I'm looking forward to the next episode. I'm already invested in the main love triangle with the fitness trainer FL and I like two of the other potential couples as well with the FL's brothers. Basically, there are 3 badass women who are going to whip their men into shape, some literally. lol Plus the halmeoni on the lam is the best!
Jin Soo Wan has written masterpieces such as Moon Embracing the Sun, Chicago Typewriter (also time travel), and…
I'm not bashing this drama. CODA won Oscars and Back to the Future is still a beloved fan favorite movie almost 4 decades later. I'm also a big fan of time-travel stories in general. 12 Monkeys the tv series is one of my favorite shows and my first kdrama was Sisyphus: The Myth which I intentionally started watching because I was intrigued in how it did time-travel differently than I've seen before (and I'm one of the few people who was okay with the open ending).
I'm glad to hear to your praise this writer and their previous work which means we are in good hands for this story. As for originality, most stories take their ideas or inspiration from other stories but put their own spin on it. There's nothing wrong with that. Hotel Del Luna is a gender-swapped Beauty and the Beast retelling with ghosts, reincarnation and the red string of fate. Star Wars was based off of hero myths, sci-fi tv/novels and the Nazis. Before Squid Game, there was Battle Royale. The number of Cinderella throughlines I've seen in kdramas is legion. It's pretty clear that this show is inspired by the two movies. That's not a bad thing but it is an unusual combination which I'm curious to see how it will pan out.
Can we really say that 300k followers make a good influencer? I mean, I know of people with 50+ million followers…
This is about Korean influencers, not celebrities like actors and musical artists who get worldwide attention. I found a few Korean influencer lists: most are well under a million, a few are at around a million and then a couple have a few more with the top being 8.5 million followers [1][2]. Even in the West, micro-influencers are actually worth a lot to brands because they have loyal following [3].
I went from thinking this could be the drama of the year to being completely over it⊠I donât even want the…
Shinyuâs under a black magic spell that wonât let him break up with Nayeon. The signs are there. There have been at least 5 black magic spells performed so far. The one that wonât let him leave Nayeon is the blood on the wood signs and Nayeon saying she doesnât want to let Shinyu go while holding his hand after she proposes and heâs trying to turn her down (Episode 5).
Is this drama going good till now? I recently finished LOST YOU FOREVER and in drama slump right now, so wanted…
Yes. I'm enjoying this quite a bit for the dramedy, romance, and mystery. There have been TONS of breadcrumbs regarding the magical mystery if you keep on the lookout but they haven't gotten to the big twisty reveal yet. Everything is not as it appears and most lines have multiple meanings. đ
There are two key things we were not shown. Shinyu agreeing to be Nayeon's fiance and Hongjo explaining the spells to Nayeon. We are just told that those things happened later. Also, it's super suspicious that Nayeon told Hongjo that the stalker could be after her. When she was with Shinyu, she was only talked about how he was being stalked. I seriously doubt he would have said anything about this to Nayeon as he barely shares anything with her. Why would Nayeon suspect Hongjo would be stalked when the stalker sent her pictures of her boyfriend? She even called Hongjo a "nothing".
To everyone claiming the male lead is cheating: all the magic hasn't been revealed yet. We don't know what he has been choosing to do of his free will versus what he may have been forced to do by magic. I'm certain this show is going to reveal that and it's going to be đ€Ż.
They just introduced white magic (good spells) versus black magic (bad curses). There have been breadcrumbs that someone has been doing black magic this whole time: the vlogger said he saw someone at the haunted house before he died, fish heads in the water Hongjo had to clean up, blood on the signs in the woods, the garden owner carrying black preserved flowers late at night, a strawman dressed with Hongjo's nightgown and stabbed with Shinyu's name. Someone is trying to control things.
ìŽíìĄ° Lee Hong Jo Lee - the second most common surname in Korea; means âplumâ or âplum treeâ but can also mean âdifferentâ or âthatâ. Hong - as a name generally means âgreatâ, âexpandâ, âwideâ, âvastâ, or âfloodâ; but as a word it means âredâ. Jo - means âkeyâ, âteamâ, âdynastyâ, âcompanyâ, âbillionâ, or âarticleâ.
Hongjo - means âblushâ, âbloomâ, âflushâ, or âglowâ.
That Hongjoâs name literally means âto blushâ is pretty funny since she does this often. Even though her father meant one thing, when you put the characters together, it means something else. I couldnât find any reference to Jo meaning âmorningâ so Iâm uncertain how he got that. Since her name also means 'red', it is a possible nod to her being the red hand as well. There is a big flower and plant theme in this show. The fact that her surname is a plant that bears fruit is interesting. Coupled with the her name meaning âbloomâ which can refer to the act of a flower opening up or the actual flower itself. Iâm pretty sure this was the odd joke that Jaekyung was making outside of Shinyuâs office when he called Hongjo a flower since her name can mean âplum bloomâ. Also, with the Fair Skin Spell, I have a feeling the co-workers might have mentioned that her skin was glowing, like her name. Itâs also intriguing that her name means âkeyâ as she was the key to opening the box and I think she is the key to breaking Shinyuâs curse.
ì„ì ì Jang Shin Yu Jang - means âarcherâ; only 2% of the population has this surname. Shin - means âalmightyâ, âdeityâ, âgodâ, âprovidenceâ, âshoeâ or âsourâ. Yu - as a name can mean âabundantâ, ârichâ, or âplentifulâ; as a word means âexistenceâ, âgroupâ, âpossessionâ, âgenusâ, âraceâ, âsortâ, or âsign of the cockâ.
Shinyu - means ânudityâ (only on Word Hippo, otherwise I could find no meaning).
With a name like that no wonder Shinyu is an arrogant rich boy who thinks heâs god. Though I do think itâs funny his name can potentially mean 'nudity' since he woke up without clothes on after drinking. He is a lawyer who successfully hits his targets like an archer. He felt like he was âpossessedâ by the Love Potion to act on his feelings for Hongjo. His name also means âprovidenceâ which means divine guidance and care. He is definitely on a trial-by-fire journey to try to sort out his life and survive long enough to live it with the help of his shaman.
Sources: Behind the Name, Word Hippo, Parenting FirstCry, Collins Dictionary, Wikipedia, Google Translate.
Yes, that's why Shinyu and his family attended the funeral. He explained that when he went out to dinner with Nayeon later. I believe he said 1st cousin once removed. Then he asked her to figure out how many degrees away from him that was and she was stumped.
Is the magic real? Are the curses real? Are the spells real?
Don't only look at what the characters believe. Look at what the show is revealing: a florescent sign blinking YES. The big question is how does it work?
As I've mentioned before, Hongjo opened the lock on the box by asking aloud for Jaekyung to come help her (which he did by moving in downstairs and giving her constant advice as her sage guide). So magic can be utilized verbally through words of intention. It's likely that only shamans, witches, etc. can do this magic but that is unconfirmed.
Curses vs. Spells (aka Violation vs. Revelation)
What separates a curse from a spell? When Hongjo accidentally dropped the box in the woods, they found a book of curses in a hidden panel. Why would there need to be a separate book of curses unless they do the exact opposite of what the spells do. Curses are always forced upon someone to bring about something terrible. They are done without consent and violate the person's being through misfortune, torment, or death. The spells in Hongjo's book are all about good things happening. To be truly good though, they must allow for consent and choice. They can't be forced onto someone. So what if the spells work by revealing the truth or path so that the good thing can happen but people still have to choose to accept it.
Let's start with the Fair Skin Spell. Both Shinyu and Jaekyung already think that Hongjo is beautiful. Nothing needs to be revealed to them. However, Shinyu's assistant and Hongjo's co-workers note how pretty she's become. She honestly looks the same as she always has but, now that her beauty has been brought to their attention, they are just acknowledging the truth.
The same goes for the Love Potion. It reveals your true feelings to yourself. What you do with them is up to you. Even from the beginning, there are many moments where you can see Shinyu's heart melting when Hongjo reveals little things like she doesn't want to eat lunch alone because she's always alone. After he drinks the Love Potion, he starts to become aware of his feelings for her but that doesn't mean the potion caused the feelings. He's doing his best to brush these feelings aside until he begins to suspect he drank the Love Potion. Once he confirms that he did drink it, he lets his inhibitions go.
However, Shinyu's still struggling with his head versus his heart. This isn't like any typical love potion I've seen or read about in other media before which usually has the affected person completely infatuated, only able to see the best in the one they think they love, and often unable to refuse the other person. Shinyu on the other hand is overly silly and cute in his affection in one breath; then in the next breath is arrogant and incredibly insulting as he constantly denies that he's fallen in love. As soon as they deem the spell 'not real', he's suddenly able to restrain himself, except when he doesn't want to. It's only then that he begins to fully allow himself to believe he's in love with Hongjo. Even though she didn't drink the love potion, Hongjo is going through a similar head versus heart battle herself. She's mostly in denial except for little moments where she inadvertently shows her feelings. Blushing is often involved.
The main reason the Love Spell was needed for their love to blossom is because they have both kept themselves isolated due to their self preservation against bullies or the burden of the family curse. While they have a few people in their lives, Shinyu has his his parents and lawyer friend and Hongjo has her landlords, they don't share important things with them. By giving Shinyu the opportunity to release his silly emotions, it caused them to be in 'forced proximity' aka it gave them a reason to hang out and get to know each other when they normally would have kept to themselves.
Back to the other spells that have been done. For the Disease Curing Spell, his doctor could suddenly read in a medical journal about a new experimental treatment that has been successful and use it to cure him. For the Disaster Adverting Spell, is it a coincidence that a lost dog interrupted their spell to negate the Love Spell and then Mr. Dog-Shelter-Volunteer volunteers to test whether the Love Spell is real which breaks their belief in the spells? At least temporarily.
As for their destinies being not being able to be severed, that was pretty obvious from day one when they met in the haunted house. I take that back, it was obvious even before they met, when Shinyu was joking with his coworker that his office was haunted and he hadn't yet seen the face belonging to the red hand that likes him. (He also notes he's not having an affair with the red hand. *wink*) Shortly thereafter, he meets Hongjo in the haunted house. She reaches up towards his face with her right hand just like the red hand and mistakes him for a handsome grim reaper she'd like to take her to the teahouse. Then he takes a picture of her face. If this doesn't scream that Hongjo is the owner of the red hand (probably past life Hongjo) than I don't know what does. Afterwards, Shinyu has a Joseon-era dream of a man giving a woman flowers and it turns out the box she is the owner of is beneath their meeting spot on his ancestral land. Their destinies have always been inseparable. The Love Spell didn't do that. The Shaman gives them the information they need when they need it. She doesn't give straight answers. She gives them things to ponder and work out.
The Jang family curse is in full force when his extended cousin is the one who died vlogging the haunted house and everyone at the funeral notes that only the Jang men in Shinyu's family have beaten it so far. Except we know Shinyu is a ticking time bomb and his manipulative girlfriend is cheating on him while forcing him to stay in the relationship through family pressure. Hongjo seems to be cursed too. Her mom died in child birth. Her dad died saving people when she was in high school. She's been bullied by multiple groups in school and work. Now she possibly has not one but two stalkers. They are both being tormented and violated. What if the superpower needed to defeat the curses is their connected destiny? Which is why to win, they need to accept it. But like all good things, they have a choice.
I'm glad to hear to your praise this writer and their previous work which means we are in good hands for this story. As for originality, most stories take their ideas or inspiration from other stories but put their own spin on it. There's nothing wrong with that. Hotel Del Luna is a gender-swapped Beauty and the Beast retelling with ghosts, reincarnation and the red string of fate. Star Wars was based off of hero myths, sci-fi tv/novels and the Nazis. Before Squid Game, there was Battle Royale. The number of Cinderella throughlines I've seen in kdramas is legion. It's pretty clear that this show is inspired by the two movies. That's not a bad thing but it is an unusual combination which I'm curious to see how it will pan out.
[1]: https://www.ajmarketing.io/post/20-best-korean-instagram-influencers-to-follow
[2]: https://medium.com/ajmarketing-blog/20-korean-instagram-influencers-deeper-look-b3e08cf8628a
[3]: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/06/02/micro-influencers-when-smaller-is-better/?sh=33d702ca539b
A black magic spell is forcing Shinyu to stay with Nayeon. Rewatch episode 5 carefully for the bloodied wood signs and the proposal scene.
Also, Ariays on tumblr translated the webpage Hongjo was reading about Shaman Aengcho and Lady Yoon. This post is very spoilerly and contains their theories too: https://www.tumblr.com/kalena-henden/728727803344945153
They just introduced white magic (good spells) versus black magic (bad curses). There have been breadcrumbs that someone has been doing black magic this whole time: the vlogger said he saw someone at the haunted house before he died, fish heads in the water Hongjo had to clean up, blood on the signs in the woods, the garden owner carrying black preserved flowers late at night, a strawman dressed with Hongjo's nightgown and stabbed with Shinyu's name. Someone is trying to control things.
ìŽíìĄ° Lee Hong Jo
Lee - the second most common surname in Korea; means âplumâ or âplum treeâ but can also mean âdifferentâ or âthatâ.
Hong - as a name generally means âgreatâ, âexpandâ, âwideâ, âvastâ, or âfloodâ; but as a word it means âredâ.
Jo - means âkeyâ, âteamâ, âdynastyâ, âcompanyâ, âbillionâ, or âarticleâ.
Hongjo - means âblushâ, âbloomâ, âflushâ, or âglowâ.
That Hongjoâs name literally means âto blushâ is pretty funny since she does this often. Even though her father meant one thing, when you put the characters together, it means something else. I couldnât find any reference to Jo meaning âmorningâ so Iâm uncertain how he got that. Since her name also means 'red', it is a possible nod to her being the red hand as well. There is a big flower and plant theme in this show. The fact that her surname is a plant that bears fruit is interesting. Coupled with the her name meaning âbloomâ which can refer to the act of a flower opening up or the actual flower itself. Iâm pretty sure this was the odd joke that Jaekyung was making outside of Shinyuâs office when he called Hongjo a flower since her name can mean âplum bloomâ. Also, with the Fair Skin Spell, I have a feeling the co-workers might have mentioned that her skin was glowing, like her name. Itâs also intriguing that her name means âkeyâ as she was the key to opening the box and I think she is the key to breaking Shinyuâs curse.
ì„ì ì Jang Shin Yu
Jang - means âarcherâ; only 2% of the population has this surname.
Shin - means âalmightyâ, âdeityâ, âgodâ, âprovidenceâ, âshoeâ or âsourâ.
Yu - as a name can mean âabundantâ, ârichâ, or âplentifulâ; as a word means âexistenceâ, âgroupâ, âpossessionâ, âgenusâ, âraceâ, âsortâ, or âsign of the cockâ.
Shinyu - means ânudityâ (only on Word Hippo, otherwise I could find no meaning).
With a name like that no wonder Shinyu is an arrogant rich boy who thinks heâs god. Though I do think itâs funny his name can potentially mean 'nudity' since he woke up without clothes on after drinking. He is a lawyer who successfully hits his targets like an archer. He felt like he was âpossessedâ by the Love Potion to act on his feelings for Hongjo. His name also means âprovidenceâ which means divine guidance and care. He is definitely on a trial-by-fire journey to try to sort out his life and survive long enough to live it with the help of his shaman.
Sources: Behind the Name, Word Hippo, Parenting FirstCry, Collins Dictionary, Wikipedia, Google Translate.
Is the magic real? Are the curses real? Are the spells real?
Don't only look at what the characters believe. Look at what the show is revealing: a florescent sign blinking YES. The big question is how does it work?
As I've mentioned before, Hongjo opened the lock on the box by asking aloud for Jaekyung to come help her (which he did by moving in downstairs and giving her constant advice as her sage guide). So magic can be utilized verbally through words of intention. It's likely that only shamans, witches, etc. can do this magic but that is unconfirmed.
Curses vs. Spells (aka Violation vs. Revelation)
What separates a curse from a spell? When Hongjo accidentally dropped the box in the woods, they found a book of curses in a hidden panel. Why would there need to be a separate book of curses unless they do the exact opposite of what the spells do. Curses are always forced upon someone to bring about something terrible. They are done without consent and violate the person's being through misfortune, torment, or death. The spells in Hongjo's book are all about good things happening. To be truly good though, they must allow for consent and choice. They can't be forced onto someone. So what if the spells work by revealing the truth or path so that the good thing can happen but people still have to choose to accept it.
Let's start with the Fair Skin Spell. Both Shinyu and Jaekyung already think that Hongjo is beautiful. Nothing needs to be revealed to them. However, Shinyu's assistant and Hongjo's co-workers note how pretty she's become. She honestly looks the same as she always has but, now that her beauty has been brought to their attention, they are just acknowledging the truth.
The same goes for the Love Potion. It reveals your true feelings to yourself. What you do with them is up to you. Even from the beginning, there are many moments where you can see Shinyu's heart melting when Hongjo reveals little things like she doesn't want to eat lunch alone because she's always alone. After he drinks the Love Potion, he starts to become aware of his feelings for her but that doesn't mean the potion caused the feelings. He's doing his best to brush these feelings aside until he begins to suspect he drank the Love Potion. Once he confirms that he did drink it, he lets his inhibitions go.
However, Shinyu's still struggling with his head versus his heart. This isn't like any typical love potion I've seen or read about in other media before which usually has the affected person completely infatuated, only able to see the best in the one they think they love, and often unable to refuse the other person. Shinyu on the other hand is overly silly and cute in his affection in one breath; then in the next breath is arrogant and incredibly insulting as he constantly denies that he's fallen in love. As soon as they deem the spell 'not real', he's suddenly able to restrain himself, except when he doesn't want to. It's only then that he begins to fully allow himself to believe he's in love with Hongjo. Even though she didn't drink the love potion, Hongjo is going through a similar head versus heart battle herself. She's mostly in denial except for little moments where she inadvertently shows her feelings. Blushing is often involved.
The main reason the Love Spell was needed for their love to blossom is because they have both kept themselves isolated due to their self preservation against bullies or the burden of the family curse. While they have a few people in their lives, Shinyu has his his parents and lawyer friend and Hongjo has her landlords, they don't share important things with them. By giving Shinyu the opportunity to release his silly emotions, it caused them to be in 'forced proximity' aka it gave them a reason to hang out and get to know each other when they normally would have kept to themselves.
Back to the other spells that have been done. For the Disease Curing Spell, his doctor could suddenly read in a medical journal about a new experimental treatment that has been successful and use it to cure him. For the Disaster Adverting Spell, is it a coincidence that a lost dog interrupted their spell to negate the Love Spell and then Mr. Dog-Shelter-Volunteer volunteers to test whether the Love Spell is real which breaks their belief in the spells? At least temporarily.
As for their destinies being not being able to be severed, that was pretty obvious from day one when they met in the haunted house. I take that back, it was obvious even before they met, when Shinyu was joking with his coworker that his office was haunted and he hadn't yet seen the face belonging to the red hand that likes him. (He also notes he's not having an affair with the red hand. *wink*) Shortly thereafter, he meets Hongjo in the haunted house. She reaches up towards his face with her right hand just like the red hand and mistakes him for a handsome grim reaper she'd like to take her to the teahouse. Then he takes a picture of her face. If this doesn't scream that Hongjo is the owner of the red hand (probably past life Hongjo) than I don't know what does. Afterwards, Shinyu has a Joseon-era dream of a man giving a woman flowers and it turns out the box she is the owner of is beneath their meeting spot on his ancestral land. Their destinies have always been inseparable. The Love Spell didn't do that. The Shaman gives them the information they need when they need it. She doesn't give straight answers. She gives them things to ponder and work out.
The Jang family curse is in full force when his extended cousin is the one who died vlogging the haunted house and everyone at the funeral notes that only the Jang men in Shinyu's family have beaten it so far. Except we know Shinyu is a ticking time bomb and his manipulative girlfriend is cheating on him while forcing him to stay in the relationship through family pressure. Hongjo seems to be cursed too. Her mom died in child birth. Her dad died saving people when she was in high school. She's been bullied by multiple groups in school and work. Now she possibly has not one but two stalkers. They are both being tormented and violated. What if the superpower needed to defeat the curses is their connected destiny? Which is why to win, they need to accept it. But like all good things, they have a choice.