When I read these comments about how awesome Sejoo is, I no longer wonder why so many girls are fooled by a handsome face.
Public Service Announcement: Be leery of him. He’s not the good guy that you think he is.
In my opinion, he’s the one who resembles Valmont the closest.
Remember when I wrote in another post that his character and SH’s were the composite halves of Valmont? I said, fused together, they could make up Valmont. Now, it’s clear to me that Sejoo is the nastier one of the two. He’s the Valmont character here, not SH.
This is me. “Don’t hit me, you crazy fangirls, till you hear me out.” Lol.
Like Valmont, he’s the libertine or pleasure-seeker. He enjoys the nightlife, the night clubs, the nightly carousel, unlike SH who seems comfortable spending nighttime stargazing.
SJoo even compares himself to a vampire because he likes nighttime so much. (Remind me to discuss the foreshadowing of SJ’s death next time… I don’t want to cause fangirls angst tonight.)
He said, “I must’ve been a vampire in my past life. Why do I love nights so much?” SH replied, “Vampires don’t have a past life. Their immortality ends when they become dust in the sunlight.”
What else do we know about vampires? They’re bloodsuckers. In order to live, they must suck blood.
That was what SeJoo did in that scene. He figuratively sucked blood from his Hyung.
By chance, he saw his married older brother going around with a girlfriend and he immediately pounced on his prey. Without guilt pangs.
He blackmailed his older brother. That’s how he ended up with a gold credit card. That’s also why his big brother defended him against their father. SJ could EXTORT his Hyung because he saw his brother was involved in an extramarital affair.
Like Valmont, SeJoo is unscrupulous.
Like Valmont, too, he’s a genius at mapping out and connecting a person’s motive and the next course of action.
Why do you think he cancelled his night plans in Episode 8 and returned to their apartment?
He lied to them, saying that his plans were canceled when, in truth, he canceled them himself. He sensed that something was about to happen between SH and SJ, and he didn’t want to be left out. If there were talks of marriage plans, then he was going to meddle.
Who was the “you” he was referring to here? This moment sounded ominous. 
Haven’t you noticed that he would pop out of nowhere to interrupt the two, SH and SJ?
Like this:
credit: wonderlxnds
And this moment reminded me –
credit: wooyoungbby
this moment faintly reminded me of a scene in the movie when Valmont greeted the girl with an exuberant and unwanted kiss. #metoo
Sejoo’s ability to read a person’s motives and predict his/her moves is something to be cautious about. Don’t be impressed by his story of the Fisherman and the Bait. Be distrustful of him instead.
He knew that Sooji would move to confront TH at the pool yet he didn’t warn SH. As SH’s friend, he SHOULD HAVE given SH heads-up that SJ was upset with him and might go after TH. Instead, he lied about SJ’s whereabouts, saying that she was already in bed.
To me, it seemed like he enjoyed the drama that ensued the following morning. He liked that TH left after SooJi’s machinations, and that SH chased after her, because that meant SJ’s plan backfired and she was alone with him.
Notice the smile?
Many viewers tend to ignore his devious moments because 1) they feel sorry for his dysfunctional family and 2) he’s a cutie.
However we cannot overlook or excuse his bad behavior with people outside his circle.
We all know that how a person treats the weak and inferior people is a good indicator of his character. Observe the way SeJoo comports himself with KiYoung. Table122000 was one of the rare people who spoke out against SJ’s mean conduct toward KiYoung.
SH didn’t treat KiYoung like a pariah. He always conversed with her like equals. And he was courteous to her.
On the other hand, SJ could barely conceal his revulsion for her. Like Valmont, he flirted and faked interest when necessary.
But he made sure SJ knew that he was only doing this because of a deal made with her (another deal? Tsk tsk tsk. SooJi is such a dealmaker, like the Marquise in the original novel).
Also, like Valmont, SJ possesses an inflated sense of himself.
In this scene, he suggested racing home – not to show off his driving skills – but to be rid of her company as soon as possible.
His annoyed look said it all. Seducing KY was beneath him and he was wasting his time with her. KY was startled to see that annoyance on his but that poor girl! she totally ignored the sign.
She was so repugnant to him that he would stoop to anything to ensure she didn’t attend their weekender. Sure, it might not be HIS idea to feed KY rotten food but… really? Didn’t anybody get the irony of SJ dancing in front of the maid?
A chaebol son, he danced like a gigolo for a servant.
credit: messijoahae
At least, KiYoung didn’t demean herself and engage in such degrading behavior in HER pursuit of him. 😀
Stay classy, SeJoo. lol.
He even kisses hand like Valmont…
hahaha. That was a dead giveaway for me. The French kisses.
Wow, insight is so amazing! There are so many things that are ‘off’ about SJoo, but it’s easily hidden due to his good looks and his ability to make make everything seem more light hearted. And there is a part of you that can’t help by feel sorry for him because of his family issues– but when you look at his actions closer you can really see that he seems on par with SJ in terms of being cold and calculating. And his family dynamics shouldn’t be an excuse for his actions.
There was a part of me that really wanted to see KiYoung be the turning point for SJoo. Like he lets down his guard enough and someone who he once sees as nauseating becomes someone he can love wholeheartedly and can’t be without. Well, that’s still my wish for him maybe just not with KY.
Same here! I would like him transformed by KY.
But at the same time, I disapprove of this “messianic complex” that writers assign to their innocent females.
Why do these weak women have to be the sacrificial lambs for these men’s conversion into a good man?
To me, this kind of kdrama plot teaches the female viewers to be passive and patient, because “one day, just one day) their menfolk.It’s also like indoctrinating women that it’s okay to be abused because their sacrifices will all be worth it when their man turn into a new leaf. Bah!
I don’t know too much about KY from the drama yet. I know she is just a support character, but I do hope the writers give us a bit more back story on KY. I feel like I’ve seen more of the mama than of her! TH doesn’t seem to have that many people she can trust or rely on and I really appreciate their friendship and I think there’s the potential for the writers to make each of the female characters stronger than they appear- KY in particular. Or they can just be going in the direction that you mentioned above..haha but I have hope.
I might have missed the reason why she did not end up going to the cabin afterwards– did she get sick too? But I really applauded her for staying behind to take care of her mom. haha I mean FOR me, I used to ditch my friends and parents all the time for stupid boys when I was younger! Even though she probably was dying inside, I feel like she prioritizes the right things.
I don’t particular see Se Joo’s actions as particularly abusive in her eyes (yet) since they’re kind of subtle, and the way he outwardly acts to her does seem like he likes her (in her eyes) so she probably thinks there’s a chance.
Totally agree. Lets not forget the part at the club in episode 6 in which SeJoo totally ignores a Kyung Joo that obviously came for him and runs to some random girls to flirt with.
I’m also pretty convinced he did suggest to that maid to feed Kyung Joo spoilt food as he was pretty sure she wouldn’t show up. Didn’t seem to feel any remorse either.
He’s not the clown he lets SJ and SH think he is and can have pretty deep feelings but he’s also not a nice guy.
Not much time to comment, but yes, I was just a couple of days ago thinking that SH is definitely not Valmont. He is way too soft and actually quite caring (I still see his sort of affair with Nayoung more as SH ptotectiveness…)
SJ indeed fits Valmont better, though I think SJ is more vulnerable. I like him as a character, he seems to be also the most consistently written one (and I looove the actor! I liked him in Goblin, Romantic Teacher and The Best Hit).
Btw, some viewers think SH and Sooji should get together, but I see it differently, I’m afraid their relationship would be way too passionate and toxic. TH seems to be actually the better choice, to give SH some stability and simple love.
Oh, and I don’t know why, but I could also see a poster’s name and address prefilled…
Even at the end of episode 9 (the scene we were talking about in your previous post) where Sejoo said “of course tell her to come, tell everyone to come” and they put the camera on each of their faces, did you see the smirk on Sejoo’s face with that bgm? it gave me chills, this guy is definitely Valmont and one to look out for. I was already suspicious when they showed their individual teasers and and you saw him sitting in the chair wearing black and white while holding that mask. Uh uh you know to be on guard with him after seeing that lol
I didn’t see that teaser you mentioned. 😖 Where did you see it? On YouTube? Was he the only one of the three with a black and white clothing and a mask?
Gosh. Had I known that then I wouldn’t have tried so hard analyzing this dude. 😂
Black and white = duality of his character. Two-faced, insincere, deceitful.
Mask = concealing his real self.
But is his primary target 🎯 Shihyun or SooJi? Lol. No wonder the story is moving swiftly. I expected that break-up scene of TH sometime in the 24th episode (or 12th episode in regular count).
But I’m still hoping that he’ll turn out good in the end. I don’t want to break fangirls’ hearts who “feel” for this charmer. Really. If I had a daughter, and she comes to tell me that she’s in love, you betcha I’m going to scrutinize that young man with all the resources of the CIA.😜 😂
Remember when he said to SJ that he had to live “that way” to exist? I wondered then if he was trying to justify something else that he was doing behind their backs, secretly.
Plus, the way he said it, he switched tone and expression so fast, I was admiring the actor’s skills. Like, what is he? PSYCHO??! (Imcidentally, Sooji called him when he took away her lollipop.)
😂 I know! I was surprised that she decided to stay home and take care of her mother because I would have sulked if that were me. We’re a pair of self-centered girls, aren’t we?
I don’t think SJ has been abusive with her. Yet. Time will tell.
He has managed to minimize contact with her. When he was with her, he wasn’t openly hostile. That nightclub scene where he snubbed her – I thought it was actually a good thing because it showed her that SJoo paid attention to the other girls (with boobs) while he ignored her new hairstyle. He had no excuse NOT to notice her new hairstyle.
I’ll wait and see what happens next. For all I know, the writer could be setting him up with the maid.
My cynical self thought it was a sneaky ploy to have a Chinese-speaking maid. Lol. The producers will have no problems marketing this kdrama in China then. 😜
Also, did you notice the cellphones he kept in the drawer?
Per the subs, he called his third brother on one of them.
At first, I thought, “Awwwww, he called up his Hyung.”
But then I started to suspect: what if those phones are connected to people he’s blackmailing? One phone for each “victim”? Hahaha. Nefarious, isn’t it? 😆
The sister-in-law who brought him the rope? Whose wife was she? The third brother? The second? I couldn’t tell. I should have checked the order the wives were standing in attendance at dinner time. 🤦♀️
I agree. Sooji is high-strung for me. (The actress is portraying her exceeding well, though.) She’s incompatible with anyone unwilling to put up with a Drama Queen. I wouldn’t want somebody like her as a daughter or as daughter-in-law. My eyeballs would need a replacement just from continually glaring at her to “keep quiet, Your Royal Highness, andsit down!
She’s definitely not chaebol daughter-in-law material until she’s learned to curb her impulsiveness and histrionics. Lol. That scene after her mother’s engagement when she threw a fit? After watching that, I could easily imagine her having a similar nut rage incident as Helen Cho of Korean Airways.
Yes, I’m very impressed with the actor who’s playing SJoo. Was he in Goblin? 🤔Ah yes!!! How could I’ve forgotten! He was the young King. I watched a bit of Best Hit and I liked him there, too. I see why he was chosen for this role. He fits it perfectly. He has this … charisma? Magnetism? He appears charming but at the same time, when provoked, he looks fiendish. Cold. I remember that scene in Goblin when he ordered his queen killed then he walked away….
Yup! He can definitely emote Valmont’s level of diabolic. I’m looking forward to it.
Yes, onlysb had the same difficulty. I don’t know why it’s doing that. I thought of putting a filter so posters are required to log in with but I don’t know if that option will make it harder for you to post, instead of easier.
I wonder if it had something to do with the spam I deleted earlier. I keep on deleting spams for the dumbest things. Whose name did you see on the comment box? One of us here?
Hahaaa don’t worry your analysis is still needed. We need the reminding because it’s very easy to fall for his charming self and sympathise with the abuse he receives at home, that you forget that he’s no different from his friends.
sejoo’s teaser poster
https://mobile.twitter.com/mbcdrama_pre/status/969373678612840448/photo/1
Sooji
https://mobile.twitter.com/mbcdrama_pre/status/969373752524881920/photo/1
Sihyun
https://mobile.twitter.com/mbcdrama_pre/status/969373891234693120/photo/1
Taehee
https://mobile.twitter.com/mbcdrama_pre/status/969373832090759168/photo/1
Yes he’s the only one wearing black and white. I also found it interesting that sejoo’s projection is also a plane (just like SH) but it’s black and enlarged against a maroon background. So I’ll take my guess and say his target is Sihyun or like you suggested he may be the one that dies.
Me too I didn’t expect the break up to be so soon. I’m hoping when they reconcile SH tells TH about the bet because we already have the finding out about their parents liking each other to bring more confusion. If he doessn’t tell TH that’s two more potential breakups to make ups too many lol.
If you need reinforcement when you have a daughter let me know, I’ll do some research along with the CIA’s background search lol.
“Remember when he said to SJ that he had to live “that way” to exist? I wondered then if he was trying to justify something else that he was doing behind their backs, secretly.”
If that’s true he may very well be a psychopath like you said. He does score some points on the PCL-R (Psychopathy Check List) that we use to diagnose an individual as a psychopath.
i never thought that after i read this post. i seems crazy to get flashback abt SJ behaviour. it’s very easy to fall for his charming self and get sympathy for him but like you said he has a hidden character that we cant see easily. ah so scary to think that. such good point! really love it
Spot On! I totally agree with your analysis that Se Joo is much more like the mean and nasty Valmont we see in the novel than Shi Hyun. Se Joo really showed in ep. 9-12 how stone cold and ruthless he can be. He basically told the Chinese lady to get rid of Kyung Joo by any means necessary. He wasn’t a bit sorry that the Chinese lady used food poisoning to stop Kyung Joo from going on the trip. I couldn’t support Se Joo/Kyung Joo after that. Additionally, An innocent like Kyung Joo would be eaten alive with that sea of sharks that are Se Joo’s family. Others find his character pitiful, but I don’t. He is just as nasty as Soo Ji in his own way. Yes, his home life and his mother’s situation is sad, but that is no excuse for cruelty. His cruel behavior is often masked or downplayed by his role as the “class clown” in the drama. His humorous antics and smiling facade help to hide the meaner side of his nature. For me he and Soo Ji deserve each other. Like the novel Se Joo and Soo Ji relationship is much more open in the fact that Se Joo communicates a lot more with Soo Ji. He tells her all about anything he learns from Kyung Joo for example. Also, he’s trying his best with his fisherman story.
I do hope that Kyung Joo will be able to find a nice young man who will appreciate her because I think she has a lot of love to give to the right person. I can see the appeal for some people of a Se Joo and Kyung Joo pairing simply because viewers can sympathize with his one sided, unappreciated love for Soo Ji. And then there is Kyung Joo waiting in the wings-she is a very giving person, the total opposite of Soo Ji. If only Se Joo could just move on, he’d find that happiness he seeks. But for me, Kyung Joo is just too innocent and naive for someone like Se Joo. I feel like he’d chew her up and spit her out.
Have you watched him in today’s episodes? Episodes 13 and 14? He totally turned on his charm…that I found myself wondering whether I did the wrong character analysis. hahaha.
But then, I remembered that in today’s episodes, he was given free rein to pursue/date SooJi. That was WHY he was so chirpy. He was in his element. That poor pup.
Just finished watching ep. 13-16. Yeah, what a difference a week makes. Se Joo was full on charming these eps and spilling some truth tea to Soo Ji as well as bonding with Shi Hyun. He was even (gasp) relatively civil to Kyung Joo (but then he was using her to try and make Soo Ji jealous). Yes, I found myself questioning-was last week just a dream? I had to say to myself “Focus, Table, Focus!” Hahaha! So I can’t blame viewers for not being able to see the negative side of his character, even though he is definitely not the angel they make him out to be. However, things were going his way these eps as he began his campaign to win Soo Ji. His past record speaks for itself, though. He can be cold, manipulative and dangerous when he wants to be.
😂Same here. I haven’t seen Tuesday’s eps 15 and 16. But Monday’s eps made me blink.
Were we on crack? How come he was such an amiable, pleasant guy? Then I realized 🤦♀️Of course! He’s a two-faced player! He’s a seducer. His charm was on tap, like water. We’re being played.
Smooth, very smooth. 😂