bloomingtide

Um, i agree because this is what i basically said further upthread? Are you sure it is me you wanna address with your post? 🤣😝

Well, he didn't give her any choice in the matter. He quickly went away for almost two years to the military soon after the incident and break up. So she never had gotten a proper explanation nor closure as to why they broke up. Nor knows about the ring and how the events are all connected, like the viewer does. Taehee's way of dealing with what happened was cutting ties with everything/everyone that reminded him of it. He is also distant from his family (outside his uncle) ever since, because he blames himself for what happened. We don't know if she had contacted relatives before but she probably got to know that he went away for his service/out of the city in some way, so yeah.Because it explains her shock in seeing him in that news report two years later. Also remember that the company is new and she just heard of him working there/his uncle being in the city, aka that he returned. The timeline matters here, makes sense, as said with her reaching out at the point she did/saw as her chance to reconcile. (despite him not contacting her at all, but yeaaaah xD)

I don't like how she is written as needy and desperate and she sticks out like a sour thumb in a sea of otherwise fully realized, well-developed characters. Perhaps her unhealthy dependent behavior serves as sign that their love wasn't as perfect as it appeared and would not have lasted either way, even without the incident. It also shows in her dialogue that she does not understand why he is not yet over what happened and want to go back how things were, ignore it to start anew. Very unhealthy/delusional and how none of this works, bc there is no going back to the point before the incident for him, nor any future for them. It shows her lack of understanding for/of him and who he is, unlike Dongjoo, but without resolution and explanation why they broke up/can't start anew, she is stuck in emotional limbo and has been for two years. (again, not healthy but somewhat understandable)

On the other hand though, i don't think we should give such weight and focus to what is a such a minor side-character that barely has appeared thus far and basically only serves as catalyst for Taehee to face his grief/trauma he had buried safely inside before. That is basically her purpose for this story, nothing more. Although i am hoping with the next episode we will get the talk for closure between them (TH excels in putting up boundaries/cutting ties, after all) and we see her move on in the way TH already had started to and continues to do, thanks to Dongjoo.

Simply because he was away, doing his military service and she most likely didn't know he had returned to Seoul yet/at all. Hence her shocked reaction when he popped up in that news report and CH saw him.

We have to regard the timeline here. It hasn't been long since his return and starting to work at his uncle's company. The drama events all happens in the span of a few weeks. Episode 2 is taking place on Dongjoos birthday which is shown to be the 1998/5/24 as her birthday on the certificate. And the apple mom storyline in episode 4 takes place around 2022/6/09 (date on the obituary room (or how it is called) So the events in the drama do take place in relative quick succession over the span of a few weeks, as said. Dime A Job is a new business too, not to forget, so she very likely was not aware it even existed/nor TH working there.

So we can assume that Taehee returned to Seoul at the start of May 2022 when his uncle's company opened or close to it, and was completely off the grid since their breakup (military). His former doctor colleagues discuss having seen him in eps 5, and one wondered why he hasn't returned to the hospital then. To which the other replied that he saw him working at dime a job, and how he will never return to be a doctor due to what happened with the boy. So the rumor mill was already cooking in the hospital and this is how she got to know about the company and him working there. Plus the confirmation of seeing him on the news probably caused CH to spring to action and trying to reconnect an episode later. Hence timeline-wise it is all correct and makes sense why she is popping up there at Dime A Job at the end of episode 6.

I think this is the most likely scenario yeah. Because Taehee is portrayed as someone who cares a lot about the people around him and especially in his life, and his brother and gf at the time were the closest/dearest to him. So makes sense he wanted his brother to be there, under the stars, when he would propose to the woman he loved. And then the accident happened and changed everything 😭

Aww thank youuuuu, I *have* actually written stories (fanfic) for over decade with over a million words to my name (dragon age/mass effect game fandom), and learned a lot about the technical side of things in writing during it, before falling into the kdrama rabbithole a year ago. Thus i am a bit (much) of a narrative and character nerd and love to pick stories apart and to understand how the characters within tick. It is a habit i cannot shake off anymore, i fear haha. (I really want to get back to writing one of these days, but kdramas are too timeintensive atm, whoops)

Thanks but the honor goes not to me, as It is not my post. It is from Karlen-hk 😉 Love the insight it gave a lot too though <3 (the first post in the thread i mean. If you don't mean that one, disregard what i said here haha)

Yup, quite possible even. This post explains perfectly why tho:

https://kisskh.at/723801-il-dang-baek-butler#comment-11736117

Heh, yeah. They show the timeline dates all in the first episode. Easy to miss because it happens uncommented and just as thrown in detail in the corner. The timeline is:

2019/2020 - Dongju injured her foot at a tabletennis tournament and has to give up playing.
October 2020 - Accident happen, brother dies. DJ starts working at the funeral hall and has her supernatural encounter with the boy/flees from the job. About at the same time Taehee breaks up with Chungha, too ridden with guilt.
2020- begin of 2022 - TH does his military service and DJ goes back to studying, ignoring the wishes of the dead and suffering bad luck/injuries as consequence.
May 2022 (DJ's birthday is in eps 2 and shown to be on 5/24/98) : TH starts working at his uncle's helper service company and DJ goes back working as funeral director to fulfill her duty to the dead people and end her bad luck streak. Has probably already worked there for 2-3 works prior (considering the first episode with the cheaters) and got her first paycheck at the time.DJ and TH meet due to that breakup message. Starting events of the drama happens.
Around Juli-August 2022: Current time in the drama, since DJ mentioned she just got her third paycheck and she went from 21 people to help to only 12 in between (if i remember it right)

Oh, same. but also slow buuuuuuuurn romances at glacial speed, if done right, are the most rewarding kind tho when they finally start dating then ;) Because by then we know the leads so well and are so invested in them that we are gonna hyperventilate when they do as much as holding hands hahaaha. Looking forward to it, ngl

(Happened to me in From Now On Showtime where it took these doofus till the end of eps 13 to kiss, and i forgot to breathe for quite a moment due to how long they had blueballed me, hahahahaha)

lemme c&p what i read about him on reddit as it is a very cohesive character analysis and recall of events imo:

"The person in the coma clearly is the driver from the accident that killed the younger brother. That's who SFL was offering to kill for the ML. And the cop knows it to, clearly he's either waiting for him to wake up to punish him. Something went wrong that night and he feels just as guilty as Butler Kim. There's something additional involving his relationship with the guy in the coma.

Speaking of the cop Well that explains why he hates rain. He doesn't seem 'evil' so my guess is that the driver was a bully he knew from the neighborhood that he let slide for some reason. And in his guilt that's why he comes down so hard on kid bullies now. Why he stops hit and runs, chases drunk drivers like the fireman coffee shop owner said. He feels like he's grieving and upset to. "

[mindblow. gif]

https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/yx87of/comment/iws3rwu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

Nah, there was no ice-cube in that cup, as this would imply he gives a damn about her xD He made either hot tea or coffee for her and placed it in front of her. She did not get the hint💀

I think it is the driver of truck kun in a coma there who killed TH's brother and he is somehow related to the cop. Since he visited him and was torn who to help first on the site of the accident.

Perhaps the driver will end up dying and in DJ's in between funeral hall... that would be a spicy conflict tbh. Could mean real closure for Taehee too then. We will see.

Oh it definitely has this effect, hence why i currently rewatch with subs, which are surprisingly early today. I'm so smitten with this drama and i love love *love* the writing of it, It is so cohesive (thus far) and the characters feel like real, if a little cooky in some cases 🤣, people. Carefully and well-developed with actions organic to their bg/experiences/traits, and their paths intertwining with the other characters in an interesting/heartbreaking way. I think this is why CH sticks out so much like a sore thumb here as she is too much like an overused kdrama trope only atm instead a fully realized character like the others.

Haha, on a break. As said, he is not Ross Gellar, thankfully. Taehee doesn't do things halfway,. Fully or nothing is how he rolls. According to preview it sounds as tho we get a move on regarding her, quite literally. Since you hear TH say: We are over, Us is over. But the preview wants us believe it is said to DJ. Hah, not falling for that liar 😏

And cinnamon roll ML indeed, he had been kind and compassionate from the get go (Like his absolute NEED to cheer DJ up thru dancing in the bear costume and buying her a birthday cake bc he feels responsible for ruining her day lives rent-free in my head ngl) I love how despite everything he has not become cold and callous toward others. Bless this trend of wholesome, mature, kind/respectful MLs that kdramaland has going on atm, fr. Do continue please with it haha. Another reason why Taehee works so well as character/ML outside of the careful peel back of layers writing-wise is due to Lee Jung Young acting his heart out as this character. He is so expressive, you know what TH is feeling at any given moment. These microexpressions, daaamn, and all those stolen/lingering glances toward DJ speak volumes about his feelings for her, without words. And it gives so much depth to the character in general. I also adore Hyeri's calm, reflective way and patience as Dongjoo, a strong character in her own right. And the side-characters are such a treat/lovable too.

Thus i am a bit sad about how overlooked this drama is as it is really a full package of goodness. Tho it is nothing new, it was the case first with Crazy Love and then From Now On Showtime (both had strong competition and abysmal PR while airing), so i am kinda used of loving the drama underdogs by now haha.

This episode was so good, though. Very personal and focused on Taehee. So touching how he cared for a kid that paid him to go camping with him, along with DJ (more complicated and spoilery than that) and how he related to the big loss he suffered in his life through the boy. We got to know him a lot better as character and after this episode his behavior makes so much more sense in the most heartbreaking way 😭 😭 😭

Also pls stop hyperfocusing on the ex only yall. She was barely in this episode. I think two scenes at most? I dislike the clingy ex trope like the next person but this drama has so much more to offer than that, and she is like the boy today there for a reason/as kickoff for his backstory/moving on from trauma. Here is hoping she doesn't overstay her "welcome" tho lol.

OOOOOH i was wondering about the context of the flashback as i only grasped how Jaehee promised his brother to go stargazing and then was late/didn't come, so thanks for that (watched without subs since i don't have prime nor is it available in my region) Makes perfect sense now how JH reacted then, eaten up by guilt inside. And all that ensued after.

This is such a good analysis in general about his character and the stalemate in his life that got broken only by Dongjoo. They are, indeed, a match made in heaven (as i believe her mother send some celestial aid with how often they ran into each other, haha) She gets him in a way no other can, they bonded through shared experiences, are a comfort to each other. I love them and their surprisingly complex dynamic so much 😭

I guess i understand CH to a point with how terribad the breakup went, but her behavior is in general very unhealthy, even as they were still together. Reeks of stark dependency on her partner (JH) which is never a good thing. And now gurl does need a encyclopedia of hints to understand how hell freezes over sooner than him restarting their relationship lmao *taylor swifts We are never get back together plays muffled in the background*🤣 I just hope this happens sooner than later so this comment section can stop hyperfocusing on this side-character only 🙄🙄🙄🙄and back on the strengths of this show of which are plenty, imo.

🤣 🤣 🤣

*highfive*

-We see more of Taehee's past/bg
- the boy who died is/was Taehee's younger brother who fell victim to white truck kun
- Hae Ahn, the police officer cutie was first on the scene and it rained a lot on this day which explains his dislike for it. Not sure who the driver unable to find the brake (or white trucks don't have any in kdramaland) was tho. Seems as if HA feels guilty about the kid's death for some reason. Possibly a source of conflict between him and TH later on ?
-Guilt-tripping ex is guilttripping. (Let Taehee eat macaroons in peace u psycho)
-They have another confrontation which ends tearfully for ex
-Dongjoo is bathing in the river of denial regarding her feelings for Taehee as her friend Sora teases her about it a day later.
Her uncle has a lot to say when asks about his first love by DJ and i feel he suspects TH being the reason for her question, since at the awkward dinner of uncles with TH in tow, he is teasing her haha. Cue cute bonding of both uncles haha
- a bit more of DJ's past too as tabletennis player when she was a kid and had a sad moment when her team mates' mother came to bring snacks for everyone.
- A boy at DJ's uncle's church (the youth group there) reminds Taehee on his dead brother. Everyone is sad atm take it baaaack i don't want that, aaaah
I looooove So Ra, that is all i have to say hahaha 😂
-Don't eat it! It is mine!" TH refuses to share DJ's macaroon with his uncle, and eats the whole thing at once because it is HIS and she gave it to HIM, okay? 🤣
Isn't Dongjoo pretty/cute?" "I don't know" Haha, TH's face journey as Vincent asks him that and he sees right thru his nephew I mean who are you trying to fool here, Taehee? 😏
- oof, ex stakes her claim toward TH when she is meeting DJ by chance. "We have history :)))" The whole scene has a creepy/menacing vibe for some reason. She feels more and more unhinged to me ngl. Dongjoo is very bothered by it as she should be. Both leads have yet to talk since the macaroon incident.
Another DJ appa/Taehee scene. I love them and how he always manages to give TH perspective. As TH is not close with his parents (probs due to his brother's death), he is sort of a dad to him too by now aaaaaw. Same kid from youth group is still waiting for his mom to return from work on the playground where they sit.
The kid didn't write down a wish, so DJ's uncle asks him what he wants to do. The answer is camping and so he is giving the task to "dime" which TH takes on after his uncle has no time. Michael (priest) is such a shipper tho bc of course he is "busy" when it is time to actually go camping and so DJ ends up filling in. Yay for awkward camping trip together 😂
- I love how both of their uncles play matchmaker 😂 😂 😂
- Taehee is unsurprisingly good with kids while Dongjoo is not 🤣
- Raising the tents and getting everything ready is pure chaos, also as expected. TH is very bad with it, while DJ shines. Especially funny bc TH mouthed off how he knows so much about camping and tried to impress her/the kid. Operative word is trying here xD
-Yay for my favorite "Ahjumma confuses them for a married couple trope incoming
-The whole camping scene, man. It is so very sad and yet touching how TH cares for the boy and thinks of his brother during it. It is a very personal story focused on TH this time, no dead clients wishing for something. Just a kid who lost his dad too soon and wanted to go camping to see the stars and his appa up there in the sky along them. Dongjoo tells the kid her mom is right beside his dad as a star too. Excuse me as i cry a river. 😭 😭 😭
-When the boy is asleep Donghee takes a walk together. "Isn't it hard to be surrounded by death every day?" He asks her and if i understood it right she replies with "Yeah but that place does give people comfort/to say goodbye to loved ones. She questions why he is so good with kids and he stops and replies with "I had a brother" omg kill me now.
-Flashback. Damn i feel he blames himself for his brother getting into an accident bc he was late when they wanted to watch the stars together, so the boy left on his own. Cue the white truck of doom.
-"He died. He is dead." LJY is so frikkin good in the crying scene as it all bursts out of TH. My heart hurts for him.
-Dongjoo hugs him aww, yesss much needed comfort.
Oh snap, the one who caused the accident seems to be one the police cutie knows. Family, perhaps? Because as the boy clutches his leg and begs him to save him AH remains frozen in place and stares to truck kun. Torn what to do.

And that is it. Thanks for coming to my TED talk, however involuntarily lol. Happy to see i understood a lot without subs tho. Because this is why i am learning korean, after all hahaaha

From what i gathered in episode 8. Or rather.... liveblogging as watching the raw version atm (thus hold your grain of salt ready to throw)

I mean fair, but i doubt Taehee will pull/has pulled a Ross Gellar, though 🤣

For the younglings in this comment section, this is meant lmao:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5KTjxMNcdo

My bet is around episode 9-11 which is typical get together territory for the main leads in kdrama romcoms. I agree that he needs to sit down and put closure under the ill-fated relationship w/ his ex, and it is required to clear this baggage in order to move on to a new relationship. But also never trust previews. They are lying liars who lie to get you to tune in🤣😉