Sunbae, Don't Put On That Lipstick (2021)

Unexpectedly, a good watch!

Before starting this drama I honestly didn't expect much from it. Since it's said to be an office romance drama, I expected there to be romance, comedy, cringe and whatnot. But as I started to watch it I realized it's actually a slow burn romance with a little bit of comedy in it and both ML and FL actually act according to their age. Lmao. Their romance can be seen as being lovey-dovey but it's not what you can classify as cringe.

The story is simple. There is no plot twist and it's definitely not intriguing enough to keep you hooked all the time. It's just what a slow burn romance is expected to be. It takes time for the leads to build an emotional connection and once they finally get together you can't help but swoon over them. However this drama managed to keep me hooked from the beginning, maybe because I was going through a drought of good romantic Kdrama for a while.

And while I keep saying that it's a slow burn romance the story itself is not slow at all. The pacing of the story was perfect. Every character was given enough screen time to tell their stories. One thing about this kind of drama is that by the end of it, you end up understanding most of the characters from their perspective and She would never know executed that part really really well. On that note, Lee Hyo Joo's character development was definitely one of my favourites. Another thing that I loved about this drama is the bonding of ML and his eldest sister with their niece. Their relationship might be the sweetest part of the story.
This drama somewhat shows you how karma and reality work. I won't say how, as you watch the drama you'll understand that part on your own.

As for the acting, first let me start by talking about Rowoon. After this drama, I can't see him as an idol-actor anymore. He has evolved his acting skill a lot and you can clearly notice that in this drama. He brought Chae Hyun Seung's character to life! After finishing the drama I couldn't imagine any other actor playing this role as perfectly as him. As for the FL, it was my first time seeing Won Jin Ah as an actress and she did a great job. Rowoon and Won Jin Ah were an unexpectedly good pairing <3 Wang Bit Na as ML's eldest sister was straight up ELEGANT. Her hairstyle, dress up and the way she talks make you believe that she is the epitome of a classy lady. Whoever was the fashion designer of this drama deserves a raise.
All the other actors/ actresses were good in their respective roles as well. So I would say the casting was perfect.

The music in this drama was soothing and beautiful. props to "I live in your eyes" ost for making its way to my most listened ost of all time list :D

As for rewatching, I am giving it an 8, because I am not the type of person who watches a drama more than once.

Finally, my advice would be that you should give She would never know a try only if you want something really soothing, heartwarming, not so complicated and beautiful^^

Lire davantage

very normal and down to earth drama....

its a very simple romantic drama with likable side characters.... there is nothing too good or too bad about this drama... its slow paced and dont have any high-end ​drama or twist or revelations...

PROS:
1. its a proper office romance... unlike some dramas of this genre where the characters are in the office but dont do any job, here all the characters are shown to be working and facing troubles that a normal cosmetic company will be facing... both the leads are very dedicated to their work and so is the other people in the office...
2. the ML might come off as pushy and stalkerish in the first 2 episodes but the FL never encouraged his behaviors or crossing the line and he does reflect on his actions... he is very open to criticism and dont think too high of himself... if he crosses the line and the FL calls him out, he backs off and never repeats the same mistake...
3. the side characters also have pretty decent stories esp the ML's second sister...
4. the romance and their chemistry look very real.. the chemistry isnt passionate or hot but it looks real... when they go on dates and walk holding hands they look like a real couple we see on the streets... neither too clingy nor too distant... the comfort level is there...
5. the bond b/w the 3 siblings and the niece... i like how involved the aunt and uncle are with the niece... the MLs family comes off as a very decent classy family... they are rich but dont have the stereotypes that rich people in kdramas have...


CONS:
1. it can be a bit slow and since nothing major happens it can be really boring for a binge watch... i think i finished it solely because i was watching only 2 episdoes per week...

ACTING:
the acting in this drama is decent... i have only seen rowoon in extraordinary you and his character didnt had much depth so his acting chops cannot be judged solely based on EO... he comes off as a decent actor in this drama... he isnt awkward or makes over-exaggerated facial expressions... i wont say he is a really good actor but he definitely is nowhere near being bad... there is nothing to dislike about his acting and he is good enough not to ruin a character with his acting... i guess my only complaint is they use too much makeup on him... his nose and lips are highlighted way too much... some kdramas need to tone down the lipstick of the male characters... at times its more than the female characters...
i have seen woo jiah only in melting me softly and she was unimpressive in it... but after watching her in this i think she dont suit comedy but is not a bad actor... even though she is very petite and tiny she dont really come off as cute or delicate and thats maybe because she has a very strong voice... she dont sound like a teenager and that helps her look very matured despite her small figure... she looks belivable as a strong independent carrier oriented woman... she is a workaholic and that makes her come off as less involved in the relationship... she isnt as intense as the ML which might not go down well with some people that want to see intense romance from both sides but she is not really at fault... its just that both the leads love differently... the ML is ready to give his 100% in a relationship whereas the FL dont go to that extend even if she is genuinely in love with her partner...
i really liked the child artist playing the ML's niece... as most kdramas, the kid is more matured and wiser for her age but all her scenes were really good... her interactions with all the characters were interesting...

overall the drama is a decent watch but i don't think i will ever rewatch it... i dont think this is the kind of drama that has high rewatch value...

Lire davantage

Theres a lot of hurt hidden in every character for this drama

This drama is really good but man theres a whole lot of hurt and pain hidden within each of the main characters. No matter how upbeat and bright someone seems on the outside like in life theres pain deep inside each one of them.

Its a great drama the chemistry is great among the actors.

The main couple have some extremely cute and cuddly moments on top of a whole lot of painful moments. The 2nd couple was weird but cute story just never saw the reasoning behind their attraction besides one sided.

The final couple was soundly resolved and it was a nice short story for them.

The daughter was super cute and wonderful jn the show as were the coworkers

Music wasnt too repitive and was nice soft fits the show

Good show. Get rdy a few tissues. But then it will make u smile and even laugh

Good watch

Lire davantage

A little slow but worth a watch

My observations:

1) ML is an absolute cutie pie and pretty much perfect…although some might consider him a bit too obsessive in his pursuit of FL. However, in my opinion, FL doesn’t deserve this guy. It’s not that I don’t like her; it’s just that I don’t like how she treats him, especially at the end when she dumps him for her career. Honestly, I can’t believe this nearly perfect man is dumped twice: once by his ex-girlfriend for another guy and once by FL for her career. I agree with her mom – no career is worth leaving a man like this. He’s a once in a lifetime find. It’s really unfair of the scriptwriter to have him dumped twice. And, honestly, how realistic is it for a guy to be dumped twice, especially one as wonderful as this guy, but I suppose one can ask the question – how realistic is it for a guy like this to even exist in real life.

2) One reviewer I read said that ML’s motives for showing FL the truth about Jae-Shin were purely selfish in nature. Perhaps but honestly, she needed to know. If I were her, I’d want to know before I made a bigger fool of myself. Plus, ML took this course of action, knowing that she might hate him afterwards so was his motives purely selfish? He could have waited and let her discover the truth in 3 months, but of course, maybe Jae-Shin would have kept seeing her after his marriage, making the betrayal even worse. I think ML did the right thing despite the benefit he received in their break-up.

3) I didn’t like how FL wasn’t straightforward with Jae-Shin. She avoided telling him the truth as to why she was breaking up with him over and over again. Just tell him that you know about the fiancée instead of making him guess! This guessing game just didn’t seem to fit her normally straightforward character. Yeah, to her and ML, he was a jerk, but the viewer knows that Jae-Shin isn’t as bad as he seems. He’s a man being suffocated by his father, a woman who’s mentally unstable and her rich family. Instead of Jae-Won begging JS to accept his sister, he should have been making arrangements for her to be placed in a psych ward. No doubt JS’s relationship with FL was the one place he could go and BREATHE, which is why he didn’t want to accept the end of it.

4) I think Jae-Shin is an interesting character, probably the most interesting of the drama. On the surface, he appears like a typical cheating boyfriend, but I felt real sympathy for him and the life he was living. He clearly didn’t want to marry the Hyo-Joo (I despise people who threaten suicide to blackmail the object of their obsession) but felt he couldn’t resist because of his dad’s debt and the deal he made with Jae-Won as a teen. The best thing that happened to him was his dad’s death since it made it possible for him to break free from the toxic Hyo-Joo & Lee family. One of my favorite moments of the drama is when Hyo-Joo asks him later on (after she’s recovered from her obsession) if he ever regrets ending it with her, and he says, ‘Not once.’ Good for you, Jae-Shin! I’m so glad he was able to live free in the end, although, by that time, there was no hope of recovering the woman he loved. Just a side note: Hyo-Joo's outfits were ugly - too big on her and loud.

5) I liked FL's calm voice and manner. She behaved maturely except for the guessing game she put Jae-Shin through. However, I found it hard to like her when she leaves for Europe and eventually dumps ML. Clearly, ML loved her more than she loved him since he was willing to suck it up and wait it out until she returns, but she throws him away like something you once cherished but no longer have time for. Oh, sure, she cried – boo hoo - but the fact remains, that she chose herself over the man she claims to love. I guess, in the modern world, sacrifice is a dirty word, and now, it’s all about ME and MY dreams because you know, I don’t want any regrets. All of us regret at some point, no matter what choice we make. At least, when she comes back, she does acknowledge to her friend how shameless she’d be to expect ML to take her back. If I didn't prefer happy endings, I would have rooted for ML never to take her back. At the very least, he should have made her suffer longer than he did, but we only had an episode to get them back together, I guess. Just one question – why do all these FLs’ dreams involve studying aboard, working aboard? Can no one further their career in their own country, in their own city? And why do most of these dreams seem to be about acquiring power/prestige through career? Is furthering one’s career the only dream these days? I guess I must be showing my age because I still believe that relationships are important and shouldn’t be thrown away so casually. But I guess in the end, since she returned after only 3 years, she found out that her dream wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. That’s the dirty little secret dramaland doesn’t tell the young women watching these dramas – dreams aren’t always what you imagined them to be.

6) Jae-Won and Ji-Seong added a bit of humor, which this Rom-Com was seriously lacking. Uh, writer/director, this is billed as a Rom-COM, which means there should be some comedy involved. This relationship (thanks mostly Jae-Won), the little girl, Ha-Eun, and the coworkers were the only comic relief. For the most part, it was pure romance. I would have liked to see more of Jae-Won and Ji-Seong – it took forever for their romance to get off the ground, mostly because so much time was spent on FL rejecting ML, and ML looking like a lovesick puppy. I know FL was coming out of a broken relationship, but geesh, for the sake of viewer interest, could we move her romance with ML along a bit faster? Heck, why not send her off to Europe early on so she could get Jae-Shin out of her system and be ready for a new love? It would have been kinder to breaks ML’s heart before she actually started a relationship with him, but alas, this great guy is destined to be kicked around by the women in his life.

Overall, it was an ok drama, but I'm not likely to go back and watch again. If I did watch again, it would purely be in order to gaze at that Cutie Pie, Chae Hyun-Seong.

Lire davantage

A slice of "Work"

From episode one, I knew this show won't offer me anything special which would touch me and make me reminisce about it months later. A very usual work romance story which goes down the predictable path.

Just that this one is less of romance and more of work. The amount of work culture depicted makes me wonder- is it worthy to just watch people working. Yes, there are other super shows which portray leads facing challenges in work and overcoming them, but here, both leads are super hardworking, super competent, overachieving and the challenges are oddly super realistic. So I wasn't super invested to know whether they would succeed. (lol, no points for guessing if they did!)

If not for the sub story of two sisters of ML, I would have definitely dropped it in 4 or 5 episodes. One sister's cute romance story made me squeal more than for the main couple. Another sister's marital issues touched me emotionally more than the leads' problems.

No matter what, I couldn't get interested about the main couple probably because of its web novel origins. They felt very ideal characters. Oh and don't even get me started about the mandatory pre-finale break up. I'm like oh, we are here in 2021 and they are still doing 2010s' things. And this is not a spoiler, don't tell me you didn't see it coming. ('Cause what else could even fill up the show with?! I would have earnestly rated it a little higher if not for it.)

The production was so good, everything looked so pristine. I don't know how they convinced their producer to invest. Was this a PR for Makeup industry work life?! I don't remember any tunes and I won't remember this show in few weeks except from Lee Hyo Joo's super awesome closure.

I would never know why She Would Never Know turned out to be so bland.

Lire davantage

picture perfect couple that should've stayed as a picture

if I start with the good I'll stay they were the perfect couple, well not THE perfect couple, but the perfect visual couple. they were so cute together, they made me wish I was a petite girl in love with a tall guy with broad shoulders
and that was it, they were just so beautiful together, and not to be shallow but their kiss scenes were better than their relationship


the bad? EVERYTHING. everything was a waste of time... every plot was garbage (excuse the language) but I really just couldn't care less about the: crazy CRAZY 2FL that just SCREAMED until my ears bled, she was so crazy she just wanted to force a guy to love her, then they get over it and she's all normal..
the useless spinless 2ML that wasted the FL's time, he was disgusting, and they tried to force us to feel sorry for him, and they added such horrible sob story with his dad, I HATED IT
the useless creepy boss was just so cringy and the older sister was too frozen
the 2nd sister was so dumb and then they pulled a "the dude is gay and is after her husband" as if that's a plot twist ;/
then the sick mom, the abusive dad, the running EVERYTHING was a waste of time


and I even skipped, full on skipped all of that and I still knew what was going on.. this is in no way directed at the actors/actresses but this writer is full on black listed



oh yeah, the only reason I stayed was to hear Won Jin Ah's beautiful deep voice, I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE HER. also the age gap should've been +5, the way they tried to make it a 2 year age gap made zero sense. the ml was too childish and at times the ml was like a mom to him.

Lire davantage

Okay being completely honest here, I started this kdrama because of Rowoon but man...this kdrama was so boring. Most of the time the plot just kept circling around and doing the same thing over and over again. I was just praying it would get a little bit more interesting as episodes kept playing. And if Im being honest the main characters who ended up together in the end didnt even seem all that much in love with each other lol...it just seemed like they tired each other out before their relationship could even start. But I digress.. If the kdrama wants us to believe that they got married happily ever after then so be it! Not many likeable characters in here though...really had a tough time liking anyone.

Lire davantage

A breath of fresh air

I wasn’t expecting anything serious from this drama. I was just grateful for the good looking characters and simple story line.
The story was a bit cliche but it wasn’t cheesy.
I loved the fact that there was no ‘bad guy’ no conniving work colleague, just simple and straight story with amazing characters.
They talked about cheating, unrequited love and breakup too. My favourite part of the entire series was towards the end. When it portrayed that, in a relationship, if the effort is coming from just one person, it’s bound to fail.
All in all, it was a pretty good drama. That’s if you’re looking for simple and sweet.

Lire davantage

Good lord another typical Kdrama romcom with stupid relationship actions. This had one of my most hated tropes...The forced relationship b/c the other person will harm themselves. Jeez. They never even explain why the female character in that relationships even likes the guy she's willing to kill herself for.

Anyway, the best part of this series is Wang Bit Na as Ji Seung and Lee Kyu Han as Jae Eun. Their relationship was so refreshing. I enjoyed them getting to know each other and falling in love. I also loved young actress Park So Yi. So expressive and had the brightest, biggest eyes. The other thing the series did well was the portrayal of the relationship between ML, his sisters and his niece.

7/13/23

Lire davantage

Zero star for the depressing female lead

I watched 5 episodes in bits and pieces for 2 years - and then completed the rest quickly.
How?
By forwarding every scene with the depressing female lead who has about two sorry expressions throughout and just drags the drama and every other character down with her.

So why not just dump the drama?
Because of all the stellar supporting cast and their interesting melodramas.

The poor ML.- of course his looks are off the charts, but he is so mismatched with the FL that even his noona's have more chemistry with him.

The storyline had some intriguing scenes - all well played by all the other actors.
But sadly too much emphasis on an ill-fitting female lead made this drama disappointing.

Lire davantage

Emotionally mature and swoony romance within the workplace

I loved this show when I watched it but what kept me from forgetting it, like I do with many dramas is the emotional maturity, the leads weren't paying games with each other or had stupid misunderstandings, all the conflicts came from people at work.

The pairing of a very straight-laced and respectful man with a woman who knows exactly what she wants and doesn't expect to attract many people for that (but those she does are the right one) is ingenius. The story isn't new, but the excecution was more layered that expected.

The realism and the not shying away from difficult topics like being a working woman and how superiors treat employees in big companies, made their soft moments feel earned, like the won them from not letting the toxic environment break them.

And I can't forget the sweetness of the bench kiss!

Lire davantage