The first time I watched this drama it was rushed and I found myself moderately enjoying it. I didn't think much of it and moved on. But then I decided to watch it again a year later and paid closed attention, feeling myself glued in to every scene.
This is a story about two very depressed and emotionally repressed people who find meaning, love and a want for life because of each other.
Doom is apathetic, disillusioned, bored, depressed and wants the world to end so his role will end. Essentially, he wants to die and he knows he can't. (Which makes me wonder how many times he's tried to be so sure of this.) He finally gets a chance when he meets our FL and you can see the way he changes throughout the show, to feel, to empathise and to love someone more than you hate yourself.
Dong Kyung is someone who lives for others. She works to give her brother an allowance, to let her aunt to live abroad with her husband and in a way her profession allows her to be a sounding board/helper to the writers she edits for. She lost her parents early on in life and buries her emotions deep, always keeping a stiff upper lip and hiding her own depression with practised ease. When she gets the new about her terminal illness, she doesn't react in the way a "perfect victim" would. She laughs it off and goes on about her day as though there is nothing to worry about and that makes sense for her character. Depression takes away your ability to feel things the way you're supposed to, it dampens your emotions and you allow yourself to be swept through every day by hiding it with humour and work and the writer shows this well I think.
Their bond isn't immediate and it initially starts with a mutual curiosity. The other is strange and unique, they don't react like everyone else and it throws the two off balance and their mundane routines.
Doom finally gets his wish and Dong Kyung is stick in an impossible dilemma. Her choices will end with either the person she loves dying or the whole world dying, a real life trolley problem given to someone who has already lost so much.
She figures out a loop hole though and without thinking it through, decides to love Doom so he will be the person she loves the most and take her brother's place. He seems amused by her determination and plays along at first until their feelings spark something in the two.
You can see their stony faces and imaginary walls begin to slowly crumble the more their love grows and although some of their words are dipping into that defensive humour and bravado, they are hesitant and terrified of it. Dong Kyung's breakdown when she finally starts to allow herself to feel the grief over her death was devastating and had me in tears and it was perfect that Doom was the person she let it all out to. In that moment, he could share in that grief and it was such a heartfelt and genuine bond of love between them.
The Deity had seen all of this coming of course, her own little Pinocchio was slowly becoming a real boy but she needed to throw wrenches in there to see if this was truly an enduring love. Even with the stunts she pulled, they couldn't quite forget each other and it seemed to cement the Deity's decision to have him as a new flower in her garden once he fully bloomed.
I think this drama was perfect in showing the grieving process, I would loved to have seen how it would affect the other characters more but that's okay. These two broken people were able to mend each other and their unwavering and selfless love was beautiful to watch grow.
My only dislike of this series was the second leads storyline, it felt empty and disjointed in their lives and with how long it had been between high school and now, a bit stale. I would have loved for Ji Na and Hyun Gu to have maybe met up and discussed their first loves. The immaturity of their relationship and how they are different people now, deciding to move on from the get go. A slow build of Joo Ik and Ji Na could have equally been as beautiful if grown from a place of mutual adoration and respect instead of pity.