Get ready for another rewatch this Wednesday, Dec 23.
Start times:
6 am EST (Eastern Standard Time)
3 am PST (California side)
10 pm in Sydney, Australia (@agdr03’s time)
11 am in the UK
7 pm in Singapore, Philippines, etc.
6 pm in Indonesia
4:30 pm in India
Meanwhile, here’s another game to pass away the time. Can you tell what was happening in these gifs? For instance, I know that the gif #1 was from that scrunchie scene in the epilogue of Episode 8: Back-up. Do you remember the rest of the gifs?
Gif source: objectivefunction’s tumblr
GIF 1: Ep 8, scrunchie incident
GIF 2: Ep 6, DoSan eureka moment after fixing
the handwriting forgery algorithm
GIF 3: Ep 3, DoSan objective function on not disappointing DalMi
GIF 4: Ep 8, DoSan talking about combining image recognition and youngshil
I’m gonna stop there 🤣
I think I can join on Wed. I just have to wake up really early.
Love the GIFs, I think I know all of them.
I wish there’s one with his nest of a hair (before networking party), when he was biking and holding the suit. He looked different there, he looked super young but still cute! 🥰
Yaaay @Janey yes pleaasee.. 🥰
President Ella you never cease to amaze me. Hahahaha I know the gifs but the episode numbers are all jumbled in my head hahaha
Yey I can join againn it’s my first off day for the holidayss
Yayyy excited! See you all on the 23rd.
GIF1 – Scrunchie incident (JP being petty)
GIF2 – After fixing the handwriting forgery app (after the hackathon, first day in Sandbox)
GIF3 – Explaining that SST and JP have the same goal.. not to disappoint Dalmi. First time he admitted that he likes Dalmi
GIF4 – When Dosan realized the finger bulb is working
GIF5 – Dosan explaining his idea
GIF6 – Dosan setting up the table during hackathon
GIF7 – Proving to Alex the accuracy rate and app size logic
GIF8 – Dosan giving Dalmi a tour of SST rooftop office
Enjoy ladies! I’m watching Wonder Woman 1984 tonight so if you’re still watching when I get home, I’ll try to join you.
I have to say DoSan had me when he was all suited up, finally meeting Dalmi and when he walked back to Dalmi saying he does not have a girlfriend but before that, ‘sailing without a map’. ☺️
@Ella, thanks for the info about the corn dogs being dipped in sugar. I’m only used to corn dogs with ketchup. 😄
@agdr03
No worries, I remember seeing it in Seoul but I did not try it due to my aversion of overly sweet stuff 🤣 I prefer the old tomato sauce/ketchup and mustard.
Enjoy Wonder Woman 1984, I really want to see it but not sure if I’m ready yet for a repeat of what happened in the first film 😔
Oh which bit did you not like in the first film @Ella?
@agdr03
I mean the heartbreak since this is the past and they’ve shown what happened in the future in Batman vs Superman and Justice League so I assumed that we will have a repeat ending of the first one lol..
Ah true. That was some heartbreak 😞
I’m watching it because I’ve always been a fan of the Wonder Woman in Linda Carter but I think Gal Gadot plays the character well. ☺️
Please 6 days left to vote for best couple award in Hallyu awards (I think I saw this from a twitter poll).
Dodal and Jidal couples are nominated.
https://twitter.com/officialhallyup/status/1341354179344826369?s=21
Oh noooooo, I’m going to have a rain check this time since it’s my finals week:(. Have fun everyone! 🙂
@Idungkulitayam
Good luck on your finals, on the next rewatch party we will celebrate your freedom..
@Gen
I saw that poll being discussed on twitter, this poll really do feed on fan ship-war don’t they. Are you joining our rewatch party?
Am here getting ready. ☕️
Me too, have my phone and laptop ready just in case.
Have my kpad (iPad just for kdramas), private iPhone and laptop. Coffee.
Finishing up my bagel with honey almond reduced fat (haha) schmear. 🥯
I just finished helping my mom with Christmas Eve Dinner prep, she’s the type to go big or go home lol..
I’m ready! Let me know if you guys are starting already.
🙂
I’m becoming lazier as I age. About 3/4th of the food is catered now. My in-laws would bring food and there was too much politics involved (i.e., who did what better and so on) so I learned to rely on caterers. lol.
I just say “Oh, the ham?? It was done by (famous ham company) and the arguments/complaints are over.
Let’s start, Diane!!!
LOL most of my rewatch is skip to my favorite scene so I forgot about this opening
Oh is this famous JP smile?
He was complaining about Seo Dalmi because she texted over 400 times but he was smiling?
I read somewhere on twitter that this is the moment that jp fangirl stated as the moment they turn on DoSan maybe because this is the moment DoSan talk back and no longer become their oppa punching bag lol..
i lost the subtitles by trying to go back to hear what was said about eliminiating a bug 🙁
I like the assistant’s comment here: “His actions don’t match his words.”
JP fans just see it going one direction, that is, he says mean things when he’s actually helpful.
But I see going both ways, that is, he says the pretty things when he actually does mean things.
Are you netflix, jo3edc? It does that to me, too.
Hi @Diane @jo3dc nice to see you here
@packmule3
I totally forgot about the jp replying DalMi sms scene shown here
but JP says it is such an ordeal – but he is smiling – his actions dont match his words as his colleague says
Whut?
So they want JP to bully Dosan? lol.
The scene when Dosan walked in like a turtle, and JP’s eager smile just dropped is when I realized that his problem with Dosan was envy. He was envious of Dosan.
LOL this is one of the little things the fans would always mention the 400++ questions JP answered via email *eyes rolling*
That was the very beginning. JP just sent his reply when Dalmi walked in. That’s why Dalmi didn’t get to read his 400+ replies.
hahaha
That should have clued JP fans, too, that their guy wasn’t going to win the sweepstakes here. There’s such a thing as “writer’s block” that is, the writer was blocking her own character from succeeding, reaching his goal. lol
@packmule3
Yep he said it himself, he envy DoSan since 15 years ago, half of his fixation with DalMi is revolved around DoSan lol..
Look at the way DoSan hide behind Halmeoni LOL
… and the “what can 15 yo letters do? what makes you so sure it’ll be the end?”
JP Fans find Dosan very arrogant here and why they are so mad with the writer for disregarding “the letters”. And JP was triggered. This is where his pettiness started. Hahaha!
Tbh, I was kind of irritated with halmeoni here. Like she kind of manipulated the two boys to lie for her. Tsk tsk!
yes @packmule3 – on netflix – i had to go back to settings
@Diane
I understand her reasoning asking DoSan to lie, but the way she said it is full of guilt trip
More envy from jp on fish size lol.. I think that Halmeoni is on jp camp here with calling him savior, I think she opened up to DoSan after NoonGil
Yeah. Not sure if it was just the translation but that is how I felt. Like she was guilt tripping Dosan. And the pain on Dosan’s face *heart breaking*
I love the voice over and his realization on the role that halmeoni played in connecting all of them. And the scrubbies! He is so cute! Such a nerdy gift. Haha
This scene with Dosan and halmeoni is a favorite. NDS facial expressions empathizing with her and realizing this in his voice over.
“The person who led me to a first love I didn’t even know existed… and the person who offered him a kindness that could never be repaid… it was her.
All these miracles began with her.”
Dosan: Well…I’m thinking of telling Dalmi the truth today.
JP: (at first, he didn’t get it) The truth? (then he was shocked) About the letters?
Dosan: Yes.
JP: Why, all of a sudden?
Dosan: I want to remove a bug that’s bound to occur someday.
JP: Don’t tell her.
Dosan: I want to.
JP: Everything will be ruined, the company and your relationship with her.
Dosan: No, it’ll be alright.
JP: Why so confident?
Dosan: That’s what I want to ask you. What can 15-year-old letters do? What makes you so sure it’ll be the end?
JP: I think they can do a lot more than you can now.
Dosan: Ah. We’ll see about that.
JP: “We’ll see about that”? (clenched his hands)
I wrote about this already but I haven’t changed my mind.
1. I liked that Dosan had planned to reveal the truth. He also had the scrubbers ready to give the grandma. Come to think of it, he always had something to give to Halmeoni: The scrubbers, NoonGil, and the cactus Dalmi.
2. JP wanted him to continue the lie. NOT for Dalmi’s sake, but for the company’s sake. He didn’t want the company to be jeopardized. And I say after watching the ending that this he’s being true to form.
His opinion could be split between business and personal. And business comes before personal.
3. JP didn’t like it when Dosan questioned him about the primacy of the 15-year-old letters in Dalmi’s feelings.
4. JP didn’t like Dosan’s “We’ll see about that” more than anything. That got him into a competitive/rival mode. If Dosan hadn’t said that, I doubt he would have made a u-turn to Dalmi’s house.
Yes, Ella, now that we have the ending, we can see clearly now what his motivations were. lol.
He was lying to Grandma when he said that he lied and already loved Dalmi during that dinner when Grandma questioned him about his feelings. (end of Episode 3, right?) He didn’t love Dalmi back then yet.
changing the bathroom is sooo funny – being the little finger taller – that is such a rude gesture in Italian – was the writer having fun with that?
More things I notice:
– When DalMi was showing his appreciation
– When jp was saying to use him or DalMi (resource), DoSan answered I’m not using her, I’ve started to really.. (netflix translation), but in Korean he said I’m now really.. I think it’s different meaning since one implied he only start to like her but the other one implied that he now really like her
I actually wished there were a lot of light, funny, petty or immature fighting scenes between the two boys. I wished the director and writer stuck with bromance and less with the love triangle.
Hello!! Hope everyone is doing well!
Yes, this is the envious HJP. He is 8 years older and still acting up like this. So petty.
Yes, Diane, JP was triggered. hahaha.
He didn’t like that somebody like Dosan (a loser) could be THAT confident to be win against HIM (the god and letter-writer)
“Ahhhh….We’ll see about that” AND then Dosan smiled as he said that.
Dosan’s no-teeth smile >>>> JP’s all-teeth-showing smile
Because JP got triggered
Hi Janey have you had your coffee? you have to wake up early right?
At this point, Dosan wasn’t sure either how JP felt about Dalmi was he? (Since JP didn’t know himself, hehe)
Even after they went home, jp was thinking about DoSan (he’s obsessed lol) and DoSan was thinking about Halmeoni’s eyes problem
The scene with NDS and halmeoni is one of my favorites. NDS changing facial expressions showed his empathy.
And his realizing this is his voice over.
“ The person who led me to a first love I didn’t even know existed… and the person who offered him a kindness that could never be repaid… it was her.
All these miracles began with her.”
This is halmeoni and she is another key word in Dalmi’s life. I love that he gave her the scrubbers.
True, Kathy T.
Dosan was trying to figure out JP because he was sending mixed signals. To Dosan, the competition over the lights PLUS the bragging over 400+ texts sure sounded like JP was jealous but then JP denied it.
It wasn’t Dosan’s fault if he pursued Dalmi. He thought he had the “right of way” because JP yielded to him.
I think there needs to be a lenghty posting on confusion … Dalmi says she was confused by here mother, then in this episode Dosan says he is confused by JP when he begins to understand that JP is jealous. Later on in the series is it Dosan that says he does not want to be confused anymore?
@ella no coffee yet.. but catching up to all the comments while we’re watching are waking me up. 😊 you’re all great multi taskers.
“Jealousy” is really the key theme here. LOL!
@packmule3 can’t remember if you discussed this in your prev posts but Dosan got scared as well with Jipyeong right? He got jealous also? So could it be that Noongil created out of jealousy as well? Or it was more of an “aha” moment while he was knitting (out of frustration from the house and car scene) I mean apart from Dosan being empathic and feeling grateful for halmeoni…
SaHa’s idea actually in a way was materialized with the tarrot card app
And how could JP fans call Dosan manipulative?
Dosan: I’m guessing that Dalmi doesn’t know.
Grandma: Right, she doesn’t. So pretend you don’t know anything either.
Dosan: How can I do that? If she finds out later–
See there. Dosan’s instant reaction is to think of Dalmi and her feelings.
Grandma: She’ll probably cry and blame you for not telling her. She’ll cry and be resentful. Then, she’ll pity me, just like you’re doing now.
Dosan: Mrs. Choi, I’m just —
I”m sure he was about to say that he was just being concerned about Dalmi’s reaction when she found out that Grandma was hiding the health.
Grandma: I don’t like being looked at like that. It makes me feel as though something really bad has happened. As if the whole world will turn pitch black right this second, and my life will be completely destroyed. But you know that’s not going to help my eyes get better. I don’t want that pitiful gaze from anyone else. No more of that gaze.
Yes, we know that Dosan was a compassionate guy.
Grandma: (continuing) Thanks to you, Dalmi has been smiling a lot lately. Since the day she met you, she’s been going on about you every day. Her eyes sparkle like diamonds when she talks about you. I’m sure you know how pretty her eyes are when she smiles.
Here, I’m happy that she actually thanked Dosan and credited Dosan for making Dalmi happy. Earlier, in another episode, I was a bit miffed that she was thanking JP when Dalmi had said that the networking party was something she would never forget even if she lived for a 100 years. I was annoyed because Grandma was thanking the WRONG person. But now, I’m glad that she knew that it was Dosan that had put the smile on Dalmi’s face, not JP.
Dosan: (trying to control his sadness) Yes. Of course, I know.
Grandma: I owe it all to you, Dosan. Thanks to you, I can see those pretty eyes every single day. If I can see them for just a little longer, then even when I go blind, I’ll have no regrets. Can you please help me? Is it too inconsiderate of me to ask such a favor?
Dosan: (still trying to control his sadness because she said she didn’t want pity) No. Not at all.
Grandma: I’m counting on you. Don’t tell anyone.
Dosan: Okay.
Grandma: Don tell Dalmi or Jipyeong
Dosan: You mean, Mr. Han Jipyeong?
Grandma: Yes. That “Good Boy” will go on about his debt again and make a big fuss over it. Gosh, I’m so tired. (standing up to cook rice)
Dosan: (in a voiceover) The deep despair that I can’t even try to understand (meaning, the Grandma’s growing blindness). While watching her quietly embrace (the inevitably of her blindness) and accept it into her life, it became clear. The person who led me to a first love I didn’t even know existed… And the person who offered (JP) a kindness that could never be repaid… It was her. All these miracles began with her.
And because he recognized that the miracle was Grandma, when he went home, he immediately worked on Noongil.
In contrast, JP had all 15 years to DO something for Grandma because she had helped him when he was a homeless orphan. As I said, he could have set up a fund, an endowment, a chair, to help others like him and name it after Grandma.
Ah, This is the episode where we see NDS biceps 💪 from all those knitting! 😂
There’s been lots of rude fingers gestures, jo3edc. Dosan had gotten away with them because he would turn them into a “heart-eu” fingers. hahaha.
Dosan is so cute and innocent here and very much in love. His face when the light bulb worked after Dalmi touched him. Soo cute!
Tbh, I also thought while watching the earlier part of the series that Saha might be part of the love triangle. That Dosan might like her. LOL!
@Diane
The finger light bulb gave a lot of cute scenes:
– Jealous DalMi, she’s cute here
– How proud DoSan look when the light bulb light up when DalMi lightly touch him LOL
Yongsan with the glasses and dog = cute.
Saha kind of liked Yongsan here as well. But I guess no point having a love triangle bec there is still the revenge plot.
Agree, Ella.
I think Grandma was on “Team JP.”
I couldn’t blame her, she just met Dosan. 🙂 But she knew that once Dalmi fell in love with Dosan, she would have to go with whomever Dalmi chose.
I remember the hue n cry when Grandma stopped JP from going after Dalmi. JP fans thought it was a betrayal. Like, what was Grandma going to do?
Yes. The beltfish.
Confession time: I went to the Asian store and bought beltfish. It was so inconvenient to eat. Too many bones!!
I like that Injae is very capable and not just empty talk when it comes to business. She did try to recruit SamSan tech after learning they won the CODA competition. Even she recognize SamSan tech potential early on.
Injae didn’t get a lot of airtime all throughout the show. I love her character. She appears bad but between her and Dalmi, it was Dalmi who is very petty. She is like Jipyeong as well… so jealous and threatened.
Argh everytime I see the stepdad and brother!
Yes, Ella, I like that Dosan told JP that he was NOT going to use Dalmi as a resource. JP had been advising him, that if Dosan was planning to be “ambitious,” (exact quote), the he should be ready to “use” all the resources available to him, be it Dalmi or himself.
Dosan rejected that. He was about to say, “I’ve started to really…” when JP stepped on the brakes to stop Dosan from confessing that he started to really LIKE Dalmi.
Omygoodness. Can I just say that the actor Nam Joo?? (I forgot his name, lol) really expressed Dosan’s annoyance during this moment?
He closed his eyes. Sighed. then stared at JP with this “what-are-you-doing, man?” look.
I love that he didn’t overreact here.
Diane,
just to let you know the word “bromance” is a banned word here on this blog. 🙂
https://bitchesoverdramas.com/2018/01/14/just-bitching-bromance/
@pm3 Yes Nam Joo Hyuk really acted well. The annoyance in the house as well as in the car was portrayed well. But I’ll be honest, when NJH cries he becomes slightly ugly (sorry @ella)
@pm3 OMG! So sorry!!!
The scene here on the bench and JP watching from behind. It’s a repeat of their first date where JP was hiding behind his car. And Dosan being honest and opening himself to Dalmi so she can know the “real” him.
So many similarities. The director and writer are soo good!
@Diane
LOL I don’t believe in cry prettily regardless of who it is. If you cry prettily then you do it to look pretty.
Do you think Alex is a bad guy? I think he’s whatever it takes to achieve his goal guy with ruthless side but not morning group director/son type.
Re. the lightbulb
I don’t understand why JP was fighting over Dosan.
Dosan: Hey! Let me do it, okay? I majored in computer engineering.
JP: Get out. I own shares in a lighting company.
Like SOOOOO WHAT?
Dosan: I got A+ in Circuit Theory as well as in Power Engineering.
JP: I know weverything about the types of history of lighting, and I’m also well versed in their profit margins and distribution.
lol. JP really sounded dumb here. It’s like a PhD guy saying that he’s better than an oncologist at treating cancer. Remember? He couldn’t even set up the computer because he didn’t know where to plug the cord.
@Ella well true! haha!
Probably me being biased but I feel the JP cry scenes were him crying prettily.
Dosan did a lot of cry scenes all throughout the drama hence the “sad boy” nickname. And most of them were really the desperate-anguished-heartbroken cry scenes. He showed different sides of him. NJH should win best actor in Korean drama awards.
NJH nailed Dosan and acted so well here. Love both of them. And I also love an ugly cry. It’s more real. I read NJH cries easily in real life.
@Diane, good observation on HJP watching DS and DM together, just like the ramen date.
@Ella I don’t think Alex is bad. Just like JP it is all about business nothing personal. He said it in the voice over in the previous ep. He was the first one to discover something special about Dosan so it is only right that he takes the first step with him. I posted about it in one of the comments before. So he did a good job in “pursuing” or “recruiting” Dosan to be part of his team.
Did anybody notice that JP used gloves when he carried that books and the plants indoor? And that Dosan wasn’t using gloves when he fixed the lights and screwed the chair?
That wasn’t a mistake by the director or an omission by the costume/set/prop crew. That was to show that Dosan was “manlier” because he didn’t need gloves to work with household repairs. lol.
The Noongil idea was definitely an aha moment for Dosan by the way he viewed it as he had goosebumps that maybe that was the reason he got into image recognition.
I have experienced really those aha moments when your circumstances or maybe talents given to each person are equivalent to what the person will pursue or be known for in the future. Finding a purpose and your why’s were really highlighted and the moment you realize it, it also gives you a sense of direction.
@pm3 both of them were wearing gloves. They removed if before dinner. I actually find it funny and cute that JP was wearing the pink one. I think it was done on purpose. Just like when they slept in halmeoni’s room. Remember Dosan was the one cradling him and JP was like a girl. LOL!
Janey,
that bicep moment is funny.
I know because I hear my sons and nephews call each other out when they “flex” for the camera. You know, show off those muscles but try to do it surreptitiously.
When Dosan started to fix the chair and he did it in his tshirt, I knew that it was the director’s “visual cue” here. Show that he was buff.
Good for Nam JooHyuk!!
@Janey I only noticed it in this episode. But the similarity right? I like the consistency of this drama.
I like Saha here. This is when she started caring for SST.
Dosan’s face when Dalmi put on lipstick and the pouty lips. LOL!
DoSan saying ‘shut up’ in polite language lol.. Also I love his annoyed look when he stepped out of the office. I’m sure he went to the rooftop to cool himself down or maybe to give us sunset background for the kiss lol..
The pouty lips of Dalmi to Saha and Dosan’s shocked face covering his own mouth was like foreshadowing that his reaction will be the same when Dalmi just dived in their and kissed him on the rooftop hahaha
I like how Dalmi tried to calm Dosan by touching his clenched fist. Dosan was already triggered when the step brother started talking informally. I can’t believe people misunderstood the smashing of the name plate here and the JP fans saying he is violent. The stepfather was an ass! Tsk Tsk!
And I loved how he said you caught me off guard, Dalmi. A matter of fact guy indeed when he could just ask why did you kiss me hahahaha that cute reaction of his was like saying I can’t believe it. I am shocked hahaha
Yes definitely. That smash was taken against Dosan. They overlooked the fact that he was super patient since Episode 1 or throughout his life.
Diane, Dosan didn’t wear gloves when he fixed the lightbulb and the chair. He only wore the pink rubber gloves when he fixed the showerhead because he would have wet hands and wet hands won’t be able to grip the wrench for fixing the showerhead.
JP on the other hand wore those cloth work gloves to CARRY the books and the plants.
I see them at our hardware store, and my guys refuse to wear them because they think those gloves are for sissies who don’t want their hands to get calluses or splinters.
So when JP wore those work gloves, I snickered.
The glove DoSan used was dishwashing/cleaning bathroom gloves, the one jp used was the heavy duty one, but agree with @packmule3 DoSan shot was purposely done for him to look manly lol..
Wow love how you were able to analyze even the wearing of the gloves.
The writer-director-production team really did a great job in every single detail. Yet, people complain about plot holes etc. When they should have understood the story and the deeper messages of the story.
I like how the director uses flashbacks. They did it a lot of times all throughout the drama but it was for all the critical scenes.
This kissing scene was shot during Suzy’s birthday. I super love the BTS when NJH was teasing Suzy what she ate for lunch after their kissing scene.
The kissing scene was done in a nice way. Very sweet and you feel the love. Awwww! Plus Dosan/NJH is a good kisser. This is definitely not Dosan but NJH kissing Dalmi. LOL!
P.S. I actually want to ship Namzy (real life). Haha!
I think we miss so much in Kdramas because in English we don’t have the formal speech. There is no way of indicating formal vs non-formal in english except for Royals – as in “we” are not amused. In italian/French? there is the use of Lei/Vous. Seems Korean has the same system.
@pm3 @ella I see! Yeah good explanation on the gloves. But the prod team is soo good right? All the details.
If only the fans focused and analyzed the right details. Hahaha! They overanalyzed (to the point of delusion) or did not focused on the dialogue hence misinterpreted a lot of things.
Again the contrast between the two.
When JP got home, he was bothered about Dosan’s comment that he was jealous.
JP: Gosh, as if I have time to get jealous. How could he think that I might be jealous of him? Yeongsil, what is jealousy?
Here, he exhibited a lack of self-awareness. Jealousy is different envy. Dosan was talking about jealousy, and JP misconstrued it and was thinking of envy. He couldn’t be envious of Dosan because to him Dosan was a loser. But Dosan was talking about jealousy over Dalmi.
Yeongsil: (talked about a tv show)
JP: Yeah! Are you messing with me? What is the definition of the word?
Yeongsil: Jealousy refers to the feeling you get when you think that a person you like loves someone else more than you.
JP: See? That premise doesn’t apply to my case.
Yeongsil: It doesn’t apply to you?
JP: (He spotted Dalmi’s plant) No, it’s not like I have feelings for someone. So how could I get jealous? I don’t have feelings for anyone? (he spotted the plant again)
Yeongsil: Then I suppose it’s not jealousy then.
JP: Right, it’s not.
When he saw the plant that was when the thought entered his head.
Look: earlier when they had dinner at Dalmi’s house, both the guys were called to the table to eat. Where did JP sit? He had first dibs but he chose to sit across from Grandma. It didn’t enter his head to sit in front of Dalmi.
To me, that was a sign that he attached himself to Grandma than to Dalmi.
I like that DM initiated the kiss. The reaction of DS is another good acting. There are probably 3 kissing scenes in a drama. But for this scene, we get 3 in one. And DS looking at DM’s eyes then smiling and kissing her again… swoon. This is like a kiss with thank you scene when they got back together.
One of my fave kissing scenes BTW!
@Janey I was actually shocked when watching ep7 for the first time. To early for that kind of kissing scene. Most kdramas do it in the latter half or last scene. Agree with the 3-in-1. The last kiss where he smiled first is also my favorite.
@jo3edc
Yes Korean has many level of language politeness, it indicates relationship, position, etc
– DalMi and DoSan speak informal language to each other from the beginning
– DalMi and jp spoke in polite language till the end
– DoSan speak formal language to jp and jp spoke in casual language to DoSan (since he’s supposedly an older brother like) in front of DalMi, but switch to polite when DalMi not around
But I could be wrong it’s just what I heard lol..
Note during Dalmi’s presentation about the company finances.
1. Dosan already changed his outfit. He was no longer wearing a flannel shirt. Team Dosan was missing their “red” guy.
2. I like how the actor Nam JooHyuk was annoyed with Saha’s hoity-toity ways and tried to spoof her, “Are you boasting?”
But for a moment I was worried that Saha would fall for Dosan and make it a love triangle. Hahaha.
3. I’m glad that they had a emotion-detector lightbulb. Dosan didn’t really like Saha.
One thing I do wish the writer did with this drama was to show us more moments of Dalmi being jealous of Dosan. I pity the guy because he was in love triangle, and there was nobody chasing after him (i.e., ex-girlfriend, crush, or whatever).
By the way, I saw a clip of Nam JooHyuk where he was told that Stephanie Lee (the actress playing Saha) once commented that he walked funny. Back then, I thought Stephanie Lee was more his type. But then he dated his costar in that Weight-Lifting drama.
@Diane – I heard some folks say when couple kiss in ep6/7 they will break up. LOL!
Seems consistent, saw it also in Record of Youth although no comparison on the kiss.
Agree about the honorifics… the “shi”, “ah” in the names. They all speak differently depending on the character and who is around. Which again reflects the personality and difference between Dosan and JP.
Anyway, thanks pm3 and Ella for allowing us to join the rewatch party. Fun as always!
Normally kiss happened around Ep9/Ep10 but mostly because the beating around the bush takes time, with DoDal they sort of started dating quite early for Kdrama, but all Kdrama couple always go through a breakup of sort before final episodes lol..
During Saha’s presentation.
1. All the guys ditched their flannel wear.
2. Dosan tried to get back at Chulsan:
Dosan: But you don’t believe in physiognomy.
Chulsan: I do as of today. Just like you now believe the blood type personality theory.
Good comeback!
3. Youngsan actually looked cute with those glasses on him. I agree with Saha. lol.
It’s good to take the time to “smell the roses” and actually think about the drama and dissect it 🙂 Thank you all.
@pm3 NJH and Stephanie are good friends in real life. So their bantering all throughout the drama was very natural and cute.
I also mentioned earlier that I thought Dosan might like Saha. Yeah, I wished Dalmi got jealous and chased Dosan (apart from what she did in the mountains). Oh well! Haha!
@Ella and Janey I actually think ROY and Start Up have the same theme. But that former was a bit disappointing. I even got scared that SU might copy and do an open ending bec of the fan wars. Thank God the director and writer stick with their original story and did not change anything. Dosan is really the man! Our best boy!
I’m already on 8 hahaha.. The hand kissing and DoSan over the moon expression is one of my favorite scene.
@Ella we are doing the same thing. LOL! I am watching while waiting for True Beauty ep5! Hihi!
I just realized that all Dosan and Dalmi scenes where they are being very honest and opening up are all done in “benches”.
Oh? I didn’t know that, Diane! I didn’t know that NJH and Stephanie are good friends. I thought they would look good together. But then, I might just be “biased” because Stephanie’s Korean-American, a Bostonian (I heard), and 5’8. I rarely get to see tall actresses on kdramas so good for her.
@Diane – ROY was so blah.although the story could have been Nam Joo Hyuk’s, coming from a poor family and started as a model then actor. But PBG never appealed to me, I watched it because of Park Sodam but she was also blah here. 😔
@packmule3
I think both of them did modelling together also both in the same movie with Jo In Sung
@Janey
I dropped ROY after 2 episodes, even Park Bo Gum cannot save that one for me lol..
I agree with the hand kissing because Dalmi didn’t mention anything related to the past or the letters. Just Dosan’s Hands
@Janey Suzy’s next project is with Bogum. I am actually looking forward and hoping he will redeem himself bec I was so disappointed with
ROY. Agree it was really NJH’s story in real life.
@pm3 NJH and Stephanie both started as models. She was even in one of NJH instagram posts from way back. LKS (weightlifting) is a model as well and very tall.
@Ella @pm3 should we go and post our comments on Ep8 in the right blog post and not here? Gosh I have so many realizations again while rewatching. LOL!
The prelude to kiss scene in Ep 7 made me realize that DoSan and DalMi speak the same language or frequency.
Looking forward to another rewatch with all of you!! Had so much fun reading all your comments and realizations!!
Thank you so much for all of these! Thank you to our president as well!!
This scene about the letters. I heard that there was grumbling from some JP fans about this.
Dalmi was talking about how she’d picture herself smashing stuff and arguing with people. Like in a blockbuster movie. (This is cute. Did you notice that Dalmi was actually a film buff? She imagined a flying Tarzan car because Tarzan could swing on branches in the movies. She also told her movie date that she imagined kissing to be energetic.)
Dosan: You knit, too?
Dalmi: No, minus the knitting.
Dosan: I told you, I do.
Then they laugh at Dosan’s stories.
Dosan: Thinking about the things you’d do when you’re angry really helps you calm down. Seriously, believe me.
Dalmi: Sigh, you haven’t changed at all. You were like this 15 years ago, and even now. No one understands me better than you do.
Dosan: You think so. (then looking at her) Dalmi. I’ve changed a lot. I don’t really remember what happened 15 years ago. No, actually, I don’t even want to remember that time. I wish you hadn’t known me back then.
Dalmi: Why?
Dosan: Because I was a total loser back then. You always thought highly of me, but I wasn’t like that.
The JP-stans thought that Dosan was insulting JP for calling himself a loser. No. Fifteen years ago, he regarded himself as a loser because that was the time of the cheating incident. He wasn’t talking about JP.
But the important point here is this:
Dosan wanted to open up about letters but he couldn’t so this was his way of dealing with the deception WITHOUT actually mentioning the lies. He wanted to DISTANCE himself from the fictional Dosan she created in her head. He was trying to DISASSOCIATE himself from the letters because he knew that he couldn’t live up to HER IDEALs formed by those letters. He couldn’t live up to THOSE STANDARDS for the simple reason that he did NOT write those letters.
And we saw that in his proposal/confession scene in the end.
That’s what he meant when he said, “I wanted to be your trophy, your pride, and your dream. I wanted to be your comfort, and your wings. As the real me.” She could think highly of him, put him inside a trophy case, whatever, as long as she was seeing him for who he actually was, his authentic self…and not the fictional Dosan from her letters.
Dosan: Let’s go. Let’s go make money.
Oh? Nam Joo Hyuk came from a poor family? Well, I’m glad that he’s getting a lot of work now.
I noticed that he’s on my netflix for three different shows. Start-Up, Bride of Habaek, and School Nurse Files.
I hope his attorney/company made sure that he’s getting $$$ residuals from these dramas.
@packmule3 they made several references on Avengers here. Apart from Tony Stark I actually imagined Dosan as the hulk (genius but uncontrollable when angry) — in a good way. LOL!
@packmule3
LOL jp fangirl thought he was referring to jp when he said he was a loser back then that thought did not even crossed my mind before this, he’s referring to himself of course I thought that is obvious.
I really like drunk DalMi in a bus scene because it shows that DoSan is not the least bit embarassed by DalMi drunken attic, he looked smitten instead and he asked DalMi softly if she would close the window after complaint from the passengers.
I tried to like ROY for Park Bogum…but no. There’s something about Park Bogum’s acting that’s bugging me.
A drama that claims to be a “slice of life” drama often gets the “kiss of death” from me. Sad.
Yes he was poor and had to eat noodles for a year (not sure if this was true). TBH I hated him in Habaek and I was so confused with School Nurse Files (the theme was very dark but presented in a weird way). He was good in weightlifting, the light in your eyes and moon lovers. But StartUp for me is his best! Plus he shot 2 movies this year (Josee and another one yet to be released). He works so hard and tries diff roles. He deserves all the $$$!
Same, Diane.
School Nurse Files is junk. I was going to do my “First Impressions” on it but I ended up ranting the whole time so I just tossed it away.
Habaek was another weird thing. In the end, Shin Sucky One’s acting just did it in for me. When she fell off the rooftop and she looked like a crash-test dummy (i.e., one expression), I ended it.
I think Ep8 is when JP realized he likes Dalmi for real and Grandma realized that Dosan is the real deal.
I watched Nurse Files and I can’t get over Jung YuMi being Jung YuMi in spades.
@Diane
Agree with you, because if you think about it he create this thing for her when DoSan met her only once. And this is after she impose on him to keep her secret. And he apologize for not telling her sooner. This is where she declared him to be ‘best boy’
I like the backshot of Dalmi crying and Dosan comforting her.
The whole scene before Dalmi enters the house is so sweet. He is such a nice and perfect boyfriend. So cute when he was using his cp’s light while Dalmi fixes her makeup.
Gen, about the work gloves. It’s because in one of the behind-the-scenes, Nam JooHyuk was asking about his plastic pink gloves being too small for him.
So if it was important for him to show that he was wearing pink gloves while working on the shower head, then why wasn’t he wearing work gloves while he was doing the other chores?
His plain tshirt + biceps + gloveless hands + THREE “Mr. Fixed-it” jobs = manly
JP’s unbuttoned office shirt + no biceps + gloved hands + TWO hauling jobs = fussy
Really,
The fixed-in jobs >>>> hauling books and plants
That’s how the details of this drama work.
Wait why did I type best boy I meant to say great lol..
@pm3 and this is why I cannot accept when fans compare Dosan’s actions with that of Jipyeong’s. It’s just not comparable in terms of gravity/impact, reason behind, and how it was done.
I just realized, Dalmi loves to record things. The conversation with morning group and her phone call with Dosan. LOL
I guess I like my male leads to be manly and smart, even nerdy!
@packmule3 Wow super thank you for this!!!
They are really great, indeed! Wish all of the people watching could interpret that that way!!
Actually I get that everyone would mistake HJP as the main lead because of the first episode because honestly I got also confused when Dosan appeared. But, I remembered thinking “so this HJP will be the partner of Dalmi?” like in a denial tone.
But then everyone was saying that Because NJH is the bigger actor that’s why he is the main lead but I definitely disagree. Once I got to know more about Dosan esp during networking party, I knew he was the main lead. And to think I also didn’t know that Suzy and NJH were really the main leads since I only knew about Suzy because of my fave dramas (Dream high and While you were sleeping)
Continuing to watch ep8, I was teary-eyed when halmeoni used noongil to read a bible passage. Goosebumps when your product makes a difference in someone’s life, more so in your loved ones. ❤️❤️❤️
Gen, I’ve been through “Reply 1988” fanwars and the people there were also insisted that Guy X (sorry forgot his name) was the hero because
a. he was front and center in the beginning episode, (and so was his family)
b. he was tsundere
c. the real lead came in quietly around the 2nd episode.
Guy X’s fans said that the writer/director changed only at the last episodes.
But I insisted that from the beginning the die was cast and that Park BoGum was the lead. One of the reasons was the game baduk. The writer built the whole world around baduk and Park BoGum’s character, Taec, was THE baduk player. Why on earth would the writer do all that research (she also interviewed the actual Korean baduk player) and why would the director spend production time and money to show the baduk world if the hero was Guy X??
In fact, I pointed out that the Guy X was a “Chinese Checkers” guy. lol. The prop was there in his room in Episode 1. The camera focused on it. Chinese Checkers??!!! Do you know how crappy that game is when compared to “baduk”? Chinese Checkers isn’t even invented by the Chinese!
Given how these Korean writers would always pick the kinder guy and the smarter guy (the genius!), there’s no way that Guy X was going to win the girl in Reply 1988 when he was competing against THE God of the Baduk — who was replicated from a famous Korean Baduk player.
Baduk god >>>> Chinese Checkers guy
So same thing here. Go with the brains.
AI computer engineering genius… and knitter >>>> venture capitalist (and he’s not even international like Alex, hahaha)
@Janey: I’m on Ep9 now and the remark of the twins about “compassion” vs “money” really highlights the difference between the two companies and their developers. SST or Dosan in particular is just so compassionate and selfless.
Halmeoni realized during that time how great of a guy Dosan is. Just like how they assumed him to be when they saw him in the newspaper 15yrs ago.
It was never explicitly answered or shown in the last few episodes when JP and Dosan met with Alex to ask for a favor on Noongil. But thank God the writer didn’t allow JP to be involved or to save Noongil. It was Dosan’s baby and I’m glad it sort of continued that way even when it was owned by another company.
Ohhh fan wars are really stressful even in other K-dramas.
The first few episodes I didn’t open twitter or viewed what was trending until Episode 7. Then I saw why were majority of the tweets about how HJP should be the main lead. I got confused as well as to why they think that way when I didn’t understand JPs feelings as well towards Dalmi. Oh well, everyone has their own preferences and am just so glad to have read all of the things I wanted the others to see here!!!
Writer-nim like his lead to be genius type, if I’m not mistaken in Dream High, Kim Soo Hyun character was also described to be genius in music and her ML never the rude abbrasive type.
I watched Dream High, I can hear your voice, Pinocchio, While you were sleeping so pretty much all her work after Dream High, and before StartUp her SL character was also the nice kind guy, in ICHYV and Dream High the romance with SL just fizzled out. In WYWS the SL was just supportive of the main couple. Can’t remember much on SL in pinocchio.
I am late for the rewatch party but I’ll add my thoughts here hehe
First part I feel like JP being so happy/enthusiastic answering Dalmi’s 400 questions was a bit ooc for him? Like why is he suddenly a giddy puppy lol. The thing that drives him i think is being needed by someone else.
And I agree, the way his actions here already is a dead giveaway about his envy towards Do San.
I like this part where Jp and DS talked in the conference room. We are starting to see the change in DS. He is becoming ‘ambitious’ and his confidence here. Whewwww. Yes that’s my boy! and when haters say DS has no character development Ha. Tsk. How would they know they skip his scenes lol.
JP obviously felt threatened. For me this part kind of like showed us the ‘common main lead attitude?’ Hahaha when they get threatened by the Second lead that’s the time they finally start to move to impress the female lead.
I agree with you @pm3 about the ‘writer’s block’ lol JP as a second lead felt so lackingggg in a way that there were so many opportunities he couldve took so he could redeem his SL status but everything he did fell too short for me. It’s like the writer is telling is there is no SL in the story. The only worst case of SLS for me is Shin Hyuk in She Was Pretty.
Yes, Janey.
I love that scene, too, because — if you’ve followed this blog — I’ve been grumbling about the shabby treatment the Catholic Church gets from this kdrama writers.
They use the Catholic churches for setting (because yes, they’re foreign/European/classy looking) but the Catholic believer will turn out to be the villain of the story. I said they should try the “religion test” i.e., put another worshipper instead of a Catholic, and see whether the story is insulting or not to that worshipper’s religion. If it is, then kdrama writer has no business using the Catholic Church gratuitously in their script. The writer’s bigotry is showing.
So I’m glad that the Halmeoni was quoting from the bible. As I said it was from one of the most “romantic” books in the bible. Songs of Solomon. He was calling her beloved to come out. And I guess it worked for Halmeoni because, in the end, she called on JP to “come out” and visit her. 🙂
“The fig tree ripens her green figs. And the blossoming vines give out their fragrance. Arise, my love, and come. My beautiful one, come with me. My dove, hiding in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places of the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”
I like Shin Hyuk too in “She Was Pretty.” I didn’t like the male lead there. The minute he started berating the girl during the meeting, I was out of there.
Thank you for bringing the ‘gloves’ into light. I didn’t actually mind about it that much before but I’m definitely seeing this part in a whole new different way. Also the way JP kind of like tiptoes and tries so hard to look like someone who is used to doing chores but is obviously failing because he looks exhausted already as opposed to DS who’s just doing things his own way and actually doing/repairing the essentials.
@foreverinreverie
maybe because this is unlike her other SL (tsundere type), I read somewhere that writer-nim being rather cruel to jp. He doesn’t even have a fighting chance in the romance department.
It’s the way Shin Hyuk actually liked the girl since the beginning. From the start he already thought she was pretty. I want my second lead to fight for the main lead like that so that I can actually say that the main FL shouldve chosen him instead.
In the dinner scene I like the small detail where DS handed Dalmi a glass of water. Halmeoni still team JP here, the way JP looked at DS when halmeonis said ‘you’re her savior’ and Dalmi coming into defence for DS. Dalmi already shows he favors DS here. The Jp fans and Jp himself has deluded themselves that just because he was the letter writer he had a claim over Dalmi however there is not an ounce of JP in the Dosan that Dalmi created in her head lol. It’s just so funny to me how the jp fangirls always use this as part of the arguments ‘it was him who wrote the letters’ well maybe if he acted like the Do San in the letters Dalmi wouldve liked him but no he was no ‘Do San’.
The tensionn in the dining table. Also look at Do San’s manners he was the only person who actually said ‘thank you for the food’ before digging in.
Haha sorry i am Do San biased
@ella i also think the writer was cruel to JP hahaha because PHR didn’t even gave him a chance
Foreverinreverie,
Since we’re being nitpicky here… there’s a hierarchy in the “job” department.
JP = manual labor (i.e., carrying and hauling stuff) = no skills involved
Dosan = fixing things (i.e., electrical fixtures, plumbing, repair broken things) = skills required
Dosan was doing “higher” level household chores.
lol.
With my guy friends their issue with jp mostly boil down to the fact that he did nothing during the 3 years DoSan was out of the picture. One of them said “Did he spend the last three years playing cards and eating dumpling?” the other said “Serve him right for doing nothing.” They seem to take offense on jp passiveness even if they previously prefer jp lol..
@ella @foreverinreverie was the writer really cruel to him and made him everyone’s punching bag? That is what everyone is complaining about. And that he carried the whole show (duh!). Maybe it was best that he wasn’t given a chance to show that it wasn’t “real love” but rather something born out of envy only?
This was definitely a refreshing take. Too bad not a lot appreciated it.
Foreverinreverie,
You mentioned Dosan passing Dalmi her mug. But let’s not forget that Dosan was the ONLY one who said, “Jal meokgetseumnida” or “Thank you for the food,” before eating. Yet he was the one who probably didn’t feel like eating after what JP said about the ROI. Grandma was looking at him; she knew that he must have felt burdened by this affair because he was already in love with Dalmi.
He looked glum, but he dranked water and swallowed his sadness. He sighed then said, “Thank you for the food,” and began eating.
@pm3 Right!! even in the most mundane things Do San still defeats JP ahhahahaha
One of the things I also like about start-up is the little details they add. As mentioned on twitter the poster in the bus stop is actually from a korean movie titled ‘질투는 나의 힘’ or’Jealousy is my middle name’
I like that the posters in the bus stops give us this kinds of details lol. I cant remember the one in ep.4 but i know during their break up when dalmi was at the bus stop the poster said ‘don’t cry for me’ haha someone please correct me on this if im wrong
@Ella that is what the fans are also furious about that writer nim did him dirty. But I think it was all about consistency. Jipyeong was doing everything out of envy and because he was competing with Dosan. It was really halmeoni and a family that is lacking in his life.
But I love to see him do something in the last three years and Dalmi flat out rejecting him (LOL that is me being bad and anti-JP). So I guess the writer was still being good to JP in a way.
@pm3
Dosan is really courteous and Halmeoni saw that. Even with his parents, I thought he was very respectful esp when his father thought he slammed the door but it was actually just the wind haha
Felt really bad for Nam Dosan during that dinner scene because he had to keep everyone’s secrets but wanted to be truthful to Dalmi. I cannot imagine how he held back those teary eyes and still chose to honor Halmeoni’s request. That must have been a hard feeling when he was doing everything he can but he was not that credited as Dalmi’s savior after all that he has done for her. But at the same time, he didn’t have this urge to rub it on JPs face that he did this and that for Dalmi too
Hahaha yes I also noticed that too. I like that part because It says a lot about Do San’s character.
@Diane the writer was cruel to him for not writing him as second lead that you should root for haha. Han Woo Tak is one of PHR’s second lead and he was written beautifully someone you can actually root for, in terms of his relationship with the main FL, they had cute moments here and there from what I remember they even hugged but here in SU you can say that DM and JP’s relationship is strictly professional. They didnt even have any skinship and they always talk about work the most intimate conversation they had was the one in Chuseok because that was the time we can say that dalmi is a bit? Comfortable with JP already. JP as punching bag definitely not lmao. The story does not revolve around him he is not the star of the show how is he sidelined? It’s only the JP fangirls who think that.
@PM3, I’ve noticed the use of Catholic Churches in many dramas like SU, TKEM, Hospital Playlist. Appreciate the insights there.
Sorry HJP, you’ve been mentor-zoned in ep6!
I’ll try to watch Reply 88. Maybe I’ll start liking PBG? He has no appeal to me. I guess the range of facial expressions? I watched Encounter but only lasted ep1. I’m also partial to deep male voices. Can I have a recording of all Dalmi-ya as said by Dosan? 😉
@Diane
On the writer being cruel, well I agree with packmule3 that the writer intentionally block jp with fate but the main take here is that this is DalMi and DoSan’s love story from the beginning. He’s just unintentional intermediary/foil at best. And he dragged himself down by being him with his attitude no one is helping him lol..
@foreverinreverie but the fact that we were not supposed to root for JP given the character I really find it appalling that he was very popular or that a lot likes him. false kind of second lead syndrome. lol! and still sad when I think of all the mean things being said about Dosan.
Thanks everyone for the rewatch!!! It was early but I was awake reading all the comments while watching. You take kdrama watching to another level.
Now back to work for me. 😛
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all. Let us know when the next rewatch session is!!! Cheers! 🎁 🎄 🎅
Thank you everyone for coming to the rewatch party 🤗 let’s meet again at the next session after Christmas, hope you all have a happy holiday 🎉
@diane i knowww huhu it makes me sad too. But i feel like, them liking the actor KSH really played a huge part on why they choose JP. I asked my irl friend why she’s Team Jp and this was one of her answer,she’s on team jp cos he likes ksh on 2d1n
I also feel like the reason they get annoyed by Do San is because he takes action, we always see JP hesitate and then Do San will always be the one who actually does things for Dalmi ex.in this episode Removing The thread on Dalmi’s hair.
Bye Janey!! May you gain the strength to power through work today!! Fighting!!! 💪
@foreverinreverie
imo it’s two things first the world is not ready for the upside down tropes where the ML is the nice, full of heart with family and friends kind and the SL is the tsundere with troubled past and childhood link kind. Second is the smile, the smirk, the dimples LOL
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year guys! Please invite us again for another rewatch.
Thanks pm3 and Ella!
@ella hahaahhaha true truee you have a point
@foreverinreverie – I have the Start Up OST to power me up for the rest of the day. Running, running 🏃♀️ And coffee, of course!
Janey,
Re. Dalmi initiating the kiss
The writer had foresight. 🙂 If Dosan initiated the kiss, JP fans would say that he was taking advantage of the situation because he wasn’t the Dosan-of-the-letters.
Dalmi kissed him because she was MOVED by Dosan, the real Dosan. Like she told her Grandma in this episode, there was something about this Dosan-that-she-met-after-15-years that made her heart flutter. JP couldn’t claim to be the cause of her heart-fluttering moments because she specifically attributed them to Dosan. 🙂
@janey excellent choice!! 😀
I have a question, re: Do San smashing the the nameplate should it really be considered as an act of violence? This is something the jp fangirls always bring out, they say Do San should work on his anger management issues and they hate the fact that he got away with this, they say he never face his consequences and the writer rewards his bad deeds. I actually encountered someone say that he shouldve been put in jail for this, because in real life he would. Tbh in every other drama if the Main Lead decides to stand up for himself and not be a wuss/pushover, everyone would be cheering, but in the case of Do San it’s the opposite.
Well personally for me I liked that he stood up for DM here I wish it could’ve been another way but if the person I was talking to was as annoying as that Chairman I think I would also not be able to think straight. I need your insights on this. Am I way too biased on Do San to not think badly of this act?
I like the kiss scenes here on start-up. I was not expecting to see a kiss scene on this episode but the moment they went to the rooftop I had a feeling that we might. I was really happy with the kiss. Ahhaha lol.
Gone are the days when they would do fish kisses that were so awkward and cringey to watch that usually left me feeling frustrated and unsatisfied lol. But for this one, it really sealed the deal for me. I was fully on board and sold on their ship.
To continue with the “resource.”
JP urged Dosan to use him and Dalmi as resource:
JP: …You said you were ambitious. Then use your resources whether that’s me or Seo Dalmi.
Dosan: I’m not using her. I’ve started to really…
JP: (stepping on the brakes to stop Dosan from confessing that he started to really like Dalmi)
Dosan was speaking the truth here. He did want to use Dalmi as the “means to his ends.” He was ambitious but not if he was going to use Dalmi to achieve his goals. That’s why he was concerned about Dalmi going to Chairman Won for funding for their project.
Dosan: I know. I’m just worried about you. That’s all.
Dalmi: Me? Why?
Dosan: Chairman Won Dujeong. Isn’t your mom married to him?
He didn’t want to use Dalmi’s connection to Chairman Won as “resource” because he was afraid she was going to get hurt.
And I stressed this before: JP didn’t care. He knew FIRST-HAND about the tenuous relationship between Chairman Won and the Seo sisters (even InJae left Morning Group) but JP didn’t care one bit.
Why? Because Dalmi was a “resource” and her connections/contacts were “resource,” too. It was all business for him.
So he failed to predict or foresee the emotional stress this business meeting would have been for Dalmi.
(And no, JP-stans lurking here. JP didn’t have to “psychic” to see the connection. Duh. He just needed to have an IQ over 100.)
Dosan on the other hand did NOT want to use Dalmi as a “means” to his “ends” and was willing to find another method to earn money. However, since Dalmi wanted to go this route, he followed along with her wish. Only when he saw that Chairman Won was insulting Dalmi and Dalmi couldn’t fight back did he step in and put an end to the whole meeting.
@packmule3
Yes all DoSan ever wanted was for DalMi to see him as the real him. He can be whatever DalMi needed him to be as long as it’s him the real DoSan.
@foreverinreverie
DoSan did face the concequences of his impulse. He got reported to the police didn’t he. Remember the police told him after reviewing his case that as long as he settle with Chairman Won then case closed. He also came and down on his knees for Chairman Won to settle. DalMi is the one rescuing him by forcing Chairman Won to settle.
I’m not an expert but there must be a reason why the police ask him to settle instead of directly prosecuting him. Could it be it’s his first time ever being called into police station, or the fact that the victim is a name plate?
And if we to imagine different scenario where Chairman Won release the cctv recording to public to defame DoSan. DalMi has the voice recording that lead to the incident if that also got release whose reputation will suffer more damage? Chairman Won who maintain his benovalent mentor to young people public image or DoSan?
Aaaah I missed the rewatch (again huhu) last night, but I enjoyed reading the discussion on my morning commute! I’ll try to catch the next one. *crosses fingers*
Re: kissing scenes – The JP team said the kiss in this episode didn’t make sense lol I guess we’re really watching a different show! Haha
@Ella, I like your take on why there are so many JP stans. I guess viewers are just expecting the ML to have a sadder backstory! Reminds me o reality/suevival shows, they root for the underdogs and not always the one who deserve to win. They prefer someone with a tragic story. I guess having an impostor syndrome isn’t ML material enough for them.😂
For me, JP is reminiscent of the MLs from old dramas, cold, harsh, abrasive, condescending, and nice only to their love interest. I’d like to think that kdramas lately are leaning more towards the nicer and gentler main leads. I guess people are missing the old days.😅
@ella yes that is true, it’s just that It really riles me up whenever JP stans say that he does not face consequences instead he is always rewarded for the bad things he does. It makes me doubt myself, Am I being biased? Should I really be rooting for Do San? Sometimes these thoughts run through my head. The JP fangirls want him to be sued and be put in jail so bad they’re really moving like Do San is a villain. news flash this isn’t itaewon class wherein the ml should be put in jail. ><
I know i should ignore them but they are way too many. and bad reviews like these put off other potential viewers and it's making me sad.
@foreverinreverie
I understand, the fan girl slinging mud and most of their accusation don’t even warrant a response. They even trying to get 12 year old DoSan convicted for the math olympiad 😑
I’m a left brained person, and who I stan/support went through my personal vetting process whether it’s fictional or the actor playing them by doing my research 😆
And everyday I learn to rein it in on twitter because I don’t want to turn into one of them maybe I need to take up knitting lol..
Re: NDS crying
I really loved how he cried during episode 10 when he told Dalmi to please stop crying and that it was just for one day that he wanted to make her dreams come true and how badly he wanted to be the person Dalmi wanted him to be. This was so genuine and JP fangirls had to just make a deal out of it about Dosan being manipulative and sad boy.
Omg my workload is like hell for the end of year.. i missed all the rewatch session. But i read the comments here.. it is so fun.. 😊
Will there be another rewatch?
PS: I have a friend who just finished watching Start Up, she is also team Dosan and confused why there are many people who stan for JP.. we also talked about our favorite scenes, she had no idea how toxic JP fans before but she is happy she doesn’t have to face that toxic comments from JP fans😅
I’m just happy to see more people in my real life who appreciate Dosan and NJH. I heard that NJH was considered to be bad at acting by most South Korea netizens 😔. I hope that he could choose better projects in the future and showing his acting skills more.
@foreverinreverie agree about the improvement in kdrama kissing scenes. to be honest I think we got lots of good ones this year from TKEM, IONTBO, CLOY, etc. But rooftop kiss is still #1 for me!
On Dosan’s nameplate smashing and punching JP, it was an act of violence and was wrong.. same as JP’s berating and bullying. But I don’t agree with the anti-Dosans. They were extreme and made it appear like as if he has anger management issues and it should be considered as red flags for domestic violence. The stepdad and JP were jerks during those scenes. Dosan is protective of Dalmi and would do anything to save her or stop her from getting hurt. I remember the memes that Dosan should always have his knitting stuff with him at all times to avoid being violent. LOL! Not that I am normalizing violence, but I don’t mind my husband fighting and punching someone on my behalf for being an ass!
In 18 again I remember there is this one fighting scene, the first punch was thrown by the model student/nice type and that’s because the girl he likes was trashed by the bully and he remember the girl father telling him “Violence is bad, but there are times you shouldn’t hold it in. When you have to protect something that’s important to you.” the little boy coincidentally was played by little DoSan.
I’m not condoning violence and each case has to be seen with facts and reasoning, I made my case on consequences on my previous post.
@Ella, I also remember that scene from 18 Again…it was around the same time StartUp was broadcasting…and JP fans pointing the finger at Dosan being an antagonist by being so violent. While Dosan’s physical violence on JP was not appropriate, it did result in JP admitting that to grandma that he was not a good boy.
That scene won Swoon’s most heartbreaking Han Ji-Pyeong Moment.
JP said, “I’m a jerk who hurts other people with words. I pretend to be smartest in the world but in reality I’m an idiot who knows nothing. I’m not a good boy.”
I guess all that punching knocked some sense into JP?
Hi all,
I’m really glad that I’ve found this safe space for Dosan – Dalmi or Start-Up supporters. This is really a relief. I was saddened by what I’m seeing in social media regarding Start-Up. I don’t get the hate and slander that they are throwing to Dosan, Dalmi or to the whole Start-Up team- including the writer, director, main leads . This is my very first time that I’m this invested to a Kdrama that it made me want to protect the show. Btw, I just started watching Kdrama early this year. I’m a rookie. 🙂 So far, my favorites are CLOY, IONTBO and Start-Up.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. They are my exact thoughts also. I really love Start-Up. Dosan and Dalmi’s life/love story is really inspiring & heartwarming. They are my favorite characters. For me, they are the most relatable characters in the show. Just like them, I was born in 1989 and I’m a software developer also just like Dosan. I understand their struggles, pain, failures, growth or everything they went through. I really love that this show focused on the young professionals/entrepreneurs or millennials to be specific. That’s why I don’t understand why most of the people in social media focused only on Jipyeong. I think they missed the life lessons and the message of the show. From the very beginning of the show, I only thought Jipyeong as a bridge or cupid for Dosan and Dalmi. I wasn’t mesmerized by Jipyeong’s dimples Haha! For me, Dosan is more attractive with his eyes and clenching jaws hehe! With Jipyeong, I was annoyed by his words and actions. He was not a good mentor to Samsan Tech. His actions were always about him self. His driving force was money or how to repay his debt to grandma. I waited for his character development until the end and I’m glad that it happened in episode 16. Haha! He already accepted grandma’s unconditional love and already found his purpose.
I love Dosan and Dalmi’s relationship. They share the same vision, goals, and values. They chase passion and dreams. They support each other. They treat each other as equals. Above all, they love each other. I think this is the kind of relationship that the writer wants us to aspire. ♥️
Happy holidays, everyone! ♥️
P.S. I’ve found this great review of Start Up and it feels like they are one of us also. I love their insights. https://youtu.be/XPKH8Kzf3VM
I’m hoping that many people will appreciate Start-Up as much as we do. May they not be swayed by some toxic JP fans.
Hi Fau,
Thanks for sharing the review. 2020 has been the year for Kdrama introduction to some of my friends as well with CLOY and StartUp as their entry point.
Ella, do you want to do the next rewatch tomorrow Saturday or Sunday?
I’m open for both, whichever more convenient for you I’m good
Which episode?
I know you only have two more coupons left but if people are interested, I don’t mind doing more episodes. My mornings are flexible now because of the holidays.
I’m thinking 11th for the next one. Should we do Saturday or Sunday?
How about Sunday? Just realized that I didn’t give people ample notice. It must be Friday evening in Asia now.
Ah yes it is, in my mind today is Thursday 🤣 just realized tomorrow is already Saturday. Sunday sounds good.
👍 Will open a thread.
Oooh, I can join the rewatch on Sunday!
Cheers!