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Thanks for sharing your list! I think there will be some overlap and that's cool...more to chat about. :)

Yes, please and thanks.

The English translation of the novel is here: https://hui3r.wordpress.com/mo-bao-fei-bao/the-road-home/ if you ever want to try it.
I am curious now about your top 10 list?

Thanks @lovemovies. I'm glad that it resonated with you. The novel is one of my favourites, And I'm really enjoying the adaptation so far. I didn't even know I wanted it to be this way, or for this cast to bring these characters to life -- but now that it's here, I intend to savour it.

Excellent adaptation; and thank you, thank you, thank you to the casting gods! I understand that a lot of people are finding the drama slow and that's ok. If it helps any, it is remarkably true to the novel at least in terms of pacing and their dynamic. The advantages of having the novelist be the scriptwriter. This drama is a bit like Crush and a bit like You Are My Glory in that it's not about big scenes or huge plot movement. It's about the detritus of life and relationships. A slow meandering stroll through the povs of people who by, call it, luck or fate, happened to meet again and chose to choose each other. Enjoy it for the sensibility rich experience and character growth it is rather than dramatics. :)
Unrelated note, I wish I enjoyed the OST more. Loved OSTs for Crush, You Are My Glory, Love Like the Galaxy, Meet Yourself but this one...sigh...not doing anything for me. :( Ah well. I guess, the ML's voice can be soundtrack enough.

I agree about the not over-explaining but I think what I'm missing is how the different scenes connect to each other. But to each their own. :)

I mean, give it a try. I'm on the crazy train now and unless I, kind of, get thrown off, I'll be in it for the long haul. hahahahah. It's an experience.

This show is completely hatters! I have no idea what is happening as we careen from plot point to plot point with virtually no narrative coherence. LOL. The shitty camera technique isn't helping any either.

Ep 4 now available. Thanks a mill to the subbers!

I have to add something that's been really bothering me from the subtitles of ep 1 of the drama and it's everywhere on twitter too. And for me, it was one of the most gripping lines of the novel. In ep 1 at the gas station, the actual translation, as per the fantastic Hui3r - who brilliantly translated this novel into English -- of his response to her query of do you know me, is: "“Yes, I remember you. Even if I were to turn to ashes, I would still remember you.”

NOT if you were to turn to ash but if "I were to turn to ashes, I would still remember you."

This drama would have been wasted in less talented hands. Thank the drama gods!
It's all about restrained, suppressed emotion and the weight of intimacy in the extended silences between them. Like floodgates holding something monstrous back. She holds back her love, her anger and her fears; he holds back his love, his loss and his fears. It's all in the way their eyes track each other. They way their movements mirror each other. The conscious space they put between themselves, which calls attention to how acutely aware they must be of each other to maintain that balance.

It has shades of Persuasion, I agree but not entirely. I think it's a story of two unlikely young people who fell in love but time, distance and emotional vulnerabilities broke them apart. There's a line in the novel where he/she says that their monthly call was the bearer of all their emotional baggage, a lifeline connecting two people who could only rely on each other, and one day - because of time and circumstance, it broke.
Interestingly, the line of communication broke under the weight of their emotions but not the tie between them. There was never anyone else for either one of them. Not even a hint. It was each other or nothing. So in some ways, the both define constancy and unlike Persuasion, they both love faithfully, steadfastly, and for the longest time. .

If they keep to the book then he doesn't bow to his parents demands and neither does she. They handle it like two intelligent adults who are committed to each other. And his mother isn't so much against them, as she is worried about her abusive husband's reaction and she's worried about what this will mean for her family. At her heart, she's a tired and frightened woman, who wants her son to be both protector and toe the line. Don't worry, they'll handle it fine. It's an adult romance where people communicate.

Ep 2 is better in terms of lighting and editing. Man, this show is moving at break-neck speed though. It's like Alias on steroids! Hahaha. I like the friendship between the two women. Let's hope they don't EFF it up.
I want the FL and ML to have a solid devoted relationship, a pleasant change from the scum around them, but I don't know if that'll happen. I can only hope, I guess. Although, our man Lee Sang Yoon is hot af in his 3-piece suits but I'm not sure I'm buying what they are selling re their true love relationship. He seems like a hardcase and ruthless to boot, which is fine given he's clearly a type A corporate raider type but still the lack of communication between the two doesn't bode well.
Re her being Alias on Steroids...heh, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the heck out of a BAMF FL believable or not. Nothing like watching a woman dish out a satisfying beat down! 🤩

Hmmm...not sure if the drama is what I thought it was going to be. Mostly am a little surprised by the production quality which is lower than I thought it would be. Also, the editing and camera angles are so choppy, not to mention the lighting that it's really throwing me off.
Still going to watch another or so before I decide...but yeah, barely average so far. Disappointing,

Thank you to whoever is being kind enough to sub this drama! I'm really looking forward to watching ep 4 and onwards. :)

Me: Hahahahah! So true.
Also me: Oh, Japan! #facepalm

A link has been posted to an excellent translation under Discussion above.

Does anyone know what the source material/novel is called? If it's been translated into English? Thanks a mill!

It feels like I've been waiting for years. The novel is so lovely. And I hope in the hands of these 2 leads my fave characters will be authentic, brimming with charm and life.