Starting as a blockbuster with a minimum budget of 50 billion won, it garnered buzz even before its release, only to end with the female lead dying after childbirth. "Ask the Stars" ended in a way that left drama fans frustrated due to its incomprehensible conclusion.

The tvN weekend drama "Ask the Stars" (abbreviated as "AS") concluded after airing its 16th episode (final episode) on the night of the 23rd. Eve Kim (Gong Hyo-jin) gave birth in space but died due to an untreated pelvic injury. Gongryong (Lee Min-ho) remained as an obstetrician in the space station to protect his child with Eve Kim.

In particular, Gongryong noted towards the end of the broadcast, "The stars kissed the soles of my feet a hundred times in a day." He said, "Eve did a lot before she left. The universe became both a grave and a womb. Goodbye, Eve, see you again," leaving a narration. The mention of 'womb' from the start of "Ask the Stars" continued until the final episode.

"Ask the Stars" is a drama depicting the life of boss "Eve," who works in a zero-gravity space station, and the mysterious outsider "Gongryong" with a secret mission. Written by Seo Suk-hyang, who contributed to Gong Hyo-jin's "Gong-ble" legend with "Pasta" and "Jealousy Incarnate," and directed by Park Shin-woo, who also directed "Jealousy Incarnate," Lee Min-ho, who captivated global fans with "Pachinko," played the male lead.

Perhaps thanks to the trusted combination of writer, director, and actors, "Ask the Stars" drew attention in the broadcasting world as a blockbuster with a minimum budget of 50 billion won. It showcased a blockbuster scale with its overwhelming backdrop of space.

However, since its first broadcast on the 4th of last month, "Ask the Stars" has faced criticism for its consistently perplexing narrative, hard-to-accept visuals, and bed scenes switching between space and Earth. Consequently, since the first episode, countless reviews stated, "I don’t know where they spent the production budget of 50 billion won."

In particular, the characteristics of Gongryong, who is an obstetrician, and the setting of creating a child in space garnered negative reactions from viewers. The expression comparing space to a 'womb' appeared excessively frequently, and the excessively sanctified portrayal of motherhood drew particular criticism. Against the backdrop of recent trends where singlehood and DINKs are viewed as virtues, the emotional trajectory of Gongryong and Eve, who risk their lives to give birth in outer space, failed to resonate.

Experiences in space that clearly exist but are not easily accessible and are not widely known, along with a sense of floating time and space as if drifting in the sea. "Ask the Stars" depicted the romance between Eve and Gongryong like a realistic fantasy, utilizing these mysterious sensations. However, it lost a sense of reality due to being excessively mystical.

Most importantly, it failed to deliver the thrill that is the greatest virtue of romance. The mystique, which was so hard to comprehend, did not show grounded emotions in the romance between Gong Hyo-jin and Lee Min-ho. What remained from the hollow emotions was not another charm but merely the repetition of the formula "universe=womb." At this point, one might genuinely ask what kind of romance they wanted to portray.

[Photo] Provided by tvN.