START-UP 🚀💔 ~ or The Ballad of Two Boyfriends and One Forgetful CEO
Hold up, fam. Gather ’round, ’cause Myla’s got some thoughts on the K-drama that simultaneously launched a thousand tech dreams and a million second lead syndrome support groups: Start-Up. You thought you were signing up for innovation and entrepreneurial spirit? Nah, sweetie. You signed up for a masterclass in romantic sabotage and the audacity of a woman to just… forget things.
The Pitch: Dreams, Dollars, and Drama, Darling
Witness a world where ambitious youths chase their tech dreams in a bustling sandbox of innovation! Behold Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy), a tenacious go-getter with main character energy and an uncanny ability to attract two wildly different, yet equally charming, men. Prepare yourselves for Nam Do-san (Nam Joo-hyuk), the awkward genius coder whose brilliance is matched only by his social anxiety. And then, there’s Han Ji-pyeong (Kim Seon-ho), the “Good Boy” investor with a heart of gold, a tongue of pure acid, and a tragic backstory that basically screams, “Marry me, you fool!”
It’s a rollercoaster, folks. A glossy, high-production-value rollercoaster where the cast is so ridiculously good-looking, you almost forgive the plot for trying to gaslight you. Almost.
The Flaw-some Truth: Selective Amnesia and Epic Emotional Warfare
Let’s be real. The visual committee ate. Suzy? Flawless. Nam Joo-hyuk? All puppy-dog eyes and long limbs. Kim Seon-ho? The rizz radiating from that man could power a small city. Their acting? Chef’s kiss, mostly. The cinematography? So polished, you could see your reflection in those tech company windows.
But then… the plot. Oh, the plot.
[Trope Call-out]: The Childhood Pen Pal Bait-and-Switch.
Our girl Dal-mi had a childhood crush on a pen pal, unknowingly fostered by her grandmother and actual pen pal, Ji-pyeong, who used Do-san’s name. Awwww, how sweet! Until it becomes a grown-up problem, and everyone just forgets to clear things up for, oh, I don’t know, about 80% of the show’s runtime? The sheer determination of these characters to avoid a simple conversation is an Olympic sport. Like, girl, you remember everything else, but the actual identity of your childhood crush who wrote you those iconic letters? Selective amnesia is a powerful plot device, I guess.[Flashback Fatigue]: The Letter-Gate Saga
Every other episode, we’re flashing back to those damn letters. We get it. They were important. They were pivotal. But after the fifth emotional montage of a child writing in a dusty room, you start wishing the post office had lost them. My brain cells were collectively screaming, “WE’VE SEEN IT! MOVE ON!”[Fan Service Paradox]: The Second Lead Syndrome Apocalypse
This show didn’t just create second lead syndrome; it weaponized it. Ji-pyeong was the ultimate ‘green flag’ wrapped in a ‘tsundere’ package. He was financially stable, emotionally mature (mostly), a great mentor, and literally the guy who loved her first. Do-san was… a lovable dork who occasionally got things done. And yet! The show insisted on the main ship, forcing us to watch our hearts collectively shatter into a million tiny pieces with every lingering look Ji-pyeong gave Dal-mi. It was pure, unadulterated emotional terrorism, and we ate it up like hungry puppies. Because Kim Seon-ho, that’s why.
Myla’s Final Verdict: Worth the Trauma-Tinged Tears?
So, was Start-Up a flawless tech odyssey? Absolutely not. Was it a masterclass in emotional manipulation, powered by a cast so unfairly attractive you couldn’t look away? You BET.
It was a guilty pleasure of the highest order. A beautifully shot, perfectly acted, yet maddeningly plotted ride that made us question our life choices, our loyalty to main leads, and our capacity for emotional pain. You’ll scream, you’ll swoon, you’ll want to throw your remote at the screen, but you’ll keep watching. Because sometimes, seeing gorgeous people suffer beautifully is all the therapy we need. Just don’t ask me to remember the actual tech innovations. I was too busy crying over Ji-pyeong’s unrequited love.
Go watch it. And prepare your heart for war. You’ve been warned.
original article by kpop.you
