Sooyi

I'm very intrigued by Road to Empress part 2. Depending on the prince the gamer chooses, Yuanzhao's destiny could diverge into different paths: if she devotes herself to Li Zhi/Gaozong, she could walk on the path to becoming the Empress and subsequently the Female Emperor Wu Zetian, or if she aligns herself with Li Tai, she could rise as a conqueror(?)/wangfei(?). Still how distinct the two choices may be, they both render her a powerful figure.

I got to know the game through watching a gameplay by a live streamer. It was funny watching his transformation from an innocent newcomer in the Inner Palace to a scheming femme fatale 😆 The life of Wu Zetian has been portrayed on film and television countless times, with certain performances being the standard, so the format of an interactive game was a fresh approach to narration. The actors were well cast in their roles, and the story was written in a direct, concise manner, so that even gamers with no knowledge of Chinese history and culture could follow the narrative easily.

Yep you summarized the whole revenge arc perfectly XD Honestly, I thought Jae-in's first revenge plot was quite typical, but then she levitated after her life-threatening experience. Girlie was just drawing her claws during the first, she's looking out for blood in the second. Kind of morbid to say this, but I feel she's getting wiser and more fearless every time she has a brush with death.

The way Won-bong was staring at Geum-hee in her nightgown gobsmacked was funny enough, but then she said he looked like "dead fish", I can't 🤣🤣

You got the gist. Geum-hee meant that she didn't cook a hearty breakfast for her husband because he has sufficient energy in bed, so he doesn't need to replenish it with nutrients the day after (she even asked him to slow down XD).

I love the poster because it is the perfect recreation of the book covers of romance web novels (and the tagline "When I opened my eyes, I have become the heroine of the R-rated novel I wrote!" is a nice touch haha)! 😊💕

Oh Na-ra and Shin Sung-rok are going to make cameos as demons in the first episode of the drama! Oh Na-ra is the demon judge Lady Yustitia who possesses the human Kang Bit-na played by Park Shin-hye, and Shin Sung-rok is Bael, a powerful demon who is the second-in-command of Hell. Both actors previously worked together in the musical "Finding Mr. Destiny" where they played the main leads.

I wanted to bring special attention to Shin Sung-rok's make-up for his character because it reminds me of the Creature's look in the Korean musical adaptation of "Frankenstein", which is ironic considering he portrayed Victor Frankenstein, the creator. I remember there was a theatrical adaptation of "Frankenstein" where the two actors who were cast as Victor Frankenstein and the Creature would alternate roles each week, and this got me thinking that Shin Sung-rok could play the Creature as well :))

Some people are OBVIOUSLY not watching this drama, and it painfully shows.

I believe it's going to air right after "No Gain, No Love" finishes its run, as another user mentioned down below.

Only the script writer of "No Gain, No Love" is involved in "The CEO's Menu", and she is on board as the "creator" (I'm guessing she's either creative consultant or main script writer; certain Korean job terms are confusing lol).

This was mentioned in Nam Jayeon's character profile. She becomes acquainted with Gyu-hyun after she reads his comment and decides to sue him for writing a malicious post.

Speaking of which, he posted his "criticism" of Jayeon's novel "The CEO's Diet" under the user name LUCK YOU 😂 (his surname sounds like "luck" in Korean)

So the supporting leads of "No Gain No Love" are going to be the leads of a novel from the drama's universe. Talk about a meta reference!
Apparently the novel is entitled "The CEO's Menu" because the characters do it three times a day (the novel's female protagonist is a nutritionist), I cannot 😆😆 It reminds me of the lyrics from a song: "Come on girl, love is so nutritious / Come on girl, love is so delicious". Of course, the song is not explicit, but they have a total different meaning under a different context per a K-pop YouTuber.
I'm very curious about how the romance is going to be depicted in this. Please don't call it a "steamy spicy hot pot" if it's going to be an extra sweet hot chocolate.

Not really helpful but you could watch the film on the Korean Academy of Film Arts site for free if you have a South Korean mobile number (you need to request to watch the movie and they will alert you by text when the movie is available).

I'd recommend going through Uhm Tae-goo's filmography if you hadn't. It helped for me 😁

Another sartorial analysis for episode 10.
Ji-hwan wearing a tie-dyed shirt in muted tones in the beginning of the episode was a perfect illustration of his anxiousness at Eun-ha's departure and his dilemma at how to deal with his feelings for Eun-ha.

The way Eun-ha and Ji-hwan were wearing the same colors at the forest walk scene was a nice touch that they are now the same, like they're of the same "fabric" 😊 It reminds me of Jang Wook and Mudeokyi's blue outfits later in part 1 of "Alchemy of Souls" which seemed to convey that they are bound in a relationship where one's concern, goal and welfare is also the other's.

Oh and the butterfly on the back of Ji-hwan's shirt was an important detail because it showed that he has become a new person after he and Eun-ha are now official!

Did Ji-hwan finally realize the meaning of "Oppa will make you ramen!" when he said that to Eun-ha!! I know it wasn't his purpose but I couldn't help but see the innuendo as he was making it obvious that he and Eun-ha are in a very serious relationship in Prosecutor Jang's face 😁

I mean I was thinking Prosecutor Jang should get the clue when Ji-hwan HELD Eun-ha's hand but all he said that Ji-hwan was a weirdo for saying the classic line form "Lovers in Paris".

Well the Deers deserve a hefty bonus from preventing Ji-wan making the worst regret of his life 😂
I liked how Eun-ha kissed Ji-hwan first to confirm their feelings for each other, and not vice-versa, because it's an Eun-ha thing to do. She has always been frank about her love for Ji-hwan ever since she realized it, so her initiating their first official kiss was faithful to her character :)

Yes I did want to roll my eyes when Ji-hwan moved Eun-ha away from Prosecutor Jang in a fit of jealousy because I hate it when guys act territorial over their girlfriends/romantic interests when they're in the presence of other romantic rivals, but then I remembered that Ji-hwan finally learned the lesson that not expressing himself regarding his affection for Eun-ha would only do him more harm. Plus, bonus points for not pulling her by the wrist even when he was acting tough.

Gad the way Ji-hwan first stopped his kiss mid-way and looked at Eun-ha to see her reaction was just perf! It shows he treasures her opinions even in their intimate moments.

Well that's what you get when you are single since birth 😂😂