Voiceover “We wanted to see how men and women in the city dated, so we selected 3 men and 3 women to follow.”
#Romantic Park Jae Won (Ji Chang Wook) walks out of his office and is surprised he’s being filmed. He agrees to talk though he wishes he’d dressed better for the camera. He’s 32 and an architect.
#Free-Spirited Lee Eun O (Kim Ji Won) asks the producer if her business will get exposure if she agrees to be filmed. She’s 29 and owns a marketing agency.
Two other males Choi Kyeong Jun (29, architect who works at company his father and uncle created) and Kang Gun (29, writer) say hello to the camera.
Two other females, Suh Rin I (29) and Oh Seong Yeong (30, gym teacher) say hello to the camera.
Voiceover “We won’t interfere in their lives. We will share interviews when prudent and edit for entertainment. They promised to treat the camera as their friend. We wondered if they always told the truth. We’ll let you be the judge.”
Jae Won claims he’s kind, gentle and cool when he dates. Eun O claims she’s true to herself when she dates. GC claims she gets over breakups with ease. Kyeong Jun claims he’s a nice guy to date.
The show introduction runs.
Voiceover “Do you know who you are compatible with?”
Jae Won admits there was a girl that got away. Eun O admits there was a boy that got away. She says it was her fault.
Flashback…Jae Won and Eun O surf and gaze at each other.
Jae Won claims he was a fool and wishes he’d never met her. Eun O claims he was part of her evolution.
Flashback…2019…September…Jae Won arrives at the airport for a surfing vacation. Eun O works at the surf company and picks him up. She can’t help but notice his good looks.
Jae Won tells the camera he’s attracted to strange women.
Flashback…Eun O sings off key as she drives. Jae Won falls in love.
Jae Won liked her feisty spirit.
Flashback…Jae Won explains living in a camper for a month and surfing has been a dream of his. Eun O decides he needs to get a license to allow him to drive the camper. She takes him to the license bureau.
Jae Won says that moment proved she marched to her own beat. He walks into the office. Kyeong Jun walks into the office and asks a coworker about the 3D model she carries. She states Jae Won wants it tossed because he is altering the design. Kyeong Jun points out the design was approved. Jae Won points out it needed to be tweaked. When he admits he’s not sure how, Kyeong Jun runs back yelling not to toss the 3D model.
Jae Won enters his office. He looks at the miniature camping trailer and thinks of her.
Flashback…Eun O takes Jae Won to the license bureau. A photo booth provides the photo for his license application. At the beach, Jae Won puts his surf boards near his camper and smiles watching Eun O walk her dog. He’s smitten. He’s surprised to learn Eun O’s boyfriend dumped her when they came to surf. Then he realizes the dog is being discussed NOT Eun O. That evening at the beach side ramen shop, Eun O and Jae Won plays games and enjoy themselves…separately. Jae Won makes a move on Eun O at the end of a game. He believes he knows when a woman likes him. Fireworks go off. Jae Won thinks he liked everything about Eun O.
Everyone comments on the love story. Eun O admits if she met Jae Won again, she’d fall for him a second time. Jae Won admits if he met Eun O again, he’d fall for her a second time.
My Thoughts
Episodes are 30 minutes and air on Tuesday and Friday. I’m surprised by the short length and that the episodes are not aired on consecutive days. Writer Jung Hyun Jung (Romance is a Bonus Book) kept the first episode light and focused on our leads with the 4 other secondary leads sprinkled in scenes but not tied into the story strongly except Kyeong Jun who works with Jae Won. Director Park Shin Woo (It’s Okay Not to be Okay) stylized the first episode in an appealing way. I liked the voiceover, the quick cuts, the text overlays, etc. The cast is attractive. I’m interested.
#Romantic, Park Jae Won (Ji Chang Wook) fell for Eun O fast when they met in 2019. He loved her free spirit. He wanted to hang with her. He drew her to him at the end of the game. They watched the fireworks holding hands. In 2020, they are broken up and haven’t seen each other since his beach vacation. But they’d be willing to give it another go. Will this show be the perfect conduit? I’m hopeful this will be a good series for Ji Chang Wook. As a loyal fan, he and his fans deserve a series that showcases him and offers a solid story, cast, and production.
#Free-Spirited, Lee Eun O (Kim Ji Won) is different in 2020 versus 2019. In the present she runs marketing agency. In 2019, she worked for a surf company where she met and fell for Jae Won on his surf vacation. I found Kim Ji Won appealing. I loved her in Arthdal Chronicles and hope the chemistry with Ji Chang Wook is good in this series.
Ji Chang Wook’s YouTube channel has a poster photo shoot video. English and 7 languages subtitles can be turned on by clicking the CC button for subs or the gear icon:
Asian drama fan. I watch and blog dramas on https://kjtamusings.wordpress.com/.
amusings 
The episodes are 30 mins??? Okay – I wasn’t certain about starting this since it seems a bit too romance heavy for my cold heart (haha) but since its only 30 mins at a time, I might give it a go (especially for Ji Chang Wook)
LikeLike
Yes, 30 minute episodes, a quick Ji Chang Wook dose twice a week.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I enjoyed Ep. 1 and I am interested in checking out the next few episodes. I’m not really a fan of the writer of this drama-I usually end up dropping her projects, but this drama may turn out to be the exception. I’m cautiously optimistic. Thanks for recapping this drama.
LikeLike
Perhaps with the shorter format the story will be better. We shall see.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m finally getting around to this drama … I think it has been a month since I watched any Kdrama … my longest break since I started watching 👀.
I’m not sure I’m digging the documentary style of the filming. We’ll see with time how it pans out
What I do like is the chemistry between Kim Ji Won and Ji Chang Wook.
LikeLike
I hear you on the drama break. Went through a similar thing. Good to take a break.
I concur the chemistry between Kim Ji Won and Ji Chang Wook is good. They seem natural with each other.
LikeLiked by 1 person
As fan of Ji Chang Wook I was a bit disappointed in his acting skills in this drama. In his action dramas (Healer and K2) he was more convincing and less of a ‘softie’ with a forced modeling smile. 😉
LikeLike
Since returning from military service, he has struggled to find a strong series that showcases his talents like earlier series.
LikeLiked by 1 person