littlebluemonster

Omgggg episode 8 was insane!!!! This show honestly gets better by the episode. I hope it finishes off strong.

Just starting Ep8 now, and I'm suddenly wondering.... (I know this could be a stretch coz they probably ran DNA tests to confirm the identity of the body) But after hearing what the OnWorld guy say that the Paek Jun Beom he knew wouldn't have done something like that, I thought, what if the Paek Jun Beom we're seeing isn't the real Paek Jun Beom? What if he and Lee Su Ho switched vests or name tags, and the one who died was the real Paek Jun Beom, and Lee Su Ho did surgery to restructure his disfigured face and came back looking like Paek Jun Beom to get revenge????

Because it didn't make sense if it was just a friend going to that kind of length to avenge his late friend. And the theory about Jun Beom being Su Ho would make sense now if they both switched identities during the accident.

Okay, I may be completely off here 😂😂 I should watch the rest of the episode before getting too excited. Lolol

Finally watched Ep4 and I can't wait for the next!! Aaahhh who's gonna win this game??

Ep3 was wild. I'm taking everything that youtuber says with a pinch of salt. But what got me curious was Bang Tae Seop seemed to have been aware of Sang Ah's involvement in the murder the whole time, which I did not expect, but not surprised finding out. But did Sang Ah really kill Oh? Now it's just all everyone's own side of the story. Nothing is exactly the truth. Can't wait for Ep4.

Came across my own review and got reminded of how frustrating this show was and couldn't believe I actually gave it a 7, I had to change my rating to a 6. 😂😂😂😂😂

Haha I totally get you. I feel the same way too whenever I watch dramas that end up like this.

And yea, Yu and Xiu definitely had the realest progression, and that's what made them my fave at the end. Haha. Coming in second for me, would be Da Sen and Mingming. I'm glad they had a happy ending, especially one that felt real. And necessarily realistic, but real. Because we actually got to see Da Sen's character development and how he fought and struggled and still chose her in the end.

On the other hand, even though Xiao Xi and Bei kinda had an ambiguous happy ending, their relationship just felt too fictional and disconnected to the audience sometimes. But of course, that's just my personal feeling about them.

I actually thought Gong and Yu He were quite cute together as well, but their relationship got a little unhealthy so I'm glad they parted ways. But I'm happy they're still on good terms.

I'd like to know which couple was your favorite!

In Ep7, I really loved that when FL asked her mom what kind of guy she should date, her mom fired back, "Am I the one dating him?" 👏👏👏 Her mom is right, if she can't even decide for herself, don't bother dating the guy at all. FL should be making that decision herself. Her mom shouldn't have to decide for her. To be honest, FL asking that question was the final nail in the coffin for me to drop this. Although I get that not everyone is used to making decisions themselves, I almost felt my eye twitching when FL asked her mother that. The ending of Ep7 also made it more predictable than keeping me intrigued.

Like I mentioned after last week's episodes, the fun in this drama at first was the impression that both male leads had sort of an equal chance. It takes the unconventional road of FL *actually* feeling torn between both guys. But SML's love has been feeling so one-sided even from the start. They still had some strong chemistry going before and things between ML and FL weren't certain yet at the time, so the story still felt kinda interesting. But now.... it's obviously just the same old pattern again. Unless there's a major plot twist by Ep12 where FL chooses 2ML, then I'll come back to eat my words. 😂😂

Yea, I agree that Lee Yang Mi is just wicked. People like the main leads are just trying to survive. Sure, sometimes they're for selfish reasons and greed, but Lee Yang Mi is just pure evil.

First two episodes were intriguing enough. There are no good guys in this drama. It's just a journey to discovering who's actually one-upping the other. I feel that Sang Ah is just pretending to be weak in front of Lee Yang Mi. Lee Yang Mi is like an open book, you know she's bold and crazy. But Sang Ah is mysterious. Two episodes in and you still can't read her. She could very likely be the shadiest of all.

Finally binged and completed the last few episodes!

At first, I was glad that Gong knew where to draw the line because when he found out Yu He was getting married, he immediately made it clear between them. But gosh, all these parents are so traditional and..... annoying 😐 Xiao Xi's parents are pretty nice actually, but Yu's parents definitely take the cake for being the worst. But I mean, coming from an Asian family.... I totally get it. Conversations like this still happen in some Asian families. I'm glad my parents aren't like that, but I have friends facing those problems.

But parents, I mean, I really liked how Gong had his own views about marriages and stuck to it, but then the writer or director had to get preachy and pull the "believing marriage is beautiful and worth it" card on him through his parents. Ugh. Give me a break. The moment he got swayed by his mom's preposterous answer about sticking by his dad's side, it honestly ruined part of his character. I'm fine with him deciding to come clean about his feelings to Xiao Xi in the end, but the way he got to that point was just so frustrating and didn't make sense at all. But what I really felt about him going against Bei later on, was that he did it on purpose. Half serious because he truly cares about Xiao Xi, half trying to give Bei that push. Half hoping he might stand a chance, half wanting Xiao Xi to be happy because he knows she loves Bei. Because that scene where she dropped her hand with the rose felt self-explanatory to me. And it's been obvious throughout the series. She never liked Gong the way he liked her. So it really felt like Gong was just messing with Bei.

And An Miu thinking she's calling out Bei, trying to play the victim and guilt trip him. Meh, not feeling any pity for her till the end. Bei made it clear with her from the very beginning. She just refused to believe it that no matter Bei met Xiao Xi or not, it's not gonna happen between them. She's the typical "if I can't have him, no one can have him". And who is she to judge and decide which woman is good enough for him? So yea, she brought this on herself. I still don't like her. She insisted on sticking her nose where it didn't belong, then threw a fit whenever it didn't go her way. And then we have the ex Zhen, who comes back few years later asking to reconcile in such a weird way 🙃 Err.... what??

My favorite arc by the end of it turned out to be Yu and Xiu. These two made so much progress!!! And I absolutely loved Yu by the end of the show. She's my favorite now. She didn't give a hoot about her mother's nonsense, and she went after her dreams, lived the life she wanted, and didn't treat her divorce like some tainted past. She never regretted her decisions, took accountability for it, and accepted them as part of her with grace. She wasn't even afraid to start again from the bottom, and she did it all on her own. Like her friend Hua said, even if she started again from zero, she'd still succeed, and he was absolutely right.

The main couple honestly got a little draggy towards the end though. Before the last few eps, even though it wasn't easy to connect with Xiao Xi sometimes, you could still see where she's coming from. Like her fears, her insecurities, her distrusts, we can sort of relate to them. But as we got closer to the end and things kept going back and forth between her and Bei, and then adding Gong to the mix again, I found that I felt a little disconnected with Xiao Xi, got more frustrated with Bei, and for Gong, he was reduced to mere comic relief and a propeller to Xiao Xi and Bei's ship.

I still think the series was pretty good overall, and I did enjoy it. But the last few eps just felt a bit off for me. It felt like a lot was happening, but it also somehow felt draggy, and I caught myself speeding up certain scenes. I feel that the writer or director tried to make this unconventional, but perhaps due to... *ehem* certain rules and regulations to get broadcasting approval, they had to hard sell marriage a little somewhere in there. Though I've gotta admit the parents pushing and nagging their children into marriage was cultural accurate.

He was wrong for ignoring her and giving her the cold shoulder when she wanted to talk it out. He was jealous and was more afraid she'd leave him. She kept reaching out but he pushed her away and hurt her. He even admitted it himself in the last ep.

Just finished Ep5 and I'm starting to think maybe Seol Ah really orchestrated everything. But why? Coz I can't figure out what she's trying to get out of it. She didn't get any of the insurance money. So what else did she get that we haven't discovered?

Her friend Eun-hyuk is also getting more suspicious, while Paek Jun Beom just feels like a red herring now. It also kinda feels like Seol Ah is using Woo Seok to get rid of Paek Jun Beom. But nothing makes sense coz we still don't know what exactly the real culprit is after.

Yea, she did say that in Ep1 but it was still very early to make assumptions and the selling point was that she had to choose between two guys, so I was still holding onto some hope that she'd actually had to *choose*. Lol.

I can see how it comes off that way with her and the SML. That's why I think the writer dropped the ball with FL's romantic plot with him. If she had shown a bit more interest and conflict on her end, it wouldn't feel so much like she's just stringing him along. It would be more convincing as well with the way he thinks he's still got a solid chance.

But personally, I wouldn't call FL or SML toxic yet. For now, I see FL treating him sort of like a friendly younger brother. That's why she was confused in the taxi on her way home about what he told her at the cafe. Which is why her obvious lack of interest makes it boring to watch now (and could end up looking toxic, like you mentioned) coz SML clearly doesn't have a chance when the fun was guessing who she'll choose between both men.

For SML, I think it's not that he doesn't respect himself, but he's just enjoying being flirty and feeling things out with her. FL hasn't flat out rejected him, so being a charming young man, I think it's normal he still thinks he's got a chance, especially with how friendly FL is with him. But we'll see how things go in Ep7 when he actually starts getting serious and upfront about it with FL. Maybe that might change things and sway FL a little.

Yea, it can come off as culture shock at first, and there are always viewers who are concerned with the amount of alcohol involved. But once you understand that it's part of their culture and that it's their norm, perhaps it could be a little less repulsive later on. But for viewers who really can't stand it, then it really can't be helped coz the amount of alcohol consumption shown in kdramas won't get lesser.

Koreans appear as hard workers and are mostly overworked, but I've never worked in South Korea before so I can't comment on the accuracy of that or their actual working culture.

I feel that the interesting catch of this drama at first was that FL was interested in both guys. But now it's pretty obvious she's interested in ML more than 2ML. Personally, that kinda takes away the fun because we already know who she's gonna end up with. Maybe it's still too early to assume, but this only has 12 episodes, so seeing her have a change of mind feels unlikely. Sure, she's got chemistry with SML, but the way she acts around him is so different from the way she acts around ML. And not just when she's with them, but even when they're not around her.

With the ML, she's always looking forward to see him. After that kiss at the church, she gets all excited and hopeful, and she keeps thinking about it. But with the SML, after she pulls him close in bed while she was drunk, she remembers it and that was it. She acts like nothing happened with him. So it's not like she's very conflicted about her feelings for both men. She doesn't see SML the same way he sees her. But watching Ep7 preview.... maybe things might change a little? Hopefully? Still, I can't see it happening. Their chemistry is there, but the interest feels so one-sided from SML. Meanwhile, FL and ML lack chemistry but their feelings are clearly mutual.

I think both male leads have their own strengths and flaws. It really all depends on what kind of guy you're more into. What kinda fell flat to me was SML's flirting with FL due to her clueless response to his hints. Or maybe she's just pretending not to notice to avoid awkwardness since she's interested in ML and not him. If she showed a little bit more interest toward SML, or we see how some of SML's advances make her sway a little, perhaps SML's advances wouldn't feel so flat. Because right now, it just feels like we're watching FL and ML plus an unwelcomed third wheel but the whole selling point of this drama was FL being conflicted about 2 guys. But since Ep3 or 4, when FL was shown excited about ML's message and all that while she just treats SML like a friend or younger brother, and she's so uninterested to the point where she doesn't even bother going to see his show once except the first time (which she eventually missed and I totally saw it coming 🙃), all that fun and excitement about having 2 guys pursuing FL come to nothing. And I've gotta say it's getting a bit boring to watch, because just like most of the other love-triangle themed dramas, we already know who she'll end up with, and the SML is just gonna get some sad backstory.

Ep7's preview does seem to stir things up a tiny bit and I'll still check it out, but I'm not sure if I'll be making it till Ep12 at this point. 🤔

I get where you're coming from, but since drinking is a huge part of Korean culture, I think it's hard to avoid in kdramas. They will definitely include lots of drinking scenes in kdrama to align with realistic Korean culture. So viewers either ignore it or accept it, because creators will definitely prioritize sticking closer to real Korean culture.

In Ep3 when James Paek smiled, I knew he'd most likely be the mastermind. He wanted to corner Seol Ah so that she has no choice but turn to him for help when he offered. At first I thought maybe Yun Ji might have colluded with someone, or it was Eun Hyeok. But after watching Ep4, James Paek could likely be the one targeting Seol Ah since the first man who died. Remember Seol Ah said she remembered seeing him before? That's probably when it all started.

But James Paek probably had nothing to do with Seol Ah's parents' deaths. I'm suspecting the auction house lady boss. Something about her just doesn't feel right. I have a feeling she's keeping Seol Ah close to spy on her and control her. Or maybe this lady boss is the real mastermind behind all of the deaths of the men who pursued Seol Ah.

I also wonder if the detective really took a bribe to cover up Woo Seok's sister's case. Maybe the detective isn't bad and there's something that Woo Seok doesn't know. I feel that anyhow, the detective must know something and isn't completely innocent. I wonder if it could later on tie to James Paek as well. Maybe the sister's boyfriend had some connections with him.

Seol Ah really seemed suspicious at first and I think it's understandable how Woo Seok was on her tail. Him finding out and changing his views about her after the first quarter of the show seems right. I think the pacing was done well. It would've been unrealistic if he completely trusted her so soon. He had to dig further and see it for himself to actually believe her.

Also, I wonder when will the detectives find out that Seol Ah's friend also met Yun Ji at the stairwell? What happened to that? So many suspicious people around Seol Ah, tbh.

This drama can be quite dark and depressing, but I'm really intrigued by the mystery and the acting. A lot of microexpressions are needed to convey the emotions for many scenes without much dialogue, and especially when many characters don't seem to be who they appear. Watching this can be a little draining emotionally, I've got to say. Nonetheless, I'm enjoying the series, and the leads have great chemistry! Really looking forward to upcoming episodes!

"I can't 100% agree with him but I do think it's deliberate."
I second you on this!

Thanks for sharing this. It's an interesting take! I feel that the shortcomings mentioned by the reviewer could also be deliberately used by the director to convey certain aspects with a dramatic approach. Take Bei's character for example, I feel that it's exactly what the director was trying to do with him, wanting viewers to instantly see how "perfect" Bei is to the point he almost seems fake. He doesn't want viewers to think Bei is perfect prince charming. He wants viewers to question the genuineness of Bei and whether such a person actually exists.

Perhaps some logic's definitely out the window, but I feel that the director is making each character questionable on purpose, representing different flaws. Just my two cents.