Minne8

Thank you for writing this so I don't have to! My thoughts exactly (again^^ I'm gonna send you a friend request now...). And it seems everyone's forgetting that it is Joon Hee's sister who contacted their father first... because SHE AS WELL thought it might be a good thing for her brother. Which it obviously is because he needs to resolve this with his father. I said this before: either he'll reconcile with his dad, or he will say goodbye for good, but this time it'll be his choice as a grown man. Whatever he chooses will be good. He'll be able to move forward.

I'm 100% sure! And I'm just going to enjoy the roller coaster ride of going down in order to end up on top again!! Not even waiting a week: raw in two days.^^

You're exacly right! And I don't think Jin Ah is weak. She started out from the situation you describe. I don't understand how some viewers can't see how much she has been giving to Yoon Hee. She is the one who sneaks out of the family home all the time to go to him. In ep. 11 Joon Hee himself says to her: "Why do you think you're just watching (i.e. doing nothing for me)... when you are right next to me." Jin Ah is in the process of choosing him over her family, which is a big deal in Korea, like you said. It's only natural that at some point in the drama she takes a step back, as it's a melo. But I'm convinced she'll step forward again and will end up choosing strongly for Yoon Hee.

:-) I also think they kept the age difference a bit smaller (compared to a show like 'Secret Love Affair' for instance) because they aren't going for the shock value here. The problems for the family (i.e. mother) are also about Joon Hee's closeness to them and his social status (absence of parents). Too big of an age difference would have distracted from those issues. It would have been all about that, which is much less interesting. So I think it's about which story the writers and director want to tell.

When watching through Western eyes 4 years is nothing. In Asian societies however it's allready a big deal when someone is a little bit older. This is emphasized in these dramas all the time, especially in Korean ones. Dialogue like : "Are you speaking informally to me know?" (implying the rudeness of this). So: sunbaenim, hyung, noona, senpai etc...

Just watched ep. 12...... Relax people... the storm is happening 4 episodes before the end of this drama. Plenty of time for the sun (i.e. Joon Hee's smile) so start shining again!
In the meantime... how about that 7 minute lovey dovey walk in the rain!!!

What did she do to him? She tries to reconcile him with his dad. She has good intentions. She doesn't handle it the right way so Joon Hee gets hurt. But if she had asked him to meet his dad he would have refused. Joon Hee needs to deal with his dad, either to reconcile with him or to break with him for good, but conciously as an adult.

As to that discussion : at this point in the drama (ep. 12 and onward) it's also Jin Ah's and Joon Hee's own characters that they need to overcome. JA has hurt JH, though with good intentions. She will need to learn to discuss things first with JH and be more open with him. JH needs to come to terms with his dad, this will only be possible for him to do now that JA has made contact. In the meantime the fact that some cracks have appeared in the relationship is only healthy. They were so moonstruck... if they get through this their love will be stronger (only 4 more episodes for that... I will miss them so much!).
And concerning the mother, yes she is extreme... but wasn't it wonderful how Jin Ah's brother got to shut her up in ep. 12!!! This only feels so good because of that extreme behaviour: delicious payoff^^. She'll be ineffective as well, in the end.

Not offended at all! I like the discussion^^. Some more on that below, but don't read if you haven't seen ep. 12.

You expressed yourself perfectly fine. And I completely agree^^.

Another thought about the mother: compare her to the mother in Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'. She was insufferable as well, but a well thought out and necessary dramatic element in the story.

Having that feeling at this point... won't it be much more satisfying when it does have a happy ending?!^^.

Fastdrama, or kissasian

Again we agree^^. And a lot of viewers are watching this with Western eyes too when it comes to romance. In Asia an arranged marriage is still a thing. Marriage is often something between two families, not two individuals. Sometimes there will be matchmaking involved (eui hon in Korea, omiai in Japan... you'd think viewers have seen this if they've watched some dramas). Status and succes are important. And yes, sometimes parents will oppose a union, even if the lovers are adult. If viewers get so worked up about the mother being unrealistically harsh and horrible they might need to change their perspective a little bit. The whole point of drama is to overcome things like this, so the behaviour of the mother serves a purpose.
And isn't that one of the things why we watch Asian dramas?: because of the different nuances in culture.

How does quicker equal better? The pace is deliberate and is one of the things that makes this drama so wonderful. If you're still curious about the story or the characters/acting (why else ask to be convinced) then just give yourself over to it. And if the slower pace is really not your thing then it's fine to just drop the show.

Some thoughts:
It seems like a lot of peolpe are looking at the mother character with Western eyes, which is a mistake I think. Yes, she is hatefull. And I'm sure many Asian parents are nothing like her. But I do think there are some like this out there, in a society where marriage is still something between two families, not just the individuals, and status and succes are very important. I also think she is necessary to this story. She provides the drama. She is their "trial by fire". If they truly love each other they'll withstand her and might even turn her around in the end. The actress does a great job. And she also gives the men of the family a great opportunity to (slowly) become Jin Ah's supporters, which is refreshing to see.
In that light, the role of men in Korean society is as much a subject in this drama as is the central love story and the role of women. On the one hand you have sexual harassment in the workplace and an abusive ex-boyfriend, but on the other you have a loving boyfriend, a father and brother who are at least trying to be supportive, and a CEO who wants to adress the behaviour of his male employees. This is one of the reasons this drama is really good, and much less simple then you might think at first glance.

If you absolutely can't wait to see this and are watching without subs: there's a person called [trans] on YouTube who's pretty quick with posting a transcription beneath the JTBC Drama clips.

You're right. It isn't yet. LOL I've been getting so used to watching it raw first that I'm picking the conversations up much more easily. So it felt like I'd seen it subbed.

(It has 10 too.) Correction below.

Nothing yet. But keep an eye on fastdrama in the next couple of days.