Eleison

I was watching the episodes again to introduce them to my sister, and I noticed that the reason they show Mok Ha and Ki Ho in their full school uniform is because they have to cover their bruises. All the other kids are wearing their "summer" uniform. Ack, what a heartbreaking detail. I also just noticed this time how Ki Ho lingered over his summer uniform hanging on the wall the day after he got attacked by his dad. He wanted to wear it so badly, but couldn't. 😭

Didn't someone in the trailer say, "Ki Ho is hiding near you?" I can't think of any good storytelling arc that would make the 1st Episode make sense if Ki Ho died. What would be the point of all the bonding and connection if he died? To show us how hard her life was? I definitely don't think he's dead. But hey, maybe I'm wrong. 🤷‍♀️ Anything is possible at this point. 😂

I think in this drama and Start-Up it had been made clear in the cast list who was the second and main male lead? I just think people got attached to Seon Ho/his character because he was shown first, and Seon Ho did a fantastic job making everyone root for him. :) Based on the cast list, Chae Yong Hyeop is the male lead, so I think that's why everyone wants him to be Ki Ho, since we know he's the one she'll end up with (if she ends up with anyone) according to unspoken Kdrama rules. It's definitely twisty! I think it's fun to speculate but I don't want to get TOO invested since it's clearly just too early to say who is who, as much as I may not like to admit it... 😭

I think it's possible they'll show us his reactions in flashbacks (if Bo Geol is Ki Ho). And if Bo Geol is Ki Ho, I agree that they now have to deliver on some pretty good reasons for his indifference. I think everyone's intrigued to see how it will be explained!

I definitely see what you mean; those dramas WERE confusing (maybe even misleading?) ML/SML-wise and she was playing with the formula a little more than I liked. I hope she goes more the route of While You Were Sleeping or I Hear Your Voice. She didn't pull our heartstrings as much in those as far as who to root for in terms of the romantic leads.

This writer does usually have love triangles but they aren't always the blood bath Start-Up created in the viewership. Some of her others have very mild love triangles (WYWS, IHYV). I see this screenwriter as the queen of the Kdrama genre; she embraces all the tropes, plot holes, and cliches we've come to know, love and hate, but just does them more artfully than everyone else in the industry and genre.

Aren't most dramas predictable, though? I find them formulaic, and that's personally why I like them. I tune in to see the next variation on the theme; the best dramas bring fresh takes on their variation of the formula. Just my opinion, though!

I'm happy to be wrong! The voice in the drama is very lovely, and it's refreshing to discover it really is hers. :)

And in addition to being beautiful, he's still single!

💯

Me too!

Agreed! Her dramas are always my favorites! Start-Up was really well done but the hardest of her dramas to get through (While You Were Sleeping and I Hear Your Voice are still my top two by her). It wasn't so much the second lead syndrome but the lying that made it difficult for me to watch. Glad that's not the lesson being learned here! 😅

Hopefully they'll have the "previously on..." montage every week an episode airs so people don't forget the plot! 🤣

Still very cute and fluffy, and all the characters are so endearing! I find the teacher/student interactions quite unrealistic (lots of stuff that could get you fired, honestly; like Yul shutting the blind in the room they're alone in (schools advise teachers to never be alone with a student in a room without a window or an open door), not to mention all the other off-campus interactions between Yul and Hae Na). Despite the lack of realism, I like the parts with them interacting while at school the best!

I loved Cha Hak Yeon in Bad and Crazy! He was fantastic in that drama and kind of stole the show for me. :) I also really liked Chae Jong Hyeop in Unlock My Boss, too.

I noticed that, too! He's quite endearing, but I'm still glad/hopeful Bo Geol is endgame. Woo Hak is totally channeling the adorable younger sibling you can't help but like, but after the perceptive thoughtfulness displayed by Ki Ho even as a teenager, I have higher hopes and expectations from our leading man!

So far it has had a really strong start! A lot of mystery and unanswered questions, though, as of the end of Episode 2. :)

I think that's the big mystery. At least it is for me! If Bo Geol's Ki Ho, he's definitely waited for this to happen for a long time and hoped for it, so his nonchalance is so puzzling. So I'm thoroughly intrigued and can't wait to see what we're missing.

I am not completely convinced it's Eun Bin who sang... I looked up what I could find of her voice and it sounds less strident than the voice you hear in this drama. Or maybe it sounds better in the drama because she got some help from technology? I've noticed that some actors and idols "can" sing they just are often helped out to sound better than they would if they sang acapella or live (for instance, I've noticed you can rarely find good videos or recordings of idols/singers in Korea singing live without backtracks, and when some don't have that help they're not always fully on pitch 😬 Hopefully I don't get murdered for saying this 😂). I think live singing (without backtrack) or acapella performances show what a person can really do, so I feel like in shows like this it's really hard to say since the singing is pre-recorded.

Yes, if you like fantasy and sageuks, then you'll probably like this. It's not perfect but very enjoyable! I describe it as Harry Potter meets Lord of the Rings meets Avatar the Last Airbender meets fantasy historical Korean drama (it might have some Chinese Wuxia or Xianxia elements but I know nothing about them so can't tell you if it's much like those genres, I just feel like I remember people dropping those terms when describing this drama when it was airing). First part is more action heavy/coming of age with a brighter tone and second part is more subdued, romance-focused and heavier in tone and slower paced; though the ending of the first part IS quite intense and sad. I personally think they were both great (not perfect!), but very different from each other. Just don't have expectations going into the second part beyond the main leads surviving and ending up together. 😅