God's Gift – 14 Days (2014) 신의 선물 – 14일
Directed by Lee Dong-hoon, starring Lee Bo-young, Cho Seung-woo, Kim Tae-woo, Jung Gyu-woon and Kim Yoo-bin.
Watched 20 - 24 March 2025 — 16 episodes (KOCOWA)
*This series has some good ratings and reviews and I like time-travel stories and the lead actors Lee Bo-young and Cho Seung-woo are appealing (never seen Cho Seung-woo before but I have Stranger on my watchlist since forever), so reason enough for me to watch this.
*I binged it in a couple of days. What the drama has going for it is the fast pace, with literally never a dull moment, the twists and turns keep coming, and above all, the main couple is so darn attractive. But it's certainly not without flaws, with Lee Bo-young's lead character Kim Soo-hyun acting so dumb at times. But she also has some really strong scenes. Despite her character being a bit one-dimensional and not very nuanced, overall Lee Bo-young gives a good portrayal of a mother overcome by grief because of the loss of her child.
*I love Cho Seung-woo as Ki Dong-chan! His character is seriously flawed, a bit cocky, and not instantly likeable, but I really grew to love him. A lot has to do with the strong appeal of the actor who's sexy and so handsome. Love his smile, his short hairdo, his dress sense. He looks so good in his casual wear, with hooded sweaters, but wait till you see him in a dark suit and white shirt. Can you sense I developed a bit of a crush? Cho Seung-woo gives a great performance and I also like him singing and playing the guitar. I read he's a musical star too, so I guess he did his own singing here. Swoon-worthy Ki Dong-chan is by far my fave character and the highlight of this show.
*Lee Bo-young and Cho Seung-woo have great chemistry, and it's a shame there's no romance. I don't need romance all the time, but it's a missed opportunity here because of said chemistry. They share the sweetest scene in the car tending to each other's wounds.
*So Lee Bo-young's character Kim Soo-hyun frustrated me a lot. She's fearless and therefore often acts stupidly without thinking, like a crazy lady losing her sanity (e.g. threatening the president's grandkid with a knife ????!!!!). It's also annoying how on multiple occasions she plunges to the ground to grab the leg of the presumed culprit, and how she's jumping on people demanding where her daughter is. By episode 12, the main couple's actions — going around and shoving the photo of the unidentified foursome in people's faces, also the patient in the mental hospital gets this treatment — are getting tiresome.
*The child actress Kim Yoo-bin as Han Saet-byul gives a good performance. At times Saet-byul becomes annoying, but I found it somehow refreshing that she's not your typical sweet little girl, but that her character is also flawed, a cranky and mischievous kid, who keeps disobeying her parents and therefore gets into big trouble.
*The drama is not predictable at all and that's a good thing, but I think it's overambitious and the plot is unnecessarily complicated for complexity-sake. Less is more would have worked better. I did like how everything is connected, the two cases of the main couple (she wants to prevent the murder of her daughter, he wants to prevent the execution of his brother), even grandpa Chairman and Snake the idol play a role. I find the political motive to push the death penalty a strong plot element.
*SPOILER AHEAD! But what's with the freakin' ending!!! The last episode kept me guessing but when there were only 10 minutes left on the clock and not everything was resolved, I grew increasingly restless. And then the ending happened and left me in shock. I didn't understand why Dong-chan couldn't live, like his brother and Saet-byul who were both saved. Why did it have to be an exchange? Or did Dong-chan not really die? Because we only heard the sound of a loud splash in the water and not see him actually drown. Such an unsatisfying ending!!! Dong-chan is a great character, truly a knight in shining armour, and he deserves better. I did like Dong-chan telling the story he rewrote (about the mother trying to save her child) to Saet-byul. Leaving the question whether the knight lives or dies unanswered makes for an ambiguous ending. And I'm not happy about it!!!! Boo!!!!
.jpg)
