"Going through this life is the first for all of us anyway."

Unlike my other drama reviews, I have to first preface this one by saying that this drama could very well be universal, one size fits all type of drama. Because through three interwoven stories, everyone and anyone can find themselves reflected in at least one character.

Now back to my usual form of writing.

To start off, the good sides of this drama are heartfelt, true and educational(strangely enough), but it doesn`t mutually exclude the fact that they aren`t, at the same time, fluffy, somewhat funny and easy to watch. Every actor does a phenomenal job of living in their role, as their character. I thoroughly believed in these people, their struggles and way of living. No one here knows exactly what they`re doing or if what they are doing is right by default. But that doesn`t mean they don`t try. The absurdist comedy and lessons presented throughout are much of the time spot on in helping us see each person for what they stand and how. Because we do the same thing. We all have our quirks, routines and principles some might not agree with. Yet we press on. In the midst of relatable scenes that hit harder than most love confessions, my two favorites are:
1.When Ji-ho is walking through a dark tunnel in her pajamas aimlessly, after enduring sexual abuse and barely avoiding ra*e, talking about how your family could, at times, be the biggest strangers to you. How she was ready to take on every toil due to the fact that she chose to be a drama writer. She knew her path would be lonely and dark, like the tunnel she was perusing at that moment, but she still didn`t know the extent of it all. For personal reasons, that spoke to me in this exact moment of time. It was effective, clear and loud without being preachy or coming off as compensating.
2. When Se Hee was subconsciously consoling Ji-ho at that bus stop, which is probably the most well-known scene of this drama and what probably drew YOU to check it out and find out more about it. By watching this scene, I was also consoled on a deeper level not any drama could even touch, let alone soothe.
And this is where the magic of this show is contained. In its earnestness and good understanding of adult life as such. We all love admiring capable, ambitious and focused individuals(like Woo Soo Ji) without realizing that this is life...is a first for all of us. Such a simple truth is sadly almost never relayed in media. Despite being one, if not THE MOST depressed generation of our lifetime, you would never guess it by most pieces of the media we consume. And that`s such a missed opportunity this show tries to highlight. We shame others for being at crossroads, for not knowing what to do or where to turn to. And as this show so clearly expresses...we shouldn`t. Like that poem Ji-ho finds(which became my favorite as well), people are fragile, chipped away by time and situations they had to face by this point. Instead of accepting that and letting them heal, we berate them, rejecting what they can be in the process. It`s such a fruitless cycle. I get this review might be regarded as somewhat of an ode to life crisis, but it`s just an observation of young life and what awaits us as society. The fact that a show got me to think about these ideas and concepts is, in my opinion, an accomplishment on its own. It helps that it`s coupled with some visual cues movie buffs like myself appreciate even more. The OST is also subtle, but appropriate, boosting the atmosphere and letting scenes breathe on their own time. This isn`t a drama which needs emotional songs to relay its message, but when they are put in, it doesn`t hinder the feeling either.

After these compliments, like any drama, there are some drawbacks that got me thinking. First one is the pacing of it, though most Korean dramas suffer in this regard. It can at parts be too long. Especially if you`re not invested in the story, which admittedly, isn`t all that original. It`s the way they decide to present it what defines it. Without it, this is just another cohabitation story between a cold ML and a ditzy FL. To be honest, I can`t fault it for anything else, because it`s a great slice of life drama. One of those I like the most. Unassuming, changing and memorable. Kind of like life itself.