Thanks so much for your recaps, @Unit!

형부 (brother-in-law)
I’m late commenting on this, but Ja-Yeon referring to Ji-Uk as 형부 is just THE CUTEST THING EVER! I love it. The way Han Ji-hyun naturally delivers the line shows how seamlessly Ji-Uk fit into the family: that he is family in so many ways. It may also be because KYD and HJH have already worked together that their on-screen chemistry as in-laws works so convincingly.

Keeping promises
At first I thought Ji-Uk’s obsession with keeping his promises to people was a convenient plot device to throw him into Hae-Young’s life. But, the reality is much sadder as well as realistic. When you need to keep a promise to someone, it means you matter. It means your actions affect others around you (think It’s A Wonderful Life where the impact of George Bailey’s life is shown through the ‘what if he had never been born’ scenario). It means you are connected to the person you promised something to. For Ji-Uk who never belonged anywhere or to anyone, it must have been a way to feel connected to those in his life.

The angelic puppy
Another puzzlement throughout the entire drama was how well-behaved Ji-Uk is. For someone who has never known the stability and warmth of a real family, he always seemed a bit too well-adjusted. He was the ‘angelic’ puppy of Hae-Young’s neighborhood, a defender of justice at the job interview, and always met Hae-Young’s crazed ideas and temper tantrums with even keel responses, or counters.

But, after Hae-Young mentioned how children who have temper tantrums are confident that they will never be abandoned it dawned me in that this puzzling personality trait dovetails seamlessly with his painful personal history. Many times people who are well-behaved are those who fear they have to earn people’s affection by being pleasant and undemanding. He was that angelic puppy because he feared that was the only way he would be accepted and not abandoned.

The perfect ending
Wow, this show really did not disappoint. That was the perfect ending. I really loved that what Ji-Uk really wanted in the end (to hear that he is loved) closed out the drama. The drama wasn’t just about Hae-young’s journey of discovering and appreciating the family her mother built for her through her foster siblings, it was also about Ji-Uk finding he has a true family, a place to call his own home. The fluttery moments, the banter, the skinship, the kisses - they weren’t just throw away events for the sake of a rom-com but were convincingly building the emotional and intimate history between our two leads.

(to be continued in comments)

I was very disappointed that the leads didn’t get enough screen time. Did the writers forget who the leads were in the last episode?? I needed more. A lot more happy moments with them so I felt denied. I have to go and watch the early episodes again.

I can get behind Hae Young wanting him to be free and to live his life in his own terms without any obligations. (And dude clearly can’t live without making promises. Tsk tsk). I think Ji Ukie needed that time for himself. To figure out what he wanted to do in life.
But somehow it didn’t translate well on screen. Especially the resolution. I was left with more questions. And they could have done this 20 minutes earlier and given us some happy moments and conversations with the couple and also added more scenes with sisters as a family.

We needed another two episodes to wrap up the chaebol arc, manager Ahn arc etc. Didn’t care for the Fok family till the end.

Anyway. Minor gripes aside, it was a solid romcom and I loved it. I have to give it a 9/10 because of the last episode. I was hoping it would be a 10/10.

I enjoyed these two final episodes. However, I started to feel a bit lost and disappointed by the second half of episode 12.
I wasn’t a fan of the break up, and the reunion felt underwhelming and kind of confusing. But now, the more I think about it, the more I’m okay with it.
I guess I really loved this show.

Hae Young said that pretending to not know what happened with Ja Yeon was a selfish choice. She said she didn't want to lose someone else in her life. She didn’t know if she was really helping her or if she was hurting Ja Yeon more, but she didn’t want to let her go.

However, with Ji Wook she chose to lose him, to let him go, to give him a chance to find himself. It was heartbreaking when she cried because Ji Wook isn’t the type of kid who can throw a tantrum just because. He doesn’t know how to ask for anything, because even before he could do that people would deny him everything and force their own answer on him. For this reason, Hae Young just wanted him to find an answer himself.

When it came to Ji Wook she became so vulnerable, forgiving and was ready to suffer any loss. That was her way to love him, and I think that makes her final decision of letting him go instead of letting him live keeping another useless promise that wouldn’t let him be and express himself.

And then Ji Wook… I thought that when he decided to stay last week that meant that he was done with all the secrets and promises and sacrifices. However, he wasn’t done. Dude was ready to tie himself to another two new promises in less than one minute—I guess people really don’t change de un día para otro. We know that he loves Hae Young, but he couldn’t comfortably express that. Instead, he made it sound as if he was going to be by her side as another mission-like-promise. Which means that even if he gets sick of uri Son-nim he would stay with her till his death because, you know, “promises”. He was making their relationship about duty and sacrifices again. So what he needed was the confidence to choose himself and what he wanted instead of what others need or expect from him.

For the reunion I wanted him to say exactly that, and tell us how much he changed but he didn’t so I was kind of confused, but then I realized that he technically did. No one told him to go to meet his mom and her family. The promise was not to do that, but he broke it. And then he came back to Hae Young to tell her that wanted to be with her. His heart is with her. And that if she finds that too heavy, she can deal with it! LOL

And now that he’s promises-free, she can love him without hurting him, and he can do the same. So, yeah, it was a Zero Losses kind of ending for our main couple. And I’m okay with it. Did I want more after that? Yes, but I won’t resent the show for it.

The relationship between Hae-Young and Ja-Yeon was my favorite thing about this show. That moment when Ja-Yeon found out Hae-Young had known the murderer's identity all along really got me.

I also thought Bok-yu and Ja-Yeon were the cutest, and I'm glad we get to see a little more of them. I have loved Lee Sang-yi in every show I've seen him in. I wish they would give him lead roles. He isn't the hottest actor in dramaland, but he's always so charming and funny! Even when he's being kind of assy, as he was in this show.

Overall, I really liked and enjoyed this show. One thing I didn't like was how there were no consequences or even acknowledgement of wrongdoing from the Bok family. Does it count as lampshade hanging that Ji Uk referred to the fact that Gyu Hyun had THREATENED him and just went on being comfortable with him like nothing happened? Same with the chairman showing up at the airport to see him off. Like WTF? What was I supposed to think or feel about him being there? And then he rushed over asking "what did he say about him?"
I swear something must've gotten lost in translation but Frm Manager Jang's retort and reaction to him kinda makes up for it. I liked when the chairman did that gesture like he was gonna do something to Jang and reflectively Jang shrunk back but then he had his moment of remembering he doesn't work for the Bok family anymore and he doesn't have to cower to them and then rose back, making the chairman shrink back.

I did not notice that Gyu Hyun had taken pictures of the rings throughout the day haha. I really would miss a dancing gorilla in a crowd haha. I just thought that it seemed kinda full circle or a callback to when Hae Young was taking those pictures of herself for her proposal video/story. I thought that's why it ended with the video of them exchanging the rings.

I was also a bit confused or thrown by the fact that Hae Young started her own company only to have to get an investment from Gyu Hyun and his company. If he's an investor, doesn't that mean he would be (a) profitting off her business and (b) would have some entitlement in having a say in it? I honestly thought Ji Uk was gonna end up being an investor. Like maybe the chairman would give him a lot of money, as an apology or something, or maybe his mother had alot of money and that would be used to invest in Hae Young's company.

Again, I felt like No Gain No Love was used to springboard the spinoff. Gyu Kyun suffered zero consequences for how he treated Ji Uk and Hae Young. He was never seen standing up to his parents. There was a sign in an elevator that said equal benefits regardless of martial status and that's it. Not even a shot of him having a female secretary. He got to be called Hyung and he got the girl and everything just worked out for him.

Whatever; it's nice and light but it did leave me kinda feel like it was setting the stage for the spinoff.

He did get his hero moment of dual wielding light saber sex toys so that was certainly something haha
I did some blinky blink when I saw that because I couldn't believe what I was seeing haha

And the actor had to film it twice apparently haha
Once with the light sabers and once with the toys I guess haha. Those lights reminded me of what is used at airports haha
And it also made me laugh/chuckle that he innocently asked Ji Uk what they were and why was there so many haha.

Someone on Reddit said that they think this drama had two main couples, and I agree with that take. They got way more than second leads usually do. It was more like A Business Proposal, and even then it was probably more. I write romance stories for fun, and there was one time I was writing a primary couple and secondary couple. As I wrote the story, I ended up liking the secondary couple more and more and they became way more than secondary. I wonder if that's what happened here. I mean, they were even inspired enough to make a spinoff.

I am not happy with how they handled Gyu-hyun's character, because I was convinced he was going to get redemption (beyond that moment in ep 11, which was awesome). I apologize for my overconfidence in previous recap comments in that realm. It baffles me how the writers decided how to handle this. Sure, you want Hae-yeong to start her own business. I get that. But would it have killed them to show one scene of Gyu-hyun to offer Hae-yeong her old position and she turns it down, and to tell Ji-uk that he doesn't have to leave apart from starting to say it and being interrupted? And then to see her ex succeed in her place... Like I was saying on the fanwall, it's realistic but not what I want to see in a romcom. Also, like, what about his wife? Are they fine now?

That being said, as weird as this might sound I'm not gonna fault Gyu-hyun for bad writing. Maybe it's because I'm a Gundam fan, but I'm very good at disregarding things as canon. So I'm just gonna ignore that problematic aspect and enjoy his scenes and interactions with Ja-yeon. The drama clearly doesn't see it as problematic, so I am choosing not to as well. I will view it as he's still kind of a snob and entitled and elitist, and the most he'll go against his parents is implementing policies for his employees. I would be much, much happier with this ending if I didn't have to make that choice, but c'est la vie. But it was weird how they just kind of, like, dropped his parents. His mom stopped being vengeful? His dad finally accepted Ja-yeon? Who knows? And I REALLY wanted to see a scene of Ja-yeon and Gyu-hyun's mom interacting now that Ja-yeon and Gyu-hyun are together. Still, I did enjoy the blind date scene, and that actress should win an award for portraying such a believable version of the HPL art gallery owner's sister.

Lee Sang-yi did SO much heavy lifting for this character. I am glad, though, that he had this role where he got to be funny and dynamic and romantic. I also think he and Han Ji-hyun had fantastic chemistry and I hope someday they get to be in a drama where they are the main leads and, uh, are not controversial.

Also, like, he was just giving her couples' rings, right? Not proposing marriage? Because people online keep saying it was a proposal. And the dialogue made it sound way bigger than couples' rings. But it was just couples' rings, right?

Someone else on Reddit said that Hae-yeong is...

Random question: @unit @mayhemf @vienibenmio - was this show pre-produced? Is this a silly question?

I got into Kdramas in 2016 when production was merely days (even hours) before airing. It was a big deal that Moonlovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo was pre-produced. Then, I got out of Kdramas because they took up too much time. Has the industry changed since then so that most Kdramas are pre-produced?

With No Gain No Love I noticed the different seasons, especially winter in some of the scenes with snow. So, did primary shooting happen last year?

I think there maybe something lost in translation because it makes little to no sense Ji Uk would be house shopping and giving out wedding invites to *his* friends & aquaintances for a wedding for his "stepfather's relatives"

If that was suppose to be a misdirect 실패!

I think it's heartbreaking/heartrending/something with heart the fact that Hae Young's mom said she was gonna lose all the bad memories, leaving only the good ones and the last place we see her is thinking about her daughter. It's also kinda a tear jerker that all the moments she was lucid or fairly lucid were the wedding or when she congratulated Hui Seong on becoming a mother. That wedding really did have multiple benefits.

I didn't personally mind Hae Young breaking off things with Ji Uk because I understood her reasoning and it was in line with her character all along. What I did feel a skotch disappointed by is Gyu Hyun and Ja Yeon getting the bulk of the sweet moments in the finale. Hae Young and Ji Uk got the emotional moments so it still works out but yeah, that was a tiny bit sad to me.

I wonder if Ji Uk traveled the world on the chairman's dime. Again, I love that for him because he never got to do anything for himself; he was ALWAYS living for and in consideration of other people.

While I liked the ending and the end credits makes me wanna rewatch the series again, I did have a moment of thinking I can see the appeal of having 2 more episodes because I want more of Hae Young and Ji Uk.

One of the things I liked most about their last moment is the full circle aspects. The first time Ji Uk came to the house, Hae Young's mom hugged and welcomed him and now it's Hae Young doing it. Also she went from not wanting to share "her" space and resentful of the foster kids to opening her heart to them, especially the last one.

I love to collect interesting words – you may have heard of these, for example: 🧐

Tsundoku (Japanese) the habit of buying books but never getting around to reading them. As a noun it can also be the pile of unread books that keeps growing…👀

Or Kummerspeck (German) – literally ‘grief bacon’. Binge eating as a result of emotional pain (we might say ‘eating your feelings’). 🤣

So, I think we need a Korean word (or maybe one exists that I don’t know about) that means ‘that feeling when your fave k-drama couple finally get together and you check the time left in the episode and it’s only 3.5 minutes and you feel completely robbed!’. 😬😬💔

Hui Seong's boyfriend wearing the pregnancy belly and taking classes even though they were broken up?! Sweet! I really liked that and I wondered if that's a thing guys really do; volunteering wear bellies or take classes to better understand the mothers.
I know there's classes about the actual baby related stuff (labor, delivery, and handling them, etc) but I never considered it was classes to help men better empathize with pregnant women. (Aside from youtube challenges haha)

I adored this show, and the female lead was one of my all-time favourites. But why can’t k-dramas get the no of episodes right??

I feel like a disappointed Goldilocks💔. We either get too many eps – with ridiculous filler flashbacks and montages, or, as in this case, too few, and key elements are not tied up or we don’t get to revel in couple joy the way we were made to wallow in couple sorrow/frustration…😬😭

Our FL, Hae-young, was an intelligent, inventive and amazing career woman who deserved to be a girl-boss and to get her elevation at the expense of the petty CEO.

Lest we forget Gyu-hyun’s very un-finest hour - he not only demoted her simply because she was connected to his new half-brother, but also promoted her slimy ex, who stole all her ideas!!! And, as far as I can tell, he never apologised or was forced to compensate her for that (them having to ‘face heart’ him into investing in their company just added insult to injury).

Re her mother storyline, I thought the idea that she never got ‘closure’ from the mum was pretty realistic to their relationship dynamic, so I didn’t have an issue with that (although it was sad).

But the fact that NO ONE, especially Ji-wook, validated her perfectly reasonable anger at being the one child who felt abandoned by her fostering mother, rather than supported by her was incredibly frustrating to me. You can agree her mother was doing an amazing thing, whilst also accepting that it robbed Hae-young of a lot of maternal affection.

And of course, as Unit said, even the romance left us wanting in the final ep – no passionate kiss, no bed scene without full clothes, nothing….

A whole bunch of other threads were left dangling in the wind, but those were the FL ones that bugged me the most…

Firstly, let me say this to get it out of the way before I start my work day:

1) Bruno and Chris officially need to be credited in the cast list! Yes, those awesome glow-in-the-dark Jedi light sabre sex toys doubling up as weapons-to-apprehend-potential-murderer/intruder.

Well played, Show. That Chekov Gun finally went off in the finale - in the most hilarious way 🤣🤣🤣

No Gain No Love had a lot of wonderful, amazing parts and most of its run was great, but it wasn't perfect. It needed some tweaks. The humor from beginning to end was a highlight. Dry humor? Check. Wacky humor? Check. Funny sound effects? Yes! Graphics and details that made a moment pop. EP 11 had me crying so much THEN cackling when the trash dad got beaten with dildos LMAO. It was a hilarious way that instantly broke the scary tension and gave me time to breathe, haha.

Son Hae Young is one of my top heroines ever. She was consistently awesome, brave, and caring. LOVED Shin Mina in this role. One of my favorites she's done so far.

The sister trio and seeing their bond were big highlights as well. I like the callback to the box of gifts during their celebratory party, heh. Their love, concern, support for each other was so palpable. Their bickering, their teasing, their hugs. 💗

I appreciated the candid sex talk and sexy, natural skinship. It was good to see grown adults flirting and acting with desire. I liked both couples, but more development and communication was needed and then by the end, I was more supportive of Hae Young and Ji Wook than of Ja Yeon and Gyu Hyun.

Ji Wook had to drink alcohol to bolster his courage to voice his feelings and face Hae Young. His soft, mellowy self balances out her fierceness, but I wanted a stronger response from him when they reunited (a second time lol). Still, his line "I only came back to where I left my heart." got me good. T.T

Her earlier point of view was a compelling one when she said she did not want to be his reason for living. That it would be too much of a burden. I don't often see that perspective in kdrama romances so that was refreshing. I understood that she wanted him to live his life without holding himself back. They could have explored their relationship while trying different experiences on their own or together.

My heart broke with how Ji Wook easily accepted that he would be abandoned and be alone after the funeral scene. He was used to it. He didn't fight back when Hae Young wanted them to part ways.

One random bit that distracted me was when she took away his ring and left him.... I kept thinking that he bought that ring himself! LOL. Of course, I knew he would come back. It was just an off detail that could have been left out of the script or something.

The finale had too much screentime of the second leads. Gyu Hyun and Ja Yeon had cute, swoony scenes I enjoyed in the past and this time (and last week), they were cute and convincing.... However, in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think of his moves that messed up Hae Young's career. He approved her project idea and had it moving forward without her. He never apologized or show remorse to her, not even saying sorry to Ja Yeon. His parents sucked and were underdeveloped.... His mother could have been interesting. Manager Yang snapping back at his father in the finale was very...

Sic’s Shortlist of Reasons for Hating No Gain No Love, as requested by the Beanies @vienibenmio, @pineapplegongzhu and @jossie4cheryl

1. It was boring, almost the entire time. And rarely funny.

2. I found the themes in general, but especially the central theme of Gain and Loss in Love and Relationships, very poorly developed and very poorly executed when it was bought up at all. For a show literally named after said theme, I expect a lot more.
The only main way this theme is truly developed is in regards to the FL and her mother and foster sister, and even then, I don’t think it was that well executed.

And the drama so poorly develops this theme in relation to the main OTP and their relationship, that I am tempted to say it doesn’t at all.
It appears a lot at the beginning and then they seemed to forget about it until Hae Young is apparently already in the middle before she began, and realises she would suffer loss for him, but without ever truly exploring that change or how we got there or why we got there OR what the consequences of that are. And then it forgets about it until the ending with her mum’s funeral.

I do not agree that the FL’s opinion on suffering no loss in relationships or life is correct. I do not believe that is merely a way of protecting herself from being taken advantage of either.
But the drama never challenges her on this properly.
In fact, it seems more intent on rewarding her for this (Ji Uk’s line at the dinner with the Chairman and co. and her realisation that her mother did not suffer losses in the same way she feels her foster sister is a gain) than anything else. We get one brief line about her being willing to suffer loss for Ji Uk, and almost nothing besides.

I can’t even say the OTP’s ending even brings it up again because it seems more intent on exploring everything else BUT what it means to be in a true relationship with someone and suffer gain AND loss.

Relationships aren’t transactional. At some point, there will be loss and sacrifice in relationship that you cannot get back. And there will be grace and love, undeserved, and unmatched, both given, and received, because all is NOT fair in love, and life, and war. And, respectfully, that is the entire point.

But this is instead thematically perfunctory and performative rather than actually thematically well written. It presents an idea, it has a brief conversation or two about the idea, and then the idea has no or very little farther consequence on either the story or the characters.
And, more often than not, the ideas contradict each other as well.

And then the show does this same exact thing with every other storytelling component as well.

3. I dislike the FL.
I find her patronizing and arrogant, and as per the lack of development for the main theme, I don’t really think she grew very much throughout the show, with the exception of the arc with her mother.

She pushes him away because...

Ngl NGNL, I didn't love the last episode. Forced separations in the finale will always be my ToD, even though I think it made sense here. It just would have been nice if it was a mutual decision made after they had a conversation, and if we didn't have to wait until the last 5 or so mins for them to reuinte. It just felt like that whole episode could have been condensed into the first 30mins and then we could have had cutenes n' fluff and some time to better tie up most of the loose ends.

But! I'm not super salty about all that anymore. I will gladly take a series where all but the last episode is consistently awesome, over one that runs out of battery midway through. This show gave us a darn adorable, heart-fluttery OTP (one of my favorites), one of the best FL's ever, a wonderful found family (the sisters have my heart), and so, so many laughs. And I love how even though she had a rocky relationship with Mom, Hae-young gained her dearest people thanks to Mom's foster work. Thank you for the recaps, Unit!

I stand by that break-up being the right idea. He needed to live life for himself, and make decisions for himself, and his future. If they stayed together, they would've just grown to resent each other because he always lived life for other people, and not for himself. He needed to be free, from both his relationship, and his promises, as both were also very much tied together. That way he was finally able to make decisions based on what he wants, decisions that are influenced by his own feelings and nobody else's. He made the choice to reconnect with his family, and he ultimately made the choice to return to Hae-young. Now, I certainly didn't expect the break-up to last the entire episode, but I'm okay with it, because it was ultimately the right thing to do.

I also loved our second couple, and I love that they had plenty of screen-time. This is a rom-com, the more well-developed couples, the better. There's nothing more frustrating than a second couple having potential, but never reaching it because they don't get any meaningful screentime. Their development happens pretty fast though, and probably could've used additional time, but it still works, so it's not a big problem.

Fork-gyu is... Well, he's a giant mess that's incredibly flawed, and I like him because of it. Big credit to Lee Sang-yi, because I don't think the character would've worked without him. But the reason I like him also has to do with the show treating him like a flawed character. I never had the feeling that the show was trying to pretend he was perfect (which, imo, is one of the worst things you can do with a flawed character). His flaws are always there, and you either love him or hate him, and I very much understand both sides.

Hae-young was fantastic, and her relationship with her sisters was another highlight, especially with Ja-yeon in episode 11.

Now, the show certainly wasn't perfect, and neither was the finale (which I really liked, despite it also being my least favorite episode), and there are certainly some loose ends. Like, did the show just forget about Woo-jae's wife? Where the heck was she? I also think the polyamory storyline with Hee-sung should've been handled better, but at least it wasn't problematic? Small victories I guess, but I'm still pretty satisfied with her ending.

All in all, this is by far my favorite rom-com this year, and I will miss it a lot. But anyway, we still have the two-episode spin-off! Bonus round, let's go!

That was a great recap! Thank you!
Here's my salute to the gung-ho will-do warrior: https://www.dramabeans.com/2024/09/dear-hyeri-drama-hangout/

Thank you @unit for the recap of my favorite show. I love the comments of @pineapplegongzhu @enriquequierecagar @britney @loveblossom. I wish I could see more of my Pang Pang Couple. I’ll miss them. 🫶

Hae-young was one of my favorite FL of 2024! She was strong and vulnerable at the same time. She had a big heart. She was good at her job. I wished they addressed her issue with her mum differently, because they made her looking childish or selfish when she had the right to feel left behind by her mum.

I loved the relationship between the 3 women. They were there for each other.

Ji-Wook was one of the most boring ML in 2024. He just followed the promises he did like he was a 5 years old : not being handsome, not dating beutiful people, not talking to his mum, not saying about the fact he lived in the house... He didn't tell his own secrets, they were revealed by chance. His family's issue has not really been settled, so his wife stayed demoted, he left and his reconnection with his mother happened out of frame...

The second couple was cute but like often, the writer messed the time jump with the others characters, it's like nothing changed in their life. So after 6 months, they looked the same couple... I hope Busan city was happy with their PPL.

Shin Min-ah was the heart of this drama. I didn't like the couple and didn't find they had chemistry. Kim Young-dae didn't bring anything to elevate a boring character. Lee Sang-Yi and Han Ji-Hyun had a great chemistry but I'm not sure I'm interested to see them in new short story, they could juste make them hot in this drama.

I really liked this show, even the finale (aside from the parts I didn't like much namely the Gyu Hyun focus) and I'm kinda sad at myself for not being as articulate or analytical enough to defend certain aspects such as Ji Uk's character development.

I'm sure there is a version of this show where Ji Uk was as snarky and challenging with Hae Young as he was in the first week but it was also said AND shown that he was ONLY like that with her. Personally, I think some of his early attitude with her was due to his relationship with her mom. He probably had a negative idea about her and the encounters he witnessed just deepened the negative image. With everyone else, he was the same way he eventually ended up with her: patient, considerate, giving, etc.
I think it's fair to say he was even mellow when they were short with each other haha

But my point is that I don't think he necessarily became lesser compared to Hae Young or even Gyu Hyun, his journey was always more mellow? Ugh, why am I blanking on a better word? 🫣

He was living for other people and to be "of use" or as unproblematic as possible. He had to get to a point where he realized he didn't need to live that way. He was allowed to make selfish choices or not live up to his parent's wishes.

Again, could there have been time spent on this rather than the scenes with Frm Manger Jang or when Hae Young broke things off? Sure, of course there could've been but that wasn't meant to be apparently. The point still got across though and I think it was done fairly well.

I forget what the character or show promos said about him but I think it was something like Hae Young wants zero losses and Ji Uk wants no trouble. I think he learned it's okay to get into trouble sometimes.

Is it just me or did the SL couple have more (and better) scenes than the main leads? Not that I'm complaining about that, Nam Ja-yeon and Bok Gyu-hyeon were the more interesting couple after all.

Plus, I feel like the drama was originally supposed to be two episodes longer, at least it would have benefited from it. So I have the feeling that some scenes were cut out. The reconciliation of the two half-brothers came so suddenly. A few extra scenes of them getting closer would have been good. Also, the two-timing ex seemed to have been totally forgotten. Can he just carry on as before? What about his marriage? His wife, who I thought was really great, just fell by the wayside.
It certainly wouldn't have hurt if we'd seen more of when and how FL and ML fell in love. Maybe then I would have found their relationship a bit more interesting.

Compared to the previous episodes, the last two were a bit disappointing, not bad, but they lacked what made the drama stand out so positively from other dramas.

But that doesn't change the fact that the drama as a whole was refreshingly cheeky and the humour actually always worked.
And Son Hae-yeong is one of the best FLs I've seen. Strong, intelligent, flawed, sometimes ruthless, human, but always willing to fight for the ones she loves.

That was disappointing. I'm mad at Mom. While I'm thankful that she gave Ji-wook a place to live and I understand her reasons, but to ask a child, who already lives like he doesn't exist because of his grandmother and his mom, to keep his stay there a secret is too cruel. It just makes him feel like he's not wanted anywhere.

Things I liked this week:
1. Hae-young working with Ha-joon! We've never seen them together before, but they have such great rapport. I knew that they would get along because they're both savage.
2. Ha-joon's high school reunion. This was the first time we've ever seen his character by himself. Love the side-eye he gave their female friend for calling Ja-yeon's foster home "an orphanage."
3. Ji-wook not having a relationship with Chairman Bok, while having one with his stepfather. Sperm does not make someone a father. Ji-wook needs to not associate with anyone in that chaebol family except Manager Jang.
4. Blind date Eom Ji-hye. Joo Hyun-young kicks ass in every role. Lmao when she flipped off Gyu-hyun. She's too good for him.
...and that's it.

This show always had an underlying seriousness and melancholy, but Mom's death turned into a melo. Our finale had no rom or com. A whole episode of our OTP being apart with an unsatisfying five-minute reunion. When Hae-young broke up with Ji-wook, I said, "I'm sorry, what? Why are we breaking up again?" Noble idiocy, forced separation, going abroad, time skip -- the writer threw in every trope I hate.

The more screen time the secondary couple got, the more I disliked them, so seeing as how they got over 80% of the screen time, my dislike has become full-blown hate. Especially making Hae-young and Ha-joon beg Gyu-hyun for an investment. Traitors?! Excuse me?! You were the one who demoted her and stole her idea! Ha-joon wrote your hate comments like you asked. Where was his transfer?!

No Gain No Love did give us a chemistry-filled couple whom I will always love and remember, but as a contract marriage drama, there wasn't enough cohabitation or co-parenting of Baby the cat. Thanks a bunch for recapping the entire drama, @Unit! It's been fun!

Huh, what a letdown these last two episodes were! I was wondering last week how all those plotlines would be tied up in just two episodes left, and surprise!: they weren't. Which is tragic because with all those open questions left hanging what could have been a great show became a disappointment, even in hindsight.
First, what really enraged me was Haeyoung sending Ji Uk away. Why? Because it was her who "knew what's best for him". I've had it with kdrama people who think they know what's best for others, and these others have to follow their decisions. If I'd been Ji uk I'd have gone and never returned to her. I see the point, that of course he has to learn how to follow hus iwn desires in life and not only follow other's leads or let some promises force him, but this doesn't have to be sorted by a heartless break up. For me this felt just cruel and unneccessary.
Then, no comeuppance for ex boyfriend and chaebol family? Are you kidding me? These people are messing with other's life, and they don't even get a kimchi slap in the face? And yes, I'm including chaebol son into this. There is no development whatsoever.
Then they dropped a nice point a few episodes ago with that elserly woman who went into that kkulbee store to deal with her dementia, and I expected Haeyoung to pounce upon that and quickly develop her own educational chain of stores, but no, she's stuck in a startup without founding and even has to beg her firmer employer for money. That was disgusting.
And what happened to Mr Secretary? He was so great in early episodes, but show just let him fall like a hot potato after using him.
Don't get me started on the random loveydovey scenes if 2nd couple in the finale! It seemed like they took a major chunk out of the episode and had trouble filling the time.
Then, very disappointing on an emotional level: we were shown time and time again how FL was feeling hurt by her Mom when she felt like she was the only kid of her family who never got proper attention and love. That was never resolved in any way which even makes it more so and more sad.
Plus the lacking backstories of many characters, like the ML himself and the other sister who's pregnant now.
Plus the quirkiness of the first episodes has completely gone which is a shame.
So, I'm not a happy camper with this one! 🤨

Loved the show! So much so that I'm willing to look past writing choices that could have been better, and so much so that I accept them as necessary.

For example,

1. Ji-Uk's "weak" character and how he turned from snarky to puppy

Ji-Uk's character has always been an angelic puppy from the first scene we see him being the neighbourhood helper. However, he's not overly friendly and has some sort of guard and cynicism to him, which he carries through the rest of the show, and also makes sense given how the people in his life treat him. He's an angel because he doesn't want others to be treated the way he has been, but he can't help that cynicism.

I believe he was overly cynical toward SHY at the start because he *thought* she doesn't treat others around her well, as seen through her interactions with her boyfriends. However, he does overhear certain moments which softens his heart, like her scene with Ahn Woo-Jae where he doesn't see a future taking care of her mom.

And through the developments where he finds out her reasoning to be married to when they actually get married, he realises she actually has a heart of gold and falls for her (I mean, who wouldn't). And so he turns into a puppy for her like he always has been. His mantra is to be good to others around you, and Hae-young embodies exactly that.

2. Fok-gyu and Ahn-Woo Jae's lack of retribution
But isn't it realistic? Yes, outwardly they may still succeed, but we are also only shown a short time-frame, and in the long-run, they may well get their retribution. But in the short-run, sometimes those who trample on others do get what they want, whether we like it or not. And these people continue to live well. And Fok-gyu may have made bad choices, but he's not a bad person. I think his choices reflects his upbringing, I mean he's a CEO who got everything he want. At the end of the day he did show remorse for these choices too, even though how he made amends left a lot of be desired. But realistically, people in such positions of power don't really clock that they have to make amends. Would I fall in love with him? No, but Ja-Yeon did, but that's because this part of her doesn't bug her as much as it did me or others, and I would say is perfectly realistic too.

3. Hae-young letting Ji-Uk go
Honestly, I thought that was a very pragmatic decision. If I were Hae-young, I would also have doubts whether Ji-Uk is staying with me because that all he's ever known --- to be of service to others in their life. She knew that she would always have this doubt in her life if she didn't let Ji-Uk go, so this decision was very much in line with character of being calculated and pragmatic when she foresaw that this could be an issue. Was she perfect in her delivery? No, but she's also not a perfect character.

And for Ji-Uk, he was sad but he knew he also needed time to find himself. He now knew who his father was, why he shouldn't find his mother, and also...

Thanks for the recap @unit we had fun the last few weeks with this drama and you made it an even more enjoyable experience.

So much has already been said by Unit and the other beanies who have shared the joyful journey with this hidden gem over the last 6 weeks. I just wanted to say that for me the part which didn’t make sense for someone who is emotionally intelligent like Haeyoung was her sending Jiwook off to heal alone. Welcome to Salmadari and Our beloved summer both had male leads go off to find themselves but they did it from the security of a loving relationship. Separation within a long term committed relationship is healing for a lot of people and for someone like Jiwook it would have made it a much more fulfilling experience and he would have gained a well deserved sense of peace. It was heartbreaking seeing him alone at the funeral watching the girls support each other. So to leave him there of all places was just cold and too out of character. This was the same woman who put a plaster on the slightly grazed hand of her ex who had stabbed her in the heart because he did not want to be dealing with an unwell mother in law.

Despite the disappointment of the minimal time with the OTP together and happy in the last episode, I thoroughly enjoyed watching and rewatching 95% of this drama. I hope that the writer can continue to build on her skills and in the next one write the ending that fits the rest of the show.

Your recaps have been a hoot @Unit!! Thank you.

Okay, was it just me or did it start to feel like they were trying to sell us the second leads romance in the last 3 episodes? It felt forced so now I don't even want to watch Spice up Our Love. I didn't need it shoved down my throat. I'm a big girl and can decide if I want to watch it or not 🙄 I didn't mind the second leads (they were cute sometimes) but I was here for my lead couple and the sisters and found family. The Bok family (funny as they were) leave a lot to be desired. They need *lots* of (therapy) help. This is the only drama I've watched recently that DEFINITELY could have fared even better with 14 to 16 episodes. They tried to cram so much (the second lead couple!) in the last episodes and it showed.

That main grievance aside, what a riotous delight this was!! I was never quite sure what to expect from scene to scene- laughter, tears, butterflies, surprise- it was all chef's kiss, especially when it was done well. Hae-young felt like a real person and not a character in a story. Her reactions were authentic almost every time. She was the rock of this show for me. But like a good lead, I felt like she made everyone shine too. The family of sisters was beautiful and special. The show had some really poignant and moving things to say about family and it was well down.

There were plenty of lovely unforgettable moments that I've tucked close to my heart. The romance was just my kind - not too flashy, real and grounded with a couple who can communicate with each other (until the director and/or writer decided that wasn't dramatic enough! Someone tell these writers we don't watch dramas for the dysfunction!!)

I've watched some stellar Cdramas this year, but this is the first Kdrama that has done it for me, not perfect, but close enough. Well done little show. It was a steep hill to climb and you did it. We applaud you and adore you for it.

Watching with you, Beanies made it even better. Thank you for your company and your insightful, clever musings.

The finale didn't fly high but I think it was fair and enough. The problem was they solved the problems without showing us when and how. But let's add it to our imagination. I have no complaints with main leads story. They wrapped it perfectly. I would've wanted to see Gyu Hyun and his mother confrontation a bit even in a funny way. But alas the way he's with her ❤️. He's so delicate with her given how broken she is. That's why I think he's perfect for her. Anyway this show was soo fun 80% of it was amazing writing ,with a little blocks in the final episodes, still giving all the characters satisfying ending. 9/10 for sure.

Thank you @unit for the recaps and the beanies who discussed this show. It made me laugh a lot (the trope subversions, the facial expressions esp. Ha-Young, Ja-Yeon, Bok-Gyu), it made me cry (that scene between Ha-Young and Ja-Yeon). I love the sisterhood. I found the 2nd OTP more "sparky" than the 1st OTP. I wish for therapy for the main leads, so that they can unburden themselves of the emotional baggage placed on them by their parents.

Thank you for the entertaining recaps, @Unit !
I'm going to miss the show so much. I'm already planning a rewatch this weekend, but maybe not for the finale 🤭

Episode 11: The bond between the sisters is so precious. I wish all of them the best things in life. May they live a good life in this drama universe. HY-JY scene really got to me 😭 What superb acting from both of them 👏

Episode 12: MAIN OTP WHERE? WE NEEDED MORE OF THEM IN THE FINALE. Sigh. I'm sad the finale didn't quite hit the mark we were all expecting, but still doesn't change the fact that this show is one of the best romcoms we've had in a while. Pang Pang Couple, you will be missed!

Thank you, No Gain, No Love. You will always be remembered for all the LOVE you've shared with us.

Drama Conclusion: SON HAE YOUNG IS THE BEST

I LOVED, LOVED this show.....until the end.

I felt so let down.
I did like our FL, and I do love Shin Minah, but I felt that Hae Yeong was too controlling and slightly selfish. I get that she felt neglected by her mom, but I wanted to see some empathy from her for those "lost, hurt" kids. We did see glimpses of a softer side, but it just did seem believable to me. I'm also confused as to when she got so close to her 2 sisters. Did mom already have dementia when Hae Yeong went to school to speak for Ja Yeon and was Ja Yeong living with her then? But, Hae Yeong had red hair (which I think Shin MinAh totally rocked!) when she went to school so mom was living at home and assuming that Ji Wook was living there at that time. That timeline was confusing to me. Did we ever see Hae Sung at the house as kids? Those relationships - as lovely as they were as grown-ups- seemed to just come out of the blue to me. Ahh, sorry for these rambles.

I was so angry the Hae Yeong did not get her job back at work and that JERK ex got all of the credit for her ideas!! That just makes me so angry, and her leaving was just not enough. Gyu Heon (as hot as Sang Yi is!) just did her so wrong...and to think he will probably be her brother in law!! Just soooooo not right!

I also wanted to see more of Ji Wook's "growth" from being away. And, I was hoping that he would give us the answer to his big idea that he mentioned in episode 1 at the job interview. it was hinted that he did have some sort of ambition or plan, but we never saw that. As one Beanie said, maybe he went away and solved his problems but they didn't show us, and that hurts! As precious as he was, and as much as I loved his calmness - especially when Hae Yeong was asking why he was leaving- I really wanted to see a bit of fire from him.

And, I agree with our Beanie that said there should be a name for dramas- and a WARNING- that only give us 3 minutes of reconciliation at the end. After all that sweetness between them throughout the drama, that was such a let down!

This is the first time that I have watched 2 dramas live at the same time - NGNL and Love Next Door. I am usually a "wait until it is over" watcher so that I am not surprised by a sad ending. But, the real reason, is that I want to have the DramaBeans recaps to read as I watch the episodes. I feel that I miss so much in the translation and also just sometimes understanding what is going on. I rely on the recaps and comments to help me along the way. One thing that is so confusing to me are the names!! The translation always spells them differently and that is soooo confusing. It was Ji Uk in the subtitles and not Ji Wook. And then the way they pronounce names is so hard to understand as compared to the English dubbing (which I rarely listen to) So, anyway, thank you Beanies for all of your help along the way.

This has been such a fun drama and I refuse to let the end ruin it for me! I will rewatch my favorite scenes...

Look, I was only happy with the last two episodes because a) Ja-yeon x Gyu-hyun endgame 2) my fav ship got a second kiss! wholesome romcom hijinks! .... That's all I needed to be satisfied lol. Divorced of all the other context, perfect ending for these two and I sincerely want more of these characters as a couple. Or maybe these actors can costar in another romance drama?

But, alas, the other context. the happy ending for the Ja-hyun ship almost allowed me to forget that Gyu-hyun never apologized or backed down for demoting Hae-young and exiling her husband on the orders of his creepy mom and dad. Almost. Also, did creepy mom and dad simply allow the equality reforms to pass by with 0 pushback?

As for the main couple, I liked them individually as characters.** I liked all the comedic beats around them. I liked their acting (KYD was really good and likeable in this drama imo). But I personally did not feel their chemistry or even that Hae-young was that into him. The obligatory kdrama breakup just made groan. I'm surprised a show that subverted or played with all the usual tropes decided to just run with that particular trope.

** Ji-uk truly is an angel puppy. As he noted, Gyu-hyun never managed to apologize nor did creepy dad even acknowledge him. Yet, Ji-uk forgave all of them (even the bio mom). Like Dan-ho from LND, Ji-uk is a better man than me.