The plot is certainly not something new – a girl who falls for the smartest boy in class, and boy acts indifferent to her and her feelings for him. But what makes it a gem of its own is how it manages to flesh out the characters. They just feel so genuine – so damn relatable.

Xiaoxi and Jiang Chen’s relationship is interesting to me because theirs isn’t really what I would consider childhood best friends turn sweethearts. They are individuals who happened to live in the same building for many years and went to elementary, middle, senior high school together. They don’t really have that same childhood connection that I felt from Young Jae and Shi Won from Reply 1997, or Trash and Na Jung from Reply 1994, or Taek and Duk Seon from Reply 1988. Their dynamic is different in that we didn’t really get to see how they were like all those years growing up – Reply series are perfect storytellers in this area. Instead, we are shown that even though they don’t hang out after school hours, nor do they eat and share meals together every single time, there remains comfort and level of understanding between them, and it’s most likely because they have become a habit – to see each other every single day of their lives whether they want to or not.

Xiaoxi chases Jiang Chen wherever he goes; she wears her heart on her sleeve and displays her great affection for him. We, then, have Jiang Chen, who in the beginning of the story, appears to be so uninterested to this girl, who never left his field of vision since they were kids, and seems to be looking down on her too. But by Episode 1 epilogue, we see that her feelings are, in fact, very much reciprocated. Their entire high school and uni years were spent in growing their budding feelings for each other, and discovering how being together became so comfortable that it is so easy to take that for granted.

Jiang Chen’s interest in Xiaoxi remained to be so fascinating to me throughout the episodes, and I kept thinking to myself how the hell did he end up falling for her so bad (as cute as it was, I needed to rationale this, and darnit, I don’t have any recap websites to let me read and learn this!). I thank the drama gods that this did allow us to see the chain of events through his eyes and I completely agree with his reasoning – he fell for her because she is the constant in his life. Everyone around him that he cared for left him for all different reasons. He is aloof and uninterested in anything because of the nature he grew up in. So it does make sense that the comfort Xiaoxi brings in that when he turns around, she is there has become the reason that he loves her. No other girls would simply made him feel the way he feels for her because of that.

In Episode 23, he implicitly called her his miracle and destiny because the world is no where near the size of her bathroom, he cannot just randomly meet someone who happened to be living in the same building and went through all that childhood years with him. He is destined to meet and fall for her; that it’s a miracle he’s finally found that somebody who never leaves him no matter what happened.

I really disliked that part when they had to break up over petty misunderstandings that could have been easily resolved had he owned up and said whatever he was bottling in. But after seeing his point of view, I completely appreciated their fight, and I couldn’t have wished for a better angsty break up. He got way too comfortable thinking his “constant” would forever remain by his side no matter what he did, no matter what he said. Xiaoxi called him out on this that he cannot always assume she knows what he is thinking; she is not a mind reader, though what a great talent that would have been if we could. He needs to treat her better and make her feel a priority if she really is one in his life. Not just someone he will remember when he’s not tied up anymore. He took his “constant” for granted.

Three years later, he grew up, learned from his mistakes, and the next time he ran into her, he made sure he never made the same mistake twice. No matter how busy he is at work, he takes time off to be by her side and commits into the relationship more. It’s so adorable that he did the most un-Jiang Chen things just to win her back – I mean really, show off your fake girlfriend? LOL (Though whoever advised him that was proper needs to be kicked in the shin *eyeing at you Ms. Surgeon*)

I don’t really have much anything to say about my girl Xiaoxi, and that is not a bad thing – I loved her from day 1. She knows what she likes, and she works hard to get it. She fell for him when he was helping a boy to pay for his stuff. She says she didn’t need anymore reasons than that, it just is. And I completely agree. I also love the positivity and brightness she brings to Jiang Chen. She is a perfect match for him. When she felt that she was receiving the short end of the stick in her relationship with Jiang Chen, she ended things with him fast even though it broke her into many pieces. She knows her worth and won’t settle as a second priority in his life. Now that I think of it, I think I would agree when Jiang Chen says that he loves and needs Xiaoxi more than she does him. He was miserable for three years, lost his equilibrium, and all that was left for him was memories of her.

Overall, A Love So Beautiful is another series that has now a special place in my heart. I`m glad it didn’t bring me a rollercoaster ride of emotions (I honestly need to take a break from this). Rather it gave me a nice nostalgia show, and I am grinning so much to see everything falls in its place for the five individuals I ended up caring for so much. I am missing all of them, and a day has only passed TT____TT

Would like to save this space now to the other beautiful couple in this drama

Totally teared up in this scene. TT____TT They’ve come a long way to get to this chapter of their life. Might have teared up too every time I see those rings around their finger.

This drama 😍😍

I don’t know if you already found this, but someone translated the novel! :
https://teaquilashot.wordpress.com/2017/12/15/a-love-so-beautiful-chapter-1/

The novel is quite different from the drama but it gave deeper insight to the story!

I haven’t read your essay yet. But this show made me write one too! Ok, off to read yours. I know you had good taste, but this confirms it! It’s my favorite c-drama ever and I’ve seen a few (growing up, dubbed in Vietnamese, was not impressed).

I couldn’t stop smiling whilst reading your essay, you captured everything I love about the show.
I agree, I feel that Jiang Chen needed/cared for her so much more, because of his family situation and how they had essentially neglected him. The only person to really care is xiaoxi and he took that for granted.
I’m glad he came back ready to put her first ahead of everything.