Maeum reminds me a little of someone and it just clicked that I’m thinking of School 2017’s Eunho! Not because it's the same actress - though of course it plays a part - but Maeum has a little of the same brand of optimism, determination and unwavering passion that Eunho had (plus the webtoon related dreams). I say ‘a little’ because her flavour of the above are distinct in their own ways too, but it’s reminiscent. In general she’s been quickly shaping up to become my new inspiration of sorts, the way she throws all of her being into what she does and also how she’s able to balance being ‘sunshine is me’ with taking valid criticism with her chin up, sympathising and attempting to understand other people’s perspectives and also being firm and speaking up for herself we needed - like when she told Junyoung to not decide what her future was going to be for her. With the exception of JY’s mentor (who’s not the best but I appreciate his dedication to his daughter and family), I really love the whole editorial team too. Jihyun and Mancheol are supportive and protective as always but highlight was me was the tiny scene where Yoomi took Maeum aside to go over the basics with her once she realised that Maeum was struggling.

It also takes talent and a special kind of clownery to start getting conflicted over which ML I like better with the FL when they haven’t even hinted at romance at all. I’m writing my own spinoff webtoon in my head it seems, but honestly I’m swinging back and forth like a pendulum between the two because they’re both lovely in different ways 🤡 To really level up the clown status, I’ve even sort of added the student nurse artist into the mix even though I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with him at this point. His whole angle (borderline fantasy?) is one I didn’t expect to see in this kind of drama, I’m not against it right now but just curious to see how it’ll play out. Then again though, the woman in Junyoung’s apartment might be a ghost, at least in the metaphorical sense, so I guess that’s another instance where this drama has a touch of fantasy in it already.

A BONUS: this week on ‘omg I can’t believe I didn’t recognise you’, I JUST realised that the hot webtoon artist (the one with a lot of fans) is Dongwoon from Highlight!

Can I just say that one of my favorite things about Kim Se Jong as an actress, it is that she knows how to wake up. Most actors no matter how well they act are actually good at pretending to wake up, most of them just pop up. My other thing is that she actually eats, most actresses pretend or literally pick at their food, she eats and with gusto. Random thoughts.

Now onto the episodes Ma Eum serving Rock Lee realness in their race made me happy. This was a very interesting way of depicting depression.

Who is the woman always drinking coffee when Joon-young is at home? At first I thought it was his older sister (like a real person) but then she was in the same spot after his manhwa reading all-nighter. He also never acknowledges her presence and then there was that flicker of a woman (who I thought was her) when Joon-young told Ma-eum she reminded him of someone. Hmmm….

Pomme’s cat walkway looked like a great way to entertain indoor cats. I was just thinking how subtle the water machine PPL was done through lingering as she made a drink so we could get the make and how it works and literally two sentences later she was talking about the machine 🫢 so unnecessary.

Pomme is getting on my last nerve. I think even our happy girl Maeum would have to say something to her. It’s no wonder she has no friends if she is so rude and unappreciative, her social skills won’t improve if people allow her to behave in that way with no consequences. Most of the boxes were light and even if she struggled to take them in she has all day so could carry them in batches. I carry 12 litre boxes of water up a flight of stairs each week and see it as free gym workout. She needs to get over herself. I can’t stand seeing women play weak to guilt trip random men into helping them out. If a male friend/relative/partner is around and offers or wants to have that on their watch as something they do to care then it makes sense.

I am glad that Pomme went to the event and responded appropriately to the attendees so their spirit wasn’t crushed and I was pleased that she could see her perception of the world as a unsafe place for her was inaccurate. However, it doesn’t make sense to treat her PD so rudely when the sole reason for her imposed isolation is her dislike of being treated badly by others.

Important question: How does Kim se jeong have chemistry with everyone?
I noticed this in business proposal and school 2017 too. She's so cute with both Joon young and Jihyung, HOW?

Joon Young's wake up call was the highlight of this episode. He finally got rid of that chip on his shoulder. He looks different when he's told that he's doing well. His face when he realized that Ma eum was running with weights. 🤣🤣. He had to accept that he got his ass handed to him.

Jihyung's Nagging and calling them full of energy was so relatable. He kept asking if she was checking on Na Gang nam and Ma eum wasn't even worried. The anxiety is real. And I wish I had their energy.

How Ma-Eum can't recognize the awful cute voice of her own sister? I really have issue with this actress since Nevertheless and Bloody Heart. The sister could have discussed with Ma-Eun instead to make a video about it...

It was nice to see Joon-young opening himself and to be ready to work hard. If Ma-Eun has an unique relationship with Ji-Hyung, he's not alone, Man-Cheol is taking care of him.

Ma-eum is really endearing as a character, and I love her brand of optimism. She's not naive -- the type that thinks the whole world is perfect and everything will fall into place. She knows that life's not a bed of roses, but she chooses to be positive regardless. And she doesn't even have to try too hard to spread that positivity around! I like that. I really do.

Well, Soltices, your excellent review was the front door closing for good; I am now totally engaged with this drama and will not be leaving until I've seen it all. I love ALL the characters, and find it interesting how the sulky young man becomes more charismatic and attractive with every smile - I'm good to go with him as the male romantic lead. I think the attention to detail is excellent. I loved this girl in BProposal and I love her in this one too. Please continue your brilliant reviewing as it answers questions I didn't even know I needed to ask.

The show continues with its runner’s pace. Ma-Eum’s problem solving learning curve is at superhero levels. Ma-Eum conquers another crisis while Jun-Yeong gets caught up in company power politics. The concept of the webtoon camp brings in new characters with background and confidence issues. The darkness surrounding Shin’s life as an orderly and a glimpses of a bad childhood makes him an outsider whose traditional standards of artistry do not match the norm. He is a good choice for Ma-Eum to champion as she can channel her own judo adversity to give confidence to others.

The story of the failure of Gingertoons seems to be a major foreshadowing event. With negative executive Gwan-Young being revealed as part of that failed platform, it begs the question why he is so against Man-Cheol as his webtoon department.

I am not really into any the seeds or threads of romantic story lines. I would rather see the progression of all the characters reaching their potential than forced love lines.

Binge watched 4 episodes last weekend. Amazing cast . I loved all of them but somehow the drama seems little lost ! I hope next week will be better :)

I am enjoying the drama so far. One cringey moment for me however. When JH took Ma Eum to task in front of the entire office I wanted to FF. It's such a no no for leaders to deal with reports in that way, is this a cultural thing can anyone tell me?
Also, JYs mentor, is he supporting the teams rivals by any chance?

Aww, I'm really liking this show. I like seeing Ma Eum AND Joon Young brighten after getting praise for their efforts.

The camp was a neat idea. What a motivational and cool thing to experience, especially for the aspiring webtoon authors.
There were feel-good moments when I saw people genuinely giving advice and trying to be helpful. I thought Oh Yoon was a bit of a snob initially, but he was nice to Goo Seul Ah.

Mysterious, stoic Dae Ryuk had me wary at first, but can't judge a book by its cover. I'm glad he brought his own unique style to his comic. His pitch was admittedly awkward, but it's great that he was committed to his drawings and story. He didn't let the bullies make him want to quit too.

Enjoyed the friendly moments between just Ma Eum and Joon Young. Chuckled when he saw that she had weights on during their race, hee.

I wish Ma Eum had better fitting office outfits!! They keep putting her in baggy or boxy clothes and trying to make her look bulky??? One of her tucked-in buttoned shirts had a noticeable puff on her back... It was distracting.

All this webtoon stuff is making me want to check it out! Not like I don't have a bajillion dramas/books waitlist. LOL I've only read comics and manga years ago.

Viki Rakuten decided to re-air the 2016 Japanese version of this manga adaptation at the same time as they are showing this Korean version at the same time. Many viewers commented on the Japanese show that they prefer the Korean one! I think this is funny, because they are so different. It's not merely the lower production values of Japanese TV, where even viewed on a small screen the Korean show seems more cinematic. Everything is bigger and more dramatic, and motivations are deeper and more complex. It reminds me of back when I was obsessed with reading fan fiction. I loved reading versions of the same story from different authors. If it were not for my previous experience with the Korean cast, I would probably like the Japanese series a little better, because it's lower key and makes more sense. As it is, I want to see Kim Se-Jung bringing Ma-eum to life. Even though her character in Business Proposal was also cheerful, energetic and hard-working, Ma-eum is a different person! It's not only her vocal qualities, though I think Se-Jung is using her voice to create the character. I would like to see Kim Se-Jung in everything. She's great! She makes the whole show.