This story has a pragmatic and intelligent female lead, and THE most written-for-the-female-gaze male lead I’ve ever seen! They share a charming relationship that develops naturally over time. The best moments of this series are watching them grow closer together and their witty banter. They’re just so wonderfully mature and wholesome for the majority of the story; it’s such an enjoyable read. Aside from romantic development, the plot also focuses on female empowerment. I never expected to come across a manwa- much less a rofan manwa- with such overtly feminist themes! I was surprised and delighted to see it so prevalent in this series! I should point outthough, that the feminism is different from current western intersectional feminism. This is Korean media, which has its own history and culture of feminism.
The beginning has a bizarre and unnecessary backstory about people with dark-coloured skin turning light-skinned over time. This adds nothing to the story.

On another negative note, the last arc drags on way too long.
However, I think being able to binge multiple chapters at once will be much more enjoyable than reading it week by week. Having to wait makes it feel longer than it really is.

The ending also deviates from the original novel for anyone interested in reading both versions. Although , IMO, I don’t understand the change. It doesn’t address the novel readers' complaints about the couples' prolonged and angsty final conflict, and the political resolution is more anticlimactic compared to the novel spoilers I read. It reaches the same conclusion as in the novel, but through different means.

Overall, despite the flaws, I highly recommend it! It offers something different than most stories of the same genre.