Awww what a great writeup and if you have never seen Junho in anything (I know crazy talk, but if...) this is a fantastic introduction to him. This drama was really chef's kiss.

Thanks so much! I have passed by this drama so many times, not sure what to expect of it other than Junho (which though you quite right in saying he could be a reason to watch anything, but KTL put a few doubts in me lol!).

I am glad to add this to my list. Slice of lifers are my cup of tea, and this looks right up my alley.

I second @kafiyah-bello’s entire comment.
This drama was my intro to Junho and I came to adore Kangdoo, feel his sorrow, pain and self-loathing and feel happy when he started falling in love. I loved most of the other characters except the fucking, screeching chaebol asshole who I wanted to throttle several times in one ep.
Most of all, beyond, the love story and the quest to uncover and honour their murdered loved ones, I adored the filial but prickly relationship beyween Kangdoo and halmeoni. I don’t think I have seen any other such stellar depiction and still watch many of their scenes every chance I get.
This performance is why I know it is pathetically ridiculous for me to love a characterisation so much that I can’t accept Junho as a chaebol or other creeps. He will always be the broken and justifiably furious at the world, loving but self-destructive and ultimately resilient Kangdoo.

@seeker The universe keeps sending us signs 😚

This was a great drama through and through!!
The drama where I discovered Jun Ho. He was terrific here.

So now onto a rewatch,🤣 it is strangely my comfort watch

LOVE this drama, it's one of my favourites. Everything you said is right, I can't recommend it enough!

JBL wasn’t my first Kdrama - it was [ponders … ] maybe my 6th or 7th - but it was the one that completely, utterly sold me on them. Junho, of course, but also everything else @dramaddictally says. The emotional punches (almost) never feel manipulative; they feel real. I rewatched it a couple of times in my early drama-viewing days, and I’m a little afraid to go back in case some of the magic will turn out to be easily-seen-through tricks with all of my subsequent drama experience, but I’ll never hesitate to recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it yet.

As an enduring side effect, discovering Junho led me back to K-pop, to which I had not been paying much attention, and to a reinvigorated love for 2nd-gen groups and appreciation for more current ones. (It’s always 2PM in my spiritual home.)

Is it flawless? No. Nothing is. The workplace details sometimes stretch belief to the breaking point. Don’t get me started on construction site safety, starting with how to wear a hard hat. But it’s damn close, and its many great points put its flaws in perspective, just as they do in real life. Also, it has Melona bars. Junho eating Melona bars. Go watch it!

Thanks @dramaddictally for campaigning hard for the beanie collective to experience all that this drama has to offer. It sounds like it is one that has all the unique elements that make K-dramas touch the soul. I wonder if it is referenced in this book I just received: How K-dramas can transform your life: powerful lessons on belongingness, healing and mental health by Jeanie Y Chang

I look forward to watching this drama when the time is right and coming back to share my thoughts.

Kind of a coincidence that I've been planning on giving this a chance for the past few days. Maybe it's a sign.

I forgot to share an anecdote - albeit embarrassing for me - about my love for JBL.
I had an acquaintance who was also into KDs a few years ago. I recommended JBL passionately and sincerely and they started watching. After a few weeks, we caught up and to my dismay, dumped on JBL relentlessly for some minutes. I am still amazed at my visceral reaction. I’ve never reacted so negatively to anyone based on an entertainment related disagreement but readers, it happened. I couldn’t stand them after that and never saw them again. Good riddance.

"It reminds us that bad things happen to everybody — nothing we can do about that — and connecting over our common cuts and bruises is a way to gain strength, not a sign of weakness."

This drama is such a healing journey. You said it perfectly, Dramaddictally.

And I want to give a little love to Won Jin Ah! I already knew Jun Ho because of 2PM, Chief Kim, etc. so was actually curious about Jin Ah.

I started the drama with no expectations, but then she showed such a sincere performance that won my heart completely. She was probably the only person in the drama that I didn't recognize from another show, so she felt like a big discovery.

If I'm not wrong, this was her first role. I remember searching for more of her dramas and finding nothing. I mainly got excited about Life (2018 drama), because of her.

But my truly favorite performances of the show were Yoon Se Ah and Na Moon Hee. I even wanted a spin off/prequel with their characters...

I'm smelling time for a rewatch? 😆

Yes, yes and yes, and yes. I second every single instance you mentioned. I came across JBL in my half-early 😉 kdrama watching days when I was looking for a drama to help me through grief. My father had passed away not so long before after a traumatic four months of dying, and the impact of that had left me feeling very detached, numb and alone. I wasn't alone, there were people around me, but in grief it can feel as if they're miles away and you can't reach them.
Grief is very personal, and this drama shows the impact the building collapse has on so many families and related people. I write "has" because it also shows how long-lasting grief can be. It may never go away. But it shows also the many, many ways how people can deal with it which are as individual as grief itself.
This drama helped me in many ways, but the most important may be that I just (that's an important word in this drama, "just" - 그냥) didn't feel so alone anymore. That was so, so much back then and can't be overestimated.
But it spoiled Junho for me! He's so brilliant in this, and you can see how good he is as an actor, that I couldn't watch a show like King the Land with him because I know what he is able to! But make no mistake, his female counterpart is great as well. For me they're one of the most natural couples in dramaland.

Thanks so much for this beautiful ode to JBL, very little I can add.

I had been watching dramas over a year when I decided to watch JBL. It was because I loved Life so much and wanted to check on Won Jin Ah previous works, so I dove into it. And yes, it was a life change experience.

I met Junho for the first time. Junho led me to 2PM, and... well... I think you all know what it means to me. Of course I'm not a fangirl just because of the drama, but it was the first step. Maybe another Junho drama wouldn't have triggered things like JBL, but that was the way it went.

I always say this drama is about two people who are just surviving and they learn to live. It's such a warm show in which we feel how these two lonely people understand there's no need to be lonely anymore, and no need to feel guilty about surviving, that they can start living and loving and look back and accept what happened.

Thank you Dramaddictally and Beanies commentators. I am awed and overwhelmed by this beautiful essay and the wonderful comments.

그냥 사랑하는 사이 (Just Between Lovers) is the first thing I was inspired to learn so that I can say the original Korean title and tell Junho how much our family loves Kang-doo.

My mom was so happy to see Kang-doo's slowly disappearing facial injuries over the course of the drama. But she legit freaked on seeing a picture of a glow-ed up Junho. "That is not my Kang-doo" (fright hair et all). Unrelated but she couldn't connect with King the Land.

I have never tried to analyze the magical hold of 그냥 on my heart. Grief is universally a great leveler. While hardly my introduction to Junho - the idol or the actor - it did seem like a new Junho and as pointed out by petrolia made me unable to see Junho in anything less perfect.

Now that I think of it, I was able to (and did) watch ALL dramas of Ji Chang-wook without exception before and after Healer. All though thick and thin. Strangely enough unconsciously I have been upholding Junho to a higher measure.

I remember that I liked this drama until it lost me. 16 episodes were too long for this story.

I liked the characters and the actors.

This is THE drama that convinced me Lee Jun-ho is a great actor.

There are so many so-called healing dramas but JBL deserves to be recognised as one. Love the ensemble characters and cast - and I think Kang Hanna is worth a mention for her (atypical 2FL) character and her acting.

It's so wonderful to read about and relive this deeply moving drama. I wholeheartedly agree with all the love shown here ❤️

I also wanted to give a shout out to Nam Da Reum. I've seen and appreciated his gifted acting in countless dramas (ok, 7-8 dramas), but he was particularly exceptional here. Those scenes in the collapsed building were beautifully done.

This is such a wonderful write-up! I mean this as a sincere compliment with zero parts raining on any fan's parade: I can appreciate this careful, loving analysis even though I ultimately found this drama to be disappointing. (I gave it two tries to be sure, just because so many people utterly love it, but couldn't get past my irritation with some of the writing and characterizations which felt strained and repetitive to me.) But I will always think fondly of this show for introducing me to Jun-ho who I think everyone can agree was utterly amazing in it. I'm glad for others that this was such a transformative viewing experience for them!

This drama and a Piece of your Mind are my DRAMAS. There are probably better ones out there, more perfect ones. But they are the ones that have truly moved me. They are sad, but warm, and hopeful. They make my heart ache in a good way.
I simply adore them! <3
Thank you for this post. It's time for me to rewatch it!

All I can do more is agree with every word you wrote and its JUNHO and WON JIN-AH. Its definitely one to re-watch and love all over again.

I wish I had more to add to what everyone else has already said but really what more can you say than simply this: This is one of the all-time great K-dramas and should be a recommendation for anyone, including anyone who has never seen a K-drama before.

Thanks so much! You need not convince me since I love this drama. Junho is very different here but its something a Junho fan must watch.

My fav Junho drama second to Red Sleeve. I don't know how many tissue I spent watching this drama and since it's a melo drama, I never want to rewatch, I don't to go through that hardship again LoL

I started this one but never finished it. I didn't really make a conscious decision to stop watching, I just never went on to the next episode where I left off. I really do want to finish it sometime, but it also wasn't really drawing me in and I'm not quite sure why. I think that the PTSD angle was both what drew me to it (I also ended up doing a lot of research on the real life incident, which was horrifying), but also made me not eager to keep watching, because PTSD is my field and I tend to not want to involve myself a lot with it in my free time.

Such a lovely paean to a wonderful show!

The music is so good, too!

Perhaps I am still waiting for Won Jin-ah comeback after her raw performance in JBL. She was such a pure breath at that time and clearly no expectation. She did well too good in JBL.
But mostly this gem was definitely due to Gang Doo ( Junho), Halmoeni (Na Moon Hae here is superb), Mari (Se-ah) and young Gang doo (Nam Dae Reum) that carries the storyline with grasping heart. Sorry KTL fans, nothing in there beats Junho's stellar performance here in JBL 😊