MadelineMaureen

Do Han is an extremely emotionally distant person. He was orphaned and then neglected by those who should have cared for him. When he realized he was gay he knew that that would be the finally nail in his "coffin" with his family. He never lets anyone close enough to let them know HIM. Not even his brother. He lets people see what he wants them to see. He will emotionally and physically leave situations when they become too difficult or he thinks the other party will "leave".
She is who he can be the most "normal" version of himself with...like how he was before his parents' death. He believes in her and her talent.
If no one actually knows HIM he can never really be hurt by their absence. He wants no responsibility because he doesn't want to let others down nor be a burden.
Ji Han became a people pleaser, Do Han became connection avoidant.
I feel like they could do with some more flashbacks to high school and college age interactions, as well as fleshing out their relationship at 32.
What I'm getting at. is that best friends don't always need to be in each other's pockets to think of each other as best friends.

Okay long reply incoming just because I wanted to touch on some things we know/have seen in the show so far.
Like sai said they are low maintenance friends. Throughout high school, they were able to be their most authentic selves with each other without all the trauma that they may personally carry. But they are also dealing with a bit of self loathing/inferiority complex now that they are adults.
She knows his darkest secret, but not who his family is(as that could have been a burden for her to know/be involved in. As long as she's in the dark his family can't go after her kind of logic. also being a illegitimate child might have been more painful for him at that time as well). She feels like she always needs to show him that she's okay and doing well because she doesn't want him to worry about her while he's living on the other side of the planet. She thought he would only be in town for a short time to check on his grandfather and leave again.
She deeply cares for people, and can't stand for injustice. She shows her love of others in her own way. ie picking up Do Han from the airport when she has very little time to do so. Giving him pocket money to eat something as she wasn't able to stay and treat him to a meal.
Sometimes all it takes is for that friend to just say "I believe in you" which they both do for each other. Do Han never questions her talent as a actress because he's seen her perform and knows she's good and that it's only a matter of time for her career to take off. He also knows her well enough to know not to help her gain success through his connections.
She's ready to move out of the country for 3 years, possibly ruin her entire future in the entertainment industry so that he doesn't have to be outed or forced to do something he doesn't want to do for the rest of his life. She's a real one.
Do Han was ready to financially back any production she got on her own. When the production failed after his investment she felt guilty he lost so much money on her that she began to not tell him the whole truth about her situation as she never wants to bring the ones she loves down with her.

Edit/add on: She is probably Do Han's only true friend. He always leaves first emotionally/physically. The fact that he still talks to her is a testament to how much they care for each other. For the first time in his life there is someone who knows all the sides of him that he hides from the world. The rich people know he's the illegitimate grandson of the LJ Group, but not that he's gay. She knew he was gay, but not an illegitimate child or 3rd gen chaebol. Prior to his parents death he wasn't living the life of a chaebol, and after their death he was neglected and forgotten. Hence why he is extremely emotionally distant from everyone. Yes he smiles and is nice to those around him, but he never lets anyone see ALL of him.

ML's mother is the daughter of the head of LJ Group.
Grandfather married his daughter off through a political/business marriage and she had two children. She asked for a divorce from her husband but he wouldn't give her one(both parties have to agree in SK, don't think this was mentioned in the news coverage just flashback). She and the man she did love had two sons together, Do Han and Ji Han. It's unclear when she met their father and when she asked for the divorce. BTW at the time they were born having an affair while married could end you up in jail...both parties, if the other spouse files a complaint with the police.

Older half-sister of the ML is said to have gotten a DUI(she was actually covering for her brother because he was already in hot water at the time), older half-brother messed with money that he shouldn't have(fraud/tax evasion or something like that). Grandfather is now passing on the LJ Group to Do Han the older of the two illegitimate grandsons. Their mother and father, her "lover", were killed in a car accident with no witnesses. It was said to have then been ruled their fault after an "investigation". Ji Han was present at the accident, we have not been shown to what extent he was involved in the crash...but of course it was raining that night. This is like the 4th-ish ML that has a rain/car crash combo trauma.
Step-father is/was in politics, mayor or something like that. He is also connected to the LJ Group, and the grandfather is actively cutting off his support by getting rid of the people backing him in different departments.
Ji Han is the only non-public member of the family as of yet. Only those within their circles know what he looks like & his name.

I can't with the live action video game for the rich.🤣🤣 I couldn't stop laughing. I was like, why would kidnappers have automatic weapons in SK? Also loved the FL's Indie moment with the taser.

My main theory that looks like it might even be true is that his ex from Korea has a larger hand in the blackmail situation.

I honestly don't mind when people state that they've dropped the show and list reasons why in a spoiler tag belong the comment as it can be helpful. But constructive criticism can get lost for a lot of people when they are in the heat of the moment. If it's like @SevenVII said and there a lot of teenagers, articulating WHY they dislike something might not be their priority in the moment. I have had very in-depth discussions with employees who are teens about music, movies, tv shows and even politics, but that's in person & verbal/visual conversation flows more easily. I'm normally acting as a imdb/Wikipedia page for them about things just 10 years ago giving context that they might be missing.

The need I have to correct misinterpretations is so strong sometimes. Someone had the audacity to say the FL was stiff...I literally had to scroll back up to the page header to make sure I was on the correct show page. Because I had talked with someone the day before about how natural/relaxed she was in her character portrayal.

Yeah. A part of me wants to think that he didn't answer only because he would have to tell them the project had been delayed AGAIN. And he needed to focus on that battle instead of putting out all the small fires(complaints)

Flaws are where the meat/personality of a character can be explored more. I'm sure they would call a character a Mary Sue if they didn't have any flaws. Flaws are what make us human. Without them the character becomes boring and one dimensional.
FL's main flaw and also greatest strengths is that she can't sit back and do nothing when someone is in need/there in injustice happening. She will continue finding herself in situations that could harm her, but she needs to do the right thing even if it hurts her.
With the villagers she's not only trying to keep the secret of the wife, but she is also trying to calm everyone down long enough to talk it out.
The ML knows that people hate him just simply for being born, so he does everything he can to endear himself to those who can help him. He is willing to sacrifice his time and energy for his brother to succeed, because he also feels tremendous guilt for their parent's death(we haven't seen the details of this yet) he is punishing himself in a way.
Do Han was over looked after their parent's death. He went into his shell so that no one could hurt him again by leaving first. He always leaves first.
He flees while Ji Han lays plans and takes root within the company creating a stable tree for his brother to climb.
Everyone in the show is both selfish and selfless in some way. They all keep secrets to make others look at them in a way they can't see themselves.
I'm going to stop here because it's late and I've written you an essay you didn't ask for. 🤣🥰

I turn 34 this year...so yeah.👵🏻 I don't enjoy the bickering back and forth. I have seen a lot of shows from many countries. A ridiculous amount at this point, so not only am I making comments based on my own life experiences, but based on books, cinema, and tv knowledge.
I miss the almost book club atmosphere that these comment sections were. I've only really noticed the blatant trolling/name calling over the past few months.
I think I just need to start blocking certain commenters so I don't have to see their negativity in every comment section I go to. Seriously, how can they not have one positive thing to say about any of the shows they've watched?

So there is actually a real life situation where the wife of director Hong Sang Soo refuses to divorce her husband even after his affair with his much younger leading actress came out. (it's fascinatingly petty & i love that for her) https://youtu.be/0-fyL8jbs3Q?si=bSCszvx63vjQ79YI

The marriage of the mother the stepfather was also a business deal aka contracts that cant be broken. Saving face is also a huge thing in Korea. & yes we dont know all the details yet so there might be other reasons.

There are a lot a stones being thrown in the comment section.
Nuanced character discussions seem to be a thing of the past. The name calling is a bit much as well. I enjoy discussing & theorizing dramas with people, but this comment section feels out of my age range.

if you can, use your cellphone. do you have a VPN on your phone? that will be the only thing to save you from the ad-nado those sites would release.

I think I would only call him a red flag because he uses people until he gets what he wants from them. ie the landowners.
I agree with all your points as to why his pursuit of his brother's fiancé isn't morally wrong/red flag.

The daughter had a political/business marriage. It involves mergers and acquisitions. In Korea BOTH parties have to agree to divorce. & because the wife is the cheater, which was jailable at that time, the father most likely kept him around to protect the company & his daughter in his own way. By the time she left the marriage he would have already had shares in the company & people backing him. The gransfather is currently cleaning house of all the people that support his SiL.
Also, those are still his grandson & granddaughter, he tried with both of them & failed to procure the results he wanted.

the FL is one the most relaxed actresses on the planet....am i in the wrong comment section?

Ji Han was with his daughter when she died. Still unclear not only what was happening prior to the accident, nor how he survived. IMO, When he looks at Ji Han all he sees is how he failed his daughter & that she isn't there anymore.
Because the grandfather has a hard time expressing his love he is doing what he THINKS will make Do Han happy in the long term. He only understands business & power. Love is hard for him to grasp.
Ji Han became a people pleaser because of his trauma & abandonment. He endears himself to those around him for personal gain.
I want to see more flashbacks of Ji Han & Do Han's mother to see who takes after her most, cause that could also be playing into the grandfather's prejudices.

She rapes her husband's bodyguard to get pregnant.

First off, super glad that it's being positively received by someone without any context of the source material or other adaptations. My brain will sometimes auto insert information if I know the IP the show/movie is being adapted from. I'm enjoying their take on the source material.
I think my only real complaint as of episode 5 is that there is a lack of "moments" with the ML and FL. Even just adding a few more shots of him observing her could help relieve some of that. There isn't enough lingering on his longing...if you know what I mean.
When they are mainly interacting with opposite gender supporting characters it throws off the ML/FL dynamic that needs to be established in what boils down to a romance. There's only going to be 14 episodes that are roughly 45ish minutes so the fact we are almost at the mid point and they've only had maybe 1 positive interaction together and it was a voice overed montage....it's a bit worrisome.
I'm still enjoying the overall production of the show, but I can't help but have a critical take on it as well, but that's just how I consume content.

Critical take meaning analyzing acting, writing, directing, cinematography, set design, costumes, hair and make- up etc. My film nerd brain has a hard time turning off completely.

I don't like the super negative takes people are having...it's very much giving, throwing the baby out with the bath water. Looking back on some of my comments depending on how people interpreted my "tone" it could seem more negative than it actually is. I need to remember to add emojis or tone indicators. 😊

FL's best friend and older brother of the ML is gay and trying to keep it from the public and his family. FL is the only one who he's told.