Just Between Lovers (2017) 그냥 사랑하는 사이
Directed by Kim Jin-won, starring Lee Jun-ho as Lee Gang-doo and Won Jin-ah as Ha Moon-soo.
Watched 6 - 13 July 2024 — 16 episodes (NETFLIX)
Directed by Kim Jin-won, starring Lee Jun-ho as Lee Gang-doo and Won Jin-ah as Ha Moon-soo.
Watched 6 - 13 July 2024 — 16 episodes (NETFLIX)
*Well-crafted healing drama (also known as Rain or Shine) with two deeply traumatised main characters, Lee Gang-doo and Ha Moon-soo (he suffers from PTSD and she has survivor's guilt). Love their romance! Gang-doo is such a great character, flawed, with anger management issues, but he's a good person who's sweet and caring towards the people he loves. He craves love himself and a sense of belonging.
*I love the side characters. Favourite is Gang-doo's friend Sang-man. He is so endearing and sweet, and when he offered to be Gang-doo's liver donor, I just wanted to cuddle him. Also love granny, the medicine seller (played by Na Moon-hee) — her death and Gang-doo's grief had me in tears —, and Yoon Se-ah as Ma-ri, the nightclub owner. Both women are very important to Gang-doo and he can always count on them when he needs them. Other likeable characters are Ha Moon-soo's best friend Wan-jin (Park Hee-von) and Park Gyu-young (from A Good Day to Be a Dog) as Moon-soo's colleague.
*Less lovable but still likeable is the second lead couple, Lee Ki-woo as Seo Joo-won (architect at the construction firm) and Kang Han-na as Jung Yoo-jin (working at the same construction firm). They have a romantic past together, and though I had hoped they would end up together, their relationship is irreparably damaged and I found it fitting and realistic that the writers didn't give them a happy ending (same goes for Moon-soo's parents). I didn't like Joo-won falling for Moon-soo, by the way, while being her boss. It felt uncomfortable and uncalled for when he expressed his feelings for her, making her feel uneasy around him. I did feel a bit sorry for him, because he was so lonely. Yoo-jin's cold and aloof character thawed because of her interactions with Gang-doo and she had her moral compass pointing in the right direction.
*Yoo-jin's brother Yoo-taek (Tae In-ho), director of the construction firm, was not likeable, but still elicits sympathy due to his infatuation with Ma-ri (and because she likes him back), and I'd hoped they would share a happy ending. Well, it looks like they're going to have one. They're both very lonely people too and hopefully they can spend more time birdwatching together (Yoo-taek's hobby made him much more likeable).
*Love the guest appearance of Shin Hyun-bin (from Hospital Playlist and Tell Me That You Love Me) in the last episode as a possible love interest for Joo-won.
*Overall a great and well-acted drama which I wouldn't mind seeing again. I cried a lot with the last episodes. I will also definitely check out Lee Jun-ho's drama work because I like him a lot.