Recently, somebody asked what I thought of IJ.
In a word, sly. He’s a sly one.
Note, however, that I distinguish between actor and character. My blog is NOT like soompi or fan twitter where critiquing/criticizing a character is viewed as bashing the actor. I say that the actor deserves praise if he/she has convincingly played the role of hero, villain or sidekick.
Here’s how I viewed IJ’s proposal in Ep 10.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Question: Why doesn’t IJ’s confession work?
Answer: Because it was bullcrap.
This is what he told her:
Songhwa: What about you? What do you do for yourself? What’s a treat for you?
IJ: Having a meal with you like this. Eating with you. And drinking coffee together.
Words are cheap. But as cheap as they are, IJ still couldn’t find words that would coordinate perfectly with his actions.
What he was doing here was conning Songhwa, just like he’d advised Jang earlier. He said, “To pull off a good con, you must fool yourself first. Pretend you didn’t get dealt a bad hand. It’s a straight flush.”
Fact 1: He wanted a stepmother for Uju,
Fact 2: Songhwa was the best person he knew. Jang couldn’t hold a candle to her.
He’d been conning himself into thinking that Songhwa was the “straight flush” he needed to “win” the game of life. And remember his personality? Because of his giftedness and talent, he coasted through much of his life; his divorce was his first “failure” in life and he felt ashamed of it.
He watched Songhwa sleep with Uju and he thought “she’ll make a nice mom to my son.” Coincidentally, he also spied on JW earlier and thought, “he’ll make a nice dad.”
Note: This is Husband-Hunting Hint from the writer and director. They juxtaposed the qualities of these two people because they were meant for each other.
Standing at doorways, IJ had the same visions of JW and Songhwa taking care of other people’s children.
But pabo IJ didn’t think to himself, “Ah! The two of them would make good parents to their own kids.” All he saw was how he could manipulate these two wonderful people to suit his fantasy.
I agree with Jang when she said that he’s not “twisted at heart.” She meant that IJ isn’t malicious. From Episode 4 at 19:06.
But I say, that the “road to hell is paved with good intentions.” IJ should stop playing god and leave his friends, sister and Ahn be.
His fans are as delusional as IJ if they think IJ would make a perfect match for Songhwa.
1. First of all, his tastes are incompatible with Songhwa. Their INCOMPATIBILITY was the MAIN POINT this poop/coffee in Episode 6.
Doctor: If had to take a year off and not work, what would you do?
Songhwa: Me?
IJ: She’ll probably want to study.
Way to diss your friend, IJ!
He was putting her down here. UNLIKE HER, he didn’t like to study. He didn’t need to study because he was gifted. “He practically lived at clubs,” said Dr. Bong.
Songhwa: I’d move to a place like Gangneung, Sokcho, or Tongyeong. I’d love to live somewhere like that just for a year. I want to live in a place that’s not too big or too small just for a year. I’ll work at a hospital there. (Incompatibility alert) 🚨
IJ: The question was “What would you do if you didn’t work?”
Songhwa: (arguing) It’d be more boring if I don’t work at all.
IJ: No, it wouldn’t be boring. There are so many things you can do. (Incompatibility alert!) 🚨
Songhwa: Okay, you can play all you want.
IJ: I will! (Incompatibility alert)🚨
Songhwa: Anyway, I’d prefer to work at a small hospital over a big hospital like this, so I can give each patient undivided attention.
IJ: There was an MBC documentary called Success Tale.
Songhwa: Stop it.
IJ: If that show was still running, they’d produce a three-episode special feature on her. (mocking her)
Songhwa: In my free time, I’d go hiking, go to the beach and do fun things.
IJ: Hospitals in small towns are even busier. Free time? Gosh, I doubt it. (Incompatibility alert) 🚨
Doctor: What about you, Professor Lee? What would you do?
IJ: Me? (face suddenly lighting up) I’ve never thought about it. Should I assume I have a kid? (Incompatibility alert. Why would he assume that he didn’t have a kid??)
Dr. Yang: No, let’s say you’re single.
IJ: Clubbing! I’d go clubbing, of course. (Incompatibility alert) 🚨
IJ: (cont) I’ll go to a club and dance all night. (rapidly speaking) I’ll make sure my feet don’t touch the ground for over a second at a time. Like this. (Incompatibility alert) 🚨
Songhwa: What about during the day?
IJ: Shopping. You see, I’m a city guy. I love Seoul so much. Seeing the stars and the moon in the countryside isn’t my thing. (Incompatibility alert) 🚨
Here’s Songhwa in Ep 10, “Wow! Is it already the fifteenth? It’s a full moon…We should make a wish.”
IJ: (singing) “The flashing neon signs in the city.” Those things…How should I put this? They heal my mind. (Incompatibility alert) 🚨
Note: Songhwa’s “healing” is camping!!!!
Songhwa: Weren’t you taking flower photos recently?
IJ: Those are flowers at shopping malls. The apartment complexes are surrounded by flowers. I’d go to the flower shop by the food court at the department store and take pictures of the neatly arranged flowers there. (Incompatibility alert) 🚨
Here’s Songhwa in Ep 3.
Ha! He almost fooled Songhwa into thinking that he was taking photos of flowers in the outdoors. But at least, he honestly admitted that he only took pictures of them in staged settings.
If IJ fans would only remember scenes like this, they’d see how incompatible these two people are.
And now, IJ was conning himself and Songhwa but with breakfast.
He was pretending that he, too, liked the simple things in life, and that he’d like nothing more than her company. “Having a meal with you like this. Eating with you. And drinking coffee together.”
And his body language didn’t help either. I’ll walk you through it.
Touching his glasses = touching any part of the eyes (in IJ’s case, his glasses) is the brain unconsciously trying to block out the deceit. IJ was mentally preparing himself to do the con artist’s job.
Remember his strategy? From Ep 1.
lol. He KNEW what would make him appealing to Songhwa so he went for it.
Avoiding her eyes = LYING. I already told you about this when Jang did it earlier. But look at Songhwa. lol. She was probably thinking he was a nutjob. He didn’t like a meal WITH her so much as he didn’t want to eat alone by himself. (I’ll show you later…)
His eye avoidance continues = lying still
Still looking down = rehearsed speech
Nodding his head, raising his eyebrows = he was convincing himself that these were GOOD enough arguments, AND he was trying to convince Songhwa that his words were true.
Avoiding her eyes till the end = lying to the end
Momentarily bowing his head = unconsciously, he was embarrassed with himself so he hid his eyes.
Then, he glanced up to stare at her with this questioning look = trying to see if his con job managed to convince Songhwa.
lol.
Reading these basic body language signs is what an attorney does to spot-check whether her client is telling the truth. No lie detectors needed. 🙂
Of course, Songhwa’s not an attorney but IJ has been her friend for 20 years. She’d make a better lie detector and she could tell just by looking at him.
She didn’t need to comment on what he just said.
Looking down = Breaking eye contact = Not going to dignify his “unspoken” question because she knew it wasn’t the truth
Looking away = her exit strategy = her way of saying, “Don’t do this, IJ. Don’t be awkward. Come on now, we’re friends. Let’s change topic.”
That’s why I claim that he was lying. His words didn’t match what his personality and his body language.
But there’s also his history…
2. A low-key, quiet moment like this breakfast for two isn’t his style.
This is his norm: hyper-ness. From Ep 3
This is his norm: hyper-ness again. From Ep 10.
This is his norm: to be an annoying nutjob. There’s something restless about IJ which is NOT what Songhwa needed. Sure, he made her laugh but his sort of child play always end up grating on her nerves. Of all the for guys, he was the one she smacked the most out of annoyance.
He annoyed even a kind-hearted man like SH and a patient man like JW.
Songhwa wasn’t made to be a mother to man-child like him. What kind of woman would like to be a stepmother to a four-year-old child and a mother to a 40 year old man-child at the same time?
IJ is NOT Taek. I said so and you better believe me because I “analysed” that ship, too, against the JH shippers.
source: Hospital Playlist: Ep 8 Is Ikjun = Taek?
3. Moreover, IJ is always on the phone!
In reality, he never used to pay attention to her when they ate out. That’s why I call BS when he said that he liked to eat with HER. “Having a meal with you like this. Eating with you. And drinking coffee together.”
Most of the time, he ignored her. He only started showing attention to her when he decided that SHE would make a nice stepmother to Uju.
Proof shot! This is from Episode 2.
This is the dinner scene that the director himself was important because “would reveal the characters of the 5 friends and their relationship, and to show the direction of our drama in the future.” (source: Newsflash translated by YeoNiverse YYS IFC, 20200430)
While Songhwa was unburdening herself to Andrea about her woes with the new NS director, he was busy on his phone. He wasn’t paying attention. JWan was listening to her. IJ wasn’t interested in her problems.
It reminded me of how he also wasn’t interested in hearing about JWan’s when JWan requested time with him. Remember this? From Episode 10. It was obvious that JWan wanted to talk to him. “How about a drink with me tonight?” “I just want us to talk about stuff.” “How about after your surgery?” “Alright, I’ll go over to your later. Later. I miss Uju, too.” “It’s nothing. I just wanted to talk about life.”
His final response?
This goes to show audience that IJ could be insensitive to his own friends. He was good with his patients, but with his friends? To borrow Songhwa’s words said in the very beginning of the show, “If only you were half as nice as that to your friends.”
lol. I told you with this writer EVERYTHING is interconnected. You can go back to the script and find that characters have been consistent from the start.
From Episode 8. Not paying attention to her.
Then from Episode 10. Songhwa had to kick his feet under the table because he wasn’t aware that his feet had taken up her space, so she kicked him.
He was NOT paying attention to her because he was too busy on his phone.
Thus, when he said that he would like nothing than to eat with her, that comment of his had to be taken with a grain of truckload of salt. He’s paying attention to her now because she’ll make a convenient stepmother to Uju.
Songhwa is his last resort.
4. As for drinking coffee, he doesn’t appreciate good coffee. He said, “Having a meal with you like this. Eating with you. And drinking coffee together.”
IJ: You want coffee, right?
Songhwa: Yes, I’ll make it.
But he only had this: instant coffee.
This is Songhwa who from the beginning of the kdrama was shown to like her brewed coffee. We know the significance of the coffee because of the song, “Aloha.” And there’s only one person for whom she brewed coffee and complimented her for it.
The coffee is a running joke for the writer and director. Since I’ve written about this ad nauseum, if you’re a newbie here, just search for it.
5. He’s not a bit jealous of Capt Ahn.
I found this amusing. He wasn’t one bit of jealous of Capt. Ahn despite Ahn telling him in no uncertain terms that he liked Songhwa.
“I like her.”
Then, when he invited Songhwa for lunch, Songhwa asked him if Ahn could join them.
Songhwa: Can Chihong join? He has some questions.
IJ: (without skipping a beat) Of course.
Songhwa: Chihong is great. He’s kind and studies a lot. He would have been successful even if he stayed in the army. What?
IJ: I’m hungry.
Then, at the cafeteria, he was the first one to wave at Ahn to join them.
If he liked Songhwa, he would grumbled under his breath that he came too soon.
Just like Chihong complained when Yang arrived early.
And the most telling part here is IJ wasn’t jealous of Ahn like he was jealous of Jang’s “boyfriend.” He even gave Jang the third degree. He wanted to know who that “mysterious” guy was who drove her to the hospital.
Mind you. Pay attention to his eyes. Looking her straight in the eyes = not lying.
6. And I’m reserving my last and biggest bullshit for this: Songhwa’s reeducation camp.
He said that he would like to have a meal with her in a the comfy silence. Eating with her and drinking coffee with her were his notion of a treat.
But you know what?
He shamed her. He would only like to have meals with her if she conformed to his expectations. Didn’t you see what he did? Did you REALIZE the significance of his behavior here?
IJ: Recite your spell.
Songhwa: This is all for me. No one will take my food.
She started to eat but he stopped her to command —
IJ: Say the last sentence.
Songhwa: (pauses and stares at him) I am (purses her lips) an intellectual.
IJ: Let’s eat.
That’s a four-alarm fire right there.
Do you see what this is all about?
He was re-programming Songhwa. He disapproved of her eating style so this was his REEDUCATION CAMP for Songhwa. His boot camp.
Hell no.
IJ was re-training Songhwa to develop a new eating habit to replace that speed-eating which he considered disgusting. That’s why he made her recite before eating, “This is all for me. No one will take my food. I am an intellectual.” It was to shame her for gobbling down her food because it made her look barbaric.
I’m an intellectual = I’m not a savage.
He forced her to recite her “pledge” but she was a 40-year-old professional woman, not a four-year-old Uju. That was unacceptable. Maybe in some brainless fans’ paradigm of romance, that was fine.
But no. Thinking women shouldn’t have to tolerate that. What if Songhwa did the reverse and tell him to recite a pledge everytime he created a disaster. lol.
Look I always said (and I was proven right) that this writer and director placed big importance on mealtimes.
Here’s the link: hospital-playlist-episode-2-the-dinner/
I said back then that when you love somebody, you take care of their needs before yours. And loving them also includes making allowances for their faults or quirks.
Both Andrea and IJ were unhappy with the way Songhwa ate. She explained that it was because she had to fend off three brothers. IJ wanted her to change her eating habits because it disgusted him.
And when she skipped the last line (probably because it was demeaning), he reminded her.
In contrast, Andrea understood her and attended to her needs so she wouldn’t feel like she was threatened. He even gave JWan a stink-eye for stealing the meat he reserved for Songhwa. From Episode 5.
I wrote about that, too. link: feeding songhwa
Do you see the difference?
Note: It’s not the first time the writer made an issue of eating habits of the female character and the true husband’s tolerance for it.
In Reply 1988, Deoksun’s messy eating annoyed JungHyun to no end. And he was the loser in that husband hunting contest. He was always disgusted with the messy way that she ate.
Episode 2
I like Deoksun for telling him to stuff it.
Episode 4
Episode 9
When he asked “Is our place the Red Cross?” he meant that as an insult. His family was richer than the rest, so he was insinuating that his family must be a feeding station to starving populace.
Then, look what Deoksun did next. She ignored him and made sure that Taec was eating, too. Like Andrea.
Episode 10
And Taec, the guy who won Deoksun’s heart, accepted her the way she was. In Episode 10, she was stealing snacks from him, and he gave her the whole box.
He also gave her his wallet so she could buy the most expensive beef there was.
Deoksun: Give me your wallet.
Taec: (Without asking why, handed it to her)
Deoksun: (checking out the bills inside) Do you want to eat some grilled sirloin? I’m buying!
Taec: (just grins at her)
Do you want this scene should remind us of?
Andrea handing off this “Daddy Long Legs” program to Songhwa. He trusted her to manage the program and the funds from his inheritance.
I keep saying that it doesn’t take rocket science to understand the direction of this script. Both the writer and director have firmly grounded and established standards in relationships and values in life.
Once you understand what these are, it’s easier to know where the story is headed.
So good to reread all these articles. It was as true then as it is now. 😂. 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
Thanks for another TT. I read this before and I agree with @nrllee that this take on IJ still stands.
He’s a guy I’d want to like, but at the same time, someone I’m wary of. *sigh*
You’re welcome, @GB.
My complaints about IJ are legit and reasonable, and I laid out my objections logically. Instead of getting mad at me for pointing out his flaws, people should just disprove my arguments one by one.
@pm3, This post brought to mind IJ’s divorce. I think IJ would be an insufferable husband. His wife is working abroad, away from her son and husband. IJ has childcare set up. Ij is self-invoved even with Uju. It’s more about Uju confirming that ziJ is a greatvfatherz-look at Young Uju’s egg sandwich manipulation and the milk and cookies the kid left for IJ. And look at how easily Uju goes off with babysitters-he is not bereft when leaving his Dad. But,the scary part is that he is learning manipulationfrom dear o.d Dad-vefy scary to me. So, everything comes easy Ij is shocked that his wife has another man and is set to divorce IJ. How dare she! Of course, IJ is in high dungeon when he learns of his wife, her boyfriend and Uju’@ dinner togetner,together, waitstaff assumed Boyfriend was Uju’s father and mom and pseudodad didn’t know Uju’ s food allergy. but was thar really about caring for Uju or that, in a way, IJ could be replaced as Uju’s dadby a different man. So, methinks IJ’s “pr K posal” to Songhwa has more to do with divorce preparation and his ego, than caring for Uju or “loving” Songhwa. And I wouldn’t put it past IJ to poison his kid against The ,id’@ mother. This is one of my biaxes-,id’s being manipulated for the parent s’ sake.
Ij’s relationship with his wife is unclear because we see it from hispoint ofbiew. he is clueless. I don’t think he was a great husband and I think the wife took care of him financially. She probably, indulged him so he cou,could, do what he wanted. And he probably played cute with her like he did with Maggot when he sang “pick me”. After x number of years I’m thinking that wife had his number.
Songhwa is too good for him. His wife probably wants custody and would probably be as good, if not better, as a parent to Uju. Will all of this play out in season 2? I can’t see them letting this arc drop.
The observations i had on IJ towards SW from the early episodes are validated @packmule. When episode 10 suddenly showed IJ’s confession, I was like, is this one of his crafty jokes? None of his behaviors to SW from the beginning would connect to what he was saying on that rainy night. Really dude, you’re saying this to the girl you always demean on the dinner table? And suddenly, mealtime with her is now a treat to you? He always ridicules SW everytime they eat together. Either that, or he ignores her while he’s glued to his phone.
I don’t get this feeling from Andrea especially at the dinner table. He is always consistent w/ his attentiveness to SW. Yes, so subtle it gets drowned in the gang’s rowdiness but you have to pay attention. I say it again, among the four guys, it’s only Andrea who has never lift the wrong foot to SW. Never said a bad word to her. Never shown any buls**t behavior. Consistently kind & well-mannered to SW all througout. And there’s a mutual kindness you see to both JW & SW. It’s like they would do a thing for each other out of selflessness without any ulterior motive, because merely doing it alone bring them happiness. And that’s love. It may not be close to romantic love that shippers may feel giddy about, but a higher form of love where person’s happiness is more important than your own. So, IJ-SW? Nah. So many red flags.
Yup uju is learning his craftiness as he flattered his dad before requesting for extra food. PG make a better father than SW, tat’s why SW say let’s get married after watching him with his patient? PG so fatherly and SW so motherly in ep 10 scenes. Lol
Find IJ selfish and self centered though he is a genius doctor. Can’t rem he ever serve food for SW like PG.
I wouldn’t be so hard and venomous to IJ. His biggest problem is that anything and everything is a joke to him. Personally being with someone like that must be very tiring… Hell, parents love their kids to death when they are funny in small doses, but would like the kid to have time away on its own for them to relax. IJ not only needs attention: he craves for a public.
But him putting U-Ju against his mother?, no. Their dialogue in the sandwich place reveals that. U-Ju only sees an eternity of time (a year is an insurmountable length of time at that age) where his mother is gone and draws his own conclusions (pretty precouciously, lets admit).
Thanks again @packmule3!
I just realized that no.5, he wasn’t even give a sign of jealousy of Capt.Ahn.
Last resort as if it was planned before, and suddenly he was divorced, and looking at SHwa again 😑
Anyway, I love those alerts! 😆
IJ was not jealous of Dr Ahn but there were times when I felt that he was “lording” over him – that he is friends with SHwa and that they are close by putting his arm around her while Dr Ahn is watching. Or when he slyly dropped clues that he had feelings for SHwa during the spin the bottle scene in ep11. Super awkward! I have a feeling that Dr Ahn crossed the line and was even “touchy-feely “ with SHwa because IJ was like that with her. Wrong cues to copy!
Yes @Janey. Both treated her like property? Neither cared how she was feeling? They were so intent on one upmanship that they treated her horribly. It started with the elevator ride. Notice how Shin put SHwa in the corner? Between the 2 men? They cornered her. Like prey. Not on. She is a woman with her own mind. She is well respected in her profession. She didn’t need 2 men jockeying for her attention to boost her self esteem. It was super awkward.
Shin gave us the same line repeated by 3 men. Only one treated her with the respect she deserved.
https://forums.soompi.com/topic/453052-flowergarden-ahn-jeongwon-%E2%99%A5%EF%B8%8F-chae-songhwa/?do=findComment&comment=21947051
Yaayyyy, another TT Thank you @packmule. It makes me excited waiting for Friday morning to read your articles.
IN the lift, when SHwa and Capt Ahn was going to have a dinner and suddenly IJ appeared. IJ is also just scrolling through his phone and didn’t look at SHwa at all. And seeing how these two men “squeezed” Shwa between them makes me want to kick them both.
Speaking of drummer and bass and guitarist on a band. I remember a conversation with a friend about Kim Gordon, a bassist of Sonic Youth. After many decades, she divorced her husband, Thurston Moore, also a guitarist from Sonic Youth. I made a speculation that many guitarist has a tendency to look down on bassist because the bass is easier to tame and always in the background. And in many cases, the guitarist always blame the bassist when something was off (at least it was the case with the band from my university years). So it could also be why Gordon and Thurston divorced. It was a speculation, of course. But I guess this is what happened with IJ if we see it from guitarist – bassist relation in a band.
@Janey, yes, also IJ phoned her while knowing that she was having dinner with Capt. Ahn. And the tone of his phonecall was like a warning to Capt. Ahn .With than phonecall, he was like showing off to Capt Ahn than he owned her. And the reaction of Capt Ahn after that…He asked to be allowed to touch her shoulder, just like IJ did. It turned SHwa off. If I was in SHwa position, I would slapped him hehehehe.
I admit Ikjun is funny and really great with his patients. Sometimes good and caring wity his friends like when he accompanies Swha with her checkup. I also notice often times he can catch social cues and act on it right away – just like that scene where he left Minha and Seokyeong to eat when he realised Minha lied and said SY needed her help for his paper.
This time around I wanted to smack him for being so insensitive to JWan. He asked IJ not just once if he can spare time to talk to him about ‘life’ with a somewhat sombre look. He has time to play cards (was it solitaire?) but no time to spare for a friend who clearly wants to talk about something that bothers him. What a friend, hey?! I didn’t think he knows something is going on between Iksun and Jwan.. but that’s only reason I can think of why he’s brushing Jwan off, unless he’s just being a total prick! 😅
Thank you, @packmule 3, for the reminders of why IJ is not compatible. The thing that struck me most at the time it aired was the ‘year-off’ question in episode 6 that you mentioned above. Their dreams and pleasures are completely different.
Thank you so much for this post @packmule3. It gives us insights on how incompatible Ikjun is to Shwa. Whenever Writer Lee puts these two together onscreen, it is to show how vastly different they are. Even when Ikjun made the effort to accompany her for her biopsy result. It was supposed to be somewhat romantic for him but Shwa threw that hope out of the window with her remarks that she will never do as he did i.e. promising the moon and stars to her patients. The look on his face was stunned because she just rejected his words of comfort, his way of doing things.
Yeah he cracks jokes… he was created to be the funny guy among the 99ers. But he really needs some reality check that life ain’t a fairytale. Yes in one ep he put a grilled meat on Shwa’s plate but he did it with his usual biting remarks about her eating habit, yet again. This is definitely not the characteristic of the Male OTP in any of ShinLee previous works. Regardsless of their personality i.e. quiet or loud, they all share a common trait – they really really care for the girl, the female OTP, and prioritise her. They indulge her, feed her. Despite everything, they listen, they understand, they care for, and most importantly accept the girl in complete package. No changing is required. This is the consistency for OTPs in the world of ShinLee. If your pairing doesn’t have this, I rest my case… 😏
Thanks @packmule 3 for sharing this with those who missed it the first time. Both times I watched the breakfast scene I felt like he was lying. After reading your analysis, I now can see HOW he was lying.
Enjoyed the incompatibility alerts, they are so true! Their life values, goals and lifestyles are completely different.
P.S. Agree that IJ is still a man-baby. A 40-year old who wants to clubbing all day speaks volumes about his maturity level and inability to committed to a life partner (assuming he wants to go clubbing alone and flirt with the ladies/those there, etc.)
Thank you @packmule3 for another TT post! Following them makes me realise, again, how well thought and carefully crafted the relationships between the leads are in this series. I still haven’t seen Reply 1988 or 1997 yet, but thanks to this place I can see the recurring patterns and the “relationship philosophy” being laid out and developed throughout writer Lee’s works. What I find especially interesting is not only how this writer stays consistent from one series to another but also how she reverses various K-drama tropes. Like the case of IJ. How many times have we seen a male lead being a jerk and belittling the female lead, but of course it was only a way of hiding his true feelings for her. And then one supposedly romantic moment – like IJ’s breakfast with SW – and the viewers are to believe he is the one for her. And we mostly do, because this is the common trope. Or the male lead treating the female lead as his possession, especially, when there is another man around interested in her – like IJ and Ahn treated SW. And of course we mostly “accept” it because this is the trope when the man realises his true feelings. How romantic! But SW won’t have it. She is just too smart, and too precius as a character. Because as it has been established by many FG’s here IJ’s and Jangs’s tropey phantasies are not what a mature relationship is about according to this writer. And that’s why IK and SW are so mismatched, and Jang & JW likewise. But, hey, isn’t that another trope? That’s probably the very reason why the WG’s fell into this trap – like being mismatched itself means the man and the woman are destined to be together. But this is not how it works, at least in this series.
@nrllee, thanks to the recommendations from those here, I just started watching Reply 1998 and understand HP better because of you and @packmule3’s references to it from these posts.
Thanks for the Soompi Flower Gardeners posts, am “savoring” them one by one now. If you were professors opening classes in film studies or literature, I’d be the first one to sign up for your classes!
@Hatlady, you will find exceptionally more references taken from R94. 🤭🤭🤭 I think they:
1. Pick up the “1999 as a year full of separations and events” from R97. 31.12.1999 was also a date marked in R94 where main OTP was having their temporary break.
2. Rewrite, remix, create basis for HP main characters and story of each characters from R94
3. Use their refined husband hunting technique from R88 whereby they keep the husband hidden in the background till the very end.
4. Use the background from Prison Playbook to create the background for HP i.e. PP is stories of inmates in a specific prison vs HP is stories of medical workers in a specific hospital.
First time commentor here. I am midway HP1 and found your review on the Ep2 dinnertime so insightful that I started being more aware of the small cues and nuances in the following episodes. Still haven’t quite mastered that yet but those screen grabs above of the meals really tells alot about each character 😄
Looking forward to reading more insights of the other scenes and dramas!
@Miracle23, thanks for all the references from R94! Am only on episode 3 of R88 so hope I will get to R94 before HP S2 starts.
Reading everyone’s posts help me understand HP so much better. Thank you all!
Hard for me to see how anyone would think Wintergarden would be endgame. Even before I read anyone’s analysis I thought JWon and Maggoty were in completely two different worlds, nothing from their character’s actions or words make me think they are compatible. They are not even friends!
That’s why I find it absurd tat PG can kiss maggot in ep 12 when there is no chemistry between them at all.
Throwback also to the addendum of Ik-jun’s character write-up, it says there:
“‘It’s my choice to make the people I love happier than me!’ That’s Ik-jun’s love method.”
This was in reference to how he always supported his “ambitious wife”. But if you look at how he treats SW, you’d have to ask if he really loves her the same way. There were a lot of instances he could have supported her or made her feel understood, but he chose not to (like the examples on this post). That says a lot.
He supported Jang at almost every turn though so there’s that…
Dear @pacmule3 there is a link here Feeding SongHwa, but it asked password. Should I email BoD? Or you will put it out for another TT?
@vkat, thanks for the character write up of IJ wanting another person’s happiness over his. It reminds me of 2 scenes:
1. In Ep.10 he told JW to go pursue Maggot, he said something to the effect of wanting JW to be happy. Here I am curious as to why he thinks JW likes Maggot. It felt like IJ likes Maggot too and because he knew JW likes her, he gives her up for the sake of his friend. Also, he knows Maggot likes JW so he tries to help her because he wants her to be happy too.
2. The time when they were in college, the day SeokHyeong confessed to SH was also the day he wanted to gift SH the jewellery…and likely confess to her. After he knew that SeokHyeong confessed, he threw his gift away. Knowing that his friend likes the same girl as him, he gives up his confession because he wants SeokHyeong to be happy. If he succeeds in his confession, what would that make him? Friendship is more important than love.
I am also wondering if JW had liked SH from long ago, but he is so secretive of his feelings that he never reveals them. He didn’t look like he likes Maggot all the while and he suddenly kisses her. If his character is like that then, he must have secretly loved SH without anyone knowing. (This reminds me of the scene when SH tells him to get married, or is it ‘Let’s get married? and he was so stunned he stopped in his tracks. Did he think it is dream come true? 🤔)
He keeps secrets really well, remember Daddy Long Legs and how he didn’t tell his friends about his wealthy family background. So what made IJ sniff out JW on liking Maggot?
@grace, it has two possibilities:
1. Ikjun realises that Shwa has shown preference towards PG i.e. the shoulder hug, all the care from PG to Shwa, Shwa listened to PG vs Shwa’s reactions towards Ikjun i.e. she kicked him off when he tried to imitate breach of personal space. In short, he is eliminating a possible competition.
2. He projected the feelings because he never did know anything about PG ever falling for a girl. He assumed probably from PG’s reaction when he first brought up the question to PG about maggot in Ep. 3. From there on, he assumed that PG harbors same feelings. This is similar to how he is pushing for Shyeong to accept Minha.
He just needs to stop projecting. It’s nauseating for a direct supervising professor to neglect ethics by promoting such relationships. He is a 40 years old professor. How can he not think of the possible backlash/ consequences when the juniors are in such relationship? Why didn’t he date his own direct supervised junior himself? Why did he push this to his friends instead? Because he is Dr. Romantic? Pffft! Kim Sabu will never do that.
I can never accept this narrative.
@pm3, Question:does IJ’s. Behavior constitute serial harassment? I know I’m using an American construct, but your post got me to thinking about supervisor, subordinate roles. And while Maggot isn’t Andrea’s direct report, 5hat kiss could be deemed problematic considering his position at the hospital. And IJ’s encouragement of these behaviors might be considered aiding and abetting.
@pm3, forgive me, my autocorrect listed serial harassment. I meant serial harassment.
And @Grace, I think IJ is too selfish to wish for his friends’happiness. Just my opinion, Also, he wants Maggot to be his resident, so he’ll do what he thinks is necessary to get on her good side. He may also be interested in her romantically but won’t chance rejection. And his “confession” to Songhwa comes at a time when he knows her vulnerability and when he needs a reliable stepmother for Uju. His needs seem to come before anyone else. We don’t really know about his relationship with his ex-wife. Did her work put him through medical school or give him the money to go clubbing, eat well, live well? We don’t know whether he is an affectionate lover. But we do know that he is a selfish eater. That’s why I have trouble thinking that he would put his friends first. His most redeeming quality is that he is a good doctor and is able to do complicated, difficult surgeries and that he treats his patients well. But he remains a man boy in other areas. I hope that in season 2 he grows up and he becomes a better man at 40.