"Live in the present, but don't shy away from the past"

I don't often feel the need to write a review for dramas nor do I give many dramas a 10/10, but after finishing this one and taking the time to reflect and collect my thoughts, the desire to share them with my fellow drama-goers ignited.

What makes this drama incredibly special is the realism in its' exploration of its' main themes. While at a glance, it presents itself to be light-hearted and fun; it begins to tackle some esoteric, sensitive topics. Much of which is emotionally invoking leaving the audience yearning for more. In real life, you have to tread on thin ice when talking about suicide, depression, survivors guilt, grief, and self-forgiveness because it is socially uncomfortable to discuss these topics freely and openly. What I love about this drama is that, what the characters do and say aren't far off from how someone would react in real life. There's a saying that the happiest people are the people who hurt the most (Ha Min and Jae Min). I would agree with this 50/50 as it is also true of the opposite. The quietest people in a room may also have a marathon of thoughts running in their head (So Mang).

The experiences of So Mang, Ha Min, and Jae Min are some of the most realistically presented in media. It's not over the top melodramatic but just enough really make you feel connected to the character. You can feel their pain, suffering, and troubles as the drama progresses. This is especially true for So Mang and Ha Min, who I felt carried the show. This is not to say Bo Mi, Jin Young and Sun Hee weren't well written characters, but little is desired from them as they aren't directly involved with the more sensitive issues tackled. The side stories helped balance out more serious topics so it was a good mix. The actors themselves did great all around and aren't as terrible as some people make them out to be in the comments. While some of the facial expressions may be somewhat rigid, all actors start somewhere and it didn't really take away from my experience watching the show.

The music all around was a nice fit and enhanced the emotions that each scene intended to both present and invoke from its' viewers. "In Time" is probably one of my favorite tracks now.

This is a must watch for anybody. We all have hardships and we all have different ways to cope, but learning to forgive yourself and move forward while acknowledging the past is what helps somebody grow as a person. As bittersweet as the ending was, it's also a perfect ending for such a drama because not all of real life is a happy ending.

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