lmangla

This was the original. It has an odd number of episodes because it got extended.
https://kisskh.at/1167-phoenix
This was my write-up on it long ago. One of the few dramas I have re-watched and still enjoyed.
https://dramabeans.com/2018/02/one-true-pairings-when-love-just-isnt-enough/

Phoenix 2020 -- I rated it as 1.
You can see my review to know why.
https://kisskh.at/63425-phoenix

@nexe -- I wasn't aware of the actress before and I did a quick search.........
You are right, it does explain in a way why she looks tired perhaps compared to the other two actress.

Rather than face, I felt it was reflective of their characters. GyeongChae has not felt the sting of defeat. She has gotten what she wanted. So her body language as well as her wardrobe shows confidence.

Lucia does look kind of defeated. She has a great wardrobe (I like many of the outfits) but I feel like Lucia still has a sense of sadness about her. Hence, she looks older than both Stella and GyeongChae.

Stella on the other hand has taken life by the horns and knows how to navigate. She has power and despite her tears, there is a part of her that enjoys this game. That is also reflected in the wardrobe.

Stella just has a twinkle in her eye regardless of the tragedies she has faced. So there is a real liveliness about her which also translates to her wardrobe. If you notice, KyungChae also looks the same age/older than her in a way.

Thanks for the link; I still find the idea of fate and transferring here in this drama really confusing. and strange

Can someone please explain how fate works in this jdrama? I am genuinely confused why the coworker Sumiyoshi ended up getting cheated on, almost falling off the building as well as getting cancer -- experiencing what Misa faced in her first life.

Since Reina married Tomoya, shouldn't she have fallen sick? Wasn't that the premise of "marry my husband"-- fate needs a substitute and since her troubles started with getting married, then Reina getting married would make Reina the substitute?

Looks like we might not get to see Jcompany CEO again since they thanked the actor for his appearance at the end of the episode. Awww. I was kind of hoping that he would have some sort of arc with SooJung...

The children of chairman don't really care for him. The housekeeper was worried but the children are just meh even though it is a serious hospitalization. That is why they are more focused on the company, the will and what would happen to the shares. So they didn't care if they weren't informed or not in time. That is the only explanation I can think of Nexe.

I didn't really get it but I think Lucia said she didn't want to raise a hue for the sake of the company and shares. Since it was mentioned that some company shares fell when it came out that the chairman got sick, it seems that KyungChae bought the explanation? It still doesn't make much sense but whatever. 🤷

Ooh, that was good jump in rating. Hope it continues to climb up. It deserves more eyeballs.

I skip most scenes and still know what is happening. Just watch the preview. This isn't a drama that has quality writing or acting. Most of the drama is just meh.

Taegong also wants to have conversations with Lucia on the staircase. 🤦‍♀️ Anyone can hear if they are on the staircase from a different floor and he wouldn't know. At least on roof top, you can see people opening the door.

So does anyone else wonder if TaeJoo will also have some arc with a birth secret? Based on how he is reacting with sympathy kind of Seri's quest, he might be also looking. This makes me think of housekeeper lady. She is way too pal-pal with Chairman. Maybe they had a fling years ago. Who knows. That would be an interesting twist...

Also does anyone recognize the Jcompany CEO -- feel like I have seen him in some other drama where he had a somewhat significant role even though he was a secondary character. He had some odd chemistry with SooJeong -- maybe he and her will have arc beyond the takeover?

SooJeong and KyungChae's rivalry seems to have an element of revenge/frustration. SooJeong told Lucia that KyungChae treated her mother badly. Hmmm.....

It is because GyeongChae lacks humility to accept any mistake -- whether it is in professional or personal space. Especially since SuJeong managed to turn the mart business into a profit. GyeongChae cannot accept that she failed while her sibling didn't. If she is unable to prove that her leadership is effective, chairman can easily make SuJeong the CEO since she is proving herself. So from that perspective, she needs TaeGyeong's expertise but so far, he has not shown to need her. Therefore, pushing him around will not work because he will just quit and leave. She knows she cannot afford to push him around. Hence, she is polite with him.

While I was thinking SeolHui was dumb for going to the office again, she also needed to hear Seri's point of view to realize that there is no remorse and therefore, they cannot be redeemed or forgiven.

Like Stella said, the usual methods like the law isn't going to work with these folks. So you have to make them bleed where it will hurt -- business, their reputation. Those are the only weapons they will take note of. For that, it is a fight fire with fire type situation.

So I get why the writer made SeolHui dumb for one more moment. She also needed to hear KyungChae berating her and Lawyer SeonJae telling her the ways of the world. It just solidified that going with Stella would give her what she needs and she cannot rest till they are punished.

Hope snack sister YeonHee is okay though; was she just abandoned? or did assistant TaeJoo go and help her out later? TaeGyeong is smart but let's hope there is no quasi relationship between him and KyungChae even if it is revenge mode.

We are getting a four year leap. Based on the preview, I am wondering if she is still mute.

In today's episode, Stella said she faced the same pain as SeolHui did 16 years ago... hmmm, does that she will be related to Seri? Yikes!

Since the rule of kdrama states that random people get paired, am going to guess that TaeJoo gets paired with snack sister?

It looks like SeolHui will end up getting locked in a psych hospital. Other FLs are usually sane but in this case, it looks like SeolHui might need to get some treatment. She is sleepwalking, depressed, hallucinating and showing very erratic behaviour with little emotional regulation. So maybe villains trying to harm her will actually help her? 🧐

P.S -- how do you tag folks in MDL in the comment section?

Stella Jang has not been in Korea for 45 years. Why was the number of years specifically mentioned? I don't remember the character chart but assuming that like most dailys, all the main characters are in their 30s. So this makes it confusing on whether she is related to anyone .. Also she seemed to specifically look out for TaeGyeong and that had his spidey senses tingling.

So it looks like we might have 3 revenge arcs? TaeGyeong, SeolHui and Stella??
Also, who was her assistant TaeJoo? Her nephew or someone she just hired?

My view in some ways is shaped by the context of my own country and how the issue of self-harm among teens is being addressed. Similar to MiSo in a way is that self-harm is prevalent among children not being able to get into academic stream of their choice.

Something that often gets suggested by experts here is that parents need to let children know that there are options -- meaning if one door closes, another will open. Teach your child how to pivot because not everything will go the way you want. Show your child your own experiences, failures and setbacks so that they understand that pitfalls can happen but that is okay.

So from that perspective, I wish we had a scene where SeolHui had tried to show MiSo that there will be chances to rebuild her life. Maybe not the way she had planned but something else. She could have shared her own experiences with how she got dumped by lawyer (maybe not mention his name) but how she built her life nonetheless.

Basically a tunnel vision from both mother and daughter meant that MiSo couldn't see that there was still hope. That while these horrible things happened, there could still be a life, a different one perhaps, but still life. This failure at justice would not have been the end all.

In a way, it is good the drama shows these issues and allows us to discuss and talk about what can be done differently. It gives one food for thought and makes the drama much more than just your usual makjang madness.