**general spoilers if any because it's hard to talk about it without mentioning general ideas (no specific scenes/details but characters are mentioned); also this might be a tad bit long but it's worth reading :)

wow. watching this drama literally left me speechless. It's been so long since I've actually watched a drama that made me feel all the emotions in such a complex and fulfilling way .

Plot: From the start, I was already so invested in the story, and that just grew exponentially as I kept watching the drama. There is never a dull moment, unimportant filler conversations, or "skippable" scenes. A lot of times I find myself pressing the "fast forward 10s" button a lot but for this drama I barely did that. It's amazing how the writers were able to incorporate so many plot twists within the drama that fit in perfectly with the overarching main storyline. The pace at which the drama goes is just right and keeps you anticipating more and more all the time. I'm truly impressed with how they also tackled so many hard themes like forgiveness, patience, wealthy vs. poor, family, abandonment, etc. This isn't just an amazing love story, it's an amazing story in general. It feels like you're on a crazy rollercoaster with all the ups and downs but you're also having the time of your life. I cried so much while watching this but I also laughed a whole lot, and that's what makes this a great drama, because it gets you so invested into the story that you literally feel like you're on the sidelines watching this happen in front of you. Annnd lastly, the ending was actually satisfying! (wow) I find myself often disappointed with so many drama endings nowadays but this one nailed it for sure. It tied up all the plot holes, didn't leave anything hanging, and still left the viewers satisfied.

Characters: The character development is definitely what set this drama apart from others for me. The work that they did with even the minor characters is extraordinary. Yes, you get the regular main leads' transformation and that's as good as it can be, but the detail that they put into all the side characters makes you all the more invested. Everyone has their own personality that is actually developed throughout the drama and even people that you thought were going to stay "bad" the entire time grow as people. I'm really happy with how they subtly (or maybe even unintentionally) they incorporated strong female characters. From Seo Dan's mother, to Se-ri's mother, to Jung Hyuk's mother, none of them were the typical "rich old CEO's wife" who did as they were instructed all the time. Se-ri is definitely at the forefront, with her being the successful, hardworking, businesswoman at the very start. They also did a great job with the supporting characters in general, making it a more beautiful story than if the energy was solely focused on the main leads. Personally, I very much enjoyed the development of the soldiers under Captain Ri, who literally made me laugh continuously with their hilarious personalities and antics. It honestly felt like they were a whole group of children that Jung Hyuk and Se-ri were parenting xD The character development of Seo Dan was also incredible. (spoiler ish) At first she seemed like the typical second female lead, who was going to try to stop the main leads from being together out of jealousy, but the writers transformed her character from that to something more. They made her grow as a person too, and discover what love was for herself, becoming this noble and elegant second lead that everyone would cheer on too. ANNND ofc back to the main leads....the characters were written SO well. nothing cheesy. nothing cringy. just raw and heartwarming :)

Acting/Cast: Not much to say besides the fact that everyone did a great job. Can't really say that any of the actors/actresses lacked in any way. They all contributed to make this drama a great one, and I loved the portrayals of every character. My favorites would have to of course be the actor that played Jung Hyuk (who wouldn't fall in love with such a sweet and kindhearted guy who ALSO happens to cook) and the actress that played Se-ri. I'm not really familiar with k-dramas but Hyun Bin was able to portray that gentle quiet yet strong male lead so well, and Ye- jin was able to bring the independent lively heiress to a whole new level. The chemistry was of course amazing and no complaints there for sure.

Setting: All the sets were really nice, but I especially liked the scenes that were shot at the North Korean village set. I feel like the dynamic of the village along with its simplicity gave it such a "home-y" feeling , and Se-ri trying to adjust from a fast-paced technologically based life to a much simpler one with the help of the other villagers was really wholesome to watch.

OVERALL: definitely a must watch; I don't understand how they made such a complex and touching story they did! I practically binged this in about 2 days and I don't regret it. Time well spent :)