Sooyi

Your last sentence got me XDD

Their pained expressions really get me.

He's not the male lead, he was offered the role of Park Min-hwan, the female lead's horrible husband from her first life, as it's reported here, the source of the kisskh article reporting on Lee Yi-kyung's potential casting (https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=109&aid=0004782536), and in another Korean article I found (https://www.starnewskorea.com/stview.php?no=2023020209432022793), and it basically says the female lead is going to exact revenge on her husband with her boss Yoo Ji-hyuk. And it's not mentioned anywhere in the Korean articles that Lee Yi-kyung's the leading man.

I actually pictured Park Min-young in the role alongside Lee Sung-kyung and Lee Sun-bin.

If I try to give summarize the story with the least number of spoilers, the female protagonist of "Marry My Husband" doesn't harass her husband and best friend for something they haven't done yet, but rather she exposes their true colors to others (they have been bullying her and taking advantage of her all these years), and she tries to avoid her original fate by matching them together (hence the title).

This is my theory about the casting of "Alchemy of Souls". If it was decided from the beginning that Nak-su/Yeong persona was going to re-emerge in the 2nd part, then it made sense that Park Hye-eun was cast in the first place because her tenure as Naksu-as-Mudeok wasn't going to be long, and we know that the Hong Sisters are always on the lookout of fresh talent and make unique casting choices (for instance, Shin Min-ah and Han Chae-young both had a "cold beauty" image before starring in the sisters' dramas). I think the investors were not very confident that an actress with little professional experience could bring in ratings because, unlike films, a drama's success relies on the cast's star power as much as their acting prowess, and they felt it was a gamble because as we know, the budget of "Alchemy of Souls" was exorbitant, and also it's an "idol drama" targeted to the younger audiences. This reminds me of the controversy behind the casting of the female lead of the drama remake of "My Sassy Girl". Kim Joo-hyun won the leading female role through a highly publicized audition process, but in the end it went to Oh Yeon-seo. At least for Kim Joo-hyun, the public could point their fingers to the higher-ups who decided on the switcheroo, whereas for Park Hye-eun, they blamed her for her own dismissal, not knowing that there could be others reasons than simply acting abilities.

What Hyejeong meant about Ha Doyeong is that he is a haughty gentleman. He has been conditioned by his birth and lifestyle, so he doesn't think people socially lower than him are his peers. He is polite, but don't expect him to be sympathetic and considerate toward people who are less fortunate than him.
I think he is like the "emperor" character in fiction: he is refined, intelligent and level-headed, and strategic (as represented by the game of Go). He pays his dues as a member of high society, but he is not the altruistic type. He doesn't attack people unless they taunt him first. His relationships are strictly transactional (he won't waste energy and time on a person who won't give him something in return). To me, he treats Yeon-jin as a trophy wife because she only adds to his image of success, and they have nothing in common except for their social status and rich tastes. However, he seems to truly cherish Ye-sol because he was more protective of her even when he suspected that Jae-jun might be her real father.
His relationship with Dong-eun is interesting because it appeared as if he was curious about (and entranced by?) a certain person for the first time in life. And he seemed quiet disappointed when Dong-eun did his suspicions that she approached him for ulterior motives.

The way Jae-jun forced Dong-eun to stand in the rain to the point she was completely drenched so that her body was exposed *is* a form of s*xual assault (plus she felt very powerless and humiliated in that scene). I was wondering if it was that memory he was referring to.

It's the classic male lead thinking he's sick when actually he just has the flutters lol

I just wrote Crown Prince as "CP" because I'm writing it several times, and others in the comment section referred to Go Won in the same way. It's not an official acronym but I have seen many people in the Asian drama and web novel communities abbreviate Crown Prince as "CP".
"XD" is how you represent a closed-eyes smiley emoji in letters, and I got tired of copying and pasting, so I just typed it out.

I'm referring to the highlight video and the sneak peek of episode 9, when after the duel, the CP told Mudeok he hates Jang Wook with a passion but he hates her more as she is Wook's servant. And now I get it because not only did he lose to Wook in a crushing defeat, but he was hurt to find out that his blooming friendship with her wasn't something to her. From what I see, the CP is not used to having friends, so he genuinely liked Mudeok and thought her efforts at pleasing him had no special intentions.

Danju and gwanju are fictional words, which respectively mean, "head of organization" and "head of government administration".

"Danju" is a word formed of the traditional Chinese characters, 團 and 主 (I think), which respectively mean "group/organization" and "monarch/head", so it basically means "head of organization".

I'm dying xDDD

So the CP hates Mudeok now because he knows she sold the silk clothes and all her flattery was for show XD On second thoughts, I can sympathize with him because he, naive, truly thought she was his friend.
Also do the writers have grudge toward cinnamon? I mean I don't LOVE cinnamon, but it's not terrible lol Honestly, it's not some odd ingredient.

The fact Wook has become the Batman of Daeho 🤣🤣

I was thinking maybe Dohwa was sick, so Jang Gang was looking for a way to extend her life through putting her in a healthy body. She didn't survive the birth, so I was thinking that as a hint to her frail condition.

That was Wook and Naksu's arrangement: she will help him open his energy gate and become a powerful mage, so that he can open her energy gate, and thus enable her to unsheathe her sword,

Naksu and Wook are really a match: not only they're conniving, they are also so quick and brutal at discouraging potential suitors kekekeke

Did Wook really say to Naksu that he will rise in ranks, so he could get the ice stone for her, now that they know that it's in the Palace? It's so cute that he asked for her opinion where he should be affiliated to because she's his master, and she wants to follow him to Jeongjingak as his handmaid (and lover) awww! Now that they've faced the hurdles, can they be openly lovey-dovey now??

Finally Jin was brought to be aware of his feelings for Dojoo after her prodding lol Sometimes you can't wait for your crush to make the first move on their own, you have to push them a little, leaving some hints XD

I knew that Choyeon enlisting Danggu's help for the wedding preparations will have consequences, but never did I think that her actions will lead them to a fake engagement! (those girls will DEFINITELY tell everyone that Danggu is Choyeon's mysterious fiancé).

Yeah I get that Wook may have been a powerful opponent to the CP, but I was on edge thinking that Wook will be discovered as "Naksu" for the baddies know that the person who killed Gilju used tansu, yet the outcome was "Who's your master?" lmao