kangminjae

She's definitely a different character in the webtoon, but the relationship chart for the drama says that she does have unrequited feelings for Suho. I think she'll create an accidental confusion for the leads but give them her blessing, because she's clearly a good person in this version.

I feel like some of the "pass" given to Seojun is because he's fun and some because the webtoon glosses over their shared trauma much more quickly. I personally like that they're diving into how differently each of them handles their pain and how they can hurt others while suffering themselves. But I totally agree with you that it's upsetting to watch Suho be blamed so harshly by his only other friend when he's already blaming himself.
Just like Jugyeong needs someone who knows her bare face and still tells her she's beautiful, Suho needs someone who knows "what he did" and still tells him it's not his fault.

I agree that there are definitely similarities, and I wouldn't be surprised if the webtoon author was originally inspired by MIIGB. But I think the emphasis in TB is much more on self-love and not keeping your pain to yourself, whereas MIIGB focused more on lookism, sexism and double standards. Like, I think TB is arguing that Jugyeong's bullies were just that - bullies - and that she can find a whole new group of friends who support her, as opposed to actively dissecting that society treats pretty people better the way MIIGB did.

I do my best, haha! Thanks <3

There's a lot of nuances in the webtoon that you are not going to get from a summary anyway, so best to just wipe your mind clean of spoilers and proceed like you said - the production team already said it's different, haha.

You're going very far into spoiler territory, but Suho was still a shoulder for Jugyeong to lean on throughout the entire time he was around in Season 1, and he always told her she looked good without makeup. I don't think there was anything wrong with his confession before leaving for Japan, because she knew he had to leave and they both just wanted to come clean.
On the flip side, the webtoon purposely made him fall silent for three years so that Jugyeong and Seojun could get together. So the same argument could be used there: the webtoon made Suho look worse in order to allow Seojun/Jugyeong to happen, because it wouldn't have otherwise.
Now that he's back and Seojun/Jugyeong have broken up because of lack of communication and idol career (in chapter 128) we are once again starting to see how Suho is the one she can go to and be honest with at any given moment.
Because the drama seems to be focusing solely on their high school life, it makes sense to add a dimension of growth for Seojun that wasn't really there in the webtoon. Most of his development came in Season 2 when he was dating Jugyeong. I also disagree that Seojun didn't blame Suho, seeing as it took them until the bus accident to reconcile. I think the webtoon just focused less on the tragedy, which is why it seemed like he blamed Suho less. Not to mention he was immediately jealous and territorial when Suho returned, so he never really let Suho back in as a friend - which is understandable because the webtoon made it so that they didn't interact for 3 years.

I don't think that's necessarily the case. Look at shows like A Love So Beautiful or Playful Kiss, where the point was that the female lead loved the sullen male who never showed her affection and not the kind-hearted second male lead who always showered her with it. No attempt was made to make the first lead look better, because the point was her choice overrides logic.

Of course, since the theme of True Beauty is to love yourself as you are, it makes sense for them to emphasize the dynamic between Jugyeong and the person who knows her bare face. But I don't think they're making him look better than he did in the webtoon, aside from (in my humble opinion) Eunwoo breathing more life into him than he had on paper.

I won't give spoilers for the webtoon, but I think it would be a different story if the show was divided up into - say - three seasons the way the webtoon kind of is.

I also love how the show has incorporated all of their secret wounds - even Sujin's is being explored - and showcasing how that affects their interpersonal dynamics, so I totally agree with you on that front.
That's why I don't find any of them boring, even though I have my preferences. But I definitely hope we can maintain this level of civility in discussions. Since we have no moderator, we have to moderate ourselves.

For me, just based on the story and characterizations so far, I see no reason to root for Jugyeong with anyone other than Suho. Aside from the fact that he knows her secret, genuinely believes she's beautiful, and tells her so... It's more important to me that she trusts him with that secret and that she believes him when he tells her. It's so important to get positive reinforcement - especially when we see how it affects her to NOT get it at home.

As for Seojun, he is many fun things, but one not-fun thing about him is that he's thoughtless. He doesn't realize his sister is being bullied, he doesn't realize he is using an innocent bystander when he singles Jugyeong out to upset Suho, and he doesn't realize that his supposed best friend is struggling to survive emotionally after Seyeon's death. Despite having family and friends as a support system after the tragedy, and clearly the disposition to persevere - and either knowing Suho has none of those or not even thinking about it, because again, thoughtless - he'd rather blame Suho and target him for more misery over a missed a phone call.

So I think it's awesome that Seojun's arc in this story will be learning to put himself in other people's shoes, but he's barely ready to be friends with Suho again, let alone to date someone with a fragile self-esteem like Jugyeong. Suho, on the other hand, messes up due to his shortcomings and insecurities as well - but he realizes and works to correct it as soon as he's aware. And more than that, his instinct is to protect even when he's trying to avoid it (like how he claimed responsibility for the fight in episode 4).

Maybe he hasn't seen her in years and she looks super different without makeup too, lmao! No, in all honesty, the relationship chart made it sound like Suho was an only child. She may just stay a famous makeup artist, but if she does end up as his sister then he probably just didn't look closely at Jugyeong's phone.

Correct! TVN is airing new year's programs instead. Plus, I think True Beauty's production team needed a little extra time to finish the new few eps because the actor who plays the principal tested positive for COVID and had to quarantine for 2 weeks.

It's probably safest to wait if you don't want to be influenced or disheartened by negative comments, but in True Beauty's defense I will say this! I think the show itself is doing a great job of portraying all the leads AND the supporting cast. I wasn't even a part of Start-Up conversations, yet I felt disheartened by the lopsided dynamics on the show.
On the other hand, even though I hate the negativity and fanwars in the True Beauty comments, I am able to easily endure them because I'm so satisfied with the show's production so far.

My favorite of hers aired earlier this year on MBC, and it's called "Find Me In Your Memory." It's a little bit thriller, but mostly a sweet romance.
"Tempted" is another high school drama of hers, where she plays what is essentially Sarah Michelle Gellar in Cruel Intentions. I don't think it's a very good drama, but SHE'S amazing in it.
Finally, "Welcome To Waikiki 2" is a really fun, lighthearted comedy in which she's paired with Kim Seonho!

Eunwoo is a presenter at the MBC Drama awards tonight while Gayoung is a nominee... I really hope she wins and he hands her a well-deserved excellence award!

I definitely noticed that. Plus Jugyeong telling Gowoon it's better if she doesn't meet him - definitely setting up a ship. It'll teach little bro a good lesson about looking past appearances, lol.

oh, agreed! i love him, and nothing's been stolen. that's why i don't understand where OP's bitterness is coming from. inyeop is doing GREAT and will continue to do so.

I hate that I have to do this, but it's so annoying to read slander. Eunwoo didn't just wake up one day and decide to be famous, regardless of how y'all feel about his acting. He was a trainee for 4 years before he debuted in Astro, under a company that doesn't know the first thing about managing idols.
He did webdramas and supporting roles, not leads, before MIIGB - a role he only auditioned for because his company literally wasn't allowed to promote with music and was about to go bankrupt. The fact that he shot to fame because of it hasn't made him (that we can see) arrogant, and he has clearly worked to improve on every aspect of his performance - even if it's not up to par for some people.
He's not just lucky to be pretty: he actively works to make colleagues and staff comfortable, he learned jiu jitsu just for the role, and he still supports his group whenever possible while filming 16 hour days.
No one has to love his work, but the least you can do is keep his name out of your mouth when your criticism is baseless.

Inyeop has been getting recognition, so OP's entire post is bonkers. He debuted two years ago, and snagged highly coveted role in the biggest high school drama at the age of 29. He's guaranteed lead roles from here on out. Man's THRILLED, I promise you.

Everything about this comment is ugly. You don't even deserve a response, but you can relax. There's no way In Yeop isn't getting a 1st lead role after this, and you know what else? He probably thanked his lucky stars when he was cast as 2nd lead in the hottest high school drama around two years after debut with CHA EUNWOO. He knew how many eyes he'd have on him, and how many fans he'd get out of of it. And if you paid attention to him behind the scenes, you'd see how happy he is to work with Eunwoo, and you'd even hear him praise Eunwoo's work. Or I guess in your warped mind, "lie through his teeth."
So, don't worry about a thing. In Yeop will be fine AND yes, Eunwoo will keep getting lead roles because people love him.

Same! I'm obsessed with Sujin. Park Yoona is one of my favorite actresses, and it makes me sad she hasn't gotten a lead role yet after like 3+ years. I'm hoping True Beauty is the metaphorical kick she needs to get her own leading role next year!