I stopped watching after Episode 5. Do we have any updates? Fern, are you still watching this? 🙂
Was my wild theory correct? That this odd church transition scene in Episode 4 was a foreshadowing of EunSub’s own family? That it was a hint to us that EunSub was a foster child and his real dad isn’t St. Joseph … errr … I mean that old balding man but the man in the photograph?
What about Jang Woo? Did he straighten out? Did he stop picking on poor EunSub?
Are the two of them dating now? Should I watch it again? 🙂
Thanks!
Eun Seob grew up in the mountain. His mother left when he was young, his father died and his uncle was a sailor. So he grew up with his actual family. When he left for 3 years, it was to take care of his ill mother. His uncle came back sometimes in his life for money, but now he would like to leave his family and to come live with him.
For HW, we learnt that the Aunt killed the father but the mother said it was her. HW doesn’t know yet. The Aunt wears sun glasses because she has a glaucoma.
For KW, he has some rapprochement with his past crush.
ES and HW have a beautiful and super cute relationship! They’re lovely together.
Ah. Thanks.
Yes, to all that @Sayaris said. The aunt is getting more and more interesting. Her publisher-ex has persuaded her to write a book about her life. He promised not to ask which bits are fact and which are fiction, but then he gets terrified by the opening sentence, which she sends to him by fax without any explanation. Ha. And it is terrifying. I couldn’t get subs last night, so watched the most recent episode at breakfast time before the rest of the Ferns were up. Bad idea.
So ES’s mum left and one day his father didn’t come back when he was about 10. His father is dead, but we’re not given info. He was found by his step dad. I think ES won’t go to live with his uncle. I was amazed that his uncle could persuade him to even go away for a day.
ES and HW have started their relationship. HW isn’t wasting any time. She has figured out that she has to lead more or less gently, but I’m sure it will be rocky, based on the preview.
JW was set up. So funny. He’s supposed to meet his mom for lunch, but guess what. Blind date.’Mom, how young you look,’ he says into his phone as he arrives in that same cafe. Of course, he can’t stop thinking about Eun Sil, but when she calls for business, he’s completely flustered. In fishing terms, she’s playing him but hasn’t set the hook. Hwi takes a pic of blind date for bribery purposes.
Bo Young shows up to test the water about ES and HW. ES confirms that even if he had known about BY’s crush on him it wouldn’t have made a difference. She leaves and goes up the mountain in a fury of self-pity. I wonder what she was doing the last several years?
And there’s more. How much do you want? Lol. Why ES calls her Irene. The newest member of the book club. The reasons why husbands beat their wives and how these characters were involved.
I do like this show. The storyline is getting more interesting. The only problem I’m having (sorry @Sayaris) is to me, either ES or HW is miscast. I’m just seeing the acting-like-love but I’m not convinced. I liked HW in Her Private Life and in Secty. Kim; the roles suited her. I’m actually wondering if Seo Kang-joon dislikes Park Min-young in real life. Ha. Right now, all of the other relationships are more interesting to me. Hwi’s, JW’s, the aunt’s, etc.
I love the show. Give it another go
The domestic violence adds another depth to the story. It’s sad that it’s possible the doting dad can be a cruel abuser as well. Kneeling and saying sorry that it won’t happen again is common in abuse case. I stand by the belief that for domestic abuse, there are only zero times or countless times. Once the first time happens it will happen again and again.
Eun Seob and hawon make a really sweet couple
There are quite a number of loveliness too in the background which I have grown fond of. Hwi and her crush makes me laugh and I’m rooting for crybaby editor and auntie. They should give each other a second chance.
I love the show. Give it another go
The domestic violence adds another depth to the story. It’s sad that it’s possible the doting dad can be a cruel abuser as well. Kneeling and saying sorry that it won’t happen again is common in abuse cases. I stand by the belief that for domestic abuse, there are only zero times or countless times. Once the first time happens it will happen again and again.
Eun Seob and hawon make a really sweet couple
There are quite a number of loveliness too in the background which I have grown fond of. Hwi and her crush makes me laugh and I’m rooting for crybaby editor and auntie. They should give each other a second chance.
“I’m actually wondering if Seo Kang-joon dislikes Park Min-young in real life. Ha.”
@Fern I think it’s because he’s cold. His persona in real life is cold and distant. A lot of his fans say he’s just an introvert so they excuse him. But there are introverts who are cold and then there are those who are warm. That’s my gripe about his acting. He can’t shake that cold persona. It feeds into the characters he plays even if he is supposed to come across as warm. So I think if anything, it’s SKJ who is miscast. He’s fine playing the distant mountain boy but when we need him to be warm towards PMJ, it’s lackluster.
I read they had a bed scene? 😂. A few of my Soompi friends have been following the drama so they were all hyped about that.
FYI @packmule3 you might want to swing by the +/- thread, the virus has brought a lot of old timers back out from hiding and they’ve been saying hi to you there. 🙂
Yes, a bit of a bed scene. Nothing to get hyped about, though. Both wearing t-shirts just afterwards. So impractical.🤣
@nrllee, how does he get cast if he’s so cold? OK. I would agree that he’s fine to look at and is good at kissing 😘, but he was more tender toward the rhino beetle than towards his girlfriend. I also understand that he could be unsure and awkward, but at some point that has to dissolve, right?
I was more convinced when ES got angry at the latest book club meeting and it made me remember that when he was 10 and new to school he used his fists rather than his words. If he has learned to control his anger, that hasn’t been explained either and it has been made to look like he can’t get productively angry (like in early scenes with JW messing with him and when HW went to the mountain.)
“ @nrllee, how does he get cast if he’s so cold? OK. I would agree that he’s fine to look at and is good at kissing 😘, but he was more tender toward the rhino beetle than towards his girlfriend. I also understand that he could be unsure and awkward, but at some point that has to dissolve, right?”
That’s my personal opinion and some others here share my view too. But it must be a minority view 😂. He has very unusual eyes. And he is handsome although I find his pout unnerving (often made worse because his stylist opts to colour his lips red). He has a big following so casting him would ensure fans would tune in to watch. I don’t know what it is with him. I think he can play awkward but somehow he just lacks that warmth. He can act angry and petulant but he struggles when he has to do tender scenes. It misses the mark for me. That’s why I didn’t mind him in Are You Human because he was supposed to be cold and robotic… Maybe PD is just happy for him to just go through the motions and isn’t too particular about the vibe so long as both PMJ and he look beautiful. 😂. Near enough is good enough maybe?
@nrllee, thank you for this perspective because I really know nothing about Seo Kang-Joon. I’ve been waiting for him to open up and relax, but from what you have written, it may not happen. It seems that we are having to be told about his feelings (double book drop 😉, speeches and blog), rather than seeing them. A pity.
I’ve been mentally comparing this ES/HW couple to the couple in ‘Find me in your Memory’. There you have another inhibited, vulnerable man; he’s good looking in a fairly average way, but less handsome than Seo Kang-joon. (He is even less good looking than most of the other male actors in the show.) But the the actor’s depiction of him falling in love over time is SO much more interesting and believable.
My opinion, of course.😊 I haven’t watched the most recent ep. yet. It wasn’t translated before my bedtime last night.
O yes @Fern. Kim DongWook is a nuanced actor. He emotes beautifully. He’s like Jung HaeIn. They both aren’t drop dead gorgeous but they are believable on screen and they draw you in so you’re happy to sit in their corner. Often they don’t even have to say anything. Their face says it all for them. I prefer actors like that. They don’t leave you guessing or trying to work out what’s going on in their head or have other characters do the speaking for them. 🙂. But it’s all personal preference really.
Hmm I’m missing all these about Seo Kang joon. Contrastingly I find him warm and sweet. He won me over in this drama, I thought the role was a little boring at first but gradually I like how he does the underwhelming emotions yet his eyes does clearly emote the hurt and fear that the character brings forth from his childhood trauma. He is also awkward but I think that is intentional as part of the character. I thought the bed scene was nicely filmed. It has little skin but both of them acted well. Park min young kisses well I’d say esp in the kdrama universe of dead fish female lead kissers she’s completely leading the pack.
This dramas has good directing but bipolar editing, the scenes jump too abruptly – that’s my key issue but I can live with that as the plot and actors make up for it.
I’m loving the ost at the moment too, not too many songs but they suit the feels of the drama well.
Agree, @nrllee. It may be my age shaping my acting preferences as well.
For me the takeaway from this drama is Abuse and abandonment – and how they and people around them cope with the aftermath of it.
ES was abused as a child. Abandoning a child is ABUSE. Who takes a child to live in a mountain without other kids being there, or other family members. The father was a vagrant and wanted to live alone? The mother was sick and was somewhere else? The uncle was a sailor and took him sailing? But all in all they were telling that it is good to live alone and he does not need a family to be happy. But the family that took him and cared for him changed all that. The uncle showing up and asking for money, or asking him to come live with him and that he is blood, was just crap. ES figured out that he does not have to do that. Uncle telling ES that he has paid his dues to his foster family who seeing a child on the streets took him in was the turnaround that built him to be a better person. This gave him the strength to build his self confidence and engulfed him in love that will carry on and make him a better person. Helping, caring, being confident, loving, and how to be a member of the society.
HW ‘s mom suffered Domestic abuse from her spouse and victims like her always try to hide it from their children, parents, siblings, friends and everyone else. Because the perpetrators only know how to cry and deceive again. The minute HW aunt mentioned about divorce, HW dad flared up and trying to hit her with a hot(?) iron was despicable. After pushing the father away and running to the car in their slippers, dropping the keys for being scared shit – I don’t think either was thinking anything . Fight or Flight response. In addition to that, the father chasing out with his golf club and hitting the car breaking the glass made HW aunt to lose control and press the gas instead of the brake. The theory that she would get a longer sentence if she drove the car which killed the brother in law was nonsense to me. The attorneys could have argued since this is domestic violence case. HW losing her mom so because of the jail term, and the coverup that they did saying it was the mom who was driving, drove both HW and the aunt into deeper depression , being unable to confess and go through the motions of guilt, anger, frustration, and did not help clean up their conscience and both are still in that bubble. A friend’s problem of a similar nature is bringing up the past pain hidden and pushed to the bottom of a pit. A caring ex wanting to know why she broke up with him , is also causing all these emotions to resurface. .
JW – His abuse if about typical asian pressure in the society — “Tiger mom” where the child has to do what the parent wants them to. I don’t know how these children fare into adults after that is still a question to me – they will probably fight back at a later stage in life. He currently like HW ‘s friend and is all flustered talking to her even on the phone. Love to see them being a couple. To me JW is a really friendly friend who we all need in times of stress and loneliness. JW is also lonely but puts on a mask and acts all happy doing things for others.
The STalker -BY ( forgot her name) is a very jealous person who cannot handle the NO – she needs to get what she wants even if it hurts someone else.
@packmule – you should give it a try and watch it. You might like it on a rainy
day!
Hello!
It’s been a while since I last posted a comment here. I think it was in “He is Psychometric” that I last did? Anyways…
Yes! I really hope you get back to this drama @packmule3!
The story is starting to unfold. We’re getting to know more about aunty MY. I love that we’re getting a glimpse of how HW was actually treasured as a child by her family. Despite the cold treatment, we can see that her mother loves her. “Stay with HW, she will be lonely.” HW’s mother told aunty MY when she went to jail.
I understand aunty MY’s frustration with her sister’s passivity on getting physically abused by her husband. It is definitely unnerving that this strong woman would endure her husband’s repeated abuse. He’s apologised over and over again and she’s forgiven him time and time again. It’s like Sisyphus and his rock – repeatedly suffering. “It’s only when he gets really angry that it happens,” HW’s mother reasons with aunty MY.
On the flip side, we see that HW’s dad was actually a good father to her. He treated her like a princess and like she was the most important treasure in the world. Perhaps, her mother was enduring that kind of abuse for HW. So that HW might grow up with a wonderful dad.
What was unsettling for me in the past episode was the editing. The scene cuts back and forth between the violent events of the past (traumatising scenes of HW’s mother getting abused) to the rather warm events in the present (where HW and ES were “making love” – for lack of a better term). The past seems like a cautionary tale – that HW and ES’s love could turn out like her parents’ tragedy. And it’s terrifying to think that ES could ever turn out like HW’s father. However, it seems that ES has learned to control his anger as mentioned by @Fern.
Oh that reminds me!
@Fern – I kind of get what you’re trying to say about HW or ES being miscast. I think PMY and SKJ actually have a lot of chemistry on and offscreen. I watched a couple of bts on youtube and they seem really comfortable with each other. He apparently also jokes around a lot with her.
Though, as much as I love PMY, I don’t think HW’s character suits her much. I guess it’s because I’m used to her characters being bubbly and quirky (like in Healer and Secretary Kim). PMY is like that in real life too. In this drama, there are times when HW is like that, but most of the time she is reserved, quiet, shy, and somewhat broody. Teenage HW is also very absent and passive, which is understandable given her traumatic experiences (at home and at school). A bit of that absence and passiveness seemed to carry into her adulthood, especially when we first meet her in the first few episodes. In more recent episodes, we see more of her being confident and straightforward, which is a bit out of character to me but also this could be due to character development and it suits her better. The women in HW’s family are all definitely strong and straightforward – they do what they want and get what they want.
Maybe I’m biased cause I am under SKJ’s love spell after all. But I think the way ES shows his love for HW is supposed to be subtle. The wall he’s built around his heart is only starting to crumble and he’s only starting to let people in. ES is not used to expressing his love. He still very cautious about how he shows it, scared about what’s going to be taken away from him.
Hello, @purplezaido! I’m glad there are still some watching this. I find it more and more interesting. Yes, I’m wondering about how ES will manage his temper if he gets angry. It seems to me that he keeps his anger really clamped down. And I agree that the editing was strange; did the director intend that as a foreshadowing or as a move to create angst, or neither?
I agree of course that ES is not used to expressing his love. I was hoping to see subtle expressions, when HW isn’t looking, for example.
I was worried about HW reading his diary. I didn’t like that. For someone who places such emphasis on keeping secrets, I found it hypocritical. I felt like taking her aside for a word or two. His face made me thing that he was very upset because he had poured his private feelings into the blog, but then all he did was say ‘I’m ruined.’ and ‘It wouldn’t matter anyway.’ It almost seemed like a non-event after the build up.
I really enjoyed the latest book club meeting. JW spitting out his coffee. hehehe. Eun Pil is very skillful.
I am looking forward to the episode tonight. I think a lot of loose ends will be tied up in part or in full.
Hello, @purplezaido! I’m glad there are still some watching this. I find it more and more interesting. Yes, I’m wondering about how ES will manage his temper if he gets angry. It seems to me that he keeps his anger really clamped down. And I agree that the editing was strange; did the director intend that as a foreshadowing or as a move to create angst, or neither?
@purplezaido, @Fern – Still watching this drama. I agree that editing was strange too, and to me it was more of a foreboding of separation from family, friends, and even work. Every one got separated – mother and daughter (HW), sisters, HW separated from her friends, MY separated from ET, and her writing. So, we knew that HW even though she wanted to stay, moves to Seoul and ES does not say anything. I hope she does not get to-gether with the other guy who liked her, who could be abusive like her father, since he was abused as a boy.
MY wrote the fiction/ non fiction book mainly to free herself from her sordid past and the effect it had on her body was absolutely horrific. She was probably young enough to listen to her sister and must have had an out of body experience.
I really enjoyed the latest book club meeting. JW spitting out his coffee. hehehe.
Eun Pil is very skillful.
Me too. Enjoy the interaction between the two. They will definitely end up as a couple. Really enjoyed the food tasting part between the two. They both seem to like each other since they are interested in the news about the other.
Enjoyed Hwi and the new BF (shared) one and the interactions between them. A breath of fresh air.
Do watch it @packmule, you will find so much more insight into it and I truly love your reading your posts.
I love reading all your posts and literally have no time since I am catching up with you all. But please keep them coming.