PLOT.
I only write reviews about dramas, movies, etc when either: I really enjoyed and feel inspired or when it's really bad or a total disaster. In this case Start-Up started off with an amazing plot full of promissing characters. It was literally a roller coaster of emotions and the writer could've done something wonderful, something interesting and memorable given those first episodes. BUT! One of the biggest problems was that damn love triangle and how she's chosen how to handle the business part. It simply doesn't make sense to me on why on earth she wanted to push it to this extent. It became both exhausting and unhealthy. The plot could've had a better quality in terms of character development and less holes. I'd love to see young people learning with their own mistakes on how to deal with a start-up. The romance part could've been beautifully written, it was so fun in the beginning! The writer sailed without a map, but it wasn't a wonderful ride.

Seo Dal Mi:
What happened to Dalmi's character baffles me to the core. Why was she reduced to just a love interest and a clueless and reckless CEO? Dalmi used to be a dreamer but somehow she had her feet on the ground. It would've been interesting to see a better development. I feel like after finding out about the lies/letters she kinda lost her initial spark? I thought we'd see a better growth from the girl who wanted to climb to the 16th floor. Dalmi had sharp decisions, as she was always stating to never regret her choices, she was pretty smart. Something about her not getting to actual know Pyeong even after those 3 years it's a no no and I'm not even talking about love here. Oh, not to mention the letters that once gave her warmth and comfort during painful times. It's just really sad how those precious letters were thrown away as if it was nothing. That "I'm sorry" after what Pyeong told her didn't sit right with me. She never reacted to anything he said, not even a no. Unfortunately the writer didn't wrote scenes where both of them could talk more about the letters aside the brief rooftop one.

Han Ji Pyeong:
Althought I was Team Pyeong, at some point I just wanted him to be happy. He deserved to be, he was such a lonely soul. They invested so much into him yk. Since day one I knew deep down he wouldn't be endgame and would suffer a lot, but why make him suffer SO miserably endlessly? What was the reason?? It was suffocating to the point I felt the humiliation, he became pitiful. I love this character, so it was also really heartbreaking watching him get hurt over and over again without any rest for the same reasons. I wanted him to get over all this mess and free himself from all the pain asap. On a more positive (?) note, I'd say he at least did something greater helping orphans the way he did. I got emotional during his scenes with gradma. He was indeed a good boy by heart, but was used as a punching bag as many pointed out. At the end, Ji Pyeong did deserve way better than what he got. Why on earth did he have to work with them till the end? We didn't even get to see the gift he bought. However, I was both impressed and mesmerized by Seon Ho's acting! He's a gem of an actor and deserves every praise and recognition he's getting rn.

Nam Do San:
I really liked his character at first and I was actually rooting for him, so maybe that's why he turned out to be one of my biggest disappointments here. I don't hate Dosan tho, I just don't know why the writer wanted him to be like this. He has character flaws. Many times some of his choices were really questionable, like having those angry AND violent outbursts. His fight with Pyeong was bound to happen somehow but it was so wrong 'cause at the time Pyeong was still his mentor. The reasons were the most unlogical ones as well. I feel like if Dalmi wasn't a love interest of both him and Pyeong they could've been really close friends. A potential bromance wasted. Dosan was a character who needed to find who he was without feeling overwhelmed by Ji Pyeong. He had to let go of that inferiority complex of his and be honest at least to himself for once and for all.

Seo/Won In Jae:
She had one of the best developments imo along with Han Ji Pyeong and Yongsan. She was broken on the inside and covered a lot with that posture, she didn't want to give in. Injae wouldn't like to be reminded by her sister later on that she was the one who made the wrong choice first. What I can't understand is why during those 3 years she was completely unaware of her grandma's eye condition. How could Dalmi not tell her all this time? That's not realistic. Also, why even cast Kang Hana as part of the main cast in the first place if they barely gave her screentime? It was almost a cameo per episode at some point. She did a pretty nice job regardless.

Samsan Tech:
At first I used to laugh a lot watching both Cheolsan and Yongsan. I liked them until they start being unprofessional towards their own company and mentor. Besides, they looked down on Dalmi many times when she was their CEO. Yongsan was even more disrespectful towards Ji Pyeong than Cheolsan. In real life you'd probably get fired. His revenge plot was a waste of time. Both were really immature before the time skip. They didn't know how to handle their business properly, and even after the time skip I felt like something was still missing. However, I did like Yongsan's redemption with Ji Pyeong and the original SST reunited where they began. They had to close that important chapter after all. Last but not least: Jung Saha was a whole mood! I wish they could've shown us a little bit more of her.

OST:
Not a single one skip! I find it kinda funny how many parts of its ost seemed to be related to Han Ji Pyeong but Dodal was on the cover.

Cast:
They did a great job despite everything that happened during the episodes. Regardless all the fan ship wars and all, I did enjoy the behind the scenes and interviews. It was fun reading and creating theories as well. If you read until here, thank you! Just a reminder: please don't drag the actors or crew. Have a good one :)