The Early Spring

Spoiler Warning ⚠️

First Impressions ✨

The Early Spring does not present a perfect romance. In fact, it shows a relationship full of conflict, differences, and behaviors that are not always easy to accept. It is not that kind of fairy tale where everything changes as soon as the leads fall in love, and maybe that is exactly what caught my attention the most.

At several points, Flora and Luke’s relationship feels much closer to the contradictions we see in real life. And as some of Luke’s behaviors start to become more noticeable, the series genuinely made me wonder: how much of that was love, and at what point did it start becoming toxic?

That question alone was enough to keep me curious and wanting to see how the story would unfold until the very end.

Flora: From a Naive Girl to a Woman Who Learned to Stand Up for Herself 🌱✨

Flora begins The Early Spring as that naive girl who wants to grow professionally without losing who she is. She arrives full of dreams, eager to learn, and believing she can earn her place simply by being herself.

At first, she is still very inexperienced. She makes mistakes, does not always know how to handle certain situations, and often seems small next to people who are far more prepared. Luke even tells her that she does not belong there, and many of his words are extremely discouraging. That is exactly what bothered me so much, especially because Flora rarely tried to defend herself and seemed to take every insult home with her.

Obviously, when there is a professional hierarchy, you need to respect positions and know how to accept criticism. But there were times when Luke crossed that line with unnecessary comments, and Flora simply lowered her head in front of words that were clearly hurting her without even trying to stand up for herself.

At the same time, when you look at her entire journey, maybe that is exactly what makes her growth so interesting. As the years go by, we see a much more confident woman, capable of making decisions, solving problems, and building a professional identity that no longer depends on Luke’s approval.

She remains kind and still carries much of the essence of the girl we met at the beginning, but she is no longer as naive about the world around her. She learns to stand up for herself, understands her own worth, and starts taking up space with far more confidence.

For me, that was one of the best parts of her journey. Despite everything she went through, giving up never seemed to be an option for Flora. Even when she made mistakes, heard criticism, and went through moments where it seemed like she did not belong there, she kept trying.

Watching that young girl grow into a woman who learned how to stand her ground was incredibly satisfying. As for her relationship, though, I cannot say the same. But we will get there.

Luke: Competent at Work, Complicated with Feelings 🧊❤️

Luke is extremely confident in what he does. He is competent, demanding, respected, and clearly knows how to hold his position within the company. Professionally, he almost never seems lost. Emotionally, I cannot say the same.

I do not think Luke should be demonized for every single thing he does, but some of his behavior is hard to ignore. The fact that he barely even wanted to hear Flora out during her interview already says a lot about how arrogant and difficult he can be. I know a lot of people enjoy this kind of demanding-boss character, and honestly, I do too. The problem, for me, begins when that attitude crosses a line.

And that is exactly where Luke differs from the classic cold boss who falls in love and suddenly becomes a completely different person. He does not change overnight. Even when he is in love, Luke is still Luke: demanding, harsh, and used to making decisions. At several points, he seems to bring that same attitude into the relationship, as if he were still her boss at work and wanted to hold that same position in his personal life as well.

You may interpret it differently, but to me, the series itself acknowledges that there was a problem there. By the end, Luke apologizes, admits his mistakes, and promises to change.

His growth does not happen when he realizes that he loves Flora. He already knew that. The real growth comes when he starts to understand that loving someone also requires listening, compromising, respecting them, and rethinking your own behavior.

Just as Flora matures throughout the story, Luke also needs to grow as a person. He acknowledges his flaws, tries to change, and understands that fighting for the relationship is not just about chasing after Flora. It means learning how to be in that relationship differently.

Love or Control? When Romance Crosses the Line 💔⚠️

Flora and Luke’s relationship was, without a doubt, one of the parts of The Early Spring that made me reflect the most. There are real feelings between them. That was never the problem.

Luke cares about Flora, protects her at several points, and often tries to show affection through gifts or actions because he has clearly never been very good with words. Flora also loves him and tries to make the relationship work. But loving someone does not automatically mean knowing how to be in a healthy relationship with them.

From the beginning, there is a clear difference in power between the two. Luke was her boss, someone used to giving orders and being in a position of authority. Flora, on the other hand, was just starting her career and often simply accepted whatever he said.

The problem is that this dynamic does not disappear when they start dating. At several points, it feels like Luke is still her boss both inside and outside the workplace. Flora still sees him as an authority figure, and that makes the relationship exhausting because she does not always feel comfortable confronting him or saying exactly what she thinks.

Luke also shows a possessive side. In one scene, he comments on Flora’s clothes in a way that implies he would rather she wore them only for him. He also shows discomfort around other men and some of her friendships, while often speaking without considering how she feels.

Maybe some of those scenes were meant to come across as romantic jealousy, that classic “I want you to wear that only for me” moment. But to me, that is exactly when we need to pay attention.

Jealousy can exist in a relationship. The problem begins when it stops being just a feeling and starts interfering with the other person’s freedom. There is a difference between saying that something bothers you and trying to decide what your partner can wear, who they can talk to, or how they should behave.

Loving Someone Also Means Respecting Boundaries ⚠️❤️

Another thing that bothered me a lot was Luke’s insistence on getting back together.

Flora broke up with him because she could no longer handle the way that relationship worked. She wanted more kindness, more respect, and she also wanted to build a future with him. After six years together, Luke still did not seem interested in marriage, and the relationship remained extremely unstable.

And here is another thing that bothered me: these two almost never truly talked.

Whenever they argued, they would end up reconnecting through intimacy without actually resolving what caused the conflict in the first place. The moment passed, but the problem stayed. And Flora, who had a lot to complain about, usually kept everything to herself.

Maybe that is why I got so frustrated with her at certain points in the relationship. So many times, Flora submitted to that dynamic, avoided confronting Luke, and kept everything she was feeling bottled up. Until she finally exploded, and for me, that was one of her best scenes.

Watching Flora, who had stayed silent so many times, finally put everything she had been feeling right in front of Luke was incredibly satisfying. She was not saying that there was no love. She was showing that love, by itself, was not enough to keep that relationship working.

For the first time, Flora clearly expressed how she felt inside a relationship that may have looked stable from the outside, but was actually full of problems the two of them had never truly faced.

After the breakup, some of Luke’s actions bothered me even more. In one scene, he stays outside her house in the cold, drinking. For a lot of people, that may look like a grand romantic gesture. To me, it also looked like a way to get Flora’s attention and put her in a position where she would worry about him and feel sorry for him.

In another scene, he shows up at her house without warning and simply walks in, even though Flora is clearly trying to keep her distance. But there was one scene that especially bothered me: Luke goes to Flora’s workplace without her permission, sits on her desk, and starts questioning one of her coworkers to find out whether she was seeing someone else.

And I really have to ask: did you think that was normal?

No matter how handsome my ex-boyfriend was, I would never consider it normal for him to show up at my workplace to investigate my love life. No matter how much love still existed, Flora had made it clear that she wanted to end the relationship. So why not respect her decision?

At what point does that kind of persistence stop being acceptable?

There is a difference between fighting for someone and refusing to respect the space that person asked for. Waiting outside in the cold may look romantic in a drama. In real life, repeatedly showing up wherever someone is after a breakup can be extremely uncomfortable.

And that is exactly why this couple worked so well for me as something to analyze, even when they did not work as an example of a healthy relationship. There are so many relationships where feelings are real, but communication, maturity, and the willingness to truly listen to one another are missing.

When Luke finally acknowledges his mistakes and apologizes, it becomes clear that he really is sorry and willing to fight for the relationship. Flora still tries to resist, but the feelings are still there, and she eventually gives the two of them another chance.

For the couple, and for a large part of the audience that was waiting for this romance, you could say it was a perfect ending to a story full of imperfections.

Personally, I would have applauded if the writers had chosen a different path: Flora moving on from that relationship, continuing with her life, and Luke realizing that sometimes change comes too late.

Maybe that would not have been the ending a lot of people wanted to see, but after everything the series had built, I think it would have been a much more interesting choice. For me, it would have been even more powerful to see the series commit to an ending where love was not enough to keep two people together. Because sometimes, realizing that a relationship hurt you and choosing to move on can also be a happy ending.

When Being Tired Is More Than Just Being Tired 💔

One of the things I liked about The Early Spring was the friendship between Flora and her group. They were all trying to grow in life, find their place, and support each other along the way. And maybe that is exactly why Sun Yuanzhu’s suicide affected me so much.

He seemed like a happy person. He smiled, looked after his friends, and even made a point of walking them home when they came back late from work. He was the kind of person who always seemed to be there for everyone else, but behind that image was someone who had been carrying problems for a very long time.

Sun Yuanzhu had conflicts with his father, who pressured him for money to support his gambling. He also lived with violence at home, watching his mother be abused, while carrying his own exhaustion, work pressure, and the constant need to build a successful life. All of that kept piling up until his mother’s death seemed to be the blow that finally broke him.

When he sees Flora again, he admits that he is not doing well and talks about how hard he tried to change his life, but felt that no matter how much effort he put in, he could never get where he wanted to be. After that conversation, he even begins treatment for depression, showing that he knew he needed help and tried to find a way out of what he was feeling.

Even so, he was still carrying an enormous amount of pain, loss, and frustration. Not long after, he takes his own life. And maybe that is what makes his story even more painful, because seeking help is important, but it does not mean that all the suffering disappears immediately.

I think this storyline touches on a very difficult reality, especially for young people: the feeling that we have to succeed quickly. Get a good job, earn money, help our family, grow professionally, and still look like we are handling everything just fine. But no one can carry everything forever.

What hurts the most in his story is realizing that Sun Yuanzhu suffered for a long time without the people around him fully understanding the extent of what he was going through. And that does not mean his friends failed him. Emotional suffering is not always obvious. Sometimes a person keeps smiling, working, helping others, and following their routine while completely exhausted on the inside.

Maybe that is why this was one of the heaviest parts of the series for me. The Early Spring shows that someone can look fine and still be fighting battles that no one else can see.

The Series’ Message 💛

For me, The Early Spring is mainly about growth. Growth as a person, as a professional, and also within a relationship.

Flora shows this through her career, continuing to push forward even when people doubt her and gradually learning how to stand up for herself. Luke represents another side of that growth by acknowledging his mistakes, accepting that he needed to change, and showing the maturity to do things differently.

When it comes to relationships, The Early Spring also leaves an important reflection about recognizing when certain behaviors begin to cross boundaries. Not everything that comes with love is automatically healthy. Jealousy, control, lack of communication, and insistence can easily be mistaken for care, especially when real feelings are involved.

And maybe the most important question is this: how long can you live in a relationship like that? Do you still feel happy, respected, and heard?

Recognizing those signs is also part of growing up. Because loving someone should never mean accepting everything.

Conclusion 🌟

The Early Spring is an engaging series that can make you angry, make you reflect, and goes far beyond a simple romance between a boss and an employee.

It is a story full of flaws, intense characters, and imperfect relationships, and it leaves one important question behind: how much are you willing to endure for love?

It is worth watching if you enjoy more mature romances, full of conflict and imperfect characters.

My rating? 7/10. For Flora’s growth, the reflections on maturity, and the way the story managed to keep me curious until the end. However, the way the reconciliation was handled weighed heavily on my experience, especially because Luke was still crossing certain boundaries while trying to win Flora back.

It was worth the binge, but honestly, it is not a story I would feel like watching again.

💬 Just a reminder…

This is just my humble opinion, and you have every right to agree or disagree. 😉

Leave your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to know what everyone thought! 💖