashbacks towards the end
Seriously, they could have done better with the dialogue. For some scenes, the writers must think that the viewers are pretty dumb since they got the characters to say out the entire scene. Also, a lot of drama happened for the sake of drama which can be frustrating at times.

* Lack of music creativity
Unfortunately, other than the theme song, there was not much else going on musically, and the background music selection did not seem suitable at times.

* Unimpressive acting by the villains and side characters
The overall frustration about the bad acting is something that you have to overlook to move on.

On the whole, I do recommend this Lakorn. The story moved at a good pace, and if nothing else, Film and Esther might be enough to keep you watching.