After reading so many conflicting reviews I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was it touching and sweet? Yes. Was the acting good? I was blown away by the acting skills of this entire cast. Did the main leads have chemistry? Absolutely! So why didn’t I give it a perfect 10? Two reasons: the pacing of the drama and the storyline. (Don’t worry, I’ll be addressing a lot of good stuff about this drama later. But let’s get the bad out of the way first).

First, let’s talk about the pacing. Yes, I know it’s a slice of life drama which is typically slow paced, which I expected. I love slice of life dramas and adored You Are My Glory (my all time favorite slice of life drama). But it wasn’t the slow pacing of the drama that bothered me. It was how the drama started out a little slower than normal, then continued at a very relaxed laidback pace, then suddenly out of nowhere it had major drama and angst in the last few episodes. I felt like I was watching a melodrama. I’m not talking about small misunderstandings or love triangles. It got much deeper and darker. Not only does a beloved character die but someone almost committed suicide. It was such a light, fluffy, relaxing drama that I never expected death and suicide to be the main topics of discussion in those last few episodes. If they had paced things better it would have been a far better drama. It was very slow for a good deal of the drama with very little excitement. Then there was too much excitement and angst crammed into the last few episodes. If the excitement and angst had been sprinkled throughout the drama in little bits it would have been perfect. I appreciated all of the various topics that were touched upon. Like death, mental health issues, the effects of divorce on both parents & children, and alternative lifestyles. But most of these issues were hinted at and slowly built up throughout the drama but didn’t really come to light till the last few episodes. So it seemed like everything happened all at once near the end. If each issue had been dealt with separately throughout the drama it would have been more interesting and more evenly paced.

Now let’s address the main problem of this drama, the storyline. I think the reason it felt slower than normal for so long was because of the basic setting of the story. The female lead is a dentist, which is not a very exciting job. Then the male lead doesn’t really have a career, he just fills in wherever he’s needed all around town. Most of his jobs are uninteresting like waiting tables or making coffee at the local coffee shop. And since slice of life dramas mainly focus on the lead characters daily lives, I found it a bit slow and uninteresting at times, especially when it involved their jobs. And since it was set in a laidback quiet little town in the countryside, there wasn’t much excitement. I normally enjoy a laidback drama, I find them relaxing. But this one was just too calm and sedate for my tastes. If the main leads had more interesting careers or had it been set in a more exciting location, the drama would have been much better.

Now for the good stuff: the acting. The acting of the entire cast was far above average. I’ve watched hundreds of dramas and it’s extremely rare for me to like the entire cast. But they acted their butts off. I think that’s why this drama has such great ratings. These amazing actors took a drama with pacing and storyline issues and elevated it to one of the top dramas of the year. I don’t expect it to get drama of the year, but to have everyone talking about the possibility is a testament to their fine acting.

One of the things I always look for in a drama is character growth. And I was thrilled to see lots of that in this drama. All across the board each and every character grew and changed. They learned from their past mistakes and became better people. I enjoyed watching them become better versions of themselves.

With a romance drama the chemistry between the leads is essential and these leads oozed chemistry. They are both gorgeous and seemed very attracted to each other. There’s lots of kisses, flirting, and hand holding. But I wish there had been a little more skinship. And the kisses were too light and delicate. The sweet delicate kisses are more appropriate for youth dramas. When the actors are more mature then steamy kisses are expected and much more realistic. That being said, I still loved their romance and looked forward to their romantic moments. Just don’t expect a real life romance between the two. The female lead is already taken. (Shout out to Kim Woo Bin.)

My favorite thing about this drama and what I think makes everyone like it so much is that it has some deep underlying messages, such as:

First: don’t judge a book by its cover, the image people portray may not be who they really are.

Second: Burying a pain deep inside will only make the pain worse. Just like an impacted wisdom tooth, if you don’t pull it out it will just hurt more.

Third: No occupation or lifestyle is superior to another.

Fourth: Appreciate the small things in life, they are what brings true happiness, not money or fancy careers.

In conclusion, I now understand why the reviews are so varied. Slice of life dramas are not everyone’s cup of tea. You will only like this if you’re into slice of life dramas that are slower paced. Yes this is slower paced than most slice of life dramas but the acting is phenomenal, the leads have chemistry, the side characters are interesting, there’s lots of character growth, and it teaches some valuable lessons. I probably won’t watch it again because it’s a bit too calm and sedate to bring me back a second time. But I loved how fuzzy and warm it made me feel. The ending is so touching and sweet and not cheesy at all. I would definitely recommend it but only for those who like slower paced slice of life type of dramas.