My Dearest Nemesis Review — A Drama Where Every Problem Solves Itself and Nothing Actually Happens

A drama that could’ve been fun, dramatic, or messy yet chose to be painfully normal.

Korean Drama Name: 그놈은 흑염룡 (Black Salt Dragon)

Where To Watch: Viki ← *Click for direct link*

Average Rating: 8.1/10 (Mydramalist)

My Rating: 6.0/10

One Sentence Description: My Dearest Nemesis shows two people who share a history of heartbreak, only for it to become mostly irrelevant as their romance plays out with minimal tension.

Trailer:

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Disclaimer: This review is 100% my opinion — I’m not here to hate, just to share my thoughts! Also, SPOILERS AHEAD, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet. Watch it, come back and let’s see if you agree. Let’s keep the discussion respectful and fun! 💕

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Simple Description

My Dearest Nemesis is about two people who connect through a game, fall in love, and then promptly break each other’s hearts. Years later, they reunite — not knowing they share history — and fall in love all over again.

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⚠️Length Note: This post includes a detailed (and long) story breakdown. Want to skip straight to the review? Jump to the Review

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The Review

The Good

A Chemistry That Was… Surprisingly Chem-Enough

I saw a lot of people say the chemistry between the leads was a mess but I didn’t feel that way. Was it top-tier, “are-they-dating-in-real-life” energy? No. But it also wasn’t “they’d-rather-be-with-anyone-else” awkwardness either. Honestly, I felt it more than I didn’t. And you know what I look at? The kisses.

If you’ve watched enough dramas, you know exactly when the leads look like they’d rather be holding a mop than each other. These kisses? They were actually solid. Sure, a couple moments dipped into “siblings who get along a little too well,” but it wasn’t often. Not incredible, not terrible — just solid enough to land on the good side.

Visuals Were Visualing

Let’s be honest: attractive casting matters. And this show delivered. Everyone was visually delivering — main couple, second couple, even the side characters were low-key serving. Do I need to include this in the review? No. Am I going to anyway because my “Good” sections deserve variety? Absolutely. Sue me (but don’t actually 🤭).

Su Jeong’s Level-10 Girlboss Energy

I love girlboss energy and Su Jeong gave it at every turn. She didn’t let anyone’s opinions shake her, and she was always ready to deliver a reality check when needed. Confident, unapologetic, and true to herself. It’s refreshing to see a female lead who can hold her own without being written as cold or unfeeling. She was layered, assertive, and satisfying to watch — especially in a genre that sometimes forgets how powerful a well-written woman can be.

The Bad

A Central Plot Point That… Didn’t Actually Matter

My biggest issue? The entire “we knew each other when we were young and broke each other’s hearts” plot didn’t actually matter. If you removed that storyline completely, the drama would still flow the exact same. Their past connection had zero emotional weight except when they verbally acknowledged it. They fell in love, had conflict, grew closer, fell apart, and reunited all for reasons that had nothing to do with their childhood trauma. And when they finally found out the truth, neither of them cared. Su Jeong was upset for an episode — maybe a day — and then suddenly, “It doesn’t matter.” Ju Yeon didn’t care either, which basically made the entire past… irrelevant.

Usually, when a drama builds tension around a shared past — especially one involving heartbreak — it’s supposed to create conflict. Real conflict. The kind that takes more than a single episode to resolve. But here? It was just a throwaway fact. A marketing hook. Something they dangled in front of us and never developed. Honestly, they should’ve just leaned into the noona-young guy dynamic and called it a day. Because that’s all it was. The gaming arc? Also irrelevant. The past connection added nothing, and halfway through, I found myself wondering what plot I was even watching.

The Grandmother’s Redemption Was a Joke

Let’s talk about the grandmother. Toxic doesn’t even begin to cover it. I’m so glad we all collectively agree that the grandmother was toxic beyond repair and that her “redemption” being slapped together in the last 20 minutes was insulting. After an entire childhood and adulthood of emotional abuse — blaming him for his parents’ death, forbidding him from grieving, punishing him for missing them, and making him terrified of visiting their graves — she says “sorry and thanks” and we’re supposed to clap? Absolutely not.

Her justification was basically, “Sorry I was cruel, I needed an outlet.” That’s not redemption, that’s deflection. There is no universe where someone that abusive gets a soft-focus monologue and a hug at the finish line. Especially not when the male lead’s trauma was so overwhelming that he couldn’t even look sad about his own parents dying. Just thinking about it makes me irritated all over again.

If they wanted to redeem her, they needed to start the arc earlier and actually show guilt, regret, or self-awareness. Instead, she was cold, harsh, and unchanging for 11.9 episodes, then flipped personalities at the eleventh hour. There was no emotional payoff, no satisfying growth, and no closure for everything Ju Yeon survived. He deserved better, and frankly, so did we.

Ha Jin Barely Liked Shin Won and It Showed

Was anyone actually rooting for Ha Jin and Shin Won? Because I wasn’t. From the jump, their relationship felt off. They slept together after their first meeting —which, sorry, should not be normalised— and from there, it never felt like Ha Jin actually liked him. It was like she was just… there. Going through the motions. Like she knew she’d end things eventually and was just waiting for the right excuse.

So when she pushed him away for doing something thoughtful — like buying her mom gifts and talking about security — it didn’t feel shocking. It felt inevitable. Even when she said they should date, it came out like “ehh, sure” instead of “I really like you and want to try.” And the fact that it came right after she asked him to sleep with her again? What the heck was that? From start to finish, Shin Won was way more into her than she was into him. And when they reunited at the end (which was rushed), I still wasn’t feeling anything from her.

She later says she’s not over what her ex did to her but that felt ironic considering how she acted the entire show. She didn’t seem haunted or heartbroken. She seemed fine. If we’d gotten scenes of her crying alone, zoning out, or visibly struggling, maybe that explanation would’ve landed. But instead, her attitude toward Shin Won felt like someone who didn’t want a relationship — not someone who was scared of one. And look, she had every right to say no. I wasn’t expecting her to be with him because he desperately wanted her to. But the way she dragged him along, knowing he liked her, only to shut him down whenever he got a little close? That was the real issue. Everything about her side of the relationship felt ungenuine, and honestly, exhausting to watch.

Love at First… Collision?

Speaking of Shin Won… I don’t get how he fell for Ha Jin. He’s a self-proclaimed playboy — probably for years — and yet he falls head over heels for a woman who catches him when he almost gets hit by a cyclist? That’s it? That’s the moment? Nothing hits less than a male lead who falls deeply in love without a believable reason.

His obsession with her came out of nowhere, especially when she gave him nothing to work with. Watching the “playboy” get strung along by someone who said she’d sleep with him twice but not a third time was just… honestly funny. Where did that come from?

A Romance With No Real Foundation

And as for Ju Yeon, I didn’t really understand his love for Su Jeong either. He started liking her because she told him not to be ashamed of what he likes. Which is like… duh? That’s basic human decency. Anyone with a heart would’ve said that. And while I get that she was the first person to know his secret, she also used it against him and called it weird (well was with the group that called the pink toy weird). That’s not exactly a foundation for love.

It would’ve made more sense if she actually shared his interests and they bonded over mutual passions. They had nothing in common. And aside from the fact that she happened to stumble into his secret, there wasn’t much holding their relationship together.

Blink and You’ll Miss the Conflict

One of the biggest issues with this show? Every single conflict was resolved before it even had time to breathe. Shin Won and Ha Jin’s breakup — which could’ve been a turning point for both characters — was patched up in the same episode. The scandal threatening the reopening? Solved in half an episode. Ju Yeon being fired and replaced? Sorted out in the same episode he was fired. And the biggest one of all — Su Jeong and Ju Yeon discovering each other’s identities was wrapped up by the end of the same episode it was revealed.

Every potential storyline that could’ve added tension, emotion, or literally anything interesting… evaporated as soon as it appeared. There was no time to sit in the discomfort, no space to wonder what would happen next. For a short drama, you’d think the pacing issues were due to time constraints but honestly, it felt more like they didn’t even try. So much of the runtime was spent on fluff that could’ve been trimmed to make room for actual development. But I guess… I don’t know what I guess. This show was boring.

The US Was the Smarter Choice (She Should’ve Gone)

Su Jeong choosing not to go to the U.S. didn’t make sense — not for her character, not for her arc, and definitely not for her future. She said she hated being looked down on, but that’s exactly what’s going to happen from now on. Every promotion, every success, every project she touches will be seen as favouritism. People will whisper. People will complain. And eventually, it will wear her down.

She’s hardworking. She’s determined. She’s earned everything she’s gotten. So why would she willingly stay in a place where her credibility will constantly be questioned because of her relationship with her boss? The scout was right and Su Jeong knew it. That’s what makes her decision so confusing. It didn’t feel like a choice made from strength. It felt like a choice made from sentiment.

Honestly, I don’t see her lasting more than five more years at that company. Not because she isn’t capable but because the environment will slowly chip away at her. And if this were real life, I wouldn’t be surprised if she regretted her decision every time someone looked at her like she didn’t earn her seat at the table.

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What I Would Do

Make The Past Relationship Matter

Since the past added basically nothing to the actual story, I’d make it matter. Here are a few ways it could have worked:

1. Ju Yeon’s lie becomes an actual emotional wound, not a throwaway fun fact.

We could get vulnerable scenes when Su Jeong finally asks him why he lied about his age, and he explains that his real life was miserable — dead parents, guilt, and an abusive grandmother. The 22-year-old Black Dragon became an escape persona for him. When everything at home felt suffocating, he used Black Dragon to survive it by becoming everything Ju Yeon wasn’t.
The lie wasn’t to trick her; it was because he couldn’t face his own reality. Showing up to confess was his way of saying: don’t hold on to a character who doesn’t exist.

2. Their past humiliation actively shapes who they are now.

That day should have created real scars. Ju Yeon’s humiliation could fuel his obsession with proving himself — not just to his grandmother but to the entire company. He’d be hypersensitive to criticism. And to make it worse, his grandmother could find out about his teenage “scandal” (getting dragged away by bodyguards after confessing in public) and use it as proof that he’s weak, threatening his succession.

Su Jeong, on the other hand, could develop low-key social anxiety. Since she was also humiliated in public, maybe she hates unnecessary attention and fears big romantic gestures. She could avoid PDA, not because she’s cold, but because she’s genuinely anxious. These little behaviours would silently show that the past still affects her.

3. The past should challenge their relationship’s future. 

The past shouldn’t only shape who they are, it should complicate what they are becoming. Maybe the company discovers that incident and doubts Su Jeong’s professionalism when they start dating again. Or maybe Ju Yeon overhears people mocking her about “the confession boy,” making him realise that dating her puts her in the same humiliating position all over again.
This would force both of them to actively choose each other while acknowledging the weight of what happened. It creates conflict that’s emotional, logical, and tied directly to their history.

Overallthey don’t have to say they’re still affected, but the show should show it through their actions and who they’ve grown into. We needed depth. We needed layers. “Saying” and not “showing” is a lot more important than people realise.

The Grandma Gets a Real Reality Check + A Possible Redemption (If We Have Time)

The grandmother needed a reality check so badly. She spent the entire show acting like Ju Yeon was disposable, so I’d want to see that belief get shattered. When she fires him and hires a replacement, nothing should go the way she expects. The new guy wouldn’t have Ju Yeon’s work ethic, instincts, or ability to think three steps ahead. Even if she hires several people, none of them would deliver the results she’s used to.

Ju Yeon wouldn’t need to “prove” himself every second as his absence would do that for him. By the time she realises the company is sliding downhill, she’d be forced to admit that she actually needs him. This is where her redemption arc could begin. Not with excuses. Not with last-minute apologies. But with genuine acknowledgment that she was wrong.

Instead of her giving a rushed, half-baked “sorry” at the end, she’d realise that while she can’t fix the damage she caused, she can choose to behave differently moving forward. Even a small shift would’ve meant so much. Maybe we’d get a “1 year later” scene where she excitedly asks him to join her for lunch or proudly introduces him at an event. We didn’t need a rewritten personality; We just needed believable growth.

Ha Jin’s Trauma Made Real

Ha Jin claiming she was still affected by her past relationship didn’t match the way she behaved at all, so I’d make it more obvious and grounded.

First off, I would remove the one-night stand entirely. Instead, Shin Won would stop by her restaurant often — supporting her, getting to know her, and slowly falling for her. She wouldn’t know about his “playboy” history or his messy breakup. Then she’d either overhear the ex accusing him of cheating or the ex would approach her directly, trying to “warn” her. This becomes her trigger.

From that point on, Ha Jin would start seeing red flags everywhere — not because she’s toxic, but because she’s traumatised. A female customer laughing a little too long? Suspicious. A coworker texting him? Anxiety spike. She’d panic, doubt herself, and remember every moment her ex betrayed her. Maybe she’d close her restaurant early one night and break down at home, terrified of being hurt again. When Shin Won notices her pulling away, she’d eventually confess everything — the cheating, the lies, the emotional damage she’s still carrying. Instead of brushing it off, he’d take it seriously. Maybe they’d agree not to date right away. Maybe he tells her he’ll stay in her life however she’s comfortable — as a friend — until she’s ready. It would make their relationship feel earned and layered, not forced and unbalanced.

Love Through Shared Passions

This one feels like common sense, but Ju Yeon and Su Jeong should’ve gotten together because they shared real hobbies — anime, collectibles, rock music, all of it. Instead of him falling for her because she said the bare-minimum “like what you like,” he’d fall because he sees her genuinely excited about the same things he’s spent years hiding.

When that pink collectible shows up at the office? It’s hers. He starts noticing her fandom merch on her desk, sees her scrolling through forums, and realises she’s unapologetically into the things he’s always been shamed for. She’d even protect him sometimes by covering for him or taking the fall when someone criticizes their niche hobbies.

And one night when he secretly follows her to that rock club and sees her dancing, laughing, and living without fear? That’s the moment he falls. Not because she’s nice. Not because she gave him permission to be himself, but because she already was herself, and he wanted to be as free as her.

Fresh Start in the U.S

Su Jeong staying at that company never made sense long-term, so in my version, she leaves and Ju Yeon goes with her. Not as her shadow, not as her ticket out, but because they’re both finally choosing themselves.

Ju Yeon would realise his dream was never running Yonsung. That was his grandmother’s dream. His real wish is to start over somewhere he can breathe — where his worth isn’t tied to trauma, guilt, or obligations. Su Jeong, on the other hand, wants to work somewhere she can be respected for her own abilities, not whispered about as “the boss’ girlfriend.”

Together, they’d start fresh. She’d clarify that she’s not running away, she’s moving forward. And for the first time in his life, Ju Yeon would choose something purely because he wants it. Their happy ending becomes a mutual leap, not a compromise soaked in judgment.

Make Ju Yeon’s Replacement Actually Matter

Ju Yeon being replaced by some random nobody was such a wasted opportunity. It would’ve been far more impactful and honestly more entertaining if his replacement was the chaotic chaebol who kept butting heads with him the entire show. Imagine that guy bragging about taking Ju Yeon’s spot, acting superior, talking big… only to crash and burn because he’s nowhere near as competent. It would highlight exactly why Ju Yeon is irreplaceable, and it gives the rival chaebol something meaningful to do besides being a soggy nuisance who can’t win an argument to save his life.

Plus, it would make the grandmother’s eventual realisation hit harder. She didn’t just hire the wrong guy, she hired the worst possible guy. And she’d finally understand what Ju Yeon brought to the table.

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Final Thoughts

All in all, this show was just boring. Nothing really happened in the twelve episodes, and honestly, I’m shocked I even finished it. Every major issue was solved the same episode it appeared (or at the very start of the next one), and I never truly connected with either main couple. Ha Jin and her quarter-love for Shin Won, and Ju Yeon and Su Jeong’s forced-yet-empty relationship — everything felt thin, rushed, and frankly, a chore.

No disrespect, but it was basically watching two people fall in love with minor — but normal — hiccups along the way. The best part of movies and dramas is that they let you imagine a life that feels out of reach. And while the “your boss is attractive and into you” trope doesn’t happen often in real life (rare things do happen — just ask the news reporter who married a prince or Meghan Markle), it’s not enough to carry a story. That’s what made this drama boring: it gave us nothing beyond the ordinary.

So if you want something to keep on in the background or a mindless binge for a slow weekend, this might do the trick. But if you’re hoping for a show with depth, stakes, or anything meaningful, you’ll miss absolutely nothing by skipping this one. And if you insist on watching… keep the volume low, play a game on the side, and enjoy the pretty faces because that’s all you’re really getting.

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What did you think about this drama?? I saw a lot of people actually enjoyed this drama and while I respect you, how did you enjoy it?? Please explain!

Next week we are back to another movie. This one also recently came out and it’s a youth movie. It also happens to be a drama I didn’t like that much haha!

Anyways, see you next week! 💕

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