Evony wrote: I don't like this idea too, I prefer to think that drama scripts are always precisely constructed with the scriptwriter knowing exactly how he wants the story to progress, the whole changing things just to please the audience is disappointing and makes me feel like I'm lied to.
I don't disagree with you, but have you seen King of Dramas? This kind of thing happens often because let's face it, ultimately a network is going to look at ratings and what the viewer wants. We just don't hear about it like we are now because there's couples on the line which have led to a massive fanwar--a fanwar that has, in my opinion, began to wither the drama. Sometimes it's whether a character will live or die, but we never see the writer's hesitation in making that choice. I think that in Reply 1994 (and despite my love for the Bong), this hesitation has been more and more evident in the last few episodes, and it's beginning to cheapen the show.
And to your statement about never watching a currently airing drama because of the writer's choice in this drama: don't you think that's a little extreme? Essentially, every kdrama trope is based on its popularity, so the first lead/second lead/supporting cast/anything in a drama is going to be based at least somewhat on popularity as much (if not more) than the writer's choice. So you really couldn't watch any drama--airing or not--on that logic.
Even if I agree that the writer picking the husband based on popularity is ridiculous (not to mention indicative of an inefficient writer and/or a weak one), the writer has the right and liberty to write what they wish. We may not like it; we may disagree with their choices, but to say that they can't make that choice is tantamount to saying that a writer cannot have agency. Besides, whichever choice this writer makes is going to be construed as picking based on popularity anyway to appease either the international fans or the Korean fans.
Thus, for this writer, it's a lose-lose situation. They'll be damned if they do and damned if they don't change the current relationship. In this, I feel bad for the writer a bit because sadly, what started out as a drama based more on friendships and the boarding house is quickly becoming all about division, divisiveness, and the creation of a divided fanbase. It's even paralleled in the show with all of its characters leaving the boarding house for one reason or another. Of course, part of it is that they are moving on in life and going their separate ways; that's natural, but part of it (in my opinion) is also the creation of divisions between the characters and the development of barriers to all of characters having happiness. As a writer, that's just how I see it, but feel free to disagree.
