strevisa

Is all this mess in episode 13 going to be recycled in episode 16 to establish the end of Oh DaeOh/AeJung's novel/movie (they gotta make the movie right?)?

Immaturity - you are right - is pretty widespread in this series.
Mom can't let son go, son hates mom, Arin is amazingly petty (didn't realize how much until ep. 13, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa), the politician, his wife and son are a monument to imbecility, Hanee's teacher is no better, Arin's fans (pile of losers), reporter Na (!) ... it started at the onset and moved on.
Is this stuff autobiographical?
Well, 3 more kicks at the can before we can fully grasp and evaluate.

Just watched it now, and I have to say there is much truth in what you say.
I had the feeling the justice thing you mention reflects the American (and their good vs. bad dichotomy) viewpoint and not Korean (more realistic) one.
I liked "Hong DaHam'shi" (first time I have see that actress), and the meeting of two actresses from the movie Sunny, here playing the head of Kang and Ham and the head of Jo and Kim (or whatever the name was) .
Also liked the rapper thingy.

It's possible that the other actresses on that list were also incompatible with RyuJin. It looks that Jennifer has been trying to sabotage that movie from the onset.

Thanks for your detailed dribble. Looking forward for more.

Looks like tons of folks make statements. I'll make one.
Joo ARin is not that bad.
She has been cast as a loser, failing to secure a boyfriend in high school, getting the part because all other actresses were taken, not even being recognized by the person to whom she declared she liked him a few years back, saddled with baggage, ...
She is not a loser, she is an underdog looking to achieve something in spite of her handicaps.

I look at it from a different angle.
For me the real female lead is the cute and smart and outgoing HaNee. The rest are satellites around her as exemplified by her mom, her classmates, the director of the school and mom of her teacher, etc.
Go HaNee, go!

One thing I am sure of, is that your and my sense of humor are quite different, though there could be common points elsewhere. Back to ergotism now.

Gangtae is supposed to be a lead, but is passive (some lead!), SangTae looked like a ... [can;'t say it, it will get me banned], but then I realized how difficult it is for an actor to act that way.
MY was like a piece of ice; perhaps she reminded me about some ... [ditto]. I still am not crazy about her role here (this actress was way better 4-5 years ago in a KBS special drama, the 3 runaways).
From Korean productions I expected attention to details, strong plots, LIFE, ... and this series didn't do it for me (e.g., all the needless blood and dead, MY's atrocious clothing, the inability to develop the other characters), though it ended way better than I had anticipated.

Listen pal, I stated that looking at one metric the series didn't look good. You want to look at other metrics, and they one of them states otherwise? Big deal.
I am well aware there are other metrics. Proof 1, I even added two more, proof 2 - vide supra - you'll see the mydramalist rating. Proof 3 I am aware of quite a few other ones, too. Proof 4 Netflix has stuff (that's where I saw it), too.
You think that the Netflix stuff takes precedence, making the rest irrelevant. Multa dicitur.

I agree with what SimbiAni said: the two women are supposed to look similar, explaining - in part - PaDo's involvement (still have no explanation as to why PaDo unconditionally requested the actor and the writer for the movie; they could be linked to his Chinese girlfriend's boy).
In the movie The Classic, Son YeJin played - extremely well - the double role of the mother (when the mom was 18-25), who fails to marry the man she loved, and her daughter (when she was around 22-25), who ends up marrying the son of her mom's beloved.

Actually, after seeing the end, I realized something I hadn't earlier on.
1. Sang-Tae looked like ballast throughout most of the series, but his character required amazing effort , and I am glad the show tried to find something he could contribute to others (his art).
2. Gang-Tae looked like a half invertebrate, passive. The last tale explained his plight.
3. Mun Young looked like a piece of stone, and she needed to break out of it (I knew her from a KBS special drama, where she was "normal").
I have to revise my statement and say that I could not stand the leads, but now have a much, much, much (one for each) better opinion.
I am guessing that you had already figured it out, and didn't need the last episode to see what I had not seen until then.

Ratings are not a moot point: why would they pay to have them? There are several factors, and I have given three. Netflix popularity is a fourth one. I am not tossing out yours, I don't understand why you keep bypassing stuff people have paid for.

OK, for you ratings are "are not a deciding factor", and people who don't like should not watch.
What can I tell you?
1. there area reasons why ratings are taken (cost $$$, so there should be a reason)
2. you have no clue why I watch the show (there is a reason).

Too little time so far.
Let me direct your attention to a Russian show called - in English - Silver spoon. As time went by, one could see the success of that show, now entering its fourth series, getting remakes outside of Russia, etc. and the ratings.
Time will tell, though apparently for you time has already told.

Thanks for the additional info, which I didn't have. Honest.

Forgot one thing: I got no problems with people liking this series. At the same time, I think I have the right not to like it. Got a problem with that?

Great in whose eyes? Not in those of who prefers to watch something else.
I was quoting ratings. You are free to look for other metrics, though you don't disclose them.
Bringing the series down? Let's be serious: I have better things to do, besides the series managing to do that by itself quite well (hope the cast involved will learn and improve).

Time will tell.

That's exactly why the rating in Korea is not doing well. Started at 6%, went down, at some point it inched higher, but never went as high as 6%.
I am guessing it is only people who got hooked on it, who defend the show.
I can't stand the leads, but I have to say that the part in today's episode with the cartoon of the two brothers exchanging bags of rice was cute.