I wasn't sure how interesting a drama about prison life would be...or at the very least I thought it would be gritty and dark. That sort of drama isn't typically up my alley. But coming from the writers of the Reply series, I thought maybe there was a chance for it. And then, after hearing glowing comments about it on my feed for weeks, I got more and more curious. (And after a slight doofus move on my part - I finally found the correct show to watch. :P)
I was drawn in from the beginning, and if it were not for responsibilities and work....well, I may have been glued to my tv day and night until I was finished. At around an hour and a half long per episode, this was NOT an easy show to binge on. I wanted to, but it was practically impossible for me to do. This show ended up being a warm, full of heart, slice of (prison) life 'dramedy' that is almost entirely character driven rather than plot driven. If that type of show is something you enjoy, please give this a chance, I don't think you'll regret it.

The writing for this show was first class. I hesitated to give it a 10 just because I tend to get 'post show glow' as we MDL'ers like to call it. But I settled for an overall 10 with just a fraction knocked off for storyline and rewatch values (this show is LONG, did I mention that??) This story flowed so well, with proper use of flashbacks to fill in the missing pieces. There were some things I didn't think would be realistic in a prison, but some things which were too heartbreakingly realistic. I loved the relationships that the writer created and getting to know the motivations of the characters. Overall, I think the writing was VERY well done. I audibly laughed many times and then mopped up my tears through the last two episodes - both happy and sad tears. Prepare your tissues for those, folks! Although we didn't get a firm ending for everyone, I felt that, in a way, that was realistic too (and maybe, there's a chance for a second season down the road??) and I wasn't overly upset with that lack of closure as I normally would be. It made sense to me in this story, and it was enough for me right now.

The acting from the cast was worth every minute. Who would have thought they could draw this much sympathy from me for criminals? I loved how Je Hyuk, who was quite lacking in common sense, was so shrewd at reading people and knowing whether they were really a good person or a bad person and how to deal with them accordingly. I've only ever seen Park Hae Soo in one other show and that was a supporting role that I didn't remember. But I will definitely be looking forward to seeing him in more after this. I thought the chemistry between Park Hae Soo (Je Hyuk) and Krystal (Ji Ho) was excellent. I absolutely would have watched them do a straight up romance drama with these actors playing these two characters. And I always think that I'm not really fond of Jung Kyung Ho, but then I always end up liking him when I watch him. He was very likable in his role as Lee Joon Ho, and I liked his bromance with Je Hyuk and his romance with Je Hee. I loved all Je Hyuk's cellmates as well - I can't even choose a favorite. I liked them all for varying reasons, Min Chul, Han Yang, Captain Yoo, KAIST, and Crony. Then there was Lt. Paeng, the best corrections officer in the whole pen - and his protegé, Song Gi Doong. Wonderful performances from all the actors of these characters. I really have no complaints for the acting at all. Sometimes, even down to just facial expressions was perfect.

The music was very fitting and fit just the right emotions for the scenes, and I feel like I need to go back and listen to some of the songs again.

The re-watch was knocked off a bit just for those long episodes (did I mention those yet? LOL) but, time permitting, one day I really do want to go back and rewatch this again.

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It *pains* me to give this show a 7. I was SO excited for a new rom-com with So Ji Sub. Let me just tell you right now, that if you are hoping for any romance - you will be disappointed. They were leading up to it, and then backed out.
This show started off really strong. The comedy was gold because I was laughing my butt off for over half the show. And then somewhere around the 3/4 mark the spy part of the story went a bit off the rails (convenient plot devices and inconsistencies in writing and editing), the budding romance stalled, the undercover agents started doing dumb things that would totally have gotten them caught, and the PPL was extremely HEAVY handed. I was totally taken out of the story by all of these things.

So Ji Sub was freaking adorable in this - every scene he was in with the child actors made me a puddle of "awwwww!!!"
And Jung In Sung as Ae Rin also did a good job - this was my first time watching her and I liked her. I loved ALL the characters and the actors were great. I have nothing but compliments for the acting. But the romance between the leads was only alluded to at best. So the ending was not as satisfying as I had hoped for because of that.

At most, I might rewatch some of the cute SJS/kid scenes.

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I could just cry. This show started out with SO much potential. It started off cute and funny with adorable leads that won my heart. Then about half way through, I started to worry. This is a 20 episode show and the story was starting to flounder. Surely, they will save it and all will be well - I believed this. And those leads - gosh, they are cute! Nearing the end, and I am really starting to get annoyed with Writer-nim. What the heck were you thinking Story-Writer??? And then the last episode comes, and I am so sadly disappointed in this show. If they had cut out most of the intense, glaring, staring contests maybe they could have written a tighter story. It's almost like the writer had so many ideas and tried to shove them all in to the show whether they fit or not. There were so many loose ends and "what the heck" moments that I could spend an hour listing them all.

I cannot, in good consciousness, recommend this show to anyone. I really wanted to. I was smitten with Nam Goong Min and Min Ah - those leads were the bright spot in the pile of poo this story became. (And incidentally, this is the first time I've seen either of them act. I've not seen NGM do his villainous roles, but I think comedy suits him.) The story is named after Gong Shim. However, the title character doesn't seem to be the focus of the show in the back half at all. And her sister, who is on the cover as a "main lead" - is relegated to an afterthought. Her story goes NOWHERE. Joon Soo, the other main lead, was likable, but mostly boring. The writers essentially did nothing with his character. The focus of the show ended up with Ahn Dan Tae. They described one story to us, and we got something completely different.

The ending was rushed and the last episode was completely and totally random and thrown together. I felt like they wanted to tie up a lot of loose ends, but they did not even do a good job of that. They had TWENTY episodes to finish this story. There was NO good reason that the ending should have been rushed. I feel sorry for the actors that were involved in this story. I would absolutely watch these actors do another show, and so wish that THIS story had been executed properly.

The Good:
The cast
The music
The comedic moments
The cuteness of the couple

The Bad:
The loose ends
The bait and switch story
The length
The unsatisfactory ending (happy ending, but not done correctly)

The Ugly:
Poorly executed storyline (throw it at the wall and see what sticks)
Characters backburnered and forgotten
Unending glares and stare-downs
What the Heck moments galore

I originally intended to give this drama a score of 7 because I WAS entertained and enjoyed ADT and GS so much. As my husband and I discussed it this morning, my rating dropped to a 6.5, and then by the end of our conversation I had to conclude that (as much as I hated to do it) that this story really only deserves, at best, a 5.5. Sorry show! I wanted to love you!

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This show had been in my queue for a while to watch, but I kept putting it off for other dramas until one of my new MDL friends recommended it. I was just finishing up another drama and decided to take the plunge. I'm so thankful for that push. This drama hit all the right notes for me. The storyline was fast paced and interesting. It masquerades as an action drama, but there is romance aplenty.
The skinship is adorable between our OTP and they were not stingy with it. (sigh!) The confession scene, as I was promised, was one of the best I've ever seen. And the moments leading up to it were heart-fluttering.
I loved the Eternal Love song which I think was their theme; however, without the backdrop of the story, the song is a little cheesy sounding. The acting was top notch, though. I'm now a fan of both lead actors and hope to see them both in something as awesome as this drama was. They both have the most expressive eyes and cute smiles for days. There are moments that you yell at your tv, but not in a bad way. I just had to warn them! *wink*
The story and characters are very layered and it all unfolds the way it should. I have no criticisms for this drama (unless it's to say that I want MORE. LOL) I will definitely be re-watching this one, as it goes into my top favorite dramas I've watched to date.

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Started strong ended weak

I'm going to have to come out of 'review retirement' to share my opinion of this drama. The trailers made me believe this was going to be the next "blockbuster" drama that I've been waiting for - the next masterpiece. Sadly, this show did not live up to the hype for me. The first few episodes were interesting and fun. But it gradually became a little boring and ended with plot holes for days.

The actors did a decent job. Shin Hye Sun is one of my favorite actresses but she did not nail this role. Especially in the flashback scenes to her first life (and where she was 'seeing' her first life from the present). I know she's a wonderful actress, but these scenes were heavily overacted and grating. She is so much better than this that it made me think it was a directorial choice rather than her own. Ahn Bo Hyun was a bit wooden, but I found him to be somewhat similar in Yumi's Cells. I found myself much more interested in the second lead's romance (Ha Yoon Kyung as Cho Won and Ahn Dong Goo as Do Yoon). But we got a lot less of them than I would have liked.

Due to the condensed number of episodes - only twelve, a tighter storyline was really necessary. There were a lot of unnecessary things they could have cut out that didn't advance the plot at all. There were so many flashbacks that could have been cut down. The side plots could have been cut out as well - things that added nothing to the main storyline. And the plot just completely fell apart once the shaman - Min Gi was introduced. I realize that they were working off an established webtoon, but I've never seen the source material so I don't know how closely they stuck to the original story. I thought that the solution to the issues was very weak and ended up with a lot of plot holes in the end. So many things about the ending made no sense at all. Like where did she think she lived? Why was she back at her old job? Wouldn't there be OTHER people that knew her that would have asked about why she was there again? Did she just get complete amnesia? How does she forget also meeting these people in her childhood as Ji Eum? Wouldn't they have photos of them together? Why is she still wearing the couple ring and has no idea how she got it? Seo Ha approaching her like he did in the end probably would have made most women run away thinking he was some sort of stalker or crazy in some way. None of the ending made any sense to me at all. I thought she was just going to forget how she knew them before - and that could have worked. I was just extremely disappointed in how this drama played out.

The one redeeming thing from this show was the song "Star" by Colde - loved this song and I've added it to my Drama OST playlist!

Would not rewatch this and I don't think I would recommend it to anyone either. This one is a pass!

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I thought this show was just ok. It started out promising, but kind of petered out toward the end. I thought that the ending was confusing (regarding the time travel element) and was sort of a cop out. I did like main characters - Hyun Jae, Woo Seung, but the whole storyline was too meandering to really have a solid plot and they focused so much on the main OTP that the other characters really suffered from a lack of development. Ji Hoon, Hye Ri, Drill, and the others were all given a good intro, but there was no follow through on delivering any sort of storytelling for their characters.

The show wasn't a total waste of time and there were cute moments and decent music, but overall I would not watch again.

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I enjoyed this short series very much. It was a cute office romance and had lots of sweet and funny moments. The plot summary didn't originally grab me, and I didn't plan to watch this at all until I saw a teaser for it. I was immediately intrigued.

This was my first time seeing any of these actors. I would very much like to see the actress that played Go Ho do another rom-com. I thought she was quite good. I was also taken with the main male lead. He was quite cute at displaying his jealousy for Go Ho. And I think the chemistry between the leads was believable. I didn't care as much for the second lead, as he just didn't convey any emotion in my eyes. The other side characters, vying for Go Ho's affections are interesting and keep it fun.

The music didn't stand out much, but suited the mood of the scenes.

I think this is a good weekend watch and wouldn't even mind seeing it again.

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The first half of this drama was utterly intoxicating. I even watched episodes raw (something I NEVER do) because I was having so many feelings. Jung Hae In and Son Ye Jin had some incredible chemistry here in the build up to and the beginning of their relationship. The cinematography was beautiful. The atmosphere was just right - realistic and raw. The hospital scene was so intimate that I felt like a voyeur. And then it went downhill steadily from around episode 10. With a melodrama tag, I wasn't expecting all sunshine and roses, but I also feel like the back half meandered too much without real feelings of resolution or growth. Issues were just swept away without showing or telling us how they were overcome. I feel like there was no real closure on anything - like the workplace harassment or the issue with Jin Ah's mother. I want to know that our couple has a stable future to look forward to and that they won't become mired in the same problems that plagued them before. The plot is overly simple, but dragged out for far too long. I think cutting it back to 10 or 12 episodes and eliminating useless scenes where the story isn't progressed or too much time is spent on an artistic shot would have helped a lot.

As actors, Jung Hae In and Son Ye Jin did an incredible job in their roles. I really loved Seo Joon Hee (JHI) - he was so smitten and protective. (And Jin Ah needed someone to save her from herself at times). Yoon Jin Ah (SYJ), however, was sometimes hard to like as a character. She did some incredibly stupid things that were frustrating for me to watch as a viewer. And I didn't like how she wasn't always truthful with Joon Hee. While the couple lacked good communication in general, Jin Ah had a bad habit of doing hurtful things and then being cutesy to Joon Hee in order to avoid his being (rightfully) upset with her. They didn't know how to resolve conflict. Jin Ah's mother is the WORST - she is hateful and unbendingly stubborn....to the very end. She was the only character that I outright hated, so the actress rocked her part! I also enjoyed Bo-Ra's character. She made a great friend to Jin Ah - possibly even better than Jin Ah's life long best friend Kyoung Sun (Joon Hee's sister). The other characters were serviceable. I honestly think I could have watched 16 straight hours of Joon Hee and Jin Ah just being in love and happy together...without all the angst of the outside pressures.

The music - I loved the cover of Save The Last Dance For Me...even if they were heavy handed with it in the beginning (and then it disappeared altogether later in the series). It really set the tone. This drama in the beginning had the feeling of old 80's romances. (That's not a bad thing to me as I grew up in that time and it made me all nostalgic.) However, I thought that the cover of Stand By Your Man, while a good song, was an odd choice and didn't exactly fit with the narrative that was being told to us. It was also played during really inappropriate moments where it really didn't belong. I thought that Rachel Yamagata's track was beautiful and fit well with the tone the show took later.

As far as rewatch value - I've pretty much already rewatched it just because I watched raw and then again with subs. However, if I was ever to rewatch this in the future, it would probably only be up until they exposed their relationship to others and then maybe the back half of the last episode. I don't think I could go through the painful parts again, but the lovely build up of their relationship, I could probably watch over and over again.

I gave the show an 8, just based on the first half of the drama which was a total 10 to me. I probably should have knocked off more for the second half, but I can't say that I didn't enjoy the show at all. I just wanted more from it in ways that we didn't get and less from it in ways we got too much of. If you are not a fan of 'slice of life' or melodramas or artsy scenes that don't do much for the story, I would suggest that you avoid this one because I promise you will be bored. Personally I wasn't bored as much as I was frustrated by the direction (or lack thereof) that the story took. Not enough to drop it, but enough to leave me feeling a little deflated in the end. It was sort of like eating a piece of cake that was beautiful and sweet for the first several bites, then turned bitter, and only the last bite had about a quarter of the sweetness that it had in the beginning. Not *quite* enough to remove the bitterness, but just enough to dull it a bit.

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I'm actually mad that I even finished this. I only did so because my husband finished it and wanted me to also so he could rant about it with me. I told him in episode 24 that I thought it had jumped the shark, and did it EVER!

This show started out great - great atmosphere, great story, AMAZING theme song.
But they set up rules for ghosts and didn't follow them. The storyline started going in circles. They spent ages doing the same thing. It was inconsistent, and got terribly stupid. Please do not waste your time watching this junk.

Almost everything I'd like to point out that is wrong with this show would be a spoiler, so I can't do that, but this is the lowest score I've given to a show I've finished to date. I'm not sure how anyone was satisfied with that ending. It was horrible and made ZERO sense. The editing was choppy and confusing at times. And the last episode was not only pointless, but even in a world where there are ghosts - it defied any logic, and I just spent the whole last episode mad about it.

I cannot recommend this show to anyone and would never watch it again. Even for Daniel Choi (I think even HE was sick of this show by the last episode if the look on his face was any indication!)

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This show was carried almost entirely by the cast. The story, while entertaining in the first half, was also weird. We've got a talking horse, for goodness' sake! The back half, I believe suffered pacing issues due to pre-emptions for the World Cup and the reduction of episodes.

I adored our main trio and their friendship. Jang Hyuk, made the best "gangster with a heart of gold" - he didn't need to be the lead to steal the show! Lee Jun Ho and Jung Ryeo Won were super adorable together as Seo Poong and Dan Sae Woo. Their flirting and banter was really easy to watch. Doo Chil Sung's love for them both was immeasurable, and I'm happy that Poong loved his friend just as much as he loved Sae Woo.

There are some truly 'melo' and makjang things that happen in the first few episodes, but there is a nice comedy to it that kept me interested. But the downfall to this drama was that it dropped a bunch of important storylines and started to become repetitive. The cast and their chemistry is the only thing that saved this show for me and had me watching until the end. The ending was very rushed and was less than satisfying.

Music was good.
Probably will not re-watch this.

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I'll be honest, I watched this because of Park Seo Joon (after he finally swayed me in Fight My Way). The thought of a noona romance doesn't usually draw me in, but I had had this one on my watch list for a while. I thought the story was going along pretty well up until episode 6 (when the ex showed back up) through about episode 12. Then it turned from romantic comedy into a a mopey sad show where the leads are pining and crying all the time. I kept watching, waiting for it to pick the pace and the story back up (because the romance started with a bang), but by the time it did I had lost a considerable amount of interest and it never seemed to get back to where it started. The personalities of the leads had shifted somehow also, and it felt more forced and awkward.

Park Seo Joon was great in this role. I don't feel like I'm being biased, because I didn't really care for him at all until recently. He had a good character to play in this show and was charming in the role. I wasn't quite sold on Uhm Jung Hwa for her role, though. I felt that she was a bit miscast as I kept feeling that the age difference was too big between them. If it had been a different actress, it may not have felt quite so vast even if the gap was the same. I also don't feel like I am biased against her, as I actually enjoyed her in the last show I watched her in (even though the show itself was disappointing). I enjoyed the actors that played Soo Chul, Na Rae, Min Gu, the mom, and the boss. However, I disliked Shi Hoon (can't pin down a specific reason, but there are a few) and Eun Chae (just not expressive enough). Park Seo Joon was really the shining, charismatic element to this show, followed by the actor playing Soo Chul.

The music was average, nothing stand out. I watched this on Drama Fever, so I don't know if it was particular to this platform, but there was an annoying little mid-show pause where it showed UJH's character with the name of the show and a little bell sound. Like when a show pauses for a commercial and comes back. It really took me out of the story every time it happened.

It was an okay watch, but nothing really stand out or special in any way to me. I also felt let down by the ending as it felt a little bit open. I think the main characters deserved a better wrap up. I won't rewatch this.

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This show was okay. As others have said, it's more of a "slow burner". I liked the feel of the show at the beginning - the cinematography was perfect and the show had this dreamy quality to it. So I stuck with it even when some parts were confusing for me. The middle parts got a little bogged down, but I felt like it ended well with most questions answered satisfactorily.

I thought that Shin Min Ah and Lee Je Hoon had a great chemistry together and the romance was delicious to watch. But the rest of the acting for them wasn't as good as it could have been. I've seen them both do a better job, but I don't know if the direction and script played a part in how they were lacking here.

I enjoyed the story enough. But around episode 10, I was really just ready to see the ending. I did feel like they ended the show well, and wrapped up the storyline in a good way. I was worried about it around episodes 12-14. But the writers pulled through and connected the ending with the crumbs they laid out on the way. I have to give them credit for that.

The music was nice and went with the feel of the show.

I won't re-watch this, but I don't feel like it was a waste of my time. This show was decent and the romantic parts were better than the rest of the story. It was enjoyable enough, but probably won't be memorable.

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I put this on my list a long time ago because I love Seo Hyun Jin. When it actually started, it just didn't sound like something that would interest me, so I removed it again. I've never been much on 'politics', so school politics didn't seem much different. Having a lot of time on my hands this week, I went searching a drama to watch. I thought to myself, I'll see what the first episode is like and go from there. I was drawn into this show immediately, and I finished it in just a few days.

I have to give compliments to the casting director for the actress, Ryu Ji Eun, who briefly played a teenaged Ko Ha Neul. She bore a striking resemblance to Seo Hyun Jin! SHJ did a great job in her role as a new teacher. And Ra Mi Ran, also as usual, was terrific. I loved the whole Admissions Department cast, and several of the other teachers as well. The few students that they showed more in depth were good actors also - the characters of Jae Hyun, Yoo Ra, and Bo Tong.

This show focused mostly on Ko Ha Neul's growth as a teacher, her aim to be a 'full-time' employee rather than a 'temp', and more on the politics of the school and getting the students ready for college than any actual teaching or even any of the students. As the show progresses through the school year, Ha Neul bonds with her colleagues and with her top students. Park Sung Soon was the 'center player' at the school as the head of admissions, and Ha Neul's mentor. I really enjoyed the camaraderie between the Admissions Dept staff. As an American, seeing the differences of the school systems in S. Korea compared to schools in the US is striking. It looks to be a pretty cut-throat system both for the students and for the teachers.

The show was a warm, emotional, slice of life drama. The music was lovely, and I really enjoyed the song Moonlight by Sondia. It was really beautiful. The show has a slower pace, so just be aware of that going in, but it's got a great story. I was really surprised at how much I ended up liking this show. It had a very realistic feel to it. I would recommend it even if you don't normally like school dramas or even 'politics'.

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This was probably the most realistic police drama I've ever watched. Especially since it was done as a 'slice of life' style rather than action. I had mixed emotions while watching this show, as someone that works in the law enforcement sector, it hit close to home and sometimes felt all too real. I cheered for the officer's victories, sympathized with their losses, and burned in frustration or anger with their hardships as officers. It was an emotionally full show. Lt. Oh Yang Chon and his wife, Jang Mi were my favorite characters in the show - I would have been perfectly happy if they had been the only two leads. Sang Soo and Jung Oh triggered irritation in me many times, but that could have been their purpose as they experienced their character growth from civilians that needed a steady paycheck, to recruits, to rookies in their field training period.

I'm not a Lee Kwang Soo fan, so I didn't go into this drama for him as an actor. He overacted a bit in places, but otherwise, he did a fair job playing Sang Soo, which is a departure I believe from his usual comedic roles. I think I was more disappointed in Sang Soo as a character than Kwang Soo as an actor. I do generally like Jung Yoo Mi, and she did a good job in her role, but Jung Oh was also a character I didn't really connect with much or feel much empathy for. She just was. The real standouts for me were Bae Sung Woo as Lt. Oh Yang Chon and Bae Jong Ok as his wife, Captain Ahn Jang Mi. Their marriage and careers were much more interesting and layered than the rookie officers. They are the characters that I related to and cared for. I enjoyed the side characters and they did an excellent job playing their roles. There were many interesting facets to the story.

The officers in this show are often between a rock and a hard place. I feel for them tremendously if this is really how the system is in S. Korea. Of course, some of the things are reminiscent of the way things have been going in the U.S. for the past several years. They are paid pitifully little to put their lives on the line every day, not knowing whether they will make it home safely. They put themselves in harm's way to catch a criminal only to be accused of 'brutality' when the suspect is apprehended. If they are injured themselves, then they are just abandoned to take care of it themselves. In the heat of the moment when it's a choice between taking action or being a 'coward', they can't win. The public cries out that they went too far if use of force is involved and if they don't catch the criminal (possibly being too scared of disciplinary action to take extraordinary measures) they are accused of not doing their duty and wasting taxpayers money. They are the ones that get cursed at and spit on and accused of wrong-doing just for doing their job. And their superiors can't be counted on to have their backs. Who could continue to have a 'sense of duty' in such a landmine of a job? Thank goodness they can at least count on those that are out in the field with them (for the most part) to have some measure of loyalty and support. Why would anyone want to take on a role as an officer when this is the kind of thanks they receive for protecting the public? It really makes you think about their role in society and who will even want to do this kind of job in the future. It also raises questions of how 'social media justice' plays a part in ruining people's livelihoods - there is no repentance in the age of internet. Your wrongdoings will haunt you forever - following you until the day you die. It made me very aware of the reason that the suicide rates in S. Korea are so high.


The music was wonderful and fit the tone of the show well. They had a couple of English OST's - one being Carry Me by Family of the Year, the same group that sang the song "Hero", the OST from It's Okay That's Love (coincidentally, also featuring Lee Kwang Soo). The other song I liked was In Your Light by Jon Allen.

I wouldn't re-watch this just due to the sheer length - 18 episodes running at about an hour and twenty minutes each. All in all, this was a powerful show and worth the time to watch, though.

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