I have known about this drama since it released in 2016 - but while the action scenes & chocolate abs of JCW were encouraging, the whole angle of romance & Yoona's acting was simply terrible that I did not pick this up. Finally in 2024, I relented and decided to give it a go. As expected - the best thing was JCW and all his action and solo scenes. But the biggest surprise and hooking factor was his electrifying chemistry with female antagonist/second lead - Choi Yoo Jin played by the talented - Song Yoon Ah. They redefined "frenemies" & left me wanting for more . . .

‪‪❤︎‬ LOVED:
➥ Je Ha (ML) & Yoo Jin (SFL):
I can understand why there are so many fanfictions and petitions hoping to have a spin-off to have them together as the leading romance pair. They are enemies-turned-allies in the show and every interaction is so well acted sometimes simply without words, that you just want them to rip each others clothes off and make steamy love that generations would write/read about. They were literally too hot to handle and this is without any actual romance between them. Both, in a single frame were just too mesmerizing, the chemistry off the charts - perhaps one of the best ever, and definitely the best between such roles.

➥ Action Scenes & JCW:
Those who are aware of his other works know what a great actor JCW is and the action sequences were directed well. They may/may not have gone with the plot, but it was entertaining to watch though gets repetitive over the latter part of the drama. Pure blockbuster effects, and with JCW executing it - it was flawless. The time that I delayed watching the show was compensated over the years by unhealthily rewatching the "bathhouse fight" and "shirt changing" scenes - and I am going to continue doing that on YouTube, without the need to rewatch the show.

❌ DISLIKES:
➥ The FL and Romance:
Yoona was completely useless - in terms of her character usage in the story, acting, chemistry with JCW - basically everything. JCW was carrying the romance, she was the stiff cardboard with no inputs - being used as a ragdoll. Personally - I would have liked this drama more if she was a minor character [e.g: just a young girl (aged 3-4)] and needed protection from JCW's character OR just done away with her character + romance altogether.

➥ The Plot:
It was too generic - not engaging or without unique twist/turns, with boring political talks/drama and of course the unnecessary romance. The acting of JCW, Yoon Ah, Sung Ha, Gab Soo and Dong Mi were the ones that carried the drama but they were caught in a mediocre storyline. It had a promising start but faltered from the middle.

➥ SUMMARY:
This is a delectable guilty pleasure drama - to be indulged for Ji Chang Wook's acting, action scenes and fan-service. He's one of my ultimate bias and he served. The soul of this show was Song Yoon Ah - her acting making me want to rip her mouth or feel pity for her character was flawless. And of course their sizzling chemistry was everything. This drama is over and I would not rewatch it except for their scenes, but am going to read the fanfictions about them, maybe even write one myself to satiate this unmet desire this drama has given me. They were THAT good.

So if you like all the above - with some blockbuster action, go ahead and give it a spin.