Since it’s almost Christmas, I did WooHyun and YooJung’s scene with the Christmas tree.
I’ll work on Eps 15 and 16 Heart-Fluttering Moments when I can get away from the marauding invaders who share my DNA and are now looting my fridge. Thank goodness for Costco!!
Jack Sparrow = me; Cannibals = my sons, my husband, my visiting brothers and their families
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They read YJ’s letter to her fans, “Hello, everyone, this is Yoon YooJung. I’ll be sharing some good news today. It’s very exciting news for me, but I believe that you all will be even happier for me. I’m getting married! Respecting each other, being considerate of each other, prettily, happily, we’ll live well together. If you all will congratulate us, I think it will be a happy day. I will accept happily. I will remember the love and encouragement you’ve given me. I’ll work even harder to show you a good image as an actress. Thank you always, and I love you.”
I love that she took time to write a letter. It’s that extra personal touch that wins the heart of fans. It also struck me that the letter sounded like a run-of-the-mill announcement but when she was writing it (and reading it as a voice-over), her giddy excitement couldn’t be contained. Too bad that her “tone” couldn’t be expressed in writing, unless she included a lot of heart emojis.
YJ: It might sound like a ceremonial greeting, but I’m sincere.
Her THIRD and final wedding vow copied some of the phrases here in her letter. And it did sound like a ceremonial greeting. “We swear to become a couple that always respects and trusts in one another through love.”
To me, their “first” wedding took place at the beach when they were dancing by themselves. He vowed never to change and she promised to be at his side forever. I like that best of all.
The second wedding was the interrupted one. I like their vows here, too, since the things they wrote would only have special significance to them as a couple. However, if you were the one of the guests, you wouldn’t get the “inside joke.” Too bad that she wasn’t able to finish reading her vows.
And the third wedding was the surprised one. I thought their vow was short and straight to the point. lol. She was probably worried that they’d get interrupted again and just wanted the ceremony over and done with as quickly as possible, and “claim” him as her husband. 😂 Of course, they still had to register their marriage.
WH: I’m worried what to do if getting married makes you less popular.
YJ: My fans aren’t like that. And I’ve gotten the person I can be with forever so that they should concede that much.
WH: Seeing that article, this is really happening. It’s starting to feel real now.
YJ: I got butterflies and felt nervous when I saw the article, too.
They trimmed the tree. And she reminisced about the Christmas tree in front of her house.
YJ: Every Christmas, on the tree in front of our house, we would put on decorations like this. Saying our hands are so cold and chilly and blow on them and laughing aloud. I don’t even know what was fun about that. Mom and I, the two of us.
And this is another reason their characters match. WooHyun had NO such happy memories of family traditions but YJ did. In the future, WH can be guided by YJ’s memories on how to lead a normal family life and he can share in her rich family traditions with their children.
WH: I don’t have those kinds of childhood memories. So this type of thing is unfamiliar and strange to me.
YJ: Let’s create a memory each day in our life. When we live together, there’ll be times when we’re annoyed at each other. But couples with lots of great memories will endure on those, I heard.
WH: So the power of memory protects love.
YJ: When you fight and hate each other, if you pull out a good memory and think about it, then your heart will melt.
lol. No wonder this conversation bored some viewers! Our couple talked like they were marriage counselors! But I love this kind of dialogue between couples in my kdramas. This is how it should be in real life. Couples SHOULD be talking seriously about their expectations, hopes and dreams of married life BEFORE tying the knot. Like how they should raise their kids and how they should argue.
And here, WooHyun and YooJung were covering the bases. Since she grew up in a loving family, YooJung would like to have one like that where the focus is on memory-building rather than gaining fame and wealth. Not once did she mention winning awards or receiving accolades. When she looked back on her happy days, it was about family. She would like to raise her kids in the same way.
As for arguing, lol. Yes, that was what she did when they had the break up after the beach. Her memories of him made her decide that he was worth losing everything. She wore her ring again while remembering their promise at the beach.
WH: I think I heard something like that from JungSeok (his StepHyung) and his wife.
YJ: Every morning, I’ll wake up and think about what memory I’ll create today. I’ll think about it really hard.
That’s a good advice on how to live life with optimism. And this is another way that she complemented WH’s bleak outlook. Because of his solitary life, he didn’t get to have this chance to be bright and “chirpy” in the morning. His mother warned him about this in the first episode. She told him, “Even though it hurts (when it fails, she meant), you’re excited and happy when you’re in love. People don’t become old just because they age. They become old when they lose that excitement.”
WH: By the way, our wedding, so we don’t end up regretting later on, should we do it slowly after you’re done with work abroad?
YJ: We can’t! They say, “Out of sight, out of mind.” Cha WooHyun is Yoon YooJung’s man. I want the whole world to know and I’m going to put up our wedding photo everywhere so I can feel at ease.
He grinned at her emphatic declaration.
hahaha. This is heart-fluttering for me because she really wanted to “put the ring” on him. Go girl!
WH: All right. Let’s do that.
He yielded to her again. lol.
He didn’t want her rushing the wedding because of her departure. He didn’t want her stressed out with the preparations so he was fine with waiting for her and postponing the wedding until she came back. But he saw that she wanted the wedding as her “security” or “guarantee” that nobody would steal him from her, he yielded to her wishes.
YJ: About our wedding, shouldn’t we tell Father, too?
WH: (looking surprised) What? I already did.
YJ: I mean, not my dad. Your father.
WH: Ahhh.
YJ: Chairman Cha Tae Soo. (lol. So THAT was his name!)
He grimaced a bit and didn’t say anything. But following their talk, he confronted his father and made a deal. He would join the Choego Group if the father promised to receive aggressive treatment and tell the family first. Now, I think this is a curious turn of events. His mother used a fake illness to force him to join the Choego Group. In turn, he dangled his openness to join the Choego Group to force his dad to receive treatment for his real illness.
I like that YJ didn’t pressure him to do something he wasn’t ready for. She only reminded him that there was still unfinished business that he had to attend to. This is a perfect example of how her love transformed WooHyun to become a BETTER person, without changing him into somebody that he wasn’t. When YJ encouraged him to resolve the problem in his own time and his own way, she was allowing him to become more of his true self, a good man.
Gotta run!
I found the last two episodes had a lot of dialogue. But I didn’t mind that. Some of the complaints had to do with how little screen time the couple had but I was fine with that. It made sense that they couldn’t be together throughout the two episodes. WH had to be a director (while playing waiter) and YJ had to finish up all her projects before going to the US (and playing waitress, her fans must have had a field day!). But even though they were not together physically, they were always on each others’ mind and I loved that!
And seeing all these screenshots of WH’s smiling face, I feel like WH’s face or CJM’s is one that is not super expressive but when he smiles like that, I feel like nothing else is happening around him. He’s just looking lovingly at YJ, being so in love at having found her.
Thanks for sharing and I hope you survive the onslaught.
Merry Christmas @packmule3 and all the chinggus here….
Thank you for the posts on the important scenes for our sweetest couple… What I like about this drama is that it is so relatable… It is not the usual Rom-Com that is full of passion but a Rom-Com that is full of love. It is the emotional connection that gave us the fluttering feelings. It is the emotional connection that does not change with time. That is why after a year, WH still has that “I m so in love” look when he received YJ’s text. I ws grinning from ear to ear when I saw his expression.
“Couples SHOULD be talking seriously about their expectations, hopes and dreams of married life BEFORE tying the knot. Like how they should raise their kids and how they should argue.” totally agree with you that this is important and this will help couples stay in their marriage. It is communication that will tide couples through difficult times not passion.
It is also communication that cleared the misunderstandings between YJ and Dad, Dad and WH, Mum and Step-mum, step-mum and WH, WH and step-bro, YJ and BFF,…
This show is about communication… Something that can’t be bought with money but needs the time and openness of both parties.. When done right, create wonders which money and power can’t….
So this is a drama that must be watched with subs…cos it is in their conversations! Their conversations make you reflect on your own too!
As time passes, my feelings about Fluttering Alert have returned to their original warmth. What’s better than watching two lovely people grow through their love? As @nok and @Anna Tan mentioned above, there’s much joy derived from watching uri Milk couple communicate well—it bodes well for their future.
I think this show lends itself well to binging, particularly when pushing through the second onerous separation. It’s also really worth listening to the dialogue because nothing’s accidental.
Happy Christmas to all who observe it. I just returned from a Christmas eve dinner nearly 4-hour drive and for once (!) we didn’t have to drive in horizontal snow! Tomorrow, another dinner much closer to home. And yes, we look just like those zombies in @packmule3’s GIF at the top of the page!
Merry Christmas, Pacmule & the rest of you. I love your posts and your exchange of analysis & insights. The entire drama has tons of fluttering moments, both visually & the conversations of the leads, even the secondary characters.
This drama is more than romcom, more of cerebral and emotional (How could this complement each other), even since episode 1. I’’m not bored at all, really.
By the way way, Yoon Eun Hye’s latest Instagram post is related to Christmas (I think, her own handwriting in English). She wrote faith, hope & love.
Related to Love Alert?
Thank you.
She did?? She wrote about faith, hope and love?
😀
When those three words are grouped together like that, particularly in that order: faith, hope, and love, she’s alluding to the LOVE passage I mentioned earlier. It’s the ending of the passage on love from the letters of Paul to the Corinthians. It started with defining what love is, i.e., “Love is patient, love is kind” and it ended with
“Three things will last forever: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.”
And yes, I would say that this whole kdrama Fluttering Alert/Love Alert is a REFLECTION of HER faith, especially her faith in the Christian God who works in mysterious ways (i.e., WH’s and YJ’s fate) and can move the hearts of many (like WH and YJ and WH’s family) if only they open themselves to goodness.
As well as an EXPRESSION of her hope and dreams for the future. Like that she’ll be loved as someone’s wife and mom. That even when her fame has waned, she’ll remain a beloved “star” in her fans’ lives.
And lastly, an EXPOSITION of her musings on love. I would say that the things that we learned about love from WH and YJ’s interaction and the love that the characters showed throughout the show, mirrored her values and priorities.
So for those viewers who deplored this project and wished that she had a “better” kdrama as a comeback, lol, I say that they didn’t get it. Their words were actually insulting TO HER, and denigrating HER choice.
To me, she picked this one NOT because she had a dearth of “better” offers but because this one appealed to HER heart the most.
Just like the wedding gown.
Her official instagram is https://www.instagram.com/y1003_grace/?hl=en
You can check it out. I don’t know how to insert the images here.
Yoon Eun Hye is fond inserting notes (her very own handwriting) in her gifts (including her gifts to fans during her fan meetings) in the past. She is very creative and artistic and even joined an exhibit to showcase her paintings.
https://www.soompi.com/article/597133wpp/yoon-eun-hye-exhibits-her-own-art-at-the-10-corso-como
Yes. I do feel that this drama, like most of her dramas, did go some way to showcasing YEH’s talents (and similarly for CJM’s with the surfing) like her handwriting but as packmule3 mentioned, I also feel that there are a lot in this drama that seems to be a nod to some of the things happening (or happened) in her own life. (Though granted, some of these things may also be common to other personalities.) The scandals and the unreasonable responses by netizens, the ownership of the entertainment agency, the comments about the wedding dresses… maybe it’s just me over-reading but yeah, as a fan, I think her choice of comeback drama was good. It’s not a high budget one which will be scrutinised, nor does it have that many famous names… I enjoyed watching this and I’m glad I found this blog to share this love for this drama.
Yes, you’re right. The last two episodes didn’t have a lot of action going on but plenty of dialogues. And I like that. I like that the characters are processing what they’re thinking and doing, and not just mindlessly going from one emotional high to another.
But of course, some viewers would find dialogue-laden scenes “boring”. Action-packed scenes speed up the pace while dialogues slows it down. There’s a sense of panic and urgency in action scenes which can’t be duplicated in a sit-down conversation.
However, during romantic scenes, the pace should be slower so as to make the viewers involved with the “ambiance” and the “mood.” The conversations in this kdrama tell us how the characters are reflecting and reacting to the situation. We don’t need movement or a change of scenery for the couple to discuss her departure, for instance. They just need to sit down and TALK!
True, this drama is relatable. It’s definitely not makjang or melodramatic. Their break-up after their beach “elopement” was sad but it was more because YJ was crying often.
It never occurred to me that their problems were insurmountable and that their break-up was irrevocable. I was just waiting for the writer to turn off the “sad” switch and make the couple reunite.
I guess we can also view this kdrama as a “moralistic” show. There were moral lessons, especially during the ending, on how to live your life, how to be in a loving relationship, how to treat your parents, how to view life struggles, and so on. The writer definitely wanted us to know right from wrong. I mean, if you listen to the YJ’s father alone, you can tell that he’s the “moral guru” of WH.
I guess that probably one reason the characters converse a lot. The writer probably wanted to ensure that her message went across through the dialogues.
I love that this show had communication galore especially in the last episodes. You can tell the writer is trying to wrap things up nicely.
lol. Are you safely back in town? I hate driving in the snow; I don’t know how you do it.
Yes, there’s nothing accidental in the dialogue. When you go over the last two, three episodes, you’ll notice that none of the characters really talk at cross-purposes. There isn’t much extraneous info in their dialogue, they don’t meander, and they don’t waste time on explaining.
For instance when the mother and the Stepmother was talking about the Chairman’s illness. The mom just casually said that WH was fated to meet YJ because YJ’s father is this “aboji” that WH hero-worshipped as a child and considered his surrogate dad. The writer killed three birds with one stone there. One, the Stepbrother overheard them and felt guilty. Two, the stepmother also felt guilty and ashamed but didn’t bring up her role in it. And three, one of them, either the Stepbrother or the stepbrother felt guilty enough to go and inform the chairman about this.
#And lastly, an EXPOSITION of her musings on love. I would say that the things that we learned about love from WH and YJ’s interaction and the love that the characters showed throughout the show, mirrored her values and priorities.
So for those viewers who deplored this project and wished that she had a “better” kdrama as a comeback, lol, I say that they didn’t get it. Their words were actually insulting TO HER, and denigrating HER choice.#
I really like you Packmule. As I said before, in such a short time you could understand YEH in a way that even (some of) her long time couldn’t. To know YEH better you have to know her background. Her family, how she’s been raised, how she perceived fame & fortune (money). And then you can understand her way of thinking (maybe some of it). One of them is why she picked up this project (drama) among other offers. To me, her decision to chose this drama is more because of personal reason (values & priorities per you said) compare to popularity or money orientation. YEH isn’t a greedy person. She knows her boundaries. She said once (on a religiou event) that she doesn’t care (she used strong word : “hate”) about popularity (fame) and being rich (money) because it brough her miseries (before)
So I’m not surprised if her decision to chose this drama is based on that reasoning.
PS: Perhaps you should watch her testimony on a religion event in Indonesia last year (2017) to know what I mean 😊
Are YEH’s parents still alive, @lonetwilight?
In the drama, WH asked her what YH felt about him if he was just a man who volunteered and did welfare work. YJ answered, “Well… a man who wagers his life on something so meaningful? A man of convictions.”
That was the second time she mentioned that. In Ep 1, she heard WH arguing a patient’s care and YH admired him saying, “He isn’t a stubborn man. He just had opinions (or conviction). I like how easily trustworthy he is.”
The character of WH is very clear to see from very early in the script. If YEH the actress couldn’t relate or tolerate this idea of a man being admirable bec he stands for convictions, she wouldn’t have agreed to do this kdrama. She has to BELIEVE in the story and the message of the story. Otherwise it would be like hell shooting the kdrama.
First of all, sorry for many typos in my previous post.
Secondly, to answer your question, yes her parent still alive and still very much in love.
Her parent marriage are still strong despite they didn’t get any blessing (at first) from their own parent (YEH’s grandparents). They were happy although living in a poor condition. That’s how YEH and her brother were brough up in their younger days.
I think her parent blissful marriage has inspired YEH to also get one one day (in the future). Maybe that’s why she’s attracted to “Love Alert” script since the character of WH is somehow what she’s looking for in a husband. A man of conviction.
Anyway, I re-watch Love Alert with subtitle and you’re right, it made a big difference. Thanks for open my eyes with your interpretation Packmule 😘
You’re welcome, @lonetwilight. No worries about typos. I do that, too.
I’m going to write more on YEH tomorrow. I couldn’t focus on her yesterday because of guests. She’s actually lucky. She got to do this project that reflects HER and her way of life. She wasn’t forced to kiss or wear skimpy clothes. She was able to act her “natural” self and show us her easy-going nature and charming self. The character didn’t do anything that opposed her values in life. How many other actresses can say the same thing?
I tried to watch Moon ChaeWon in “Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter.” lol. How can THAT role be satisfying for her?? She was passive character who spoke in either a stilted and elderly manner or an airhead/perpetually confused fairy style. Ugh!! That role didn’t do her acting skills any justice.