I can't believe that I've never heard of this drama before! This is exactly the kind of old school drama that I love! The premise of this drama is completely ridiculous and so addictive. It's full of KDrama clichés, in the best way, and a cast that makes it all so much fun to watch. If you want a drama that is realistic with a complicated plot and characters with a lot of depth, you are definitely in the wrong place. If you want a cinderella trope with great romantic chemistry and a North Korean spy twist, you are in for a treat. This drama is part rom-com part cheesy thriller and is unapologetically over the top, which I loved. This drama is totally self-aware about how cheesy it is, and I think that is what makes it work, and had me hooked from episode one.

I'll start with my favorite part of this drama, and that is Eric Mun as Kang Woo. I don't know much about his boyband days, but he stars in one of my favorite dramas ever, "Another Oh Hae Young", so he is the main reason I wanted to give this drama a shot. He plays the quintessential arrogant male lead, a Hallyu idol, and he's perfect in the role. He manages to make some of his character's worst flaws "cute" instead of annoying, and his charm is undeniable. He is matched Han Ye Seul as the title spy Myung Wol, and although she is not as strong of an actor as Eric, I really liked her portrayal of the sweet and innocent but impetuous and bad@ss female spy. From the very beginning, I loved their banter and I knew they would be a fun couple to watch. No matter how cheesy the dialogue or how predictable the plot became they made me want to keep watching and rooting for them. Is a lot of that because of Eric, maybe, but I thought they worked very well together.

I liked the rest of the cast as well. You really need a great cast to make a drama so "tropey" work, and make the silliest dialogue and most logic-defying scenes work, which they do. The supporting cast is pretty one-note but effective. The main villain is great at being very villainy, and the fellow spy characters who are comic relief are actually funny. Jang Hee Jin as spoiled and obnoxious Joo In Ah was really good at being equal parts hateable and likable, and Lee Jin Wook as spy Choi Ryu comes through as the kind of 2nd lead to give you that second lead syndrome so many viewers crave (his quirky ear movements were a bonus). In fact, I liked them both so much I wasn't even bothered by the love triangle/square. Yes, the acting is often overdone in moments, and too cheesy even for me during some scenes, but that worked for this drama's style which is kinda campy, even seeming to make fun of itself in moments. This may not fit everyone's taste but I think that just added to the fun of this crazy plot.

As for the plot, this drama isn't afraid to be as absurd as possible, which is clear from the very first episode. Don't bother asking questions like 'How can Myung Wol possibly beat up all those men and not break a sweat?', or 'Is it really that easy for a stranger to move in with a celebrity?'. Just embrace the farfetched fight scenes and all the other outlandish parts of the story. This drama isn't meant to be taken seriously, it's meant to be entertaining, and I was certainly entertained. My main complaint with the story is that some things got to be too repetitive after a while. It was almost like they decided to literally repeat some scenes almost verbatim. I mean, how many times do we need to see Choi Ryu ask Myung Wol the same exact question with the same exact expression? Still, I was actually entertained by how "bad" the writing was at some points, especially the last episode, which made me laugh inappropriately, and made me oddly happy to see clichés that usually annoy me. I think in the name of telling a fun story all was forgiven, but I still can't give this a higher story score based on that. Even the soundtrack, with it's take on the mission impossible theme, lets you know that the more serious parts are still comical.

Would I watch this again? Yup. It wouldn't be high on my rewatch list, but I can definitely see myself being in the mood too see all of the antics and chemistry again. Maybe some of the fun would be lost since I know what happens, but I can still enjoy just watching it all happen again, especially for Eric's acting, although I'd be tempted to skip quite a few scenes.

Overall, I am really glad I randomly came across this drama. I felt nostalgic watching it. It reminded me of the kind of dramas I loved when I first got into watching KDramas. It's not quite "favorites list" worthy, probably because the lighthearted silliness made it hard for me to emotionally connect at all to this drama, but that's not the kind of drama this is. If you don't like melodrama, you probably should pass on this one, even though it's definitely melodrama-lite. If you like answers to questions and logical conclusions to situations then you should definitely pass on this. If you like Eric Mun, then grab an extra-large popcorn and enjoy (yes there's a shower scene). If you like to pine over second leads, then Jin Wook is your man! This definitely isn't my first North & South Korea centered romance drama, or my favorite (this is no "The King 2 Hearts"), but I'm a fan of "Myung Wol the Spy". If their goal was to keep me excited about watching each episode, and happy I did watch by the end, well... mission accomplished.