I'm surprised this drama's rating hasn't reached 8 - to me, it seemed both quite unusual and easy to like...
That being said, I do admit I had dropped it at first after two episodes, as many other people seem to have done - I can't recall what those first two episodes were like since I watched them months ago, but if you are looking for a drama without clichés and with a poignant romance, give this drama another chance! I know how common the give-this-drama-a two-episode-chance-you'll-see-it's-worth-it rule is, but it seems to me that it is more true for Protect The Boss than any other drama I have ever watched.
Perhaps this drama is more suited for experienced drama watchers, which I wasn't when I started it. Every typical cliché you find in a rom-com drama is cleverly used and turned around, which makes it a refreshing experience. Many of the main characters are "knock-off" stereotypes, and therefore end up being both comical and very relatable. For example, I have never seen a chaebol father/son relationship depicted quite this way: the father loves his son deeply, which, sadly enough, is a rare thing in dramas. Or else, the second female lead that turns out to be more than the typical spoiled, petty, beautiful rich girl.
Maybe another reason people often give this drama up is because of the female lead - I remember finding her loud, ugly, stupid and a bit too old for me to relate with. She ended up being one of my all-time favorite female characters though, not only because she's strong and talks back and blablabla, but because she's a normal, nice person with a lot of common sense - which is much is easier to like than the usual excessively nice, blindly self-sacrificing female protagonist... And I found her pretty too, in the end :)
It's so agreeable to watch... nice people for a change. Sure, this drama is light, but that doesn't mean it's stupid: on the contrary, I felt like for once the writers didn't just feed the viewers over-used drama formulas, as if they weren't aware of these tropes. It felt like all the main characters were carefully developed. And there were barely any misunderstandings, for once (a few towards the end, but they weren't completely absurd...) The drama was intelligent not because it gives some lesson, but because it was intelligently written.
I decided to give this drama another chance because I had posted a forum question looking for dramas where the male lead was obsessed with the female lead. Even though I love that plot, I also felt that kind of drama often winds up bad, because the girl ends up being too passive, and the guy too... stupid (in my opinion, Boys Over Flowers or The Heirs are examples of that). However, in this drama, I was able to watch my favorite kind of obsessed protagonist without grinding my teeth - the romance was the kind that made my heart flutter without it being unrealistic or silly, but on the contrary, very down to earth.
The major flaw may be the last episodes - I liked them, but they're probably the weakest compared to how strong the rest of the drama was. Oh well, I'll take 14 excellent episodes for 2 mediocre beginning ones and 2 nice ending episodes anytime.
Try this drama if you're looking for characters that you can truly like! The friendships and love stories that develop are sweet and unexpected :)
p.s: ah yes and the guys are handsome ;)
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