I went into this drama expecting it to be more of a workplace romcom. The actual drama turned out to be much more than the romance between the main characters. It has family sentiments and more interesting secondary character arcs, which sometimes feel more interesting than the main arc!

The ML was great in looks, expressions and acting,
and he basically carried the romance. I didn't find the FL interesting, and at times actively disliked her for some of her decisions and lack of communication with her ex as well as her current love. She seemed to think only from her perspective and didn't try to get a proper closure or even explanation from her ex, although she spent 2 years in a relationship with him. For her own sake she should have had a proper talk with him instead of shutting him down and falling in love with her junior! Instead she had her pride hurt so much that she doesn't want to even hear his side.

I could understand the ML having feelings for the FL but nowhere does the drama show how or when the FL falls for the ML. He was there for her at a very vulnerable time but so would a friend or brother behave. So I didn't feel any sparks or chemistry in the main romance although the drama sprinkled a lot of cute scenes between the leads. Most of the time I watched it thinking the ML was too good for the FL.

The initial episodes try to show the ML as protective but it felt like an intrusion into the FL's privacy almost to stalker levels at times. I couldn't accept how the FL allowed her junior to cross so many boundaries suddenly, like wiping the lipstick off her lips! Kdramas are usually so skilled at showing the gradual blossoming romance between the leads. I felt this drama didn't measure up to that expectation as the ML is already in love with the FL when the show begins and i didn't get to see the FL falling in love with the ML as well. It just felt like she lost her ex and decided to love the next protective male who had feelings for her. What she shared with the ML seemed more like a cute senior - junior camaradie and later he became a trusted confidant. She realised that the ML was going to ignore her completely if she didn't reciprocate his feelings and did not want to lose his company hence decided to have a relationship with him. Throughout the drama it feels like the ML actually loves the FL more.

Side characters were very interesting. Both sisters of the ML had interesting story lines. The elder sister's love story with the ML's boss was adorable. The other sister's story was even more interesting although I expected to get some closure on what happened to the chef by the last episode. The little girl was adorable and wise beyond her years. She was a breath of fresh air amidst the melancholy.

The ex ML and his SFL storyline was highly irksome and toxic for most of the episodes. I was glad how they closed it in the final part.

The FL's mom arc was added to create more depth to the FL but it made her seem more self centred than caring for most of the time. However it was an interesting dynamic among the mother-daughter and brought to life very realistically on the screen.

All in all this was a one time binge watch romance Melo (mostly watched at 1.25 speed). It has eye candy and pleasing aesthetics (it was bit of a mystery how the ML's house was quite posh when he was still working as junior position while the senior FL shared a middle class flat with a friend. One of his sisters is well off with her own business while the other is a housewife). The drama succeeds in getting you interested in the life of all these characters whether you personally like them or not. Watch it once without any expectations and it will feel like a decent watch.