John Smith

Obviously you have filled in the blanks of the backstory differently than I have and we see the same scenes differently. I find her to be a flawed but sympathetic character. When you have Geun Young lecturing you, you know you are the low person on the totem pole. Everyone now has a complicated relationship with each other, and no decision will ever be easy to make for anyone.

On a side note, there are only four episodes left and there has been no real progress with Hoo Joon's search for his father. Also, the inevitable noble idiocy on someone's part. Plus a few other story lines that need to be wrapped up. I hope they handle it in four episodes with pace, and not drama, drama, drama, and try to wrap it up in a rush for the last episode.

She comes across as more of a neutral character and probably misunderstood as well. I think the one thing viewers are missing is what happened before, during, and right after the "breakup" of the trio. We get brief flashbacks and snippets of conversations, but not enough to really understand the trio, and especially In Hyung. We are left to fill in the blanks on the backstory and how you fill in those blanks determine how you view a character like In Hyung. I think if she breaks away from both male leads, that would be the best thing for her. The drama seems to imply that she is talented, just been held back by JJ.

We are nearing a third of the way into the drama, so I hope these possible pairings start to solidify themselves. SFL really does not know the SML at all. He is creepy, and she is foolish right now. The writers have some work to do to convince me that will change for the better. I always like a good redemption story (emphasis on good).

I think she realized her mistake after she saw confirmation that her friend was the one that switched it. She might have been upset about the camera only to not be embarrassed about her mistake.

Begin Again is a really good drama, probably the best Chinese drama I watched in 2020. Zhou Yu Tong (FL) was outstanding.

I did think of a few, although might not be exactly what you are looking for. Begin Again is a Chinese drama that has a role reversal. The FL is the domineering CEO and the ML plays a warm doctor. The King 2 Hearts is a relatively older drama (2012) but has the FL as a special forces NK soldier and the ML is a SK Prince (alternate timeline). You can also try using MDL and go to Community-Forums-Discussions-General Asia-Recommendation Forum. I have seen some threads that ask for some oddly specific stuff that someone ends up commenting on.

I get put on the spot. You know when you say "I can give you a dozen reasons why you should not do that" and then they reply with "name one" and your brain seems to lock up? That is sorta this situation. I know a lot of them would be Chinese. It is hard to remember them because usually if there is a strong female lead, the male is strong too. I assume you are looking for dramas with a strong/fierce/heroic female lead and weak/gentle/non-combative male lead?

I could write paragraphs about what I feel is wrong with the Korean entertainment industry in the eyes of an outsider. I probably have here and there across MDL. It is a huge money making machine with so many moving parts and people set in their ways, all the complaints, articles, and negative news have not really done much to change anything. I guess the industry response would be if you still watch dramas, movies, reality shows, listen to Korean pop, watch concerts, click on sexy images and videos, and/or join a fan club, then why change anything?

Not sure if it exists, but females account for about 4-7% (online research) in the military of China, Korea, and Japan. It might be easier to find one where the female is a police officer or some sort of government agent. The switching of roles does sound interesting. There are plenty of Asian fantasy dramas that have females as a hero/warrior/fighter.

Something seemed to be missing in 2021 and thanks to you, I figured out it is Zhang Yu Xi. She is one of my favorite actresses and glad to know she has more works in the pipeline.

I thought she knew they were mild tranquilizers, which seems to make her look even worse. She knows the FL was avoiding him. She knows that he wants to get back with the FL. It seems like she is willing to do whatever he asks just to be around him. She seems pretty squared away in all other aspects, but love has her acting foolish.

It was not an apples for apples comparison, but senseless behavior and unreal expectations are trademarks of fanatical fans all over the world in all walks of life. I cannot say for certain, but dramas must certainly play up the "crazy" fans and the no relationships. It seems every third drama is about an idol, celebrity, or someone famous finding love. If people did not watch, then they probably would not make them.

I also think that looking back, it was an even better drama than I thought at the time I finished it. Sandra Ma is a really good actress. Both characters were newbies at relationships and love, so it made sense that things were slow. I thought it did pick up a bit at the end (the kisses and tension). I would watch a season two.

I did not quite see it that way. She did leak the music, but she also was singing on it as well. JJ and probably Hoo Joon's boss would never have let it see the light of day. I am not sure she left the star for the company owner. I do not think he was an established star, nor was JJ a company CEO when the "breakup" of the three occurred. She is no angel, but she is no JJ either.

You would think he would have another stress related attack from listening.

In my opinion, it does not make sense because it does not make sense. Fans are short for fanatics which imply excessive and intense devotion. The word idol itself implies a sort of reverence or worship. I think once most fans grow up, they do not care if their idols or celebrities date or get married. I think it is mostly the youth or those in the same age group that might unrealistically imagine themselves having a chance. Of course, idol companies and their PR use this to their advantage. I am not European, so I will take you at your word that musical idols do not get treated like Korean ones can, but Europeans (among others) do treat their soccer stars like idols and I have seen stories about soccer fans doing things that do not make sense. Not being critical, just an observation that issues around idols, celebrities, and fans exist all over the world.
As much as Korean fans need to change their behavior, so does the Korean entertainment industry as a whole.

I thought she said she did not like the mention of the words "special forces" let alone getting in a relationship. They seemed to be related but two separate matters both relating to the SML. I think you are right in that he realizes that she has some stuff to work out. He does too. I personally like the slow burn romance here. I assume once they get together, the relationship drama will start. I like the fact they both have their own lives (and stories), and I am afraid that when they get together, some of that would be lost if the focus became on the romance. Of course it will probably happen, but I am enjoying the pace of the show so far.

I do not think this drama was meant to be one of those fluffy 24 episode Chinese romantic comedies with lots of kisses and implied "more than kisses." I think for the drama it was, there was plenty of chemistry. I do think the slow burn helped to keep all the usual tropes at bay and allowed them to each do their jobs and for stories to take place there. There are many dramas where once the main leads get together, they seem to forget they have jobs and it becomes more about dating, breaking up, getting back together, and the plot seems to circle around the relationship. That can be interesting in romantic comedies, but this was not that.

I am trying to recall if they even showed them being a couple or enjoying spending time together. JJ needs therapy. IH just needs a chance to become famous and move on from both of them.

I would say that is possible that he might not know if they did not live, work, and spend so much "close" time together. He does not have to read her mind, he just has to read her.
What a person says is important, but how a person acts is probably a better indicator of their true feelings. Just about everything they both do shouts "I like you" to each other and to everyone who watches them. She is the "warm" one so it is easy for him to see that, but he is the "cold" one and she might be more oblivious to him actually like-liking her.
I think with each passing episode, their bond grows deeper. They do seem like they have some rough times ahead (it is a drama so they have to right?), so I hope all the "groundwork" means no off-on-jealousy-miscommunication-trope-trope-off-on relationship typical in most dramas. (This is where I thought You Are My Hero excelled in the lack of all that relationship sapping stuff.)
I do think part of the charm is seeing her responses when he tries to be more serious, although he can be less than cool when responding to others asking him about his feelings.
I do think that for all the times he has made her uncomfortable, he should be the one to say it first. That only seems fair. And it should be love, not like because that seems more his style. All in, no half measures. But I am not the writer.

Edited for personal spellchecking.