bidulgi

Same!! Who would've seen that coming when she started out as literally wanting to kill Dahyun. I loved Eunjung so much in this ep even though she had like one scene. She's dead set on protecting her new lil sis haha

He's the fish vendor at the market, the one who came to confess that he'd last seen Gyeyoung alive

I dunno about that though, because Dahyun's mom said something like "one or two makes no difference, I can do it again if I have to" and if she was actually responsible for Gyeyoung's death, would she talk about it like that? Like wouldn't that seem too heartless? It seems more like she killed someone in order to save Dahyun - and she doesn't want her to find out about that because she feels guilty but also wouldn't hesistate to do it again if it meant protecting her.

Aaaah this episode was so tense.
BRUH THEY KILLED HIM....ngl I'm glad Lee Jin Geun is dead for good bc his maniacal laughter was starting to piss me off lmao. I guess now we have to deal with a different maniac though. I honestly never considered the Fish guy omg. I thought he was more or less innocent after confessing about being a witness and being forced to testify by Chief Seo, but I never thought him to be actually involved. Although I'm sure he isn't alone in this and I have a feeling he isn't the main culprit but more of an accomplice. But WOW kudos to both actors - that scene with him and LJG in the warehouse was intense as hell, and their ominous conversation left me with more questions than answers. For now, I'm suspicious of three people - Chief Seo and the grey-haired guy and his wife. But I have no damn idea how and why they could be related to the kidnapping.
Also I felt really bad when Dahyun's mom started crying 😭 Is it because she killed someone? Something really horrible definitely happened that she'd never dare tell her because she obviously doesn't want her to be hurt.
And I actually didn't mind the breakup scene that much? DH and GH were both very on edge about what they wanted to tell each other and when DH suggested breaking up it was definitely reasonable. I kind of liked how you can see how different they are: While Dahyun eventually told him and constantly questioned why she shouldn't, GH is closing himself off more, given his way of handling his own emotions. While she's the proactive type, he's more of the avoidant type. Which is also why he says he doesn't want to break up, he doesn't want to admit to himself how the whole thing does affect him. But in the end we don't even know if they actually decided to break up bc the ep ended right there. For all we know they might have not after all :p
Even if they do though, I don't think it'll be such a big deal? They might take some time to sort out their feelings but will ultimately decide to stay together. That's my hunch at least! ^^

Edit: LOL I just realized why I'm so unbothered by the break-up: It's because those two have already unofficially broken up so many times before even actually getting together, trying to "end things" between them but always fail in the end. So now I'm just like "yeah yeah, you guys will come around eventually" 😂 And now that they're both linked to each other, it'll be even harder to stay apart.

This is sending me LMAO 😭💀

By the way, the OST from the kiss scene is finally out! https://youtu.be/iYX3CmIwed8

I'm still really enjoying the mystery and the mix of genres (since I prefer dramas to be like that anyways) so agree to disagree on that part, but you're absolutely right about the humanistic aspect!
This drama just is very character-driven and really gets into the how and why of certain experiences and isn't afraid to show its ugly sides. Like other shows might show a character being stalked but here we see how heavily that can actually impact someone, other shows might show a parent grieving their missing child but here we see how much that can mess up an entire family, and so on. It's definitely not like we haven't seen those themes in any other drama before but I don't know if they have explored them as well as Link does. The mystery makes it engaging for sure, but I actually enjoy the drama much more because of that reason, the dialogue between the characters, the way it's filmed and directed etc. For example those little reflective narrations they do in the beginning of episodes or certain scenes, I love those so much and they really add insight to what Dahyun and Gyehoon are feeling towards certain things.
I get why all of that might not be for everyone but to dismiss the show just because it doesn't give you the answers you want fast enough is just, kind of sad.. 🙈

they're keeping so many good shows in their dungeon ㅠㅠ

Just imagine the numbers it'd be doing if it was on Netflix 😭 Such a waste to put it on Disney+. I'm suprised AoS hasn't overtaken it yet lol. If it was ranked according to number of watchers it'd be #1 on currently airing. But I wonder when they're finally gonna update the rating?? You can see it has an average of 8.6 when you click on it ㅠㅠ

Seems like one of the shows that'll make me cry a lot. I am ready for the tears. Anything for Ji Chang wook.

Lee Jingeun is a disgusting, psychotic bastard and deserves nothing less than being beaten to a pulp, I'm very glad he got a taste of that from Gyehoon (although I do wish he did more, Gyehoon maybe put on some more weights at the gym and make sure you beat him up so badly he gets admitted to the hospital 😂). Also what kind of fucked up kid would sell out their peers for a damn Game? Why in the world would he do that? What went wrong with him??? I wonder wether there's more to why Jingeun displayed such behaviour this early on or if he was just always deranged for no reason.
I really loved seeing the two couples on that awkward ~double date~ and being all sus about each other not being in a relationship. Police couple will come around *crossing my fingers*!! It was so lovely of Gyehoon to try to cater to Wontak as much as possible and even consider an entire new menu because of him, like pls that's so wholesome he really wants to rekindle their friendship 😭 I hope, no can't wait, to see their bromance blossoming!
Gyehoon was also so adorable being jelly and butting in the whole time with his expert wine knowledge between the sales guy and Dahyun lol, and then her playing along with his jealousy 🤭
And as for that ending, damn. So Dahyun really was in the same place as Gyeyoung when she was kidnapped. I do think that it was probably because of GY that DH was able to get away, because of the clue the opening gives us (the one with the girls and the tower.) I'm also very very curious and hope we get an explanation for how the link started and how that all correlates to the kidnapping. Other than that I honestly have no theories on who the culprit is but I've also kind of given up and wanna just see where the show takes us!

Feels like I'm one of the few ones still enjoying the drama and loving every bit of it?? At least that's what it feels like reading some of these takes lol. I know I'm gonna egg on some people with this (yeah everyone can express their opinions however they want etc etc..), but I'll say it anyway; if you're that annoyed with how the drama handles the mystery/genres/pacing/whatever, maybe just drop it and come back to it when it's over or when you feel like it instead of wasting your time commenting every week how much you dislike it 💀
It's not like the drama will suddenly change to your liking because I think it's obvious it was supposed to be like this from the beginning, and the writer knows what she wants and what not to do with the show.
IMHO I don't think the show would work if it was shortened and removed of its "filler" (god pls put this word on the forbidden shelf of terms ppl like to overuse) because most of that "filler" is pivotal to character/relationship building or somehow relevant to the plot in other ways other than to move the narrative forward. Just because an episode/a scene doesn't advance the plot in big ways does not mean it is filler. Filler is when characters and plot are ignored altogether, like if Gyehoon and friends suddenly went to spend an entire day at the beach out of nowhere– that is filler. You could leave it out and not miss anything important. But none of what we've seen so far in the show fits into that category. That's because focus on characters isn't filler, it's story. And we already know this drama isn't /just/ about the mystery even if it might be its main aspect (yes, it's not the romance). It's about the trauma stalking victims have to deal with, what guilt and grief do to a person, how one's life can be affected when a loved one goes missing and so much more. It's about whole a lot more than just "haha who murder?" and if you expect it to only focus on that, then maybe you're watching the show wrong. I don't know, but that's what I think. At least it seems very reductive when this drama has proven many times how well written it is, outside of its mystery.

Sorry for making this a little rant but people nowadays are so quick to disregard everything they don't personally deem interesting in a show as "filler" 🤧 Thinking about the themes and the narrative won't hurt a little, because really, they're right in front of your eyes.

On ep 11:

that poster looks so fun omg!! but why does it lowkey look like an ad lmao

He's definitely one of the few actors that left a truly big impression on me with their acting. There's tons and tons of actors (and actresses) that I'd say I enjoy the acting of as I'm not the pickiest person when it comes to it, but only a handful have really left an emotional impact on me, and YJG is one of them.
I remember the first time watching his crying scene in HDL and I just knew he was one of the special ones :')
He really knows how to get under you skin.

Exactly! The story is kind of like an onion, every episode a new layer gets peeled off. The core of what aspect of the plot is being touched upon is always in the episode titles as well (which I really like, I wish more dramas would do it): "The children of Jihwa-dong", "The child returns" or "The red gate".

LMAO I wouldn't be surprised if it only opens in the very last scene of the drama

I rmb when Business Proposal aired! People were going INSANE waiting for new eps, it was so much fun. But I'm loving this show so much more!!

And again, pacing-wise I don't see any problem. The drama probably still "drags" for some people, but tbf it just means this probably isn't the type of storytelling approach you like then. It's not the show's fault. Again, this is a mystery, and the core plot of this show. And I love how it takes it time with not just the mystery but it's characters as well. If things were moving /too fast/ then a lot of stuff, for example the progression of the romance, would feel rushed imho, so I much prefer the pace the show is at rn.
RIP to y'all I guess but I'm enjoying it as it is 😍

Finally caught up with ep 9/10 after being a bit busy and woahhh. I'm glad I did only now bc then I don't have to wait much longer for the next one. This drama is easily shaping up to be my most recent favorite!! The last two episodes were packed with so many amazing moments– esp between the leads, I love them so much together!! 😭😭❤️ how to survive the rest of the show.. Although it's obvious we're gonna some good old angst soon and I'm not ready ㅠ
I am bracing myself for whatever is to come lmao. But that last scene of ep 9 was goddamn amazing, dare I say it was *Chef's kiss*?

Also above all, hats off to Yeo Jin Goo. I'm sure it's been said countless times already, but he's such a monster when it comes to acting, it's no wonder he's regarded as one of the best of his generation. You could see it especially in ep 9, that scene with his father was absolutely GUT WRENCHING to watch. Like I actually felt sick watching it, he delivered the desperation and pain in his character so perfectly. Speaking of his father, I have been wondering about his whereabouts for a long time and I'm glad we have (sort of) been enlightened. And overall the whole mystery of what happened to Gyeyoung back then is slowly but surely being unraveled. I am both dying and dreading to find out what happened behind that red gate.

I love love love this drama so much and every week it's getting better!! It's always fun to read others' theories as well. Some of you guys are insane with the theories on Gyeyoung's case, I'm just no thoughts head empty for the most part lol. + How does this show keep dropping such banger songs?! Ep 10 had a lot of good new ones, I especially loved the new ending theme that also played during Dahyun's jogging scene!!