Kimsamsoom

So far I am liking the cafe owner the most of all the supporting. He has an interesting story.

I initially thought it was his grandpa's suit, but a wedding tux would be interesting indeed!

I think HDS, likes fixing not just things but also people.

And he may view YHJ as his next project.

Hi!

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.

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?

Yah lol

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!

Oh dear you are making me blush!

But yes I will try to keep up with live airing. Still haven't seen episode 2.

Hi!

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.

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.

If ever there is a love triangle, it's going to be a one sided lukewarm one similar to Racket Boys I feel.

Reminds me of when the camellia blooms more than anything.

Up to you. Some people like binge watching. Some people enjoy live airing commenting, as it has that community feel.

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.

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!

Pretty much, good thing so far no love triangle, and even if there is one, I doubt it will last long. Too much stolen glances already between the two leads.

Yup, just finished first episode, will have to find time to watch the second one. Just kinda swamped at the moment lol!

Oh, that was Russian?, I thought French at first.