I feel a little bit differently. The way I see it, the Cafe Owner used to be from Seoul. He probably at one point…
Oh no, I don't hahaha!
There is a saying, give a man some fish, and feed him for a day, teach a man how to fish, and feed him for life.
I think this really fits this drama. HDS is so busy doing people's jobs for them, selling items for dirt cheap, and covering their inadequacies that these villagers are being allowed to live in a fantastical world, where there is a Chief Hong. What happens when he is no longer there? There is an overdependence on what he offers the village.
And for me, ironically, they call him Chief Hong. Which is normally a leadership role, but his style of leadership, to micromanager to the extreme, where he is doing every single task, is not effective leadership, because all this does is create an environment where the villagers weaknesses are being hidden, and when someone like YHJ comes in, those things are easily exposed. An effective leader, learns to inspire, and guide the village to prosperity. The characterization of a Chief Hong is a not a realistic one, and it worries me what will happen when he decides to marry, and have children? Surely his contributions to the village will be lessened if not nullified, then what now? How will the villagers survive, after experiencing years and years of capability at a very cheap price?
The only other person I feel doing this, which I have dubbed Mini Hong, is the owner of the raw fish restaurant. She and HDS has really taken the role of babying the villagers needs, emotions, and sensibilities. Something that as a parent myself, I would not want to do for my children, as it doesn't properly prepare them.
YHJ's actions, which the villagers reacted heavily to, is actually nothing out of the ordinary. In normal society, what YHJ has said are not out of the ordinary. She is even polite about going about it. But I do get the sense that YHJ is a little bit socially inept. But regardless, the reactions of the villagers does show that they are fairly out of touch. And in this current world, with the internet being so readily available, there is no real excuse.
In some ways, this is great, Gongjin, from the beginning seems like a haven for people running from problems, or not wanting to deal with problems. But is that all Gongjin is supposed to be? An escape from reality? I would hope not. I would like to imagine Gongjin being a village, where people come to heal, learn, and love.
I do feel bad, that even the cafe owner, is planning on sending his daughter away to fashion school. Such is life in these small villages, parent's goal is to send their children away for a better life, while they remain in these villages to fend for themselves. I kind of wish, the show didn't repeatedly remind me of this in the first two episodes, as all it does it makes me feel a little bad, and takes away a little bit of the light atmosphere they are trying to promote.
Hello *Waves happily*My two cents on this would be he has a deep backstory. My theory is he was once happily married…
I think a big chunk of the episodes will be spent on YHJ and HDS's past. I think some time will no doubt be spent on YHJ and LSY's character's past. All in all, looking forward to where the plot takes us.
I know that you shouldn't judge a person's life story but like the cafe pub owner was mad annoying at the grandma…
I feel a little bit differently. The way I see it, the Cafe Owner used to be from Seoul. He probably at one point was a pretty big deal as he said, but some tragic occurrence has led him to the downfall of his career. And as a recurring theme, I feel Gongjin is a place for people to heal, and escape their problems, similar to what YHJ is doing, and in a lesser extent her friend.
So the cafe owner probably feels that YHJ is someone who would kind of understand him, a kindred soul to speak to. Little did he realized that he is probably unrecognizable from his Seoul days, how by living in the village, the culture, simplicity, and innocence of the village has seeped into his personality.
HDS, by helping out at the cafe, and the rest of village, enjoying the cafe owner's mini concerts, has given him some sort of closure on his musical past. But it took YHJ's impromptu ranting to remind him of his failures. As I've said, it's hard to choose which side to root for. Is it better to blindly support a failed dream? Or to tactlessly wake someone from their fantastical reverie, to start accepting responsibilities and move on?
I get you . Did you notice that in epilogue younger version of Du shik speaks completely in village accent while…
I actually agree. The fact he knows what leggings are! Lol, I am thinking he has spent time in Seoul as well.
The plot can go many directions, but I am hoping they eventually show that the village loses its over dependence on du sik, otherwise how can he ever get married when so many people depend on his cheap labor?
Does anyone find Kim Seon Ho's character annoying for all the tasks he undertakes like the sole guy at the village…
I honestly believe, he does this because he knows that the village is not very wealthy, and can't pay the actual rate of a lot of these jobs with an aging population. So he does his best to help them.
As I finished watching the second episode, I couldn't quite determine or explain the mix of emotions I felt. On one hand, regardless of the light breezy music, the beautiful scenery, and the many smiles throughout from the ML and FL, I couldn't help get that heavy heart whenever the show would remind us viewers of the aging population of the town.
I've seen quite a few Kdrama about provincial life, from When the Camellia Blooms, and most recently Racket Boys, and there is recurring undertone in these shows about life in the province. There is always revelry about the community feel, the simplistic nature of provincial life, and the simple day to day matters they go through. But in reality, what is rarely discussed is why life in these aging communities are like these.
In Ep. 2, there are several inference about the village being an aging one, and how the younger/smarter townspeople or children of townspeople have left Seoul. As if Seoul is seen as the escape from the drudgery of provincial life. It's sad that the Chief Grandma, seems so distant from her accountant son, while HDS, has basically acted as more family to her than her own son. And this is a very real thing in the world now, where the young talented people all leave the place where they grew up, and in many ways, forget not only their cultural roots, but also their familial ones. This leaves the villagers to scramble around to grasp at any sort of emotional vines they can find. Enter one Hong Doo Shik. I feel his role in the village is more than anything, the glue guy. He is what keeps that emotional bond between villagers strong.
But here's the thing, there is this thing that bothers me with HDS's role. I understand his need to be the all around guy. Let's face it, the norm in these villages are that the older people are not highly educated, and the younger people who do end up staying are not very driven, not are they very educated. Points that are punctuated by dialogues and observation of the villagers. HDS almost becomes "The Guy" that allows these people to escape the drudgery of their lives. Real Estate at minimum wage, delivery at minimum wage, renovations at minimum wage? The sole reasons for all these is because the Village with a huge elderly population just can't afford the pay the actual rate of these laborious jobs.
But what bothers me, is that by HDS doing what he does, he kind of allows the villagers to enter into a magical and fantastical world, where such a person should not exist. In a way, he allows them to live in their fantasy world, unwilling to face the harshness of realities. Almost like Gongjin becomes a Garden of Eden, where HDS makes sure everyone believes their lives are amazing with his amazing smile, and minimum wage contributions.
Which is why YHJ's appearance to the village is like a meteor hitting the ground. As if her reckless speech, popped many people's day dreaming, made them realize reality.
So it is my dilemma, would it be better to have a HDS, who at his own expense, make me feel like I am having such a great life, and I should not fret, that my family has abandoned me here, while they succeed in Seoul. Or better to have a YHJ who tells me like it is, so I can slowly come to terms with what my life has become?
I've always felt bad for aging populations who have children who move to big cities, and pretty much forget their parents. It's a sad reality of life.
I think the best real world example of Gongjin would be the Hawker Centres in Singapore, where you will see almost 90% senior/elderly people running the shacks. The reasoning for this, is they started their little hawker stalls so that they children can find white collar jobs like accountants/dentist and lawyers. And as those children succeed with better education, they rarely look back at the business, the hard work that got them there. It's sad to see, that the Hawker Culture may soon dissipate as very little younger people want to enter that industry.
P.S. I am loving the chemistry of the two leads, those little smirks from HDS are swoon worthy!
I am liking the pace of the drama . I generally don’t prefer light weight dramas . But I like home cha . We…
Good observation. I also agree that having a more muted OST here is the right move, as it allows the viewers to decide what emotions to feel at a certain moment, rather than having the BGM/OST dictate our feelings.
I think what I found most interesting with KSH's portrayal are HDS's many facial expressions, his smirks, his apathetic looks, his smile, they all speak volumes on the kind of guy HDS is. So even though we've only seen two episodes, we have a pretty complex imagery of the ML.
The FL on the other hand, I feel has such a realness to her, in how I can see myself in her, and her actions, and behavior, which would be normal in the city, stands out as a beacon in the simple life of Gongjin.
I'd be interested to see the compromises both the ML and FL will go through to meet each other in the middle. As real relationships tend to be.
I think I'll be camping on the comment section until the drama is on episode 7/8 to decide whether to watch…
it most likely will be a lukewarm one, that gets resolve earlier. I think LSY role here is to act as a contrast between YHJ's city life, and HDS's more simplistic life.
Cute start! Reminds me a bit of Warm and Cozy but HTCCC is much better. The characters are really nice and not…
Yeah, I feel they didn't over caricaturized the villagers. In fact the simplistic nature of Gongjin serves as the perfect backdrop to allow our ML/FL and supporting characters to shine in their respective roles.
You have watched many dramas . So,is this the first drama where you are finding negative comments ? Plz stop it…
I wouldn't put too much stock in the MDL ratings, if you find the drama good, it's all that matters. If you stay in the comments section during the live airings, it will just enhance the overall experience. I would just ignore the more negative comments, but they are part of the MDL experience, hahaha!
There is a saying, give a man some fish, and feed him for a day, teach a man how to fish, and feed him for life.
I think this really fits this drama. HDS is so busy doing people's jobs for them, selling items for dirt cheap, and covering their inadequacies that these villagers are being allowed to live in a fantastical world, where there is a Chief Hong. What happens when he is no longer there? There is an overdependence on what he offers the village.
And for me, ironically, they call him Chief Hong. Which is normally a leadership role, but his style of leadership, to micromanager to the extreme, where he is doing every single task, is not effective leadership, because all this does is create an environment where the villagers weaknesses are being hidden, and when someone like YHJ comes in, those things are easily exposed. An effective leader, learns to inspire, and guide the village to prosperity. The characterization of a Chief Hong is a not a realistic one, and it worries me what will happen when he decides to marry, and have children? Surely his contributions to the village will be lessened if not nullified, then what now? How will the villagers survive, after experiencing years and years of capability at a very cheap price?
The only other person I feel doing this, which I have dubbed Mini Hong, is the owner of the raw fish restaurant. She and HDS has really taken the role of babying the villagers needs, emotions, and sensibilities. Something that as a parent myself, I would not want to do for my children, as it doesn't properly prepare them.
YHJ's actions, which the villagers reacted heavily to, is actually nothing out of the ordinary. In normal society, what YHJ has said are not out of the ordinary. She is even polite about going about it. But I do get the sense that YHJ is a little bit socially inept. But regardless, the reactions of the villagers does show that they are fairly out of touch. And in this current world, with the internet being so readily available, there is no real excuse.
In some ways, this is great, Gongjin, from the beginning seems like a haven for people running from problems, or not wanting to deal with problems. But is that all Gongjin is supposed to be? An escape from reality? I would hope not. I would like to imagine Gongjin being a village, where people come to heal, learn, and love.
I do feel bad, that even the cafe owner, is planning on sending his daughter away to fashion school. Such is life in these small villages, parent's goal is to send their children away for a better life, while they remain in these villages to fend for themselves. I kind of wish, the show didn't repeatedly remind me of this in the first two episodes, as all it does it makes me feel a little bad, and takes away a little bit of the light atmosphere they are trying to promote.
So the cafe owner probably feels that YHJ is someone who would kind of understand him, a kindred soul to speak to. Little did he realized that he is probably unrecognizable from his Seoul days, how by living in the village, the culture, simplicity, and innocence of the village has seeped into his personality.
HDS, by helping out at the cafe, and the rest of village, enjoying the cafe owner's mini concerts, has given him some sort of closure on his musical past. But it took YHJ's impromptu ranting to remind him of his failures. As I've said, it's hard to choose which side to root for. Is it better to blindly support a failed dream? Or to tactlessly wake someone from their fantastical reverie, to start accepting responsibilities and move on?
And he may view YHJ as his next project.
Yes I agree, I would be very Interested to see his reasons for coming back.
I felt so sad that grandmas son is an accountant and doesn't seem to support her mom in the village. You can tell as she doesn't seem to have money.
The plot can go many directions, but I am hoping they eventually show that the village loses its over dependence on du sik, otherwise how can he ever get married when so many people depend on his cheap labor?
I've seen quite a few Kdrama about provincial life, from When the Camellia Blooms, and most recently Racket Boys, and there is recurring undertone in these shows about life in the province. There is always revelry about the community feel, the simplistic nature of provincial life, and the simple day to day matters they go through. But in reality, what is rarely discussed is why life in these aging communities are like these.
In Ep. 2, there are several inference about the village being an aging one, and how the younger/smarter townspeople or children of townspeople have left Seoul. As if Seoul is seen as the escape from the drudgery of provincial life. It's sad that the Chief Grandma, seems so distant from her accountant son, while HDS, has basically acted as more family to her than her own son. And this is a very real thing in the world now, where the young talented people all leave the place where they grew up, and in many ways, forget not only their cultural roots, but also their familial ones. This leaves the villagers to scramble around to grasp at any sort of emotional vines they can find. Enter one Hong Doo Shik. I feel his role in the village is more than anything, the glue guy. He is what keeps that emotional bond between villagers strong.
But here's the thing, there is this thing that bothers me with HDS's role. I understand his need to be the all around guy. Let's face it, the norm in these villages are that the older people are not highly educated, and the younger people who do end up staying are not very driven, not are they very educated. Points that are punctuated by dialogues and observation of the villagers. HDS almost becomes "The Guy" that allows these people to escape the drudgery of their lives. Real Estate at minimum wage, delivery at minimum wage, renovations at minimum wage? The sole reasons for all these is because the Village with a huge elderly population just can't afford the pay the actual rate of these laborious jobs.
But what bothers me, is that by HDS doing what he does, he kind of allows the villagers to enter into a magical and fantastical world, where such a person should not exist. In a way, he allows them to live in their fantasy world, unwilling to face the harshness of realities. Almost like Gongjin becomes a Garden of Eden, where HDS makes sure everyone believes their lives are amazing with his amazing smile, and minimum wage contributions.
Which is why YHJ's appearance to the village is like a meteor hitting the ground. As if her reckless speech, popped many people's day dreaming, made them realize reality.
So it is my dilemma, would it be better to have a HDS, who at his own expense, make me feel like I am having such a great life, and I should not fret, that my family has abandoned me here, while they succeed in Seoul. Or better to have a YHJ who tells me like it is, so I can slowly come to terms with what my life has become?
I've always felt bad for aging populations who have children who move to big cities, and pretty much forget their parents. It's a sad reality of life.
I think the best real world example of Gongjin would be the Hawker Centres in Singapore, where you will see almost 90% senior/elderly people running the shacks. The reasoning for this, is they started their little hawker stalls so that they children can find white collar jobs like accountants/dentist and lawyers. And as those children succeed with better education, they rarely look back at the business, the hard work that got them there. It's sad to see, that the Hawker Culture may soon dissipate as very little younger people want to enter that industry.
P.S. I am loving the chemistry of the two leads, those little smirks from HDS are swoon worthy!
But yes I will try to keep up with live airing. Still haven't seen episode 2.
I think what I found most interesting with KSH's portrayal are HDS's many facial expressions, his smirks, his apathetic looks, his smile, they all speak volumes on the kind of guy HDS is. So even though we've only seen two episodes, we have a pretty complex imagery of the ML.
The FL on the other hand, I feel has such a realness to her, in how I can see myself in her, and her actions, and behavior, which would be normal in the city, stands out as a beacon in the simple life of Gongjin.
I'd be interested to see the compromises both the ML and FL will go through to meet each other in the middle. As real relationships tend to be.