forestchachacha

It's interesting that the dad and mom groups have their issues but still support each other in need.

Moms find humour and positivity in their group, sharing troubles of old age and family, even if they aren't entirely vulnerable. Seokryu's and Seunhyo's moms might have their rivalry but they're still close in other aspects. The two Dads can share their contrasting marital problems and lighten their burdens even if they get annoyed with each other's drinking habits. It reminds me of my mom and her friend group so it feels quite realistic. Clashes happen, but having a community is so rewarding.

Yepp. I think that makes a lot of sense! Also, I don't that these two can break up after they get together😌 They already fight so much as friends so they know how to love and fight at the same time hehe. They'll be inseparable once they're finally a couple.

I get what you mean. Hopefully we'll get more of what you're talking about in the second half of the show. After all, despite appreciating the realism, I also want heart touching romance ^_^ I trust that we'll get there🫡

I think one reason behind her apparent calmness is the secret of her illness. Secrets can bind people in strange, sometimes unhealthy ways. Their dynamic seems a bit unequal bc she probably feels indebted to him. Maybe the ex was remorseful after cheating and wants his past support for her to overrule such transgressions, and perhaps that conflicts her.

Also, the way she doesn't express herself fully in front of him looks similar to how she was with Chris early on. She had become passive and reserved in the US, and her ex being in Korea brings those tendencies back. She's not her true self with him around.

In any case, I don't think she's still in love with him. She seems ready to move on from their past, since she acknowledged that they are like old habits to eachother and nothing more. She's just unsure about how to be firm with him because of the cancer secret. Now that it's no longer hidden, nothing is binding her to her ex and she can fully move on.

Agree fully. People are being like "There was so much potential" as if we don't have 8 more episodes. As if we've not already gotten so much even before they start dating. Like, come on! "Shitty twist" Well, sickness is a very real thing. It can feel like shock value if dropped out of nowhere in the end. But here it wraps the mystery of her past and the reason why she's still civil with her ex pretty well. Nothing about this show screams a sad ending. "Parents are annoying" Well yes, that's like the main contention point of the show. Family can be hard!

Okay, I really needed to vent, gonna stop now🙈

people react so rashly here... she was sick. doesn't mean she's dying. not everything is a "trope". people can be sick in a tv show, doesn't mean it's stupid or recycled. newsflash: people do get sick in real life. let's stop reducing stories to these formulas.

thankyou! would love to see more positivity here

About the second lead couple... the most hilarious thing for me was when Moeum's colleagues told Danho that she never found anyone attractive except Mudflat man. Moeum dropping her chopsticks was expected, but even Danho dropped his chopsticks xD He's getting so flustered knowing she apparently likes him so much. It's hilarious

this! i feel the exact same way

Yes he did. She saw him kissing someone else at a party. But it seems that he justified it as a one-time mistake, and thinks that their shared history trumps any such transgressions. I don't think she sees it the same way though

That extended scene of them opening and closing their curtains, sleepless and anxious... how sweet that they're feeling butterflies even after knowing each other for so long. A love that's fresh and new while also being as old as time.

Seokryu will come to realize that this is what she needs soon enough. I get that she's torn because even though she feels betrayed by her ex and isn't in love with him, he knows things about her no one knows. There's also an element of feeling indebted to him. But that's not what a relationship should be about. Now that Seunghyo also knows her secret, nothing is attaching her to his ex apart from shared history. And she's already moving on from that.

Seokryu is slowly starting to share her burden with more people. Her talking back to her family is only the beginning. I'm looking forward to her growth in this respect since I am also a bit of a loner about my issues. What's special about Seunghyo is that she has never had to openly share her issues. He knows her soul through and through. Yes, he didn't know about her illness because they were apart, but he still gets her at a level no one does. And he will only learn to understand her better.

Another new insight into Seokryu and Seunghyo's relationship is when she says she's jealous of his family. I wonder how much she knows about his family problems. That's going to be interesting for sure.

Can we go back to Seunghyo being so unintentionally sweet in Seokryu's dad's restaurant? My mind was going awww during that entire scene.

"From morning until night, since childhood until now, it's been my fate and my task. They are shackles weighing me down. I wonder if you're going around acting like a decent human. I worry your mom will give you a beating for saying something dumb. You've cried a bunch of times after meeting so many bums. What else? You get hit and shoved all the time. Are you a bumper car or something?. . . That's why I'm worried you might get hurt. I wonder if you're skipping meals or not. And I hope you have good people around you. That's just how I feel."

He's going to be heartbroken after learning about her health condition. I feel like crying >_<

Well, after seeing how burdened her mom is from Dongjin's heart condition, along with the obvious lack of vulnerability in the family, I do understand where she's coming from. People don't make the sanest of decisions during hard times.

I would like to offer my two cents on the points you just mentioned, and I hope you can understand the different perspective even if we don't agree.

First of all, let me reiterate that she didn't ask to be born into this life. It is the duty of parents to provide their kids with food and education so they can stand on their two feet. After all, it's their decision to have kids. That doesn't mean that we take their efforts for granted. We must be grateful for them, but it's not a one-way street. Children don't owe them to live life as what they deem fit. Parents don't always know what's best.

Next, the fact that she was managing everything on her own means that parents should realize they don't know everything. Sure, they can't magically know her struggles. But why assume the worst about her without trying to know her perspective? Why do we think she never told them about her cancer? Because she didn't want to burden them with a second child falling ill. She has been carrying the weight of her parents struggles for so long that she didn't even seek support for such a serious health issue.

I understand that her mom doesn't want the same life for her. Trust me, I've lived that exact dynamic. But what about having some respect for your child? Thinking that she left her job because she's weak and stupid- if that's her mom's first conclusion then how can we expect Seokryu to be vulnerable with her? They thought Seokryu had an ideal job and life because that's what they wanted for her. Doesn't mean it's the truth. They are old enough to know that no life is perfect in reality.

About Dongjin, I understand that he feels bad about being judged. Maybe his idea can truly work this time. But you can't call it interference if he's about to make financial choices that can affect the whole family. On top of that, he's been able to explore different career paths and change his mind halfway his entire life, something Seokryu never thought was a possibility. She does it for the first time and she's treated badly. She's been doing the labour of carrying her parents' burden alone. It's not Dongjin's fault that things are this way, but can he not help his sister in sharing this load?

See, I think they are two perspectives to all this. Conflicts are bound to happen. But now that they are out in the open, they must come to understand eachother if the family truly wants the best for eachother. Nobody's black and white here. So let's not judge them too harshly - be it Seokryu or her family.

And in the process it only makes the romance deeper, imo! Seung-hyo understands so much about Seok-ryu's family dynamics. It goes on to show how deeply he sees her.

But that's the thing, you know. In real life, family issues don't get solved after one fight. We keep running in circles because it's hard to change our patterns. And everyone has their burdens and flaws. The mom is crossing lines which are deeply hurtful, but I feel seen in those moments. If the story is frustrating or hurtful, it doesn't mean it's badly written. These things happen in real life.

And I would also request you to consider this: while people are not happy about the sick "trope", we also want the story to follow the expected arcs. Isn't that a bit contradictory? Additionally, imo including these complex family issues only adds to the show, not subtract from it. It makes the romance deeper as well, because the extent of understanding between the two leads is heartwarming. I understand having certain expectations, but it's not like writers have signed a contract to give us only slapstick comedy and heartfluttering romance. Genres are painted in broad strokes, and though I appreciate my painted-by-the-numbers, light dramas, these realistic depictions of life can also be appreciated. It's okay if that's not your cup of tea, but doesn't mean it's bad writing. Thanks for reading if you did :)

I appreciate you for writing these things because yes, Dongjin and her parents' perspective is also worthy of being understood. I am the younger sibling so I get where you're coming from. But I do think you miss Seokryu's point of view. She actually went to the US with a scholarship, not from her parents' savings. And I get the parents' shock, but is it asking too much of them to support her in her hard time? In my humble opinion, no. They expect her to be perfect. She's lived her entire life seeing preferential treatment at home because of her brother's heart problem. She doesn't owe her parents to live her entire life the way they deem fit. Parents want their kids to be happy and it's true that having a well-paying job is a part of it. But here they are getting caught in the maze of their own life's losses that they forget that happiness was the main motive. They assume they know everything about her even though she's spent more than a decade thousands of miles away. Do they really think her life was all rainbows and roses?

Anyway, I definitely agree with you that this drama is doing a great job at realistic depictions of life. Glad we can have these exchanges of different perspectives. I think that goes on to show how successful this show is in showing the complexity of family issues.

People saying that her infuriating parents are a stupid plot hurts me. I know you guys wanted a light romcom, but parental issues like these are extremely real. So let's not call them stupid or trivial. One thing this show hasn't shied away from is depicting family issues as realistically as possible. I appreciate that because I've lived it.

"You couldn't stay at a job for ten years" was a dagger to the heart coming from her usually soft dad. I feel so hurt just thinking about what Seokryu must have felt.