A wonderful show about a complex relationship
This is one of my all-time favorite shows. I've seen it multiple times. The ML character gets a lot of "flack" for being Toxic and never really sincere about his female friends. People who don't even know him and have only heard rumors about him call him a jerk. She starts to believe what she hears instead of what she has learned from being around him. But what is overlooked is that this is a story about two people who have been deeply hurt. Her former boyfriend treated her dismissively and without love. His Mother dropped in once in a while when she was travelling the world as a ballerina. He has not lived with her since he was 10 years old, and they hardly know each other. Their art school "friends" like him and include him in on gatherings because he is good looking, and Mom gave him a Maserati for his Birthday! They may have called him "insincere", but they sincerely loved it when he paid for their meals out and gave them rides in his car. He has survived by having sort of arm's length relationships and not revealing too much of himself. But the more time he spends at night with Nabi, the more attached he finds himself becoming. He treats her like a queen, makes gifts for her, helps her with her wrecked project and is just generally there for her. He notices that he has never felt this way about anyone before and doesn't know what to make of that. These two wounded people try hard in their own ways to navigate this new territory. She finally runs from it and the pressure she feels. She takes up with an old friend from her old town, but finally realizes that is not the right answer for her. I loved the ending, in which they get back together and go about seeing what their world will look like at that point - no guarantees - just holding hands. Both Song Kang and Han So Hee were perfectly cast in this intimate exploration of what is truly of value and must be protected.
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