BLISS RATING: ★★★
“I live my life until I start the cycle of my dreams, then I leave and search for you until I die. When I come back, I live to remember, I live to find you.” – Molly Bryant, Wandering Souls
It is hard to dislike this cute but rather short series. It absolutely is all fluff with contrived love scenes. Yet there is something enticing about the story. I am, admittedly, a sucker for continuing love stories reincarnated from the past, if you will. And this is one of those stories.
Min Yu Dam (Park Young Woon) is the Director of an entertainment company. Soel Dong Baek (Park Jeong Woo), thinking he is going to work in his chosen field within this company, is reassigned to work as the secretary for the Director. Almost immediately, Min Yu Dam confronts him with the notion that they need to date and fall in love. Shocked, Soel Dong Baek thinks his new boss is crazy, as he sure sounds like he is. The Director tries to explain to Soel Dong Baek why, which to say at the very least is an incredulous story.
Seemingly Min Yu Dam is over 300 years old (who looks very good for his age. I must admit) and is responsible for the death of Soel Dong Baek hundreds of years ago. He has been waiting for Soel Dong Baek’s reincarnation for these many years and for their paths to cross. Originally, they fell in love, but Min Yu Dam’s family did not approve of this relationship or of the fact that Min You Dam gave Soel Dong Baek a name. Since he was born without a name – imparting him a name apparently gives him a path to life that was not Min Yu Dam’s to grant).
Did this story make any sense? Nope, but I loved it anyway, especially when it went back to when they first met. That portion seemed so much more intense and ironically more believable. When they are in the here and now, it all seemed a bit rushed and not quite intense enough to be credible. That is too bad because the whole story itself is quite charming and engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed Soel Dong Baek’s journey into remembering parts of his previous life, experiencing it, and the route that was taken to falling in love with Min Yu Dam.
There were, however, so many holes in this plot that were not explained. While I did not initially, mind that as I was entertained by the story, I begin to think about what I just saw and questions began to arise:
1. Why did God punish (curse) Min Yu Dam by giving him life? What did he do that was inherently wrong? A name? Unconditional love? Nonadherence to traditions? A family curse?
2. Why was Soel Dong Baek cursed by not remembering yet when he does, the likelihood of him dying exponentially increases. Why did it take so long to reconnect?
3. Why did Min Yu Dam, once he began to see Soel Dong Baek was falling in love with him, only concentrate on the development of that relationship? Why did he even worry about work or seemingly be so distracted away from who he knows can give him life or death? Had he become so jaded to living?
4. Why was the character Denis (Jang You Sung) even there? He seemingly knows Min Yu Dam more than in a business relationship, but how? None of that is fully explained but obtusely hinted he is from the past as well. Was he a part of their past as well?
5. What gave this story extra spirit, if you will, was how the story ended. Without revealing too much, it now becomes Soel Dong Baek’s responsibility to reawaken Min Yu Dam memory and consciousness of who he really is. While it had elements of both sadness and hope that the awakening that Soel Dong Baek just had, can it be accomplished in the same manner with Min Yu Dam? No doubt this time for the last time. But the story is all a bit messy and felt rushed. Although it is dramatic, there is no satisfaction of an ending that is good, bad, or indifferent. I really wanted to know what happens to all three of these individuals.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? Hands down, this distinction goes to Jan You Sung as Denis. He is a complete enigma, and he plays the character that way. Arrogant, pompous, demanding yet incredibly vulnerable and insecure. He begins to fall for Soel Dong Baek because he is the only one who treats him as a human who is frail and understands his frailty. That indeed would be enticing. Yet, he is a very dark figure, and I could not really untangle why he was such an antagonist. His insecurities and foibles do get the better of him and he creates another situation for these two that harken back to the original plot, as if it as meant to be. Jan You Sung is an astonishingly handsome man who plays the part of a heavy with complete conviction and an inevitability about his role and character. He gave it life and made this character real, sad, and where we get to witness his loss to hanging onto reality. Although he is pivotal and is responsible for God resetting the timelines again, we really have no idea what happens to him at the end. That was unfortunate since his character is so responsible for the new direction of the story.
I liked this story and found it entertaining. It added to its intrigue when the actors played their former selves from 300 years ago; they seemed so much more into the roles and became believable including their love for one other. (There is something magical that sometimes happens when performers put on period costumes). However, when they played their characters currently, the screen chemistry between the two was woefully lacking and I could not believe or feel any real emotions between them.
They grudgingly kissed and it looked as painful for them to do as it was for us to watch. Just awful and not convincing. I simply cannot understand the reticence to not getting into the role even if it is a gay one. It is only a role, and your role is to convince the audience that you are in love with the other person, no matter what the gender is. Play acting the part is just not going to cut it anymore. It must feel real and, more importantly, honest. The conveyance must be as if no one is watching you kiss the person you love, and this is genuinely a moment of intimacy. No more hesitancy.
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