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| M aybe because you're with someone everyday that what was initially mere tolerance turns to enjoyment and even repressed passion, thus making it difficult for either to let go when the circumstances tell them it's the right thing to do. And just when everybody knows of the falsity of the marriage, both still hold on because in their hearts, they know the marriage had just gotten real...
A really simple plot but interesting nevertheless. What started out as a strong beginning stood at a standstill somewhere in the middle, but thanks to the actors' brilliant performance, the series came through quite magnificently. The advantage of having a simple plot is you get to concentrate on the actors' portrayals of their characters. This may be a gamble if you don't have much faith on your actors. In this series, the cast more than delivered. The acting was flawless.
Rain's insufferable bossing around complements the feistiness of Song He-kyo's character. It must have been nerve-wracking to be angry, then surprised, then sad, then charming, then obnoxious, then charming again all in one scene but Rain was able to do it with such fluidity you'd think he really had a mercurial personality. He had all the right expressions perfectly delivered at the right time. You get to appreciate the childlike, or childish, quality of his character when juxtaposed with the confidence and frankness of Kim Seong-su's character.
Speaking of, Kim Seong-su was equally brilliant in this series. His character initially came off as an astute person and he carried that quality all throughout. Seong-su never lost sight of the fact that while Rain's character is rash, his is discerning. His role requires him to be confident and forthright, which he performed with such ease, he looked really cool. Thus, when his professions of love have always been rejected by Ji-eun, his surprised look and disbelieving smile become more effective in manifesting hurt than, say, a tear or two.
Now, the ladies. I was spared the unrefined antics that has been so typical of leading ladies in romcom movies/series of late. Song He-kyo portrayed her character with intensity minus the crass, it was quite refreshing. She clearly has one of the prettiest faces in the business. I heard that before this series, she has only been doing drama. It's good that she's given projects with diverse themes for her to showcase her acting range.
The drama bit of the series rests in this one girl, Hye-won. Her scenes may be few, even far and in between, but her character can actually make or break the drama. Thankfully, Han Eun-jeong, the actress who portrayed Hye-won, performed outstandingly, the drama thus held ground.
I've watched this series several times and not once did it fail to bring a smile. Such is the appeal of this drama, and I consider it a tremendous feat considering that there isn't much going on, story-wise. In fact, the plot seemed a bit stretched that it felt like the people behind the production counted on the popularity and talent of their actors to make this series work for them. Despite the plot not being profound as I wanted it to be, this Korean series is still worth the wee hours that you're up viewing it non-stop.
10 'aja,aja, fighting!' out of 10.
*also on www.yesasia.com
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