A potent story with a feeble treatment

It seemed to me like a PG-rated fan-fiction version of Cruel Intentions, since I didn’t have the pleasure of reading “Dangerous Liaisons”. I had been waiting for Do-hwan to lead solo for so long. Loved him in “Save Me” and “Mad Dog”. I thought this would be a great opportunity for him. And Cruel Intentions being one of my favorite movies, I was counting the days to this lethal combination. For me, he was the perfect choice for Sebastian's character, if written properly. He has that dark sexy stare that sees into your soul. But alas, the shoddy writing didn’t give him enough scope to show his talent to the optimum. What a letdown.

I didn’t mind the other actors except for the “best friend”, I mean which pesky planet did she come from! Have been a Min-Jae fan since Romantic Doctor, like Moon Ga-young too and they were good, as much as the script allowed them to be. A special mention to Joy’s acting which has been a blazing subject of criticism throughout. I am not a “Red Velvet” or Joy fan, so completely an unbiased opinion, she isn’t that bad considering her lack of proficiency in acting. In fact, I quite liked her in this role. Since all the characters felt inadequately written to me, she didn’t especially stand out to be disappointing. I think she will improve while working. There are many popular actresses(not naming any) who are acting for a long time but still can’t deliver emotions through their acting skill.

The OST was nothing worth humming or remembering (at least to me).

The ending I really didn’t care about since the journey was so smudgy and sluggish. I am not a sucker for happy endings. I would rather take a sad ending than a rushed or vague one (talking to you That Man Oh Soo).

Overall, there is nothing “Dark” or “Seductive” about this drama, as the title and theme suggest. I watched Cruel Intentions for the 50th time after watching this for cleansing my palate and planning to read Dangerous Liaisons now.