Kimsamsoom

I agree, there were MANY warm hearted scenes, but they didn't feel very organic, more of the writer decided to mash up all every "david vs goliath", "hallmark moments", and "redemption arcs" it could think off, and just included them one after the other. Don't get me wrong, the scenes were certainly heart warming, but it just didn't feel earned or organic.

After a while, the story stopped making sense and kind of lost direction. But since I enjoy playing badminton, I finished it for that aspect of the drama.

But yes, it's my opinion, I am not trying to change yours, I just wanted to give mine.

I haven't watch those other ones, but racket boys felt too much like a Japanese sports anime, and not enough kdrama. I enjoyed it for the badminton, but I felt the story was quite weak, and the plot too cliched and watery.

The romance portion also felt quite dull. It did have some warm hearted scenes, but they felt very artificial, and mish mashed. Overall I would rate racket boys an 8.3/10

I actually think career wise she will be more successful in gongjin. In one of the episodes she mentioned that dentist in the provinces are making more money due to lack of competition.

And I can see this happening. I don't think Hye Jin would be as free and successful in Seoul.

Also keep in mind that Hye Jin is not that different from dusik. She wasn't born in Seoul, she's from a different province originally as well. But certainly she seems to enjoy the shopping and fine dining rating that Seoul offers. But there is a chance she will miss life in Seoul as yearn to go back. But I doubt she would go back to boost her career as from everything I can see, she will be more successful as a dentist in gongjin than Seoul just because she is the lone dentist in an aging population who will need dentures and implants which are expensive.

Possible, hahaha! :)

MDL is really a place for people to have their own unique opinion on a variety of different drama. And even when we both enjoy a drama, we can have different opinions and views on the message being imparted. Nothing wrong with differing opinions at all, as it broadens both our horizons.

Let's enjoy the last two episodes!

Dusik definitely wants to deal with it alone. The question is will Hye Jin give him space to do so?

Based on the preview, she seems so supportive of his pain, so I am expecting good things!

The villagers will help a bit, but it's really Hye Jin's love and support that will see him through the darkness.

That's the part I don't like so much. Hye Jin seems to have matured immensely in Gongjin, but the minute her friends come, she's back to making sure she's wearing expensive clothes, and trying to compete and show her life is so great. Eventhough in her heart she prefers Gongjin, she for whatever reason yearns for Seoul.

I think the writers purposely didn't make it a comparable offer, otherwise there would be a dilemma of Career growth over love as you said. They purposely made it a job like teaching, which isn't in line with Hye Jin's ambitions.

Dusik at the moment, seems very conciliatory and giving to Hye Jin. Even if he suddenly decides to go to Seoul, I can't see him pressuring Hye Jin to go with him, or even make her have to choose.

The career thing is the only reason the drama can plausibly give for her to consider going back to Seoul. Because her BFF Miseon is in Gongjin, her love is in Gongjin, and she has a great practice in Gongjin. The only ties she has left in Seoul are her dad and stepmom, who are both ok she is in Gongjin. So the drama had to find the most plausible reason for her to EVEN consider Seoul at all.

But the thing is, even when you watch him from doing simple task like making coffee, he is giving his 120% effort. He is doing it with such meticulousness and care and making sure the job is done right.

If Dusik is truly being incognito, he would not to such a spectacular job of it. He would mail it in, or only give 50% effort. Then he would blend in, and not stand out as much.

Although, I am not so sure how well he is hiding his trauma. I think the villagers are aware of it, but may sometimes forget when they are all having fun. Hwa Jeong definitely is aware of his demons.

Hye Jin has changed a lot, but the golf scene with her "friends" really showed me she is still lacking that maturity to forego her materialistic nature.

But how she meets him halfway, how she has adapted to who Dusik is, how he does not make him feel bad about his lost potential, really has shown me an amazing side of Hye Jin that I feel Dusik needs.

To be honest, maybe I am seeing things differently.

But the teaching job doesn't seem to be a career upgrade over what she is already doing. She is shown to be very happy seeing the smiles of people, and helping cure them of their dental pain. Hye Jin get's satisfaction from treating her patients.

That is just something you won't find in a teaching job, you are teaching future dentist. And it's not like Hye Jin is in her 60's and get's the satisfaction of molding young minds, she is most likely teaching students who are her age, or in their mid and late 20's.

Also, it's never shown that teaching is her number one passion.

All the teaching opportunity represented is a chance for Hye Jin to go back to Seoul, that's it. That's why they showed Hye Jin asking Dusik if he ever plans to return to Seoul. Because as uneasy as her "friends" in Seoul make her, she somehow still wants the plastic, concrete confines of Seoul.

So, for me, the way I see it, will she give up a practice she has grown to love, with patients who love her, and a welcoming village. Or go to a place where she has to start in a job she may not necessarily love, and work her way up to start a practice again. And may eventually be like the head dentist in the first episode, where money outweighs what is good for her patient. All in a city that is hyper competitive, sometimes cold, and with friends whose main goal is to compare who has a better career.

For me it's an easy choice, but for Hye Jin, she can't seem to let go of the materialism of Seoul.

So it's a question of Seoul or Gongjin in the end. And her choice will decide how much she has matured in the last 6 months she has been in Gongjin. If she was really looking at career, she would choose Gongjin, no questions asked, which is the same place her love resides in.

If the offer was to head her own clinic in Seoul, that would be a harder choice IMO, since your comparing apples to apples. But a 35 year old dentist giving up a thriving practice to teach? It has never been shown in the drama that teaching was ever her dream job, and her reaction over the phone call didn't seem excited at the opportunity at all.

When I heard the clinical professor job, I didn't seem like Hye Jin's dream job. There was never indication that at her age of 35, she was ready to enter a tenured position as a clinical professor.

If anything, starting her own practice, and having an active client list seems to be closer to her ideal/dream job.

When Hye Jin was in Seoul, she looked like she was desperate to find any job.

If anything, the clinical professor job represented a foot in the door to be able to go back to Seoul. So I guess the better question, does she prefer to do her dream job (GongJin), or does she prefer the plastic, concrete society of Seoul, but at a job she may not find as fulfilling.

If it was his wife and baby, it would weaken the feelings of Dusik for Hyejin, and would split the audience in half, as some people may feel he should not be so quick to get over his dead wife and child.

Differing opinions are the foundation of MDL, I have no problem with people disagreeing with me.

I am speaking more about the other villagers, rather than Hye Jin. You see, by offering exceptional service/quality at a minimum wage price. So subconsciously the residents of Gong Jin just don't bother seeking any other labor force, and have become very dependent on Dusik to the point that there was a scene were Geum Cheol and Namsuk was lamenting that Dusik was not available. There is even a scene were Miseon was hiring Dusik to take off a hair dryer. If Dusik's hourly rate was higher, people would think twice before hiring him for small menial task.

And I believe it's that dependency that people seek from him that Dusik secretly craves. Because if people become overly dependent on him, they will never leave him or let him go.

You are right on Hye Jin though, she is different initially, but she eventually starts to accept Dusik's way of life, not knowing the secret reason he is doing it.

There is a chance that Gamri actually knows the story, it seems to be implied in some of the earlier scenes.

It's unfortunate, we never know how strong our bonds are with people to be able to saddle them with our emotional baggage. Burdening or sharing our guilt requires the closest type of friendship to be honest.

Hwa Jeong herself said, he looked so devastated, no one bothered asking.

It's not an uncommon human reaction, you just assumed something bad happened, and you don't want to be nosy or pry. And Dusik is not one to give it up openly.

The Jeon they bring, the food they bring, all they do is nourish his body. But it's his mental state and soul that needs nourishing, that as we can see 5-8 years living in Gongjin did not repair/sustain. He is as hurt right now, as when he first came back.

What helped dusik cope all these years was the knowledge that his bonds with people was quantifiable by a minimum wage pay.

He would give 120% of his effort and make minimum wage, which would make him irreplaceable in people's eyes.

In a sad way, by offering cheap and good quality labor, he would always have a place in people's lives, they would never leave him, because they would always need him. He would always be wanted.

I mean don't do a time skip for the sake of inserting the 1 year wine thing... Because literally that is the only purpose I could see.

I would forgive it if they will give us a short wedding scene though!

Kind of sad that none of the villagers could be the support Dusik needed because every single one of them had their own personal demons they needed to deal with. No one even really wanted to bother to find out about Dusik and his traumatic 5 years in Seoul. No one could be the support system he really needed. Only satisfying his basic shallow need to be useful around the village, but never actually shining a light into his tormented soul. Just like Dusik, everyone felt it was easier to ignore these issues, and just smile outwardly.

It was only Hye Jin, an outsider, of all things that was able to set aside her personal issues to reach out her hand and finally get dusik to acknowledge his trauma and ask him what actually happened those 5 years in Seoul.

Not a fan if they spend the time skip apart. I would rather they use a time skip where they are together, and they show a healed dusik, rather than let dusik heal alone.

Not a fan of time skip in general.

So far this show has subverted the obvious. Most likely, she was just going to share that she was offered the job, but will turn it down. Hye Jin is nothing but transparent with Dusik.

Or she will ask Dusik if he will consider going to Seoul, but if he is not, she won't push the issue.

Or maybe she just wants to have an honest talk with Dusik about it.