Polo749

Well to me that scene seems like misdirect but I don't really have any interest in trying to convince you. Let's just agree to disagree.

Here is why I'm convinced there was a plot change. It addresses your point about the cherry blossom. https://twitter.com/Jeonggal_/status/1328583037769101315

Yes, there's definitely something up with this drama.

I love that you've made it your mission in life to totally undermine this couple.

Yes I know he knows, that was my point. I'm probably being unfair to him though. I realise he can't say anything that would throw his co-stars under the bus and I know what he said was just him being humble and polite. I just can't help feeling indignant about the implication that we like him because he shared the same screen as Suzy and NJH. A one man show of HJP staring at his plant would've been more entertaining than those other two. Sorry to NJH and Suzy but their characters were duds.

I find the fan theories and analyses way too convincing to just be ghosts. They fit so perfectly and symbolism takes effort so it wasn't an accident. Remember the petal scene when it drifted to HJP only to end up landing on NDS? In hindsight, even knowing the ending, to me that petal screams misdirect. One petal drifting to NDS is nothing compared to all the things pointing to Jidal. I'm now leaning more and more towards the theory that the writer just lost her mind at some point during production. Maybe she got fed up with people going overboard and attacking her about HJP and decided to not give them what they wanted.

Okay, new theory about the plot change for people who think there was one. It was just the whim of the writer but because she made the decision late in the game she didn't have enough time to salvage NDS. She had already thrown him under the bus too much for Jidal's sake. I find this hard to believe given how much she set up Jidal but maybe I'm giving her too much credit when I assume that she would want to maintain integrity and stick to everything she had already laid out.

Oh I'm not suggesting he should say anything like that. I'm saying I think he shouldn't blatantly act oblivious to how unpopular the lead couple is by crediting NJH and Suzy for his success.

I keep wanting to leave comments here but I've also got to a point where I feel nervous after I leave one because I'm anticipating an argument so I may end up deleting this, I already deleted my last two.

I still believe that there was a plot change and I have a new theory about what caused it. I've already commented about it but it was one of the ones I deleted so here it is again. From the start, the drama was promoted misleadingly. The promotional material emphasised SDM and NDS when the narrative was more about SDM and HJP. Of course, that's not so misleading if there wasn't a plot change but I'm working on the assumption that there was. I believe the reason they promoted it misleadingly was because of NJH and Suzy. The producers and possibly also the endorsers may have had more faith in them than the narrative to attract the viewers so rather than promote an accurate representation of the plot, they chose to promote the stars. I've said before that had they promoted HJP more, they probably would've got higher viewership ratings. I think that's a fair claim considering how popular he became. However, when the ratings came out and they were lower than expected, rather than realising their mistake they doubled down on it and implemented a plot change that would cater more to NJH and Suzy. I find this more plausible than my initial guess that NJH's agency was somehow behind it.

Edit: I no longer have much faith in this theory but I'll leave it here since a few people liked it. I still believe there was a plot change but I'm not sure this sufficiently explains why.

Yes I hope he does both. I really liked the sound of the other one. Who knows, maybe this one will surprise us. I won't watch it while it's airing (never again) but if the reviews are really good I'll try binge watching it.

As much as I love KSH, I'm disappointed that this will be his next drama. It sounds like a typical Korean rom-com and I usually can't stand them. I only watched Start-Up because I was bored and if it weren't for HJP I would've dropped it fast. He was a really different character compared to other male leads/second leads in the genre. I doubt this character will have the same impact as HJP even if he's played by KSH. I was much more excited about that other one he was rumoured to star in. It sounded a bit darker which would make it more of a challenge for him. It also had a fantasy element which I find adds a layer of intrigue that non fantasy K-dramas usually lack. Not to mention Kim Ji Won. I would love to see her alongside KSH as her talent is about on par with his.

A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones). I haven't even read the books but when I was watching the series I loved reading about the books on the sub-reddit. It made me want to read them but I'm not sure he'll ever finish them so I'm going to wait until they've all come out (if that ever happens).

It's a shame it was largely for the wrong reasons. I think had this drama reached the full potential of the world that it's set in, had the plot-holes been smoothed over, had the characters been better written, etc. then this comment section would only have become even more alive.

This comment section is like the other side of the coin to the "ASOIAF" sub-reddit. The latter is brimming with fan theories, analyses and opinions because the series just has so much bite to it. Meanwhile, this comment section is full of ranting about what could have been and lost potential. At least there's a lot of humour in it.

Maybe I will then but I think I'd prefer binge watching regardless. I do need something to distract me though. At the moment I'm getting carried away with re-imagining this drama.

I've sworn to never again watch a drama while it's airing.

I agree. The only reason I'd want KSH to come back to this character is if the whole thing was rebooted and not just the endgame was corrected but every problem with the drama was smoothed over. If it focused more on business, if all the characters were better written and acted, if none of the plot-holes and inconsistencies existed, then I think it would be worth remaking.

Well he would hardly say "Screw NDS, she should obviously be with my character".

At this point, when I see you've commented I like before I've even read it.

Yes I agree with you there, I also love the play. I'm just having a hard time blaming the writer and if it does affect her that will be a shame since I don't think it's her fault. That being said, I can't imagine what went wrong. I have expressed some suspicions about NJH's agency feeling threatened by KSH but I have no idea if that's plausible or not. Maybe it was the writer's fault after all and she just changed her mind midway through production. I just think a plot change is the only way to explain how bizarre this drama is.

The writer normally does use themes of fate in her work quite heavily. As for misdirection, it wouldn't just be the writer but everyone involved in production and as I said, I find it hard to believe that they'd go that heavy on it.