KDramaFanatica

I’m starting to wonder if the writers were originally intending to write Seon-U as traumatized by his divorce to the point where he’s been pushing away and rejecting Ha-Yeoung and leaning into Da-Rim because he was intimidated when he overheard Ha-Yeong’s mom putting him down and, as a self-defense mechanism, decided to go with the “comfortable” choice, Da-Rim. So, his love for her was never actually meant to be romantic but, rather, an easy way to have a ready-made family with someone who he thought would never leave him. Unfortunately, due to bad pacing/writing/directing writers didn’t quite achieve this effect. I wouldn’t be surprised if we learn Seon-U’s ex-wife was wealthy and/or chose to leave the marriage in search of wealth thereby making Seon-U prejudiced and weary of Ha-Yeong from the jump. Interesting to note how he hasn’t ever outright rejected her or said he doesn’t like her. He’s just kept making excuses time and time again. I think this pairing will only work if Seon-U eventually pursues Ha-Yeong as persistently and steadfastedly as she has him. Still think their romance will begin as the series ends, with a grand gesture from Seon-U where he shows her his love through a picture (I.e. so Ha-Yeong, too, can say about herself, “she looks like a woman who is well loved.”

Edited to add: Correction on Seon-U not saying he doesn’t like Ha Yeong. Based on ep. 12 preview, he coldly rejects her with an “I have no interest in you as a woman.” Ouch. She’s really too good for him.

All this talk of of poor Ji-Hyeok but the way he is treating Ha-Yeong as a means to his end makes it more palpable that he’s suffering the way he is. The way he warned poor Ha-Yeong that she could go on and tell the elders that she didn’t want to marry so she could make things easier for him by getting locked up until the wedding was chilling. He does have some of his father’s traits, even if the motivation for being such a jerk is protecting the women he loves. At this point, only Ha-Yeong (as clingy as she is) and baby Jun are the only truly likable characters.

I didn’t realize that the screenwriter for this show is the same one as “From Now On, Showtime!”, which was hilarious, heartwarming and entertaining until the very end! Am excited about starting a watch but am going to wait until most of the episodes have dropped (i.e. at least 10).

Happy birthday to Zhao Lusi, my favorite C-drama actress! I’m so overjoyed that she was able to move forward from the agency drama and legal disputes (so it seems) to create her own studio! So many haters doubted her and how much audiences love her but here she stands tall with the future ahead looking so bright! Can’t wait for her future projects (hoping she does another rom com soon)!

Honestly, it’s a well produced and catchy song. I watched the behind the scenes of her recording the song and WOW! Although I’ve always been a fan of her acting, I had no idea she had such a lovely voice! https://youtu.be/7nrRybJLzRA?si=ByY3s7-pBScFbfpU

Although I understand a lot of the criticisms posted here, I do hope that it’s still getting high ratings in SK. Despite its shortcomings, JYB’s and others’ acting (looking at SHW who always elevates the projects he’s in and who I just loved in Flower of Evil) is really the saving grace of this show. I am watching it with my sister who, despite not usually being a fan of mixed genres (I.e. prefers full on rom-coms vs rom-coms mixed with thriller mixed with action like this show) has really been enjoying it.

Sure, BSM staying incognito all of two episodes and making dumb mistake after dumb mistake and getting bested so easily has had us rolling our eyes but, to be fair, I think it’s the writers have been over doing driving home the point that having others you care about in your life is one’s “weakness” and muddles your brain, makes you reactive and desperate to keep them from getting hurt to the point where you act out of desperation vs. strategy. I don’t think it’s a mistake that, when BSM was closed off, cold, distant and emotionally repressed she showed great physical strength and the ability to protect herself but the more she’s “softened” towards others (esp. JDM and his son), the more vulnerable she’s become.

The Chairman said it himself in some way early on in the show: that she was a good candidate for the job because she had nothing to lose and no one to rely on.

But now, with two episodes left? She does. Granted, they couldn’t flesh out the connections between characters or create the depth that was needed in 12 eps but the point has been very well made.

Jeon Yeo Been, the amazing actress you are!

Near the end of the episode, when Kim Yeong Rang had her breakdown… *sobs *. What an amazing first episode. I don’t know why, but it was very “Flower of Evil” coded as far as the tone and somber mood. KYR’s interactions with the Chairman were riveting. Only JYB could have held her own the way she did with the veteran actor playing the chairman, Moon Sung Keung.

I love that LYN is good about focusing on his passion for music, which also gives hime a much needed break from filming but I can’t wait to see what 2026 brings in terms of his drama projects because he has yet to miss with the scripts he’s chosen!

Finished my re-watch today and, although the drama was not perfect by any means, the screenwriter created flawed (yes, FL) but lovable characters and I ADORED SYM’s and NH’s married couple era. I’m not sure why, but in my re-watch I was not as put off by SYM’s disdain for and rejection of NH because, in retrospect, homeboy kept being all tsundere to her for a long while when interacting with her as NH (vs when he was being LSL). Also, there’s that whole thing where he would have killed her without a second thought at the beginning (which, in the real world, big red flag, do not pass go, run for the hills girl). I see myself revisiting this drama at least once a year moving forward. No wonder AvenueX ended up raving about it so much.

I LOVED this drama when it was airing but waiting for episodes to drop instead of being able to watch episodes back to back really made the FL’s arc of blaming rejecting ML seem more dragged out than it actually was.

I am rewatching the show now and, although I think the FL rejected ML for three episodes more than she should have, it feels a lot more understandable and acceptable that she did for as long as she did.

Also, this drama balanced satire, comedy, suspense, intrigue and romance perfectly!

Checking in to see if there’s been any more news (good) about Zhao Lusi and if you scroll down you’ll see a comment that references a producer speaking out against KU. I hope those who have been trying to gaslight and criticize us international fans (and, most especially to cast doubt on Zhao Lusi herself) take note. I knew all that condescending “yOu’RE nAIve aND LUsI is jUsT bEiNg DrAMaTiC” was bulls#8t.

I don’t think this is all going to play out the way y’all thought. Also, I knew that someone like Zhao Lusi, who came from humble beginnings and who is pretty well liked by castmates (she even became best friends with her co-star who played an antagonist on TROTR) and peers in the industry wasn’t being a diva or fabricating things.

From the looks of it, she was abused and silenced and then once she started getting help she started speaking out.

I wouldn’t be surprised if others who work with/have worked with (or tried) to work with KU as a production company start chiming with their own stories of that company’s bad practices. Lusi was the lone brave soul willing to speak first but the floodgates are about to open with more complaints.

Hopefully, she has enough money saved up (maybe also investments) to keep her afloat. And, hey, if she decides to go all out and liquidate her finances to fight the battle and then start all over again, more power to her. It sounds like she’s at the “got nothing to lose” stage and people who are at this kind of stage don’t fear having to start over again (even if it means owning and managing a noodle shop, like she mentioned).

I hope Lusi continues to heal and that eventually all of this mess and drama is behind her.

Reminder to all those who are confused about why Lusi didn’t sue or cause a ruckus before, keep this in mind: she started with this agency when she was an impressionable and vulnerable 17 y.o. and has essentially grown with this agency, as has her career.

Yes, she may have money (now) and yes, she has access to legal help but people are really ignoring the psychological factors at play here, namely, the unhealthy co-dependent dynamic that she began establishing at such a young age, further complicated by reported verbal, emotional and even some physical abuse (at least that we know of with a previous manager, which she is now revealing also extends to the rest of the agency itself).

Also, it’s my understanding that she comes from humble beginnings so I suspect she may have been struggling with some internal conflict of being “grateful” for the opportunities afforded through the agency vs. pushing back against the agency’s reported ongoing abusive tactics and controlling behaviors. Let me be clear, though, one can feel all the gratitude in the world and still push back against abuse, which seems what Lusi is trying to do now.

I, for one, am glad that Lusi is finally speaking out (it’s no coincidence that she has started doing so after receiving inpatient treatment). It’s a great sign that she is starting to regain control of her sense of self, career and life, and is also sign that she’s moving towards true healing.

Let’s hope that she can achieve total freedom from the agency to go along with it.

Sending a sincere, loving “jiayou, Zhao Lusi!” out into the universe for her!

*YAWN* 🥱 Still supporting Lusi, not interested in the abusive, controlling agency. ✌🏼

The way people act as if she wasn’t probably groomed to be compliant (she’s been with the agency since she was an impressionable teenager) in exchange for building her career is frustrating. Like, people don’t seem to understand that the agency has probably been ultra controlling and probably abusive to keep her in line. They don’t see her as more than a cash cow.

Thank you for providing the perspective from someone with PR knowledge.

I also have a sneaking suspicion that they may have also developed a coordinated smear campaign. I’ve seen a lot of comments centered around accusing her of “not honoring her contract”. There’s also been a lack of a willingness to hold the agency accountable for what seems like abusive and bullying tactics.

It’s been especially disconcerting given how the battle has taken a toll on her mental health (I.e. severe depression and anxiety).

I really hope for the best outcome for her, which is her agency finally allowing her to go free and her being able to take charge of her career by becoming independent.

It’s interesting to me how, the moment she speaks out, there seems to be a push to drag her and “put her back in her place” (looking at you antis).

Fact of the matter is that, if she renegotiated at a time when she was vulnerable and incapacitated and still now seems to be trapped by a crappy contract and an agency that won’t allow her to work, that’s unfortunate.

Legally, is she bound by the terms? Probably.

But I hope her fans continue to make noise because if the agency and antis are wanting to make her life miserable then let them get all the pushback, negative publicity and noise from Lusi’s national AND international fans.

Yup, typical gaslighting behaviors. Not sure why, but for some reason the ZLS antis have been out in full force and I’m starting to wonder if there’s a collective smear campaign to silence her. Jiayou, Zhao Lu Si!

I know people have mentioned AvenueX before but I wanted to encourage people to not just check out her recent ADWD edit (which is AMAZING) or recent short video where she comments on ADWD as a whole (she loved the drama) but also check out her most recent LIVE.

She breaks down how almost immediately after AJTL, there was a quick turnaround of about 3-4 months before ADWD started shooting. Based on the industry insider gems she dropped, the unjust and excessive hate that LYN andAJTL received at the time upset the people behind that production so much, and even LYN himself, that they prioritized making ADWD as a scathing commentary on the unjust hate, bullshit and drama that comes with trying to create shows that the audience will love.

But when you take into account that, in those 3-4 months the scriptwriter wrote this story…what we got was a testament to Rhen Zhuang Liu’s (scriptwriter)writing talent and that, paired with an amazing cast and crew full of hard-working people who put their hearts and souls into making this drama what it was.

It wasn’t perfect, by any means, but in the context of such a short turnaround…it reflects true talent.

Ugh. I’m going to miss this gem of a show so much! LOVED the storyline, LOVED the message and Liu Yu Ning and Li Yi Tong were wonderful in these roles!