Idk but they should have followed the synopsis where they say Hae Ra would approach In Joon only for his money,…
Good point. It seems like revenge plots have to be more carefully planned. You can't just write day-to-day as Korean drama writers seem to do for other genres.
[Ep, 29-32] A show full of horrible people is exhausting when the supposed heroes are too stupid to live.
That said, the last 4 hours could be amazing if the "good" protagonists actually worked together. My relationship to this show is a living example of the sunk-cost fallacy. I keep hoping for the spark I saw in the first episodes and in Ep. 17-20.
I recommend the show’s writer(s) get better writing mentors. Maybe there's been some sort of creative interference. As others have noted, putting all your energies into the aesthetics doesn’t offset sloppy writing.
I also reeeeeeeally hate the female lead character in this, which makes watching her pitiful revenge more annoying…
For ep. 29-32, I kept uttering, "Oh for God's sake." How did I end up disliking nearly EVERYONE on this show? Is the show is purposefully trolling its own audience?
I put it on hold bc of that problem at episode 16 ..i was bored crazy ....so did it not get better?
I found Eps. 17-20 thrilling—lots of action, passion and craziness. Sadly, the following eight episodes were dull by comparison. I'd be folding laundry if I didn't have to read the subtitles.
Why don't Hye Ra have more lines. This is starting to remind me of When Time Stopped. Joon Woo with very little…
You're right! She has fewer lines but maybe the most eye acting. She's either staring, sighing or smirking. Plus, her ability to be on the verge of tears borders on genius. Hae Ra's a human version of one of those velvet paintings of moist-eyed cats.
By Ep. 25-28, we're now at the point where sensible people—the loan shark and the best friend—are in full-on Cassandra mode. I have to keep reminding myself this is not the place for logic and questions and yet ... I'm exasperated.
Have you seen it yet? I'd describe the film as lovely and bittersweet—with an ending full of possibility. It's…
You ask if they end up together. My interpretation is that their future together is full of possibilities.
It’s challenging enough to declare your affections and to love someone well. But Sid and Aya’s relationship is also complicated by class differences, her filial obligations and his current status-conscious girlfriend (who’s out of the country for most of the story).
Aya starts out as an insomnia conversation companion to Sid ; their growing affection and deepening friendship is charming and realistic. She’s a person who usually ejects herself from relationships before things go bad or get too serious. He’s in a relationship that doesn’t seem to engage his heart and he’s focused on his money-focused career.
Things go unsaid or said too late. They’re the right people at the wrong time for this first pass at love.
After a time skip, they accidentally meet again. Unlike those dumb reunions where the OTP just stand smiling at one another, our last glimpse of them suggests the start of something new—something they’re finally both ready for.
I loved this drama at the start and I thought the part where the ML gained more power in the company and started…
Honestly, @Dean, your hoped-for-synopsis for the latter half sounds highly probable. It's not a melodrama without some sort of angst-y OTP estrangement. With In Joon deciding to give up his revenge, will it be replaced with rancor towards Hae Ra or renewed towards his brother & step-mother? I also relish the idea of IJ and HR being a power couple. Both of them have been underestimated by their enemies and even their champions. They could model a more positive way of being "powerful" without turning into horrible people like In Joon's dad & step-mom or Soo Hyun's mom. The last bit about pregnancy and cuddles echoes the ending of Cunning Single Lady; I can imagine the show nodding to the leads' previous show as an in joke.
Right now, I'm more curious about how far Tae Oh will go to secure Soo Hyun's kidney. He's desperate and I can imagine him *seriously* considering how to fulfill Soo Hyun's request at the end of Ep. 24.
Sometimes I think the Romance tag should be replaced with Revenge. I'm halfway shipping Hye Ra with the Loan Shark…
Huh, why isn't "revenge" one of the tags for this show?
I'm still rooting for the OTP but recognize that loan shark Chang Soo has become something of a charming rascal. He's a refreshing contrast to In Joon, whose nobility is edging on boring.
I've noticed a volume difference between Viki and Kocowa. Background music is definitely louder on Viki—often to the point of barely hearing the dialogue.
I love the 2nd female lead. I get why she does what she does. The only problem I have with the show is the main…
@Dragonfly Barbie—I like long comments and admit that my response to your musings is even longer.
I share your admiration for Cha Soo Hyun—she’s not your average k-drama bitch and I’m actually rooting for her to break free from her family’s expectations.
I also agree that Hye Ra looks a touch bored at times. I think the character is supposed to be very cautious and reserved but Lee Min Jung might be inadvertently slipping into boredom.
I gently disagree that "everything’s handed to Hye Ra." On top of figuring out how to win In Joon’s heart, she’s put in a huge amount of EMOTIONAL LABOR in managing her unequal partnership with Jin Tae Oh, her cold boss and Cha Soo Hyun’s unrelenting venom. She was assaulted and her sister’s coma puts her in a constant state of guilt, rage and grief.
Like you, I initially found it extreme and foolhardy for In Joon to give everything to his horrible brother in exchange for protecting Chairman Cha. Does In Joon know that his father destroyed his sister-in-law’s wealth? I wonder if this is a tolerable sacrifice because he imagines that being with Hye Ra still gives them a chance to realize their couture shoe dreams—maybe at a smaller scale. I think the fact In Joon is in the dark about most of the machinations ramps up frustration/anxiety too.
How did In Joon fall in love with Hye Ra? I'm foggy on how much time has passed since their first meeting (maybe about 4 months? from light sweater weather to New Year's) but it doesn’t take very long to fall in love with someone.
I see at least 7 factors shaping In Joon’s growing attachment to Hye Ra over the first half of the series:
1. A cultural belief in fate is critical to the whole show. As experienced by In Joon, it’s an intoxicating mix of real and orchestrated coincidences. Resistance is futile.
2. They’ve bonded through battle, having come to each other’s aide when they were desperate and vulnerable.
3. I think they both recognize themselves in the other. Hye Ra was moved by In Joon’s work ethic and desperation for the contract. And In Joon appreciates her resilience in the face of hardship—while rightly scolding her for blowing off work.
4. In Joon is estranged from most of his family and has no friends outside of work. He is a man who relates to most of the world through transactional relationships. Even his engagement is a damn business deal. But every conversation between Hye Ra and In Joon is profoundly personal.
Love grows with shared intimacy and their conversations share similar ground covered in those “36 questions to fall in love.” They’ve talked meaningfully about their dreams and ambitions, their shared passion of shoes, their beloved parents, their regrets.
5. Hye Ra likely reminds In Joon of his mother though her talent and kindness. Hye Ra has not yet said, “I like you” but she shows it with gifts from the heart. Making his mom's design pretty much killed him. And he was equally moved by her almost maternal gesture of wrapping his neck with her scarf.
6. As a partner, Hye Ra is an appealing alternative to Soo Hyun. Soo Hyun’s money would give him power within the company and land to build his factory. But Hye Ra brings her creativity and her heart. In Ep. 3 party, he acknowledged how she’d helped him with the Italian when he said, “I am Tae In Joon. It seems we are partners so we should know each other’s name, right?” Later when they had drinks in Ep. 7, he said coming back home to Gold Shoes would be easier because she was going to help him. In Ep. 8, he expresses gratitude for her being his partner (as translated in Kocowa; they use “colleague” in Viki) and lightening his burden.
7. Falling for Goo Hye Ra's natural beauty is a rebuke of Soo Hyun's polished and severe artifice.
You aren't alone. I hate to say it, but In Joon is the achilles heel of this show. I mostly blame the director…
Oh my God, I watched the Soo Hyun/Jennie scene in the elevator/car scene about a dozen times. "Is your seatbelt on?" *tears + rubber band mouth* Actress So Yi Hyun is pretty much walking away with the whole show. She started out all Sunset Boulevard with sneering lips and bulging eyes and now she's breakin' my heart.
That said, the last 4 hours could be amazing if the "good" protagonists actually worked together. My relationship to this show is a living example of the sunk-cost fallacy. I keep hoping for the spark I saw in the first episodes and in Ep. 17-20.
I recommend the show’s writer(s) get better writing mentors. Maybe there's been some sort of creative interference. As others have noted, putting all your energies into the aesthetics doesn’t offset sloppy writing.
It’s challenging enough to declare your affections and to love someone well. But Sid and Aya’s relationship is also complicated by class differences, her filial obligations and his current status-conscious girlfriend (who’s out of the country for most of the story).
Aya starts out as an insomnia conversation companion to Sid ; their growing affection and deepening friendship is charming and realistic. She’s a person who usually ejects herself from relationships before things go bad or get too serious. He’s in a relationship that doesn’t seem to engage his heart and he’s focused on his money-focused career.
Things go unsaid or said too late. They’re the right people at the wrong time for this first pass at love.
After a time skip, they accidentally meet again. Unlike those dumb reunions where the OTP just stand smiling at one another, our last glimpse of them suggests the start of something new—something they’re finally both ready for.
Right now, I'm more curious about how far Tae Oh will go to secure Soo Hyun's kidney. He's desperate and I can imagine him *seriously* considering how to fulfill Soo Hyun's request at the end of Ep. 24.
I'm still rooting for the OTP but recognize that loan shark Chang Soo has become something of a charming rascal. He's a refreshing contrast to In Joon, whose nobility is edging on boring.
I share your admiration for Cha Soo Hyun—she’s not your average k-drama bitch and I’m actually rooting for her to break free from her family’s expectations.
I also agree that Hye Ra looks a touch bored at times. I think the character is supposed to be very cautious and reserved but Lee Min Jung might be inadvertently slipping into boredom.
I gently disagree that "everything’s handed to Hye Ra." On top of figuring out how to win In Joon’s heart, she’s put in a huge amount of EMOTIONAL LABOR in managing her unequal partnership with Jin Tae Oh, her cold boss and Cha Soo Hyun’s unrelenting venom. She was assaulted and her sister’s coma puts her in a constant state of guilt, rage and grief.
Like you, I initially found it extreme and foolhardy for In Joon to give everything to his horrible brother in exchange for protecting Chairman Cha. Does In Joon know that his father destroyed his sister-in-law’s wealth? I wonder if this is a tolerable sacrifice because he imagines that being with Hye Ra still gives them a chance to realize their couture shoe dreams—maybe at a smaller scale. I think the fact In Joon is in the dark about most of the machinations ramps up frustration/anxiety too.
How did In Joon fall in love with Hye Ra? I'm foggy on how much time has passed since their first meeting (maybe about 4 months? from light sweater weather to New Year's) but it doesn’t take very long to fall in love with someone.
I see at least 7 factors shaping In Joon’s growing attachment to Hye Ra over the first half of the series:
1. A cultural belief in fate is critical to the whole show. As experienced by In Joon, it’s an intoxicating mix of real and orchestrated coincidences. Resistance is futile.
2. They’ve bonded through battle, having come to each other’s aide when they were desperate and vulnerable.
3. I think they both recognize themselves in the other. Hye Ra was moved by In Joon’s work ethic and desperation for the contract. And In Joon appreciates her resilience in the face of hardship—while rightly scolding her for blowing off work.
4. In Joon is estranged from most of his family and has no friends outside of work. He is a man who relates to most of the world through transactional relationships. Even his engagement is a damn business deal. But every conversation between Hye Ra and In Joon is profoundly personal.
Love grows with shared intimacy and their conversations share similar ground covered in those “36 questions to fall in love.” They’ve talked meaningfully about their dreams and ambitions, their shared passion of shoes, their beloved parents, their regrets.
5. Hye Ra likely reminds In Joon of his mother though her talent and kindness. Hye Ra has not yet said, “I like you” but she shows it with gifts from the heart. Making his mom's design pretty much killed him. And he was equally moved by her almost maternal gesture of wrapping his neck with her scarf.
6. As a partner, Hye Ra is an appealing alternative to Soo Hyun. Soo Hyun’s money would give him power within the company and land to build his factory. But Hye Ra brings her creativity and her heart. In Ep. 3 party, he acknowledged how she’d helped him with the Italian when he said, “I am Tae In Joon. It seems we are partners so we should know each other’s name, right?” Later when they had drinks in Ep. 7, he said coming back home to Gold Shoes would be easier because she was going to help him. In Ep. 8, he expresses gratitude for her being his partner (as translated in Kocowa; they use “colleague” in Viki) and lightening his burden.
7. Falling for Goo Hye Ra's natural beauty is a rebuke of Soo Hyun's polished and severe artifice.