My Troublesome Honey- Episode 1-2
I stumbled upon this drama by chance, and the premise intrigued me enough to give it a shot. The cast is fresh, filled with actors I’ve never seen before, so I’m curious to see if they can bring the story to life.
Episode 1 kicks off with the male lead, Yun-Ya, soaking in a bathtub, deep in thought as he battles a creative block for his detective novel. The pressure mounts after he reads harsh comments from fans, criticizing that his beloved character Mario has become stagnant and lost his spark. As Yun-Ya wrestles with his writing struggles, the lively female lead, Rou-Zhu, is shown juggling multiple part-time jobs with relentless energy and her spunky charm, zipping from one gig to another.
Their paths collide at Yun-Ya’s book signing, where tensions rise among his fans, sparking a debate over whether his character Mario needs friends or even a love interest. Yun-Ya coolly responds, "Mario doesn’t need superficial people around him to keep him alive and interesting." The stage is set, not just for creative challenges, but for a fiery clash of personalities that promises to shake things up.
As Rou-Zhu steps in to calm the rowdy crowd of fans, she can’t help but feel that Yun-Ya is arrogant and full of himself. Her suspicions are confirmed when she catches him making a little boy cry, casually telling the child he’ll lose all his teeth if he keeps eating lollipops. Outraged, Rou-Zhu scolds him for scaring the boy, sparking a heated argument. Yun-Ya, ever quick to judge, assumes she’s just another fan trying to pull stunts to get close to him.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Yun-Ya’s manager is scrambling to salvage the situation with the publishing board. With Yun-Ya’s writer’s block tanking sales, the board is ready to cut ties unless he can turn things around in a month. The manager promises to fix it and hatches a plan: send Yun-Ya to intern at a local law firm for some "real-world" experience—without mentioning that the firm is run by his relative. The manager hopes that this new environment will inspire Yun-Ya, especially when paired with a woman at the firm who might help him develop a romantic subplot for his struggling novel character, Mario.
The next day, Yun-Ya arrives at the law firm, only to run into none other than Rou-Zhu—the last person who’d want to help him. She’s furious to find out he’s the new recruit, and tries to back out. But with the promise of a bonus and a raise, her boss convinces her to stay.
Yun-Ya immediately takes over the boss’s office and starts demanding various renovations, assigning all the work to Rou-Zhu. Ever resourceful, she hands off the tasks to the boss and the two other employees before heading home to scheme with her best friend about how to handle this situation—and maybe even figure out how to win over a guy.
The next day, Rou-Zhu tries to put her plan into action but fails spectacularly at every step, leaving her frustrated and ready to quit. She vents to her boss, and together they come up with a new plan: recreate an old case involving a missing kitten to lure Yun-Ya into helping. But to their disappointment, Yun-Ya has zero interest in the case, brushing it off without a second thought.
As the episode closes, we see Yun-Ya jolting awake from a disturbing nightmare—haunted by the memory of a little girl from his past who had an insatiable love for lollipops and candy. The unresolved mystery from his childhood looms large, and it seems like it’s about to collide with his present in more ways than one.
Episode 2 kicks off with Rou-Zhu dramatically pretending to be sick after her late-night search for the missing cat—though, we all remember it was really from dumping ice water over her head in the previous episode. Yun-Ya, however, isn’t buying into her act and brushes off her pleas for help, instead sending her on an errand to fetch him water.
As the boss and the other employees try to reach Rou-Zhu, Yun-Ya eventually finds her curled up on the floor, looking genuinely ill. He answers her phone, telling them she’s sick, and they insist that he take her home, texting him her address. In classic C-drama fashion, Yun-Ya carries her home and, as he lays her on the bed, she grabs his shirt, pulling him down on top of her. Cue the accidental romance trope! She clings to him, asking him to stay because she’s cold, and Yun-Ya spots a photo from her elementary school days. When he takes her temperature, he realizes she actually does have a fever.
Meanwhile, we get a glimpse of Yun-Ya’s sister, Ms. Hou, looking uninterested at a board meeting about sales. Elsewhere, a man is being interviewed, confidently claiming he will soon be engaged to Ms. Hou. Back at Rou-Zhu's, Yun-Ya prepares medicine for her and feeds it to her, but she complains about the bitterness. He retrieves a lollipop from her desk, triggering memories of his childhood friend once again. While she sleeps, he scans her room and notices a hand-drawn calendar featuring him.
Ms. Hou has dinner with her would-be fiancé, who’s clearly annoyed by her lack of attention. When he brings up an engagement banquet, she coolly asks him to wait until she finishes her current project, leaving him outwardly calm but clearly displeased.
The next morning, Rou-Zhu wakes up, stunned to find herself holding hands with Yun-Ya, who is sleeping in her bed while she’s on the floor. She learns the photo by her bed is of kids from an orphanage where she volunteers. Yun-Ya brushes off the situation by telling her not to get any improper ideas, reaffirming her belief that he’s an arrogant narcissist. They head to work, where she runs into him “accidentally” and snarkily claims she must arrive before him.
At work, Yun-Ya confronts her, revealing that he knew the missing cat case was a fake all along and pointing out the flaws in their plan. Rou-Zhu explains they did it to help him regain his creative spark. As they discuss the situation with the boss, news breaks that reporters are on their way to interview Yun-Ya. Rou-Zhu worries he won’t cooperate, but to her surprise, Yun-Ya returns and speaks highly of the law firm and its employees. He teases his upcoming novel, promising fresh ideas, and when asked about his relationship with Rou-Zhu, he firmly clarifies that she’s just his assistant, not his girlfriend.
Yun-Ya lounges in his bathtub, casually phoning his manager with a surprising update: he’s adding a new female character to his novel, modeled after none other than Rou-Zhu. She’ll become Mario’s assistant. His manager is thrilled with the news, reminding Yun-Ya about the cocktail party he needs to attend that evening.
Meanwhile, Rou-Zhu is at home, still feeling under the weather, playing with her kitten. She texts Yun-Ya, offering to take him to dinner as thanks for taking care of her—but quickly retracts the invite, assuming he’d refuse since he dislikes eating with strangers. Unbeknownst to her, Yun-Ya is about to attend the cocktail party, but as he approaches the room, he overhears the guests badmouthing him, his manager, and even the law firm. Unfazed, he strides into the room with his signature arrogance, snubbing them all with a cutting remark: “I don’t eat with people beneath me.”
Despite his disdain for the crowd, Yun-Ya surprises everyone by heading to dinner with Rou-Zhu, who insists on taking him to a simple wonton restaurant. However, once inside, he’s met with an unexpected ambush—the entire law firm staff is there too. When he refuses to drink alcohol with them, Rou-Zhu teases him into it, and before long, he’s had more than a few drinks.
As the alcohol loosens his tongue, Yun-Ya begins to vent about his struggles as a writer and how he feels he’s failed his beloved character, Mario. For the first time, Rou-Zhu sees him in a different light—less the arrogant celebrity and more a flawed, relatable human being. The law firm employees rally around him, offering their support, and Rou-Zhu can’t help but feel that there’s more to Yun-Ya than meets the eye.
DramaZen's Opinion
So far, the drama hasn't disappointed me, though I have to admit the subtitles are a bit shaky at times. Still, it’s easy enough to follow the plot, and I’m intrigued by where things are headed. The characters are decent, though you can definitely tell the actors are fairly new to the scene. That said, I can see potential—if the writing stays sharp, I think things will pick up as the story progresses.
What’s really piquing my curiosity is the connection between Yun-Ya’s recurring dream and Rou-Zhu. I have this strong hunch that the little girl haunting his nightmares is actually Rou-Zhu, and they somehow lost touch when they were younger. It feels like there’s an emotional twist waiting to be uncovered, and I’m eager to see how their past might resurface and complicate everything. If the drama plays its cards right, this mystery could add a lot of depth to the unfolding story.
It's an added bonus that the episodes are only about 30 minutes long. This makes it not seem to draggy and enjoyable enough to maybe binge a few episodes in a day to kill some time.
The tension, humor, and budding chemistry between the leads are on full display in episode 2, setting the stage for more twists in their dynamic! It also brings out a new vulnerability in Yun-Ya, opening the door for a deeper connection between him and Rou-Zhu while hinting at the growing support network around him.