I’m opening this for you, @agdr03, @welmaris, @mslee1107 and whoever is lurking.
I’ll explain this scene:
gifs by amteun —
This reminded me of Adam and Eve hiding in the garden after they’ve eaten of the fruit that God warned them NOT to touch. There’s a sense of guilt, fear, and dread of being found out.
Seowoo asked herself, “Why did I hide?
And he answered, “Your body probably reacted because there was a reason.”
lol. If you noticed, his answer wasn’t a big help, right?
She was asking for a reason why she hid.
And he simply agreed that her body must have a reason for hiding.
But that wasn’t what she meant.
For me, the reason she hid is she didn’t want exposure.
Remember, when this housemate was around, her Unni hid the fact that she was dating their male housemate. There was something about this housemate (she’s judgmental? she gets jealous of another girl’s good luck? she covets boyfriends?) that made Unni want to hide her relationship.
Similarly, Seowoo felt like she had to hide from her relationship with Ha Won. She didn’t want her roommate to see her in the company of Ha Won because the roommate would assume that something was going on with them, like they were dating or something.
So she hid.
But then she probably realized that what the heck?!! she had NO relationship with Ha Won to be embarrassed about. She and Ha Won weren’t dating. At best, they were acquaintances with a mutual friend. She didn’t have to feel guilty of being found out.
That’s why she asked “Why did I hide?”
She was berating herself for being stupid BUT at the same time, she recognized that, unconsciously, she saw herself as a couple with him. lololol.
reposting for @welmaris
Waiting for my weekly fix of this drama to get English subtitles. In the meantime, I’ve been pondering what is a headscratcher for me: SW running to HW when he asked her to be with him so he can sleep, and also because he misses her, but thinking to herself, “…If, I mean really ‘IF’…If Ha Won is gradually forgetting you, Ji Soo, then I will, I will remember you as much as he forgets.” Then AI JiSoo drops out of her purse, she collects it off the ground, checks it for obvious damage, thinks a bit to herself, then decides to return to the studio instead of meeting HW at his house. Oookaaaay. This is the opposite of her exhortation to HW to forget JiSoo.
Later, when talking with Unni, she does seem to recognize that she’s in danger of sabotaging her budding relationship with HW.
SW: For me, maybe because it’s because I’ve never had a good relationship before, but whenever it looks like things are going well, a hundred reasons why it won’t go well comes to my mind.
Unni: Indeed, it’s Han Seo Woo. Your repertoire of discouraging yourself is bottomless. Tell me one thing among those hundred reasons.
SW: If feels as if I’m intercepting the love which was meant for somebody else.
I fear some kind of noble idiocy from SW, but maybe I shouldn’t. I do like the way she and HW lean toward open, sincere conversations about their feelings. And SW seems committed to thinking through issues; for instance, when she’s in the studio and recalling HW’S feeling-without-contact hand experiment, she thinks to herself, “He asked me to stay…I told him I would stay for him…Then staying for him is fine. He asked for help, so I just have to help him. I stopped myself from going because the device fell? What kind of novel am I writing by myself?” In other words, stop overthinking it.
This reminds me of Unni’s words when she and Soup Guy had their breakup conversation: “You should just love. What else do you need?…Well, then how far do you have to think? Whether marrying this person or not, whether you will be a good dad or not, how can you estimate such things in advance and worry about them already? You just love a woman if you like her now, and you get married if you keep liking her.” She’s advocating allowing a relationship space and time to develop organically.
I hope this drama, in the last four episodes, steadily makes headway toward a happy ending for the main leads. I need heartwarming fluff right now.
Episode 9 is at 30% English sub completion. Gotta exercise patience.
I think the fact that the show was dropped from 16 to 12 episodes really shows. Ep9 was really choppy for me. The editing was all over the place and the old lady piano tuner suddenly makes an appearance out of nowhere. Is she the diplomat grandma? I assume she was Grandma Moon.
I don’t understand why Hoon suddenly went to the farm, availed himself to the letters (it’s someone else’s letters? Why would you think it was okay to rifle through them?). Maybe I missed something whilst watching. I was a bit distracted. So JS writes a few letters to Grandma Moon (?) to tell her she knows how HW’s mother died. And HW reads the lot bar one. Why did Hoon hide the last letter and keep all that crucial information to himself?
How did AI JS “discover” the reasons for her selling the dishes? Just from hearing the piano piece that her hubby played? That didn’t make sense.
And for the life of me I still don’t get why SW bothered to pick up AI JS from HW’s house. And persist in relating to it/her.
We had a nice bit of fluff and then chaos made worse by disjointed story telling. I will probably watch to the end just to see sweet scenes between HW and SW but that’s it.
The old lady is just a piano tuner, who was a kind of mentor for Seo Woo and also knows In Wook (and probably knew Ji Soo too). According to character sheets, she was supposed to become a lodger at Eun Joo’s, but that might not happen anymore. Anyway, she is definitely not Grandma Moon, who is at the moment in some exotic country doing charity, and we probably won’t get to see whatever her subplot would have been.
It seems Hoon was taking time off and for some reason (another thing lost in the cuts?) he wanted to spend his vacation on the farm. He was asked to clean up the mess there – back in ep 1, when Soon Ho was taking a break in the same room, it was overflowing with mail and random junk. I guess he got worried when he saw Ji Soo’s name on some letters (they looked quite different from the regular air mail envelopes too), and decided he should check them out to protect his friend. With more time, I guess this could have been tied to the issue of consent.
Anyway, the letter Hoon managed to keep for himself was the only one that named the husband as the one who is responsible. He knows how much his friend is still struggling with his mother’s death, and must have been afraid what he might do, if it turns out the same person who married his love was also the one who got his mother killed. But Ha Won already put together the cues, and he probably won’t be able to not look into the husband’s identity anymore.
The AI thing certainly doesn’t make sense… it is clearly a magic plot device at this point. I just hope there will be some important purpose of it finding out the truth.
I think Seo Woo is still processing the loss of Ji Soo, it has only been a few weeks after all. She also feels guilty, as if it was her fault that the unconditional, unchanging love Ha Won felt for Ji Soo for 15 years is now over. Not that Ji Soo ever wanted it, not that she doesn’t know that moving on is the right thing for him, she still has a weird feeling that she is stealing away something unique from her friend. So maybe she wanted to hear an approval from the AI Ji Soo. Plus she has a knack for self-sabotage, which must go back to survivor’s guilt.
Thanks @Luna. That piano tuner lady came out of nowhere. Yes it did seem rather odd to be looking through other people’s mail? It’s like reading someone’s diary? Anyway thanks for the explanation. And that explanation about why SW would keep talking to AI JS makes sense too.
Thanks for this @packmule3! 🍪🍪🍪
I haven’t seen episode 9 but I’m going to tonight.
I had a good day today though because I went to the office for half a day! 😂 I got to dress up and put on some lipstick 💄 and felt good! 😁
@Welmaris, personally when I saw that scene where SW was running to HW’s place but then she accidentally dropped AI Jisoo, she turned around, I thought that SW probably just felt guilty in going to HW since it hasn’t been that long that Jisoo passed away. Maybe she felt that she’s not really ready yet to be with HW even though she was running.
@nrllee, I think 99% of mail sent to the farm is not personal or important, they are thank you letters from Grandma’s protégés that she lets be sent to Soon Ho and Ha Won, in case they need something to cheer up – there were a lot of those envelopes in his flat too. It’s just an unfortunate coincidence that it was also the only address Ji Soo knew, and so her mail got lost among the junky ones.
(doesn’t mean that Hoon reading them was right, or even Ha Won as they were for Grandma Moon… but good people doing morally questionable things is nothing new on this show)
Your lipstick emoji looks like a phallic symbol.
hahaha
Thanks for the cookies. Next time, just remind me to create an open thread for you, ladies. 🙂
Phallic symbol, I didn’t notice. 🤦🏻♀️
Let’s not go there, I’m about to sleep 😂
I’ll come back tomorrow.
Good day! 😄
The “shrinking” of the story-line was indeed noticeable on this episode (9). The jumps in time were abrupt, and I got lost in conversations between SW and HW that did not seem to conclude before jumping to the next scene. One of the biggest charms of this production was the sweet, slow interactions of the main leads. I fear some of it will be lost in search of a fast-paced development of the plot. I could easily do without a lost of the backstories or side characters, but it seems they’re chopping off longing looks and subtle innuendos. Will watch until the end, as there are only a few episodes left, but very disappointed with the overall production. This show had potential, but I guess it ends with that.
“One of the biggest charms of this production was the sweet, slow interactions of the main leads.”
Yes it was very apparent that the editing was sped up and markedly abrupt. The tempo suddenly changed and it felt out of place. I would’ve much rather they kept the focus on the main leads and spent less time on the Pianist and Gardener.
“And he answered, “Your body probably reacted because there was a reason.”
lol. If you noticed, his answer wasn’t a big help, right?”
His answer is no big help but I felt he is telling her that he knows her body feels there’s a reason to hide. With an emphasis on the knowing part. And that reason wasn’t hard to guess. A bit like when he tells her he knows what she’s thinking and that she’s right. When he keeps inviting her to sleep at his place.
I too was confused with that piano tuner and her point in the story. Couldn’t remember if she was in any of the previous episodes. But somehow I don’t mind the messy parts of this drama. The main couple and them getting closer, them dealing with loss is charming enough for me.
But I’m also here to just say this about Hoon and the letters: Reading another person’s mail is morally wrong, ok, but whatever. The absolute horror here, and it’s not the first time it happens in this drama, is not there. But in hiding one of the letters from Ha Won.
The other time it happened is when SeoWoo deleted JiSoo’s voice recordings because she thought it would be unhealthy for HaWon to have the/use them for the AI. I don’t fully remember the details.
These things, in my book, are unforgivable things that would drive the calmest of persons angry. After my brother died his things were the most precious things in the world. Nobody whose not really close to him has a right to decide what’s healthy or not for me to have. If maybe the person dealing with loss is suicidal it would be ok to intervene but to destroy something, a piece of the mind of the person you lost, a piece (voice recording, words in a letter expressing the truth of the hardship he/she was going through) that could not be recovered, because the person is no longer alive, is unforgivable. To keep it hidden as well
Anyway, there’s a lot of beauty in this part of the drama. The part that awoke these feelings in me as well.
Even if it’s messy here and there, even if some things are rushed now.
Even if it needs a lot of suspension of disbelief with the AI somehow knowing exactly the thoughts and actions of the persons it’s made after. Even things the creators didn’t know.
I liked episode 9 for the scenes with HW and SW except when HW cannot find her. He only went to her semi-basement and the studio, why not your house? LOL. I was gushing too when HW said ‘I miss her’ to Gardener. 🥰 He cooked for SW and she sang him a song and they just spend time together. I was fine with that. I think SW misses Jisoo too that’s why she took AI Jisoo. But how is she going to return her now?
Yeah the lady piano tuner came out of nowhere but they probably just showed that she also there for SW in the early days and that she’s been a supporter ever since. As much she was fine tuning the piano, she helped SW fine tune her life too with Eun Joo and her being there.
Sometimes we still have to see wrong doings to instill in us again and again that it is wrong. Hoon reading the letter and hiding it must be the only way to show the connection to Jisoo’s husband.
I’m excited to watch episode 10 because we get to see our first kiss and a backhug too from what I saw on instagram. 🥰
After watching episode 10, I just want a half look, briefly and affectionately with Jung Hae In. 🥰🤗
Where can I join the queue? 🥰 Need some recharge after that rollercoaster ride.
Still processing the episode but one thing is sure, Eun Joo has poor taste in men. The ex is not just an idiot but a gross one at that, I was screaming wash your bloody hands!!! at my screen…
“Anyway, there’s a lot of beauty in this part of the drama. The part that awoke these feelings in me as well.
Even if it’s messy here and there, even if some things are rushed now.”
Even now, I love this show and this couple more than almost any other kdrama I’ve watched. Hell, I could watch Ha Won, Seo Woo + boarding house family chatting and drinking and being domestic for hours. <3 It really saddens me that the drama won't be able to live up to its original potential, but even as just a sweet romance it is more than worth the ride…
I wish tvN would release the original 16-episode shooting scripts at least. (says someone who doesn't speak Korean…)
Yeah. Chang Sup was gross. I did wonder too if he washed his hands. 🤦🏻♀️
Let’s just enjoy HW and SW till the end. I’m thinking of watching Something In The Rain just for JHI.
@nrllee, did you watch that series? Is it any good? Thanks 😊
@agdr03, I saw SITR and liked it, but wasn’t blown away. I did really enjoy One Spring Night, which funnily enough has much of the same cast. After I watched both I realized I liked JHI’s acting style, which drew me to this one.
@Luna- do they ever release unedited footage? Something along the lines of a DVD version of the show with all 16 episodes?
I may follow some of y’all and just speed through to the cute scenes. Their moments together feel genuine, and not staged. That is quite refreshing, even if everything else fails.
@agdr03, Something in the Rain is the second Kdrama I watched after Boys over Flowers (on which my daughter got me started with this obsession). From what I understand, the writer of Something in the Rain likes to challenge social convention. I watched the show all the way through, and was engaged, but I didn’t like many elements…perhaps because the writer was intentionally challenging viewers. There’s physical and emotional abuse of the female lead by her own mother. The female lead is wishy-washy in some ways (which caused me to frequently yell at the TV screen), and resolute in others. That said, I found the relationship between the female and male leads believable in its strengths and flaws. There’s also a lot more skinship in this drama than I’ve seen in others, if you’re into that kinda thing…
I’m joining in the censure of Chang Seob for his lack of basic hygiene practice. I don’t care if he was almost sleepwalking, he didn’t close the door, he didn’t put down the seat, and he didn’t wash…then goes straight for the refrigerator and touches it with his filthy hands.
Episode 9 frustrated me because of the choppiness, and also because we had so much circling of the characters and they still didn’t connect. I’m tired of seeing one-second-more-and-they-would’ve-met.
@Packmule3, if you haven’t liked Soon Ho (ditzy gardener) since the beginning, you’re really gonna hate her in ep. 10. I find the decisions she makes and the actions she takes unforgivable. She operates with such confidence on limited knowledge without knowing (or probably even caring) she doesn’t have the full story. And yet when she does have all the important pieces of the story, she chooses to act in a manner most hurtful to Ha Won. Protecting her new job that she likes? Ha Won is the one who gave it to her, so where’s her loyalty? The more I think about her behavior, the more steamed I get. The upside is that her obtuseness and betrayal let us see Ha Wan just short of combustion as he tries to deal with her. Jung Hae In played the scene coiled and menacing (and his character had every right to be).
I wish we’d been allowed to spend more time with happy, compatible boarding house residents: we could’ve seen more scenes of them emotionally supporting each other, which would have been lovely. My second favorite relationship in this drama is Seo Woo and Unni Eun Joo. They have such a special friendship, and I feel cheated we only got to see the depth of it toward the end of the drama.
It is grating that the people closest to Ha Wan–his business partner, his niece, and his kinda-almost-girlfriend–think they know what’s better for him and withhold information, believing it better for his mental well being. In ep. 10, however, they rectify their thinking, but by then Ha Won has put together the pieces on his own. Writer tries to cover her ass by having Ha Won think to himself that he’d long ago decided to keep himself from learning anything about JiSoo’s husband (which is why, I suppose, he didn’t recognize In Wook’s name or appearance), and he’d decided to go to his grave protecting JiSoo’s secret (telling himself he’d ask her when he next saw her). In my opinion, that didn’t ring true for his character.
I mentioned the lead characters circling each other. I think the better imagery is moths being drawn to a flame, traveling in tighter and tighter spirals. The point they’re all moving toward isn’t JiSoo, but Ha Won’s mother. JiSoo was the first to get burned, but she was on the same trajectory as the others. I think this is why this drama is muddled, because the emphasis on JiSoo is misleading.
This drama tosses a lot of symbolism at us viewers, but not always to best effect. I’d like to mention lights, in particular street lights (although the bit about the ceiling light in grieving mom’s boarding house room is notable…really, full of notes). We see the importance of the street light by the boarding house, especially in relation to the chair by it. Seo Woo’s mom would wait for her by that street light. Eun Joo turned on the street light after finding Min Jung sitting in the dark before she moved into the boarding house, saying she did so because the dark might be scary. Ha Won turned on the street light by his house as he waited for Seo Woo to arrive, a beacon of welcome. Seo Woo tried to do the same for him later, but couldn’t because she was too short, but then Ha Won lifted her so she could accomplish the goal. And then there’s the multiple times we see Ha Won in his house, unable to sleep, turning a table lamp on and off, on and off. The first time I saw him doing that, I thought he was bored and trying to amuse himself. The second time I saw it I thought it a bit childish (and also scolded him in my mind for potentially shortening the life of the light bulb). But then I saw the last scene of ep. 10, and I understood. He’s gone to the boarding house to find Seo Woo, seeking to be comforted emotionally. She’s not there because she’s desperately looking for him in other places, so he’s sitting in the chair under the street lamp, waiting for her. The street lamp is malfunctioning a bit, turning on and off, on and off. And it dawned on me that he may have come there before at night when he couldn’t sleep, sat in that chair (he knows its significance in relation to Seo Won’s mom) with the street light flickering over his head, drawing comfort from just being near Seo Woo. When he stayed at home and turned the table lamp on and off, he was self-comforting. Watching tree branch shadows on the ceiling was something from his relationship with JiSoo, but this was self-comfort drawn from his relationship with Seo Woo.
Thank you @IcedFireAngel and @Welmaris for the feedback on SITR. I want to watch it because of JHI. This is his first drama for me and I do like his acting and I liked him too on that movie with KGE.
@Welmaris, I’ll make a mental note when you said you actually yelled at the TV. LOL. I do love skinship so that will be a plus for me besides seeing the relationship of the couple develop.
Oh good one when you said HW might have been sitting on that chair with the on and off street lamp. Yeah, I can totally see him just sitting there and being comforted because SW’s semi basement is just up ahead. I loved his open arms to SW at that last scene. He so needed it.
@agdr03 Something in the rain is also known as Pretty Noona who buys me food. It’s a noona romance. I haven’t watched it but I think @packmule3 may have? I recall her saying she didn’t like it because JHI looked too young and it felt wrong for the older lady (Son YeJin) to be having a relationship with him? Something to that effect.
No, @pm3 will not watch it because it’s a noona romance. 🙂
All good @nrllee, thank you. I will watch it because it’s easy access in Netflix and because of JHI. 🙂
SitR is the best Korean drama I’ve seen, but I know not a lot of people agree because it is everything the usual kdrama isn’t (feels a lot closer to British TV in my opinion, though it is very much rooted in contemporary Korea). The characters are realistic and flawed, and their relationship is imperfect just like them; nothing is sugarcoated. Also, it is subtle, not a lot of flashbacks and no monologues to let you know what the characters think, no wise narrator to tell you the moral of the story. It can be frustrating the same way as watching real people making dumb choices… yet every single one of those choices makes perfect sense considering who these characters are.
Anyway, if it turns out not your thing, you might try Prison Playbook (also on Netflix), especially if you like Hospital Playlist or the Reply series because it’s by the same writer and director. JHI plays a soldier convicted for beating one of his squad to death, so it’s a rather different role.
@IcedFireAngel A lot of international fans are asking for the 16-episode version but I don’t think it exists. Korean shows are usually shot parallel with airing, only about 2-3 weeks ahead. In this case the production team was told about the cut after episode 4 aired, when they would be shooting about (original) episode 9-10. Everything after that, they would only film the scenes that made it into the updated script. So, there must be many scenes left in the editing room, but a lot more from the later episodes was never shot.
Thanks @Luna for your feedback on SITR. Really appreciate it. 😊 I might start it tonight since there’s only 2 more episodes of APOYM.
@agdr03. The other JHI drama which is good is One Spring Night. Although the actress is older than him but the actual characters in the drama are the same age. Unlike SitR – where the focus is on breaking taboos. One Spring Night JHI plays a single dad. His love interest is a librarian. It’s quite nice and melo. Up to you which one you prefer. He tends to play very similar characters. I know a lot of people complain that his repertoire is limited but I quite like him in these characters. He acted in Tune In For Love (Movie) with KGE (from Eternal Monarch). It’s written by the same writer as APOYM. It’s short and sweet. I liked it.
One Spring Night is very nice too! It’s just a bit more culture specific maybe, because single parents aren’t ostracised in the West. Guy like JHI comes with an adorable little clone, I’d consider that a bonus, not a problem. 🙂
I don’t think Hae In’s characters are similar, it’s just that he tends to go for slower, deep dramas, that require actual acting rather than a pretty face with four stock expressions. The only common point between bold, playful, impulsive Seo Jun Hee and quiet, introspective Ha Won is that neither of them are assholes to their love interest, thank goodness. I’m too old for the ‘rich arrogant CEO magically turns into sweet doting boyfriend by the power of love’ trope.
BTW, the names Min Jung wrote up to the ceiling light? All JHI characters, Hyun Woo from Tune in for love, Jun Hee from SitR (a noona romance, hence the “he was younger than me” comment ;)), and according the subs there were a few more from his recent dramas… Ajumma has good taste. 😀
(One) Spring Night also got a mention when Seo Woo talked about how pretty every word with spring is.
Thanks @nrllee, I’ve watched Tune In To Love because you mentioned it to me before. I liked that movie and a first for me with JHI. ☺️
I’ll see how I go. I don’t mind SYJ but I’m not into the other actress in One Spring Night. But I might end up watching both as JHI is my current crush at the moment. 😍
WDH is still up there though in TK:EM. 😁
Just sped through Ep10. He cries beautifully doesn’t he? Man my heart was ready to burst for him when stupid Gardener chose Dejected Pianist over him 🙄. I don’t understand her logic. She just annoys me no end. And I was willing SW to just give him a hug to comfort the poor man. Which she did…and all was well again. They are such a sweet couple. JHI is just the perfect sweet bf isn’t he? There’s a strength about him that I like. Underneath that boyish friendly face. He’s a dependable, warm man. The back hug. And how smooth was he drawing her in for a sweet kiss? Not awkward at all. Just so natural. I would let him marry my daughter in a heartbeat. 😂
Agree @nrlee, I was in anguish for him when gardener closed the door on him. I wanted to get inside my screen and hug him myself. 😭
That back hug was nice. It was just right. This couple is warm and sweet.
@welmaris Ditzy gardener’s soliloquies drive me up the wall. It’s irrational and capricious. 🙄. HW must have the patience of a saint to put up with her. I can’t understand how she thinks it’s okay to just help herself to the ownership of his apartment? Then her decision to prevent HW from talking to IW? He only asked for 5min? And now from previews it looks like the recital will be ruined anyway. Gah…just as well only 2 more episodes of her. I agree about the home stay residents. It feels like a lot of their camaraderie footage was edited out. ChangSup should’ve been turfed out ages ago. Loved the OTP scenes. And I liked how HW took charge and asked on behalf of SW (to EunJoo) about letting her move in with him. It’s like asking her guardian’s permission🙂👍. No shiftiness or hiding. Well done.
@agdr03
“ I wanted to get inside my screen and hug him myself. 😭”
He has that effect on everyone doesn’t he? He emotes beautifully. And the wonderful thing is that I won’t actually feel bad doing it (giving him a hug). It just feels right? He just has this very friendly demeanor about him. So there would be no sexual connotations whatsoever, just warm and friendly. 🙂
Yeah I can see him as a very good, down to earth and friendly guy. I watched his Guerilla Date and the effect he has on his fangirls are so funny. They just keep shouting 🤦🏻♀️ so star struck by him but he was so cool about it. 😂
He said he’d like a girlfriend. I wonder if he is in a relationship now. But I’d wish him all the best because like you said he gives off that good warm and friendly vibe. 🤗
Personaly, I love Pretty Noona (Something in the Rain)! The FL had many flaws but she was the product of the Korean society (listinning her parents, being the perfect and serviable employee, being the nice girlfriend). She tried a lot to change and failed a lot but it’s hard to change when you live more than 30 years in a certain way. I think a lot of people didn’t like it because it’s not a drama that showed how good the society should be with the good ones winning but showed how it actually is. For the love story, it’s one of the most natural I watched in Kdrama (and a lof of kinships). The way the PD filmed made it very intimate but without useless close-up like the scene where she was in the hospital and the ML helped her to get dressed.
One Spring Night was the same writer and PD, so it had the same “touche”. But the characters were pretty different.
The PD is really great to film love stories making it warm and intimate.
For this drama, I can’t understand why people can think it’s a good idea to let them in the dark. They both are stuck in the past because of this accident, they need to handle the truth to move on.