Come Here and Hug Me: An Imperfect, Beautiful Drama

I'm very glad I decided to take up Come Here and Hug Me, and anyone watching will agree with me that it somehow surpasses its imperfections. Its a top example of a melodrama done right that I haven't seen since Just Between Lovers, and therefore deserves some more attention. Sadly, the show's ratings are low, even though that doesn't speak for its quality.

Yoon Na-mu and Gil Nak-won, who once shared a bond more special than any other, are torn apart when his father, serial killer Yoon Hui-jae, kills both of her parents. Nam-mu is haunted by the idea he could inherit his father's evil, and becomes a police officer, where he meets Nak-won again, now a rising star.

The premise for this drama sounds cliched when she read it like this - I've watched a thousand young lovers reunited as adults' stories, good and bad. I was immediately a little miffed with Come Here and Hug Me for choosing to lay down the majority of its tragic backstory in one lump. The trouble with doing this, I find, is that I'm completely detached from it, anxious to get to the main event (Can You Hear my Heart), or I end up loving the child actors far more than the main ones (Missing You, Angel Eyes).
  But I was impressed with Come Here and Hug Me for preventing me from feeling either way, partially aided by how much Nam Da-reum resembles his older counterpart Jang Ki-yong, and how similar their portrayals of their character turned out (I hate it when the adult actor takes over and completely ignores how their character was played before, destroying any sense of continuity).
  Most of the complaints I've seen protest how little the main characters have to do. I've come to terms with the diminished role of the protagonists since they are part of something so much bigger than themselves. The drama doesn't always manage to make it feel fluid, but it tells multiple stories. A country ravaged and intrigued by one serial killer, the reporters so desperate for more information that they'll further traumatise the victims for it. The members of a serial killer's family and how each of their lives was drastically affected. Na-mu and Nak-won's relationship makes up just one necessarily part of this wider focus, for better or for worse.
  The romance, whilst slow and subtle is progression, is emotionally satisfying and just all around adorable. It isn't only every interaction between Na-mu and Nak-won that holds my attention, but also every scene between him and his found family. It's been a while since I've watched a drama that focuses on family through a dramatic perspective that actually manages to make me believe it. Its mostly due to the chemistry between the fantastic actors.
  Moreover, I'm happy to focus on multiple characters since they're all ripe for dissection. It's something I like about shows that focus on overarching themes.
  The nature vs nurture debate can be applied here, due to the conflict between the serial killers family. Will Na-mu succumb to the inevitability of his genes, or will he strike out and be different? It's a captivating self struggle.
  Ultimately the story is about longing, for those who are gone, for those you can't have, and much darker longings too. You can see how uniquely it is expressed in every character.
  The flaws are obvious in Come Here and Hug Me. Perhaps the script is to fault for the lack of a clear direction in plot, or perhaps the director is at fault for whipping back and forth between scenes, but its safe to say that there is enough in the drama for it be loved and remembered.