Given what the top reviews have pointed out, I’m almost sure I won’t like this drama. Despite knowing this, I kind of still want to watch it for Lee Rang and his relationship with his brother :(( It’s been so long since I’ve watched a drama with a well-written sibling relationship. (Yes, I’m aware this comment is pointless haha ><)
perhaps he said kang sol and didnt elaborate further if it was A or B. then Sol A just assumed that it was B?…
I don’t think he’s ever answered that question. As I see it, it’s quite obvious that Joon Hwi loves Sol A. However Joon Hwi is an extremely caring person and so he will go to great lengths to help whoever is in need and that includes Sol B. Basically he cares for the whole Law School gang but he is different around Sol A. The changes in his behaviour aren’t obvious but the way his gaze and voice soften when he is around Sol A is quite telling.
I agree with you when you said that Sol A assumed that Joon Hwi meant Sol B. It makes sense she would think so since she isn’t fully aware of how close she is to Joon Hwi. They’ve never tried to question the feelings they have for each other. They’re always there for each other and they just know each other on a much deeper level than the others, but they’re oblivious to it. She also doubts herself a lot and so she might not be able to imagine Joon Hwi being romantically interested in her.
It seems as though the writers intentionally chose not to make Joon Hwi answer that question to confuse the viewers and to allow them to imagine whichever answer they would have liked to hear since “Law School” isn’t about romance.
When he said that he cared for someone in his study group, I immediately thought he meant Sol A because he doesn’t look at the others in the same way he looks at Sol A. It’s only after Sol A teasingly said that he should give the drink to “her roomie whom he cares for” that I realised that there was a lingering doubt over who he meant when he said what he said.
He may have never clearly answered but we all know that the gratefulness he feels towards Sol A is just the expression of his genuine and selfless love for her. (At least, that’s how I see it. They have a wholesome friendship — no doubt about that — but I believe there’s more to it.)
Well... Yeo Joon went radio silence for that night coz he was almost beaten up by his dad - it's not like he ignored…
I completely agree! The first thing (if I remember correctly) we are told about her is how much she studies and how it seems to never be enough but then, as the story progresses, this whole topic is never tackled nor mentioned again :(
Well... Yeo Joon went radio silence for that night coz he was almost beaten up by his dad - it's not like he ignored…
Don’t get me wrong (I’m sorry if I haven’t made myself clear), it’s not So Bin as a character that I don’t like but the way se was written. The problems I have with this drama come from the directing and writing not the characters themselves.
Well... Yeo Joon went radio silence for that night coz he was almost beaten up by his dad - it's not like he ignored…
Ofc I didn’t mean to take the last episode as an example since obv after what YJ has gone through he wouldn’t want to talk with anyone. However overall the dynamic between Yeo Joon and So Bin as a couple is kinda weird (“weird” isn’t the right adjective but I can’t seem to find a better one).
I have nothing against the romance in this show but the last couple of episodes showed how Yeo Joon wasn’t emotionally ready to be in a relationship. So Bin said nothing on the fact that Yeo Joon went radio silence but isn’t a romantic relationship — any kind of relationships really — supposed to be based on communication (verbal and/or non-verbal)?
Do the people who hate this for not being BL have any other reason that I should consider?Or is it just that??If…
You should definitely give it a try! I believe that this drama is a character-driven one so its main focus is the characters’ interactions with one another and the development of the characters’s relationships — no matter if those relationships are platonic or romantic. The acting is great and the main three characters have good chemistry so it’s a pleasure to see their interactions on screen. Plus, the side characters are also easily likeable or, at least, they’re somehow endearing. Obviously you might not like it but, by giving it a try, you might be able to form your own opinion.
The fact that they could have easily done so — not giving any romance to Soo Hyun — but chose not to is disrespectful.…
I agree with you. Since I haven’t read the webtoon I can’t really compare the two but, giving what you said, they shouldn't have chosen this webtoon if they didn’t want to stick to it. Obviously it’s an adaptation so it’s bound to have changes made but to go as far as changing the characters themselves… it’s hard to understand why they chose this specific webtoon if they have in mind sth totally different. However I’m still glad they did since the webtoon seems to have some beautiful and poignant messages to convey. Again I haven’t read the webtoon so I can only imagine your disappointment.
On a brighter note, episode 7 made me laugh so much but then it tore my heart out. Park Ji Hoon’s portrayal is so accurate and moving… I can’t imagine Yeo Joon being played by anyone else. Every time Yeo Joon gets triggered into thinking about the abuse he has experienced, there’s a complete shift in his expression and Park Ji Hoon acts it so well. Others have pointed how his eyes speak volumes and they really do: from the way he narrows his eyes to the way he successfully captures Yeo Joon’s mixed feelings in his gaze… He is truly brillant.
Don't make an adaptation of a webtoon that is not a rom-com, of you want to make a rom-com drama. Don't make an…
The fact that they could have easily done so — not giving any romance to Soo Hyun — but chose not to is disrespectful. I can’t get my mind around the fact that almost every drama/series/movie/book… always desperately wants to give its main characters a romance :( I know that previews are often misleading so I want to think that Soo Hyun’s words were taken out of context but I’m pretty sure I’m just giving myself false hope…
Don’t mind me, I’m just writing down the random thoughts I had while rewatching episode 5.
13:54min – entering his brother’s office
This scene was brilliantly acted by Park Ji Hoon – his eyes successfully captured every little emotion his character was feeling. Whenever Yeo Joon faces his family, he wears a vulnerable expression which is very child-like: his eyes are almost always lowered as if he had made some kind of mistake and is expecting to be scolded for it, he avoids looking straight into their eyes, he is quick to lose his composure… This scene – the one in his brother’s office – is the heart-wrenching embodiment of the violence he has been experiencing since he was a little boy and which he has internalised. In my opinion, Park Ji Hoon’s moving portrayal of Yeo Joon is particularly amazing because of how much he has understood the mechanism of Yeo Joon’s internalisation and the way it affects his relationships. Yeo Joon can’t help but feel belittled and useless when facing his family because they always told him that he wasn’t enough no matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried. This scene — the way he looks up and down, the way he carefully peeps through the small opening of the door which is only ajar before entering the office, the pout he wears on his lips, the way his voice slightly quivers – underscores the psychological violence of which he was, and still is, the target. (Keep in my mind that he is both physically /and/ mentally abused by his parents. I’ve only specified the kind of violence which is highlighted in this scene.) He doesn’t want to confront his brother right away hence the fact that the first thing he does once he has entered the room is to aimlessly look through the window so as to avoid his brother’s gaze. He doesn’t know what to do with himself and this is highlighted by the way he lets his arms nonchalantly fall along his body (that seems to be a habit of his). Although he doesn’t completely lose face in front of his brother, his face is bruised by all the pain he’s been feeling.
21:39min – after the cafeteria incident
I love how Soo Hyun seems surprised by the fact that Yeo Joon has seen right through (him repaying his so-called debt to Yeo Joon as fast as he could so as not to endure Yeo Jon’s clinginess).
Overall
This episode was so cruel towards Yeo Joon: he kept running off to places to meet either So Bin or Soo Hyun and ended up feeling disappointed and heart-broken every time. (I’m not blaming So Bin and Soo Hyun for their hurtful behaviours: they had their reasons – whether you excuse them is up to you.) He kept on hearing people’s refusal to share their worries with him and this made him think back on the many times his mother told him that he was nothing but a troublemaker and a good-for-nothing who should “live like a dead person”. It’s so sad to see that even before he gets to where Soo Hyun has called him, he starts doubting Soo Hyun’s genuineness and starts wondering whether he has the right to be curious about someone. He knows how inflexible Soo Hyun is when it comes to paying back whatever “debts” he has and so he fears that this so-called invitation is just another way Soo Hyun has found to pay him back and that’s the last thing Yeo Joon wants. He longs for having a friend with whom he could share a carefree meal. He is so lost in thoughts that he almost walks across a pedestrian crossing while the traffic light is still green. His “I want to cross the line” is heart-breaking to hear.
When So Bin told Yeo Joon not to touch her on ep 5 Yeo Joon listened to her. On ep 6, back at the front of So Bin’s elementary school, Yeo Joon was about to rest his hand on So Bin’s shoulder so as to comfort her but stopped midway. I think he did so because he must have remembered how she reacted to his touch last time. He didn’t want to be another burden on her shoulders nor did he want to make her feel uncomfortable or nervous and so he made sure he was letting her have her space. He may have also been scared to do so. He doubts himself a lot and so he may have wondered if he would be able to bring her any comfort in spite of his own fears and insecurities, in spite of his own trauma really. Yeo Joon is such a thoughtful and caring character. Some of you might have thought that what he did to So Bin on ep 3 was selfish but it wasn’t: he /never/ wanted to hurt her and as soon as he saw her tears, it broke his heart. The pain he felt at that moment was written all over his face. Yeo Joon is a character whom /feels/ so much. He knows what So Bin must have felt when she was hiding herself under the playground slide back when she was an elementary school pupil. He knows how it feels to stay hidden and all alone in the dark. There couldn’t have been a better character than Yeo Joon to understand what So Bin is going through. On another note, since we’re halfway through the drama, I think it’s safe to say that ep 6 is quite relevant relationship-wise. I believe ep 6 marks a shift in Yeo Joon and So Bin’s relationship. Indeed, Yeo Joon grabs So Bin’s hand after their presentation to congratulate and reassure her and, at the end of the episode, he has both hands on her arms — note that he didn’t really initiate/expect this physical contact since it was So Bin’s who chose to move closer to him. The drama already hinted at the fact that Yeo Joon is having a hard time stepping out of his “safe zone” and so him taking the lead, feeling somehow encouraged by the way So Bin is acting, is quite significant.
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I agree with you when you said that Sol A assumed that Joon Hwi meant Sol B. It makes sense she would think so since she isn’t fully aware of how close she is to Joon Hwi. They’ve never tried to question the feelings they have for each other. They’re always there for each other and they just know each other on a much deeper level than the others, but they’re oblivious to it.
She also doubts herself a lot and so she might not be able to imagine Joon Hwi being romantically interested in her.
It seems as though the writers intentionally chose not to make Joon Hwi answer that question to confuse the viewers and to allow them to imagine whichever answer they would have liked to hear since “Law School” isn’t about romance.
When he said that he cared for someone in his study group, I immediately thought he meant Sol A because he doesn’t look at the others in the same way he looks at Sol A. It’s only after Sol A teasingly said that he should give the drink to “her roomie whom he cares for” that I realised that there was a lingering doubt over who he meant when he said what he said.
He may have never clearly answered but we all know that the gratefulness he feels towards Sol A is just the expression of his genuine and selfless love for her. (At least, that’s how I see it. They have a wholesome friendship — no doubt about that — but I believe there’s more to it.)
tackled nor mentioned
again :(
13:54min – entering his brother’s office
This scene was brilliantly acted by Park Ji Hoon – his eyes successfully captured every little emotion his character was feeling. Whenever Yeo Joon faces his family, he wears a vulnerable expression which is very child-like: his eyes are almost always lowered as if he had made some kind of mistake and is expecting to be scolded for it, he avoids looking straight into their eyes, he is quick to lose his composure… This scene – the one in his brother’s office – is the heart-wrenching embodiment of the violence he has been experiencing since he was a little boy and which he has internalised. In my opinion, Park Ji Hoon’s moving portrayal of Yeo Joon is particularly amazing because of how much he has understood the mechanism of Yeo Joon’s internalisation and the way it affects his relationships.
Yeo Joon can’t help but feel belittled and useless when facing his family because they always told him that he wasn’t enough no matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried.
This scene — the way he looks up and down, the way he carefully peeps through the small opening of the door which is only ajar before entering the office, the pout he wears on his lips, the way his voice slightly quivers – underscores the psychological violence of which he was, and still is, the target. (Keep in my mind that he is both physically /and/ mentally abused by his parents. I’ve only specified the kind of violence which is highlighted in this scene.)
He doesn’t want to confront his brother right away hence the fact that the first thing he does once he has entered the room is to aimlessly look through the window so as to avoid his brother’s gaze. He doesn’t know what to do with himself and this is highlighted by the way he lets his arms nonchalantly fall along his body (that seems to be a habit of his).
Although he doesn’t completely lose face in front of his brother, his face is bruised by all the pain he’s been feeling.
21:39min – after the cafeteria incident
I love how Soo Hyun seems surprised by the fact that Yeo Joon has seen right through (him repaying his so-called debt to Yeo Joon as fast as he could so as not to endure Yeo Jon’s clinginess).
Overall
This episode was so cruel towards Yeo Joon: he kept running off to places to meet either So Bin or Soo Hyun and ended up feeling disappointed and heart-broken every time. (I’m not blaming So Bin and Soo Hyun for their hurtful behaviours: they had their reasons – whether you excuse them is up to you.)
He kept on hearing people’s refusal to share their worries with him and this made him think back on the many times his mother told him that he was nothing but a troublemaker and a good-for-nothing who should “live like a dead person”.
It’s so sad to see that even before he gets to where Soo Hyun has called him, he starts doubting Soo Hyun’s genuineness and starts wondering whether he has the right to be curious about someone. He knows how inflexible Soo Hyun is when it comes to paying back whatever “debts” he has and so he fears that this so-called invitation is just another way Soo Hyun has found to pay him back and that’s the last thing Yeo Joon wants. He longs for having a friend with whom he could share a carefree meal. He is so lost in thoughts that he almost walks across a pedestrian crossing while the traffic light is still green. His “I want to cross the line” is heart-breaking to hear.
On another note, since we’re halfway through the drama, I think it’s safe to say that ep 6 is quite relevant relationship-wise. I believe ep 6 marks a shift in Yeo Joon and So Bin’s relationship. Indeed, Yeo Joon grabs So Bin’s hand after their presentation to congratulate and reassure her and, at the end of the episode, he has both hands on her arms — note that he didn’t really initiate/expect this physical contact since it was So Bin’s who chose to move closer to him. The drama already hinted at the fact that Yeo Joon is having a hard time stepping out of his “safe zone” and so him taking the lead, feeling somehow encouraged by the way So Bin is acting, is quite significant.