Oh Startup — my weekly joy that slowly became less enjoyable as time went on. I decided to watch this show as a fan of Nam Joo Hyuk, but as with many others, Kim Seon Ho quickly snatched my heart. The first four episodes were probably the peak of the whole drama (I cried in the FIRST episode! And laughed out loud by the third!). As time went on, some of the lustre had gone away, but I could still live with how it all ended.

The best parts: Halmeoni, obviously (until she said it was too late! HOW COULD YOU?), Han Ji Pyeong (everything about him, including that SUPER lame handshake at the end), tech bros in plaid (got some real "ushering in a new generation" vibe at the end), Yongshil and his human cameo, smart independent women (looking at you, Saha and Injae), and pretty accurate nods to two of the worlds I'm most familiar with (business/investing and tech).

Unfortunately, there were also clear gaping holes where the storyline could've been so much more fulfilling:
• No murder mystery plot. Seriously, cut that out. I saw a post suggesting that this story were more about the character's self-confidence and leading to similar realizations / crying by the corn dog stand moments.
• More Injae!! Seriously, she deserved a backstory as rich as our other three leads.
• Justice for everyone's favourite character. I was weeping seeing him alone in his apartment even by the last episode. Don't give a man that kind of backstory, make him the most rootable character, and not give him the family he so deeply needs. I loved the orphanage bit at the end, but seriously. He deserves the world and then some.
• Less love triangle: it was great to start, but dragged on for too long. At some point, I wanted a resolution one way or the other — and there was still enough room in the plot for both of these men. Either the Dalmi-Dosan relationship should've been fully professional/about working together while Dalmi-Jipyeong was romantic, or Dalmi-Jipyeong was fully professional/mentorship-related (with a side helping of true brotherhood between Dosan-Jipyeong) while Dalmi-Dosan was clearly endgame earlier on.
• Similarly: more closure on the letters. We got a Reply 1988-style "explanation" on the letters for 5 minutes in the last episode, but it didn't pack as strong of a punch because we didn't SEE it happen, and the circumstances were totally different. I wish our characters addressed these letters in more depth and explored the associated feelings more seriously.
• And finally, a better answer to the question: "Why do you like me?" Dalmi's answer was so hollow and unfulfilling (SUCH a cop-out). I would've lived for a more realistic answer — that he's always been there for her, that he pushed her to follow her dreams (and even surpass them!), that he was a doer and someone who balanced her out perfectly. All of those reasons would've made sense to me, and maybe I could've hopped on-board this ship if this type of explanation were paired with some super cute flashback/montage-type scenes.

That being said, it was still a great mix of humour, inspiration, and sweetness. The episode 16 closure felt realistic, and oof I FELT those Good Boy - Halmeoni scenes deep in my heart (from the letters in episode one, to the shoe scene, to his freak out about being a bad boy, to Halmeoni lamenting it's too late, to Good Boy realizing the reason for NoonGil). I even liked Dosan, who was relatable, nuanced, and flawed in his own right. Heck, I probably would've loved him if Kim Seon Ho didn't unprecedentedly outshine him here. The cinematography was awesome. And the OST was one of the best in the business. I enjoyed scaling up with you, Startup!