It's like having a warm tea in a cold winter night.
Long review.
This is going to be very long. ?
First of all I am someone who loves the stories of ordinary and simple people. And probably only people like me will find this drama to be as good. This drama won't be according to the taste of people who like only thrillers, fantasies or other typical rom coms. It's a very slow paced story with no extraordinary situations at all. It's the simplicity, the realistic plot and acting, and the serene music that makes this drama quite extraordinary. This is one of the very few dramas in which every character leaves their trace in your heart. There wasn't any instance of gender stereotypes either. What made me love it the most is the portrayal of the close knit community of country side. The book club meetings make you badly want to attend them if you are a book lover yourself. The poetry and various lines, especially of the writer characters of the story leaves you in awe. Another gem of this drama is it's flawed characters. Each of them has made mistakes and still do, but eventually they heal and keep working for happiness. One thing that has to be appreciated a lot when compared to other kdramas is it's satisfying ending. Each subplot was beautifully brought to a close, some even brought to a new beginning. Though that is mostly the Lee Do Woo's (original novel's author) merit. As far as acting is considered, I don't even have any words to express how good each of them was. I came here looking for Seo Kang Jun, but I return after falling in love with each of them. Park Min Young did an amazing job. As she herself said, it's very different from her usual roles and she definitely stole the show. She did have a lot to act, considering how expressive her character is. Seo Kang Jun totally nailed it again. On the surface it looks like he didn't have much to do, but his character is one of the most quietest and most subtlest character I have seen. And he did complete justice to it. Each intricate emotion was brought out with the most subtlest expressions. And that's truly a skill. Moon Jeong Hee left me speechless with her complicated yet headstrong character. She hit the right spot every time and creates a special attachment to her character in us by the end of it. I might as well end up telling about each of them. The music was absolutely serene and healing. The OST complimented the drama so impeccably well that every mood is set so perfectly. This is the first drama in which I pick out the bgm and keep listening to those. Thanks to Hanclef for that. The cinematography was beautiful and very calming. I also appreciate the director Han Ji Seung and writer Han Ga Ram for incorporating all the emotions so well. Everything about the story was realistic. If at all something was not, it was the fact about how first loves worked out in it. But then it's in the country side and you meet the same people for almost your entire life. And it's gotta have some imperfections right. The makers weren't joking when they said that this drama intend to heal the viewers. It really does it's job. Thank you to the whole crew for this priceless drama. Like I said, please do go for it if you would like something quiet and heart warming. I promise it's worth it. ❤️