No Gain, No Love

I'm trying to maintain a new rhythm and punctuality of writing. New season, new me? Almost because the new me is busy with the change of season at the store and I'm shuffling boxes of deliveries. But! I managed to finish another drama with my bestie. My husband is not ideal for this job, he doesn't like love dramas. Well, he does, but... my gay friend understands it more and better 😎😍

No Gain, No Love was not an obvious choice for me. Although the lead actress is one of the most beautiful in Kollywood and the lead actor is a very good up and coming star, their story in this drama did not appeal to me. It was only when a friend encouraged me to watch it in its third episode that I gave the drama a chance.... because friends are made to make you do thinks you don't feel like 😂

Son Hae Yeong is the type of person who doesn't want to lose money under any circumstance. While growing up, she had to share her mother's love with others. She often found her partners in relationships below her break-even point. Now, Hae Yeong faces the possibility of missing out on a job promotion at her workplace. To avoid such a loss, she makes a plan for a fake wedding. She recruits Kim Ji Uk to be her fiance.

Ji Uk works part-time as a cashier at a convenience store. He is the type of person who can't ignore people in need and tries to do the right thing. He is smooth with every customer at the convenience store, except for one person. That person is Hae Yeong. When she suddenly asks him to become the fake groom at her wedding, he somehow accepts her offer.

No Gain, No Love even though was good, will definately not reach the pinnacle of my drama ranking. Drama felt short and haist at the end. There was too many characters introduced for just 12 episodes. Producers didn't think it through. When opening so many doors there must be or more episodes or second season (not lame 2-episode spin off, but this will have separate post....😤) if not, there is no possibility of achieving success. I'm not saying that successful dramas can't have multiple main characters, multiple plots, or few episodes. Almost all of my top ten fall into those descriptions, and as for short dramas, Death Game or Thirty Nine are perfect examples of how you can achieve something great with a drama under 8! eps. No Gain, No Love falls very short (😉 you see what I did there?) in comparison.

The concept of a foster home and the perspective of a child who "belonged" to that home was unconventional. I wouldn't have thought of it. It was a bit far-fetched but not impossible to happen in real life. Shin Min Ah created an interesting character who went from a rebel to an almost exemplary office worker. Both she and Kim Young Dae played typical for them. She beautiful, who succeeds in everything, he always marked by fate, unwanted and tormented but still full of love. For both of them it was not the role of a lifetime. Hometown Cha Cha Cha once reached the pinnacle of quality and acting 💚 I would compare No Gain, No Love more to Moon In The Day where there was potential, something interesting but it turned out so-so. 

In addition to the main couple, there are also 2 side characters, but they did not meet my expectations. The characters of the step-sisters themselves and how they perceived relationships and love were very interesting, but they did not appeal to me as a whole. Maybe if the drama had those 4 more episodes, I would have been able to warm up to these brunettes by the episode 16. Unfortunately with what we got it was too difficult 😐

In closing, No Gain No Love had potential but the characters/actors and script/producers didn't click. It kinda lacked a bit of substance, some development and much of ending .... the drama had the seeds of a soul. It might not look like this but all in all I still liked it 😉 It is definately better than Why Her? but in the same time I was watching Love Next Door and these two dramas couldn't disperse more 😅 I'm far from being thrilled but No Gain No Love was enjoyable to watch!