Unless you’re a serial killer, serial rapist, serial liar, serial cheater, or serial anything, I believe in redemption and second chances. I’m going to overlook Yoon EunHye’s plagiarism and misconduct and allow her to rehabilitate her reputation.

For now, this show is going on my to-watch list. Here are my reasons.

1. because it’s a (sniff) low-budget kdrama

Whenever I read comments that a kdrama is “low-budget,” the snobbery of the critic is almost palpable. But I, for one, am happy to watch and SUPPORT low-budget films.

Why?

Low-budget films mean that, instead of hiring name-brand actors, directors and writers, other lesser-known but equally talented actors, directors and writers can be given a chance to impress the world.

Low budget also means more creative ideas. When the producers only have a shoe-string to make the kdrama, they will find 1001 interesting ways to use that shoe-string.

But most important for me, post-Mr Sunshine, with low-budget kdramas, we can finally do away with the silly aggrandizement of the most prosaic scenes. Really! I had to roll my eyes at scenes in Mr. Sunshine when the two lead protagonists encountered each other. Each scene would have multiple shots, for example: his close-up, her close-up, an over-the-shoulder shots for both, a slow-mo as they cross path, then a full shot, a long shot, an aerial shot, then a wide-sweeping shot.

Let’s not even mention the gazillion props and the sappy background music.

With so much ado over chance/fated meetings (were words even exchanged?), I wished I could have been a small pebble in the shoe of the actors to ruin the mood. IMO, a $35 million budget — purely for myth-making — is excessive.

Why can’t writers just let an encounter be a non-event? Real life does not happen on epic scale.

That’s why I like Fluttering Alert. Without the big money, the production team can focus on being realistic and down-to-earth.

Take for instance, the first meeting. The path of famous actress YooJung (YJ) and the doctor WooHyun (WH) first crossed at the airport, and there was no choirs of angels in magenta clouds nor $3 million firework extravaganza to herald their grand destiny.

WH casually observed her flirting with her secret boyfriend and he kept on walking. Meanwhile, it was a stalking paparazzo who recorded the moment.

See that? There was none of the wide-angled shots that fangirls love to gush about, “Oooohhh. Great cinematography!!!!”

But bitches like us could appreciate the clever FORESHADOWING here of this low-budget scene: it was this intrusive photographer’s camera that set the romance in motion. Her camera might have captured hundredths of a second in snapshot but for two of those people in her viewfinder, YooJung and WooHyun, their lives would be totally changed for a lifetime.

Same thing later.

This time, their paths crossed in his clinic but again, there was no fanfare. There was no OST playing in the background and no fancy shots. And we smart bitches could tell how appropriate that scene was.

A low-key romance was perfectly in keeping with these two characters, given that she was a famous actress and he was a chaebol son who positively abhor his father’s wealth.

Not only that. Notice their costumes? Their outfits revealed their personalities, too, and foreshadowed what they would mean for each other.

So nope! 😀

Please don’t disparage this show simply because it’s “low budget.” A low-budget kdrama doesn’t predict a crappy story.  It simply means that director, the writer, and the cast need to work harder to deliver a quality story.

2. because I like the lead female character

This kick is most unladylike.

For sure, if Chae SooBin of Where Stars Land had done this, I would’ve have ridiculed her. However, this is the strength of Yoon EunHye as an actress; she’s sympathetic and relatable. In Goong, Coffee Prince and The Vineyard Man, she depicted clueless and airhead characters without me wanting to strangle her. Unlike Chae SooBin, her innocent act doesn’t come off as affected, studied or calculating.

Here in this scene, her character YooJung was demonstrating to her manager that she was the antithesis of the goddess image her manager had created. But she was also inadvertently showing how gullible she was. Her manager might have sounded like a controlling harpy but she was right to worry about her, and YJ behaved more like a teenager grumbling against the restrictions rather than a grown woman demanding emancipation.

In contrast, WH was very much in charge of his life. Although his mother might be the one in the driver’s seat here in this pic, she didn’t hold sway over him.

There was no doubt that he was the one calling the shots in his life.

And that’s why it’ll interesting to see how the two characters mix together in the future. She’ll definitely have to grow her own backbone to deal with him, and he’ll learn how to yield to somebody else.

3. because the plot IS cliché

Lately, I’m exhausted by writers who use illnesses to drive a plot (lol, that means you writers of 100DMP, Devilish Joy, and Beauty Within). But worse are those stories with MYTHICAL illnesses (lol. That’s you, writer of Where Stars Land. Is he still scared of his bionic arm?). For now, I want a normal, predictable plot with lots of humor and a bit of poignancy thrown in.

Take for instance the morning after the drunken confession scene in Episode 2. He was trying to give her a hard time for showing up drunk at his apartment and she knew she was acting shameless for asking another favor from him on top of the aggravation she caused him. But they got over their differences over a meal.

Look at the mundane conversation.

WH: What are you doing right now? (seeing her helping herself to his food on the dining table without invitation)
YJ: It’s strange but the morning after drinking, and the morning after getting dumped by a boyfriend, I’m always starving. Today it’s both, so I’m twice as hungry.

He sets his bag and jacket by the table but moves his bowls to the kitchen counter.

YJ: Why are you cleaning up? Won’t you eat with me? It’s really delicious. (lol. HE made the food.)
WH: I don’t eat with strangers.
YJ: Then why did you set the table for two then? I thought you were going to eat with me.
WH: I always set the table for two.
YJ: Why? Because you don’t like feeling lonely? Or you have a person you want to be eating a meal with?

This concept is unique to me. I never thought of setting a table for two when I’m the only one eating. And I like to eat by myself, too.

WH: (he doesn’t answer)
YJ: I don’t usually talk about myself. (she says this to explain herself so she won’t sound patronizing to him.) When I was 8 years old, someone that I loved passed away. I set the table for two, until I became twenty years old. I wanted to believe that they were alive.

Then she stands up and goes to him by the kitchen island. She tries to cajole him.

YJ: We met at the convenience store. If you think back, I’m someone that you probably saw me somewhere else. I’m someone that’s impossible not to know.

She doesn’t know this yet, but yes. He DID notice her at the airport. And he heard of her being talked about at his clinic.

YJ: So let’s eat together. (she opens the pot and scoops food for his bowl). Let’s eat. (bringing his bowls to the table.)

He wipes the counter then follows her. She secretly smiles at him. Now, why do I like this scene? Because he’s often so intractable and stubborn that it’s nice to see him relent to her request.

YJ: It’ll get cold so hurry and eat it.
WH: I heard that actresses eat like a bird.
YJ: So you know who I am! You just called me an actress. (she was so happy.) I’ve been on so many works. It’s impossible not to know me. Right? You do know me, don’t you? (teasing him.)
WH: I’ve only watched the classics. (snubbing her.) I don’t really know other works. I saw it on the article. (It = the news of her breakup). Cause everyone was talking about it.

Not true. He noticed her at the airport. then he met her boyfriend with another woman outside the airport.

YJ: You saw the article. (embarrassed) I’m curious. Tell me.
WH: What?
YJ: The name of the person who’s eating with me now. What you do.

lol. She’s supposed to be heartbroken over her cheating boyfriend, but she’s now distracted. She doesn’t mind that he’s read the article.

WH: This is the reason why I don’t eat with strangers. They try so hard to learn so much while eating a single meal together.
YJ: I only asked about two things. (deliberately misunderstanding him. She doesn’t find offense at his putdown.)

As you can see, instead of the guy making the girl feel at home, it was YJ making WH feel at home in his own home. She didn’t take it personally that the guy was resisting her. She just won him over (albeit reluctantly) by keeping the conversation between them simple and natural.

I also liked this scene because it reminded of that movie Notting Hill with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. That plot was cliched, too — famous actress meets a regular guy – but nobody groused about it. lol. I don’t mind when a writer uses a tried-and-tested story. I’d prefer that she uses a reliable story than over-reach with a fantastical tale that’s riddled with plot holes or unsustainable for 16 episodes. Cough…cough…cough…The Ghost Detective.

Gotta run. Will add more later.