El Amor es la Meta (2020)

Tiene todo lo que me gusta

Es un drama que me enganchó desde sus primeros capítulos. He visto que para muchas personas es tediosa y realmente no lo entiendo porque ya de por sí se ve que esta serie va a ser tranquila, de ir conociendo a los personajes y vivir sus vidas.

Para mí es refrescante, es una serie que hace que te enamores de los personajes, veamos una relación sana, su evolución, conflictos, etcétera. Con unos personajes con sus propias vidas y problemas que iremos viendo su evolución unos más que otros y que toca temas que pocos dramas coreanos logran hacerlo sin forzarlo tanto.

Mi único problema fue la pareja secundaria, su historia no me terminaba de gustar ni de convencer, tampoco veía química y eso hacía que sus escenas me fuera aburriendo mucho.

Siento que es el típico drama para ver mientras estás comiendo o tranquilamente con tu café.

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No hay quimica!

Los primeros 3 capítulos me llamaron la atención, el personaje de Dan ah me encantó, me pareció fresco y diferente.
La pareja principal comenzó bien luego a medida que ellos tenían mas contacto no vi química ninguna, parecen 2 amigos. En mi opinión hicieron mal al elegir el personaje principal masculino, una actuación bastante regular, no solo parece un robot sino que es mas femenino que la protagonista. Creo que la principal equivocación fue elegir a Im Si-wan. Lo voy a terminar porque ya lo empecé pero sigo sintiendo que es una perdida de tiempo. Una pena!

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Razones para ver el drama

Razones para ver el drama

Ki Seongyeom: Nos muestran a un protagonista que ha corrido gran parte de su vida, pero sin un objetivo, esto a causa de un padre que, para mantener la imagen de una familia perfecta, fijo sus metas. Aún así, él creció bastante bien y es una persona sin miedo a decir lo que piensa y no, no piensen que lo hace de manera arbitraria, por el contrario, sus palabras y la forma en que las dice suelen ser siempre un impulso para los demás.

Oh Mi-joo: una protagonista que ha luchado para hacer de su sueño su principal medio de vida, el cual es ser el puente entre dos idiomas. Es una persona independiente, que sabe su valor como persona y suele defenderse de los ataques de quién quiera humillarla. Sin embargo, ser huérfana la llevo a pensar que no tenía a nadie a su lado y por tanto suele ocultar sus sentimientos.

Pareja principal: Ambos son polos opuestos. Sin embargo, al transcurrir los episodios vemos cómo ambos aprenden a hacer de esto su fortaleza. Abordando temas como el amor propio y también lo importante de expresar sentimientos, saber decir lo siento y te quiero.

Pareja secundaria: Para la pareja secundaria también decidieron poner una poco convencional: una heredera por derecho a la empresa de su padre y un artista que aún está en la universidad. Algo que me gustó mucho de está pareja fueron los roles invertidos, a él lo vimos constantemente haciendo pucheros reclamando su atención mientras que ella, en su papel de mujer exitosa, era un tanto distante.

Clichés: ¿No les pasa que a veces sienten que ya se saben la historia de los dramas? Es decir, por lo regular es en el capítulo 8-9 que se dan el primer beso e inician su relación, pero para el capítulo 13 llegan los problemas y se separan para regresar a mitad del último capítulo ??‍♀️. A mí me ha pasado muchas veces y no es malo, esa es la estructura en muchas historias (sobre todo las románticas), pero en este KDrama me sorprendieron, siempre que creí que tomaría un rumbo hacía cierto cliché me equivoqué. Y ya que lo vi en emisión, hubo momentos que tuve que esperar para ver esto, así que todo el tiempo quedé ? por no confiar en la madurez de los protagonistas.

Naturalidad: Ver como las relaciones de todos los personajes se desarrollo, tanto de amistad como de amor, fue todo un disfrute. No vimos nada forzado, obviamente para darle su toque de humor hicieron que los primeros encuentros fueran algo poco comunes?, pero en lo demás hasta podías identificarte. Pudieron abordar temas de la vida cotidiana sin exagerarlos o dramatizarlos y eso se los agradezco.

En conclusión, este será un drama que SIEMPRE recomendaré y diré que al menos le den la oportunidad porque les puede sorprender, incluso pueden ver referencias a muchas películas tales como John Wick, E.T y hasta Winnie Pooh jaja

Y si han estado dudando en si verlo, ignoren todos esos comentarios negativos y no lo piensen más. ?

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Run On isn't race it's journey.

We always run towards our goals, desires, and our dreams to find happiness and satisfaction and Run On represents the journey of it. It's not the drama that has a lot of drama, extraordinary plot, thrill, action, or suspense but still, it's special for its realisticness. It's so sweet that you might get diabetes and pain in the muscles of the chin because of smiling. It's like a very sweet white chocolate with 99% without bitterness and that remaining 1% is Seon Gyeom's Father.

The plot: As I stated earlier that it doesn't have an extraordinary storyline that'll impress you but still it's refreshing and different It just goes with the flow without major twists, turns, and surprises but still it's unpredictable cause you don't know what'll happen next. The writing is the strength of drama well-written script and characters even the flaws of character were perfect and hats off for the conversations, each conversation has its own value and meaning. For me, this has the best conversations and dialogues. But still, the story is not a strong point cause it doesn't have one.

Characters and cast: The best of this is its a character with all different personalities, backgrounds, and with different backstories just blend when they are together and the more admirable thing is each supporting character has its own value it's like joining all pieces of a puzzle together for the perfect picture. We see character development in each episode. The writer did a great job in writing characters it's indeed a key point of this. The cast couldn't be more perfect than this all were perfect for each role. I would really appreciate I'm Si Wan especially for me he did the best job portraying Ki Seon Gyeom his expression and acting were just amazing he was the best for this role. Now I'm head over heels for him and his killing smile. The visuals of all actors are great with their great acting skills.

OST/ Soundtrack: The ost and soundtrack both were good and at the perfect moment. I really loved 'Sorry' especially.

Conclusion: Overall it was refreshing, unique, and unpredictable which also going to be one of my favorites. I really enjoyed the show and smiled a lot but it's not everyone's cup of tea. It's a slice of life and a character-driven plot. The ending is perfect but I guess it's too much perfect and overflooded with sweetness. 'Run On' not only entertain but it's much more than that.

P.s. - It does have many weird + funny + hilarious moments and that candy movie was great!

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“Why do you Run?”

This drama is about two adults who met in the oddest way, but at the perfect time - one who is an orphan and has been living only for herself, and one who has been living for others to the point that he's left with nothing for himself. And no, they did not need each other nor did they need saving, but they grew as their own person when their worlds collided. This drama follows their journey of self discovery and self love. This drama does not have your usual tropes, angst, and fluff (at least at the beginning- wait for it!), it doesn't have a major conflict, but it just shows the characters' day-to-day lives. It shows a mature and realistic take on relationships. It shows that we are simply the protagonists of our own lives. Moreover, It shows the importance of finding yourself and loving yourself first before you are able to give yourself to others. The cherry on top? Their chemistry. The main leads' chemistry is THROUGH THE ROOF so be prepared to fall in love with them.

As the title might suggest - this isn't a sports drama, but a slice-of-life romcom. It's funny, endearing, impactful, and heartwarming. It carries so many life lessons and touches on many sensitive issues like sexuality. As the FL is a movie translator, this also includes a lot of classic movie references/ parodies that enthusiasts may like. It may be slow at the beginning but it's because of the many layers and depth that will be unveiled as the drama progresses. This is also full of parallelism and symbolism that might require reflecting before you fully understand because that's how rich and detailed the writing is. This is a dialogue and character driven drama, which might not be for everyone, but it's as good as it gets. This drama's charms are the raw, rich, refreshing, and excruciatingly honest dialogues, the witty jabs (trust me the humor is very, very well written), and how the story circles back to its title - Run On. Run On, move forward - even if it life gets difficult, you can always slow down, just don't give up. Despite your traumas, life must go on.

This drama is so healthy, real, and good for the soul - no toxic relationships or toxic masculinity. The men: the male lead is a character we haven't seen before - he's odd, awkward, but in every way charming. He is always ready to lend a helping hand to others. He has a hard time communicating and expressing himself but eventually the female lead broke his ice (isn't it fitting that the FL just happened to be literally, a translator?) The 2nd male lead is equally charming, a bit emotional and sensitive, but knows what he wants. He's quite the character. The women? Damn. The women are strong and brilliant. The female lead is the epitome of self love without any selfishness. Despite her tough past, she grew up well. The 2nd female lead is a chaebol (not your ordinary one) - a strong, independent woman, but puts up walls and boundaries. It's beautiful to see all of them grow and come together, with a bit of cute bickering on the side. The characters are very unique - roles/jobs that aren't usually shown in dramas (a translator, retired athlete, movie distributor, artist, and so) so this is quite refreshing. I also loved how all the characters have a relationship with each other (not just the leads) - bromance, sismance, even the male lead and 2nd female lead and vice versa. The friendship that developed among the leads and supporting cast is just phenomenal. The writer also managed to let the 2nd couple shine and not just make them a mere filler even until the last episodes. Even the smallest roles were given recognition. Cannot praise the writer enough for this.

If you are looking for a comforting and healing drama, this is for you. If you are at a bad place or if you are feeling lost, this is for you. Honestly it has been a while since i've been this attached to a drama. I assure that you will fall in love with the characters, the insanely beautiful cinematography, the OST, and the impeccable writing. It is in every way sensible and authentic. It is full of so, so many life lessons if you'll just go beyond the surface.

[Edit after completing] Well, it's still as beautiful as when it started. It's great from start to end, cried a lot in the last episode. The ending has to be the best i've seen in kdramas. I love how everyone was given their own happy endings. I also love how the ending shows that life just goes on for everyone - you don't need a big, grand, happy ending to find meaning in our day to day lives. Again as the title suggests, Run On. Amazing, amazing work by the writer!

It's a long review but in conclusion: YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS NOW!!! This is a rare masterpiece!

My favorite quote: “When you run, you don’t think about what’s behind you. The only thing that matters is what’s right in front of you. Normally, it’s the finish line. But today, it was you.”

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This drama has some nice elements but overall not for me.

Like other critical reviews of this drama say, it's not a bad drama, and I really wanted to like it and went into it blind like I typically do when I watch dramas, but... after finishing all 16 episodes, it wasn't ever really for me and I feel like I should have dropped it after 4 or 5 episodes.

I'm definitely missing something in this drama. Everyone has been praising this drama as being heartfelt, mature, relaxing, and realistic in its portrayal of relationships and how they develop. I disagree, and I'm not sure if it's due to my age (older than the leads) but I couldn't find the maturity and realism that others seem to talk about over and over again. Maybe it's because I feel like I would have communicated differently than the couples portrayed, but I didn't understand how either couple either discussed their issues with each other. Nothing made any sense to me. There were times when they were straightforward with each other, yes, but I mostly found the dialogue either dull or puzzling.

I did like some things about it. The characters themselves were nice. I loved the playful humor in the banter, it was pretty clever and sharp but those moments were few and far between. I also loved the movie references and I wish they would have put a little more time into Seon-Gyeom's finding of himself, building up of his new career and being an agent for Woo-Sik - I felt like it was clumsily done and could have been tightened and would have added a lot to his overall character development. It seemed like it was squished into the episodes as a sidenote.

I would have also liked more meaningful interaction between Seon-Gyeom and Mi Joo earlier on. I didn't feel their attraction to each other at all. Individually, they were great and in theory they seemed like they would be really cute, but for some reason the pairing felt forced to me. I think maybe the whole beginning scenario of the track team scandal, the translation job that allowed them to spend time together, and the father's interference could have been done better for me personally, and because I didn't like the way it developed and set up the drama, I think it set the tone for the rest of the drama as well. Some of the scenes felt cut awkwardly and mixed together all over the place.

I also didn't understand the second couple very much. Both were very cute and had such interesting personalities but again... I wasn't sure how they came to love each other, and then break up, and then get back together. It looked like it started to develop well, and midway through I became very confused by the conflict, the resolution, the conflict again, and then all of a sudden they're together again at the end? Maybe this is a realistic depiction of a relationship for other people, but for me personally, it didn't work, and the way they communicated their feelings to each other never felt clear to me. It seemed like they would say one thing to each other and do something that conflicted with what they said.

The addition of the best friend coming out also seemed out of place to me. While I loved Young-Hwa's heartfelt reaction to the confession and it portraying the type of kind, gentle, sensitive soul he is, and I'm all about LGBTQ representation in media, this element seemed sort of random and unnecessary. I would have liked either more development of this side story or none at all. To have it as just a blip in the drama feels like an afterthought.

Again, it doesn't seem like a bad drama but I had a really hard time enjoying it and I just don't think it was for me. It's so great that so many enjoyed it and got a lot out of it but unfortunately I wasn't one of them. Soundtrack was nice and the drama was very nicely produced. Some of the humor in the dialogue was very smart and I wished there was more of it sprinkled generously throughout each episode. I think I understand the overall message of the drama and the tone it means to convey but it never quite struck a chord with me like I wanted it to. I think viewers still learning to find themselves and their place in the world and with each other might find more meaning and poignancy in this drama than someone who is at a different point in life.

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Great characterization but unable to engage

The story had some great characters. I really like how each character was represented, their conversations, the themes the show represented, visuals and overall feel of the story. I enjoyed overall positive relationships. I liked all the couples and also enjoyed the main character's journey to find himself and how he becomes agent from an athlete.

At the same time, there wasn't a point where I got deeply involved in the story. I never waited for the next episode and never really had any urge to complete the story. There were good elements but it didn't get to me. I also wish they had spent more time on the athlete/track side of the story and his growth. That would have been more interesting. It gets very slow sometimes and conversations between characters seem all over the place. There were many times I didn't understand what the characters really wanted to say. Also, the show doesn't really show the difference between selfishness and self-love. The terms are used interchangeably.

Overall very interesting characters & themes, coherant relationships, but not a great story telling.

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Amazing story that says "no thanks" to cliches by being truly realistic and relatable.

I waited to watch this drama because I wanted it to be close to ending so I could binge it-- and a couple days ago when I started I just couldn't stop.

Apart from the fact that the characters are ACTUALLY relatable and do not lack common sense, there is a very explicit gender role reversal situation going on. Toxic masculinity? Not in our male leads and support characters! They are all incredibly sweet and when it's the case, they compliment the female characters they are with beautifully.

Have you ever caught yourself going "UGH WHY DID YOU DO THAT YOU COULD'VE JUST TOLD THEM HOW YOU FELT" to the screen when watching a kdrama? You will not have that problem with Run On. The characters communicate with each other very well, even when sometimes they have difficulties expressing their emotions properly or may need some time to think things through. And in that vein, the conflicts characters have feel real and you can always understand their decisions even if you wish things were different at the time.

And one very important thing: there are no love triangles, and the drama is infinitely better because of it. I have been watching so many dramas with annoying love triangles that feel utterly pointless, and watching this one cemented my feelings on the fact that love triangles are a nuisance that overstayed its welcome. You can have conflict and compelling relationships without them, and Run On is the perfect example of it.

I can't wait to see what the writer of this drama comes up with next-- because this was an incredible journey.

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A Cinematic Journey To Love...

When it comes to writing love stories, romance dramas often tend to blow out relationships heavily into cliche territory; the female or male lead is head over heels for their significant other, jealousy spins around their love interest approaching (respectfully) other men and women, and an onslaught of dramatic misunderstandings occur as a consequence.

When you decide to sit down and watch “ Run-On” for the first time, it may strike viewers as unusual to come across several prominent, atypical features within our leads and their relationships; the most evident being that our female heroine and translator Oh Mi Joo (Shin Se Kyung) and our male lead athlete Ki Seon Geom ( Im Shi Wan) are intrinsically written as individuals, rather than the typical “ unit” approach taken in most romantic dramas.

Shin Se Kyung is brilliant within her role as our fairly down-to-earth female lead Oh Mi-Joo; a talented and hardworking translator with a difficult childhood , Mi-Joo alongside her best friend Park Mae Yi ( Lee Bong Ryun) , is more focused on her career and struggling to pay the bills than anything else.Contrastingly, Ki Seon Geom ( again, brilliantly played by Im Shi Wan) comes from a wealthy family, has a successful career as an athlete, however, he is quite simply fed up from others using him, his money and status as a social climbing ladder as episodes progress. By a whim of fate, the two individuals from opposite walks of life end up meeting and gradually developing a relationship. However, this is also where the series hits its biggest snag as well.

The “ opposites attract” cliche is one of the most infamous storyline usages in romantic dramas, yet when it came to Run-On, one of the notable elements of a storyline intrinsically based on this cliche seemed to feel unexpectedly lacklustre. By default, it shouldn’t have done; Mi-Joo and Seon- Geom were well-rounded individuals with intriguing backstories , storylines and striking similarities as characters, yet, principally rather than playing out their similarities, the show seemed to ride too heavily upon their differences which often resulted in their relationship feelings fairly indifferent for viewers .

One reason behind this can be explained by Mi-Jo and Seo Geom’s relationship progression over the course of the series. Despite their differences, Mi-Joo had many similar impacts of her past like Seon-Geom, however, neither character really tried to reach out, to talk or bond over this matter either.This should have helped to bring our couple together more throughout the drama, however, this would have only been possible if the storyline had more of an arching development for our characters, (due to little sense of climatic building),strong pacing or intrinsic development over a course of sixteen episodes.

Alongside our main couple, the drama attempts also to introduce the romantic pairing between slightly naive art student Lee Young Hwa ( Kang Tae Oh) and the cynical young CEO of a talent agency company, Seo Dan Ah ( Choi Soo Young). Before commenting upon their relationship, it is fairly striking that Dan Ah has numerous deep and likeable qualities as a character ( despite her sometimes “ overly abrupt” personality); she isn’t written off as a figure of female animosity nor as the “ antagonist”, but rather an individual hiding deep secrets, a naturally hardworking businesswoman and who is the type that struggles to reach out to others both emotionally and socially ( often leading to both comical and sad misunderstandings).

Against all odds, the relationship between the pair was arguably more appealing to audiences than our main couple at times. This is intrinsically due to the fact that Young Hwa and Dan Ah are truly the epitome of different within their backgrounds, moralities and even personality types, yet are still able to develop and bond due to their similarities( particularly their admiration of art). On the other hand, their relationship will still notably lacking in depth; a consequence of several plot inconsistencies, tropes as well as the series possibly running out of time to not truly captivate “ life imitating art” to the fullest.

Overall whilst Run-On was an intrinsically sweet romance drama which had several surprisingly well-written characters, an appropriate ending , humour and touched upon several notable realistic issues including homosexuality, illness, mental health and family, notable relationship portrayals , development , plot holes and of course an overall didactic purpose for the show, felt both lacklustre and lacking in the grand scheme of things.

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Lot of potential but ultimately never lived up to its expectations.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the drama is terrible or anything. It has its moments when it shines bright but at the same time, it's too far and few between. One of the highlights is undoubtedly the female lead. She had a lot of charm and sass to her character that it was refreshing to see. It's her character that brings the most interesting and refreshing dialogues in the entire show. The story was reasonably well-paced and give enough screen time for each and every character instead of focussing only on the main leads. The relationship between the main leads was definitely another one of the highlights as well..
And that's where my positives end.

Even though I listed so many positives it was a frustrating experience.
I have seen many reviews raving the main lead for being such a gentleman and such a refreshing character, I mean I get it where the praise comes from but at the same time, the character never had any personality. He's one of the blankest slate a character can be, so ultimately the viewers can ultimately project themselves or anyone else. This is lazy writing more than anything else.
Without going into too many spoilers, let's just say they introduce a character who is gay and never fleshes his character out and just uses him to create a conflict that ultimately does not even affect the story in an impactful way.
The second couple's story is generic and something we have seen a million times. The characters have good chemistry but the story was just basic and by the books. This is something that I have seen a lot lately if the story of the main leads is somewhat different or modern, they introduce a secondary couple with the most cliche story to satisfy a certain section of fans. I can understand why they do it because ultimately the success of the drama depends on how many audiences watch it. I don't consider it as a huge negative but I'm just stating facts for what it is...
The acting was ok overall wasn't impressed with the mail leads performance but was not hugely disappointed either.

Ultimately my frustration arises from the fact that all the negatives I mentioned above were easily avoidable if the screenplay was written a little better.

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Its good to watch if you are tried.

I feel like it is similar to dramas like "Chocolate" and "when the weather is fine" except I enjoyed those more tbh. However, this drama is really cute and all the couples' stories where very beautiful. My favourite one was defs the couple with the FL's roommate and that other person. I also enjoyed how they portrayed the reality of unrequited love. But, the story is not ground breaking, and i feel like although the character development of the main lead was great , the story felt slightly empty. I might be brainless maybe that's why I kept getting confused by the conversations of the 2 leads. I just feel they tried to make them abnormal to the point it felt dull. But, I really did enjoy the story of the main leads and their motivations for their careers. In total I would never re-watch this, it was interesting enough for me.

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"Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up." - Oh Mi Joo

This type of drama is hard to find. Every episode leaves you wanting more. The interactions between the characters feel real, every conversation makes the characters more human. Something that caught my eye from the beginning was how all the characters were introduced. As Yook Ji Woo (Seon Gyeom mom) introduces her next work she says "Its one of those love stories were one can be a nutjob (Seon Gyeom), a loser( Mi Joo), a psychopath (Dan Ah), and a piece of trash( Young Hwa) or someone's first love"
Up until now, it has no big misunderstanding, no over the top evil or annoying characters. Ki Seon Gyeom and Oh Mi Joo talk things out they leave no room for a misunderstanding to happen. One of the scenes that really surprised me was in the scene at the end of episode 7 and the beginning of 8, following a typical kdrama that was a perfect scene to make the leads fight or have a misunderstanding but our female lead doesn't walk away angry or crying instead she tells the dad that she knows her place because she has been there many times and takes the male lead with her. The way our second couple interacts is also fascinating, I cant wait to see how their story progresses.

This week's episodes really blew my mind (11 & 12), Dan Ah really blew my mind during these two episodes and what can I say about Young Hwa what he did was totally unexpected.
The breakup scene of Mi Joo and Seon Gyeom was really well written, he didn't invade her space, although it seems they really didn't break up. This is one of the first breakups that didn't get me mad because I understood how Mi Joo was feeling and so did Seo Gyeom and he gave her space to communicate how she felt.

Now that we are so close to the end, ill share my honest opinion. Up until now, there has been no toxic relationships or characters. Every character has a "job", they are all there for a purpose. Something I loved and I'm sure I've mentioned before is that the writer didn't rely on the typical cliches, they took a story and made it interesting without the need for absurd drama. While watching other shows, and I'm sure a lot of you will agree, sometimes I get frustrated at the choices some of the characters make since they seem to make no sense but up until now haven't felt any frustration. All the decisions seem to be appropriate and they are all realistic. I also like that they didn't do a love triangle, nor add annoying people who are more obsessed than in love with the leads. Instead, they too 4 characters and made a unique story for them without creating any rivalries between them, which is also seen in a lot of dramas where there is 4 main lead, and in the beginning, they create a love triangle to later pair them off with the extra lead.

In the case of this drama, both father figures seem to suck, and at first, I thought the mother was going to be a problem too, but she ended up being laid back. I really liked what she said, "My life isn't yours, I worked really hard to get where I am...I am the star of my life"

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING:
Mi Joo-"We will probably never fully understand each other, right?"
Seon Gyeom- "Yes... We're different after all."
Mi Joo- "You have your world and I have mine, but we could align our worlds next to each other, couldn't we? So let's not be disappointed in each other. That's impossible to do. Instead, we'll stick to whatever is possible."

This last episode had bittersweet moments but it all got wrapped up nicely. Not everyone has the same definition of what a "Happy Ending" is supposed to look like, it's up to us to choose our happy ending. It's sad that after such a long time this phenomenal drama came to an end. Learn how to love yourself. and learn to love others.

This drama has everything, bromance, womance, a smooth storyline. You won't regret giving it a try.

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