This may be the worst example of Netflix's "Western" drift with Kdramaland. Since 2020 I stopped watching western trash and loved Kdramaland mainly for the healthy and balanced relationship between the sexes. I was and still am disgusted by the cultural drift of the West which has embraced identity politics and all forms of lies and extremism aimed at turning people against each other.

Thank God Cdramaland stands firm in its advocacy of morality, tradition and respect. Even a simple little gem like Hi Venus manages to excite and to represent healthy examples of relationships between people.

Thanks for the weecap @daebakgrits the drama really did shine a light on so many of the accepted stereotypes but they still managed to keep it light. I also binged it because it was proper addictive and having a whole series drop was perfect for a drama like this.

I agree the dad attitude must have been so tiring to deal with day in and out and I am sure she stayed as long as she could as a protective factor for her mum. I loved the example of her managing problems face on rather than taking her dad’s advice and avoiding the problem. I can’t believe her dad just let it go and it took a teenager to call out a paedophile who was having a huge impact on the local girls. This point of the victims having to address the issue has been made in other dramas too, usually it’s a flasher targeting school girls on their way to or from school.

I loved her best when she literally changed the narrative of how the character responded when being victimised and think her being a stunt woman was the perfect job for her. I get they wanted to emphasise her ‘hero on a mission to right the wrongs’ persona in real life but fighting is still fighting and if you have to hand over your hard earned money to cover the compensation is it worth it? The break up was ridiculous when he had already said he was not going to have his life controlled by nameless fans and random people who have way too much time so feel the need to get involved in stranger’s personal lives.

The drama had me laughing out loud and I was generally smiling throughout most of the episodes. I need dramas like this to debrief from life and the other reality of life material I consume, so I appreciate it when it’s at this level. Usually I tolerate much lower quality stories because there is nothing else. There are a lot of dramas that pitch things at a higher quality level but unlike this drama they mess up on the percentages whilst this was a near perfect balance of silliness with serious and romance with comedy. Most other great dramas go equal levels of the conflict to calm when it should be nearer an 80/20 split. Crash course is a current example of this unbalanced air time of main genre to side plots, it has given the ‘tiger mums’ and ‘killer’ storyline ⅓ of air time each alongside the romance if they had made the romance, family and school friendships 80% of the story they could have maximised the main selling point for the type of audience that like rom coms with found families and enemies to lovers tropes in their dramas.
All in all I would recommend this as a great example of an enjoyable watch.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this was covered in a recap/review haha
Thank you for doing this.

Once we're introduced to Mi Ran's character, I knew there would be complaints about her and western influences "corrupting" kdramas. Those were one of my first thoughts but immediately after that I thought that it's nice to see yet another woman like this onscreen.

What I like most about this is NO LOVE TRIANGLES! Yeah, there were exes and I think a friends with benefits situation but they were never really factors in the development of any of the couples' relationships.

One of the things that's always hard for me to watch is when women have to put up with mistreatment with a smile on their face because that's considered the "respectful" thing to do. And it's almost always featured because as mentioned above "internalized societal misogyny that is prevalent in dating, work, and even family life."

I didn't think about this when watching it but @daebakgrits may have a point about a better story beat was showing that sober men also sexually harass and objectify women as well as showing Gang Ho having or witnessing different experiences with the manipulative, social climbing women to further validate his aversion to women as a whole to the point he physically got sick and anxious.

I liked the relationships between everyone.
I really liked the friendships between Mi Ran & Na Eun and Gang Ho & Won Jun. They seem like sisters and brothers respectively, even the way they argue with each other. Soo Jin was also a cool character.

I really liked everyone's maturity. Everyone, most of the time, are competent at their jobs, communicate their thoughts and feelings to trusted friends, and engage in realistic adult dynamics and situations.

Once again reminded how Korean celebrities in particular have it when it comes to their personal lives.

This really is such an easy show to binge and get lost in.

Enjoyed this, too. Caught me at the right mood. Kim Ji-hoon is an early kdrama crush, but a bit miscast here. Yoo Teo, i followed since Chocolate. The female lead, i haven't seen her in anything but one i'll be following.

This was a fun and breezy watch.

What I liked best:
- Kang-ho's horrified and disgusted expression while watching the filming of the movie scene on the beach and his comment "Romance writers are all psychos".

- Won-joon's hair.

Thanks @daebakgrits! A fluffy watch to wash away everyone's busy week! Perfect to drop all episodes together, I'm not sure it would suit a weekly drop but was a perfect binge watch.
I agree it would be good to see more of Gang Ho felt as strongly as he did, but the great dynamics between the leads and their friendships showed why a murderous/chaebol power struggle element is not needed for all rom coms.

Enemies to lovers is one of my fave tropes so I knew I will check this out. I am grateful that all episodes were dropped at once since I needed sonething to watch this weekend. And I enjoyed binge watching this drama more than I expected. It was not perfect by any means but I ended liking the main couple. Kang Ho and Won Jun's friendship is my fave. Their episode 1 scene caught my attention and loved it a lot. I watched this show for Yoo Teo and came away liking him and Kim Ji Hoon's hair more.

The best thing for me: The affectionate guy friendship as it's something you rarely see in K-dramas, especially in terms of physical affection. The male lead also works better for me than the female lead because his relationships feel deeper and more grounded. By contrast, I think that MR's relationships with her roommate and her parents are underdeveloped as hell and do very little to further establish her character. It already felt OOC that such an independent-minded woman lived so long with her parents, why not involve them more in the fake relationship?

In my opinion, the drama delivers one, two (or three) clichés too many considering its short runtime and the half-baked way it manages to actually utilize these clichés. For example, I wish there was more to MR's physical prowess or her past as a hobby vigilante. Or just the way she two-timed her ex. If any of that bit her in the ass related to the public perception of her relationship with KH, that might be interesting at least.

I also don't think that the show delivers on what it promised in its title and the promos as there's no actually exciting enemies-to-lovers material happening here. Sure, it started all well and good when she tripped him, but from then on, it only went downhill. If I felt the sparks between our two leads, I might be more sympathetic but so far, it's just an okay, mixed bag full of superficial clichés with little heart or humor in it. At least not enough for it to stand out positively in any way.

Still 4 episodes to go. Not sure they can save this.

I rarely binge but fell headfirst into this and finished in two days, so thanks @daebakgrits for the recap. I knew some watchers would get their boxers in a twist over the numerous examples of misogyny, gender discrimination and socially acceptable behavior that demeans women and girls. Just one example: a law firm that never hired a woman and made its money covering up scandals for their bro-clients. Some of it was low-hanging fruit {the obnoxious drunks] but as you pointed out, the shear frequency of sexist encounters is stunning. If calling a shovel a shovel is "Westernization" then I'm all for it.
Meanwhile this was a fun and enjoyable rom-com, complete with all the usual tropes but done in a lighthearted manner. That the female leads were supportive of each other and not silly gits was refreshing. Loved the mute director whose minions were mind readers and the mane of glory deserves a shout out too!

Overall, a very enjoyable watch! 10 episodes went by quickly!

This show was fun! Enjoyed it!
l liked how mature the leads were. Their romance was well done (I liked that their relationship progressed even prior the contract relationship started). Also, and I am glad they showed scenes of couple after they got together. It’s good to see a couple actually wanting to spend time and enjoying their physical intimacy. They had great chemistry!

And they talked!! I loved how they both accepted they like each other in their own way.
Even when the scandal broke they did their best to talk about it and work on their relationship.

Didn’t like ep 10 much. I wish they didn’t have to justify why she dated 100 men. There shouldn’t be a need for ‘reason’.

Overall a very enjoyable show!

Need Kim Ji-Hoon’s hair care products and routine !

This was DELIGHTFUL, lol. My friend and I laughed so much in this drama. It was ridiculous and absurd. Gender tropes were switched for the most part. It was just so very much fun. Usually Netflix kdrama fare is really dark, but this was really fun. Loved it.

First of all, judged strictly on rom-com terms, this was tropey and predictable, but also light with some funny scenes, and the leads were well played and generally sympathetic, after the usual early arrogance/unlikeable behavior, shown as usual to be the result of trauma. I especially enjoyed the comic performance of Kim Ok-bin--that maniacal gleam she got in her eyes when her character was about to do something out-of-bounds was really funny. The show had love triangles, and some noble idiocy, but they weren't painfully prolonged. So considered just in terms of the rom-com format, not at all original, but fun, enjoyable, and as I and others can affirm, eminently bingeable.

As far as its gender politics, when the show started, I was really worried that because the FL so obviously exemplified exaggerated stereotypical macho traits---cavalier promiscuity, fighting skills, toughness, drinking, good at games--she even was better than her male counterparts at funny "drag" karaoke--that the show would ridicule her, or use her to say "see--this is what feminism gets you--a man-woman." But in the end, it didn't. Not only did she remain a sympathetic character, it didn't have her awaken to the need of being softly "feminine” side at the end. She cried in the reconciliation scene, but it was because she didn't want to break up, not because she had an awakening that she needed to be submissively “feminine.” So that was good. Also, the show made it clear that Mi-Ran was not a model that all women should follow, but rather a very unique character, and her tendency to beat guys up, while used too much for comic effect for my tastes, was held up as a characteristic that her friends tried to change-- as the ending showed. (For me, as usual, I would have liked a really traditional happy romance ending. I would have loved to see scenes of her getting enraged by, and comically reversing marriage rituals!)

What was bad as a pro-gender equality message is exactly what @daebakgrits and others alluded to--it needed to flesh out all the other women characters more, especially the Mom's circumstance, and perhaps have some funny scenes with them, that would show the range of sexism and responses to it. This would have alleviated the obvious criticism of the show as a social message comedy, that in this day and age, just reversing stereotypical male/female traits can expose the blatant sexism that still remains, but really doesn't get at the more hidden, but still infuriating assumptions that prevail even in supposed enlightened circles.

Of course, I am writing from the U.S., where in some ways we are more advanced--the culture industries, at least, pay lip service to gender equality, which is partly what enrages conservatives (as the first comment here shows, even on this Dramabeans.) In other ways, of course, we still need a rom-com wakeup, and a more complex treatment of sexism could have been just as pointedly funny. But I have no...

I might be alone in this, but I could not get past the first 1 1/2 episodes. This did not feel like a Kdrama, but like a Western drama with Korean actors.

I found the "all men are misogynists/sleep around/are unprofessional or drunk all the time"-stereotypes plain boring.

As a woman, it bugs me that sleeping around and bad behaviour are described as THE hallmarks of an independent/assertive woman. Especially, since there are enough feisty female characters in K-Drama-Land to prove the opposite (e.g. Lee Ha Nee's characters in Fiery Priest and One the Woman or Oh Yeon Seo in My Sassy Girl).

I love KDramas, because they are so different from Western shows. I would be really sad to see them going down the road that makes Western shows increasingly unbearable to watch.

I binged it and loved it. It is like a breath of fresh air..

Really love kim ok bin in this. Seriously surprise she is not awkward and excel during intimacy between couple. Really wish she can doing more romance roles.

I LOVED this drama. It was exactly what I needed because it seems like lately everything in drama land is so heavy. Finally, no serial murders!
While I liked Mi-ran, tbh, I had a bit of a problem with her in the beginning. I understand why she felt the need to right so many wrongs, but I felt like she enjoyed the violence a little too much.
I really enjoyed the bromance between Gango-ho and Won-joon, and yes, that scene from Ep 1 had me in stitches. When they were at the first meeting with the director and giving each other looks because they knew what the other was thinking, I was like, yes! That's what close friends do. Plus, it does not hurt that Teo Yoo and Kim Ji-hoon are smokin' hot.
Another thing I appreciated is for the most part, these characters had common sense. Maybe because the drama only has 10 episodes, but issues were not dragged out over several episodes. I liked that Gang-ho quickly surmised that Min-ra was the one who tripped him. That he figured out that bratty actress was the one who started the rumor. And he knew that Se-na had told Mi-ran she still had feelings for him. IMO, most Kdrama characters are written with a complete lack of common sense or situational awareness. I'm sure it's to add complexity to the plot, but it can get annoying.
One more thing about Mi-ran: I think this drama accurately portrayed how a woman can let her guard down with a man who loves and respects her. It's not that women necessarily want to be defensive, but sometimes we feel we have no choice. I'm talking about when she finally put her dukes down and showed her softer side. I could appreciate that.
Finally, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the romance. Episode 9 had me squeeing and blushing. My cats looked at me like mom has lost her mind. But I'm going to watch that episode again and again to my heart's content.

This drama was my guilty pleasure. It was full of trophies, but i still somehow enjoyed the it? Mediocre overall.
I skipped all the scenes of second couple and lawyer stuff from the halfway
FL and her friend bothered me sometimes. why is FL so feminist, why is she breaking laws when she`s lawyer (discussing client`s secrets with her friend when she has non disclosure agreement, stalking ML, breaking security camera etc) and her best friend, Why is she so into her friend`s business. You guys are in your 30s and handle your own love lives. I lost all my interest in her when she goes to Won Joon about her friend`s contract....
But interactions and chemistry of main leads kept me engaged. I laughed out loud during their fighting training and understand why ML fell for FL.
It`s my first time seeing Yoo Teo. He really sold this character. Kim Ok Bin is great actress too, she was charming. But she really over-acted some scenes it was too corny

Anyone else feel like Yoo Teo (ML) looks slightly like a Hyun Bin of MOA era? I have seen Yoo Teo in Seoul Searching and had a crush on him since then! I barely remember him in Chocolate and Vagabond (not two of my favorites, which might be the reason why), so it's good to see him in a lead role in a K-drama now! I admit it - I binged it just for him! :P

More than the men vs women angle, what struck me most here is the behavior of fans towards their idols and their romantic partners. It's almost always the woman that has to suffer quietly. Yes, the male idol will likely experience "cancel culture" but it is the woman who bears the brunt of shame, humiliation, ridicule, even invasion of privacy, especially if she's the non-celebrity, hence, no agency to protect her.

The line of one fan president in the series, where she said that Miran will leave Kang-Ho eventually but his fans will be with him forever, is nothing short of being out of touch with reality and bordering on being a sasaeng. Idols are humans, too, and look for love. Fans discouraging and preventing their idols to have a love life is just ridiculous. And unfortunately, this happens in real life.

I binge-watched this and was completely hooked. I thought the two characters were so well-defined and there was great conflict.

I enjoyed most of the story, despite the initial extreme cheesiness 😬 but the ending conflict really bugged me, along with the fan/anti-fan reactions. Probably because both are solid representations of what happens in the real world.

I enjoyed the show and it made me feel things i haven't felt in a long time but one thing I was super disappointed about was the way they handled the second leads storyline cuz imma be honest, i didn't feel anything for them. I really wished they were more fleshed out.

If they had met within the first couple of episodes and built up their relationship from there, the confession at the end wouldve been believable but they met midway through, had weird meetings then boom confession (where was the chemistry? the tension?? the longing???) it looked to me that Won-jun did not want to be in a relationship.
dont get me started on that awful public confession (kdrama land needs to do away with public confessions it kills the romantic nature of it) it gave me war flashbacks to BP where the second leads (that I loved sm) got a roadside proposal :/

aside from that i enjoyed the rest of the show. Yoo Teo as Kang-Ho was a good casting choice, he really made me giggle with his mannerism & confessions esp that hotel room scene GOSH.
I felt that it was more realistic with its themes such as MR and her beliefs especially with marriage (they have got to stop pushing FLs into marrying so damn fast PLEASE) plus the love & sex themes as well (lets be honest a lot of guys do just hit it and leave these days)

Loved the second leads. They were both cute. The extreme fan situation is a little hard for me to follow since everywhere I’ve lived, celebrities have an extensive love life. Liked the drama though. And the scene where he is romancing the ex and his expression changes instantly when the director yells “Cut” and he drops her like a hot potato was side splitting. The English translation was pretty hard to follow

I enjoyed this show very much! I was surprised, because I thought from the summary that it would be uncomfortable. I thought it was going to some kind of "taming of the shrew" situation, but Netflix promoted the show with excerpts on Youtube and pulled me in! I think the key was that the two lead characters were very likable. Teo Yoo is one of those actors who can look like a totally different person when he's frowning or smiling. I loved the part where Miran finally was able to say "I love you," to him. He melted her heart by being a decent person and she made it possible for him to relax by being honest and true to herself.

I just wanted to say (sorry:)) How terrible this drama is! I thought Netflix has a higher standart. Everything and everybody is so annoying. I ve never a dislike a female lead that much in KD land! Actually first time I dislikeed a female lead 😁. They call that romantic comedy!