K-DRAMA REVIEW: “No Gain No Love” Gladdens with Addicting Rom-Com and Heartfelt Moments

October 2, 2024
K-DRAMA RECAPS/K-DRAMA REVIEWS

In an emotional roller coaster ride finale, our characters get closure along with happy endings. But before we reach said ending, we have some issues to address as well as a mini separation and time skip.

The drama ties its plot points in a nice bow. But just like the typical case with finales, some parts feel rushed, and the ending leaves us craving for more moments to spend with our leads.

Bunny S. watches No Gain No Love on Prime Video

Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 & 08 | 09 & 10 |

No Gain No Love Finale Week Recap

As we come to learn, scared her abusive father would find her there, Ja-yeon transferred schools and left the foster home. But despite her efforts, that man came looking for her and killed Hae-yeong’s father. After that, Hae-yeong moved out and her mother stayed alone in the house, calling the foster home quits. Yet she took Ji-wook in as her last foster child since she was acquainted with Ji-wook’s grandmother.

It was because of Hae-yeong’s mother that Ji-wook couldn’t tell Hae-yeong the truth since he had promised her mother that he would keep his stay in the house a secret from Hae-yeong. But now that everything is out in the open, Hae-yeong is fuming and doesn’t even give Ji-wook a chance to explain. Actually, Hae-yeong is madder at her mother than Ji-wook for taking in another child even after her father died like this.

The surprising part is that Hae-yeong was left in the dark about the real identity of her father’s killer. Only Ja-yeon and Hae-yeong’s mother knew about that cruel truth. Or, so they thought, since Hae-yeong was aware of everything and, despite all of that, she decided to take Ja-yeon in, since the latter looked like she was living in hell and needed someone to save her.

After kicking Ji-wook out, Hae-yeong takes a day off and screens Ji-wook’s calls. Lovesick, Ji-wook fools Gyu-hyeon (who is just as lovesick) into helping him locate Hae-yeong by promising to help Gyu-hyeon reach Ja-yeon in return. Yet Ji-wook breaks his promise and hightails his way out after learning Hae-yeong’s location.

Hoping to find her mother’s diaries and get some answers, Hae-yeong went to the house, where her mother stayed after retiring to the countryside. But unluckily, Hae-yeong finds nothing, as her mother had already cleaned the house before moving to the nursing home. Still, Ji-wook shows Hae-yeong a video he took of her mother, where she recognized Hae-yeong as her daughter.

After calming down a bit, Hae-yeong is ready to listen to Ji-wook. But she gets disappointed after learning that Ji-wook disappeared after the wedding because of the promise he made to her mother. That promise meant more to Ji-wook than his growing feelings for Hae-yeong.

Meanwhile, Ja-yeon falls into danger when her abusive father breaks into the house while she is alone and starts beating her up. He is brazen enough to threaten to kill Hae-yeong, just like he killed Hae-yeong’s father, to get Ja-yeon to listen to him. Luckily, Gyu-hyeon comes to Ja-yeon’s rescue and gives that abusive man a beating, though he sustains some injuries of his own as well.

The highlight of this sequence is Ja-yeon realizing Hae-yeong knew the truth all along and the girls talking it out. Hopefully, Ja-yeon can now stop feeling guilty and get over that tragedy. Better yet, Gyu-hyeon assures Ja-yeon that his feelings for her haven’t changed at all. He will even do his best to overthrow Hae-yeong and become the person Ja-yeon leans on the most.

Unfortunately, our characters get struck by another tragedy that night. Hae-yeong’s mother passes away. At first, Hae-yeong pretends to be strong, but she eventually breaks down into tears in Ji-wook’s arms. Hae-yeong’s mother has left her behind before Hae-yeong could reconcile with her.

After the funeral, Hae-yeong takes off Ji-wook’s ring, breaking off their fake marriage. It isn’t because he lied to her. Hae-yeong has forgiven Ji-wook for that and thanked him for keeping her mother company. She even listed his name as her mother’s son on the chief mourners’ list. The reason why Hae-yeong lets Ji-wook go, though she likes him, is because she doesn’t want to be Ji-wook’s purpose in life. Ji-wook has lived his life keeping his promises to others and denying himself in the process. So, Hae-yeong wants him to live freely for himself.

Hearing that Ji-wook was leaving Korea, I thought he would go to see his mother in Canada. But disappointingly, Ji-wook is going to Hong Kong as per Gyu-hyeon’s mother’s wishes. That isn’t right, Ji-wook. Hae-yeong wanted Ji-wook to live freely, but he was still following other people’s wishes. At least we got a reconciliation between our two half-brothers, with Gyu-hyeon trying to stop Ji-wook from leaving and the latter calling him “Hyung”, getting Gyu-hyeon moved.

6 months later, Ja-yeon and Gyu-hyeon are happily dating and wearing couple rings. Hae-yeong quit her job and set up her own startup, coaxing Gyu-hyeon’s secretary to join her. But things aren’t going well for Hae-yeong’s startup and she is about to go broke. To secure money, Hae-yeong puts her mother’s countryside house on sale. When this fails, Hae-yeong turns to Gyu-hyeon with a sales pitch. Luckily, Gyu-hyeon agrees to invest in Hae-yeong’s startup, but not without calling her a traitor and teasing her for a bit.

Amidst all of this, Hae-yeong misses Ji-wook and keeps thinking of him. Spotting him with another woman, Hae-yeong wrongly assumes Ji-wook is already over her and getting married to that woman. But that woman is Ji-wook’s younger sister and Ji-wook isn’t getting married but attending a relative’s wedding on his stepfather’s behalf.

We don’t get many details but it seems Ji-wook has been travelling around the world and went to see his mother in Canada as well. I am glad to hear Ji-wook is on good terms with his mother’s family and isn’t on his own anymore. The main reason why Ji-wook is back in Korea is because he misses Hae-yeong. He came back to where his heart lies, and won’t leave her side again. Hae-yeong feels just the same. And this time, she will love him with all her heart without any calculations.

Like this, the drama has come to an end. Honestly, I hoped we wouldn’t get a separation and time-skip trope. But I understand Hae-yeong’s decision. Even if she loves Ji-wook and wants to lean on him, it is only right to do this after he is free from the things that shackled him. The Ji-wook we met after the time-skip seemed more at ease than when we first met him. My main issue, though, is that I wanted to spend more time with our leads and perhaps get another wedding, but I will just settle with this and imagine them living happily together.

No Gain No Love Series Quick Recap

A woman who hates incurring losses finds herself on the verge of losing out on a job promotion just because she is unmarried. Cue: her plan to find a fake groom to get married to. And who else could be a better fit than our long-time part-timer who has some secrets of his own?

No Gain No Love Series Highlights and Musings

In a Kdrama year filled with mysteries and unnecessary plot points rearing their ugly heads into romcoms, No Gain No Love was a breath of fresh air that knew exactly what it set out to do without trying to bite more than it could chew, gifting us with a fun and engaging show with lots of heartfelt moments. Normally, Kdramas turn dark or go downhill in the second half, but the show sustained its light-hearted tone throughout its run, even if I had some issues with the ending.

Shin Min-ah slaying her roles, as usual, is enough of a reason to watch, and her chemistry with Kim Young-dae was shining. Adding to the sweetness, the second leads also were given a fair share of the spotlight and weren’t used as plot devices as dramas usually do. Gyu-hyeon and Ja-yeon’s story was just as compelling as Hae-yeong and Ji-wook’s and I am glad they got their spinoff where they will be the main leads.

 

Another thing I appreciated about the drama was the sismance featuring Hae-yeong, Ja-yeon, and their third friend, Cha Hui-seung (Joo Min-kyung). There was a lot to cover, so I couldn’t mention Hui-seung in the recaps. But the bond between the three women was one of the drama highlights, especially the scenes where Hae-yeong stood up for the other two, playing the elder sister figure. The bromance between Ji-wook and Gyu-hyeon added to the fun element as well. And I am glad their fallout didn’t get dragged out for long.

If you crave a fun and easy watch to lift up your spirits, No Gain No Love is your go-to drama. The short episode count also makes it a perfect choice for a weekend binge-watch. This is one drama which I went into not expecting much but it endeared its way into being one of my favorite romcoms this year. And when I find myself in need of a good laugh, I will dive in again for a rewatch.

Photos and Videos: tvN Drama

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Bunny Sonaki

I am Bunny. Just like you, I am smitten with Kdramas and look forward to watching every Kdrama out there, but is that dream ever possible since they keep showering us with new dramas every day? For me, Kdramas are my comfort zone and a warm hug that makes it possible to face up to whatever life throws my way.

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