bloomingtide

if you are an unoriginal writer, than yes, registering their marriage and nullifying the creep's claim on the child would have been a problem for the long script. I however still see enough and aplenty interpersonal and familial conflicts that could have been focused on with their (maybe in secret?) marriage registration, instead of the stale, cliched wHo iS fATHeR dna testing and BaTTLe fOr chILd subplot bs no one asked for or wanted. Plus, all this screentime wasted on an increasingly psychopathic stalkerish trashbug feeling ownership over YD's body, heart and soul (and her child) that makes my skin crawl (restraining order much?) could have used much better to show the leads facing hardships during parenthood/their relationship and how they overcome and how they grow and grow closer as a couple, parents and people due to it. (and the other characters' growth and hardships too) Which yeah, now falls under "we could have had it all" (rolling in the deeeeeeep) because instead of having character driven examinations of relationships (familial and romantically) as a narrative tool, the writer(s) over-rely on tired cheap plot devices and tropes to further the story, sadly. (Five Enough and Once Again do prove that character-driven narrative is very much in the realm of the possible for the more "soap opera-esque" genre of weekend drama)

i am not their parents age but i do have the over a decade long acquired occupational hazard of having kinda parental feelings for YD/TK and disappointment in YD's case. (even if i have not written a story in a while old habits die hard, lol)

So i am all at a loss what to do with "my kids" now or rather i would know where to go from there, but then again i would have taken SEVERAL different turns earlier already that it hadn't even gotten this far and this bad. Because i reaaaaaally don't trust the writers to give us a satisfactory reconciliation between the two anymore and actually expect them to use baby haneul as magic make up weapon between them and/or one character doing major concessions in order to get back together. And i very much fear it will be yet again Taekyung. As always 🙄🙄🙄

As for BN/YD, BN admission how she drove her daughter into this lie toward momzilla was a good start, but it was suddenly all brushed aside and forgotten about in eps 34 when her anger blinded her for the reasons why, what she did wrong from the get go. I think before that long talk between them can happen BN has to do a lot of soul searching instead to blame all on weeping willow alone. But sadly she seems as obstinate to doing so like howling monkey is to ANY minuscule amount of self-reflection and concession. Along with the stalker psychopath JH they are the personified principal skinner meme (you know the, AM I THE PROBLEM? [...] ...NO. IT IS THE OTHERS THAT ARE WRONG! one, lol. I cannot NOT think about this whenever either of them opens their stupid mouths lmao)

yeah, having someone vanish without a word, it is like a beloved person is suddenly ripped from your life and you don't know where they are, if they are doing well or is still alive in the more extreme cases of "missing person" if they ever come back or if you can find them after all. It is lived uncertainty every day gnawing your insides while hope to see them again cracks apart underfoot like brittle stones more and more every day. It is the sleepless nights, the wondering for reasons why, the what ifs and what did i do wrongs? and the angry how could you do this to mes?, the misplaced guilt, that weigh down your heart, body and soul in a leaden tight embrace. It must have been like that for Taekyung for five months until BN broke his heart and spirit alike and he gave up altogether, reverting back to existing instead of living, all hope gone.

And while a letter would have not prevented the pain that followed, the explanation and words within would at least lessened the uncertainty and gnawing questions of why and if there is a tomorrow together. It would have made it more final than being subjected to live with a maybe. Unsatisfactory closure, for sure, but better than the nothing she left him with.

(note: this is not personal experience made, thankfully, but me going all writer here with putting myself into his shoes/feelings lol)

Idk about that, but even my Twitter buddy who is watching family/daily dramas for nearly two decades said, while it was typical Angst fuel that tends to happen in these type of shows (to raise ratings/discussion etc), she is disappointed in the writers, how they treated certain chars (YD, inok) and direction taken, "and they better make up for it quickly," so yeah. If a veteran watcher says that you know it is baaad lol.

(and these last weekend's terribad eps has also has increased my appreciation for "five enough" and "once again" not pulling/without this nonsense exponentially, ngl. Highly recommend to watch if you feel frustrated with this family drama. Because those two shows prove you can do better storytelling with focus on families/relationships and character growth without scheming villains or nonsensical angst fuel/breakup timeskips.)

First of all, what an excellent, well-thought out post, I agree to a lot. I do want to stew on my thought a bit longer because I do have many but also don’t want to rehash what I already said, necessarily, So I am gonna focus more on YD then and the hows and whys of her, from a woman’s pov, bc I used to defend her, well, distanced behavior and understood why a lot in earlier episodes. But that all was very much obliterated by eps 34. I can already say, if that has not been obvious in my several post yelling at her, lol, how I cannot even begin to fathom how she could treat the man who had been nothing but kind and understanding and steadfast in his love for her like this. Especially not after making such a promise. I would still have a problem with her vanishing suddenly without her prior words of assurance how he is the true child’s father, how she stays forever now at his side and the three of them being a family (the bracelets) but to a lesser degree, maybe even a far less one idk.

I have to say, or rather already said it here, if I were Taekyung, I could not restart a relationship with her. Because the broken trust would be irretrievable and the hurt too big for a second chance. There would be always the fear in the back of my mind of her leaving again, the doubt of what is stopping her from it when things get tough, doubts about her words and any promises she would make. Because she already solemnly promised before to stay at my side, no matter what, forever and yet… a few days later, she vanished without a word and heads up. I would want explanations tho why she did that to me, to have closure and then wish her well and good luck with single motherhood. Maybe the last part not out loud, but you know a (not so) small petty part would be thinking… “your loss, have fun then.” 😈

More details later/tomorrow. Need to catch up on other shows, and lower my sodium levels first. Bc those rise high whenever i think about eps 34 and YD, ngl 😂 ( i have picked up Once Again again, but i still wince whenever i see inok's actress and hear her speak in there, lol.)

i see the name as a sign of gratitude for the things he did for her, not of her eternal love. Plus i read that reasoning with why no letter and is really really weak.

"Why would she leave a letter when she wants him to forget about her? What would she have said?"

A million reasons why. To explain why she left, to apologize for breaking her promise. To not leave him stew in uncertainty and hope forever, and give him closure. To simply show the bare modicum of respect for the person you claim to like (can't call it love) promised a forever to and then abandoned without a word in the dead of night. He would have deserved that much, at least, but naaah. Even that she did not give him.

Ngl, i am gonna throw things at my screen if it is again only Taekyung taking up the initiative in their relationship, and being the one contacting a lawyer to get the legal advice/stuff in order and suggesting a marriage to her, and whatnot. All of these things should indeed (for once at least) fully come from Yeondoo's side now to prove she actually gives enough a shit about him (haha) and about their relationship (and not only to protect Haneul aka a new contract thingie.) Which always requires the emotional effort and investment of two people, not just one in order to make it work.

Like seriously... https://imgflip.com/i/7t2w8e

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKtOfcVDySs

This edit of the leads is so well done, but unfortunately it also undercuts so well how onesided the dynamic is/was, because it always has been Taekyung only putting in the effort into their relationship 💀😅💀 Like this video is the prime example as to why i am saying i need to see yeondoo step up in this relationship and for him, going forward. BIG TIME. Equal the askew balance here woman, it is long overdue!

No prob, lol. Not surprised you feel dizzy by reading it. eps 34 was such a bad trip, like a fever induced nightmare 🤣 😵‍💫😂 We had not just one timejump, but two (first 5 months to get wayward FL close and then into labor while ML is still holding out hope, and then around 5-10 minutes after that we get ANOTHER timejump of seven months where FL did live her life as tho ML did never exist and ML had bitterly given up and reverted back to his anti-social self, being even more isolated than at the start of the drama as he refuses to even date now)

They meet again bc dramaland seoul only has three streets and two neighborhoods (rich and poor) and she is looking at the lovingly decorated apartment (inclusive nursery) he has now also given up on (originally meant for him, FL and "their" child) to rent it from the owner who ofc is ML. He comes home and finds her there, looking at very familiar baby items from a year ago. Cue both being shocked to see each other with her mentally planning her escape route no doubt and him being pissed, so he won't let her. (his sour WHY ARE YOU CRYING ANYWAY from the preview gives me life. I hope he keeps that attitude for a bit lol)

I mean, i get that maybe all got too much for FL and she needed to get away to protect her unborn child and have a safe delivery, but as others has said here it is so pisspoorly handled for the sake of angst. ML could have helped her to hide away, could have visited or them video-chatted, just some form of contact throughout it all. But nope she completely ghosted him, not caring if he is dead or alive until happenstance forced her to face him a year later. And even then she is already planning to run away again as seen in preview ("I will never appear in front of you again") It is true love, as you can see 😂 Because she is "protecting him" this way and suffers in silence in the misery of her own making, or something. 🙄🙄🙄

Gotta say it must be some kind of art form of the writers to have all this build up of a cute couple who comes to know and trust each other, who communicates well and supports each other for 32- 33 ish eps, and then have their relationship and dynamic shit the bed in such a very stinky fashion during a singular episode to play trope bingo with noble idio... no INSANITY at its front and center, woah. It will take me a lot to get back aboard with their upcoming second chance romance, bc truth be told, if i were ML, i would ditch her ghosting ass now and forever (after i got some answers and thus... closure) Aka since you wanna be a single mom so damn badly, then have fun with that, i am out.

lmao, this was me when I rewatched the scene of her telling TK how she tells him that she loves him LATER after he prompted her to. I think i even spammed LIAR LIAR LIAR LIAR as timed comment there lmao

Did you watch the eps 35 preview without having any context? oooooh boooooi that must have been a trip. Why would you do that to yourself? 😂

1) The obligatory dna test is still inbound, but unless they pull a magic macguffin due to pressure of netizens to make it ML's child after all, it is SML's. (But rumors have it that he is gonna be unable to claim any rights on the kid despite that due to FL/ML becoming (being?) a legal couple. And given what an unhinged 🚩 this creep is, that is for the better.)
2) Taekyung is just taking care of the baby girl while mother FL is on an errand, not away away, at least not this time. (She is an expert in doing so, after all.) Relationship status: It is... complicated. Hopefully she gets his cold shoulder for a while tho.
3) ML is poised as the actual (legal) father of Haneul in the story, but thanks to FL running away and ghosting him for a year, has missed her birth and the first 7 months of her life. So you can bet he jumps at the chance to take care of her when FL is on an errand. His affection for the kid is still going strong, but i hope he leaves FL out to hang dry at least a little before reconciling after everything that happened/the way she treated him. And unless it happened off screen or the writers pull some gotcha moment, i don't think their marriage was actually registered/legally binding. They had just lived as a fake married couple before falling in love for real and before the lie imploded in their faces a year ago, that is. (cue FL running away under the cover of night, blindsiding ML who believed in her promise of staying/fighting together thru this)
4) Basically, FL's noble idiocy induced a(n unwanted from ML's side) break up for a year without any contact from her side (wasn't for his lack of trying to find her) Even their reunion is by mere coincidence, not because FL had a change of mind. I guess there are lingering feelings still and we are bound to see a "second chance romance" including actual, legal marriage down the line. As said i hope ML does not welcome her back with open arms like a simpy idiot and makes her work for his forgiveness. But all of that would require FL to stop to bolt and run at the slightest opposition first of course lol (Sorry, still super salty about it/FL, so you won't get an objective reply/view here 😂)
5) i guess FL brought stuff here for Haneul, so ML would have diapers, formula etc to take care of her while she is away for a couple of hours. At least it is just hours now she is away not months, so progress? Lmao.

Yeondoo: I will never leave you, Taekyung. I will stay by your side.
Also Yeondoo: https://shorturl.at/bnNVZ

🙃🙃🙃

or they could use a flashback of over one year ago? Idk, not opposed to time travel either at this point xD because we surely have traveled a lot in time here already just forward, two times after meticulous day to day storytelling, lol. So backwards time travel is just the next (il)logical step 😂 idk just let me have this i dont even care how and if i have to steal the car from "my perfect stranger" to send them back i will do it.😂

Viki? They always gendered Jinjja as a boy and gave the kid he/him pronouns without fail, which is really 🤡 for them now due to her being a girl, obviously. (I wonder if they go back and fix that tho)

yep dramaland seoul is smaller than my neighborhood indeed. Wish you were right, as it would show she spared him a thought (wow) but weeping willow was in the city for work, not because she planned to meet up or something, Nor did she intent on going into that apartment, bc it looked too expensive. The realtor more or less convinced her to, due to it being rented out/sold on a bargain, so yeah. All by dramaland happenstance is the reason of them meeting, bc it was surely/sadly not because she made the choice to contact him🤡

And i was wrong about the sentence in the preview, whoops..Because she IS planning to run away again from him as she tells him "I WILL never appear in front of you again" not that she did not plan to appear in front of him again. But either way no surprise here, as she had mapped out the escape route the moment she saw him, i am sure. Should become a marathon runner with how she is running from any conflict 😂

oh i would love that. Give these demons the taste of their own bullshit.

Normally they are more miss than hit, but this time i love how salty the viki timed comments are on eps 34 (just checked the 35 preview there) it gives me life

"I waited 6 days for these two rubbish episodes!"

You and me both, buddy, you and me both 😂

i know it won't happen but i would laugh a lot if it were, lmao. Here we are theorizing who it could be and what it means for the family dynamics and then out of the left field the lost gong heir is random school ajumma no 2

Oh sure, nothing wrong with him showing affection for the kid. We know he yearned to do that for a whole year. I am still so dejected over the fact that he had outfitted/equipped/decorated the nursery on his own and it remained unused for so long, ngl. Meanwhile the dna giver creep who is chestpounding "iAm FaTheR" has not spared any room of his bachelor pad for the kid... (but that is just an interesting observation on the side) And i am also sad that he missed 7 whole months of her life :((((

I just hope he will be able to differentiate between his fatherly affection for Haneul and giving in all too easily to the woman who lied to him, abandoned and ghosted him for a year. Because these are two different emotional matters, really.

They have been demanding Haneul to be TK's kid from the start, actually and never stopped. I never liked it... until very recently and after that shitshow of 33/34, i now want the hilarity of the dna test coming back a glorious zero and the stupid smug grin wiped out of that creep's face. Plus as much TK loves Haneul either way, it would feel like a reward not a copout any longer. So yeah, i am now in that camp too, no matter how unlikely it is haha. And who knows with the dna test coming up soon-ish there might be a surprise, lol. Then again i have zero trust in these writers anymore to throw a curveball without breaking their arm during it.