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No Gain No Love Ep 1-2 Review: Shin Min Ah-Kim Young Dae's romance is heart-fluttering and funny at first go
No Gain No Love has unveiled the first two episodes, and the Shin Min Ah and Kim Young Dae rom-com has left us with special thoughts. Read the review of the first episodes here.
Name: No Gain No Love
Premiere Date: August 26, 2024
Cast: Shin Min Ah, Kim Young Dae, Lee Sang Yi, Han Ji Hyun
Director: Kim Jeong Sik
Writer: Kim Hye Young
No. of episodes: 12
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Language: Korean
Where to watch: tvN, Prime Video
Synopsis of No Gain No Love
No Gain No Love follows the story of Son Hae Young, a calculative office worker who hates losing even in relationships. After being at the bottom of the barrel in her company she finally sees a chance to shoot to the top with a new promotion, but it comes with a problem.
Due to a stupid rule in her company, a woman needs to be married to work closely with the CEO and be promoted to higher levels. Son Hae Young needs that promotion, and also wants to show her ex that she can marry too, so she decides to have a fake marriage.
Angel in disguise working part-time at a convenience store, Kim Ji Wook, played by Kim Young Dae, has always locked horns with Son Hae Young but they have had moments of their own.
When Son Hae Young asks him to be her “groom”, Kim Ji Wook is thrown off and initially refuses but soon gives in. He decides to be her part-time groom on a simple condition.
Son Hae Young and Kim Ji Wook are ready to enter a fake marriage for different personal gains, but cupid hits them with its love arrow. As they shop for wedding dress and groom’s tuxedo, sparks fly adding to the viewers' excitement for the story that will follow.
Watch the No Gain No Love trailer here:
No Gain No Love Episode 1 and 2 Review
No Gain No Love is a romantic comedy that has tried quite hard to not fall back into the well-known tropes and plotlines however, you might find some similarities but we’d say those are just indispensable aces of a good story. No Gain No Love undoubtedly wins when it comes to a fresh storyline (though with a well-known fake marriage setup) as the reason for entering a fake marriage could not be any more realistic.
Shin Min Ah and Kim Young Dae’s chemistry manages to intrigue as it sets the stage for an entertaining story. Shin Min Ah’s Son Hae Young’s desperate attempt at securing promotion and living a life of profits combines perfectly with Kim Young Dae’s Kim Ji Wook’s nonchalance about such matters.
Kim Ji Wook is a man who finds happiness in the smallest of things putting a stark contrast to Shin Min Ah’s character and making their love story even more intriguing. Kim Ji Wook and Son Hae Young from the get-go pique the viewers’ interest by glimpsing a romance that will complete them as a whole while making it all the more fun.
Furthermore, Shin Min Ah and Kim Ji Wook’s characters are almost entirely sure they will not fall in love with each other only more “disgust” as they don’t exactly like each other but their electrifying chemistry has got us hooked.
No Gain No Love’s flowy editing is another highlight that managed to captivate us as viewers and make it a must-watch. The rom-com comes strong with surprisingly funny and delightful dialogues combined with interesting subplots enriching the story with emotional angles.
No Gain No Love flawlessly unfurls with not only Shin Min Ah and Kim Young Dae at its center but all other characters coming together to form a heart-fluttering love story that will give butterflies in your stomach along with wholesome laughs.
How were the performances in No Gain No Love Ep 1 and 2?
The acting performances in No Gain No Love’s first week were worthy of applause with Shin Min Ah spearheading the rom-com with her eternal charisma.
Shin Min Ah, as the calculative Son Hae Young, wins hearts as she delivers dialogues with polished flair combining them with eye-catching expressions. Shin Min Ah, being a rom-com queen, delivers nothing short of a masterpiece. Her Son Hae Young is charming, straightforward, sly like a fox yet emotional which she perfectly hides. She is emotionally deprived because of her ‘mother issues’ but in her own way, she thinks to keep not only her losses to a minimum but of all those around her.
Shin Min Ah’s Son Hae Young will charm her way into your heart and mind almost convincing you to be a profit-and-loss calculating machine much like her.
Kim Young Dae initially might miss by an inch in charming you with his good looks and newfound complex hero role but he pulls through sooner than you might think. Kim Young Dae’s Kim Ji Wook dazzles with his goody deeds first before entering into his prince-like charisma during the tuxedo fitting with a halo making him shine even brighter.
Kim Ji Wook is a man of virtues who helps everyone in his sight with a deadly style of getting on the nerves of those who disrupt worldly peace. Kim Young Dae shines most when bickering with Shin Min Ah’s character and manages to stay with us for the long run.
The second lead game with Lee Sang Yi as Bok Gyu Hyun and Han Ji Hyun as Nam Ja Yeon has got our attention as well. Lee Sang Yi tries hard to fill the shoes of a CEO with quirks while pulling some laughs out of us. While Han Ji Hyun with her daydreaming ways keeps us on our toes leaving us excited for their love story as well.
Shin Min Ah and Kim Young Dae’s romance has got us seated for the long run for sure!
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