Molly03

Her issue is that she sees herself as responsible for everything. It's not a place of arrogance, but of caring. Too bad in backfires.

In the case of LJH, she tutored him for years so that he can go to a top universtiy and get the job he did. When he told her he wants to give it up and come to a hagwon instead, she knew it'd be a long shot for him to acheive his goal of fame and fortune there. She's right in that assertion. But she was wrong to try to block him from doing what he wanted. Why did she do it though? Because she cared for him.

The teacher? Why did she get involved? To advocate for the students whom he'd marked incorrectly. She didn't try to challenge him or call him out for a fight. All she wanted was for him to correct an innocent error. First she sent the students themselves, whom the teacher shut down hard. Then she tried calling him on the phone. He refused the call and told her to come in person. Once she was there, she wanted a private convo to explain her point of view; he again refused, he spoke to her in public, threw a temper tantrum and put his hands on her, leading to the entire situation becoming public. What's happening now is his just rewards for being an ass about what could have been an easy fix.

Did SHJ go too far in advocating for her students? I don't think so, but you can disagree.
She also did everything in her power to keep things quiet and civilized. The teacher is the one who made a commotion and blew it all up. And now, because he quit, she feels guilty. It takes a lot to make it in a hagwon and she doens't beleive he has what it takes to fight for it and win. Why she'd feel bad for a teacher like him, who'd bully students due to his own pride, I have no clue. But that's SHJ. Everything is her responsibility.

He's being very careful with her because he knows she's a babe in the woods when it comes to relationships. If he pushes back she'll run a mile-completely shut down and draw back into herself. He's playing the long game. Once their relationship is more established and she's learned to trust him more and opens up completely, then he'll be able to be firmer without risking the relationship as a whole.
I only hope he hangs in there because to take such a stance in a relationhip is hard as heck. It's almost zero short-term reward, most of it is investment for the future.

I might be wrong in this anaylysis, but that's my personal take.

This!

The opposite, actually. They mentioned in an earlier ep that the reson she started tutoring as a university student and that she became so successful at a young age, owns a house and car, is because she had debts that she had to repay. I think she's an orphan too. She's used to working hard and taking responsibility for everything, including things that she shouldn't have to. That's why she was against LJH taking the job at the hagwon- she felt responsible for him, and why she got involoved in the test mess- she felt responsible for her students, and why she's so guilty about the scumbag teacher now- she feels responsbile for him quitting too.

She was busy working to earn money, had no time to date.
She's used to being alone and taking care of everything by herself.
That's why I can see her struggling in the future and even leaving LJH- she won't accpet his help and she'll want to shield him from associating with her once she becomes a full-on target of the teacher, the witch, and the vice director too.

She has to realize that it's okay to accept help and that it's okay to be happy and that she can trust LJH to step up for her and even sacrifice for her if he so chooses.

She's redundent in my opinoin, and she knows it!!
Wish the Director had the sense to get rid of her ages ago.

I'm very worried because SHJ might be the older one but she's basically a kid when it comes to realtionships. He's her first one. She's going to be under a lot of strees, facing guilt bc of the scumbag teacher, and she won't know how to handle LJH. Plus now the vice director is going to pull something, I can just feel it. I can see it all going donwhill fast. Based on the preview, something bad is going to happen, LJH is going to try helping, and whatever he does will set SHJ off for some reason.

LJH is going to have to be very patient.
And, despite being older, SHJ is going to have to grow up a bit.

Maybe it's about the restaurant conversation and how he apologized?

As to why, when the director told her to rewrite SHJ's contract he also told her to include a promotion to "vice director" or some similar title. She flipped out. He said, who cares it's all a name, we just need to keep SHJ. That's why she's so threatened. Idiot doens't understand that all SHJ wants to do is teach and bring home the money she earns fair and square.

Yeah I'm getting baaad vibes from the vice-director.
If you remember, SHJ told her lawyer friend how her contracts were getting progressively worse, and she also told the director that it's obvious he doesn't trust her.

Based on how the VD responded when the director told her to redo SHJ's contract a few eps ago, I can't help but wonder if she hasn't been whispering in his ear all along. The man doesn't seem like a business shark, tbh, while it's obvious that the VD is high-key threatened by SHJ.

I hear you.
But the way I see it, she only said that after the white witch got into her head. It was her guilt talking. Based on her actions, she went out of her way to keep things quiet for the sake of the teacher while still advocating on behalf of her students.
It's possible that she made the calculation of a win-win for her to give her the courage to push things through. But based on the actions she actually took it wasn't to benefit herself that she fought. And, based on her emotional state right now, the guilt she's feeling, I'd take anything she says with a grain of salt.

As for SHJ's respone, it's not that she undervalues her job. It's that she simply cares too much about other ppl.

Regarding LJH, it's simply understadable that the average person in his former corporate job garners more money and respect in the long run. For an academy teacher to earn both at the same level, or to earn more, is a lot harder and rarer. That's why she was worried about him and againt his choice, because it's a long shot.

As for the teacher, despite her good intentions, it ended up causing him to quit a job he took great pride in and invested years into. I place the fault on him and his response and attitude. She places the fault on herself. That's SHJ. She cares too much. But if the students had ended up suffering then she'd also place the blame on herself for either getting involved in the first palce or for not doing enough on their behalf. The teacher made it into a scenario where there had to be a winner and loser. And SHJ was always going to feel bad for the loser.

From what I undestand, the formal route would have actually gotten the teacher in trouble. It's calling him to the mat in public, in a very official way. That's what she wanted to avoid. All the teacher had to say was, yes, there is two ways to view this I'll give you credit. Then nothing would have happened. No one would have questioned him. Literature is a matter of interpertation and sometimes even a teacher can overlook something. She didn't want to make a "federal case" out of it. It was to his benefit.

No teacher would go as far as her. They don't care about their students enough-as you said, it's customers to them. Go back to the beggining of the show. How did SHJ get involved in this mess? She saw her student crying and went to comfort her and find out why.

SHJ's colleagues told her not to get involved when they saw how obstructive the teacher was being by refusing to entertain the student's arugments for the second answer and by refusing to speak with SHJ. They knew he was ass and didn't want SHJ to start a fight.
In her mind, if she could only speak with him and explain her perspective then he'd correct the student's mark. She honestly beleived that. But he decided to continue being stubborn and had a full blown public meldown.
No one supported him because he was wrong regarding the test and his response to being questioned was out of proportion.
He was also an ass when his colleagues asked him not change the syllabus and final exam in the way he did.

Give me one good reason why a teacher would dismiss a student in the way in which he did. Give me one good reason why he would take out his disgut with hagwon teachers on innocent students who are only tryign their best to succeed in a subject he himself is teaching.

He was 100% wrong.

SHJ, after the witch got into her mind, revisits her motives from back then. Maybe the fact that she saw she was in a win-win situation gave her the courage to go all the way back then, but make no mistake her intent was never to personally benefit. All she wanted was help her students bc she's shown time and again that she genuienly cares for them.

As for business competition, the white haired witch started it first. And her tactics are underhanded (like sending in a student spy) unlike SHJ's hagwown who only advertised a service. SHJ's academy initially only responded to a volley from the white haired witch and they won a round. Now the white haired witch is angrier than before and will become even more underhanded.
I'm not against competition but I can certainly say one side is above bored while the other is underhanded.

He's an awful person. His enire gripe was that school teachers are being taken advantage of by hagwon teachers. But if you realize, he treats everyone like trash: his students who came to him with a legitimate concern; his colleagues who constantly asked him not to change the syllabus and the final exams in the way he did; and the hagwon teachers whom he views as parasites. Mayhaps he should look in the mirror and realize who the real problem is.

For a teacher to belittle and bully students is awful.
For him not to take a valid critisism from a profoessional teacher in the same field as him just because he doesn't like her manner of work is egotistical and shortsighted. And then he did everything possible to cut off all her avenues of contact, forced her to come to him, refused a private meeting despiter her asking, blew a gasket in public thereby letting everyone know what was up, and then cried foul "woe is to me!"

Of course the white haired witch will take advantage of it all. She hates and is threatened by SHJ and SHJ told her how much she cares for students, letting the witch see her soft side. Perfect ammunication to guilttrip and destroy SHJ.

He's absolute scum.

yes!

SHJ didn't humiliate the teacher for benefit. She's too nice for that.
First she told the student to approach the teacher. The teacher shut that student down and made her feel worse. Then SHJ called the teacher on the phone for a private convo. The teacher refused her call and told her to come down in person. When she did, it was the teacher who raised his voice and shoved her, blowing the entire issue up and making everyone aware of it. All SHJ did was advocate for her student, something a true teacher who cares for teaching his subject in full as well as for the students under his care should have appreciated. It was the so-called "pure intentioned" school teacher who made a stink out of everything due to his own pride. Then he had the audactity to blame it on SHJ.
As for the white haired witch? She's a master buisness woman and, well...a witch. All she wants is to take down SHJ and she loves getting into her head. She know what she said will hurt and haunt SHJ because SHJ is a NICE person.

Seo Hye Jin is one of the kindest and most innocent people ever. She doesn't deserve any of this.

When the test issue happened, she only wanted to help her students. The girl who'd picked the second potential answer was crying and beside herself. SHJ initially told her to speak to her teacher. The teacher shut her down flat and made her feel even worse. Then SHJ tried calling the teacher on the phone and resolving the issue quietly. The teacher told her to come down in person. When she did, he was the one who raised his voice and actually put his hands on her, shoving her. That's when the issue blew up. Why? Because the teacher is a prideful schm*ck who views hagwon teachers as "parasites" -despite the fact that it would be impossible for students to score well on the KSAT without the extra teachings from Hagwons. And he calls himself a "teacher"? Shame on him!! He showed how he cares nothing for the art of actually teaching nor for the students under his care!!

SHJ is all about her students. That's why she fought for that test to be corrected. That's why she gave up a lucrative job offer and chose to stay at her current job--a single student!!!

Her behavior and outlook are simplistic and so very innocent. Despite being surrounded by jackals she never plays games and treats everyone sincerely.

F*ck anyone who takes advantage of that to guilt-trip and gaslight her.
I hope Lee Jun Ho continues to be her support system and safe space.
My heart is going out to her. Things are going to get really tough, I fear.

LOUDER!! SAY IT LOUDER!!!!

Spoilers for episode 8 ahead...

That kissing scene on the couch?? I just about melted.
The cutest thing I've ever seen.
You can see how awkward and innocent Hye Jin is with her hovering hand and then when they break apart and she falls into him holding tight and kisses his cheek??

The way he guides her and responds to her? Starting off with the forehead kiss???

I swear "cute" skinship things do NOT usually affect me, only steamy ones do, and I do NOT spend my time writing novels about steamy scenes. But this scene!!!!!! It broke all my norms.

OMG they are phenomenal actors and kudos to whoever directed this!!

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dating era here we goooo. 🥳🥳