Polo749

Just re-watched the first three episodes and oh my goodness the difference. I'd forgotten the part where NDS accidentally called HJP an angel. The episodes were so much more humorous and NDS actually had a storyline. I honestly think it's his character that suffered the most from the love triangle. He may get the girl but his storyline and character development has suffered for it immensely, which is partly why many don't ship (I know I've said this so many times now, I'm sorry). How different would this have been if NDS hadn't got into Sandbox? I don't think he should've won CODA. He was a much more interesting and endearing character when he was struggling to get his business up and running. I would've preferred the business storyline to have taken place in his old office rather than the Sandbox office. SDM could still have become CEO or maybe she could've just stayed in the coffee shop for longer. I don't know, I obviously haven't figured out all the details of my imaginary version, I just can't get away from the feeling that this drama had so many bits and pieces that were really good but they either got dropped, sidelined or developed in such a way that they never realised the potential.

Who's hating you and why, if you don't mind me asking? I haven't found your comments particularly egregious.

Yes that's how I feel too, so far it has turned out much better than I thought it would. I guess there's still time for things to go horribly wrong but the writers have given me some faith that HJP will be okay and I'll be able to enjoy this to the end.

I don't think chemistry is created by romantic/emotional/psychological scenes. To create chemistry between two characters you need both characters to be well developed in their own right, you need for their distinct storylines to intertwine/overlap organically and you need an element of uncertainty. The more uncertainty the better. That's why often couples won't get together until the end in many books and films. Once they're together, they lose their edge because most of the chemistry is created by the journey. If that journey is keeping them apart, then the viewers only want to see them together even more. The uncertainty between NDS and SDM is based entirely on the fact that NDS is lying about who he is. This is more to do with the storylines of HJP and SDM. NDS just got caught in the middle.

Both characters need their own storylines that are distinct from each other. Those storylines need to organically overlap, meaning it shouldn't feel forced when the two characters interact with each other. I just can’t help feeling NDS isn’t a well developed character. So many people in the fandom aren’t shipping them because his storyline isn’t strong enough. It was strong at first but it all went downhill after he got into Sandbox. I wish they had explored his journey in a failing business more.

Of course romantic scenes can be very emotionally effective but the chemistry isn't created by the romantic scenes. First you create the chemistry, then you create the romantic scenes. The same applies to the psychological and emotional scenes. They need to be built on a strong foundation; it’s no good just throwing those in without the build up, the characters have to earn those connections.

I thought as the drama went on I would become less hopeful that HJP is endgame but I've actually become more hopeful with every passing episode. I know it's unlikely due to all the factors that point to NDS being the lead but as the story develops it only makes more and more sense for HJP to end up with SDM. That's most likely an accident due to the bizarre choices made by the writers, or I'm just imagining things but the more times HJP doesn't get thrown under the bus (as I keep expecting him to) the more I think he's endgame after all. The fact that they didn't ruin his character by having him deliberately sabotage SDM's relationship with NDS, the fact that he has the revenge storyline, the fact that SDM now knows about HJP right when it's shaping up as though NDS is going to leave and there's going to be a time jump, all makes me think HJP is the lead after all. Of course, I realise that whoever is the endgame, it would be right at that moment that SDM finds out about HJP, hence why NDS leaves and there's a time jump but hear me out.

At first I thought a time jump would benefit NDS the most but now I'm thinking it makes more sense for it to benefit HJP. The reason it's meant to benefit NDS also applies to HJP. If we skip ahead a few years then all the hard feelings created by the lie will have worn off and she can start over with either one of them. It actually benefits HJP more because if he stays in the picture while NDS is away then their relationship might have bloomed into a proper friendship, thereby setting the scene for the audience to see their friendship become romance (just as ItsV theorised). It seems I'm in the minority though and other HJP fans are losing hope. I guess I'm interpreting his scenes a little differently, a lot differently actually. For instance, am I crazy for reading into the after credits scene in episode 10? I know she was meant to be a scammer but when she said there's a reason for every choice and told him to trust his choice that gave me hope. Was the writer just throwing us Miji shippers a bone?

To be clear, I still don't have a lot of hope but I've noticed my hope is increasing not decreasing. I just thought I'd say that because many HJP fans here are very pessimistic (including myself on the whole).

All this arguing over which character is better for SDM, which one is more annoying, which one is a bad person, I think all those things are pointless and everyone is wrong because we're looking at it the wrong way. Neither HJP or NDS are meant to be antagonistic. They're both good people with flaws who have their reasons, even if those reasons wouldn't be satisfactory explanations in real life. We have three options.

1. Accept what the writer tells us about both characters (suspend our disbelief).

2. Reject what the writer tells us about both characters (look at them as though their real, interpret their actions as you would in real life without letting the writer tell you what's what).

3. Accept what the writer tells us about our favourite and reject what the writer tells us about our least favourite, instead misinterpret and fill things in with our own projections and when others do the same argue about it incessantly.

I see many have chosen option 3.

When people start analysing the characters they take advantage of the details that wouldn't be adequate or plausible in real life and fill in the gaps. Yes you can do this, if there are gaps in the writing feel free to add your own interpretation and understanding of the characters and reject the insufficient nonsense given to us by the writer. However, at least do it consistently. If I look at HJP and NDS as though they're real, both come off as a confusing mix of really bad and really good at the same time. That's one of the reasons why I can't look at them as though they're real. I choose option 1 for the most part, although I admit sometimes it's hard (with both of them).

For HJP fans-

I do believe we have a clear advantage for arguing in HJP's corner but we're not using it enough, not that it would make any difference to the end result but it makes us feel better.

HJP is the main character of this story. He may not have been intentionally but he is. He's more relevant, has more depth, has all the main storylines (he now even has the revenge plot and everyone was assuming that was about NDS). In terms of a place in this story NDS really has nothing on HJP. This is what makes me question the writer so much. HJP should be endgame because he and SDM are the leads. That he's not going to be is just wrong in terms of storytelling. We're relying too much on putting down NDS as though it matters who is the better man. Of course it does matter to some degree, I wouldn't want our male lead to be a bad person but what matters just as much is that the writers correctly identify who their main leads are. Or to put it another way, the writers write their main leads as though they are the main leads and not write a second lead as though he's the main lead. The way it has been written, HJP should be the one to end up with SDM because this story is more about him than it is about NDS. I'm saying we should look at this as what's best for the story the writers have given us, rather than who's better for her, HJP or NDS? No one will get anywhere with the latter question. Neither characters are very realistic, although I do think one is better written than the other. That doesn't mean he's the better man, it just means he's the better lead.

That makes too much sense, it'll never happen.

This is so relatable. I keep telling myself I'm going to give up the comment section but who am I kidding? I'll be here until the end.

I think that is what will happen initially.

So you think he changed his mind about Alex after realising HJP was the alternative? Maybe you're right.

I just hope the message still gets to SDM.

Then he tried to take it back and clarify but she stormed off, not that I blame her.

He only made her think that by accident. He tried to set things straight early on but she didn't want to hear it at the time.

I agree with Lilli_. If he's doing it because he doesn't want HJP to look good to SDM and he doesn't want her to find out what HJP is willing to do for her, that's just really sneaky and in stark contrast to HJP who is willing to let SDM know that NDS acted out of genuine regard for her, not self interest.

Oh okay, in that case I'm guessing it's misdirection. We'll have to wait and see.

Edit: What I mean is, I'm assuming he will have some condition to solve whatever issue was stopping him from accepting in the first place (again, hazy on the details). My original comment still applies.

The fact that NDS keeps doing things so antagonistic makes me hope HJP is the lead after all. Then again, I guess it only seems antagonistic to us because we're team HJP. Then again again, why does the writer have HJP act so noble and NDS act so sneaky? Does the ML always win by being sneaky? Maybe he does and I just haven't noticed before because I shipped.

Thinking about the scene where HJP tells SDM that NDS wasn't completely lying to her and did most of what he did because he liked her and comparing that to NDS trying to make sure HJP can't be plan B so that he doesn't have to let SDM know what HJP was going to do for her. I'm sorry NDS fans, I've tried not to attack the character for your sake (although I have attacked the writing of his character) but that just makes my blood boil.

To be fair, I skipped most NDS scenes so I may have misunderstood what was going on when he approached Alex at the end.

I'm new to Kdramas. Has there ever been such strong second lead syndrome before? The ones I know of are Reply 1988 and School 2015 (poor NJH, he has the worst luck). Were there any stronger than those two and how do they compare to this one?

Edit: Thanks for the replies but just to clarify when I ask about SLS I'm asking if it has ever been so widespread before.

LOL

Okay, here's my theory for where this is going and I don't like it. YS tries to get revenge against HJP for whatever part he had in his brother's death. While trying to hurt HJP, YS ends up hurting Grandma who protects HJP. I hope I'm way off base but at the very least I hope it's a misunderstanding and HJP isn't really to blame, even if Grandma still gets hurt. Hopefully none of that will happen though.

Thank you. Someone in this comment section had a theory that NDS exists to temporarily get in the way of the main couple (HJP and SDM) so as to ensure that the story would last 16 episodes. Let's say there's a time jump at episode 12. If episodes 11 and 12 wrap up everything so far and then the last four episodes are about the romance between HJP and SDM, that would completely explain the writer's choices up to now and totally redeem the drama in my opinion. In fact that would make it one of my all time favourites and I don't have many of those. I don't think that's where this is going though. We've had too many clues that NDS and SDM are endgame.