Everyone has a side of themselves that they don’t want others to see.

—Prince Flight Attendant, channeling Joo In-hae of HeartBeat

Rain falls on everyone. It’s just that some get wetter than others.

—Prince Flight Attendant, on the nature of gender inequality

King the Land...problem solved! The scene quoted above got me right back on board. Turns out, this was just a 12-episode drama all along! I’ll simply choose to remember the honest-to-goodness squee-fest moments that happened during this smaller number of hours, and all will be well. Folks who loved every single moment are welcome to kick me out of the club. It’ll be okay.

What no one will ever be able take away from me, though, is the memory of the absolute most affecting moment of acting in this entire drama: Halmeoni releasing decades of worries for herself and Sa-rang in a torrent of full-bodied tears on her birthday. It was astounding.

Thank you for the ride, @dramaddictally!! It's been real.

Bye, Junho! Bye, Yoona! Now...where did Kim Jae-won head off to????

Y’all, I had fun. I had fun watching our OTP run into challenges that they talked about and supported each other through and that did not cause them to break up. I had fun seeing Sa-rang’s friends reach healthier places in their lives, even if not every single problem they had was resolved. I had fun empathizing with Sa-rang as she made important career decisions and really examined what she wanted from her job, and Won as he figured out what he valued and how he could prioritize it.

This romcom did what few other workplace romcoms do: solve the issue of the inherent power imbalance in the OTP. I thought it was so cool that Sa-rang’s “reassignment” to the backwater hotel helped her take stock of her career and realize that she had gotten away from what she loved about it. And starting her own little mini business was such a good resolution for her! It was good to see Won thriving in his role at the end also. Trying to have the best service by having the best people is a worthy goal, and I loved his idea for how to revitalize the other hotel too. The wedding was beautiful and I’m glad they didn’t end with the proposal so that we got to see them looking fantastic together. I also loved the scene where they get Halmeoni’s permission, and that Da-eul and Pwung-hwa sat with her during the wedding. They are totally a part of the family and it was nice to have it acknowledged.

Hwa-ran stayed a reasonably cruddy person to the end, much to my delight, and only softened when it came to her son. Though if the rest of her family stays unwaveringly kind to her, I could see her cracking in the future. I’m glad they didn’t try to give her a rushed redemption arc - they didn’t have time and frankly her villainy was the most fun thing about her. I also liked how they handled Won’s missing mother. It could easily have taken up too much time, or had them become close too quickly, or had his parents conveniently get back together at the end, but they resisted all of that. Instead we got a chance for our ML to feel conflicted and confused about how to think about her and his relationship to her, which I thought was lovely. And certainly she is a part of his life at the end, but there wasn’t any indication that they’re instantly having heart-to-hearts or anything, and that seems like a realistic place for them to be after years apart.

In short: I had a blast. I’m excited to watch my favorite clips all over again and hope that they continue to bring back memories of what a fun, lighthearted watch this was.

What I learned from this drama: the single most important feature of any hotel, however grand or humble, is … tablecloths.

And why couldn’t the entire show have had the clever, self-referential humor of the epilogue? It was the second-best scene of the whole show (halmeoni’s sweet, soft-voiced death threat remains the best). Now I’m even more disappointed that Junho and the rest of the cast wasted their time and talents with this, although Kim Young-ok was consistently a delight. Yoona deserves credit, too - she made something out of nothing with that role.

brush their teeth holding hands

Finally, something that makes use of him being left-handed. @dramaddictally, thanks for the recaps and the bonanza of links!

PERFECT ROMCOM
Thank you very much for your recaps, I really enjoyed them.
Litghtwatch, swoony, real romance and skinship, no noble breakups and comunication between two people who love each other and go through obstacles together.
I can see myself rewatching this at Christmas. This is why I started watching Kdramas, and the lack of this was why I stopped.
Thank you for this fun show!

Tank you sooo muc for the recap @dramaddictally, your recaps are beautiful, and honestly enough to get the taste without the overload.
I don't know how Hidden love managed 25 episodes of mush without ever letting us feel it was too much, but I think it was a lot to do with how each character was well developed with their own motivations. Unfortunately KTL was just a badly written drama with a terriblly written ML. Junho though smoked. So good for him.
Lee Min Ki will be taking over from him I guess?

@dramaddictally thank you for your writing and an absolutely brilliant last paragraph !

I think this would have been a very good drama if they had spent more time developing the romance and if it had been fewer episodes, like 12. There also seemed like a lot of characters were pointless, like what was the point of Ms. Gu's son and husband, and the married friend's husband? The husband and wife never spent any time together.

I liked the ending with Sa-rang starting her own hotel

Well, KTL finished as everyone predicted: no real crises, no real angst, a stellar wedding. They outdid themselves on the Junho adoration with the wedding – but to be fair, I was not irritated this time. Just a wordless “wow” moment: he scrubs up well… There was not a lot going on in the final episodes, but I’m so used to it now that it kind of just blurs past me. Ro-un remined a star till the end – I was genuinely happy they got together and we got good glimpses into what their relationship developed into. Halmeoni rocked – both her role and her tiara; Won breaking down in the corridor after meeting his mother reminded me why Junho gets acting awards.

The PPL was hilarious especially the Nespresso that was almost woven into the plot – a valiant effort but I still couldn’t hold back the laughter.

I end with a random thought: what was that ring??? A miniature Machu Picchu temple? A game of mahjong? A UFO? It was not a thing of beauty in a drama that was, overall, beautifully beautiful.

I enjoyed this show, laughed at the PPLs, appreciated Junho’s willingness to make fun of himself, thought YoonA added some substance to an empty role, and actually emerged with a higher opinion of these actors than I had going in. It annoys me a little that the show’s marketers were right-it WAS a pairing that I apparently want to watch.

What makes me mad about the fact that I, a boring pedant, could write better dialogue or a more interesting story is that I actually liked not just Yoona and Junho, but also the focus on the indignities of service work. I could actually imagine a great rom com with a privileged boss having his eyes opened by what was happening to the woman he loved. This was not it, so let me turn back to the relationship.

Because the pair of actors are obviously comfortable with each other, the implausible relationship was realistically portrayed. It was a pleasure to see the male lead utterly besotted with his love. In my experience the second male lead is usually the one eager and affectionate, while the ML ridiculously denies his attraction/affection. I hate that trope, and it was great that the show avoided it.

Also, the amount of physicality seemed more appropriate than most romance kdramas to me. Except for the first intense kiss, played somewhat for humor, they kissed normally and frequently, and the ML was shown eager for physical contact without harassing the FL. Also, I liked how the drama showed they were sleeping together, without actually showing them sleeping together. I find it romantic when the FL invites the ML to spend the night- I just don’t need to see it actually happening. I did appreciate, though, that in one scene looking out the window, it appeared the couple actually woke up without wearing heavy sweaters after spending the night together!

Finally, the show ended appropriately happily. There was no last second conflict ending with a hug or some sort of nonsense where the relationship was still up in the air, as every other romantic relationship has ended in even so-called happy ending romances this year. Marriage was the only way this could end truly happily, and it did.

So in the end, I have to ask, in joking) despair, at how poorly written the overall show was-where is the pairing of Yoona and Junho I was waiting for?

Thank you for the recaps and a place to squee for the last 8 weeks! The third episode cemented my love for this drama and this pairing - Junho and Yoona pretty much sparkled every time they appeared onscreen together. I've not seen leads appear so effortlessly natural onscreen together for some time and this adorable rom com was just the almost perfect summer watch for me.
I did have my niggles about the final two episodes, I loved the King Tourist Hotel arc and find myself wishing that this and Sa-rang's boutique-y passion project wasn't squeezed into the final episodes, in my mind, after Bangkok and the 100th Anniversary event would've been perfect to develop these. I was also annoyed on the precious time wasted on one PPL after another, especially in the final episode.
Yes, I also found the fake-outs annoying and almost a disservice to Yoona and Junho's heart stirring performances - I mean, ending of episode 12 anyone?? Junho's face at the end of episode 15 just as he was about to... *headdesk*... Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the avoidance of unnecessary angst and the big misunderstanding etc, but it was a monumental waste of an opportunity for the gravitas and nuance of some sort of emotional pull to seal our love for this couple - the stakes just weren't there. The build up and performances were on point, unfortunately the subsequent easy resolution just fell flat and I'd argue even took away from what we had just seen.
Also, are the people who complained about "too many kisses" satisfied?? If this wasn't pre-produced, I'd swear this was taken on board by the writer in the last few episodes... grumble.
All in all, it's been a fun live watch ride, the week between episode 12 and 13 was most agonizing, the rest was looking forward to the squees each week - this was a win for the drama casting gods, hoping the next one won't be as far away!!!

I enjoyed this even though I was a bit bored during some of the later episodes. They definitely could have shortened it to 12 episodes.

I actually got teary eyed during the scene with Pyung Hwa and Ro Woon at his mother's grave. I loved that he put the scarf from Pyung Hwa at her grave.

The wedding scene was beautiful although I didn't care for the wedding dress. The bow in the front looked strange.

I didn't care for Won or any characters who had to do with Won including *gasp* Halmeoni.

Kim Jae-won was the best thing about this drama, and Ro-woon was worth sitting through an hour and fifteen minutes of the boring OTP just to see him for five minutes.

... heh. I stopped at 11, and then jumped to the last episode and ffwded through it 😂😂😂
I'm calling it watched, fight me 🤣

Thanks @dramaddictally for the great weecaps throughout.

I loved the demonstration of Won’s thoughtfulness and complete commitment to Sarang when she spoke about her important decision. He cancelled his moment so he could focus all his attention on her needs at that time. A lesser man would have brushed her news off so he could show off with his extravagant gesture.

The wedding was what was expected in a rom com I hope other rom coms can remember this or at least show the after the wedding shots with the family growing. I really did expect to see a mini version of Won and Sarang in the end credits.

I love that they resolved the mother issue so realistically with Won and his mum. When Won’s mum and his sister met it was clear they remained distant but it looked like his sister gave the slightest of head bows to her step mum.

I loved the usual parade of wedding dresses was changed to the groom’s outfit. The pre wedding photoshoot and the groom knowing his brides outfit was a real culture shock when I first saw it in a K drama but I now think it’s a great idea.

I loved the air crew couple finally getting together and I have high hopes for them.

Whilst I thought it was funny that Daeul’s daughter was on her dad’s case, realistically in a society that is all about ‘respect for elders, no matter what’, that would be beyond the realms of acceptable.

Thank you writernim for granting our wish for a straight forward romance without unnecessary negativity. Hopefully this will pave the way for other writers to rethink how to write a rom com where the leads can face problems AND talk it out, second leads have minimal impact on the tone of the drama and the story is ‘realistic’ and fun.

I finished! Woohoo I got the BEAN!

This drama has taught me to trust my instincts, if a show doesn’t capture me in the first two episodes, it’s a drop. However, not seeing any good rom coms in awhile, I was at an emotionally vulnerable place and this drama took advantage. It looked so pretty and it was indeed very p-r-e-t-t-y. But sadly pretty without substance doesn’t appeal to me. After sixteen long episodes I hope I learned my lesson.

Da-eul’s story arc sums up my feelings on KING THE LAND as a whole. There was no follow through, while yes there were certianly good points brought up about workers and their rights, just how Da-eul’s story was anti-climatic so were most of the plot-lines. My frustration is that I’ve seen better dramas and films tackle these issues and no there weren’t all depressing like PARASITE or INTEREST OF LOVE.

But back to Da-eul, her being treated as a slave from her in-laws and her godawful husband is a very real issue. A lot of people can relate but for some reason the writer hesitates and backtracks, makes light of her situation and uses comedy to downplay the severity of Da-eul’s suffering. It’s honest to god bonkers. I mean even FORECASTING LOVE & WEATHER had a side story where the wife meaningfully communicated to her husband that if he doesn’t pick up the slack she’ll divorce him, she’s at the end of her tether. This drama couldn’t even do that??

I know I shouldn’t expect much from a chaebol rom com, and I wouldn’t fault anyone for saying so. I think going forward, it’s best for me to read the recaps and comments and judge from there. I hope we get rom coms about regular folk, FIGHT MY WAY touched upon class but was also an easy fun and enlightening watch. Same with STRONGEST DELIVERY MAN and PSYCHOKINESIS, they were entertaining but also tackled issues about gentrification and The Establishment.

I’ll end with my praise of An Se-ha, he was the highlight. I loved every scene he was in, he made a side character like Manager No charming and hilarious. Now where is my ZOMBIE DETECTIVE sequel??!

The writer forgot to write interesting characters. Won was made so perfect, he was completely boring. Sarang was a little bit more interesting but she was too perfect in her job too. The love story was boring.

The friends deserved a better arc. The episodes were long enough for that. If one of them could divorce, why the second one couldn't?

I just watched it for the noona romance and I was happy with it!

I will remember the PPL more than the cinematography.

Thank you Dramaddictaly for the recaps.
I enjoyed them more than the actual show and I can't begin to tell you how much you made me laugh when I read this -

"Then she buys a little place in the countryside and sets up her own (single suite) hotel, which she’s self-financed, and calls it “Hotel Amor.” (Uh, I know she means this in a romantic way and it’s a reference to her name, but you really don’t want to call your accommodation “love hotel.” That’s a vibe, for sure, but not the right one.)"

Thank you so much.

If only all cases of parental abandonment and childhood trauma of 25 odd years re anyone smiling could be solved in 15 minutes :)

I got the bean.

i just needed this very sweet, fluffy, puffy romcom with a very convincing OTP (i wish they'd date in real life) to fill my current drama drought (but now what am i going to watch???) in this heat and storm driven time in the US, not to mention the politics and the war in ukraine and heat waves all over the globe and... oh, now i'm back in reality dammit.
😭

I have so many questions!!!

1. How is Sarang running a ‘hotel’ without any staff? Should it be called a ‘guest house’ then?
2. How long will her 100 year old grandma work for a living?
3. Now that they are married where are they going to stay? In her far away ‘hotel’ or in Seoul?
4. How did the noona’s motherly instincts kick in just like that?
5. Why isn’t the other friend leaving her husband?
6. How did King Hotel open up 16 branches in 16 different countries in a span of months?!?!

I am sure I would have had more if I was paying more attention to what was happening in the screen.

This was as rom-com as a show can get. So romantic and so funny, even if it was to the detriment of other things like the plot.

If Junho and Yoona don't date after this, love truly does not exist 😂

Thank you @dramaddictally for the recaps! You’ve managed to be both critical and appreciative. I love the MVs and clips you inserted as much as I love the epilogue where they tease us for watching shamelessly😆. I admit I’ve been slowly checking out of watching KTL in details since a few weeks ago when Junho started his tour. There’s just so much content and very little time. Watching KTL while doing chores is what get me through.

Seeing how much PPL we saw here I wonder if producing dramas is getting way too expensive nowadays. My Secret Romance screams budget while KTL screams money. But then in KTL we have to endure PPL and PPL within PPL. Was it written in Junho’s and Yoona’s contract that they would have to advertise Piaget, Dior, Qeelin, or Miu Miu in the dramas they starred in? Those brands are their personal sponsors, and the writer still has to incorporate the sponsors for the drama itself (like Audi, Danisa cookie, or Tiger Balm). Do production companies have to compensate the lack of PPL in Sageuks by taking in as much as they could in modern-day dramas?

So those flowers as a romantic gesture from Won to Sa-rang reminded me of the hilarious story of how Jung Kyung-ho bought Soo-young a thousand roses and delivered them to her house. It obviously backfired since as he put it “miscalculated how much space all those flowers would take up”. lol

I would love to see this depicted in a drama tho ha!

https://www.soompi.com/article/1004999wpp/jung-kyung-ho-shares-romantic-event-sooyoung-backfired

Thank you @dramaddictally for a wonderful final weecap! I'm going to miss excitedly looking out for them.

To the end I appreciate that this show knew what is was selling and who it was selling it to (beyond the PPL lol). It remained a light, charming, funny escape that (agreed wasn't perfect in writing) warmed your heart and lifted your spirits.

So many times I squealed and smiled with giddy delight. I loved how Won and Sarang never failed to be there for each other and Won's decision to postpone proposing to support Sarang in her career ambitions was one of the most romantic gestures I had ever seen. When the proposal did come, it was so much more meaningful though simpler in execution, because you knew he would always put her well-being before his wants.

I wasn't worked up about the obvious fake-out at the end of episode 15. I told myself that I already went down this rabbit hole with the broken plate and I am not being tricked again - Sarang is again talking about her career. What was a pleasant fake-out that I did not expect, however, was Sarang starting her own guesthouse instead of what seemed to be a set up for her to run the King Tourist Hotel with Won. And I loved that decision. I loved she went her own way, carving out her professional identity apart from him, not dependent on his connections or finances, but supported by his love and encouragement.

Pyeong-hwa and Rowoon getting together also made my heart explode with happiness. He is so sincere and endearing. And you know if he has Cho-rong's approval then he is definitely a keeper.

I loved how all the secondary characters got some form of a happy ending too. Still not happy with Da-Eul not getting rid of her husband but her boss is gone at least. Hwa-Ran made a move away being trapped in bitterness from the past to appreciate the real love that can be found with her son in the present. Halmeoni is again everything reducing me to tears as she released both joy and years of worry in her sobs.

And finally, these writers knew I was here for this Junho show! That was the best epilogue EVER. Everytime I saw that man I appreciated there is a divine being up there looking out for me. 😆 Plus, he has a voice like that (never did I think the word 'araso' could be pillow talk but he somehow does it with THAT voice)! Moreover, he can act! *fans self all flustered and flushed* I am now as hopelessly besotted as Sarang.

Thanks guys for the company on the journey. Following the comments was a much fun as watching the show. Definitely for me KTL will be one of my sweet go-to shows like Hometown Cha Cha Cha and Romance is a Bonus Book when I just need a dose of happiness.

The show was like cotton candy but I cannot live just on cotton candy for 8 straight weeks. It was more a magical fantasy than a k-drama. The last episode was a PPL driven, sugar coated dream that left fans in a perfect sugar coma. It was less of a show than a “suspend all belief” pop-up story book with colorful but flat characters. Overall, if you wanted pure fan service romance with a one note script this worked for you. But I found it very lackluster.

The writer and director purposely avoided any true conflict thus the performances were flat and bland. It was a drama with no drama. I waited for some conflict to be lit, but every time it was blown out like a birthday candle. With no effort, Gu Won can do no wrong. Sa-Rang cannot see Won’s controlling relationship flaws. How many shows have a main character with NO character back story like Sa-Rang or limited snippets of Gu Won’s upbringing? There was no character growth because there was no character baselines. The secondary stories were bland and uneventful; magically resolved at the snap of a finger.

There was a chance, one chance, at the end of Episode 15 where the show could have done something when Sa-Rang said she was leaving and calling it quits. Hey, she finally figured it out that she does not fit in to his world and she would never fit in as herself. She went from a jerk boyfriend who gave her no attention to a rich man who is clingy and smothering with his attention. But NO, it was a disappointing fake out. The unrealistic fairy tale continued on with her having an immediately successful one room hotel and a dreamy wedding.

Instead, it was not a story about an independent career woman living her dream job but a Cinderella needing or finding her Prince Charming. I guess it served a purpose but it did nothing for me at the end. It was all candy. It was frosting without a cake.

@Dramaddictally — a heartfelt thank you for lovingly crafting these recaps week after week.

Agree with you on the head fake at the end of Episode 15. It wasn't necessary and I would have watched Episode 16 even if they didn't put in a fake cliffhanger at the end of the 15th. Putting that in there was akin to the show admitting that it *thinks* it won't end strong without some dramatic twist. . . which is kinda sad?

I'm glad they decided to devote some airtime to resolving Sa-rang's career questions. I felt for her when she realized that reaching 'the top' at King Hotel just meant being at the personal beck-and-call of the chairman. Giving her the airtime to realize what she actually wants and seeing her pursue it was gratifying, especially given the many minutes of screen time in earlier episodes where we saw Sa-rang and her friends struggling with unfair conditions at work.

Even though it was predictable that Pyung-hwa and Ro-woon would reach the "we're dating" stage, it still made me very happy to see them get there.

Overall, a sugary, fluffy ride. Thank you, fellow Beanies, for your companionship all throughout!

I and @reply1988 were discussing and filling out the bingo card along the way. The bingo card with footnotes and added my defense of mean Su-mi is here: https://www.dramabeans.com/members/CecilieDK/activity/1434475/

Later, some of our discussions from mails and doc comments may be put up too, but only after consent check.

Worst surprise party ever short version:
A: "SURPRISE!!! - My mum is DEAD!"
***
Worst surprise party ever, longer version:
A: "Lets go for a long drive."
B: "Where are we going?"
A: "I am taking you to meet my mother."
B: "Flustered appreciation of the relationship status, excitement mixed with 'But my hair! And I would have worn a clean dress! I need to wash up!' "
A: [super smug ]
... long drive ...
A: "SURPRISE!!! - My mum is DEAD! It's a GRAVE! Let's blow the candle and everybody clap!"

I really enjoyed it. It was cute and made me smile for. Sure, there could have been more story and it would have worked better with 12 episodes. I don't think it's a drama I am going to re-watch, but I liked it.

I was thinking about the reason why I didn't quite enjoy this series. The main characters almost had honest communication and had extremely cute scenes, but why didn't I like it?

I think it lacked depth of personality and character growth for the protagonists. Especially the main female character, she began the drama almost the same way she ended it. Throughout the entire drama, she wore a smile on her face and had only a few parallel stories (I only remember two) that didn't revolve around the main male character. Her purpose in the drama was romance and serving the guests.

I can say the same thing about the main male character; we didn't delve into his trauma, whether from the past or the present. The storyline with his family remained unresolved.

Disappointed!!!

I forgot to say that this drama had a great OST. Speaking as someone who keeps randomly singing, "Fall in loooove with youuuu"

I loved this drama! Besides horror and mystery and crime/medical procedurals and melodramas, there also needs to be dramas just for FUN with our favorite stars! It is a great "palette cleanser" after a heavy drama. Guilty as charged for loving fluff. This gave me the same vibes a Romance is a Bonus Book. It was engaging, cute & fluffly--I want to stay at King Hotel, hang out with King employees, travel to Thailand and drink N'espresso!

I waited until all last 4 episodes was out before watching. I was apprehensive in watching the last 4 episodes out of fear of disappointment. Though I'm not screeching "best rom-com ever!", I think overall KTL was alright. Aside from having adorable OTP, I do have to agree with some of my fellow beanies on how the show did well in resolving the socio-economic/power issue. I was expecting to see Da-Eul kicking her no good husband to the curb (too harsh?). But alas, that didn't happen. Lastly, it was refreshing to see the groom doing the wedding outfit fashion show instead of the bride. The tux all looked the same, and Won looked good in everyone one of them!

What happened to No San-Shik's romance subplot? They had a few hints early on that their could be a romance with him and that manager lady from downstairs. And then it turned to them mocking him for not knowing anything about dating...but in the end his happy ending is a promotion. Just sayin

Finished this one with a smile on my face. Jun-ho and Noon-ah wrapped it all up in a bow which could be over the top for some, but a lot of fun after some of the rushed & abrupt endings I’ve seen lately, or the disappointing fizzles between leads (eg “The Interest of Love”). So the slower pace that our leads took towards this marriage finale really worked for me. Watching Jun-ho’s puppy love for Sarang change his cold (“stop smiling at me”) chaebol heart was enough of a plot for me. I wanted as much as I could get of these loveable leads. Step by step she taught him that it wasn’t the bricks and mortar of their hotel that determined its success, but the ‘people’ who work there. I enjoyed seeing that plot point unfold as we met some employees…from the old Doorman helping people out of their cars, to the strict Room Cleaning Manager who insisted on taking her shoes off before entering a room. That’s where the heart of the story was for me…about the workplace and the relationships inside it. Another plot alongside that one was the Chaebol Family who owned the King Hotel. Lots of twists and turns to watch as Big Sis turned mean to keep her younger brother from gaining a foothold. The dynamics between those family members was a whole plot on its own. AND THEN we have two other sub-stories about unfair workplaces to pull us in, Sarang’s two friends, giving us an insight into the competitive Airline & Duty-Free Shop workplaces where it isn’t the Boss at the top keeping you down, but the very people you work with holding you back. A great insight into how sale teams work. And in all fairness, we did have some social issues in the workplace flagged in this rom-com, but I’m relieved this wasn’t meant to be a docu-drama where someone stages a strike, instigates a firing or changes the hotel from top to bottom. All that takes more time and a slightly different version of this genre. And, often if we do watch a rom-com where it turns towards serious issues, many will complain “it got too dark for a rom-com”. So I can’t really agree the plot was thin. Take issue with the obvious & funny PPLs if you want, but I was happy with the King hotel backdrop, their working holiday together as a group, and I loved the slow layered evolution of Sarang and Gon’s relationship from being unequal in rank & power to equals in respect then love. Same with the tenuous but strong romance between the senior noona and the junior flight attendant. All of that, plus seeing Jun-ho in those gorgeous business suits that I miss seeing in my real world as much lately. Also Noonah’s svelte wardrobe, her vivacious welcoming smile AND Jun-ho’s warped side-smile lol.
When Sarang told Gon that she wanted to ‘stop’, I worried about enduring another long separation while the FL goes away to find herself. Instead, while she fixed up her new hotel, he showed his support by doing small jobs with her whenever he had time; all proving that you don’t have to leave a relationship in order to...

It has been such a long time since the last time I was so deeply satisfied with a show and its ending. I squeed through it all with a bursting heart!

Am i the only one who believes this show was a parody of every cliche ever?? They started every trope imaginable and then just talked about it sensibly before any angst hit. It was lovely! And sometimes funny because I waited for so much drama, and they just resolved it by saying everything I have always wished kdrama characters would say!! I sometimes even thought one of them might break the fourth wall any minute, and say: See?? It's that easy!

This show seemed to read my mind. It kept saying what I was thinking out loud and making me squeeee! There were so many instances where something happened, and i thought ugh, kdramas! If they would just say or do such and such... And they would immediately do it! I was surprised so many times, but by the end i was practically expecting it at every turn, and was never disappointed.
Exhibit 1: When Sarang notes that the highest position in the hotel seems to be just a maid at the ceo's house.
And then she said she can't tell Won to ban it because not all employees hate it like her, some like it because of the money and she couldn't deny them that.
And then she quit because becoming a luxury maid was not what she wanted from a hotel.
UGH! Every word she uttered was exactly what was going through my mind!
Exhibit 2: When Won talked to his mother holding himself by a tight reign, left the room, and broke down. I kept thinking just go back inside! just hug her! And then he did just that!
Exhibit 3: When Da Eul finds out about her husband. I thought: She has always been such a boss girl outside of her home! How I wish she would just lay down and boss him around! And she did exactly that!

I LOVED that Won never summoned her to his office like mosy kdrama bosses do, whether to tease, to bark, to ogle, or even to hug them. I have never liked this trope because it magnifys the power imbalance. But Won! He ALWAYS went to her. ALWAYS. This was such a great touch that melted me every time.

I LOVED that Won ALWAYS asked for permission before doing anything. A gentleman through and through!

I LOVED how firm and assertive, but kind and polite Sarang was. When dealing with her coworkers, with Won's father, with her boyfriend, with practically everybody. I always loved her attitude.

I LOVED that the 6 friends talked naturally about employees' problems, and that Won reacted naturally confused, but then sweetly did his best to rectify matters.

It was such a breath of fresh air to watch a love story unfold with both sides understanding each other, being so sensitive to the other's micro expressions and changes, communicating about every aspect of their relationship, and SAYING ALOUD all the things I'm always begging and willing kdrama characters to just please for the love of god, just say it!!
And the...