I'd like to acknowledge that there were indeed many things about this drama I liked, just as much as I disliked.

First off, the pros. A lot of aspects in this drama felt fresh and new to me, a change from the immensely cliche conversations and the promises of some form of a happy ending for the main couple. Contrary to what many other reviews might say, I mostly enjoyed the use of dialogue between the characters. It took me aback at first - because why do most of the characters always know what to say, and in another case, why do they all speak similarly, following the same wavelength of "smart comebacks" within every tone of voice? - but then I chose to look at it in a positive light. The randomness of the main leads' conversations made me feel the playfulness they shared together, and offered their chemistry before they even became physically intimate. The script was written with the audience in mind, I could tell - they wanted to steer away from the cliches because the intent of the drama was to perceive the reality of youth in their 20s. A lot of people I've befriended and encountered in real life like talking about just anything that comes to mind, and that sense of relatability shined within these characters.

I like how they chose to perceive the main couple. Somehow, it felt like the perfect balance of cliche tinted with self awareness and reality to me. They choose to be this cheesy couple while also laughing about how cheesy they are. They choose to approach their problems maturely. And of course, when their relationship eventually fell apart, it completely washed over that sense of reality that this drama intended to have. I also like how there was no period in time where the two of them would just be endlessly pining for one another - they begun their relationship as real people do, and perhaps ended it the same way.. When it came to the second lead, it was such a nice change to see the male lead not get so aggressively jealous over their mere existence (which probably has a lot to do with their established close friendship). He instead thanks the second lead for being there when he couldn't be, but at the same time has realistic reactions when it came to it. Not a sprout of long term bad blood developed between the two men, and that was so refreshing to see.

I liked the theme of the drama. A lot. The whole "follow your dreams and work hard for it!" is never new when it comes to these romance dramas, and this was just another approach to the idea. I liked that all the characters were neither inherently bad nor good in an attempt to make them seem more human. It did a lot to make this drama different and less bizarre than others, and it would be a lie to say that I didn't get invested with the course of the plot. It didn't exactly motivate me, but I liked seeing the perspectives of people in show business, seeming as they're the most likely to be reaching for the stars, perhaps much more than others. They included more honest and blunt aspects to the world of Korean entertainment than I expected and enjoyed.

Also, the decision to make Hyejun the essential "main character" and Jeongha the clear "love interest lead" was interesting to me, because as we all know, female leads usually take the reins in leading the narrative of the story.

Now, onto the cons. I agree with several of the reviews that state that they should've expanded the other characters' stories, aside from the Sa family. I would spend several episodes wondering what Jeongha was upto, and was left unsatisfied when we saw none of the actual growth when it came to her career. Jinwoo and Haena's storyline quite literally went nowhere besides being some kind of anecdote about how you don't have the power to choose who you marry in your 20s, which was in itself....kind of weird.

Also, if one would dig deeper, one might find an important message to Haeyo's storyline. And sure, there may be - he decided to take initiative of what he wanted to do instead of being his mother's puppet. He cared less about what the public thought of him, and chose to love himself. However...that's literally it, and it's disappointing because it had so much potential. What of his career after his draft? What about his dreams, his goals, after that whole dilemma? They quite literally left us on such a bland note. Even when it came to his feelings for Jeongha. Because if I remember correctly, he oh-so proudly proclaimed how he decided to choose "love over friendship this time". and left his statement as it was. And to add to that, I have no idea why he even began to like her when they barely interacted at first. I could only understand why and how he fell for her when they started to get close. But the buildup of his own emotions came from absolutely nowhere.

The conclusion in itself wasn't as impactful as I thought it would be, but it worked. An open ending was an interesting choice, but it's funny how the only closure we get from Jeongha's story is "how is your salon doing?" "it's doing pretty well." Like, I thought we followed her journey career-wise to see her at the peak of her success? What about her parents, and how they feel about it?

I can bring up so many other questions this drama left unanswered, too. Not only that, but despite how it tries to push for realism, there were many instances that just felt too good to be true. Everything had to be convenient for our leads to get what they wanted. The plot went around in weird waves and didn't feel like there was a certain point I had to be on edge except for the couple breaking up (but then, I didn't know I had already reached the conclusion). And Charlie Jung's existence was just a push for an intense plot, one they barely did anything with. I did enjoy the whole "love has no gender!" and "loving people isn't a crime!" comments thrown around during that arc although it being the bare minimum, but besides that, getting involved in a scandal as big as that didn't feel....needed? Especially with the whole vibe the show was trying to give.

Waehyo and Haena's mother is the character that was truly left with minimal development. I found her character in itself to be very interesting, but they went nowhere with delving into her, which I kind of wish they did more of. Maybe I'd even throw Kyeong-jun in the list, but he got enough spotlight from being in the Sa family, haha.

In conclusion, I feel like they could've done much better in terms of direction and plot. This was a semi enjoyable watch, but the kind that you can really just consume only once. The actor cameos were really cute and surprising though (I think I screamed when I saw Lee Sungkyung and Hyeri LOL). I'd still definitely recommend it to people, despite it's nuances.