tsutsuloo

Thanks for the write up. I want more people to discover this _superb_ series! I predict SELL YOUR HAUNTED HOUSE will be considered one of the best of 2021. It's deeply satisfying and rewarding to watch.

@aglaonik—I did the same. SELL YOUR HAUNTED HOUSE is the _perfect_ antidote for this horrid drama. It's beautifully written and directed with a top notch cast.

Excellent recommendation. I enjoyed it when it aired. One key thing about THE MIRACLE WE MET is that it knew what it was—a fantasy romance. It never neglected its paranormal premise.

After 5 episodes, I think I'd enjoy this more if the episodes were 45 min. instead of 65 min. There's a LOT of filler and scenes are unnecessarily stretched out. This show feels like it exists to sell PPL and they've lost the story. On the plus side, Choi Soo Young is charming and animated. Hope things pick up with Ep. 6.

I share your frustration but I don't think the detective is dumb**. He lives in a world that requires rationality and evidence. His earlier conversations with his partner reveals he suspects Dohak Construction is behind the arson and murders from 20 years ago. But he lacks proof. And although the exact circumstances of Hwa-jung's case 20 years ago are still fuzzy, he seemed to have had some compassion for her situation.

As frustrating as it was, the detective's interference with Ep. 9 exorcism was also rational because it looked liked assault. (**But I do acknowledge that the cops dropped the ball when they failed to catch that something was off in the CCTV of Ep. 6's victim leaving the sauna with her face covered AND limping.)

I know nothing about Korean law but I do agree that releasing the stalker seemed egregious. How is breaking and entering plus assault not enough to keep you in jail for at least 24 hours?! It also seems that the police depends on the NFS (National Forensic Service) to process evidence. If the NFS serves the entire country, they can't expect the speediest of turnarounds.

Thankfully, Ep. 10 brought Detective Kang closer to our Daebak gang.

Love your list of Ep. 10 favorite moments. I was also touched me by how crestfallen In-bum looked when Ji-ah said Hwa-jung was the only person she trusted. Oof!

And the ending? It left me gaping at my computer. Waaaaahhhh!

Who can resist a confident man in white pants?

I'm good with well-written bittersweet endings. This just feels ... lame.

What's on your list of "worst dramas ever?"

I usually drop shows I'm not interested in—and _never_ look back. But this was the first terrible show I've continued reading comments for. I don't want to make personal attacks on the writer but I think it's fair to critique the show itself.

Communal hate watching these past few weeks has been an unexpected delight. We all deserve better but I appreciate how so many folks on this thread turned their disdain into comedy gold.

Thank you.

But you win the prize for being the first to guess the Man in White's identity!

His biological father died from a car accident before Bi-soo was born. Mom married another man, who raised Bi-soo as his own (and did a crap job of it). This secret birth plot line (introduced right at the end of Ep. 8) was just one of the many absurd tropes writer-nim managed to jam into the script.

Also beyond belief was Bi-soo's utter lack of curiosity about his biological father after discovering the truth. He doesn't even ask his father's name. Towards the end of ep. 9, when his mother finally tells him how she met his bio dad in medical school, Bi-soo doesn't ask, "What did he look like? Does he have living family? Etc."

Actually, I had the same confusion and rewound to confirm. Plus, don't underestimate the power of glasses to change one's appearance. It worked for Superman! ;)

THIS. It's a rare thing to have a K-drama feature mature scenes like Ep. 15's. But instead of a joyous culmination mutual love and care, it all feels icky, self-indulgent, and f*cked up. What a waste of beautiful, talented actors.

@Yang Cheng—It's the same guy. He's just not wearing glasses when he does crime.

I like ALL kinds of faces and have a generous sense of what's attractive. But my gawd—Jang Nara is ethereal. It's not just the lens, right? At the end of Ep. 9, I was awestruck right there with In-bum.

Same, bro. Same.

Up to this point, the scripts are really tight without plot holes.

So I've been wondering what's the deal with the cops. The detective is biased against Hwa-jung due to their past encounter. At least he's not corrupt and he's trying to do things by the book. It seems like it takes a SIGNIFICANT amount of time to get the forensics done.

In Ep. 8, the child ghost had been around "since last month" and only later did her autopsy reveal she didn't die by a car.

In today's Ep. 9, there's no mention of forensics. Lee Hyun Ju was murdered a month ago in the parking lot; are they still waiting for DNA? She fought ferociously against her attacker so I'd expect to find DNA under her nails and on her body. (The killer wasn't wearing gloves).

For now, I'll give the detective a pass because it makes sense for a rational cop to reject exorcists and ghosts. That said, it was _infuriating_ to see the assailant just walk out of the police station.

The entire series is really an exercise in exploring every permutation of han. The humor and affection blooming between the leads (and the Daebak team in general) is a sweet respite from all the resentment and sadness.

Post Ep. 9, my thoughts on the po-po in the spoiler:

I love it. Wednesdays don't come soon enough. I had moderate expectations but this is surprisingly good. Here’s a summary of my favorite elements:

1) Cast is top shelf. Some viewers worried whether Jung Yong-hwa was up to the task but he's really good here as the ML, who's kind of a charming rascal. He's holding his own opposite the stellar Jang Nara who's acting against her usual type. The supporting cast is uniformly good.

2) All the characters are interesting. Nobody is wasted.

3) Perfect balance of episodic cases and the overarching mystery that links the ML and FL. The writing overall is tight.

4) Solid special effects and ghosts are not overly terrifying. (I assiduously avoid most horror and even I—an admitted baby—can handle these ghosts.) As @Mazurek noted, they're more heartbreaking than scary.

5) Like the best of kdramas, the show balances pathos with humor. It's not always "har har" funny but I never fail to chuckle at least once per episode.

6) Music is excellent; the background music is unlike anything I've heard in other k-dramas. Jung Yong-hwa sings the first OST, which has kind of a rockabilly feel to it. Background instrumentation has a twangy, country feel to it mixed with the pop kdrama sounds you'd expect.

7) While the first half isn’t overtly romantic, it’s rewarding to see the FL and ML work so well together and become more trusting. The pace of their relationship feels realistic and it’s refreshing how direct they (usually) are with one another.

My God–I bet you could make a terrific version of this show. Imagine a charming 2-part drama special. Four hours tops, for sure.

[Written after Ep. 15]

Yes, the paranormal aspect of the show became increasingly important but this concept was presented so haphazardly that it felt like an afterthought—until it became everything and turned the ML into a raging asshole.

It would have been much more compelling if the show had centralized Bi-soo's relationship with the Man in White. Instead, the dude in white jeans would pop up once in a while to remind Bi-soo (and the audience) that he was still gonna die!

Right after Ep. 9, @Onna cleverly guessed the MIW's identity—which was just confirmed in Ep. 15. But the dude barely feels like a character let alone anyone of consequence.