After taking a step back and looking at the big picture, I can confidently say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Unlike most long dramas that tend to drag on and become redundant, this one managed to keep me engaged throughout. The plot was well thought out and each episode contributed something meaningful to the story. Although the main male lead's overacting and the annoying maid did get on my nerves at times, they were minor issues that did not significantly impact my overall enjoyment of the drama. Despite some inconsistencies, I can say without a doubt that I liked this drama.

The love story in this drama was an absolute letdown. Despite the obvious chemistry between the lead characters, the revelation of the FL's true identity was unnecessarily delayed until the very end of the show. Not even a single romantic moment happened before episode 33 out of 40, and to make matters worse, the one potential kiss they had was interrupted by a child. The late addition of the love story was a completely ridiculous move by the scriptwriters or director. The fact that she kept her identity a secret from the male lead, who had been mourning her loss for years, only to reveal it at the last moment, was utterly nonsensical.

I have to say, I was not impressed with the female lead. While she may be a talented actress, her character left a lot to be desired. Though she was often attractive, her stubborn insistence on keeping her identity a secret made her quite dull to watch. Frankly, there were many times when she came across as a cold and callous individual. For example, I found it quite distasteful when she showed no respect for the 15-year-old boy who simply wanted to have some privacy. Additionally, her rejection of the young villain who only showed affection to her, only further cemented my negative opinion of her. All in all, I did not care for her character at all.

The female lead had three suitors, and I won't count the fourth one as he was more like a little brother to her, which was clearly acknowledged in the epilogue. She ultimately ended up with the ML. The other two were the young villain and a scholar, and it was captivating to witness the three different types of love they all had for her and how their feelings unfolded. In my opinion, the female lead was not impressive. She relied too heavily on her tears (courtesy of the eye drops) and made empty promises (such as revealing her identity if the male lead survived). I found it hard to connect with her character and felt that something was missing.

The choreography was at times predictable and amateurish, leaving much to be desired. Additionally, I wasn't entirely satisfied with all of the casting choices - more seasoned actors could have added depth to the story. The big reveal in episode 40 came across as immature, not quite living up to its hype.

I detest disrespectful and completely unrealistic maid characters from historical dramas. They grate on my nerves so much that I have to fast-forward through their scenes every time. However, the happy ending did provide some small satisfaction. I also found myself growing increasingly bored and frustrated with the fact that she continued to keep her true identity a secret from the ML. It was an unnecessary and redundant issue that only served to create extra and unnecessary episodes.

Despite these criticisms, the drama kept me engaged throughout, but it didn't leave me breathless like the truly great ones. It seemed to be stuck in the middle, not childish, but not quite a masterpiece either. Hence, my opinion of the drama falls somewhere between like and love. The drama had its fair share of funny moments, which played a huge role in keeping me engaged throughout.

I think the primary problem I had with the drama was that the main male lead didn't quite align with my personal preferences in terms of physical appearance. Additionally, I found his acting skills to be unimpressive and lacking in authenticity. In the production, the use of eye drops seemed to be overdone. The main characters had big tears rolling down their eyes and cheeks, but the frequency with which it was done made it look exaggerated and unconvincing.

The other characters in the drama were intriguing and the actors portrayed their roles with talent. I was particularly drawn to the young villain who fell in love with the female lead when he was a victim of bullying as a child and carried his love for her into adulthood. He was cruel and obsessive but somehow his love redeemed himself. He was undoubtedly the most intriguing character to me. So was he a villain to survive? I have a soft spot for villains who are madly in love, but the scriptwriters put him in the villain category which I found hard to believe.

Overall, I would still recommend giving it a watch. Perhaps I'll revisit it someday to see if my opinion changes, as it did provide me with a good time.