I mainly dabble with Korean and Japanese drama, mainly because I think the languages and cultures of these countries are beautiful. I have been attempting broaden my horizons and try a Taiwanese drama for a long time but many didn't capture my interest. Then I found Refresh Man. I've actually been meaning to try this drama for most of the year but haven't been getting around to it, and then it was added to Netflix a few weeks ago and that was that.
A refresh man is a person with no passion for their job. Zhong Yutang thinks she's as far away from this description as possible - she works diligently, and is expecting a promotion to Head Secretary at her company very soon. That is, until Ji Wenkai shows up and ruins everything. The two of them went to close together, and they were close in an unconventional way - she constantly tortured him, and he liked her regardless, not that she knew. Ji Wenkai always had the lowest grades, and now ten years later he reappears in front of her as the CEO of her company. When he demotes her to Sales Team 3, otherwise known within the company as the place where careers go to die, Yutang's embarrassment inspires her the beat Wenkai the way she used to. But her co-workers are typical refresh men, so it's going to be a long ride. 
Frankly, episodes one and two didn't capture my attention much. When watching drama set in a workplace, I have to believe that the words won't just go over my head. In the first few scenes of episode one, where Yutang was attempting to diffuse a possible disaster with the contract signing, I was bored. However, by the end of episode five, I was actually quite pleased with the storyline. Rather than just using work-based problems to fill time, Refresh Man used the arc to point out Yutang's personal flaws, which was wonderful. Things have come easy to since she was young - sometimes making sales (and working for someone you were once superior to) means throwing away your pride and Yutang has a lot of that. She used to torment Wenkai, and maybe others, so it's about time karma kicked in and showed her what being the underdog looks like.
Regarding Wenkai, I wasn't too invested in his character at first. Sure, he's pretty (I mean, I checked this out initially because of Aaron Yan's face) and secretly kind-hearted, but they didn't injected much personality into him at that point. By the end of episode three, though, once I discovered what a lovable dork he is, I was sold. His petty revenge on Yutang is hilarious, especially knowing he has her best interests at heart under all that smug arrogance. The scene where we drove a truck around Yutang's neighbourhood announcing her demotion - given she did the same thing to him when they were young - was golden, and when the truck started failing and he was panicking, I was laughing so hard I was in tears. I can't wait for more of Wenkai.
Aaron Yan and Joanne Tseng are just overflowing with chemistry. I watched some behind-the-scenes clips, and they act like best friends. Regarding how the romance between these two will develop in the future, I think it'll be a pretty bumpy road. As I've said, Yutang is prideful, and Wenkai seems like he's happier keeping his feelings buried. I mean, he's done that for ten years, why not keep going? It looks like Refresh Man will continue to be angsty in the best kind of way. The other characters are also interesting - I'm curious about how the story will be structured, since I'm gathering that it'll definitely be centered around restoring Sales Team 3's passion and molding them into a good team. My verdict? I'll happily keep watching Refresh Man, since I have some confidence that the show won't drive itself off a cliff just yet. Well, we can pray, at least.
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