Pincolino

Seeing that hurts. This couple/actors had so much potential and chemistry, and they couldn't come up with a better story for s2?

I want them to make up, be happy, smile a lot and kiss.
Well, now I said it.
There is that scene in the trailer where they lie on the floor on a pile of clothes and look happy. We didn't see that yet.
This whole series was nothing else than misery from start to the end. I need something fluffy. Storywise it isn't the best decision, but who cares? This story is unrealistic anyways.

"I suppose it should be his mind making up stuff."
That's it, basically.
To be fair there are some people who tend to make their life difficult. The better they have it, the more they destroy everything around them.
But it's not engaging watching such a character on screen. And I don't see any devolopment or that he worked on himself. I wonder what kind of conclusion the author will come up with.

Not gonna lie, I'm excited about the last two episodes. I think they will give us SOMETHING. I mean, they have to.

If this is Ji Woo's season then they did it wrong. He had so much to offer in s1. I could totaly see why Seo Joon falls for him. He had his issues, but also many good qualities. In s2 they reduced him to his insecurities.

The screenwriter showed us how Ji Woo is hurt, and people are falling for it. There is this mindset that he is a person we should sympathize, because he has mental problems. It's hard for him. He can't do anything about it. Our culture is primed to be understanding and compassionate towards people with psychological issues. While this is no bad thing in general - of course! - I see that this mindset victimizes people easily. It's not trendy nowadays to take responsiblity for your own life and decisions. What Ji Woo did is morally wrong, but since he is suffering, everything is forgiven. It's funny how people at the same time try to find a flaw in Seo Joon's behaviour. He always meant well, was never hurting Ji Woo on porpuse, and did everything he could to support him. It's still not enough. It's his fault Ji Woo felt lonely in the relationship! Ji Woo on the other hand who is putting up walls and hurting other people well knowing it will hurt them is the hero. Because he apparantly suffers a lot. It's a f*cked up logic, really. People are also falling for it, because they can generally identify with a shy, insecure awkward character.

I agree with you that this is bad on many other levels: The first two espisodes weren't suited for the introduction of a new series. The flashbacks, the unexplained break-up - it was not engaging and appealing. They picked up the pace around episode 3 and 4. It seemed that the mood will finally change, but nope. We got the same content for the next 4 episodes. At this point I wonder what kind of deus ex machina the writer will pull out. It seems nobody can make Ji Woo getting out of his shell. There was no character development throughout those episodes. Seo Joon is obviously not able to help him and get through him which shouldn't be surprising because him trying to be the best boyfriend was apparantly his big crime and the cause of all of Ji Woo's suffering. So what now? Will Ji Woo finally understand that he has to get his sh*t together and grow up?

Btw I'm glad it gets good reviews. I love the guys.

Something to lift the mood:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYg2CzIyfw8

I'm sure they will end up together. After this depressing journey the author surely thinks we demand a happy end.

People who are siding with Ji Woo, say it's "realistic", he is "flawed". I get that. I'm just stating my opinion that this kind of character is not the one that touches me (!) deeply, because I think it's ridiculous. But I'm not that young anymore. In my emo phase I would have liked that kind of story too. Who knows? I'm not hating on the character, I'm not hating on the series. I don't even think it's bad. But this whole conflict they try to show us is so pointless. I also am not a fan of the mind-set nowadays that we have to be so understanding. Everyone gets victimized and is playing the victim. That's why we got a whole generation of weak people. And how goes that saying? "Good times create weak men. Weak men create hard times". We are definitly there today.

"naturally he thinks Seo Joon will also be able to replace him"
And that's sooo terrible? That break-up will ruin your life forever? Maybe it's time to concentrate on other things?
Imagine you're living in Seoul, you have an idol as a boyfriend, you're a talented cook, you're a talented business man (even in this small town he somehow managed to open a nice restaurant with nice interior all by himself), you're good looking, you're young and healthy, you love your job (cooking) ...
Poor Ji Woo!
We are supposed to sympathize with this character because he is insecure and weak. He had it all. In his position I would wake up every morning, praise the lord for my good life and health, and do my best to work hard. I would be excited having all those opportunites! He appeared on Seo Joon's vlog and people liked him! I would be overjoyed for being able to make a good life - finally! That's one of those hollywood stories with a happy ending. I wouldn't destroy everything around me. I wouldn't have time to spiral into depression, because I had to cook and work. Now people will say it's his character, his issues, his mental health. He can't do anything about it. Fair enough! But how are we supposed to root for such a spoiled brat? I'm not. You have to grow up at some point in life and be thankful for what you got.

So I'm here again ... one comment per week, so don't crucify me ... but VegasPete ... Jesus ... no idea why people like that. I feel uncomfortable. It comes across so fake too, despite the pink light making everything so mysterious. Pete is a beauty hidden behind that dorky smile. Vegas is gorgeous. Let those two be in another drama with a better love story. This is so twisted, but not really exciting. Don't know. Like ... I'm embarrassed.

I will tell you another story. I have so many stories to tell, one is more uglier than the other.

The wife of my uncle has psychological problems. She was diagnosed with depression. She is 56 years old, and never had any mental issues. Never. Now she is in therapy and gets medication.

So what happened? She got the Covid vaccine. We know it goes through the brain-blood barrier. Many warned at the beginning that it can cause the Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease, some kind of mad cow disease. It may cause many other problems, mental problems. I have heard of people having a sudden change in their personality. I know about a German pathologist who found spike protein in the brain.

So ... suddenly mental ill, eh? Her brain is not working right anymore. The last time I talked with her, it was obvious she is ... don't know how to say it. Just not right in her head anymore.

Now tell me why? It's either the effect of the vaccine (her brain creating spike protein) or it's the medication they gave her. But she is so happy because her psychologist is sooo understanding and helped her a lot. Together they figured out what makes her so sick and powerless. When all this started she mostly had physical problems, sweating at night, feeling tired and weak, no feelings in her arms, they even thought she had a stroke etc. But luckily now they figured out she is depressed. Because then you have stroke like symptoms. No joke.

The system is crap. And never forget, that medicine and psychology is all about making money. That's why we have every year more and more diseases they add to the DSM. Don't get me wrong, I'm of course not denying the existence of mental illness, but the diagnosis and treatment is often wrong. I would say more often they get it wrong, then they get it right.

Don't know what they give your sister: But be careful. Some therapy sessions don't hurt, but don't depend on medication too much.

If you want to work in that field, then open your eyes. From your comments I see you're very motivated. Remain critical. Be a better psychologist than many others that are out there. I wish you the best.

So, yeah, what to do? Has anyone out here a solution that doesn't imply feeling miserable, hurting yourself and others for the rest of your life?

I'm listening!

I too understand what Ji Woo is going through. But now what?

Well, sorry, I'm not a native English speaker. But I indeed was right. Her symptoms are less severe. I even wrote it like that.

"grow out their mental problems"
No, it's true. The borderline personality disorder is a good example. It gets less severe with time. I have a PhD in psychology and I worked for a while in a psychiatric institution. Mental illness and how it's treated nowadays ... it's mostly a big scam. But that's a complicated topic.

I once remember a patient who wasn't over the death of his mother. Every day he would kneel in front of her picture and cry. His mother died 17 years ago. At a certain point in life you have to take responsiblity for yourself, you have to fight, you have to grow up. Just saying "It's the illness, poor him! He can't do anything about it" - well, it's your life at the end of the day. Most patients resign because in fact they identify about their illness and are trapped in a social net that supports them as long as they are ill.

Ji Woo must get his sh*t together. Or he don't. It's his life despite him being a fictional character. He had enough support. Or do you think some antidepressant will help? Should I tell you about those drugs and their real efficacy?

Well, I aggree with you on that. I sometimes get the impression, that he wants to be a differnet person similar to Seo Joon.

But it still baffles me, that he apparantly prefers hiding in his shell than working on himself. He is in his late 20s or even older. That's the time where most people get over their insecurities or grow out their mental problems. The lack of any motivation to change his life/situation is mind-boggling. He is not even trying.

I thought that too ... that the Ji Woo character is a contradiction. He apparantly wants and needs people around him, but then again he pushes them away.

Most introverts prefer being left alone. He also had his job. He wasn't alone at home with the kids like a houswife who has no job and no social contacts anymore. He had every freedom to build a life for himself, and an understanding boyfriend who would work to make time for him.

"Wanting to be looked for and looking for someone are completely different things. "
That's a bit of a stretch.

Come on! I'm not hating on this series, but what they did with Ji Woo ... this is just bad.

I'm with you on how so many people nowadays scream "abuse!" or "rape!". But that kitchen scene after they slept together was terrible. Seo Joon was nervous and afraid, Ji Woo would say something hurtful again. It obviously takes a toll on him mentally. This is all so unnecessary and just causes drama for the viewers to suffer. Seo Joon is mentally pretty strong, despite having those panick attacks. I have seen people fall to deep depression and becoming suicidal for far less. Imagine your boyfriend leaves you with just a note, and later on he treats you like shit despite you always putting in the best effort. What's that doing to you and your self-esteem? How will this impact your future relationships? They went too far. I didn't even cry when Ji Woo broke down. Just get your sh*it together! They should have changed the mood after the kiss in Ep 4, instead the went even further down the depression road.

It was implied in the last episode that Ji Woo indeed wanted that Seo Joon was looking for him. The ex-girlfriend saying something like "You expect him to figure this out". The restaurant is called "Ti Aspetto" - I'm waiting for you. Not to mention that Seo Joon likes risotto, an Italian dish, because it was the last meal he ate when he visited his parents who went to Italy.

That said, there was emotional abuse happening. Ji Woo said very hurtful things to Seo Joon just for the sake of causing harm. The talk after they apparantly slept together was a low blow. He could have told him more directly he just should the hell f*ck off! He didn't. Because he still loves him. And Seo Joon senses that, so he tried again. But Ji Woo just put his wall up, until Seo Joon finally gave up. This is a mindf*ck for god's sake.

I think the core ideas of this series aren't bad at all. They thought about the characters, their personalities, and asked themselves what kind of problems they may have in their relationship. But they neglected the complexity of both charcters and used only a part of their personality which they blew completely up in Ji Woo's case. He had so much more to offer in s1 than his insecurities. He became extremely one-dimensional and depressing to watch. There really is NO character develompent. They both didn't change a bit. Seo Joon finally giving up was the only reasonable thing to do. They didn't learn anything from this mess. They didn't find a common ground where they could finally communicate and connect with each other. It was just the same over and over again: Seo Joon trying to get through Ji Woo, Ji Woo putting up his wall. Same stuff for 8 episodes.