Santina

Hm. I still haven't watched the special, but Radio Star was indeed a little repetitive. Perhaps MBC did not do enough. But on the other hand, I also suspect actors' respective agencies put a tight lid on the type and the number of questions that the hosts are allowed to ask from the main leads.

Happy birthday to Junho! I was so happy and grateful to discover his talents and lovely personality in 2021! I hope to see this beautiful man in many more successful projects, both as an actor and as an idol.

5 - start learning Korean 🙈

I've already gone through various stages of favourites with 2PM and Junho since discovering them a month ago. Current unexpected fave: Uneasy by 2PM and their Again and Again keeps playing in my mind repeatedly (I love that song's choreo).
Junho's solo discography is just pleasant to listen to from top to bottom because his voice is pure honey and his vocal range is insane.

Yep, I was like - what happened to the interesting slice of life dialogues from the the first half? Why are you just staring at each other mysteriously? lol Even much better actors than SK struggle when writers are not giving them anything to go on. And it's not just dialogue lines, but also no clear character background or character development was done for his character in the 2nd half.

Totally agree with you. When it comes to a show/drama endings it's more valid to talk about it sticking the landing rather than being sad or happy. I noticed many Korean writers in drama land are actually not very good at doing poignant, satisfying endings for whatever reason. Even in dramas with happy endings it gets jumbled up, rushed or with no special impact, leaving viewers without proper closure.
For example, many compare The Red Sleeve with Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. It might be controversial, but I think compared to TRS Moon Lovers didn't stick its landing as well, and left me wanting.

After the drama finished I saw so many people "recommending" newcomers not to watch the final episode, ignore it, stop at episode 16 and I was like - ??? Why would you say that? For me the ending minutes of this drama is what elevates it from a solid 9 to a 10! Yes, the drama has some flaws, but the emotional journey it takes you from beginning to the very end is such a unique and rewarding experience. The impact of San's "love me" is still haunting me.

I am the same! I hate this stage in K-dramas. They kill off all the tension between the leads and it gets so boring for me. In this respect TRS was such a refreshing watch.

Wow, last 2 episodes: 3 hours of solid non-stop crying, both from happiness and sadness. My eyes are so puffy and red. What did Junho and Seyoung do to me?! Ahh...

The leads were cute, but plot was on the thin side.

I think this was the exact scene that sold me on him. From then on I was completely hooked.

It feels like San's sincere words, his loneliness and resignation touched her. He talked to her not like king, but a man. A man bearing his soul, who recently lost his best friend and who seemed like he finally was prepared to give up the love of his love for good.
Even before San came to her, she was already rethinking her stance after seeing how things can never remain the same (despite her constantly wanting to keep it simple and unchanging) - people dying and leaving, many unrealised opportunities etc. So I think it was an amalgamation of many feelings and thoughts for Deok Im coming to a breaking point.

Without vividly portraying the power imbalance between the two leads, there is really little ground for Deok Im rejecting Yi San. In visual media this also means showing physical aspect of it, to bring it home for the audience that Deok Im is right in trying to avoid fully succumbing to him in every aspect.

I am the opposite. The fact that the relationship maintains tension and remains unresolved is the selling point for me. It does not follow the kdrama rules and this keeps me invested throughout.

It makes me sad that he hasn't been composing any new songs lately. I hope he finds inspiration soon.

Agreed. Idol Junho is amazing to watch too. It's like he really has different personalities for different aspects of his life. When he hangs out with his 2PM members he is a cheeky brat, when he is doing solo idol work he is more sexy and charismatic, and when he is promoting his acting gigs he is all mature and serious.

Episode 12. Whoa.. what is this magic? I was crying for the first 40 minutes and then the ending of the episode with the sexual tension kicking in!
Lee Deok Hwa and Junho were both outstanding, drawing a lot of parallels and contrast between the two monerchs.
And of course I can't stop admiring the amazing cinematography.

We got some little snippets of it. For example, she was questioning about how does it feel to really love somebody. But for me, in episode 10 was the first time I saw real affection in her eyes when looking at San. Either way, I agree, I would want her to voice her thought process on rejecting him for the second time more clearly.

I am all for the remake, but from what I remember of the characters in that story, it will probably be a waste of Junho's talents. Unless they completely rewrite it all and make it more complex.

A very strong episode 10 from Seyoung. Her eyes are so full of expression when she looks at the prince now. So much conflict and affection. Well acted!
Also it's amazing how the writers preserve the tension between the leads. Usually at this point in the story dramas tend to deflate into romantic la la land. But not here. I am constantly on edge, be it political plot or the relationship between the leads.