I'll start off by saying when I first read this manhwa (about 7 years ago now, dang), I really enjoyed it. Even then I realized how cheesy it was, but there is a special place in m heart for Love in the Mask.
The plot is by far this manhwa's best feature. I'm always down for a story about a little girl who has to hide her gender and be rough and tough to survive. Hyun-Bin was a great protagonist in that way. However, as the story progressed, she got less tough and had to be rescued more and more often. The other major flaw in her character building was that her mental strength diminished as well. Now I could understand if she developed a mental disorder like PTSD (that girl went through a LOT), but that's not how it seemed to me. Feel free to disagree.
By and large though, I did like the characters even if the were unrealistic at times.
Biggest flaw of this comic I think is the length. There were several arcs that did not even need to be there, that could be completely cut with no effect on the story
Looking at you Mr Kang whatever your name is, crazy haired half American gangster guy
Fight scenes are also a little on the ludicrous side.
And the ending... a bit far fetched.
Really jumped the shark there with the hypnotism
BUT I did like seeing where everyone ended up. I wish it weren't so rushed. given how drawn out the rest of the series was, I wish the ending were handled better.
All in all, if you like romance that isn't always sparkly and full of flowers, this is a worthwhile read. None of the characters are unscathed by the end, and the author doesn't pull any punches. I love that kind of grit in a story. If you do too, enjoy 🙂