I’ve noticed that I’ve been too verbose lately. 😂 For a change, I’ll focus on pics in this post.

1. Guys are indeed visual creatures like what KiYoung said. I like it when SH couldn’t help but be entranced by TH’s loveliness. I like those moments because he wasn’t faking his reactions. He had no need to. He was saying them out of her hearing. He wasn’t saying them to “seduce” or manipulate TH’s emotions.

Gif credit: joyhwan’s tumblr

During Episode 5

.

During Episode 8

Episode 12.

See that? Contrary to TH’s accusation in Episode 12, SH DID want to take a pic of her as a keepsake. But TH needed to understand him, too. Somebody as “cool” as SH, probably felt uncomfortable posing with aegyo for the camera, like TH did naturally all the time.  I know my own sons would find it too cheesy despite belonging to the Snapchat Generation.

Also, if you notice, while they were in the cafe, SH wasn’t embarrassed to be seen hanging around and chatting with a server. As a matter of fact, the “cute” picture he took of TH was the one when she was WIPING down the table. This indicates to me that, unlike SJ’s ex-boyfriend, he didn’t look down on her menial job. 👍

He wasn’t a snob or an elitist. 😍

2. The reason she was upset with him at the coffee shop and rejected his overtures to go out with him was because she was sulking. 😜 She expected him to arrive much earlier and she was waiting for him for a long time.

Gif credit: joyhwan’s tumblr

Remember? Her friend KY called her up to tell her that SH was already on his way. But the friend didn’t know that SH was called to the police station. SH went first to the police station, then to his old home where he wept for his lost mother.

By the time he arrived at the coffee shop, TH had been waiting for ages.

3. Her lecture on apologies.

credit: kdramaxoxo

Yes, adding that “If I made you feel bad” is a disingenuous form of apology. Why?

Because you’re minimizing the blame and shifting it instead onto the victim (i.e., it’s his/her fault for feeling bad because he/she is too sensitive). You’re essentially saying, “It’s your fault weren’t so freaking sensitive, this wouldn’t be a big issue, and I wouldn’t be apologizing to you.”

The interesting point here for me is that THIS kind of apology is NOT ShiHyun’s style. He apologizes in straight-forward manner.

Take for instance the incident of the broken plate.

SH: I’m sorry. I dropped the plate by accident. (Contritely said)
TH: It’s fine. (Holding back her anger.)

SH then offered to make himself useful while she made another plate.

TH: Stop fooling around. If this place meant something, would you have done that? “I broke the plate. What should I do.” You could have called me but you didn’t. If that isn’t fooling around, then what is?

SH: I’m sorry I didn’t call ahead. But couldn’t you hear my story first?

TH: Forget it.

SH owned up to his mistake without excuses. He could have blamed SJ or an anonymous friend for sitting on the plate – and he wouldn’t be lying.  Instead, he chose to admit breaking it.

Afterwards, TH acknowledged that she had been hasty in condemning him. SH was right that she was being defensive because SHE herself didn’t want to appear to cling to him and be needy of his attention like the halmonis in the nursing home.

Okay. Will scrounge around for more gifs/pics to explain.  Be back in a bit.

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Additional gifs. Will post my explanations later.

4. I know TH’s tearful breakup at the end of Episode 12 pulled our heartstrings but to be fair to ShiHyun, she was only seeing one side of the story.

From liveasbutterflies’ tumblr.

For instance, he did in fact take a pic of her, but she didn’t see him. He did it when she was doing a mundane task – some would even call it a menial job – of wiping tables. I explained this earlier.

He thought she looked pretty even doing chore. And to me, that candid shot was a hundredfold more romantic than SH taking souvenir shots of “picture perfect” moments. Don’t you agree? 

Then this, <font color = “blue”>Why don’t you hold my hand first?</font>

I think she was obsessing about hand-holding. GURRRRRLLLLL, what’s wrong with you? What’s your point??

Look, if she wanted a “public display of affection” then there’s more than one way to do that.  (that’s a snort emoji for my disgust)  Think piggyback rides. What did she think those piggyback rides were?

IMO, hand-holding simply means “I’ll walk beside you” but piggyback rides means “I’ll CARRY you. No matter the distance, I’ll carry you.” 

But I think I know why the hand-holding became an issue for her. It was because she saw SH holding hands over the counter with SJ and mistook his hand-massaging for something else.  She was jealous.

I bet it bugged her so the following day SHE made it a point that SHE held hands with him too. 

As for the kiss, welllll, she got it wrong, too.  Just because SH avoided discussing about their first kiss did NOT mean that he disliked it. On the contrary, he too couldn’t forget their first kiss. As a matter of fact, his eyes would zoom in on her lips because he wanted to do it again. But he was flustered by his own attraction that he avoided her presence and ran away from her. Cue the ladder mishap, lol.

Aigoooo. She only heard one side of the phone conversation. She heard that the caller was SooJi, but she didn’t hear the URGENT reason for SooJi’s call. SooJi could have said something like, “Come here quick! A group of men just kidnapped SeJoo.” And SH would have to rush over to her side.

As for the reason she was asking these questions?

I blame her insecurity. She was afraid that she was turning into her father.  The key to understanding TH is her relationship with her father. More of this later….

5. I mentioned this to Dorotka in a comment.  The director SHOULD HAVE stressed from the beginning that SJ’s hands were precious to her. The boys pampered her in ridiculous ways out of concern.

From bestival’s tumblr.

Like TaeHee, I originally thought that hand-massaging moment was intimate.

In this cafe, I thought they were meeting like lovers.

From delightwoods’ tumblr

But after the boys’ explanation that SJ’s hands became tired easily from practicing the cello, I began to see these massages as un-romantic and more “service-oriented.” 😂 They’re therapeutic, like what my therapist would do to my broken wrist. He was doing her a service. It wasn’t a sexual come-on or a prelude to romance.

Also, this whole scene suddenly took on a different tone.

credit: sseureki

WTH? That was her “precious hand” she was trying to injure.