missdaisy

I literally wonder the exact same thing :)))) Like when the camera stops rolling, they might be running as fast as they can to some corner to avoid each other... J/k, but "no chemistry", unfortunately, is my verdict. It's such a shame because I enjoy these both and their chemistry with their co-stars in other titles (YYS in Hospital Playlist and The Interest of Love; and Esom in Because This Is My First Life).

Same here, so the budding romance seems really forced to me. Both ML and FL are great, but sorry, no chemistry whatsoever. They don't even care about each other's presence, though this drama is based on how ML and FL evolve from enemy to friends to partners. But sadly, I don't buy it, at all.

The latter part of this drama can't fit into 'slice of life' genre, imo. The first part (from EP.1-10, or reluctantly including 11 and 12), is definitely slice of life. In the latter part, those trivial, overdramatic and ridiculous schemes, those one-dimensional villians, that 'damsel in distress' and the knight in shining armour trope... I don't know which precise name to call it, that's just a huge mess (melting-pot?), crammed into several episodes, simply to conceal the fact that the dramamaker can't carry the original story that they began with to a complete end. Nonetheless, one thing for sure, that is not slice-of-life. I've loved this drama so much for its realism, from Ep1-10, so I blame the writer/director for ruining it totally in last 6 eps, that's all.

I enjoy the future that you envision, but sadly that's not something that being hinted during the drama. Not once, even in the long and intimate talks with her best friend from Law, she ever mentioned that 'dream'. And that detail of "her keeping the books' only briefly appeared in a single second when the drama was almost over, so no, I didn't buy it. It's not telltale, it's an afterthought :)

This is also painfully true about this drama. To be honest I was attracted to this "idealism" the most, I was so excited for them to explore such a complicated and somehow 'tabooed' topic. It was well introduced and step-by-step built up (up until the heated debate between SHJ and LJH at the beginning of Ep.12, followed by that mind-blowing lecture by Mr. Pyo), but then it just disappeared without a trace.

3+5+9: These! I really don't understand how the ending was thought to be happy for Seo Hye Jin. It was painful to watch how she was broken into pieces time and time again since EP.10. One could argue that she was pretentiously floating through life in those 10 years before Jun Ho came along. Yes, partly, she was immersed in her work with (almost) no romance, but on the other hand, she was thriving with her job, she has been the BEST all along. Remember how Lee Si Woo was blown away by Seo Hye Jin's take on Park Wan Seo during the free lecture? Remember how the students respect and worship Seo Hye Jin ? Seo Hye Jin was really enthusiastic with improving her approach and teaching style to nurture the students, and she was really good at it. So the character's arch of Seo Hye Jin is a huge let down for me. She became so passive and pathetic after the "love of her life" came along. She became so numb, so dumb, so clumsy and clueless. Once she had been a sassy queen who was quick to find out the solutions to turn any battle around, but then came Lee Jun Ho, now Seo Hye Jin just broke down and cried and felt sorry about herself and her future, and she became overtly and overly fixated on Lee Jun Ho's love and support (to the point that I felt so unsure for her)... And again, one may say that she now CAN come back to her major of Law, but no, if you look closer, that's more like her last resort to fix her bruised ego, not something she has been longing for her whole life. So, overall, I feel bad for our FL, and blame the writer/director for ruining this otherwise so lovable, relatable and persuasive character for me. :(

Totally agree with all of your points. I've loved loved loved this K-drama from ep1-10, because it presented a lot of potential, but then somehow it spiralled out of control between ep11-16 that I couldn't recognize it anymore. Maybe the writer/director couldn't find ways to untie the ties that they happened to create, or simply couldn't carry the story from the beginning to the very end because they promised too much to actually deliver. Nonetheless, there was potential only to be wasted, and where it should be a hit turned out to merely be a miss.

This! Totally agree, sometimes I wonder if the side characters were praised mainly because the main leads were too big a disappointment? The side characters in QoT were mostly fillers imo, they filled the screen time with their not so charming humours, with bland remarks and mostly much-ado-about-nothing actions.

Totally agree. I tried to justify his action this way, and I appreciate that this catalyst is much needed to turn the world around for our couple, especially the FL, and to some extent, I honestly could see it coming, picking up tiny hints from Ep1 (I rewatched the first 6 eps several times to make sure I didn't miss out on any delicate details). But because it's long time coming and vital to the latter half of the show, it should be handled with more care. Maybe this mind-boggling argument between FL and ML is more a stunt that would attract more viewership into a condensed and heated discussion about a huge dilemma in teaching style now and then, I can only take it that way with some ease of mind.

My heart bled so hard imagining if I had been in her shoes :((((( given their history that he probably never ever said a rough word to her, never did anything disrecpecful to her, and... then... bam, the most hostile attack of all... I don't blame Jun Ho, here I blame director and writer for such a unneccesary twist. It can be done much better.

Note for Ep.11
Am I the only one that was taken aback by Jun Ho's abrupt (and eruptive) action when he fully deleted the nearly complete syllabus and counter-attacked Hye Jin's long term approach to teaching, almost out of nowhere? I mean, there were obviously legit points in his argument, I could totally understand where he came from, and sure enough, his take was exactly what I've hoped that our Hye Jin would adopt, to get closer to the type of instructor that she's longing for. But still, as much as I've tried to justify, I couldn't wrap my head around the way Jun Ho conducted the situation. Please note that within 24 hours, Hye Jin was counter-attacked (and somehow shredded) by Mr. Pyo, Grey Witch, Jun Ho's mom's unexpected visit (right when Hye Jin needed some more sleep in peace to recover from the earlier nightmare), and now her most beloved student/her boyfriend/her subordinate at hagwon, with the deadliest blow that questioned and shook her authority/belief to the core, in front of her colleagues at work?... It's just... bad timing, and he had every reason to go through things with Hye Jin first, right?

Some noted trivial thoughts for Ep.10
Well, Ep. 10 was indeed suffocating, but the last 15 minutes was truly soothing. What I love about this ep is how openly and calmly Hye Jin eventually talked about how insulted and humiliated she was while facing Mr. Pyo and the Grey Witch's attacks; and she took account for what she'd done, be it intentionally or not. As we remember, in Ep.8, she was worried about how Jun Ho might be disillutioned if he got to know how flawed she actually was (the scene in which she drank and had a heart-talk with her best friend). So now that's a major shift in her facing with him and everything was wrapped up within a day, kudos to Ms. Seo for her confidence and resilience. I hope this is a good evidence of how our beloved couple would not easily break up due to miscommunication, the familiar (and disgusting) trope that we've encountered too many times in various series.
About Mr. Pyo, I think he's a "villian" that has been long in the making. As he "confessed", he wished that he had come to this (hagwon) world earlier, if so, he might have been much more at ease, and much richer too. Hye Jin's confrontation at the school after the mid-term exam was only the last straw that accidentally activated the whole reaction chain. What led Mr. Pyo to his extreme decision was his own rigid attitude toward his teaching, his colleagues all along (everything after that heated confrontation about the test was his own choice and his only). I don't hate him, I'm more worried about what he might experience later, we viewers can see clearly how the Witch would be using him for her dark deep strategies, just a card that woud be discarded anytime it’s no longer needed.
But I don't despise the Grey Witch either, she’s got her own fortress to protect, she offered Hye Jin a lucrative contract and got back the humiliation. Given her history and her current position, she has every right to "take revenge", while trying to get ahead in the competition with other hagwons.
Moreover, those points Grey Witch showed Hye Jin were brutal and destructive, but also valid. They would be for Hye Jin’s good in the long term, for it was definitely a wake-up call for Hye Jin, now it's no turning back, she must consider and pick her own path moving forward, be more of her same old self, or pursue a more ‘noble’ way of teaching, something she’s always longing for, as we’ve seen a lot of scattering hints from the beginning.
As for our endearing Jun Ho, for the first time, I can see the tornment and gradual shift in him. He can no longer see our FL as his ideal teacher, now he started to see her as she is, a determined but also vulnerable woman (his woman), with her cluelessness, her moral and professional struggles, her dreams and her reality, so he must step up to really show her how he can be THE man for her. He has been cocky and arrogant and seemingly infallible all along, but now his actions must speak louder!
I love the romance (and definitely ask for more), but I enjoy the realistic vibe of this series. Ep.10 has reinforced that tone in a very persuasive way.
And just like many viewers have claimed, to me, this is the BEST K-drama in a very very long time. I’m so grateful I’m here to discuss with you guys and get to know many interesting takes <3 <3 <3

Perfectly said, thank you :) It's truly a relief for me seeing how Ep.10 panned out after (a little bit too much) sugar and honey in Ep.9. As much as I enjoy ML and FL's blossoming romance, I'm more concerned about how they would learn to face the harsh reality of life, how they might communicate and possibly learn to compliment and even tolerate each other as two mature grownups with a lot of flaws, traumas and other heavy baggage. And thankfully, Ep.10 has effectively kickstarted this unavoidable process of getting deep in the dark side (of the hagwon's life, of each character's personal intimate inner world). I'm looking forward to next eps, still with a heart full of love. So far so good a series <3

Yes, yes, yes, I really enjoyed that scene of Siwoo explicitly talking about his pereceptions (and also sensations) of Hye Jin's lecture. Now, aside from the loveline, I'm even more excited to see how the story unfolds about Hye Jin' revised take on her teaching, how Jun Ho would be actively involving in that very process, and how they would bring out the best in each other, in love, but more in work and in life in general. :)

It's Together With You by The Restless Age, you can see the song's name at the very last credit screen.

that thought is HOT!!! But it would be too soon and rushed for their relationship, maybe later... Director-nim is making audience hunger for more :)))

Agree! In fact I really love those innocent and strange expressions from both of them in this confession/kissing scene. They're both so new to it anyway, and for sure couldn't wrap their heads around what was happening. She was almost clueless (to his buried affection all those years), he was deep in chaos (about his work, how he should or shouldn't persuade her to leave to find a better job), on top of that, he was wet and cold like a puppy after that fall into water, so... steamier kisses are still on the horizon :))))

same here! This exactly what I'm worried right now, after some excitement (because of the kiss, mostly, ha ha), I hope that they will show us a truly mature middle-age love with much respect and support through all possible and foreseable (two instructors in the same hagwon, and they have been teacher-student all along etc) trials and tribulations, they can face a lot of middle-age crises (identity, career shift etc), but better off TOGETHER, instead of life and work come between and they're apart as we've seen so many times on screen.

11 eps left to go, too early to put a verdict, but so far, I'm enjoying this drama so much. Yes, the story is bland, yes, the characters' development is slow, yes, the jobs they are doing are so tasteless, yes, the romance is still nowhere to be found. But it's so real in this way of portraying life and love-to-be, to the point my heart aches watching each line, each meaningful and nuanced dialogue (Siwoo's explanation of how he hates Literature although his grade is excellent, how Jun Ho's torn between the-right-way-to-study as he was taught back then by Hye Jin and the-right-way-to-teach when he's now an instructor himself...), I love love love every tiny face expression, the gesture, the gaze that the actors/actress made, they're living our mundane life on screen, instead of just vaguely mimicking it for the sake of acting. I love the careful and delicate curating of music (the OSTs are so immersive), and many other things. So, hater's gonna hate, but I'll stick around for more, with a heart full of love :))))

Just my two-cents: the "romance" in the (English) title might be misleading, especially for those come only for some typical (sometimes cheesy) love story, so 5 eps with almost-no-skinship between FL and ML obviously let them down. Second, the in-depth look into the (SK) education system (the tension within each public school, hagwons vs schools, hagwons vs hagwons) might be brain-wrenching for many people. But so far I'm enjoying this show very much. A delicate layerd story with solid writing, directing and acting. Many tiny details make more sense when you rewatch (I revisited Ep1, 2, 3 after finishing Ep4 and found out that many scattering scenes in fact helped to build up the overall story and each character's background a lot, and I was so satisfied with these new found gems). But again, all of this patience and tolerance take time and energy, so the drama, sadly, could pass many viewers by before they can give it some little (well-deserved) credit :(