This drama is a paradox inside of a conundrum. It does what I hate in dramas so well that it made me love it! I was honestly hooked, in spite of myself, from the very first episode. This is the kind of drama that requires complete suspension of disbelief to enjoy it, and I had no problem doing that for all 20 episodes. So, what do I hate that "Mask" did so well? We all know in KDramaland that ridiculous coincidences will most likely happen. People often meet in the exact right spot, or miss each other by seconds, or just happen to overhear something they needed to know, or have the exact right thing for the exact right moment... This drama's plot is 99% coincidences. Even how the doppelgänger scenario is introduced is way too coincidental. This usually drives me crazy, because it makes everything so unrealistic, but in Mask's case it didn't matter to me. The more random the coincidence, the more frustrated I got, and the more addicted to the plot I became. Maybe because it adds an element of literally anything might/could happen. The 20 episodes flew by because I was so addicted to finding out what was going to happen next. The second thing that drives me insane are dumb leads. I spent much of this drama wanting to reach through the screen and slap characters, or shake some sense into them. This usually turns me off to a drama, but in this case I had to keep watching. I will admit that I liked the villains more than the leads. Don't get me wrong, I liked Min Woo and the wife known as Eun Ha's chemistry, and love story, but I still preferred the bad guys, even if I didn't want them to win. I think the cast did a great job. Soo Ae was good at looking tortured by guilt, or being overcome with grief, while also shining a killer smile once in a while. Be warned that the smiles are not often. She looks depressed for the majority of the show, but with what happens, how can you blame her? Then there's the equally straight-faced Joo Ji Hoon, the obligatory socially awkward rich guy with a short fuse, and issues from childhood. Of course he is still totally crushable and sympathetic as the show progresses. I had totally forgotten what dramas I had seen the two of them in before (he in "Goong" ,and her in "9 end 2 Outs") because they are so much more mature now. Their matter of fact romantic banter was cute, but I did wish there were more romantic moments that weren't so stiff (there are maybe 3 I can think of total). And why did they insist on going to sleep in full outfits? Dude was wearing a sweater??!!! *sigh*... Instead they do a lot of staring, which felt like such a tease. It is still a very touching love story, but there are more emotionally touching moments than butterfly moments. Now about those villains... I did love to hate the loan shark, but the true power couple from hell is Mi Yeon and Seok Hoon. Yoo In Young plays the most man thirsty woman in the history of KDrama. I just finished watching her be the jealous beyotch in "Oh My Venus", but this jealous beyotch character suited her much better. She was also the one character, in all of this drama's madness, that actually made me cry at all. Then there's Yeon Jung Hoon, the true MVP of evil. I kept rooting for his evil plans, because even though he is basically a sociopath, I respected his intelligence and commitment to revenge. He was my favorite of the cast, so I guess it's about time I check out "Vampire Prosecutor" Now, would I watch this again? Doubtful. Most of the excitement of this drama was guessing what would happen next. I do recommend it though, especially if you are looking for something extremely melodramatic! There were times when I laughed inappropriately when I should have been sad, or concerned, or times when I cursed loudly at the screen, but there was not one single moment when I was bored. It's a 20 episode drama that I marathoned through faster than some shorter dramas. I'm not sure I would have been able to handle the stress of watching it live and waiting for episodes. This is a lose sleep kind of drama. Even the last episode threw in some new twists, while still making sure everything was resolved in the end. I'm glad my early misgivings about KDrama tropes didn't make me stop watching. "Mask" really was more addictively entertaining than I ever would have expected.