well here we go. i find it hard to choose the right words to describe just how much i loved this drama. it's true that after hearing the news of a sort of spin off of hidden love i was weary about it. but then the first trailer dropped, and i was interested in it right away haha. i am so glad i waited so many months for it !!!! it was 100% worth it. > i think i was captivated by it mainly bc it felt real and genuine. it wasn't over the top, or over produced or fake in the way other cdramas (and kdramas) can be. it didn't feel like i was watching a fictional story with picture perfect people or families with no real human emotions or habits. (sang yan is 100% a fictional man tho let's be clear, no irl man ever acts like this, but that's why we love him) > i happened to really care and root for yifan, bc her struggles were depicted in such a way that i got so angry, mad and devastated for her despite it being a fictional story. we know this and worse happens every single day in every part of the world and the show really tried to show us some of the raw aspects of such trauma without glorifying it (yes some of the og plot was censored/reworked but it didn't loose its impact imo). i loved her bc of her strength and resilience. she is soooo strong and i want to give her a hug. i also tried to understand her when she left. i see that this was the only escape from her trauma that she knew of. and while it's heartbreaking and annoying and could seem dumb, it is somehow realistic bc being traumatized can make you do things that end up hurting more people than one wanted like that. > i loved sang yan and i admire him. his dedication didn't falter once, even after getting his heart broken and stepped on he never broke his promise and it was so so so lovely to watch the different ways he had of showing his love all through the 32 episodes. > sangyifan. they are now one of my all times favorite on screen couples, no doubt. from their hugs !!!! to the intense gazes, to the fun teasing, to the kisses ; they made me feel alive. they mean so much to me 😭 their romance is literally perfect for me. it's the exact type of romance i like to watch and read about, with this pacing too. > i loved the second lead couple a lot too, i wished we could've seen more of them. i think the grandpa story took too much screen time away from their potential solo scenes. > qiao and yifan's friendship was so lovely and i wish we could've had even more moments of these girlies together supporting each other. there's one thing that bothers me from ep30 tho and it's yifan saying that now "only sang yan loves her" but i don't think that is true since qiao is literally always there for yifan. she has been there since high school and all through her ghosting era just like sang yan !!! friendship is just as important as romantic relationships, and if i had to point out one flaw of this show it would be the slight overlook/downplay of the girls' friendship. > talking about ep30, yifan finally breaking ties with her mother was so important and impactful but so incredibly sad as well. that poor excuse of a mother abandoned her own daughter in the lions den basically and never looked back.... yifan did the difficult but right thing by leaving her mom behind, but we know how hard it is to cut ties with a parent even if they were as evil as this woman. so to me that scene was one of the most important of the whole show. > a big part of this show for me is also the music !!! i WILL be listening to the ost album daily for the next weeks you can be sure of it :) > finally, i want to say that the acting in this show was amazing and i enjoyed every single actor's performance ! truly an acting fest. BJT and especially ZRN come get your awards ! the emotional scenes were always so genuine, the funny scenes made me laugh and the romance scenes made me giggle and kick my feet. WHAT MORE CAN ONE ASK FOR !? no one made it to the end but thank you, goodbye and stay safe ! (you will catch me rewatching this show in a couple of days)