Polo749

While your explanation for the backtracking does make sense, it doesn't explain why everything else pointed to Jidal as well. Take the wardrobes; SDM and HJP were always colour coordinated for most of the drama, unlike NDS and SDM. HJP had his own theme music as did SDM. NDS did not. The cinematography also suggested Jidal endgame with many similar shots of SDM and HJP, such as when they are both looking at the fireworks in the third episode. Not only would multiple people in the production of this drama have to be incompetent but their incompetence would have had to materialise in the exact same way. Did they all accidentally cater everything to Jidal? The writer, director, wardrobe people and composer all made it seem like it would be Jidal. Not to mention the OST which also seems like it caters more to Jidal. I don't buy that it was misdirect because no-one goes that heavy on the misdirect. I think that you are partly right about the writer's desperate attempts to make NDS more palatable but I'm not convinced it was what she always intended and wanted.

I'm sorry to keep going on about this but let me give one example of why I think PHR is not to blame.

Remember episode 7? Of course you do, who could forget the dreaded kiss scene? Or the beginning of the end as I think of it now. Well the kiss scene was filmed in the autumn while the rest of the episode was filmed earlier in spring. Do you also remember that in the same episode we got the kettle scene in which there is a close up of steam coming out of the kettle while SDM tells Halmoni that she'd still choose the NDS from the letters? There is also additional dialogue about NDS that was clearly intended to show that her feelings for NDS were growing, irrespective of the letters. Well if the kiss scene was added later then that additional dialogue could also have been added later. If we take those two things out then we have a very different episode that clearly points to HJP being the endgame. It makes abundantly clear that the only reason she likes NDS is because she believes he wrote her the letters and that she is still in love with the old NDS. The title of the episode is burn rate and the end scene was meant to imply that SDM's feelings for her first love are still burning strong, as symbolised by the steam coming out of the kettle.

I liked your comment because it was interesting but I really think we should give PHR the benefit of the doubt.

This would make SDM the first woman ever to turn a man gay.

I always thought it was strange how Halmoni never mentions her son passing away to HJP. I guess they wanted a lighter tone after episode 1.

Oh my gosh the capitalisation. Might as well put DEFINITELY NOT JUST NJH FANS WHO LIKE THIS DRAMA.

I feel bad for her. She probably didn't know she was opening a can of worms.

I'm thinking of adding 'fantasy' and 'boys love'. What do you think? Boys love is more accurate than healthy relationship (that look Ji-Pyeong gives Ji-Suk).

At the end of the day there's nothing these people can do to get rid of the negative associations with this drama. I'm confident it will be remembered as one of the biggest disappointments, not just because of the ship but almost everything about it. The problems go deep.

Do you think there could be a compromise and we could just tag it as 'relationship'?

I want to forget most of the drama so that I can just re-watch the first 6 episodes without my enjoyment being tainted by what I know follows. Maybe I should try hypnosis.

Yes but to be honest I want him to get a role in a drama that will allow him to outshine himself. I want to see him alongside good quality actors in a drama that's worthy of him. I'm a bit worried that his success now will actually be bad for him. I don't want him to star in these kinds of money oriented dramas that only exist for the sake of endorsements. I want him to do more serious work. I've noticed he's often better than the dramas he's in.

I'm trying so hard to not imagine that he's HJP in this video.

It's just people's opinion. The drama isn't trying to show an unhealthy relationship, that's just how it came across to some of us. Sorry, I'm not sure if that helps you.

You talk about facing reality as though I want to believe that the ending was changed. I would honestly much rather think that the writer is incompetent. I just can't not see what I believe she was originally going for. Never mind, I'm really tired of talking about it; as in I'm tired of myself, not of you or anyone else.

Yes I am confused as to why he would sign up to begin with as well but maybe the agency assumed he'd be the more popular choice and that it would backfire on the writer, not NJH. I just find it so hard to believe that the narrative, the music score, the symbolism, the wardrobes and everything would point to Jidal if it wasn't meant to be Jidal. Were the production people in rebellion?

Lol, I know you're joking but this wouldn't surprise me.

Regarding whether or not the ending was changed, if you have any good points to argue that Dodal was what the writer spent 2 years building this story around then please point them out to me. I'm asking for points regarding the narrative, symbolism, wardrobes, music score, cinematography or other categories to do with production, not promotional material which I think was a given would be centred around NJH and Suzy. I'd rather not continue to feel robbed. I'd prefer to disagree with the writer's choices than to think we could've had a better story if it weren't for some behind the scenes insanity.

I'll probably stop commenting here soon because I can feel myself running out of steam. I don't want to say so long just yet because I'm not confident that I'm done but I'm nearing the end so I'll just say right now that I've loved coming here. It's because it's been so fun that I'm finding it hard to not come back everyday to see the latest.

Don't forget they come with endorsements. Also, I was talking about his agency not him. Please just be happy you're in the group of people who weren't disappointed and leave the rest of us to despair at what could have been.

Yes but if the endgame was changed then SDM wouldn't show any feelings for him would she? At first SDM only likes NDS because she believes he's HJP. The first episode in which that changed is the one with the kiss scene and incidentally the kiss scene was one of the scenes that they filmed later after they had already moved on from that episode.

Everything was gearing up to a Jidal ending. Not just narratively but the wardrobes, cinematography, music score and symbolism all pointed to Jidal. On top of that, right about the time that KSH blew up they started backtracking and filming scenes from episodes that had already been filmed. My comment was clearly speculative, I made no claim that it was confirmed.