Toot

The fact that this drama gets you to ask that question, I think is amazing! It's a rare gem in being challenging of our biases and beliefs.

My dropped list is basically the same 😅 and I would include the middle of The Haunted Palace there too. I would however recommend Our Unwritten Seoul as the opposite...starts slowly and builds!

Clearly I was lying to myself, as I'm still ruminating about it...BUT, I will NEVER understand this entire trope. It's a whole sub-genre of romantic fictiom, particularly as a 'forbidden fruit younger sister idea', so this drama is at least flipping that. But it seems to be a common link in noona-dramas (My noona who brings me food for example)
Meanwhile...you are claiming to love your friend. You want to continue to be close to your friend's family beause they're special to you. But you would rather your sibling date and marry a complete stranger, than your close friend?!? Baffling!

"If we go by that definition, then half of the dramas out there would be considered cases of sexual harassment because in most of them, the leads initiate a kiss without asking for permission, assuming the other person is also interested"...
I would argue that IS exactly the case. Many, very popular dramas, have massive issues with consent. This is why it seems to be so hard for many people to understand the difference. This is why moving towards Active and Ongoing Consent, is the best solution.
You can hold out your hand to be taken. You can move in for a kiss and wait for the other person to close the gap. You can leave space for someone to safely move away. You can check in regularly with 'Is this ok? Do you like that? Are you comfortable? And you can also be straightforward and ask - Can I kiss you...And actually wait for the answer. Rationalising it with "No-one explicitly asks... "does not make it right.

"South Korean law explicitly addresses sexual harassment, including unwanted advances and inappropriate behavior"
Thanks for clarifying! 🙏❤️

Why oh why do we keep having to point out this very simple fact 😅

Thankyou! ❤️

Have you worked at a company in South Korea? I'm sure this hits on another level, if you have.

He specifically told her to bring him coffee every day. I think your perspective is biased towards him here, which leads to us seeing very different things when we view the same thing. If you view it from Mi-Rae's perspective, (which I think is the least you would expect when she is the central character) you could take it that he is settlng her up to be outcast, from the get-go.
And, the apology on his knees, comes off as COMPLETELY disingenuous when he bad mouths his victim the next day, and claim that she was seducing him! Remember Mi-Rae got dragged into HR first, for being a seductress, and then tried to defend herself!

You can edit your post and just tick spoiler...please.

The interfering and disapproving older sibling trope is...so boring and frustrating I can barely be bothered to finish this sentence.

Glad I'm not the only one having that moment of cognitive dissonance 😅

As for my opinion, I agree with o_reo123! No consent. No question!

Whether it's adequate to be deemed sexual harassment requires knowing the law in South Korea. Our opinion,is kind of irrelevant vs the law.

It's definitely not your typical heroic journey.. Mi Rae is flawed in ways that are rarely explored in dramas, but are wholly realistic and commonplace across humanity..
The sexual harassment story is so very true to life. The gaslighting victims face, is all too real and ongoing. But they were not the parts of this ep., that really challenged me,.
Becoming a whistle-blower when you work in a Public/Civil Service Organisation, as Mi-Rae does, is a whole other level of risky. I have so much respect for whistle-blowers. Australia (where I live) is disgracefully lacking in protections. (David McBride, Richard Boyle, Bernard Collaery... just a few names to research) It takes a mountain of courage to make these kinds of ethical choices - to choose to risk your life and freedoms for the good of 'the people'.
But I found this ep very difficult to watch and found myself deeply frustrated by Mi-Rae's passivity. It made me realise how much of an empathy gap I have for people like Mi Rae, who witness wrongs, evils, injustice, and choose to do nothing. She is giving away her agency by doing nothing, and victimising herself in the process. ACk my bile is rising just writing that! I can work towards some compassion for her because of her exhaustion and sense of hopelessness, and for the fact that she has been victimised and suffered so much in the past. But for me, doing something, even when it's a lost cause, is the only way to create hope - be it for yourself alone, or for the good of others. And after all of that built frustration, the point at which she loses it at So Young for her misplaced guilt, is so much more satisfying!
I just hope we get to witness in the coming episodes, Mi-Rae showing her sister and herself, the same compassion!

It's a weird place to be for me; to feel so personally challenged by a drama! I have so much respect for the writer in creating a character like Mi-Rae, and allowing me to confront my own judgements and lack of empathy for people in these situations. And the story arc and character development, make the end of ep 9 so much more satisfying. So worth the view!

Labour laws are actually not at all good in SK for Entertainers (Actors, Kpop, Writers etc) They're considered contractors rather than regular employees, so have very little protection...one of the reasons why public 'scandals' are so catastrophic for people in these industries. Also one of the reasons why few publicly complain or call out poor conditions.
The Jeju workers are in a different situation, whereby it's a small location (and Jeju is an Independent Protectorate/Self-governing) with fewer workers, so they somewhat have more power to go public compared with workers in Seoul.

I would argue Japan actually has labour laws that offer more protections, for entertainment workers, than does South Korea

The previous commenter was at least respectful, succinct and lacked personal attack in their request about the OP. It's fine to disagree, but your comment infers a slur towards me and is just unnecessary.

A Web novel....I posted a link in a discussion page

I disagree...This is the drama page for "Spying". I'm keen to know what other actors are being considered or are confirmed, so I appreciate people posting discussion links.
You can go to Xiao Zhan's profile page to focus solely on him.