longhandofthedead

It's because many would've preferred him to be the first lead but he was the second. To make matters worse the first lead becomes insufferable. I went into it knowing all that and had low expectations but I still got annoyed. Episodes 1-3 are sound, as is episode 8. Other than that only HJP's scenes in episodes 4-7 and 9-12 are good. After that it's really downhill but we got to see HJP's forehead so it might be worth watching his scenes in the first half of episode 13 just for that. I've no idea how disjointed the plot will seem to you if you actually watch it that way but trust me it'll be better. Once you've finished, just walk away from it and don't ask any questions. Sometimes it's better not to know.

I think it's fair to say that team Jidal has won a sound moral victory in terms of viewer response. Right now this comment section has 27885 comments and I've looked on reddit and each episode has thousands of comments. It's so unusual and I don't think I need to tell you what the majority of the comments are about or which way they lean. From what I've read it's the same response in Korea. HJP isn't just more popular than NDS but one of the most popular male characters in a K-drama ever (top 3 at least). Most of us know that the Dodal love story was forced and generic while the Jidal love story, what little there was of it, was so much more romantic and organic. It's not even the letters but their relationship that develops after they finally meet. It had so much to be said for it and if it had been allowed to reach it's full potential it would've been on a whole other level. That's why many of us are frustrated but at least KSH has benefited which means we'll benefit too since we'll get to see him in more and hopefully better dramas. So to anyone who's still upset, try to look on the bright side. :)

I'm genuinely surprised when I see people talk about fate and destiny in relation to Dodal. I thought fate seemed more like HJP's thing. I got the impression from the final episodes that the point the writer was making is that fate has nothing to do with it. NDS is always dismissive of superstition while HJP is followed around by talk of ancestors. Plus his fortune was predicted in the first episode. Yet it's the sceptical NDS who ends up with SDM. It's like the writer was saying, "This has nothing to do with fate. Fate was on HJP's side, too bad it's not real".