Maggi64

Is that how old the actors are right now? If so, they'd have been 29 and 27 in season one?

How old are these 2 guys?

Cuz when I re-watched season one, Seo Joon asks Ji Woo if he's ever been in a relationship. Yet it looks like they are in their mid to late 20's, so of course they'd have been in relationships in the past. Are they just younger than they look?

Lol, you are right. It's Hungarian. But they also called it "hangover soup" so it might be something that's a specialty for Koreans and he made it just for Seo Joon and the village chief because they specifically requested "hangover soup" and not something on the actual, regular Italian menu.

That line of dialogue, "If it's hard for you, you don't have to come to me. I'll come to you," was my absolute favorite line in the whole series. When I re-watched Season 1 yesterday, I replayed that scene 3 times! lol. Seo Joon doesn't mind being pushed away, cuz he knows, deep down, Ji Won wants to be pulled right back in by him.

Now, as you said, the push-pull can become exhausting long term, and it's definitely a tad dysfunctional. Then again, as you had also said to me the other day when I asked in my original post, "How can this actor love this asshole chef?" there would be no drama if the relationship were entirely smooth. That was a good answer, thx!

Indeed, I gotta say, this whole discussion thread has helped me to appreciate "To My Star" season 1 and season 2's first episodes much better. So thank you all for such, thoughtful replies. I am now seeing how Seo Joon liked that Ji Woo has his walls up, because that means that Seo Joon, as a lover, gets to be the one & only to break them down and get all that yummy, soft stuff inside. That's definitely sexy. So yea, I'm totally getting the dynamic of this attraction now.

Moreover, it's more than Ji Woo being considerate in little ways (which I did notice more on my second viewing), cuz all prospective lovers are considerate to each other in the beginning. It's something deeper about Seo Joon's attraction to the push-pull and breaking down those walls. As for Ji Woo, I think he's attracted to more than Seo Joon's friendliness and persistence, but also to Seo Joon's kindness. Remember the scene where Seo Joon confessed his love and Ji Woo accused him of having pity cuz he's broke, etc? Seo Joon's reaction was not to be defensive but, rather, the opposite of defensiveness because he apologized. He just pulled in Ji Woo for a big hug, and apologized for not considering Ji Woo's feelings more. It was the reaction of a kind hearted human being. I think this attracts Ji Woo most.

It also happens to be my 2nd fav scene in the series.

Incidentally, the Italian menu at Ji Woo's restaurant is also why he has no customers, lol. The village chief says they can't read his menu. Of course, in real life that restaurant would not still be open after one year if it were as empty as the show makes it out to be. Restaurants notoriously close after 3 months if they cannot get sufficient customers. The overhead is just too much --rent, electric, gas, staff, etc. Yet Ji Woo's empty restaurant is not only open after 1 year, but he can afford his own house too. This part of the show is utterly unrealistic, but I decided to just let it go. After all, it's BL love story, and we're not meant to focus on economic realities, right?

THE ITALIAN CONNECTION

Ji Woo now owns an Italian restaurant named, "Ti Aspetto" which translates to "I am waiting for you." I doubt that this is a coincidence and, rather, think the Italian element is quite significant.

To begin, Seo Joon has an Italian connection in so far as his parents abandoned him in Italy. Remember how his manager said he always cries when he eats Italian dishes like Saffron Risotto cuz it reminds him of his parents? Then Seo Joon asks Ji Woo to teach him how to make Saffron Risotto? Ji Woo brings home all the ingredients for Saffron Risotto in the scene where Seo Joon first confesses his love to Ji Woo, and gets cruelly rejected. But they do make it later on after they are a couple. So there is an Italian theme running through Season 1 -- even if it is slight -- and this would account for Ji Woo making his restaurant Italian.

Isn't that the same striped shirt that Seo Joon made Ji Woo wear in Season 1 in that scene where Ji Woon reached for Seo Joon's supposed eyelash? I thought it was Ji Woo's shirt that Seo Joon had gotten from Ji Woo's closet. But I guess it always belonged to Seo Joon. Is this right?

I doubt we'll see Seo Joon make him beg, but like you I'd love to see it, lol. I do think, however, the director/writers will give Ji Woo at least a decent reason for his awful behavior for leaving with a shitty note like that -- and on Seo Joon's bday, no less. At least I hope they do. The first 2 episodes of Season 2 have certainly done a good job of building suspense to know what the hell the reason was, so I give the director/screenwriters that. Making viewers want to tune in again is director/screenwriters' job, so Season 2 is a success on that basis alone. I just hope the reason makes Ji Woo more sympathetic, cuz like you, I find his behavior in Season 2 reprehensible so far.

BTW, you guys have all given very good, thoughtful answers to my original question in this post. It helped me to rewatch Season 1 with a different frame and enjoy it more. Likewise, it will help me enjoy Season2 more, so thank you!

Holy shit, you are right! Kang Gook said viciously cruel things to Tadjiu in "Where Your Eyes Linger" when Tadjiu confessed his love. He was also insecure and uncertain, and disguised it with an alpha male display of cruelty. This kind of pushing away, while secretly desiring the other, is clearly a thematic interest of the director. As I said in another comment somewhere here, I think Seo Joon's character is written to actually be turned on by the push-pull, cuz whenever he's pushed away, he comes back more strongly. For example, the final episode in Season 1 where Ji Woo tells him to leave for good, but Seo Joon comes right back into the house and gives that great line, "If it's hard for you to come to me, then I'll come to you." In short, I think the push-pull dynamic is a turn on for Seo Joon.

You're right, Ji Woo said terribly cruel things to push away Seo Joon, even though he clearly wanted him. I mean, at the end of Season 1, he tells Seo Joon to get lost for good, and then immediately breaks down crying cuz he actually does NOT want him to get lost. Seo Joon knows this and comes back in (I loved the way he said, "If it's hard for you to come to me, I'll come to you.") Perhaps, in some romantically dysfunctional way, Seo Joon is actually more attracted when Ji Woo says these cruel things to push him away because knowing there is, in fact, love boiling deeper down in Ji Woo makes it kind of, well, sexy for Seo Joon. The push-pull is what turns on Seo Joon. It's the first time this occurred to me and actually makes their relationship more believable to me. So, yea, thanks for your reply!

Yep, I also noticed that family pix being faced down and Seo Joon picking it up. In fact, it annoyed me that this plot point was introduced, and then not developed in Season 1. It seemed like a tease -- unless, that is, they were planning on a sequel all along during which they'd explain this plot point. And based on all the things you astutely noted, it seems like they were. Consider how Seo Joon's parents abandoned him in Italy and he now craves Italian food as a result (eg, in Season 1 he made Ji Woo teach him how to make Risotto). And now, in Season 2, Ji Woo just happens to have an Italian restaurant. It all means something. So I am looking forward to seeing how all this unfolds in Season 2.

Yep, that's how I saw it. The attraction made so little sense to me on my first viewing that I had to watch season one again last night. I think the best reason the show has given us for SJ loving JW is that, as SJ said, he's attracted to people "who have their walls up." That made sense. It's a sort of opposites attract scenario. Nevertheless, the director has really stacked the deck in giving JW negative qualities, and almost overdid it. I hope season two rectifies this and shows more amiable qualities from him. Some of SJ's memories of their good times show JW actually smiling and that, thank god, made him seem warmer. Otherwise, JW has been shown stone faced for nearly all of season one (he never smiled at SJ until the final episode), and the first two episodes of season two.

Exactly, she said the same things as Ji Woo about not wanting "free money" when Seo Joon offered her too much money for her broken bracelet.

Thank you for your reply to my question. It was not a rhetorical question after all. I really was trying to understand this character. And you may be right about his being on the spectrum. There was a hint of that with his OCD about wanting Seo Joon to hang all his shirts the same direction, lol. I watched season one again after reading all your replies and did, in fact, like him more. Now I can't wait to see how season 2 unfolds. I suspect you are right and there's a good reason for him to have left. This director is good and I love her other BL's, so I'm sure it will be a satisfying story.

But why was Seo Joon staring at her both times he'd seen her? I thought of your theory at first, but the director had him clearly staring at her. That had to mean something. Well, we'll find out soon.

Excellent point about the time constraints. Especially with the Korean BL's. The Thai BL's, conversely, go on too long at 14 episodes of 45 minutes each. So many of those Thai BL's are packed with meaningless scenes that are just plain filler. Meanwhile, the 20 minute, 6-8 episode Korean and Japanese BL's always leave me wanting more.

Oh, and you are right, I am slowly being converted, lol. You guys made some good comments. Moreover, I just watched Season 1 again, looking more for reasons to like Ji Woo and, yes, I liked him better on my 2nd viewing. :)

New shows always start off with a high rating and then go down on MDL. I don't know why, but it happened with "KinnPorsche" too. That was a 9.8 the first couple of days and now it's an 8.3. "My Beautiful Man" started off as 8.9 the first day and it's now a 7.9.

BTW, does anyone know why Hwang Da Seul never did a sequel to the enormously popular "Where Your Eyes Linger"? It started the whole Korean BL trend, so one would think there would've been a sequel. But at this point, it looks like it will never happen. Did the actors not get along or something? "To My Star" got a sequel. And I know there's a sequel to "Blueming" planned, cuz it was being set up with the DBW engraved on that musician's guitar at the end. Manga readers said that this was a secondary relationship, so it seems like a hint to a sequel. But no sequel for "Where Your Eyes Linger," and I'd LOVE to see how those boys fared as an established couple.

Thank you for a good reply to my question. I am re-watching season 1 right now and just picked up that when Seo Joon sees graffiti trashing him on a bus stop poster, Ji Woo lifts his sweater to hide the poster from Seo Joon's eyes. I missed that the first time around. So yes, little things. Now, I still don't warm to this character, but it could be more about my own personal taste than a problem with the show. After all, so many others seem to think the relationship makes sense. :)