*** SPOILERS ALERT*** (review re-upload)

For starters, I don’t gain anything from defending or throwing shade at this drama, and I don’t have the egocentrism to think that I know better than anyone else on the subject. So, I will first give my honest opinion on the controversy with the last episode before commenting on anything else.

When I watched episode 12 yesterday, I was taken aback by the countries names that are 100% a reference to the conflict between Isreal and Palestine. I guess it makes sense for the drama to use references to war because of the news coverage background and the beginning of the drama in which the ML reports on a hostage situation executed by a terrorist organization. Well since he’s the spokesperson of the presidential office, it’s clear that covering such a theme is realistic. BUT was it done well? Honestly, I don’t think so… When I was watching the breaking news scene of the conflict in the last episode, I understood that the fake Palestine retaliated on the fake Isreal because the later took some people hostage, so I guess it makes the fake Isreal the bad guy but I only read the English subtitles so I can be mistaken. Honestly, they should have chosen entirely different names for this fake conflict, and I don’t even understand how they didn’t think one second that this would create outrage (understandably so), especially nowadays with kdramas being very popular with international viewers. All in all, I don’t think the show supports genocide in anyway, but it is such a sensitive and hurtful topic for many people that this kind of outcome was to be expected. (This is only my two cents on the subject, for what it’s worth.)

I will now write what I liked and disliked about the drama:
Liked:
- First and foremost, the chemistry between the leads was phenomenal!! They were the backbone of the drama and honestly without them, it wouldn’t have been the same. The tension, pining and caring coming from the leads are simply perfect. It also felt very mature, and I’m glad they chose YYS as Baek Sa Eon because I simply can’t think of any other actor who could have embodied this role as well as he did. For being an ex-war reporter to being the spokesperson of the presidential office (and many other things in between), he totally had the charisma and maturity to take on this difficult role. Also, I’m just going to say that casting an “older” actor was the perfect choice, because I couldn’t imagine taking seriously a younger guy having so many responsibilities while looking 20 at most. For the FL, CSB was also very convincing as Hong Hui Ju, at first a timid and gentle woman that gradually learned to gain confidence and use that to protect her loved one(s). Unfortunately, I don’t know a single thing about sign language, but I feel like she did a great job in this aspect. Furthermore, their relationship kinda reminded me of the main couple in Flower of Evil, only with a little less trauma maybe…? I think if you liked Flower of Evil, you could also like this drama, it’s just much heavier on romance than Flower of Evil so keep that in mind! I also really liked the “second couple” if we can call them that, sadly we didn’t get much of them as a couple, but they were still cute and interesting together. I was so glad to see HNJ here, because he made quite an impression on me when he acted as a soldier in Sweet Home lol.
- The mystery aspect was done very well in my opinion, even if some plot twists were quite obvious but it seems like the writers wanted the viewer to follow along so it’s not necessarily a negative point, just don’t expect to be mind-blown every 10 minutes and you’ll be fine!
- Acting wise, the main villain was also very good! Kudos to the actor because it didn’t seem like the easiest performance to be both menacing and still have a personality other than “I’m the big villain hahaha”. His backstory was interesting, and I guess somewhat believable, in kdrama world at least. The second supporting role that I particularly liked is Park Do Jae, the assistant/confident of Baek Sa Eon. He didn’t have the opportunity to show a lot of different expressions in this drama, but when it was done, it was done extremely well. I hope to see more of him in the future!
- Some cliché tropes were used, like in most kdramas honestly, but in a refreshing way. For example, there was a mini love triangle (Ji Sang U had a crush on Hong Hui Ju for a long time) but fortunately they didn’t present him as an obstacle in the leads’ relationship. On the contrary, it was pretty obvious early on that he would be a romantic interest for Na Yu Ri, the news broadcaster. I was also glad that they didn’t make the character of Hong In A, Hui Ju’s older sister, a villain or a jealous SFL for no reason other than to create another obstacle between the leads. The writers also used the childhood connection trope, but it was necessary for the story to develop as it did. I only whished we were shown more of their relationship as children, because he liked her since forever and I think they should have insisted a little more on this connection, to make the following events more believable but I guess time was limited, with only 12 episodes in total.
- The OST was great! It complimented the story very well and added to the tension and mystery surrendering the characters. I found the cinematography a little less impactful than the OST, nevertheless it was still a joy to watch each individual episode.
- Overall, a satisfying and happy ending, I’m not going to say too much about it, but I especially loved the final scene between the leads.

Disliked:
- Obviously, the last episode, with the mention of the “fake” conflict that I addressed in the beginning of this review.
- Overall, ep11 and 12 felt very rushed. Mainly because the Argan arc felt a little bit out of place. To be honest, when I saw the FL in the middle of the jungle with a scarf around her head like Gaby from Desperate Housewives trying to be incognito, I couldn’t help but laugh a little. All that was missing from her attire were black sunglasses to complete the look lol. Also, she was kidnapped AGAIN, and of course the ML had to save her AGAIN. The following scene was satisfying enough (the black attire was definitively a dream come true) and their reunion was definitively heartfelt and very heart fluttering, but the context around this event wasn’t well executed/well brought up.
- I also couldn’t really believe the fact that the ML would disappear like a ghost for 6 months without explaining his reasons to the FL… They learned to communicate with each other on this difficult journey and so his disappearance felt very out of place, because even if he could feel guilty about his father’s past actions, the FL already knew and didn’t find it a dealbreaker. So why punish her also? At the very least, he should have made himself clear and reassured her that he just wanted some time to sort himself out before returning to her.
- The final confrontation with the villain wasn’t perfect either, like let’s be real, couldn’t he run him over with the car instead? But at least, the ML wasn’t shot like I expected for a hot second, I even thought for a moment they would resort to the amnesia trope to occupy the last episode but fortunately (I guess?) they didn’t go down this treacherous road.
- Finally, I don’t understand the “redemption arc” of Hui Ju’s mom. Excuse me but if I remember correctly, her mom clearly wanted her to die after the accident, so to say that the only thing she wished for her in the end was a better life is completely nuts to say the least. The writers just wanted to throw in the mix a happily ever after where all is forgiven, and all is good again… That was not necessary at all in my opinion but I’m nitpicking at this point.

So I think that’s it for me and my “review”. I wanted to make it a little shorter, but this drama is obviously a new favorite for me, and I will surely re-watch it again one day. Is it a masterpiece? Not really. Was it realistic? Absolutely not. Entertaining? Heck yes!! In short, give it a try if you are in the mood for leads with incredible chemistry engaging in a palpitating journey of self-discovery and thrilling romance, with a good dose of mystery and a lot of secret pining added to the mix.