Just some quick notes.
1. Voiceovers
Voiceovers are important in this drama because they signify that the character narrating is viewing the incident in hindsight. The viewers are basically living in two timeframes:
One, living in the moment as the scene unfolds,
Two, living in the character’s present consciousness, reflecting back on the past and realizing the effects of the scene on the present time.
Off the top of my head, (my head is still foggy because it’s only 4:10 am where I am, and coffee is still brewing), I can remember four important voiceovers in the past episodes that are important in this episode.
One. Dalmi’s voiceover as she offered herself to be the CEO of Dosan’s company. She had prayed to God, “Please give me the strength to complete this long, difficult journey. And please, lead me to find a companion for the journey.” She then asked Dosan to recruit her as the CEO.
Two, Dalmi’s voiceover during the depressed team dinner. When Dosan informed the group that their app was downloaded, she was unaware that God answered her prayer her prayer in a weird way. Their app was downloaded by a famous baseball pitcher Park Chanho who signed the ball with “Follow your dreams.”
Three, Dosan’s voiceover about the Math Olympiad, “I thought that wind was a blessing. But that one line…because I saw that one line, I forgot the fact that I had solved nine questions on my own. The medal felt so heavy. So I ended up… (He handed his medal to the boy. His mom claimed that his action was due to his compassion.) … That (compassion) wasn’t why I gave it away. I didn’t deserve the medal. The gust of wind in the exam room that day was not a blessing. Later, that wind turned into a scary storm that destroyed my self-esteem. The luck that came with the wind, I seized the luck. (thinking of the scrunchie) And once again, just like that day 15 years ago, I was falling apart, slowly but surely.”
Four, Jipyeong’s voiceover about regrets, “I hoped that she would notice me, and look at me one day. But not with those eyes…. (Dalmi cries over the phone to Dosan, “And why is Mr. Han here, not you?”) … Regrets always come too late.” From henceforth, he’s going to Mr. Regrets in my mind because, like regrets, he always comes too late.
2. Mr. Regret’s dereliction of duty
Youngsan was correct.
That asshole.
JP accused Youngsan’s brother of being a fraud. He said, “Your product only works with removable batteries, right? But from what I know companies will be completely forgoing removable batteries in two years. Were you not aware of that?”
Asking him “Were you not aware of that?” is unnecessary. It insinuates that the brother was deliberately ignorant.
Brother: Oh, that’s…
JP: If that’s the case, you don’t deserve the CEO title. You’re not up to date with info. Did you know about it or not?
Brother: Yes. I did know about it.
The camera had focused on his hands fidgeting. To me, this was a sign of stress. He might or might not have known about the removable batteries (by 2014, , but he chose the answer which he thought would be less damning than the other one (i.e., he was choosing the lesser of two evils). However, either way – whether he knew or didn’t know — JP was out to prove him incompetent.
JP: That’s a bigger problem. If you were trying to secure funding knowing that, Mr. Kim, this is a fraud.
And this was out of line. He just accused him of fraud in public. Defamation, dude?
Also, if Mr Kim is thought to be engaging in fraud, then what about his mentor? Isn’t his mentor a bigger fraudster? Why didn’t the mentor warn him that his project was unfeasible and impractical in the first place?
But as much as Youngsan was correct, this shirt was also correct.
He didn’t show up because
a. he felt guilty
b. he felt bad
c. he was sulky like Kim Gildong
d. all of the above
Whatever he was feeling that day, it was the wrong time to indulge in his feelings. He was dealt an emotional blow, but come one, he was still expected to show up for the job. He was needed on deck as a mentor of the team.
Be a professional, right? Didn’t he tell Dalmi about VoC or Voice of Customers. “Amateurs react to VoC emotionally while pros respond to it based on data.”
Well….while he was reacting emotionally to one of his “customers” Youngsan, he forgot to respond to the data in front of him.
Data says…
lol.
It was unprofessional of him to EXIT (note the use of the title) at this point in time.
And frankly, cowardly.
Dosan noticed that Dalmi was wondering where JP was. “Personal reason? What’s going on?”
But Youngsan was correct again. They should worry about themselves, not Mr. Han.
Compare JP’s behavior with the behavior of Dosan’s dad. Even though it hurt him to show up at the Demo Day because he was going up against his son, he knew he had to show up and speak up for his company. He did his job.
And that’s why Dalmi said the dad was inspiring. Remember what I said about white lies? I said they’re hard to do, because you have two competing values that are essentially good: honesty vs kindness. Here, the dad was very aware of two competing values that are desirable: innovation and livelihood.
Dad: Your right. My son too has chosen the same path (meaning innovation). If everyone in this world were like you and my son, this world would quickly become an innovative place. But it’s never good to move too fast. That speed can hurt many people. (yes…remember Dalmi’s grandma’s complaint about the keyless door lock?) We’ll see a lot of people lose their jobs, unable to adapt to the changes. We need people like me to slow things down a little. To help find the right place that allows people to adjust and live. And to find that pace, I will continue to fight.
Meaning, he’ll be the voice of the people displaced or left behind by the innovation.
Dad: (continuing) My son has chosen a path that is different from mine. He has his own life, and so do I. My son will march forward to the future, and I will fight to protect my present. Somewhere between the two, we’ll find the ideal pace of innovation.
In other words, he desires the middle ground. Then he tells Dosan, “See? You can look me in the eye. Why have you been avoiding me?”
As he EXITED (another reference to the title), Dalmi told Dosan that his father is so inspiring.
She must have been reminded of her father who inspired her with his vision of the innovation of the future. Dosan’s father inspired her with his vision of a future where innovation remains mindful of its impact and responsibilities to the common folks.
His father definitely inspired both them.
Dalmi used the Dad’s point about technology leaving people when she pitched Noongil as a middle ground. She said, “Technology makes your life easier and more convenient. But it can make some people’s lives more difficult. For example, the visually impaired. If we ignore their needs and blindly strive for innovation, many people who can’t adapt to change will suffer.”
And Dosan also referenced to the need to find the middle ground between accuracy and performance of the app.
3. JP’s Favoritism
I wanted to give this a pass, but this must be pointed out.
When he told Dosan the questions to expect and prepare for on Demo Day, he was like a teacher giving his favorite student the “test questions” before the exams. He was giving them an UNFAIR advantage over the other teams.
Mind you, Samsan Tech itself wasn’t his favorite student. Dalmi was. He did this for Dalmi.
Sigh. That’s another reason he isn’t a good mentor. He plays favorites.
Sure enough, one of his questions was raised by Director Yoon.
Note how Director Yoon phrased her question, “About 250,000 people in this country are visually impaired, right? Since the solution’s target group is very specific, I’m thinking that the market would be pretty small.”
Did you see her style? She posed the problem, and she allowed Dalmi to pick it up and discuss it on her own. She didn’t accused Dalmi of incompetence for not focusing on the MONETIZATION of the project.
If this had been JP, he would have said it this way, “Investors are moved by one thing: money. You can’t lure them by calling them Good Boy…errr…Heart-of-Gold Company. You’re nothing but an incompetent CEO. Ms. Seo, you’re the problem.”
lol. I wish somebody would compile all his words. I want him to eat humble pie.
When Dalmi thanked him for his nitpicking, she *vaguely* reminded me of a battered woman.
Girl, wake up.
To me, Dalmi had normalized his style of toxic mentoring because:
one, she hadn’t experienced any other kind of mentoring.
two, she didn’t see how JP verbally abused and mistreated the other guys who weren’t his favorites.
three, she still romanticized him as the old Dosan who saved her 15 years ago.
lol.
4. The “authentic” moment
I already mentioned this.
I said that on the Episode 10 “Demo Day,” Dosan wasn’t pitching his love for Dalmi as much as he was he was pitching authenticity. He wanted to them to proceed without lies and deception. He wanted them to be real, genuine, authentic, and sincere with each other.
And his pitch worked. When Dalmi was questioned by the judges, she had a choice there: to lie or not to lie.
The team all wanted her to lie and claim a higher rate than the actual one. Youngsan was correct that Dosan could always improve their algorithms LATER after their presentation to match (or exceed) their claim rate. However, Dosan and Dalmi looked at each other with understanding. And Dosan said no. Calmly, he said, “No, let’s not do that. Let’s just be honest.”
When Chulsan insisted that they just bump the number up a little, he replied, “That ‘little bit’ will make the 92.4 percent look fake.”
To me, he was remembering two things here.
a. the “cheating breeze” incident. That “one line” that he saw during the exam made him forget that he actually solved all nine problems on his own, and that “one line” made him feel unworthy. Instead of seeing his genius as a blessing, he saw himself as a fake because of that accidental glimpse.
I already explained it here. Start-Up: On Dosan’s Cheating – Work in Progress
b. his relationship with Dalmi. The “little bit” was alluding to the 15-year-old letters. Because of those letters, everything he did for Dalmi (or the 92.4 percent of their relationship) looked fake to her. He couldn’t convince her of his sincerity because of that “little bit.”
He reassured them, “It’s okay, guys. 92.4 is pretty good.” He and Dalmi exchanged smiles again. They were going to stick with the truth; they learned their lesson.
That’s why she admitted to the judges that Noongil’s human recognition accuracy rate was 92.4 percent.
She looked at Dosan first because this was THEIR decision to be honest.
When Alex said that it was a “bit” lower than InJae’s company, Dosan immediately stepped in. Remember he told Dalmi that he was there to answer all the tech problems, and he was. (Unlike JP who wasn’t there….)
Dosan: Not necessarily. It’s not just about the numbers. The environment also plays a huge role.
By “environment,” I think he meant the performance of the app under “ordinary conditions of use.” Remember, he adjusted the performance of the app after Dalmi received complaints. The VoC said that their app was a mess because it rapidly depleted the battery source. He fixed it and the team said he was a genius. In the end, Dosan turned around the negative complaints into a positive feature for them.
Dosan: As you know, NoonGil is a mobile app. And we had to keep its battery usage to a minimum to make sure the visually impaired could use it all day. Therefore, we had to find the middle ground between a high accuracy rate and reducing the app size.”
I thought there were lots of good business and life lessons from this scene.
5. Mr. Missing in Action
There’s no escaping this. While the team was meeting with Alex, he was lying in bed.
JP’s failure to advise them on the contract = Mr. Missing in Action = Mr Regrets
He regularly fails to act on a timely manner. As a sherpa of the team, he should do better. How could anybody forget how he failed to alert Dalmi of Morning Group’s bad intentions?
As Sherpa of the team, he should be on the ball at all times. He should be leading from the front, instead of assisting at the very last minute.
6. The signing pens
I commented on this. Protocols demanded that Dalmi and Dosan be given the same pen. That way, they’re equal. While Dalmi was given a ballpoint pen, Dosan was given the fountain pen. (lol, remember our discussions about pens on this blog??)
Ballpoint pens are for executives. Fountain pens are for the stars.
I’m watching episode 12 and wtf JP?? Why didn’t he tell them, where has he been? I’m so now confused with why days have gone by and no one told them about the contract. JP should have called them immediately, should have said his worries to Dalmi even if he doesn’t want to say it to Dosan?
Okay now I’m 100% sure that I dislike JP. Pretty much sure. I have never been so upset and confused by a character before
But but but but @BeingWritten,
his fangirls said that JP is a noble, trustworthy, believable guy.
Isn’t he “Good Boy”?
/sarcasm
Brace your self a lot of Dosan hate will be coming your way. And I can’t wait to see what you think of this episode because JP is despicable to me I’m still halfway through so we’ll see
I’m not surprised.
That jerk move with the scrunchie incident in Ep 8 showed him up for the asshole that he really was.
If you can’t be trusted to do the honorable thing in small things like that, then how can you be trusted to do the honorable things in big things.
Let’s stop giving him excuses. Call him out on his bad things. I said if the second female lead did this, fans would pillory her.
Wait. I don’t get that. Did you mistype?
If JP is the one with the despicable moves, then why do I have to brace myself for Dosan hate? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
Huh?
his fan girls are ridiculous they are just too much all of twitter is for JP when it comes to the fight, everyone is hating and calling do san a child for starting the fight. Also didn’t want to spoil it but now he’s found out about what NOONGIL really is for so ofcourse now he’s going through regret yet again and be hailed a hero who we should pity. It’s frustrating.
I won’t believe it, there is no way, no way that Dalmi will end up with Jipyeong after this unless Dosan becomes a devil there is no way fan girls can be this stupid about this love triangle.
No, Dalmi’s not ending up with JP.
This kdrama is value-laden.
The writer has always been consistent on
a. her values.
b. the male character who EMBODIES her values.
And it’s Dosan. Don’t you notice?
That’s why I spend so much time writing out the dialogues and explaining what they mean… ethically and morally.
JP is only the foil.
Well… sometimes men (and women) have to throw the first punch. Like when you’ve been bullied over and over again.
I told you, JP’s “Mr. Regrets” and “Mr Missing in Action.”
JP wants to fund Noongil because he learned that it was for Grandma?? Well well well.
Too little, too late.
Does this make him a good person? No.
He wouldn’t do same act of kindness for a stranger, so what kind of “goodness” or virtue is that if he could only show kindness to those people he knew?
He only wanted to help Grandma because he felt an obligation to pay back his debt to her. He wouldn’t have gone out of his way to fund it for another person.
Think of the parable of the Good Samaritan. He isn’t the good Samaritan.
And that’s why I hate him. Right now I hate him that’s it and I’m really praying that promo with the engagement ring is not him and Dalmi. Because…..
Frankly, hate is overrated, my friend.
What engagement ring? I still haven’t watched the whole thing. Just skipped here and there. Will watch it later.
But if there’s an engagement ring in the future. I wouldn’t mind if JP was the one giving it Dalmi.
Because I want him rejected once and for all.
Where’s Saha?
Yeh yeh I know I’m just petty
There was like a black box in the promo it looked like an engagement ring case.
And hahaha because I’m petty then that’s the only reason I’d let him propose
Saha is with Dosan, tbh I didn’t focus on her so I’m not sure. Will rewatch it more analytically than emotionally and check out again later
This is my first time writing a comment here. But my gosh! JP is definitely starting to get on my nerves. Nothing about him seems so sincere anymore. Good boy my foot!
For this writer, the good guys always win. And her good guys are the underdog.
I saw that scene at the end when JP went to 2STO and so did Dosan. I’m sure Dosan didn’t allow JP to pay to fund noongil. I bet he tied it to his income. I would. If I were Dosan and I made the darn thing. There was no way, I’d give up rights to it or even share it with JP, even if I’ve to beggar myself to pay for it myself. Heck no. To let him have a share in it after bullying us so would make Samsan Tech a big loser.
Remember Yongsan’s pep talk about JP the previous night. There was no way I’d allow JP to get credit for something he tried so hard to sabotage.
Madness in the Ep 13 preview. When Dosan asked Jipyeong why DS can’t meet Dalmi, does he (DS) need permission to do it, then JP told DS “I think I have the right”? Ooooooohhhh madness love, madness. What makes JP think he has the right? Hmmmm.
Actually, I’m sure a part of Mr. MIA is happy that DS will be out of sight for 3 years. Hahaha Mr. Regrets, don’t be shy 🤣, show us your happy face hehehe (just kidding, or not bwahahaha).
I guess it’s safe to say Mr. Regrets would take this chance to impress Dalmi. Dude’s have like 3 years here folks 😁😂. Okay 2 years if Mr. MIA actually cares and loves Dalmi and let her heal from heartbreak, I don’t know 🤣. Let’s see what moves will Mr. Not so Good Boy conjure to make Dalmi fall in love with him.
I keep telling you. He ain’t a good boy.
There’s an American expression that fits this whole thing: putting lipstick on a pig. Even when you put lipstick on a pig, the pig is still a swine.
Same thing with JP. Only the dumbest ones will be deceived by the lipstick…or the pretty face he has on.
@BeingWritten when I first checked out the Start Up tag on twitter and see that most folks there are on Team JP and little to no praise tweets about Team Dosan, I made a resolve that I’d never visit the tag again. The second lead syndrome strongly affected the dear tweeters there. Hahaha good thing we have BoD here, this is Team Dosan haven hihi.
Jipyeong surely is right about one thing @packmule3. He is not Good Boy 😁
I don’t really like to comment about previews because
a. there’s already enough interesting topics to discuss in the episode
b. I don’t like to get our panties in a twist over speculation.
c. what’s the point?
That said, I interpret DS’s question as a sign that he did NOT maintain contact (i.e., check up on her) while he was away. And that’s probably healthier for him.
I say that he didn’t try to check up on her because his question implied that he hadn’t updated himself on JP and Dalmi’s status: whether they were dating or not.
And no, Dalmi wouldn’t date JP. If she was still crying over a video of Dosan, then she was pining for him.
I declared myself Team Dosan earlier, right?
But I was hoping that JP would be rehabilitated and would somehow turn into a “Good Boy,” but nope. He hadn’t.
He was always a “little bit” off with his judgement calls. And I pointed them all out to you.
He simply isn’t a good person at heart. His natural tendency is to be suspicious of people’s motives BECAUSE he’s one of them…people with questionable motives. lol.
Grandma tried to appeal to his better sense by calling him “Good Boy.” She didn’t want to believe that he was warped inside and beyond changing.
Yeh I’m pretty sure she brotherzoned him, but we’ll see next week. If she had brotherzoned him, that makes what JP says in the trailer to even be more annoying and upsetting. But I will say that I agree he’s not a good boy, he’s never been he was meant to become one through finding found family because of grandma and that’s what I hope will happen. Because I think his story is just that a found family story not a romantic story. And if people saw that he’s a great second lead because he’s fleshed out but whenever he tries to cross the line he becomes such a dislikable character.
He needs a flaw to be second lead as Cyrano. There must have been something wrong with him for him not to get the girl despite being the one who wrote her the letters. So I admire the writer for making a character like him, it’s just scary that so many people out there don’t see the red flags to his character and deem him, a hero/prince charming like so scary.
@Leedale I wish I was like you but I feel like I must see what the tag is saying because I want to understand people’s opinions and mindset for their irrational hate all that does is make me more infuriated and tired so I think I also will start avoiding reading tags.
Team Good Boy fans accuse Dosan for being violent. The punch was a no-no. Violence is never the answer. This wasn’t the first time Dosan ‘destroyed’ something.
I remembered this from 18 Again drama
DaeYoung: Violence isn’t the right way. But there are times you shouldn’t put up with bullying.
SiWoo: When are those times?
DaeYoung: When you need to protect something dear to your heart.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CHUk0lFJS_d/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The young boy in that drama also acted as young Dosan…lolol. What coincidence. I guess he is following advice and protecting something dear to his heart. 😛
Nonetheless with all the experience and knowledge that JP has I hope he grows and learns to give constructive criticism. (edited bypackmule3. :))
Sure.
Did they also think it was cool of JP to do that arm-wrestling and cheek-pinching?
I take the punch as a delayed reaction and well-deserved check for all of JP’s past actions. I’m surprised that Dosan held himself back all this time.
Remember in Ep 4, JP said Dosan EARNED the right to get mad with him once he entered Sand Box, but Dosan deferred his anger because they were “family.”
BTW, I edited your post a bit… no politics remember? 🙂
Hello packmule3!
I don’t if you remember me but I used to comment a lot under your “A poem a day” posts. I still remember the heartbreak because of JDG character, your funny post about black dress when our ship didn’t sail lol
But I actually found your blog because I was Team Taek all the way in Reply 1988.
You writing is amazing, I come back here a lot to read your perspectives on new dramas. However, I feel like k-dramas nowadays have both progressed visually & in acting but lots of them lost something in the process. I have been watching k-dramas since 2008 & it’s hard to find a beautiful story of love for me these days that I crave to watch till the very end. I need a conflict in my dramas, character development & I get confused when leads get together in 8th episode to spend the rest of the drama pulling cute faces with those sponsor integrations…
And Start-up feels just like one those the dramas I remember falling in love with when I’ve just started with korean shows. You’re right, it is similar to Dream High which for me is the best drama of this writer (I guess 2nd best now if we count Start-up).
Many people say that they hate love triangles , but nearly every korean or chinese romance drama has it, and yet, not a lot of them are actively discussed as Start-up. I see it as a writer’s advantage tbh.
However, what amazes me is the level of JP’s popularity when he had barely no scenes with the female lead from episode 2 + all of their interactions are formal and awkward. I don’t really understand why his fans find it okay that he’s been openly denying his feelings for so many episodes (not romantic at all) while Dosan shows no problem in admitting them since Ep 3 to anyone.
Anyway, the story is an amazing journey for leads. I just feel strange about 5e fact that they empathized so much on the kettle scene when Dalmi said who she preferred & then even after discovering the truth she didn’t get shy or smth with JP…What I mean is that the writer should have showed her analyzing JP more at least for the sake of 15 years she lost because of those letters & failed dates…
I am all Team Dosan. I wished he was not the angelic but then they gave us “cheating” flashback which felt as a nice character addition. I hope he gets a little bit grumpy & jelly in SF to melt before Dalmi next week ahaha
Oops! Apologies on that! Thanks @packmule3 for correcting it. Will remember that in future. 🙂
I see now that Dosan’s anger at JP is delayed, it could have been done so in the office but he didn’t. We don’t see Dosan knitting lately? Anyway, It was a private matter between both of them so he took it out on JP outside. To some extent, JP deserved it, for all the mess he got Samsan tech in….like not mentoring them professionally in Sandbox.
I remember you, Lespoir48. Welcome back.
To be honest, I’m in two minds about this “grump and jelly” scenario that you have for Dosan. On one hand, it’s expected that he’ll be “grumpy and jelly” so I want to see how this writer does it again. But on the other hand, Dosan has ALWAYS been chasing after Dalmi. Except for the two scenes when she gave Saha that annoyed look, she’d never shown much jealousy because Dosan had always been “hers” for the taking — and the leaving.
Thus, I want the roles reversed this time around. Let’s have Dosan be the guy the girls are after. Let’s even have InJae be interested in him. (lol. That would be a nice twist.) I want Dalmi to stew for a bit and feel how it’s like to be insecure about Dosan’s attention. As you said, Dosan had no problems admitting his feelings since Ep 3. So I want him to keep his emotions in check now.
I haven’t seen the entire “Dream High.” I only viewed Ep 16 on Viki to see if what the fuss was all about. I heard the fans of Taec were all upset when he didn’t get the girl because he was built up to be the male lead (his story was told first like JP, had family issues, and so on). But the country bumpkin Kim SooHyun got the girl at the end (and he left for the US).
I’ve a twitter account just for this blog but I’m seldom on twitter so I don’t pay attention to fangirls. I do get reports about them from some of the lurkers so I’m not entirely clueless.
@packmule3, Am glad there’s a time jump coming. Episode 12 totally killed me. I couldn’t believe that it affected me that deeply. I saw the theme of live as sacrifice with Dosan and Dalmi-each going through the heartbreak of parting for the counteroarts’ own good -am not counting out reconciliation here. I saw JYP beginning to redeem my himself-with his true relationship being his second chance family with grandma
I’m kept thinking if the end of Casablanca with the sisters being Rick and Louis returning to some form of relationship in that allis both to grow.suster’s admission to Ms. Yoon started to that ball rolling. And even Mom gets to return to her more loving roots. Wii she be running the form dog truck in in the future.
I t ink that she I much was set up in this episode from the pain if break up to the app’s survival to the possibilities of new and renewed relationships. I hope sister, mom, and JYP find redemption. I hope our lovers meet again. At this point I hope there is not an open ended ending as was done in Record of youth(where it belonged). Start Up for me, is turning into am especially satisfying drama where realistic outcomes are possible. And please give us the Grandma Dalmi fonversa ion we so need.
@packmule3 “DoSan hate” by JP fan girls because they think that by tearing him down, they can elevate JP over and above him? Like how they accused him of “stalking” Dalmi, for “cheating” at the Math Competition.
Hmm… I never thought of that, nrllee.
I can see how comparisons between the male lead and the second lead will make one stand out, and the other look…well, crummy. But I gave JP’s fangirls the benefit of the doubt and viewed their arguments as rational and well-intended.
But… to make up false charges like stalking and manipulation of Dalmi’s emotions was a real dumb move by these fangirls.
What bothers me, too, is that they disregard the fact that JP contributed to the suicide of Youngsan’s hyung. JP never owned up to his role in that. Never apologized to the family. He spent one day wallowing in bed, feeling sorry for himself.
These were the same fangirls who were quick to burn the child Dosan at the stakes for the Math Olympiad mistake.
Now, doesn’t THAT tell you anything about the moral fiber of these fangirls? Or their mindset? Appalling, right? They cannot distinguish between wrong behaviors bec of fangirling.
An adult JP has never apologized for causing Youngsan’s brother’s death >>> the child Dosan gave his medal up because he felt that he didn’t deserve it
JP didn’t see anything wrong about his pattern of derogatory behavior to people he thought were beneath him.
Now, I don’t know this writer, but I can sure tell you that she made Dosan HER male lead for a good reason.
I think the Jyp fangirls are purposely blinding themselves to Jyp’s shortcomings and failures at empathy. As everyone has so incisively detailed in these posts, the writer has set up Jyp to be grandly insensitive to others’ pain and his use of competition to position himself for success. He seems to have learned little from tne only role model for kindness that he had;grandma. And even though he knew his money was not stolen by grandma, his anger controlled him and he left. (Although I think he might have also been embarassed). His personal and fiscial success came out of selfish manipulation. He had business colleagues, but no real friends and his AI personal assistant didn’t even work for him. He was also style over substance. As to tne letters to Dalmi-he didn’t remember their content. After all Dalmi was a mere child and of really no import to him. All of these character issues and more wrre made abundantly clear by the writer. Me thinks that yon fangirls were blinded by the great performance by both actors(and their dazzling good looks) playing Jyp. It should be noted that the break out star of this drama, Kim Seon-ho is getting a huge amount of notice, that only reinforces fangirl behavior. He is deserving of this notice because he’s given the role the right amount of depth and nuance. But does the character, Jyp, deserve Dalmi-no way.
Fangirls have been joining character teams for many years. I would guess that so much of the behavior is physically based. And like those oeople who in real life, are blinded by the influence of hormones, they do not pay attention to the scripted clues. when this devolves into rank hostility to those who espouse the other views,we have a problem.I’m glad that this blog takes scripted content to make its case.
🤨and I’m also baffled whenever the JP fangirls come here on my blog and DEMAND that I change my views because THEY say so.
Every time I see one of them ranting on my blog, I think:
Come on, tootsie, convince me that I’m wrong. Analyze the script. Breakdown the dialogues like I just did and tell me how to re-interpret them.
Not a single one of the JP fans’ posts I receive is logical. Instead, they use the same old attacks:
ad hominems: “you’re a bitch, packmule3!” 😂
Emotional appeal: “you’re wrong, because you hurt my feelings!!!” 😭
Appeal to the masses: but but but there’s thousands of us on Twitter, Reddit, wherever” 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
Appeal to popularity: “Kim Seon-Ho is handsome!!! How dare you!!” 🐸
Appeal to the gods: “Shut down this blog or die, you witch.” ⚡️ 🌩 ⚡️
The more hysterical the poster, the more illogical she/he becomes.
As I said, I was an ex-JP fan. I tried to cut him some slack because I thought he was “Cyrano.” But JP is no “Cyrano.” Cyrano’s noble.
He was going to confess his feelings to Roxanne because Christian told him to. Christian couldn’t tolerate their situation anymore bec Roxanne was becoming more in love with the letter-writer Cyrano (and they weren’t 15-year-old letters).
But once Christian died in battle, Cyrano knew and accepted that he couldn’t reveal the truth anymore. Why?
For one, he’d be speaking of the dead when the dead couldn’t corroborate his words.
For another, Roxanne believed the letter-writer was Christian. Cyrano didn’t want to hurt her even more by revealing the truth and dispelling her illusions — for his own need to claim her for himself.
So he let her keep her fantasy of Christian for 15 years till his own death. Self-less love at its most romantic! 🙂
That’s who Cyrano was. JP is no Cyrano.
@packmule3 😂 at your take down of the fan girl rants. They need to learn to look past his sad sob story. As if because he’s this lonely 😩 soul with so much baggage that somehow he deserves “some” happiness. And if Dalmi is that happiness, then just let him have her? Like how IkSong shippers say that SHwa would make such a good mom to UJu, so just pair them up? 🙄. It’s not logical. DATA and Mr Spock would not approve. 😂. Similarly I don’t understand the whole fixation on trying to figure out WHO is the main lead because once you establish that then ipso facto he will get the leading lady? 🤔 It was one of the arguments that IkSong shippers used. IJ is main lead, so he should get SHwa. End of story? I am sure that same argument was used in R88. JungHwan has more screen time, therefore he’s main lead. So he should get DeokSun? Maybe for some writers it’s a formula they adhere to unblinkingly. But if that is THE only criteria then the story would be pedestrian. Look at Snow Falling on Cedars. Ishmael never ended up with his Japanese lover? He gave her up when he revealed the truth and freed her husband. He had a good heart and that mattered way more than getting the woman.
Im sorry, just butting in – I’m not watching this drama but I almost choked on my tea when I saw those those rants especially the ‘appeal to the gods – shut down this blog or die, you witch!’.
Cray cray much??? 🤣
I’m sorry to hear that you are getting harassed, @packmule3. But like Dalmi, you are resilient. 👍🏼
Old habits die hard and some positive realisations by Jipyeong don’t mean that he has changed overall. I wonder if Dalmi’s mom will end up being the one to wake her to Jipyeong’s flaws if he can’t change? She has been in a relationship with an overbearing man so it may seem clear to her as a 3rd party.
The funny thing is they literally do call out to the gods. They often start it off with “OMG!” “OhmyGawd. Shut down your blog!”
😂 So whiny.
A few of them curse in languages I don’t understand. Look, when they’re speaking in tongues that I don’t understand and writing in such a hysterical nonsensical manner, what’s coming out of them is just mental diarrhea. Do they really think I’ve got time for that shit?
Oh the drama!!!!!! 😂
😂 No, you definitely don’t have time for that. Seriously, why waste time here? You’re not BBQ for nothing! 😈
OMG! 😱 (mine is oh my goodness) They might use my nickname for you again like ‘yeah let’s put her on the grill and eat her!’ 😂
I think I’m unlike Dalmi, Fern. Dalmi responds to the feedbacks. I don’t. The silly posters get blocked.
Besides, this blog can exist with or without their support. I don’t need funding. 😂
I don’t know about Dalmi’s mom. She seems like an airhead, too.
But InJae? There’s hope for her. I thought she was beginning to thaw during that confrontation scene with Morning Group. I mentioned her smile when Dalmi “blackmailed” the Chairman.
And I’ve a sneaking suspicion that this writer would make her into a better mentor for Dalmi than JP.
Why?
Because their sisters. This writer is big on sisterhood. Sisters stick together.
Remember: she’s very capable. She could have been the CEO of her step-father’s company which was bigger than JP’s investment company.
She actually is a fair employer. Her staff, even the bodyguards (?) at her father’s office like her. She was pleasant to them. This is more than I can say about JP’s relationship with his staff.
She doesn’t tolerate unprofessional behavior. That’s her main argument against Dalmi. (And she’s right, too.) Dalmi has an axe to grind and she gets lost whenever she goes after her sister and loses sight of her goal. Injae, on the other hand, always focuses on her goal, and knows that her sister is a distraction. She can teach Dalmi how to focus in the job and be professional EVEN BEFORE Dalmi goes off-tangent.
Also Injae doesn’t want her sister losing face, too. She knew that something was wrong with the contract. If I were her, I’d get annoyed with the mentor JP for not advising his team better. JP simple went MIA. Missing in action. That was THE Exit this episode was referring, too. The exit of investors, the title said, at the critical point.
Good points about Injae. They may have a rough start working together, but both have shown each other support since coming to Sandbox. While the mother has experience behind her, Injae is definitely more outspoken.
Hmm. Injae could probably even bring JP to heel if she was inclined.
Didn’t you notice that I didn’t really come down hard on InJae and discuss her actions? 😂 Unlike other viewers, I didn’t call her out on the many things that she did. I just said she had issues. And I said her lie about the girl on the swing was anti-social, but that’s about it.
It’s because I was predicting how this writer would write the character ✍🏻 based on her previous works. In Dream High, all the girls ended up friends despite their personality differences. It’s the sisterhood. This writer advocates for sisterhood.
So why will the writer change now?
InJae has pride, ego. The crap that JP threw at Samsan Tech? She would have punched JP back harder.
That’s what she learned from her father getting beaten up. She didn’t like it. She pitied her dad, of course. And knew her dad would have felt even more pathetic if he realized his daughters saw his humiliation, so she stopped Dalmi. That’s how I interpreted that scene.
So what she did was she decided to join the other team. Did you hear JP’s advice to Dalmi? If you can’t beat them, join them?
😂
Injae realized that a whole lot sooner. As a teenager, in fact. If you can’t beat them, join them.
It must have been hard to walk away from her dad and sister, too. But she had to do what she had to do.
Of course, she didn’t expect her stepfather to reject her too. So that whole “if you can’t beat them, join them”theory is a fail, too, because she wasn’t really “one of them.”
She realized that fact sooner than JP and Dalmi: some groups you simply can’t join even when you have the right trappings. So it’s better to forge a path on her own.
The way I see it, she’s more capable one than JP. In the first episode, she was getting more questions than JP and she was handling every thing just fine. Even when she insulted Youngsan, Youngsan wondered if he heard her clearly. 😂
She’s savvier than JP in that way.
Also, she knew NOT to go near Morning Group. Had she mentored Dalmi, she would have done a better job than JP who bungled that and sent the lambs to slaughter.
That’s it in a nutshell. JP is a shitty shepherd. He’s sent his lambs to slaughter because of his ineptness as a mentor. He took measures too late because to quote what he said to Grandma, he “pretended to be smartest in the world, but in reality, (he’s) just an idiot who knows nothing.”
I have to start work but I just wanted to say how happy I am that I found this sight. I’m enjoying Startup but all the inconsistent DS hate has brought me down (which is kinda stupid, but we’re all just human.)
Yes, Injae had 1st hand experience with toxic Mr Won, with the result being her presence at Sandbox. But I thought she knew about Dalmi’s group going to look for work there and didn’t discourage her? I shall have to rewatch.
To be fair to JP, on the list of companies, he did mark which needed to make positive investments in start-ups because of having dodgy publicity or practices. He left it up to Dalmi to choose. I agree he could have spent more time going over the details with her or simply crossed those companies off.
Off topic: About a year after graduation, I went to work for a company I was warned about. It was a rare opportunity because there were no other similar businesses in the area where I could put my degree to use. I thought I could make it work and wouldn’t be dissuaded. It was good for a while. 😑 Lessons learned.
To @packmule3, I am so sorry to hear about all the fangirl harassment you’ve been getting. It would do them good to look at how you analyze the dramas using scripts, writer and director past drama histories and out and out narrative. I have taken film courses and essentially this is what you’re doing here. I think the hostile fangirls need the patience to do the work of deconstruction. Instead, they respond to their subjective emotions. I also think that they’re either unwilling or unable to take the complete ride. And the shippers/stanners have to maintain a fantasy. This blog keeps it real. I’m so glad I found it. I like that along the way, if a poster’s prediction is proven wrong, there’s no “I told you sos”.I’m also glad that you periodically publish ground rules for responses. If the fangirls would only read them and respond accordingly, perhaps they’d not be so toxic.One can only hope. And lastly I hoped from the early episodes that the sisters would reconcile. Their early relationship was depicted as loving with a bit of hero worship from young Dalmi to older Injae. I thought that Dalmi’s ultimate disappointment in her sister had a lot to do with the end to that hero worship. And we also saw that their mother was actually worn out by the Dad’s schemes and was concerned about putting food on the table. However, the plot hole here for me was if she was so poor, how the heck would she run in the chairman’s circle to meet him and how would she afford the trappings of her ultimate adultery. However, writer does show how both mom and sister are coming back to their roots and how mom is unafraid of hard labor if it gets her away from what seems like golden servitude. And therein lies the joy of the k drama genre-it’s not all soap opera romance. It’s interlocking stories that are character based but that ultimately build worlds. And as you so well pointed out, @packmule3, the sisterhood runs deep here when you add Ms. Yoon, grandma and Stephanie to the mix. The men provide a lot of spice, but it’s the women who supply the nourishment.
.
Fern,
If I remember correctly, I explained the red and blue companies using a Halloween analogy. (It was around Halloween time here so candies were ny mind. lol.)
I said what JP did to Dalmi would be like a parent (let’s pretend its me) allowing my daughter to go around the neighborhood for trick-or-treating. I’ll give my daughter a list of 8 houses on the block.
Eight houses:
four of which have a two-parent family.
four of which will have a single-adult occupant.
Of these four single-adult houses,
one will have male adult,
one will have a female adult,
one will have a single-dad,
and the last one is a registered sexual offender (male).
Now, being a thinking parent, I’ll most likely scratch off the houses with a single-adult occupant. Too risky.
But fineeee… let’s say, I know those single adults anyway. I’ve seen them during neighborhood gatherings, the neighborhood garden show, the annual board meeting, the neighborhood yard sale, or the high school football tailgate parties. Fine.
All things considered, I’d BE STUPID to allow my daughter to go the house of the registered sexual offender.
It doesn’t matter if I’m standing at the foot of the driveway and watching my daughter knock on the door. I’d be stupid to let her knock on the door of the registered sexual offender.
Why?
Because I’m “normalizing” that man. My daughter will get the impression that that sexual offender is a “normal” neighbor like the rest when he’s obviously NOT. Then, I’m giving that man a chance to prey on my daughter.
Do you see what I mean?
That’s how I viewed JP’s move.
It doesn’t matter that he tagged all the red companies (or was it blue?) and told Dalmi that they needed a “social outreach program” to clean up their act. He should have given her heads-up, or given her examples of contract stipulations to avoid. (like, I would tell my daughter not to step inside the house and to stay at the threshold when trick-or-treating). JP should have told Dalmi beforehand, what to expect when meeting with those red companies, and how to recognize unacceptable deals.
Dalmi was a high school graduate, remember?
Additionally, he knew that Morning Group is chaired by Dalmi’s stepfather. He should have known that there’d be a conflict of interest there, and that Dalmi would have unresolved issues with her stepfather.
In comparison, Dosan asked Dalmi if it was fine with her to go there, and Dosan barely knew about her estranged family history. But JP KNEW about Morning Group and Dalmi.
But the worst part here is that JP heard the stepfather talked about “exploiting” the talents of these people. They were all sitting together at that board meeting. JP didn’t connect the two?
He’s grossly incompetent. He’s always so protective of his investors’ profit margin. He’s always on the lookout for bad business dealings. He could have given the same due diligence for his mentees.
No, he wasn’t made to be a “sherpa,” Fern. He messed up each step.
In this kdrama, the challenge for Dalmi and Dosan was to learn how to start up a business.
Meanwhile, the challenge for JP was how to become a sherpa and a mentor to young entrepreneurs.
In Episode 12, Samsan Tech crashed. But so did JP in a monumental way. He crashed, too, as a mentor, and as a “Good Boy.” That’s why he was crying all over Grandpa and telling her that he was a jerk. Finally, he gained self-awareness.
And InJae?
She was the one who tossed that bone to Dalmi. She was expecting Dalmi to chomp at it. That was mean, lol. But IIRC, Dalmi went to her first and “congratulated” her on getting the contract from a bank. Dalmi insinuated that InJae got it through her connections with her stepfather.
InJae replied that nope! she got it on her own. After the hackathon, she introduced herself to an investor. While she “worked” the room for contacts and new business, Dalmi was taking a nap.
Also, I think it hurt InJae when she overhead the Director Yoon questioning her “goal.” She knew that InJae wanted to make money (and JP agreed that “money” should be the goal) but she expected more from the “Sand Box” girl. Of course, InJae wanted more than money but she was probably hurt to hear that her aspirations were just monetary.
To get back at Dalmi, she told her about the AI program of Morning Group that she turned down.
@packmule3 and @Fern, Great points about Injae and Dalmi. Injae is pictured as intelligent and sophisticated. While disappointed by her stepfather favoring blood over water, and especially incompetent, arrogant blood, she benefited by her experience working in his company by gaining invaluable business acumen. Dalmi could not possibly have that level ofbknowledge and although she is smart, she chose to earn money rather than going to college because of her economic status and her concrrn for her grandmother. Dalmi is a quick study but needs the right guide to help her gain the knowledge and experience she needs.Herbintuition can only get her so far. The brilliance of this drama is how the writer has “guided” her to her sister. It will be interedting to see how Dalmi’s hard feelings and heartbreak about her sister, going forward, are changed. And frankly, Injae seems to be hard edged, although respected in business. Her humanity shows through but barely. I amhoping that Injae also benefits by reuniting with her sister on a oersonal level, if not in business. I think an Injae/Dalmi partnership would be unbeatable and give the men like Jyp, Alex and stepdad a run for their money (my feminist fantasy).And yup, Injae will be quite thebgreat mentor. Jyp wasbphoning it in and using his default setting and yes, you nailed it by saying hd was derekict in his duties, absenting himself in the end. (I also no longer want to see an Injae and Jyp pairing-she’s way too good for him). I know I’ve been rambling, so please accept my apologies. You bring so many thoughts to this older head and by so doing, you’re staving off possible senility.
@packmule, of course I would never let my daughters or sons go trick or treat at the home of a known pedophile, either.
I’m not sure, however, what I would say to an adult friend who was going door to door to raise funds for their marathon charity or similar. At most, I would say don’t go there and why; at least I would tell them that the person was on the published list, so if they, being an informed adult, chose to go there it would be their decision.
I agree with you that he is not a good Sherpa. Whatever Jipyeong has done for the Samsan team he had probably inflated in his mind. He is a mediocre mentor; always trying to put out the fire he could have prevented. In episode 7 he admits that he’s not altruistic when he blurts out that he wouldn’t help just anyone. This thinking prevented him from supporting NoonGil’s development and crucially, it sets him apart from Dalmi and DoSan.
I dislike Jipyeong, but I can’t hate him probably because I am quite flawed myself.
I also agree that it would be a conflict of interest because Mr Won was Dalmi’s stepfather. Same with Injae. But I suppose, in kdramas at least, businesses are often nepotistic. In the end, Dalmi got funding from Mr Won. Now she will work with/for her sister. I wonder what her share percentage will be? 🙂
Speaking of these registries, that’s one reason I’m turned off by the whole Rara+Jun romance in “Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol.”
Rara could have ended up in a sex offender registry had she been horny sort of gal. sigh. She didn’t know that she was dating a minor who claimed to be her age. I wish the writer didn’t have to ruin my romance vibes by introducing that underage theme.
Yes. Let’s see how JP changes for the better in the upcoming episodes.
Yes, I agree that underage or quite young is a no-go area. It used to be a popular theme in mainstream French films. In the news a few years back a young girl ran off across the channel with her teacher, but the laws are different in France. Her family had to pull a lot of strings to get the authorities involved.
Strictly speaking Jun is over the South Korean age of consent although still a minor. You’re right, it’s lucky that both weren’t ruled by their hormones.
Btw, I was asked about JP and InJae pairing for the ending.
The writer did that before in Dream High. Paired up the sis with the second male lead. But for this show? Isn’t that kind of creepy? If JP still feels attracted to Dalmi in Ep 13, after the three-year time leap, why will he suddenly fancy InJae in Ep 14?
For InJae, I want a guy who cares for her, and not see her as a stand-in for Dalmi.
I agree that an Injae/Jipyeong pairing would have to be developed realistically and gradually, which this drama probably doesn’t have time for. Also, Injae has already had the example of her mother and stepfather’s relationship. I feel that she has developed a strong sense of self preservation. I don’t think she would gravitate towards a person with Jipyeong’s current flaws.
Speaking of which, I wonder why, given his track record of harsh words, Jipyeong continued to be offered a place at the Sandbox? The Director must see something useful or potentially valuable in him. I understand that he left the country right after the Demo day with YongSan’s brother. I am still curious about how he didn’t know anything about the death given news links and social media, or from the Director when they saw the revenge tag. It was obvious that she made the connection in her mind.
It makes me wonder how soft the Sandbox actually is?
If you ask me, Jipyeong is also being “mentored” by Director Yoon but secretly. He’s her “pet project.”
She does NOT subscribe to JP’s worldview that money is king (remember what she told Dalmi’s dad) but she ALLOWS him to think that way. She didn’t correct him. You’d have to listen to her tone, however, when she said, “Right, it all comes down to money,” she said that with irony.
I’ve been meaning to write about their conversation about money and Injae, but I got lost.
>>
Here is the scene from Ep 7 at 41:00
JP: (offering her coffee) I heard InJae Company landed an AI project Jeonghan Bank is launching.
Director: Yes, I heard. Won InJae is impressive, isn’t she? She’s already landed a 300M won project.
JP: (admiring) Ahh. She doesn’t even need a mentor.
Director: I know. She makes my job very easy. She knows what to do and how to accomplish it. But I must say that I don’t think she knows why she’s doing this.
JP: For money, of course. What other reason could there be?
And he’s dead wrong, of course. The Director was being satirical and mocking in her response.
Director: Right, it all comes down to money.
Of course, it does NOT all come down to money. She wouldn’t be the founder of “Sand Box” if she thought that way. Remember her conversation with Dalmi’s dad. She asked him how he was going to get profit from his idea. He replied that he wasn’t going to compromise the growth of user base just for profit. She agreed, saying, “No matter how thirsty you are, you should never drink seawater. You have to hold out until it rains. Pursuing profits in the early stage of a business is like drinking seawater.”
Thus, while she agreed that it all came down to money, it didn’t mean that she was IN FAVOR of this reality or that she subscribed to that philosophy.
Director: (continuing) It’s a good reason and also an honest one. But I thought this kid would be different. I thought she’d find a different reason. Not money.
JP: Different reason? Like what?
Director: That I don’t know yet.
>>
Yes, she and JP did see the “revenge” tag together. And she must have made a connection, too, by then.
She’s been handling JP with kid gloves. (By kid, I meant leather from a baby goat, not a child, okay?) Similar to how Grandma treats JP with kid gloves.
And not unlike how JP’s fans treat the character, too. hahaha.
I wondered about the kid gloves treatment. It may have been too subtle for him in regards to the Samsan team. 🤔. Maybe boxing 🥊? In any event, it keeps the story moving.
@packmule3, Given that Grandma and Director Yoon seem to have influenc over Jyp, do you think he minimizes their influence because they’re both women? Didn’t Jyp’s mother abandon him? Just thinking he has a problem with women, even theines he likes.
Old American Lady,
Did you mean that he’s unconsciously looking for a “mother surrogate” to compensate for his lack of parents?
All I can say is the two influential people in his life are the Granny and Director Yoon, both women. Both of them treat him with indulgence.
Grandma treats him compassionately, and pitifully, too. She regrets not knowing him when he was younger bec she would have protected him from the bullies. To me, she sees him like a wounded animal that’s angry and suspicious of the whole world. I said he had trust issues. Fern pointed that it was abandonment issues too. Granny wanted to “tame” and fix this dark side of him because she believed in his innate goodness.
To borrow JP’s words, I don’t know if she’s being “naive or stupid.” 😂
As for Director Yoon, her business philosophy is different from JP. She believes in nurturing entrepreneurs. She invited JP and Injae to her talks — two people whose business philosophies are closer to each other than to Director Yoon’s.
We don’t know how he ended up in the orphanage. It wasn’t given in his backstory. (And thank goodness. I don’t think we really need more stories.)
@packmule3, I think that he is unconsciously looking for a mother surrogate. And the two women offer him variations of the mom he needs. His initial relationshipnwith grandma was that he was more like a tenant/boarder. Their relationship grew and he slowly begqn tontrust her until he went to the bank. Of coursr, he jumped to the wrong conclusion. And his pride kept him from apologizing from the getgo.
On the othrr hand, Director Yoon offered him a kind of mentorship and professional legitimacy. I see her as being charismatic and guru-like. He seems to get an emotional as well as transactional benefits from that relationship. However, with both relationships, I have a hard time seeing where the women are getting anything from him except for their own faction from helping Jyp.As you said, @packmule3 before, to paraphrase, he didn’t do right hy grandma who, singlehandedly kept him alive and well.
Oh! You reminded me of something. That trip to the bank when he was 18.
He accompanied Grandma right? Without telling Grandma, he used her name to open up the stocks account. Remember the prize money he won? He couldn’t encash it because he needed a guardian.
So he borrowed Grandma’s name and date of birth to open up a stock trading account without her knowledge.
Grandma didn’t know. It would have been risky for her had he lost money.
Like you, I think the women are expecting nothing back from JP. Just satisfaction that they help out a person.
Eek. No to an InJae/JP pairing. That would be like Amy and Laurie in Little Women. Laurie only married Amy because he wanted in on the March family. That’s how I always felt and it never sat well with me 😂. Yes I am still bitter about Jo and Laurie.
Oh that hurt never ends, nrllee! I watched the new version and ooof. I still liked Laurie played by Timothee Chalamet.
Their dance around the porch was dreamy. But his proposal scene?? Heartbreaking. On some level, I understood what she meant but come on now, friendship-turning-to-love is my favorite kind of love story.
Love at first sight is so inconvenient especially if you’re an attractive person. 😂😂
But yes, InJae-JP pairing doesn’t sit well with me. And it’s rather too late for the romance to grow organically. It’ll feel like transplanted emotion.
I’m liking the odd couple Saha and Chulsan.
Reply 1988 showed another set of sisters who were smitten by the same boy, but it felt natural by the end.
Frankly I think every one of the March sisters bar Meg was in love with Laurie at some point. 😂
@packmule3 I am still salty (this is a new word for me. My daughter uses it all the time 😂) over Jo and Laurie. The proposal scene gets me EVERY time. Haven’t seen the most recent edition of Little Women. But with a name like that (so decidedly French 😍)…O yes please…I must carve out time to watch the 2019 movie.
@Fern but the boy (SunWoo) always loved Bora. Actually theirs was the love story I preferred. If you want to do tsundere (female version) right, then you do it like Bora. She was prickly as (and scary at that) but she had it where it counted. SW saw right through her. He knew she was kind when she sat by him (and told him to cry) when he mourned over the loss of his dad.
@nrllee, yes SunWoo liked Bo Ra and not Deok Sun. Neither of their final relationships was a rebound. I think that’s why it worked out realistically although they were sisters.
I loved the scene when she comforted him. And then Bo Ra was still bossing him around in the ‘present’. 🥰
In an early post, some astute person mentioned the similarities between Jipyeong and Jung-hwan. Since I read that, every time he lags or says something insensitive I wince. 😑
Hoping that you and your chicks stay cool. 😊
wow. reading this comment section was a ride and a very fun one tbh.
@beingwritten mentioned how scary it was that JP fangirls were excusing and defending all his actions, regardless of how harmful/creepy/unhealthy they were. It’s frankly terrifying that so many people fail to see or acknowledge things like how JP might have affected Yongsan’s brother’s mental health and driven him over the edge. I’ve seen comments of fangirls blaming Yongsan and his brother, yes blaming the person who committed suicide and his very upset brother. Instead of acknowledging the impact words have on mental health, they were essentially blaming the victim. And this wasn’t just 1 or 2 comments. I also appreciate how you mentioned Dalmi and her constantly excusing JP’s harmful traits too. Like girl, you don’t have to take everything he does as a positive.
Very insightful discussion as always, and I agree with those commenting, the hate on social media really brought me down and was affecting my enjoyment of the show, but thankfully was able to find some likeminded individuals and since then have not ventured into the tags lol. And ofc I found this blog too 🙂