thursdaynexxt

A high schooler with a complicated family situation living a double life, having a life crisis? And THEN they throw in time travel / alternate worlds? It's an absolutely chaotic mash-up of characters and genres - but it's just so goofy and endearing, and it's just giving me the best nostalgic "Reply" x "18 Again" vibes!!

(it's also making me really miss Yoon Shi Yoon, but that's a whole different topic ...)

I really like the way each character is being fleshed out so far (both past & present versions) and I'm anticipating how Eun Gyeol will become the catalyst for changing the lives of his family and friends

we'd barely started the cute dating when they already started with the impending break-up and angst-fest!! WUT?!! Give me some more sweet fuzzy moments first!!!

Yes, Rowoon's acting improves every time!!! That looked INTENSE.
This role suits him perfectly, and I hope he does more comedy stuff in future too, cos I've enjoyed those scenes so much!

My only leetle tiny complaint is that ...

yes, definitely looks like it's heading that way ... looking at the veins on her hand

Whatever Past Shin Yu did, it was in order to ultimately save her, and he was willing to pay the price for her.
and she knew it too. She didn't want him to receive the curse.

I'm wondering what was so terrible about the curse (and the Curse Book) that it was better for her to die ... yikes ...

I hope there's no ramifications, now that they've demolished the shrine that was supposed to be protected

exactly my gripe! aside from the awkward conversation in Ep 10 (ie, the emotional reunion on the bridge dissolving into weird Ep 4-level flirting), the awkward translation choice really disrupted the flow for me! Especially as they spent half the episode talking about it.

I'd have no problems with "clean slate" or cleaning up his current attachments, since that's what Hong Jo's been stressing from the start (as well as Jae Kyung). It symbolises that they've both made a deliberate choice to commit and be with each other, along with the responsibilities that entails, and the social expectations/criticisms they'll cop from those around them.

Neither of them are overly prudish characters, so it felt very out of character when things started going in that direction (or viewers were led astray by the overly literal word choice)

Ep 10 really almost felt like it was written by a different person (dunno about the translation though). Kinda funny they both went off the rails in the same episode... 😅

Fingers crossed, since we've still got enough time to redeem this!!

You said EXACTLY what was on my mind!!!

Beginning of Ep 10, the conversation was suddenly so awkward and stilted - I was wondering if it was a different writer?!!

Suddenly bringing back the flippant push/pull bantering was a totally inappropriate mood-breaker, given he's just woken up from a coma and realised she's his past love (and presumably had a tragic ending).

Sooo many things that didn't make sense / felt out of place!!! How did HJ lose her backbone all of a sudden?! And that past life reveal / acceptance out of nowhere?

And what was the whole draggy thing about "purity"?! Did I miss something in the translations? cos it's not the kind of thing I expected either of them to say.

I actually thought JK was quite cute this ep. Plus team leader Gong - never thought I'd say a man declaring he's "going to the toilet" was cool 🤣

NY is so frustrating. She just wants SY because she can't have him (emotionally). The worst kind of narcissistic manipulator. UGH.

As for HJ still being saved as "Civil Servant" on his phone ... well, I can give the guy a break on this one, since he's been in a coma - no time to change such a technicality on his phone, lol

thanks for the reminder! I recall catching a glimpse of @Kalenahenden's spells/curses theory, but I accidentally refreshed the page and lost the comment placement! 👍

yes, after the stalker and leaked pics and voodoo doll scare, and NY's slap, HJ's been brought back to reality with a thud, and is extra sensitive about any negative public attention, which she's already experienced plenty of.

She's understandably not eager to repeat the trauma of what she went through in high school thanks to NY. Especially now that she's made baby step progress and her coworkers aren't actively ostracising her.

Whichever way you slice the cake, she's gonna get labelled as "the sly fox who stole NY's BF/fiancee" (at which point, NY would tearfully announce to all and sundry that it's actually not the first time ...)

So while I'm rooting for the leads to be true to their burgeoning feelings, I totally get that the everyday reality of HJ's life isn't that simple, when she's struggled to get this far on her own. SY hasn't yet proven himself to be a guy worthy of risking everything for ... not yet, at least.

I think for NY, SY is mostly just a trophy fiancee, to bolster her sense of superiority. That's why she gets ultra mad and aggressive when she "loses" anything to Hong Jo - it exposes all of Nayeon's shortcomings and fakeness when people (men) choose HJ's genuineness over NY's glamorous facade.

NY doesn't actually care what SY wants or doesn't want; she doesn't really even care about the details of his "sickness" - she just covets the title of having the man that all girls want, and the image of being the sweet dedicated girlfriend.

There'll probably be some shady biz that her Daddy Mayor is involved in, and maybe she wanted (or was instructed to acquire) a brilliant lawyer in the family to help cover up any dodgy election dealings ...

ooh, I missed that bit about the spell to "remove longing"! Still, a stake through the heart looks a bit much just to remove some longings! 😅

I thought that since HJ cast the Love Spell unilaterally on SY, and she herself isn't technically affected by the spell's effects, that's why they only thought to lift the spell from SY.

So does that mean SY and HJ now know that the "Remove Longing" spell exists? And that someone tried to use it on them because they're getting too close (or because someone else knows that they're a "destined couple" and is determined to stop that)?

Still, what's the boundary between the spell book & the curse book, I wonder? Like, the Love Spell and Curing Spell were found in the "normal" spell book, while the Remove Longing spell and Death spell are characterised as "curses"?! I hope they explain the distinction later on ...

Yes, SY has been living with the curse for years and knows it's real, plus he knows a little about the family history, so it makes sense that he understands more about its dangers, and doesn't want to involve HJ in that stuff.

As for NY, I think it's not a coincidence that she's hanging out with the Haum CEO (as some other commenters have said) - her feelings for SY are more about power/possession, and she strikes me as the type who'd be like, "if I can't have it/control it, then I'll just destroy it".

The Haum CEO's got a personal grudge against SY, and SY uncharacteristically also wants to personally take down the CEO, despite "not wanting to be involved in messy things". So I'm guessing all 3 share a unhappy past life connection that's driving their current dynamics.

That, plus the show keeps giving NY and the CEO annoying amounts of screentime - they keep hanging around like a bad smell, so I guess they're not going anywhere soon.

I'm pondering whether the *stalker and *the person who secretly photographed SY & HJ and leaked them to NY and *the person who hung the voodoo doll - are different people?

If HJ's stalker hung the straw doll, WHY did they have to use HJ's pink PJs, if Shin Yu is the target? Sure, getting rid of SY may "end" the Love Spell, but HJ's not the one under the spell!

Perhaps someone wants to use HJ's shaman powers to take "revenge" on SY and his family for Aengcho's death and the disappearance of the Spell Books?

Was the Book of Curses also written by Aengcho, or possibly a rival shaman (related to Haum or not)?

Maybe there's a rival faction who framed Aengcho and tricked Shin Yu's ancestors into executing her? That would fit with the Current Life pattern of HJ getting unfairly blamed for stuff, and NaYeon's side always trying to pin blame on the innocent.

How much does Shaman Grandma (and Shin Yu) know about the Curse Book?

When she told Shin Yu that they had to bury the box back where they found it, I feel like we weren't shown everything - she must have told him something else, since he didn't look very surprised when they found the hidden Curse Book - in fact, his first reaction was to check Hong Jo's face with concern. And then he was rushing to bury it without checking its contents, when it could have provided a valuable clue about his Family Curse. He seemed more focused on getting HJ away from the book asap.

All just speculation, ofc, and I may be reading too much into it, since so far the writers have only provided 2 two-dimensional Disney villains who are just too easy to hate! 😅

Some wild random theories about the stalker, and the Book of Curses: +

I'd have to wait and see what his past life role was, but I hope he's more of a pesky c*ckblocker who turns into a reluctant ally, in order to help protect HJ. I wanna see the bromance between him and SY!

I can't really see him wanting to hurt HJ or SY. If he was the stalker, he has easy access to HJ's stuff so why would he make such an obvious blunder that leads straight back to his front door? He lives and works in the same building as HJ so he could see her anytime he wanted.

Even though he DID say with his own mouth that animal lovers aren't necessarily good people, and that he treats his family coldly, for me that's simply a red herring. The fact that he directly says it himself probably shows I don't need to worry about him resorting to stalkerish behaviour and making voodoo dolls in his spare time.

(in fact, it looks more likely at this point that past Shin Yu was responsible for past Hong Jo's death, from what Shaman Grandma said)

When JK confronted the 2 coworkers who spread the video of HJ's confession, he told them off fair and square. He didn't threaten them or blackmail them or try and use them to fish for more info about HJ. What's more, he didn't try and force HJ to be grateful to him by telling her he'd dealt with the bullies and the rumour source. Again, not exactly manipulative/possessive stalkerish behaviour.

I think (and hope!) he's simply what he appears to be: an awkward guy who had a favourable impression of HJ before SY came into the picture. He thinks SY isn't treating HJ right (I agree!), and if that's the leading candidate for HJ's hand, he and HJ would be better suited, rather than two-timing Playboy SY who's apparently trying to have his cake and eat it too! 🍰

A different question is whether the stalker and the person who secretly photographed SY & HJ and leaked them to NY are one and the same, and WHY they had to use HJ's pink PJs, if Shin Yu is the target.

Oh well, I could be totally barking up the wrong tree, and Past JK may have been an influential person who was also responsible for Aengcho's tragic end, or who failed to act to stop it ... buckling my seat belt for the ride ahead! 😆

totally poking fun at the whole CEO drama trope 🤣
"I've met thousands of CEOs" ... in my scripts🤪

yep, Tantai Jin is one of the best complex characters I've seen so far! 💕

yeah i meant something like a physical protection spell😆 That way, they can see irrefutable proof that her spells do work!

I really like how their jobs are integrated into the story, and they can still act professionally and have sensible conversations about work while dealing with side stuff. I'm tired of dramas where they drop everything and act like suddenly they don't have jobs to go to!

Doing her job as a civil servant and helping people is a HUGE part of who Hong Jo is (something that Jae Kyung appreciates). It's something she achieved though her own efforts and hard work, and she doesn't want anything to jeopardise that. After seeing the pics the stalker sent to Nayeon, it's only natural that HJ is being ultra sensitive about being publicly linked to SY in any way, especially after what she went through in high school.

So it's totally understandable that HJ wants to draw the line by telling SY his kiss meant nothing, that she wouldn't go on the fake date if it wasn't for the stalker situation. She doesn't know about the past dreams, after all. I see it as her way of "taking responsibility" for the spell by reminding him of reality (and his official GF).

But OOOF, the gut punch when she told Shin Yu to only communicate via the intra-company email/workplace messenger chat, and he reluctantly agreed, to try and respect her wishes 🫠😭

At this point they're both desperately trying to remain professional, despite their growing closeness and reactions to each other

not sure about the stalker identity tie-in, but i agree there's got to be more to how HJ's dad died ...

great observation! so ...