bloomingtide

i haven't watched the latest eps yet but why is this comment section so dead, lol?

Also the man personally did bake muffins for the crew of FNOS, what is not to like 😊🥰

https://twitter.com/_happytea_/status/1541079282755436545

Yeeees. One of the fluffiest/cutest endings in all of kdramaland tbh 😊🥰😊

"I don't like Park Hae Jin, he looks so cold and uncaring. Always plays a villain too, so that fits."

Meanwhile, his co-workers:
https://twitter.com/_happytea_/status/1262378964468879360

( i still think from his roles chawoong is probably closest to irl PHJ with maybe a bit less dorkiness/sulking, less arrogance and way more professionalism, haha)

Kinda both xD The first two words translate to "handsome guy/man" 미 = beauty/handsomeness, 남= man (short form from 남자) whereas papago for the last hangeul word (당= dang) puts it in a "handsome party (aka gang/group)" context. So something along these lines, but take my limited korean skills with a grain of salt, haha.

yeah this is really an odd choice for the characters and plot and my head hurts when trying to make sense of the drama's timeline tbh. The actor playing the young FL reeeeeally looks too young, while SIG just played the younger version of his character. Um, okay then are we suppose to believe he is in his late thirties to forties then? Lol.

That depends on what you like and usually watch, tbh. For example comedy, romance and/or a good genre mix with both of these elements and interesting/quirky characters are what i usually choose to watch while my eyes tend to glaze over with full on/pure thrillers, law, revenge/makjang dramas etc, and the whole fully serious and (pseudo) *deep* shows, lol. So it is a matter of taste and preference, and it may just not be yours, so to speak.

Yeeeeah after watching episode 2 i am not so sure if i stick around further myself. The FL is very over the top here, aka almost seems to possess inhuman strength. Compared to the two, Seulhae is the more relatable, lovable detective due to her flaws, heart, quirks and impulsiveness. So far the FL here just screams "look at how badass i am" without anything else, but hopefully we will see more layers later.

I find it hard to relate to SIG's character, ML is so very unlikable/punchable rn, and much more of an ass with how he is helping out the rich assholes to escape persecution for his own monetary gain. Chawoong *seems* like a cold ass, but right from the get go he always had a good sense of right/wrong underneath all the "I don't care" bluster of his. So he never crossed the line to team up with the baddies/helping them out. Quite the opposite, actually. (the slow rewatch of FNOS is quite enlightening regarding his character, ngl)

But yeah i get why you would skip on this drama, as i keep catching myself comparing the two dramas too. So far the similarities, however superficial, i have found are:

- Shaman, not a real one without powers. Chawoong has the powers but does not want to be one and uses it to get rich by/con ppl with his "magic tricks" instead while ML here goes the other way, using an information network and his profiler talents to pretend/con/get rich by ppl with shaman powers.
- Hacker girl has a strong Areum vibe.
- ML/FL share some sort of history here, know each other from the past? (why the unnecessary age gap tho, when both actors are around the same age, makes no sense lol)
- FL is badass detective with strong sense of justice and a temper but here we have yet to see more of her than just raaaah violence, lol.
- ML is materialistic, does not care about ppl around him (tho as mentioned to a far worse degree, whereas with CCW it was more to protect himself from getting hurt again) self-confident to the point of arrogance.
- every episode seems to have one case that gets resolved at the end or in the next episode.
- ML has team of helpers who do the brunt of the work to let him shine.

So yeah, even if the similarities are pretty much just skin deep i cannot help comparing and so far CM comes out as the poorer version of FNOS without the supernatural elements, lol. Then again there had only been two episodes aired yet so i may give it another week or two to decide if i stick around i think.

Here is hoping haha, as FNOS did a great job with it, imo.

Chaseul gets a veeeeery happy ending, even if it may not look like it at first. One of the fluffiest endings in kdramaland tbh 😊🥰😊

Oh i forgot, the actor playing the stalker does a phenomenal job, bc i hate this unhinged creep so much (the character) which is a compliment to his acting. Kudos also toward the casting people to give him the role, because the actor possesses a boyish charm and pretty face which in reality would lead to (many) people not believing him (his character) being capable and/or guilty of stalking/abuse/murder. Does make it all extra creepy thru that, imo.

Like the golden retriever that he is hahaaha

Some say the plot is moving too slowly but i am glad they take the time to explore the characters and the depths of their minds, so to speak. It is more slice of life with a couple of thriller and mystery elements mixed in than a pure thriller with a thick plot. It is a very character heavy/driven story too.

The writer is a woman and imo it shows in how she subtly webs in social commentary about violence against women by, yes, men in all its gruesome forms and what it does to the victims/survivors of such an ordeal. We have the domestic violence case in one of the episodes, then FL's family where the husband/father was violent too (and it is alluded to that mom/granny murdered him in self-defense), ML's sister's abduction, the stalker of course where Dahyun wasn't his first target, the murder in town (which is both the same guy lbr) and the victims are all girls and women which sadly is a reality in this world. Reminds me on the quote of "'Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.' Yeeeeeah😬

I think the story is slow because it needs to be, as in giving enough time to the examination of and to tell the perspective of survivors and their different ways of handling such a trauma. Gyehoon shut himself off emotionally from others in fear of losing a beloved person again, his mother broke into pieces after losing her daughter and never recovered. The other swore revenge and that kept her going until the confrontation (deliberately vague) a side character asked mom/granny to murder her violent husband, mom/granny going into extra protective mode for Dahyun. (especially when it was clear he is still alive) and are willing to hide a murder/take the fall for her. Dahyun's nightmares, fear of every guy she encounters at first and eventual her guts to face her abuser. Her nightmares persist, though, bc, well, the trauma does not magically away of course.

Oh and there is also the police and the not so subtle commentary on them a) not being competent and/or to be trusted as they end up not doing anything, b) even when reported we see a news report of a woman being murdered despite having a restraining order (also Dahyun's commentary) c) the unresolved murder of the women in town which the police chief seems already all too willing to sweep under the carpet out of concern to rock the boat (aka do not make false reports) Because obviously this takes precedence to finding and stopping the murderer😒 So the women ((Dahyun and family) and Gyehoon have to work together and protect each other instead.

I love the fierce bond between the three generations of women and the length they go for each other. Or how they immediately they took in Chef Lee, no questions asked. Episode 8 in general was so good with a lot of things revealed resolved and taken a closer look at (that talk in the car with GH about her sister, damn) with some lighter moments in between for levity (Gyehoon's jealousy and his friend's epiphany that no one he works with is normal hahaha. Plus GH's awkward realization of "oh shit im in love" xD)

I think while the first half was about examination of trauma the second half will be about healing, about how to move on and live their lives as best as they can in spite of it.

"Only *I* are allowed to come so close to you!"

Haha, sure Jang Uk, you adorkable jealous muffin 😏 And so his journey into mastering his ener.... errr.... whippedness has begun🤣

haha, good to know. i keep forgetting that forums are a thing here on MDL whoops xD

Thx for the explanation. Guess it makes somewhat sense then in their world but still. I probs should simply try not to think too hard about the technicalities/logic here either haha😆

heh, i don't plan to tbh, since I have too many kdramas still to catch up to branch out into C-drama anyway 😝😁But still i can imagine that... especially the c-dramas with 50+ eps 🤯

The last part bothers me sooo much tbh because him being the king's son makes no frikkin sense. Sorry but i cannot suspend disbelief enough to forget how it works lmao.

I know it is fantasy... buuuuut even soul-switched how tf is ML the child of the king? Like he used the body of the other guy to sire the child, so BIOLOGICALLY he is still the child of the one guy not the king because yeeeeeah this is how it works. I just can't suspend belief enough to forget this fact and it BOTHERS me lmao

I appreciate they did a fantasy setting without historical constrains that goes way off the rails, however the worldbuilding/factions/politics either make my head hurt or bores me if i am honest. Kinda feel like i need a cheat guide to understand it all in detail instead of half. On the other hand, that is good enough for me as only half of it interests me so far... lol. Namely the main leads and their dynamic, as well as the two friends. They are why i watch this drama and Uk already being so whipped by/for FL tbh xD. All the other characters and that whole drama around ML's heritage are either skippable or eyeroll-worthy for me.