Update: Episode 7 will air on Wendesday, Jan 6, 2021. Per Viki.
The thread is now open for spoilers, comments and…
guilty pleasures like this cameo of Kim Hye Yoon and Lee Jae Wook.
Gifs from thingskateknows’ tumblr
Let’s enjoy the show!
56 Comments On “True Beauty: Eps 5 & 6 Open Thread”
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Ep 5 @ 40:00
They spoofed The King: Eternal Monarch
Lee Gon riding on a Lady Maximus through the forest
Also Crash Landing on You
Capt Ri on the motorcycle
😂😂
@pm3 LOL I was thinking of the same thing. Very TKEM and CLOY.
I am not familiar with the webtoon so I have zero idea about the plot. But isn’t Seo Jun too extreme in blaming Soo Ho for the suicide? And did I understand it right that he was only going after Ju Kyung to piss off Soo Ho? He doesn’t really like her but is starting to esp after finding out how she helped his sister?
@Diane, I think that you’re right about Seo Jun starting to really appreciate Ju Kyung. He was thinking about her but lied to his friends that he wasn’t. I think he was sorry because he had been using her to get back at Soo Ho.
I wonder what happened on the sister’s date with Mr Han? He looked a bit like a cornered rabbit when she confessed. 🐰
I never knew that dreaming of a pig was good. Yes, the Rescuing Knight, her private porcine cavalry. 🐷😊
I’m glad that JK has made the connection between SH and the rooftop. We still don’t have the entire back story there, however. It looked like he ignored a call from So Yeon? He looked angry after overhearing a phone call about his father meeting someone.
Yes. What’s up with SeoJun?
I think he needs to get therapy too. Not just Suho. Really.
When a best friend in high school commits suicide, one of the first things that should be done is get the school counselor (or psychologist if the school has one) to have a one-on-one counseling session with the close friends. But the service is also open to all students who are affected by the suicide, like classmates, club friends, sports teammates. Here, in the US, it’s standard procedure. Anybody who needs grief counseling after a death in the school (whatever the cause of death: suicide, accident, illness) should seek help. There’s nothing wrong in seeking mental, emotional and psychological assistance.
Here, in this drama, we see two boys who are scarred by their best friend’s death. There’s no adult in their lives guiding them.
Suho copes with it in the “standard” way. He thinks it’s his fault; he’s to blame.
But SeoJun copes with it in the opposite way: he’s looking for someone to blame. He believes if Suho had done something, their friend would still be alive.
Part of the reason he acts like this is because he’s been caring for his mom. He has a lot of worries piled on his (young) shoulders and he’s learned to take responsibilities and duties seriously.
… Which is a good thing per se, but can have an unintentional consequences, like being judgmental.
And SeoJun is judgmental. That’s why he’s angry with Suho. In his mind, Suho had a duty to save their friend and Suho
abandoned their friend. He’s intent on punishing Suho for this perceived “dereliction of duty.”
But I’m sorry. SeoJun doesn’t get to decide who’s to blame here.🙂
As for liking JK. No, he didn’t like JK romantically FIRST. And in kdramas, being first matters.
It seemed as if Suho ignored SY’s call.
But if he was upset after overhearing the reporter’s latest bit of dirt on his father, then he too needed time to calm down. It wasn’t as if he ignored his friend when he knew his friend was suicidal. He ignored his friend because he too was in an emotional hellhole himself at that time.
It’s only SeoJun who’s laying the blame on Suho because he (SeoJun) was unable to stop their friend from suicide. He’s feeling guilty so he’s transferring this guilt to Suho to cope with the suicide.
This is why I said that the subs of the rooftop scene from Viki and Dramamilk were better than the Kissasian one. Viki and Dramamilk’s subs hinted at Suho’s anger that SoYeon took the “easiest” way out. That is, he didn’t wait; he jumped right away; he didn’t even give Suho time to get back to him; he didn’t stop and think what his death would do his two friends; he didn’t resist.
That’s it. No resistance.
Suho was angry that SoYeon had acted on impulse. His suicide was a spur-of-the-moment action. Like a knee-jerk reaction to a crisis.
The fact that SoYeon could do it so easily showed how little he valued himself but also his friends who cared for him.
I agree with your thoughts, @packmule3. I also wonder if Seo Jun is realising that he’s missed out on protecting his sister because of his focus on Soo Ho.
I also think that after hearing what his sister said about Jun Kyung and hearing Soo Ho asking him to leave Jun Kyung out of their argument, Seo Jun may realise that Soo Ho understood JK’s value before he did.
I think SJ appreciates JK’s value in his own way. He’s a teenager so he still has that peculiar way of showing that he cares. I said nagging JK to return his helmet was one tactic to get her attention. And now n Ep 5, giving her the bike keys, and leaving the bike at her place were two other tactics.
But there’s a bit of rivalry there, too. We know that he wants to rile Suho and get back at him. But his motives are all jumbled up.
Teens!
There’s a bit of a protective chain developing. Soo Min and Soo Ho are protecting Jun Kyung. Jun Kyung is protecting Seo Jun’s sister. I wonder who will protect Soo Min when she needs it?
I wonder if Soo Min won the math competition? The supper with Mr Choi has passed. Outwardly she is coping but her hands say otherwise.
I’m laughing because neither SH nor SJ can actually come out and say that they like JK. SJ, as JK’s friend observed, is between prancing and flirting. SH was unusually awkward in episode 5 saying he only came out to get his clothes back, then the ridiculous detergent reason for a hug! Also missing the basketball shots on purpose to keep JK around. (This reminds me of things that boys have done around my daughter. She says, “Oh, he’s SO annoying!” My husband says, “He might like you.”)
I liked him taking the ginkgo leaf off her shoulder. I suspect that he put it in her pocket.
His pocket, I meant.
Isn’t Mr Choi the teacher who comes down hard on Seo Jun’s “gangster” friends? Wasn’t he at the dance performance of JK, too? 🤔
Yes, you’re right! SuMin’s hands have dry skin so she must be washing them again.
Pranking, not prancing. 🤣 The spell-checker on my phone will receive coal in the morning.
@packmule3, I know you’re trying to be good 😇, but peach may be more controversial these days. 🍑 🙊
Heads-up: Ep 7 will be available on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 per Viki.
I’m finally caught up on TB
Up to ep 5, except ep 6 has no subtitles at Viki yet so I’ll wait to watch that.
Looks like TB parodies other kdrama shows! We should be on the lookout for that. One can only spot the ones we’ve watched so I’ll probably not see a lot. They’ve done Goblin, TKEM and CLOY. Fun!
SJ may be blaming SH on the death of their friend because in ep3, SY was running from the press and said to SJ that he is going to SH and that SH will believe him, the CEO will listen to what he had to say… I guess when SY took his life, SJ assumed SH did not believe SY hence is to “blame” on his death. If only people communicate more and ask the tough questions or bring out the tough topics and discuss openly, we will have less heartaches. My wishful thinking and it’s easier said than done.
I do not have expectations on the story and all so I’m in it for the ride. I like the FL, I feel authenticity to her role. The ML has only 1 expression but he is good looking, not the typical Korean features though.
And I also see the importance of family in building the basic foundation of self-confidence in their children. “Confidence begins at home”.
Oh, Mr Choi is the name of the vice-principal?! I didn’t get that. He seems to be the one in charge of discipline. He seemed quite intent on blaming Seo Jun over Soo Ho before even hearing the evidence.
Thank you for the heads up about the New Years episode, @packmule3.
Yes, Soo Min seems to be washing nearly to the point of self harm.
I liked that after Jun Kyung threw the water at the bullies, she almost got flustered by their challenge but then identified herself as the victim’s sister.
Hello True Beauticians 😂😁. I like how the drama has a story and the characters have personalities (as far as what I read here) unlike what other people are saying that there’s no personality with the characters at all in the webtoon. But then, of course this is a tv drama, there should be a story to be made.
I also think the drama team deviated so much from the webtoon too. I don’t even read the webtoon; I saw spoilers from the webtoon readers on what happened (Spoiler: I would be happy and then sad for my fave, and then laugh because it’s ridiculous how the two men could actually not get the girl at all). I appreciate the usage of creative license I say. Now I’m praying for this drama to not have a season 2 like it’s fellow webtoon drama Uncanny Counter. This drama definitely should have a definitive end; maybe slap a little sense to the webtoon author because I think she’s going circles with her story.
Last thing, RAWR 🤣🤣🤣 I really love the JK-SJ scenes, they are so funny. Let their relationship stay like this too, but a heartbreak is bound to happen for SJ 😢.
So SooJin is still stuck in Sky Castle with her abusive dad and ‘must go to med school’. I heard her story and characterization deviate from webtoon.
Hwang In Yeob is a lot of fun here. I laugh everytime SeoJun tried to act cool and fail lol..
Sigh. Episode 5 frustrates me. I need to get past Cha Eunwoo’s acting in this episode. Hehe. When he was supposed to be giddy, I want to shout, “come on, suho! give me more!” Hahaha
I still love the Jukyung and Suho’s relationship and I kind of miss their silly and comfortable banter from previous episodes.
Seojun’s pestering of Jukyung is cute and adorable, but that would be incredibly annoying in real life!
Seojun and Suho really need to talk about what happened, because it’s obvious how it’s affecting their relationship with other and how they seem to care about each other, too, but there’s too much hurt there.
Anyway, I’ll finish episode 6 once festivities are over haha.
P.S. Actually decided to watch True Beauty instead of a Christmas movie while waiting for the house to wake up for Christmas lunch. Haha. Merry Christmas, everyone!
Busted! @jinyangie, watching before the others are up is exactly what I’ve done. 😁
Some good scenes in Episode 6. I have to view again.
😂 Same here. Am watching Ep 6 now while everybody’s still sleeping.
Note:
When JK’s mom said that she wanted to give away JK to Suho, Dad replied that both Suho and JK didn’t have their residency cards yet. It means they’re minors. Accdg to wiki,
“Every South Korean citizen within a month of their 17th birthday registers their fingerprint at the government local office and is issued the Resident Registration Card that contains their name, registration number, home address, fingerprint and picture.”
😜 I almost had post-DDSSLLS traumatic stress syndrome.
At least, they’re the same age.
Just got done with Ep6, also while everyone is sleeping.
Lots of things got clarified here. Glad SK knows now that SH was the rooftop guy.
SH’s dad is also the CEO of Move, possum connected to SY and why he took his life?
SH just confessed he likes JK to her brother but he didn’t believe him though. That dinner was a disaster, LOL!
The animal print underwear scene was so cute! I’m glad we have a good actor in SJ. I’m starting to root for him but JK’s treatment of him is like a brother. Rawr!
JK have good friends coming to her defense. I think they will accept her as she is. I hope she can reveal her bare face to them soon so that they can really cement the friendship without the secrets.
Things that made me laugh with Episode 6 were:
Seo Jun’s dance. Okey dokey. (cough). He acted cool then ran to his room and audibly screamed.
The entire cringe dinner scene. How did the table not fall? Dad and brother going protective of Ju Kyung.
Mr Han’s eyebrows before and after. (another secret but the sister obviously doesn’t care)
Just after the mom’s bragging about ‘sharp and meticulous’ older sister, the same appears drunk and causes havoc again.
JK sending pic with moustache to SH.
@Janey, SH’s dad is CEO of Move entertainment. In Seojun’s flashback SJ confronted him after the funeral, it sounded as though he either fired SY or okayed the move by the corporation, and took no responsibility for the suicide. Whether it’s true or he was publicly defending a decision made elsewhere, I’m not sure.
@Ella, yes, it looks like Soo Jin’s father is a doctor. He was in the scene where Seo Jun is pleading for help in the hospital. Creep. Slaps Soo Jin for coming 2nd to a ‘boy from a lowly family.’ (I didn’t think Soo Ho’s family is lowly…unless it’s not SooHo?) Says he’s furious because he invested in her. Like a purchased commodity or a race horse? Did he buy her, or maybe she’s not actually his daughter by blood?
Wow, quite a lot happened in episode 6, doesn’t it? We’re starting to understand what happened to the friend, and why Seojun blames Suho (but definitely not his fault!), just because Suho might have been able to sway his father’s decision. But when Seojun confronted Suho after finding out he pulled strings to help the mom, he was mad (misplaced) but he also knew that he’d do the same for Suho. Sigh.
Suho is starting to see the full picture of what happened to Jukyung before, and it was heartbreaking to see Jukyung facing her old bullies. Suho’s been incredibly gentle towards JK in this episode, and JK was still thinking that Suho’s being nice to her out of pity.
I’m sorry but there are a lot of disappointing parents in this drama. Suho’s father for being unsympathetic during the funeral and there’s Jukyung’s mom treating her badly just because she’s not as pretty or as smart as her other children. Is her character like this for the laughs? Hopefully not!
Jukyung’s dad, despite being unemployed and being irresponsible like what Jukyung said, seems to be the only one who genuinely cares about his child/children. We haven’t seen much of Seojun’s mother, but the way he clings to her, I’m guessing he’s a good mom to Seojun.
Things i love in the episode:
– Jukyung’s friend rushing over to rescue her!
– Jukyung’s brother interrogating Suho (I love how Suho never denies that he likes Jukyung when asked!)
– Seojun’s embarrassing dancing haha
– Seojun realising that he’s starting to like JK
True Beauty, much more than other high school dramas lately, reminds me of the internet romance novels from the early 00s that got adapted into movies. It’s a fun drama to watch, and I think I’ll keep watching.
(Anyway, because of True Beauty I now annoy my friend by impersonating Cha Eunwoo’s acting every time I talk to her. It is fun, and I highly recommend that you try it, too. Haha.)
I was trying to see if the writer was using the episode titles with any sort of finesse (ala Start Up) but sigh…doesn’t look like it? Unless these are just what the subber decided suited the episode best. No prizes for ingenuity.
Ep1 – The Errand Girl
Ep 2 – With or Without Make Up
Ep 3 – Revenge is a dish best served cold
Ep 4 – Ju Kyung going on a blind date
Ep 5 – If he has feelings for me
Ep 6 – Ju Kyung running into bullies
Haven’t had a chance to watch. Will try to catch up this weekend now that festivities are winding down.
Yellow umbrella kiss in the rain trope, but all twisted: JK’s sister protecting Mr Han from the rain, and his eyebrow dye running. Am I the only one — this seemed like Mr Han has rarely, if ever, been kissed. He didn’t run away when given the chance, though.
JK’ sister surely know how to get what she wants lol..
JK’s mom on if you’re ugly you should at least be smart >> still need time to understand her motivation here, but looking at her *cough* useless *cough* husband maybe she wants to make sure JK is capable of taking care of herself in the future?
I’ve also caught up to the drama, and I think I’m enjoying analysing this show. It’s funny but it also tugs at the heart. And these two episodes focused on the masks and covers of SooJin, Suho and Kyung, and how hard they’re just trying to be themselves without how the world views them. Kyung thinks she needs to hide behind her make up because others just keep putting her down and making her think she can’t be like her real self, like when she spoke to Seojun’s sister, she wanted to also have the same mindset but she couldn’t not once she saw the bully again or had Suho tell her he was being kind to her (only person who is nice to her without her makeup) for pity sigh. Suho on the other hand has his cover of coldness to prevent people relying on him too much, due to his status and reputation people don’t see what that has cost him and the PTSD he has endured due to his guilt and pain from losing Seyeon. His cover is used to push Kyung away in episode 5 and he didn’t explain himself to Seojun either to push everyone away because of guilt and hate of how people perceive him. The cover of Soojin is the most heartbreaking because she actually protects everyone and has this guise of strength and perfection but she is actually broken down by a worser bully her father, and his physical abuse, and it breaks my heart to see her have symptoms of fear and anxiety when it manifests with her dry, scarred hands. Absolutely hurts my heart. I hope they don’t turn her to her webtoon counterpart and use this as an excuse to make her a villain.
Seo Jun threatened Soo Ho with exposing the‘truth’. I thought that it was odd that Soo Ho preferred to meanly distance himself from Ju Kyung rather than have her think he was responsible for So Yeon’s death. He either believes it at some level or is worried that she wouldn’t believe his innocence; or both. In short, he preferred to lose her friendship rather than have her think that badly of him.
She then gives him several opportunities to explain his ‘pity’ speech but he can’t manage it, preferring actions rather than words. However that only confuses her more.
I keep forgetting that they are so young and are still maturing emotionally. I was thinking that they were a couple of years older. The translation of the embarrassing supper from Dramacool was ‘They’re not adults yet.’, so the information from @packmule3 about the residency cards at 17yo means they’re all 16? I thought that So Yeon would have been 18, so I believed the others were the same age.
@Fern I thought that was odd too? 🤔. It was such a sudden shift? Personally I couldn’t understand his rationale for trying to push her away. From the cute scenes and JK realizing that he likes her to the sudden brusque (and unkind 🙄) treatment in the locker room. I don’t know if it’s because of CEW’s acting but that transition from him seemed way too blasé? I was expecting conflicted but he just switched and I cringed a little at the concert scene when he was supposedly “in pain” and guilt ridden (didn’t feel him at all)…On the other hand, JK’s quiet sobbing inside the head of a pig 🐷 had me feeling so sorry for the poor thing. And then the whole face off on the basketball court with SJ AFTER he said those unkind words to JK. I can’t make sense of what his reasons are that sequence of events. I have yet to watch Ep6. Will do so tonight.
I know it’s prada and all but that is one ugly sweater vest.
@Fern @nrllee
Agree on the brushed off. The reasoning is not compelling enough to have SH suddenly turn 180 on JK. I find that weird. Also not picking up your phone is no reason to be accused as the cause of your friend’s death. I get how SH feel guilty for it. But on SJ part I think it’s more to do with SH’s dad harsh word at the funeral home.
What vest? 😂
Teary-eyed JK being inside the 🐷 pig’s helmet was a great contrast. Happy outside but sad inside.
But if you’ve watched Love O2O… I was expecting Suho to go up the bleachers and say hi to her, just like Xiao Nai.
The sweater vest SuHo was wearing at the beginning of Ep5 🤣
That bleacher scene in Love O2O is iconic they have it both in the drama and movie version
@packmule3 somehow try as he might, I don’t think CEW as SuHo will make it into the Best Bf Hall of Fame. 🙄 JK had to put all the pieces together and look past his rude behavior towards her in the locker room to find him crying up on the rooftop. Kudos to her for turning the other cheek.
@Ella was it Prada? What can I say, this whole embellish-the-uniform look is taking some getting used to. There seems to be zero rules when it comes to what you wear. Black socks, white socks? Doesn’t matter. I did think the sweater was ugly but hey…it’s probably got a price tag to match it (in ugliness). 😂
@nrllee
Yep it’s ugly and Prada to boot lol.. It reminds me of ugly Christmas sweater 1contest. Another outfit that I can’t believe they put CEW in is the jeans on jeans combo with tuck in shirt where he played basketball with JK.
@Ella. I think a lot of the time they are the fault of the stylist and the fact that he’s paid to wear designer stuff. He really has very little say? That’s the impression I get anyway for most celebrities. Especially because he’s so pretty and would be highly sought after as a model with his height and looks.
I’m finally caught up with this drama and can post about it!
First, if I had seen True Beauty before I posted about my favorites of 2020, I might have chosen Im Ju-Kyung as one of my favorite characters of the year. Despite having suffered in the past from a horrible level of bullying, she defends Han Go-Woon from bullies at her new school. She also befriends who she wants to, without regard to social status. And despite being rejected by Lee So-Ho, she runs to find him when she realizes he is hurting because of his friend’s suicide and comforts him. That takes real strength of character.
Watching this makes me so grateful to not be in high school right now, perhaps (especially) in high school in Korea. The obsession with beauty—and with social media acceptance—just looks suffocating. Thank goodness for the days in high school when you could hide your pimply face behind a book and no one would notice you. Since starting TB, I have had a few nightmares about being back in high school.
I agree with what others have said about Cha Eun-Woo’s acting being wooden. But I wonder if sometimes they are trying to make those scenes look like scenes in a comic? He is sometimes shown square-framed by a window, and lit up like he is cartoon character. But I wish the director could get more out of him. Perhaps he was told to look stoic and he’s doing his best to exhibit it.
Finally, it’s fun to see TB making meta-references to other k-dramas. It would be fun if @packmule3 could start a separate post about this and we could add our comments. As others have pointed out, they have parodied scenes from TKEM, CLOY (while one of the characters from CLOY was sitting on the other side of the wall from the brother!), and Goblin. I’ve also noticed a few other things (though don’t know if these might be k-drama tropes vs. references to particular shows):
• the vigorous/chapping hand washing of Kang Soo-Jin is reminiscent of the guilty lawyer in While You Were Sleeping who scrubbed his hands until they bled;
• the music playing during Lee So-Ho’s Jiu-Jitsu with his dad is the music they played in DDSSLLS when Joon is running to interrupt the wedding (I think it was the only time it played during DDSSLLS?)—but I’m not sure why they would refer to that scene;
• there were cameos from actors who were in Extraordinary You: the cafeteria worker once again, and Lee Jae-wook and Kim Hye-yoon
There are probably other references I haven’t gotten since I only started watching k-dramas last year. I’m still Ju-Kyung’s mom will do something reminiscent of Parasite or her character from CLOY!
I started watching this late and have caught up to Episode 6.
I like the development of Ju Kyung’s character. From being the underdog, to the one who puts herself aside to help others. To be sure, she was a cheerful and caring soul from when she was a young kid. Even then, when she met a tearful Suho, at the Comics Store, she didn’t grouse that he’d taken her fave seat but cheered him up.
No thanks to a superficial, opinionated and hurtful society and mother, she lost her confidence but not her spirit of caring. I trust that show is going to allow her to be empowered by the true beauty inside her, and that she’ll finally step out of perpetually being dependent on a mask.
Sadly it is true in Korean society that appearances rather than ability is a high determinant for opportunities for success.
True to life, kids get their advice from social media ie from peers like themselves. It’s a bit risky since they won’t always give good advice. Yes, how ironical is it that she had to find out how make-up could help her from strangers on social media, instead of from her beautician mother.
Outer Jacket – There’s a running joke that Ju Kyung (and her family) have it in for Suho’s jackets. No matter how beautiful the outer layer, it can and does get soiled (or coveted). The inside is what matters.
I like the manhwa candy coloured look in many scenes. While show gets my blood boiling with the many examples of bullying, the overall look of the show reminds me that it’s meant to be light entertainment albeit with an undercurrent of a serious theme or more.
The theme of Empowering Oneself to withstand being unfairly judged versus Empowering Others who put one down.
– Suho let So Jun’s judgment that he’s guilty of murder affect his self esteem, and determine his entitlement to happiness. (A common Korean trait of those who think that they have to be perpetually penitent for some supposed wrong-doing.)
– Soo Jin as 2nd best student cannot please her violent and demanding father.
– Ju Kyung’s father is hen pecked and abused by his wife.
In the area of looks:
– Ju Kyung was bullied into subservience.
– Teacher Han Jun Woo does not dare to take the initiative in a relationship, possibly lacking confidence because of his lack of eyebrows.
The Pleasant Surprise
Go Woon, the younger sister of So Jun has the more healthy attitude of accepting herself as she is, not giving in to bullies, and thus not validating the lies they speak. As she says, that’s the way to prove oneself ‘not the loser’ that others say one is.
I watch this show hoping to see the characters decide to take control over their self-esteem and be empowered to be themselves.
@GB it’s surprising isn’t it? I didn’t start out feeling like I would like this show but I am still watching it so far. It’s an easy watch. No surprises. Well worn tropes with familiar themes. I agree about the bullying, it was hard to watch. But I like JK’s spunk and her kindness. That’s what keeps me rooting for her. That instead of everything turning her into a bitter despondent individual, she responds to others hurting around her with kindness. True beauty. 🥰
Hey there @nrllee! Good to read ya.
A story about young persons who are badly treated, due to no fault of their own, and who rise above to grow even better than before is always the motif that draws me in.
I forgot to mention that show could have been much more sombre since it has as its backdrop, the suicide of Jeon Se Yeon and the unseen bullying/overly demanding life of kids who want to be idols. Jeon Se Yeon seems to have been a victim of false rumours (that he had a patron?) and we do not know what else Move Entertainment may have done to the kids who signed up with them.
At school, there’s the overly enthusiastic Discipline Master who wields a toxic tongue that tramples the students’ self-esteem.
So there’s also this theme of what people do, ie people whose agency is taken from them, or who have no power, and who become victimised by those in authority, and even by their ‘fans’ who smear their reputations.
Yup I’m in this to watch the right butts get kicked if possible LOL.
Oh?! Se Yeon had a patron?
I thought the rumor was he was a bully.
I’ve to check that.
I thought the “patron” gossip that Suho overheard was about his dad. His dad was seen somewhere (a club?) and his dad (whom he hates bec he was a womanizer) would be embroiled in another one of the scandals.
I’m glad you’re watching with us.
Where’s @agdr03??
@pkml3 Thank you kindly.
About Se Yeon, sorry, I believe I’m mistaken. The Patron part was to do with the father of Suho. I was looking for the part on Se Yeon, but have yet to locate it. Must be in Episodes 1-3 as I’ve gone through 4-6 and can’t find the reference I’m looking for. If I find it I’ll post it.
Odd Notes
Something heartily amusing in Ep 4, JK has returned from her blind date and washes up at the bathroom sink, and her sister joins her. One after the other they get messages from guys which tells them that they are being dumped. JK understands that she would get dumped with her face but wails that if her sister got dumped with such a pretty face like hers, how much prettier would she (JK) have to be. And in the background we suddenly are shown their brother on the ‘throne’ trying to take a dump himself. What total toilet humour!!
In Episode 5 Suho sees Seo Jun give JK a ride home. He gets Seo Jun’s motorbike towed away when he gets the chance, and later in JK’s dream, Suho is her rescuer (ala TKEM’s king) who takes her away on his white horse. It’s telling that it’s Suho she dreams of and not Seo Jun.
When facing her own demons, or the bullies of her old school, JK’s default reaction is to run. However when another person is attacked, she finds the courage to fight those bullies. I liked that she said to the mean bully
This is the main premise of this show. True beauty is not on the outside. I’ve been waiting for someone to validate this, for JK in this show, but it turns out that she’s the one who has to say it to the bully.
Her advice to Go Woon is advice that she’s probably trying to give to herself. “Don’t run away because you are scared.” And before this in Episode 3, her sister’s computer game’s advice was: “Do not fear. Fear only brings destruction.” Easier said than done, or perhaps the words should be, ‘Do not give in to fear (after all, everyone gets scared sometimes), because what gets destroyed would be one’s self confidence.’
The girls in this show take the initiative in pursuing the guy, especially JK’s sister, Hee Kyung. It’s interesting that although Suho shows interest in JK, in the end it’s JK who asks him out on a ‘date’. It’s a relief to see that all her bad experiences have not deflated her ego so much that she avoids taking risks. And better yet, that she retains faith in humanity and is willing to help even the bitter and hurtful Suho.
One thought of her which I’d like for her to lose, is that she has to be put in her place, as if people have to be ‘placed’ by their looks. Suho’s hurtful words to push her away (because he didn’t deserve to be happy *eyeroll*) is one of those tropes that gets me tearing my hair out. And they caused her to believe that having a relationship with him was a fantasy and that it wasn’t her place to have it in reality. By show’s end, she’d better realise that it’s the bullies who have to be put in their place and not her.
Found it @GB! 🙂
Se Yeon’s problems were mentioned in the beginning of Ep 4.
If you remember, in the last few scenes of Ep 3, Suho bandaged JK’s knee while SeoJun watched from afar. Later on, we found out that he was angry that Suho was developing feelings for JK; he wanted Suho to suffer for “causing” SeYeon’s death.
SeoJun was then seen leaving the park and revving up his motorbike through a tunnel.
In the beginning of Ep 4, we got to see what SeoJun was thinking while he was racing through the tunnel. In another time and place, he’d been running through a tunnel and scanning through news on his phone. He read, “After Jeong SeYeon’s name was changed and his past white-washed. Confirmed as violent assailant. ‘XXX, give me the money.” Many victims of SeYeon’s school violence come forward.”
He tried to call Suho, but got an answering machine. When he arrived at the building where SeYeon was, he saw reporters mobbing SeYeon. One of them was shouting, “Is it true that you hid your past when you signed with ‘Move’?” Another was demanding, “Please explain the rumor about your having served time at the juvenile detention center.”
SeoJun caught up to him and asked him where he was going. SeYeon said that he was going to Suho. “If only Suho believes in me, then the CEO will listen to what I have to say.”
SeoJun offered to go together, but the reporters came and SeoJun blocked them off while SeYeon made a run for it.
As for Suho’s father…
Ep 5 at 1:00:23
Suho heard his dad’s driver/assistant taking to a reporter, “Reporter Choi, the CEO is so busy. He doesn’t have time to date anyone. They just had a drink after the shoot. What do you mean a sponsor? What kind of baseless rumor — Of course.”
Yes @packmule3 @GB I thought the rumor (about SeYeon) was about bullying. And @packmule3 has confirmed that. He was desperate to have SuHo believe him and support his side of the story. Anyway, he didn’t get to be heard. SuHo didn’t pick up the phone call. And that tipped him (SY) over the edge.
I must say CEW’s wooden acting isn’t helping me warm to his character. I am still livid with how he treated poor JK. What he said to her in the locker room (?) when she was dressed as a pig was cruel. What happened to letting her down easy? 😡🙄. Anyway the way he delved out his lines just accentuated my annoyance. It really made no sense. I had to try to make sense of it in my head? The fact that I had to do that means he’s obviously lacking in his delivery as an actor.
And yes @GB to the message of the drama about inner beauty trumping outer beauty. I think in part that is why I am still angry with what SuHo said to her. That she didn’t “deserve” him. I guess this all has to be seen in the context of adolescent angst and their sense of identity and wanting to belong. So much of what they are fed in social media (and movies/drama) is the line that beautiful people belong with beautiful people. They are so obsessed with building the facade of outer beauty that they neglect inner beauty, that of real character.
^sorry I didn’t mean to type that JK didn’t deserve SuHo. SuHo implied that he only became close to her because he pitied her plight. She had only just started to believe that he would like her for who she actually was (made up or not) and he pretty much squashed that seedling of a thought 🙄
@nrllee, my thought about SuHo dumping JK was that he was being threatened by SeoJun to expose his part (real or imagined) in SoYeon’s death. SeoJun thought SuHo didn’t deserve happiness and goaded him by asking how JK would feel about him if she knew. SuHo didn’t want JK to think of him that way and he didn’t trust that she would be able to understand and believe him. The way Suho did it was definitely overkill. Both guys behaved badly.
I think in addition to the acting, either the translation was lacking or the direction as well. Or, as you say, they are just emotionally immature teens who react rather than think things through.
At least at the end of episode 6, they are all sort of on the same page, if only for a while.
Thanks heaps @pkml3! Ah, so the issue over and over is bullying and intimidation. Not only is it perpetrated against others but the innocent are tarnished by the very accusations that should have been leveled against those assailants. (Reminds me of how nowadays in RL, perpetrators of hate turn around and accuse others of being haters, in order to whitewash themselves.)
Se Yeon had naively thought that Suho would have some influence with his father, I assume, so that if Suho believed him, then the CEO of Move Entertainment would not kick him out. I wonder, though, how true that would have been. The death of Se Yeon can’t be pinned to Suho since he is not the main determinant of whether Se Yeon stayed or was forced to end his idol contract. His father might well have ignored anything Suho said.
The only thing Suho did was fail to answer the phone, possibly because he was incensed at his father and didn’t want to talk to anyone. He had overheard his dad’s assistant speaking about the dad ‘not dating’ (which was likely a lie), and had been reminded of his father’s philandering.
When in Episode 1 he stopped JK from jumping off the roof, (or so he thought), he transferred to her what he was thinking he wanted to say to Se Yeon: that he shouldn’t have just jumped so easily without giving it more thought, because nothing further could be done for the one who was dead.
While we see bullying in school and at home, we also are introduced to the different kinds of victims. JK’s father seems to validate his wife’s bad treatment and so perpetuates it against JK, school girl Joo Hye Min caved in unwillingly to bullies, and Go Woon refused to give in to them. JK has to find her way to overcome her fear of her old bullies.
Teacher Han is nice to the point of self-sacrificing and looks like another possible candidate of bullying, especially by someone like JK’s sister, Hee Kyung, who is likely to bulldozer him into compliance.
@nrllee and @Fern
Yes, what Suho said was one of the worst possible things that anyone could say to hurt (and destroy) the budding joy and growing confidence of one who was a friend. Even with the threat of exposure over his head, Suho could have ‘let her down easy’ as @nrllee says.
One can blame the actor, but I blame the script writer. The minute JK gets happy, the plot calls for her joy to be squashed completely. Yes, we might put it down to being young, immature, desperate and thoughtless. It was also very cruel, because it came from a friend, not an enemy, and one who had actually said yes, he would go see a movie with her.
The wonder of it is that she cries it out by herself but remains resilient. She keeps her end of the bargain by keeping her distance from Suho, and is still able to care for others, instead of turning inwards to only feeling sorry for herself.
@Fern yes I could see that too but I had to “join the dots” in my head to realize that was what his intent was. CEW’s acting alone didn’t give me that information.
“ She keeps her end of the bargain by keeping her distance from Suho, and is still able to care for others, instead of turning inwards to only feeling sorry for herself.”
@GB that’s why she shines. She is able to look past her pain to empathize with the pain of others. Not just a misery loves company kind of empathy where you’re commiserating with another in a similar plight (wallowing) but to actually DO something about it to help out. It’s a big PLUS point for her character wise. It’s spunky. I like that about her. Now if she can learn to defend herself just as well as she defends others. Sometimes I think one’s response is a learnt one. That you default to the same response because that’s just how you’ve responded before. Eg abuse cases. Where a raised hand or voice evokes the same fear response in the victim. They are so used to being in that frame of mind – deferential that they just react the same way instinctively every time. And they need to “unlearn” it. Hopefully her interaction with GoWoon would help her on that path.
Some thoughts on Episode 6
The use of a jacket 1
The unlikely side characters with an important role to play in this show are the jackets worn by Suho. I should have kept track of each time something happened to his jacket, which I didn’t, however I do note that by Ep 6, it was the label on the jacket that Hee Kyung puked on, that clued JK into who had met her on the rooftop.
Suho had been upset with her on their first rooftop meeting, thinking she wanted to end her life and he was upset this night of the festival, hearing Se Yeon’s song. Se Yeon had jumped from that roof, and so she seems to have put two and two together or made a smart kdrama leap of guessing right, since that led her to the same rooftop in search of Suho.
What Might Have Been
On the roof JK is able to comfort Suho and draw close to him. She awkwardly embraces him as he cries and indicates that she knows what happened on the rooftop with Se Yeon.
After the hug and comfort of having SH’s pain acknowledged, they were able to talk and the breach between them could have been healed, but delay and tension had to be added by the simple ploy of a false fire alarm (it’s only Ep 6 after all).
Their conversation:
(JK passes the jacket to Suho.)
Suho : “Are you alright?”
JK: “I should be asking you, not the other way around.”
Suho: I’m OK.
(JK thinks to herself “But you’re not ok. The pain is suffocating you.”)
Suho: “I see you remember now.” (Referring to her finally knowing that it was he who had grabbed her from the rooftop ledge).
JK: Why did you play dumb? You should have told me.”
Suho: “You’re right. I don’t know why I didn’t.”
JK: “I wasn’t here that night to end my life. So there’s no need to pity me.” (But why does he not ask her why she was on the rooftop then?)
Suho: “That’s not why …” (People run out shouting ‘Fire!’)
If Suho had not been interrupted, I’d like to guess that he’d have said: “That’s not why I grabbed you that night.” He might even have gone on to say that he was not being nice to her out of pity either, and that he’d really meant it when he said that she was pretty.
But all that was not to be.
As they descend the stairs with the crowd, the highs of their close conversation also descend. Their closeness from JK’s point of view dissipates as although SH shields her from pushing, she starts thinking “It was stupid of me to run all the way here.” Once again the recording that she’s humiliating herself plays in her mind. If only she had looked up, she would have seen that he actually watched her carefully.
By the time they reach the bus stop, they have returned to being ‘not close’ and sit in silence with a big poster that reads: ‘Lost in Love’ beside them, announcing the state of their relationship. Two kids in love but lost in figuring it out.
The use of a jacket 2 and bookend hug
Suho after having a panic attack of some kind on the bus, ends up near the burger shop where JK gets bullied again and loses her wallet. SH retrieves her wallet and ID and returns them to her.
She walks off but he stops her from leaving.
Suho: “Ju Kyung. It’s them, isn’t it? The kids who bullied you before you transferred. You must have been startled. You must have been scared.”
The acknowledgement of her pain and predicament moves her to tears, just as she had done for him on the rooftop.
Seo Jun and Cho Rong pass by and almost see them. Suho hides them on the other side of a stairs and shields JK with his jacket.
It’s obvious that this guy really likes hugs, because as a parallel to their embrace above stairs on the roof, SH gives JK a one armed hug, but at the bottom of the stairs. A sweet bookend to the start of the episode, complete with words of understanding and a warm embrace.
When Seo Jun and Cho Rong have gone, Suho lies that they are still there so that he can stand close to her, longer, almost enfolding her in his jacket.
When she worries that Seo Jun has not yet gone, he embraces her and says: “It’s OK. It’s OK now.” He was probably not talking about being found out, but about understanding her situation, and perhaps he also meant that their relationship was OK. The breach that should have been healed on the rooftop, was healed for him now. They were close enough to embrace, after all.
I like that he gives her his cap as protection before he leaves her, (on the roof she passed him his jacket). I felt that he could have offered to see her home, though.)
Well, at last she has an article of his clothing that she need not necessarily return to him, but it does give them another excuse to meet.
Great pick up @GB! I did notice the constant jacket motif but you’ve linked it all up 👍. I must say I really like how SuHo shielded JK – with his various jackets.
Thanks for doing this @ GB!!
I believe the label on SuHo’s jacket is his monogram. It’s HIS jacket.
When you monogram, the order of your initials is —
First name: Alexander
LAST name: Cartwright
Middle name: Beckett
So it’s going to be ACB.
Lee SuHo’s label on his jacket was sLh or
Su Lee Ho.
Anyway…🤪 back to jackets. I did like that he hid her in his jacket when SeoJun and his buddy passed them by. It reminded me of that time he threw his jacket over her when her face was covered with cake frosting.
LOL You’re welcome @pkml3. The parallels didn’t hit me until I started making notes. Took me a while too!
Yes, the protection of his jacket when her face was frosted over heh! I was thinking of Dating in the Kitchen too, when ML deliberately, accidentally encloses her in his jacket. Too delicious!
Oh dear, makes me want to re-watch to catch all the jacket bits, but I don’t believe I have the time!!
@Fern @Ella
About JK’s sister, Hee Kyung who reverses the couple roles. So true. I enjoy seeing couple tropes being overturned, like how she waited for Teacher Han, initiated contact, got him to eat with her, pulled him out of harm’s way when a vehicle almost crashed into him, let him grab her in a hug, sheltered him in the rain, and gave him the chance to run away as she initiated the kiss. True guy moves there.
I wonder why Teacher Han practically ran out of class without even taking attendance properly. It coincided with JK coming in. Was it because her sister had kissed him, and he was embarrassed thinking JK would know and tell everyone? He’s so cute. Just like a girl after a first kiss LOL.
A Series of Unfortunate Embarrassments
Poor JK seems to experience one mortification after another in full view of Suho. He must be credited for taking all this with equanimity and for still liking JK.
– JK assumes Suho is holding on to her when her jacket button gets caught on the latch, and he witnesses her telling him to let her go when he’s nowhere near her.
– Mother chases after Suho’s father to get a photo.
– Her mother drags Suho home to impress him, form another link to celebrity Lee Joo Hun, and get Suho to tutor JK.
– Her mother puts her down in front of Suho and even loses her temper at her family.
– Her brother pulls her leg so hard that she falls into Suho’s lap.
– Her brother covets his expensive jacket.
– Her sister making a drunk spectacle of herself and causes a power outage at home.
– Three family members fall atop Suho in the dark.
– She sent the ugly moustache and tongue out meme wrongly to Suho.
– She is mortified that he sees her running from the bullies, after having left her wallet behind.
There are loads of other examples of her or others being embarrassed, but Ep 6 has this many situations where she or her family show up in a bad light in front of Suho.