Well, this is it folks.... I wanted to say thank you to this comment section over the last few weeks. I've had great conversations both with people who agreed with me and with ones that didn't, which made my experience watching this wonderful little series so much better. Happy finale day, guys!
Thanks babe <3 I don't know, this comment section is full of gems, but sometimes it feels a tiny bit like a hamster wheel of "you're not empathising with this character" "no YOU'RE not empathising with THIS character" and I'm just like, can't we empathise with them all a little? They're not perfect all the time, but they're also teenagers going through some pretty difficult things, and overall they're doing a good job of it.
I personally don't blame Da On for pursuing his feelings after collecting himself, but I just don't think what Shinwoo did was an ultimatum or a threat or exerting pressure that wasn't already there because of the circumstances, or that he used the situation to ingratiate himself with Tae Kyung and only talked to Da On to cover his ass. His delivery wasn't perfect, though it was an emotionally heightened situation, but you can't fault his intentions. He's shown many times that it's important to him to do the right thing, even when no one notices his efforts.
Also, it just comes from my personal life experience, both as a human and a queer person specifically - in crisis, you need community. You may feel that it's better to do things on your own, but for your own sake, you need to break through that. It's extremely sad that Da On learned that the hard way, because he didn't have to, but that's just how it is sometimes.
That's good then - tone can be hard to convey over text sometimes, which is why I try to be extra careful. Well, I'm sad you feel that way, but that's your right of course. Have a nice day!
Please - you're misunderstanding me. Also, I don't know if you notice this or if it is intentional, but your text is taking on a bit of an aggressive undertone. I'd really appreciate it if you could tone that down, please. I promise it's not necessary.
Let me back up a little. I've already explained why I don't consider that conversation as Shinwoo giving Da On an ultimatum and why I believe that to be a mischaracterisation, so I won't repeat myself.
What we have are three people in crisis. Da On has been outed against his will and before he was ready, with looming dire consequences - and I think we need to be really clear that being out and/or entering into a relationship is what Da On is confused about, not the question of whether or not his romantic feelings for Tae Kyung even exist in the first place. If it wasn't clear before that he knew by that point he liked Tae Kyung like that, the forehead kiss proved it.
Tae Kyung - and people like to forget this part - has ALSO been outed against his will, and while the social repercussions of that are not as devastating for him as they are for Da On, in a homophobic society that's still distressing. In addition, he doesn't know where he stands with someone he cares about, which is hard, and he knows that that person is having a hard time, which worries him to the point that he cannot eat.
Shinwoo is nursing a broken heart, two people he cares about - one of which he is in love with - are in crisis, and the crisis they are experiencing is uncomfortably close to a trauma he himself has lived through, which must bring up all kinds of bad memories and feelings.
There's a real sense of urgency here, for all three of them. Namgoong, whom I love to bits and who has never done anything wrong in his life if you ask me, is just not quite as emotionally compromised as the others, which is why I don't think you can compare the way he is able to react to how the others manage to. And you can see that in the way the other three all aren't at their best - Da On goes into denial, Tae Kyung lashes out at Da On, Shinwoo is too forceful in his delivery.
But what Shinwoo instinctively knows - and I think it's because he's been in this position before, the sheep separated from the herd - is that the most effective way to deal with a crisis like that is to close ranks with your inner circle, with the people who really care about you and who want the best for you. And the crisis is in full swing, so yes, Da On does need to decide immediately if he's going to close ranks or if he's going to disengage and not weather the storm together with Tae Kyung in order to focus on himself. THAT'S the decision Shinwoo's asking him to make - not "are you going to confess", not "will you come out to everybody", but "are you closing ranks with the person you care about". And again, that is in my opinion a question that needed answering immediately, because the circumstances that So Hee created meant that they didn't have time for anything else.
Also, it's important to note that while one option, in my opinion, would have caused less distress overall, both options Da On could take here were completely valid. The one thing I wish he would have done was to say to Tae Kyung "hey, this is overwhelming for me, I need time to figure out what I want to do" instead of just bouncing, but at least he apologised for that.
It sounded like Da On's voice to me, but I could be wrong!
Oh! Ok, sure. In EP15, when Tae Kyung is on stage during the contest, and he's too nervous to speak, someone calls out his name and that's when he spots first Da On, then Shinwoo in the crowd.
Hey guys what time does the drama usually come out.. cuz at first I couldn’t watch it till 4pm then sometimes…
Well, on WeTV, the official channel, it's out at 11am CET. Someone usually reuploads to youtube and other unofficial sites very quickly after. Don't know about Viki since they're behind with episodes, so I don't check there, and KokTv isn't available where I live. Hope this helps!
Gosh I feel so dumb…I usually rewatch episodes 1 to 5 on youtube since they officially uploaded it there. On…
Oh honey no that's an actual dildo lol TT^TT that's actually the basis of one of my most solid (if I do say so myself) headcanons about Shinwoo, but barely anyone shares it because they censor the dildo on so many websites
It sounded like Da On's voice to me, but I could be wrong!
"And, honestly, I think the fact that Daon was the one to call out his name to get his attention, whereas Shinwoo stood there silently with the flower in his hair, waiting for Taekyung to look to him organically, was pretty in line with both Daon's and Shinwoo's characters." This though!! Congrats on that galaxy brain moment, seriously :D I also sort of hope that there was a symbolism in how the camera went to Da On first but then moved to Shinwoo and stayed there.
And oh god, me too, I won't know what to do with myself. Also, is it just me or is there an absolute content drought right now? Barely anything decent is on, at least BL-wise.
No, I know - of course he was struggling, it was an incredibly hard situation to be in. I just mean that the situation required a decision anyway. Shinwoo happened to be the one to ask the question, but Da On would have needed to make a choice before he was truly ready no matter what.
Of course it would have been better if Da On had been given enough time to work through his feelings, but Shinwoo didn't create more pressure on Da On, he reacted to the crisis situation they were all already in. Tae Kyung needed support then and there, so it needed to be decided then and there who would provide that support. None of them had the luxury to calmly assess everything. It would have been an ultimatum and an unfair agreement if Shinwoo had made Da On promise not to go after Tae Kyung anymore, but that's not what he said. He said that if he went after him and got closer to him, he wouldn't be able to step back anymore, and does Da On still want him to be the one to provide support under those circumstances. Of course, that also means that people who condemn Da On for pursuing his feelings misread what happened in that scene.
I see! But was that a bad thing to have done in your eyes? Personally, I wouldn't expect either Shinwoo OR Da On to step aside purely out of consideration for one another, because I feel like the choice should lie with Tae Kyung - as long as they gave each other a heads up that they were pursuing the same person, which is what they both did. To your other point, I feel that Da On's dilemma always had two levels; one was having an open conversation with Tae Kyung specifically, the other was being out in general. Back when Da On and Shinwoo had that conversation about going after Tae Kyung, I did criticise Shinwoo for being a bit too forceful, but I didn't take it extremely negatively because I think this pushiness came out in Shinwoo because he was very worried at the time, and because I don't think he meant for Da On to be out to everyone, but to have a conversation with Tae Kyung only. Selflessness is a big word, but I do feel like in general, Shinwoo is very aware and considerate of the emotions of the people around him and regularly puts their wellbeing before his own.
"And everything he has done has been in thought of his feelings and that of Tae. Not because he is selfless or because he is friends with Daon."
I don't know, isn't that a bit extreme? The conversation on the rooftop terrace was Shinwoo trying to help Da On come to terms with confusing emotions he already has experience with. Nobody forced him to do that, he could have just as easily not approached Da On at all. In fact, if his only objective was getting Tae Kyung, not talking these things through with Da On would have been in his favour. And when Tae Kyung was going through his heartbreak, Shinwoo made sure to also defend Da On. Nobody made him do that either. It'd be hard to deny that Shinwoo wasn't also hoping for a closer relationship with Tae Kyung, but it's not fair to completely discount these gestures of friendship and make it out like Shinwoo helping out Tae Kyung happened purely for ulterior motives . Would it have been better for Shinwoo not to take care of Tae Kyung and force him to deal with his heartbreak alone? Da On also thought that Tae Kyung should have the support; he clearly needed it.
I mean at least Korea gets suitably cold? Unless your beef is with sweaters in general, in which case we might…
Fair enough - I live somewhere cold, so half my wardrobe is some form of knitwear. And the baggy ones are oh so comfortable, though admittedly not super sexy.
I clocked that too and then he gave Shinwoo a look. I was Daon I like you and praise for having some confidence…
Same. He's just not my people, and that's fine, that's just how it goes sometimes. I'm sure - actually, I know for a fact - that I'm not everyone's cup of tea either.
I wanted to say thank you to this comment section over the last few weeks. I've had great conversations both with people who agreed with me and with ones that didn't, which made my experience watching this wonderful little series so much better. Happy finale day, guys!
I personally don't blame Da On for pursuing his feelings after collecting himself, but I just don't think what Shinwoo did was an ultimatum or a threat or exerting pressure that wasn't already there because of the circumstances, or that he used the situation to ingratiate himself with Tae Kyung and only talked to Da On to cover his ass. His delivery wasn't perfect, though it was an emotionally heightened situation, but you can't fault his intentions. He's shown many times that it's important to him to do the right thing, even when no one notices his efforts.
Also, it just comes from my personal life experience, both as a human and a queer person specifically - in crisis, you need community. You may feel that it's better to do things on your own, but for your own sake, you need to break through that. It's extremely sad that Da On learned that the hard way, because he didn't have to, but that's just how it is sometimes.
Well, I'm sad you feel that way, but that's your right of course. Have a nice day!
Let me back up a little. I've already explained why I don't consider that conversation as Shinwoo giving Da On an ultimatum and why I believe that to be a mischaracterisation, so I won't repeat myself.
What we have are three people in crisis. Da On has been outed against his will and before he was ready, with looming dire consequences - and I think we need to be really clear that being out and/or entering into a relationship is what Da On is confused about, not the question of whether or not his romantic feelings for Tae Kyung even exist in the first place. If it wasn't clear before that he knew by that point he liked Tae Kyung like that, the forehead kiss proved it.
Tae Kyung - and people like to forget this part - has ALSO been outed against his will, and while the social repercussions of that are not as devastating for him as they are for Da On, in a homophobic society that's still distressing. In addition, he doesn't know where he stands with someone he cares about, which is hard, and he knows that that person is having a hard time, which worries him to the point that he cannot eat.
Shinwoo is nursing a broken heart, two people he cares about - one of which he is in love with - are in crisis, and the crisis they are experiencing is uncomfortably close to a trauma he himself has lived through, which must bring up all kinds of bad memories and feelings.
There's a real sense of urgency here, for all three of them. Namgoong, whom I love to bits and who has never done anything wrong in his life if you ask me, is just not quite as emotionally compromised as the others, which is why I don't think you can compare the way he is able to react to how the others manage to. And you can see that in the way the other three all aren't at their best - Da On goes into denial, Tae Kyung lashes out at Da On, Shinwoo is too forceful in his delivery.
But what Shinwoo instinctively knows - and I think it's because he's been in this position before, the sheep separated from the herd - is that the most effective way to deal with a crisis like that is to close ranks with your inner circle, with the people who really care about you and who want the best for you. And the crisis is in full swing, so yes, Da On does need to decide immediately if he's going to close ranks or if he's going to disengage and not weather the storm together with Tae Kyung in order to focus on himself. THAT'S the decision Shinwoo's asking him to make - not "are you going to confess", not "will you come out to everybody", but "are you closing ranks with the person you care about". And again, that is in my opinion a question that needed answering immediately, because the circumstances that So Hee created meant that they didn't have time for anything else.
Also, it's important to note that while one option, in my opinion, would have caused less distress overall, both options Da On could take here were completely valid. The one thing I wish he would have done was to say to Tae Kyung "hey, this is overwhelming for me, I need time to figure out what I want to do" instead of just bouncing, but at least he apologised for that.
This though!! Congrats on that galaxy brain moment, seriously :D I also sort of hope that there was a symbolism in how the camera went to Da On first but then moved to Shinwoo and stayed there.
And oh god, me too, I won't know what to do with myself. Also, is it just me or is there an absolute content drought right now? Barely anything decent is on, at least BL-wise.
To your other point, I feel that Da On's dilemma always had two levels; one was having an open conversation with Tae Kyung specifically, the other was being out in general. Back when Da On and Shinwoo had that conversation about going after Tae Kyung, I did criticise Shinwoo for being a bit too forceful, but I didn't take it extremely negatively because I think this pushiness came out in Shinwoo because he was very worried at the time, and because I don't think he meant for Da On to be out to everyone, but to have a conversation with Tae Kyung only. Selflessness is a big word, but I do feel like in general, Shinwoo is very aware and considerate of the emotions of the people around him and regularly puts their wellbeing before his own.
I don't know, isn't that a bit extreme? The conversation on the rooftop terrace was Shinwoo trying to help Da On come to terms with confusing emotions he already has experience with. Nobody forced him to do that, he could have just as easily not approached Da On at all. In fact, if his only objective was getting Tae Kyung, not talking these things through with Da On would have been in his favour. And when Tae Kyung was going through his heartbreak, Shinwoo made sure to also defend Da On. Nobody made him do that either. It'd be hard to deny that Shinwoo wasn't also hoping for a closer relationship with Tae Kyung, but it's not fair to completely discount these gestures of friendship and make it out like Shinwoo helping out Tae Kyung happened purely for ulterior motives . Would it have been better for Shinwoo not to take care of Tae Kyung and force him to deal with his heartbreak alone? Da On also thought that Tae Kyung should have the support; he clearly needed it.