Cho Seung Woo and Park Shin Hye team up for an action-packed time travel thriller. Will there be romance? Will it be between people who aren’t related this time (thanks for the PTSD, Alice)? Can Park Shin Hye pull off action scenes? These are all the burning questions we know you have, and we’re here to answer them for you.

Time Travel: it’s very rarely handled without some type of suspension of belief and often times leaves HUGE plot holes in its wake. A rule of thumb for this sci-fi fan is that you shouldn’t spend too much time on the HOW. Talismans, tiny brains inside of other people’s brains, a time machine built in Gallifrey by age old timelords – they’re all made up mechanisms to get our heroes from one moment in time to the next. Once our heroes arrive in a time that is not their own, there are going to be changes and problems that occur because time is not something to mess with. Right?

Kang Seo Hae (Park Shin Hye) leaves a period in time that is dystopic in nature and arrives in 2020 with a suitcase and three rules from her father. We have our mode of time travel (something in that suitcase brought her to the past, but we don’t know how), and we have our time traveler. From there, it all focuses on Seo Hae running from men with guns and facemasks (the kind that protects from poisonous gases and airborne pathogens) and breaking every rule her father gave her.

Drama Geek: I loved the way they established the sci-fi portion with Seo Hae and her dad. She is heartbroken her dad won’t come with her, but once she’s in the past, she goes her own way. She’s supposed to just breathe the air and eat her favorite foods and be happy. Okay, so she did eat unpeeled bananas and take in some deep breaths, but then she focuses on whatever she thinks she needs to do.

Kmuse: I am very interested to learn more about her backstory and what is really going on with sending people to the past. Are they dangerous? Why are people from the future after them? What does she have to do with Han Tae Sul? So many questions that I need answers to. But, in the meantime, I think that Park Shin Hye is doing a great job. I am thrilled that she has continued to choose roles that take her away from her candy girl past.

Karie the Maknae: I didn’t always love Park Shin Hye in her previous roles, but watching her in My Annoying Brother changed my attitude. She’s made for these serious roles, where she can rely on herself, kick butt, and basically be confident and competent. The setup we start with is intriguing, and watching her navigate the world she’s literally been thrown into was always interesting and never made me cringe — HUGE bonus.

Han Tae Sul (Cho Seung Woo) saves a plane from crashing by using duct tape and magnets. He’s the Tony Stark of Korea with his high-tech mansion and major personality issues. His brother had come to him ranting about people being after them and spoke about a suitcase (sound familiar?). The brother died right after Tae Sul shunned him for his erratic behavior. Han Tae Sul is also item #3 on Kang Seo Hae’s list of things to avoid at all costs.

Drama Geek: I LOVE LOVE LOVE him as this character. He does flirty genius so well. Seeing him show the range of emotions he’s capable of is wonderful, and I am so happy to be along for this ride with him. I can believe anything, as long as he’s the one telling me.

Kmuse: When have I ever been disappointed by Cho Seung Woo? The answer is NEVER. His continuation as one of my favorite actors of all time continues, and he is killing it in this role. The perfect amount of ego, awkwardness, and geek. He has brought this role to life.

Karie the Maknae: I was already sold on Sisyphus’ concept, but when Drama Geek texted me and told me that Cho Seung Woo is basically Tony Stark, I scrambled to get to the nearest device and get started. He lives up to it — watching him save the plane while dictating his will was nerve-wracking and hilarious, and his charisma just DOES. NOT. STOP.

Many are unsure if Park Shin Hye can pull off the elite warrior her character is supposed to be. The action scenes so far are close and dirty, and yes, you must suspend belief. She jumps from buildings and throws guys around with strength a normal human couldn’t possibly have. She also glitches in and out of focus. We’re left guessing that she’s either not human or when you time travel, you do it after getting some enhancements.

Drama Geek: I’ve seen on both Twitter and MDL that people just don’t think she can do it, and I’m not going to argue that the action scenes do need you to suspend belief. They’re filmed that way. She and the guy she’s running with are hooked up to wires most of the escape scene from the apartment. What I will say is that I can see the time and effort she’s put into portraying this character, and I’m enjoying her so far.

Kmuse: I am always impressed when an actor/actress has put effort into improving their craft. It is obvious that Park Shin Hye has been attempting to break out of the rom-com bubble and shift her career in a different direction. Will she ever be my favorite actress? Probably not. But I have definitely seen improvement in acting ability over the past ten years, and that is enough for me to give anything she does a chance. I actually liked the filming of the action sequences. Do I believe she could do all that? No, but it was still fun to watch.

Karie the Maknae: I’m in the “yay for more acting range” boat with The Fangirls. I’m loving this side of Park Shin Hye, and I think she’s more than capable of keeping it up.

Now for the romance portion. Yes, they’ve made it pretty clear our leads will work together to stay alive and fall in love along the way. There is almost a certainty that there won’t be some weird family connection between them. I’m not sure anyone thought we’d need to worry about this in future time travel dramas, but here we are.

Drama Geek: In every video I’ve seen of these two together they’ve had fun chemistry. They both seem to enjoy working with each other and it will be interesting to see if that translates into good character chemistry. I’m fine with no romance or all the romance. Either way, I’m here for the story and the fun twisted time travel hijinks.

Kmuse: When I first heard that these two were going to be paired together, I didn’t think it would work. Or that I would want to see any romance within the show. That said, they have some pretty good chemistry so far especially considering they haven’t met yet. Interested to see where the story takes us.

Karie the Maknae: One of my favorite things to see is when characters protect each other, and I saw that in one of the trailers for Sisyphus. It gives me good hope for their chemistry.

The biggest questions of all: will we keep watching?

Drama Geek: YES! I know it could go off the rails and become a nonsensical pile of mess, but I don’t care. I’m loving both of them in this story, and so far I really like the world-building. Fingers crossed.

Kmuse: I am all in and thrilled with the quality of acting and directing so far.

Karie the Maknae: Yep yep yep! I’ve been waiting for this drama, and I’m so glad that it’s living up to my expectations. I’m totally in.

Until the Next Suitcase,

The Fangirls

Dramas With a Sid of Kimchi