Soundtrack #1 was a delightful, short, sweet drama. And while churning out another drama just like it would have been a bad idea and recreating something entirely new wholly unlike Soundtrack #1 wouldn't have made any sense, the creators of Soundtrack #2 kept the core elements the same - a production focused almost entirely on the romance between the leads and a backdrop occupied by the music industry. A few other elements seem familiar too. There's a facade of a love triangle, but it's clear from the moment that it appears that the late appearing third corner is a distant third wheel.

There's not a terribly prodigious amount of material to review. The episodes are short. There are only six of them. The supporting cast is capable but they are more props than characters - existing to prod a bit of dialogue out of a lead during the moments when the other lead isn't present. The music is a bit livelier than the usual drama ballad and it's pleasant, but it's not the stuff that is going to light up the charts and fill an arena. It's more suited to busking in a park.

Is the plot credible? There's no ghosts or time travel or generation-repeating curse so points there. A music prodigy ends up washing out and teaching music after school to kids? Easy sell. Probably happens all the time. Is a guy who churns out YouTube material and winds up crazy wealthy and driving every luxury car brand on the planet believable? Well, it doesn't violate the laws of physics as we know them so it's possible. Is it possible that THIS GUY did that? Less likely.

And that's where #2 lives up to it's own moniker as not number one. THIS GUY is not Park Hyung Sik. And while Steve Noh, even to a viewer who has no physical attraction to the male gender, objectively by scientific means of measurement is very, very physically attractive. But he is not anywhere near the talent as an actor that Park Hyung Sik is. And casting Steve Noh as the successor to Park Hyung Sik's lead role does not work. Not even a little. Part of it is that the character is so insecure. But the frenetic, try-so-hard-all-the-time, suffocate-everything-he-touches approach overwhelms all the other aspects that were meant to humanize the character. In short, where the previous lead was always cool and natural all the time, this lead tries too hard to be cool all the time. It's change and it's a bad change.

Meanwhile, Geum Sae Rok's Hyun Seo is too much like Han So Hee's predecessor. Musical talent? Check. Struggling in her career? Check. Has a musical white knight come along that recognizes her talent? Check. Unsure of her own feelings for the male lead? Check. In short, it's not change and while it's not as bad as what did change, it's still bad.

Points for being short and well-shot and having lots of pretty stuff to look at. But with so much riding on how good the leads are, these lead characters and the actors playing them just don't measure up.