actually problematic

i got hooked on the first few episodes and then it came to a point when the plot was DRAGGING. it became an old good for nothing rich man vs. young good for nothing poor man. it tried so hard to justify both parties' actions and why you should hate evil old man and root for good young man to the point it became pretentious for me. only the acting was what pushed me to keep watching. its good they addressed issues like racism and transphobia, but it felt like they were just there, just so (but im not one to comment about it because im not a black poc and im not trans).

but WHAT BOTHERS ME MOST!!!! is

that part of 10-years-younger yiseo kissing DRUNK AND PASSED OUT 10-years-older saeroyi???? HUH this must be some male fantasy. and then later on...we see yiseo stopping drunk sooah from kissing saeroyi and then blabbing laws about harassment?????? HUH? WHAT ? WHY ???? the only explanation is that it's written and directed by men. up until this day, men cant write actual strong female characters without making them act tough or cold. they really tried to prove a point that a huge gap isnt predatory because the younger girl was the one who pursued the older man... and they painted yiseo as some highly-competitive woman who refuses to lose, to hide that fact.

even if healthy huge age gap relationships do exist, this was simply not a good one to show it as it believes it did. lol.

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KIND OF A LONG REVIEW BC I LOVE CHOI JUNWU

First off, I am not an avid fan of kdrama or any series in particular because I don't have enough attention and time to invest in any series. Surprisingly, I loved this one!!! Also note this review focuses solely on how I felt about it, and not on its technicalities.

Choi Junwu, I thought was difficult to read. He is quiet, shy, observant. It was later on when I realized, he was simply just being 18. And being 18 means having to deal with the budding sense of responsibility of becoming an adult, trying to understand the raw, novel emotions of love, grief, isolation, and discovering one's individuality. In many cases, these were manifested and it was written well. Junwu's depth was portrayed well by Ong Seongwu. For a rookie actor, this was such a heavy role!!! (I admit I'm biased but trust me, he did REALLY GOOD he got a Baeksang nomination for it.)

Some characters were a bit too comical and stereotypical, like Soobin's circle and Pilsang, and some were just plain repulsive, like Hwiyeong's parents. But I especially liked their teacher. Like us viewers, he was the "outsider". He was the one observing these kids and understanding where they're coming from. He was rooting for them and as a viewer, I too, was wishing these students could get a break. The mothers were also great. Overall, the dynamic between characters was good.

I do not know much since this is only my 2nd deliberate kdrama watch, and my first for this genre. Maybe I loved this one because it reminded me too much of my own moments at 18 (*cough* that last episode...something very similar happened to me, also on an exam day HAHAHA
I recommend this drama. It was not perfect, but it is one to FEEL and not to think about. Those moments--of shifting back and forth between being and existing, falling in and out of love, rebelling against parents and feeling guilty about it, thinking you're not enough--captured the essence of youth. It's both so simple and so complicated, but you will get through it anyway.

**The rewatch value is low because I already felt a lot from watching it once, and I'm afraid it will lose its magic when I overwhelm myself too much.

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