Great Slice of Life Drama/ Eye-Opening Diversity of Character Stories

I started this drama thinking it was the next "World of the Married" (which I didn't watch, but wanted to jump on board before I was behind). I was very pleasantly surprised.

I personally think that most of this drama was quite plausible. It tells a story of a group of friends who have been together since their university years, now in the 40s and experience a whole new type of crisis. Each friend has a unique personality. Goong Chul is righteous, hardworking and fights to protect his loved ones. Jae Hoon is rich and competent. Choonbok is older but friendly and loveable. Manshik is thoughtful and shy. Last but no least, Hyungwoo is the pervert one but is the baby of the group. This drama tells of each of their lives, their families and the complicated ways people intertwine.

Don't mistake this drama for just any slice of life drama thats about a whole bunch of people! This drama still has a core element that ties it all together: the line between love, devotion and obsession. Surrounding this group of friends is a scammer, who has been taking advantage of their weaknesses, as well as 2 murders (one of which a cold case from their 20s which comes to light due to recent events).

My favourite part is however, is that this shows opens your eyes to various different lifestyles. A psychologist, a office worker working for a restaurant chain, an porn director, a porn actress, a professional golfer, a stay-at-home mom, a bar owner, etc. Each character has unique relationships, either that be with their child, spouse, parents -- no one like the other but each one a pain and suffering of their own. Yet, they all seem to have common struggles that come with a mid-life crisis: you worry about your family, about how you are going to protect them, how you will burden them, how you will care for them, what they think of you, if they are happy, if you've made a mistake... regrets, secrets, scars and laughter.

This drama, being rated 19+ also has various themes that make it more realistic. They mention rape, crime, prostitution, loans, corruption, fertility, etc. It makes the story heavier but I think with all due good reason.

I highly recommend this drama to anyone who is willing to watch a slice of life drama. The casts are all pretty well known actors in Korea, maybe not necessarily internationally. The only downfall is the repetitive use of OSTs but it does become entertaining at the same time.

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