lilili

A lot of it has to do with how the character is written, Jiho is complex: awkward, introverted, sometimes ridiculous but also intense and ardent and romantic. GKP really brings out all the facets of the character which is a very tough thing to pull off.

That's how I feel about this drama. I'm unreasonably attached to the characters and invested in their journey even though the plotting is messy. The main couple in particular, there's something about them that just makes me so happy to see them together.

I think you better brace yourself...

Yes! But only one of my podcast partners is interested in doing it with me. One dropped immediately after episode 1 and another one just decided to drop after episode 13. This has been a polarizing drama

Oh thank you so much! ☺️ Which one did you listen to?

I freakin' loved so much about ep 14 that it's going to take me a bit to compose my thoughts but I wanted to shout out the scene where Gwangnam gives Sang Eun sex advice, I was dying. Also it feels super progressive for a Kdrama to have a gay character explaining how to have sex with a man. It was nothing explicit but the implication was there and that's fantastic

Thank you and see my reply to jihos-wife above.

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. You're right but I hadn't thought about it that way. I think it's written this way on purpose, Hae Jin is the kind of lead we're all supposed to want as drama watchers but it's quiet, weird, awkward but also loving and kind Jiho who gets the girl and it's never in doubt for one second in the drama. I'm not sure it quite works but I feel like there's a vision behind all these characterizations.

HJ is his father's favorite despite everything. Him retiring means he's a legit business threat to his brothers.

I gotta say I think the show is back on track despite tropey elements like the birth reveal and the chaebol bullshit. It started out being about people struggling to heal from trauma and I feel like we're finally circling back to the heart of the story.

To be fair to his coworkers he came across as rude at first, not intentionally but he couldn't help himself. It was only with the counseling and Sang Eun that his true personality was able to come out, still subdued, still introverted but warm and sweet as well. And that's when his coworkers could appreciate him, esp. when they saw him through Sang Eun's eyes.

You spelled it correctly! Also I love this: "Kind of a found family thing which is all the more great, because he never thought himself worth of being loved by others after how his aunt (actual family) and his ex treated him (one he thought as his family) and became closed off to everyone as result. Until Sangeun came along, that was." 🥹

You're the second person saying Jiho is giving 2ML vibes but I don't understand why. Would love to hear why you think so.

She squeezed his butt in one of the flashbacks so I think he groped or assaulted her when they were alone.

Go Kyung Pyo being ambidextrous is just 😍

So it was significant that Hae Jin was an actor as in he wasn't living an authentic life. He had a fake name, he hid his background and tried to escape from his effed up family. It was like a childish fantasy of running away and becoming famous but it didn't work. He was drinking, taking pills and getting depressed every time he had to deal with his mother and brother. When Sang Eun came back into his life he grabbed onto her because he thought she would save him from what he was running from. But he had to learn that another person couldn't save him.

By giving up acting and taking back his name, it's a signal that he's growing up. He's had his heart broken, he learned a lot about himself and what it means to take responsibility and truly love another person. And now with that knowledge he can give up pretending to be someone else and reclaim his identity and his place in the family. That's his journey.

The biggest problem with the character and the plotting of the story as a whole is it was framed as a triangle and he got treated as a 2ML when he's not really. He's never in the running to be with the FL. He's thematically important to the story which is really about healing from trauma but his role relative to the central romance has been weird and problematic from the start. Maybe now that he's stepping back into his real life we will get to enjoy and appreciate him more.

I have some thoughts about Hae Jin, spoiler comment below.

I think the reason Jiho and Sang Eun's relationship isn't as foregrounded at this point is because they have almost completed their healing journeys. Jiho has friends and can speak to people with ease even though he's still introverted and reserved. Sang Eun has stood up for herself and is enjoying giving and receiving love (though she still needs to finish resetting her relationship with her mother). Jiho and Sang Eun are rock solid, all we really need from them at this point are sweet loving moments so we can enjoy the feels.

On point! The 2ML getting his heart broken by Sang Eun was the means for him to become less immature, selfish and irresponsible and finally become a real adult.

But Jiho has grown and changed so much from the first episode. He's not a shut down lonely weirdo with no friends who's so socially awkward he alienates people at the office. Like he said to Sang Eun, he's now a person who gets visited when he's in the hospital. And the way he was able to speak so easily with his boss and accept Sang Eun caring for him. He's just farther down the road to healing than Hae Jin which is why at this point of the story HJ is starting his healing journey as represented by Jamie the Cat finally sitting next to him on the sofa.