L'Empire du sourire

Im Yoon-ah plays Cheon Sa-rang a hotel worker who is very dedicated to her job and is an outstanding employee serving the King hotels guests for whom she works. Into her life comes Goo Won played by LeeJun-ho who is the son of the owner of King group who owns various businesses including the hotel. He is an irresponsible playboy who is estranged from his family and has no interest in his fathers business. The series is incredibly well acted and with a great supporting cast all dealing with their own various problems. It has received criticism on two fronts, one being it is a rehash of many past dramas but I think that is part of the appeal as it's aim is to warm your heart with the nostalgic tropes. The other being the way an Arab was portrayed which offended many people who have awarded a one score to show their displeasure.

I really liked the show.

I am on episode 7 now and I think it's a cute and lovely story line. I can understand people don't like the rich guy poor girl story line, but I did not think that much trough with that in this show.

The female character shows a lot of love for her job and passion, I think that's such a great thing about the show. And the male character changes and is inspired by this female lead and in my opinion is also a nice thought.

Overall I think I did not expect this much hate in the reviews, I am really shocked. A lot of the reviews come from very experienced k-drama fans, so yeah maybe this show is not what u expected and see a lot but maybe for newer fans ore for fans who aren't into k-drama this much it's a nice show to watch!

I guess you'll have to watch it to find out if you love or hate it. I agree that the start was slow, but now I really look forward to it on the weekends and I'm smiling throughout the episode. Hate the plot all you want but the lead couple and other actors have done a great job. Love the development and natural style of the lead couple, and how they both are not perfect but developing their communication and really perfect together. The visuals are nice too. I really appreciate this drama, it gave me so many positive moments. Given the either 1 or 10 star reviews, I guess at least it doesn't leave you indifferent.

So in episode 9 there is a depiction of an Arab prince that is not Arab but Indian and does all sorts of things not allowed in Islam, which is the reason for all the hate in this series. You may also notice a lot of reviews from Islamic countries due to this controversie. The rating is not an accurate representation of the quality of the series. However, do not be discouraged to watch this if you are not Muslim! For most people this series will score a solid 7 at least and should rank somewhere between 7-8 probably.

It is an enjoyable serie with good acting and some humor and plot twists and turns. Sure, it is not the most original plot or innovative and apparently not even culturally appropriate but it is an enjoyable watch that will satisfy most RomCom and Comedy Drama watchers. The quality is on average still way above most hollywood series and movies nowadays too.

In short, feel free to watch the first episode as it is fun to watch and a good representation of the overall quality of the series. I am sure you won't be disappointed! Again, if you are Muslim perhaps skip this series as it is not for you and you and you may feel like it severely misrepresents your culture and customs.

I've noticed the reviews going down for this show ever since episode 7. DON'T LISTEN TO THEM. This show is cute and a feel good show and the leads are beautiful and have a lot of chemistry. It's not really dramatic but it's not an outright comedy either. It's cute and leaves you feeling fluffy and happy. I would recommend it if you're in the mood for something simple like that.

I'm currently on the vacation episode and it's so fun. I also think that that the show does a good job of showing how corporations poorly treat their employees and how working hard does not always equate to success. So, even within the fluff, there's a nice message forming. Plus, the two main romances are quite cute.