Taiwanese Drama: Love Timeless (鐘樓愛人)
Broadcast Date: 4/15/2017
Station: EBC
Airs: Saturdays
Total Episodes: 15
Leads: Nick Chou & Summer Meng
Love Timeless Episode One Recap:
As the director of the Research and Development department at a facial mask company, our hero Shi Zhao Yu swallows his distaste when his old nemesis from his university days shows up as his company’s soon to be owner. A perfectionist concerning his research, Zhao Yu cannot stomach the thought of working for Jun Ren (his nemesis) who is simply a rich second generation chaebol that is focused on expanding his family’s empire.
Complaining to his best friend/co-worker Hai Meng over drinks, our hero’s mood sours even more when Hai Meng brings up his lifelong regret of losing a vital basketball game to Jun Ren in college. Disliking each other immensely especially since they are both interested in the school beauty, Ruo Bi, the two boys decides to settle their competition with a basketball game on the condition that the loser will give up the right to pursue Ruo Bi. Unfortunately, Shi Zhao loses the bet and with it, the chance to get the girl.
Slightly buzzed with alcohol, our hero makes his way home just in time to overhear his friend Zhao Kai Jia (heroine) fibbing to a high school student (from her job as a student mentor) that he is her boyfriend of 10 years. Amused to see the girl that he had always thought of as a little sister giving sage advice, Zhao Yu listens with amusement…until the high school boy calls Kai Jia bluff and leans in to plant a kiss on her. Surprised that her long time crush suddenly pops out to save her, Kai Jia tries to explain to Shi Zhao about her lie but he was much more interested in the fact that she has never been kissed at the ripe age of 30.
Utterly embarrassed, Kai Jia attempts to make an escape but ends up kissing Zhao Yu on the cheek by accident. All thoughts of Kai Jia being like a sister to him flying out the window, Zhao Yu softly kisses her…and let’s just say he didn’t stop at just a kiss.
Waking up the next morning a bit dazed, Zhao Yu wince the moment memories of his passionate night with Kai Jia comes rushing back to him. Walking out of Kai Jia’s room to see her shyly offering him breakfast, Zhao Yu runs out of the door as fast as he could.
Fully aware what a jerk he is being, our very confused hero is nonetheless completely overwhelmed by the feeling of guilt as he tries to come to terms with the fact that he just slept with his “little sister.”
Still harboring a tiny bit of hope even while logic tells her otherwise, Kai Jia decides to confront Zhao Yu for the sake of her 10 year long crush. Unable to avoid Kai Jia any longer when she shows up unexpectedly, Zhao Yu sits on pins and needles as Kai Jia demands some answers.
Kai Jia: “You weren’t completely wasted when you did “that” with me last night were you?”
Zhao Yu: “No.”
Kai Jia: “And it wasn’t because of a moment of impulsiveness?”
Zhao Yu: “No.”
Kai Jia: “Then what are your feelings for me?”
Zhao Yu: “…”
Kai Jia: “Does this mean we are kinda together?”
Zhao Yu: “…”
Kai Jia: “Do you like me?”
Zhao Yu: “…”
Tears flowing down her face, Kai Jia declares “I knew it. You don’t like me at all.”
Finally answering, Zhao Yu replies “No, that’s not it.”
Her voice rising, Kai Jia demands “Then why did you run away this morning?”
With a small sigh, Zhao Yu says “I don’t know.”
Kai Jia “Then what are we right now? Why did you kiss me and sleep with me? Do you know what? Even that high school boy knew what kissing meant. But you?! The only thing you do is say no, I don’t know or stay silent. You can’t even bring yourself to face me. You are less than a high school student.”
Giving up as she looks at the still silent Zhao Yu, Kai Jia yells “Go back and get retrained in high school!”
Unable to keep fooling herself when even the facade of friendship has become impossible, a teary Kai Jia listens as her best friend counsels her once again that it is time for her to let go of her hopeless crush. Unfortunately, any plans to kick Zhao Yu permanently out of Kai Jia’s life has to be put on hold when an unexpected old friend issues an invitation for a reunion.
Once the well known beauty of her college, Ruo Bi is now an upcoming singer releasing her first album. Believing Ruo Bi should be busily preparing for her debut even if the rumors are swirling wildly that her husband (Jun Ren, hero’s nemesis) is keeping a mistress, Zhao Yu and his friends are surprised when Ruo Bi invites her old college band mates to meet at their old secret hangout.
Any awkwardness our two leads might have experienced upon seeing one another at their old hangout is quickly forgotten when they spot Ruo Bi standing dangerously on a building’s ledge. Ignoring her old friends’ (including her no good husband) plea to get down, Ru Bi tells each of her five friends something she wishes them to know. To Zhao Yu, Ru Bi yells through her teary smile “Zhao Yu! How I wish you were the one that won that basketball game 10 years ago. Maybe then, we would’ve had more chance to get to know each other. This way I would know if my regret of never been with you was just my own wishful thinking.” To her cheating husband, Ru Bi simply said “Jun Ren. I wish I never met you. Then this marriage wouldn’t exist.”
Sensing what Ruo Bi might be planning, Zhao Yu takes off running up the building but arrives only in time to reach out in desperation as Ruo Bi softly mutters “Thank you all. Goodbye.”
Too focused on saving Ruo Bi to see that something very important has just changed, Zhao Yu catches Ruo Bi as she jumps off what suddenly became a rather small building. Confused when people starts accusing him of interrupting a shoot, Zhao Yu walks away after Ruo Bi greets him like a complete stranger. His mind all jumbled, Zhao Yu runs into his best friend Hai Meng and is stunned when he figures out from their conversation that the year is not 2017 but 2007.
Slowly catching on that not only has he gone back 10 years but that his 30 year old soul is actually in his twenty year old body, Zhao Yu quickly decides that this is the perfect opportunity to change some important things…such as that fateful basketball game with Jun Ren.
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Thanks to having 10 more years of life experience and luck, Zhao Yu wins the game this time around which of course proves that the past can be changed.
Ninja’s First Impression:
I had no clue what to expect when I checked this one out. The promo looked a bit serious and I was afraid it would be very melo. Fortunately, while the show is not a comedy by any means there are plenty of light humor inject through out. I was also a bit worried about the pacing of the story so it was a pleasant surprise to see that at least for the first episode the plot moved extremely quickly.
One thing worth mentioning, Love Timeless has quite a bit more sexual innuendos than I am used to in T-idol dramas. I find the innuendos distracting and ineffective as a humor device but they are not bad enough to turn me off the show.
That small complaint aside, Love Timeless does seem very promising. The two leads certainly proved right from the start that they have good chemistry together. The show has made no secret that our hero will have to take some time to figure out that the one buried deep in his heart is actually Kai Jia not Ruo Bi so it remains to be seen if the writer could make that path of discovery interesting. I personally have a weak spot for heroines who harbor secret crushes and can eventually make their dream a reality so I am really hoping this one will be a winner!
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