I may have cried non-stop from episodes nine to sixteen. I may be crying right now as I write this review. When I heard the plot of this show I was excited and nervous about what the outcome could be. It isn’t the first time that we have had healing romances in a Kdrama not to mention the backdrop being at a psychiatric hospital and people with mental illness. I was afraid that we would have “love” magically cure everything. I am proud to say that this drama did a really good job in its portrayal and the incorporation of these topics. This wasn’t a drama that glorified mental illnesses or romanticized it, but rather it explored how some mental illnesses you are born with and other can be a product of your environment. The intricacy of this story and they way they wove the tale made it worthwhile to watch the way our main trio evolved throughout these sixteen episodes. This drama may have one of the best story telling I have witnessed in a Kdrama in a long time. The little things always matter and connected so well. After every episode there were so many theories of what could and couldn’t be and I loved that this drama provided me with this because it really has been a long time since a Kdrama has done that for me.

This drama was so beautifully shot and the cinematography and symbolism behind everything was very polished. I was especially fond of the animations for the fairytales that were told and I loved the way they all connected to the story or theme of the episode. I enjoyed that these fairytales were all twisted and dark in some senses because it provided the life lessons that we needed. I will never forget when Moonyoung said she always makes her witches beautiful, as it is so often we see in society that the prettiest/shiniest things are not always good. If I had to pick my favorite tale from the bunch that were told it would be Zombie Boy with a special nod to the story told during the Father and the Two Sisters.

It goes without saying that the acting in this was superb especially that of our three leads. I was able to connect with each of the leads in different ways. I have always talked about how outstanding I have found Seo Yeji to be ever since I saw her in Save Me, it is therefore no surprise that her portrayal of Ko Moon Young was magnificent. Now, I do not know on a personal level what someone with antisocial personality disorder behaves like, but I think she did a good job showing us her interpretation. This is also by far the most attractive Kim Soo Hyun has ever looked to me and I always wanted to cry whenever he did. The person who I have a new found appreciation for though is Oh Jung Se. This is now the second drama I have completed with him and he did a phenomenal job of portraying someone on the autism spectrum. It didn’t feel like a mockery or exaggerated in the least. I want to watch more of him tbqh.

The soundtrack for this drama was sensational. I am not familiar with the curated or distributor, but I do know is that they did great with gathering the voices. I haven’t enjoyed an OST this much since Hotel Del Luna’s which is funny as that is a drama that this drama is always being compared to. The songs amplified the scenes to a level that would not have been achieved otherwise.

I strongly believe that I could go on and on (and I probably will on my podcast) about this drama because it is truly something special. I have always enjoyed found family tales and this drama is no different. Yes, Yeji and Soohyun have AMAZING chemistry, but it was more than that for me. I truly felt like I was going on a healing journey myself. Please don’t miss out on this drama, it is very highly recommended.