The thread is now open for spoilers and discussions.
lol. Here’s the obligatory gif set of the actor’s shower scene. I guess he hasn’t reached the star level where he could opt out of full/partial nude scenes like Hyun Bin (“Crash Landing on You”) and Lee Min Ho (“The King: Eternal Monarch”).
And here’s Ahn HyoSeop’s bare chest from “Lovers of the Red Sky” for comparison.
Enjoy the show!
Hello to the latter! 💪🏼 😈
Kumawo for the new thread! 🙇🏻♀️
Thanks @pkml3. LOL… cough, cough,… wheeze… I (or my lungs) are feeling pretty chesty myself!!! LOL.
@Packmule3, thanks for opening this thread. As for KSH’s shower scene, he seemed comfortable enough in his own skin to not buff up as much as some other actors do. Much as I like to admire pecs and arm definition, good for him for presenting himself as is.
@Welmaris, I know what you mean. KSH works out as though for fitness, but Ahn Hyo-Seop works out hard to look that way. Both fine.
Ep 3 is giving me soo many Start Up feels again. Is TVN doing this on purpose? That car scene (long drive from the city to Gongjin)… this time it was switched. Our FL turned on the AC and adjusted the car seat while Chief Hong is asleep! And that shiny shoe reference. I can already imagine memes on social media about this.
I love the chemistry of the two leads. Their bantering is so cute. Excited for Ep4 esp now that they are starting to get to know and understand each other deeper.
I have a feeling Chief Hong is sick or something that is why he went to Seoul. (Crazy Theory)
There was a lot of detail about Mrs Gam-ri’s father who served in the 2nd unit of the Korean Army. His army service document couldn’t be understood until it was translated from Chinese by Du-sik when a child. Gam-ri also has a daughter-in-law who was from the Haenam Yoon clan, same as Hye-jin. Somehow they will be related, I believe. Did Hye-jin really not know her ancestor’s name or was she keeping her privacy by not saying?
Here is some information from Wikipedia (because I was ignorant) about the Korean Liberation Army during WW2: “The Regulation regarding the activities of the Korean Liberation Army, imposed by the Chinese Nationalist Government upon the provisional government in 1941, placed the KLA under the supreme authority of the Commander-in-chief of the Chinese army. This regulation was repealed in 1944…” This would be why Gam-ri’s father’s document was written in Chinese.
Gam-ri’s son was not helpful about his mother’s health. He lied to her about the implants being unsafe, but revealed his motives by saying that money was tight and his daughter’s schooling (at Harvard) was expensive. Why couldn’t he even have made a social lie to say he enjoyed the crab she had brought him? (This reminded me of Hye-jin being unable to lie socially at that elders’ party in order to put her new neighbours at ease.) Gam-ri’s son didn’t make any time for her either – not even a meal together. I wonder what he’s hiding from her?
@Diane, the police officer said that Chief Hong was going to Seoul often, and he seemed to stop at a medical building that had a dental practice, a urology clinic, and a psychiatric clinic, so you may be correct about him being unwell somehow. He had a nightmare and took some tablets afterwards; maybe he’s seeking counselling for that?
@Diane @Fern Episode 3 entertained me, a bit too much maybe. I shouldn’t have been drinking water at the same time the grannies needed to stop for the loo. I laughed so hard I spilt my drink!
I’m glad to see the the expensive shoe has returned and is none the worse for its sojourn in the sea. Also that Du Sik had nothing to do with it being lost, but that he’d been the one to find it and restore it.
While I like that he treats many friends practically as family, his ‘forcing’ Hye Jin to be generous gives me pause. Although the purpose is for the good, he has manipulated situations so that HJ has little choice. Other than that and being a bit too intrusive, he’s not too bad a character.
I hope we get to know about his backstory, why he has nightmares and why he does not answer many of HJ’s questions. On the whole, he’s Mr Fixit where others need help. We wonder if he’s also fixing himself or whether he’s visiting someone who is sick.
Now that he knows that HJ is still ‘not ok’ about her mum’s death, I guess we’ll see him trying to do something as in ‘fix it’ for her as well.
Hye Jin is slowly coming to fit into the groove of Gongjin. She still thinks she will retain her Seoulite soul and get to return, but we can guess that she’ll no longer be happy in the city after a short time in Gongjin.
LOL her need to compete and be one up even in the boyfriend department. She was all prepared to text back a truthful answer about Du Sik, only to change it into a lie to look good, as if the good looking guy was chasing her. It was just because her fellow dentists admired his looks. I take it that if they’d dissed him, she’d have kept to the truth! I’m thinking this lie is going to catch her out somewhere along in the series.
I laughed at Du Sik saying that she was unrecognisable in her get up for the wedding, when it was he who looked the most different in proper shirt and pants.
i’m glad to have a light show with the usual winning ingredients of flawed leads who will heal each other, and likely us, too.
@Growing Beautifully, how are you, and yes to those grannies! I was laughing at the one who was cursing the other driver out so thoroughly that even he was intimidated. Then that shocked silence in the car afterwards… But Hye-Jin also shouldn’t have tried to confront the other driver. It was dangerous.
And yes, I agree Du Sik was a bit of a bully when it came to manipulating her into situations where she had no choice, even if it was for her own good. I think that Gam-Ri had an insight when she told DS that Hye-Jin had difficult experiences in her life. It would be embarrassing for him to now put her into one of the groups he described in the first episodes: ones who had a bumpy road or ones who went quickly and came to a cliff edge. Gam-ri is not necessarily matchmaking here, but does want them to get along better. She has told each one something about the other and they respect her opinion.
It was odd that Du Sik said that her shoes were nothing but trouble in episode 1, yet he took the trouble to research how to dry a shoe and who did it for her secretly, while saying that he found it ‘on the street’. Hye-Jin said to herself that these would have been perfect to wear to the wedding, but to me they look like they could be also be the bride’s shoes. My practical side says that she should keep those blooming shoes safely in the cupboard or on display like a decorative sculpture until a proper occasion arises.
We now know that DS is a language expert. Sign language, Russian, Chinese. He may have had a job that related to this expertise.
Episode 3 was such a feel-good episode, I was just smiling happily by the end.
The grannies were a hoot! And I like Hye Jin. Sometimes I wince at her 200% honesty, only because I can imagine how her frankness can be mistaken as rudeness by the residents of Gongjin. But we have always been shown since Episode 1 that she has a good heart. She’s frank (honest) and standoffish (reserved), but she is a good person. And I’m glad Grandma Gam-ri now sees that. As of now, Hye Jin is still a little pretentious and too focused on image and status but I imagine Gongjin will eventually change that (even if just a little bit). 🙂 (FWIW, I love that she is able to stand her own at the wedding reception. Attagirl lol)
IF Du Sik is sick and is going to a Seoul clinic for treatment, I would place my bet on the psychiatric clinic. (Because it’s kdrama. 🙂 And urology doesn’t sound too Male Lead material. 🙂 ) Maybe he has a trauma? (Hence, the nightmare.) Or a mental health issue? Maybe it’s part of the reason why he lives very simply in Gongjin??
I enjoyed episode 3 because I laughed so hard at our grannies especially the feisty one. How many expletives did she say? 😂 The only one missing was the f word. 😱😂
I have a feeling I-jun’s parents might get back together at the end.
I was surprised HY didn’t fret about the potato rice cake falling in her car. 😄 She did good by giving them a ride and I’m glad after thinking about it, she still wanted to fix Granny Gam-ri’s dental issues.
When HJ put on her expensive silver shoes and then the lights turned on, I thought it might be a sign that she’s starting to like Du-sik or she’s finally accepted that Gongjin is her new beginning.
Those shoes are very pretty! 😍
The episodes are getting better and more exciting. I like the pacing of this drama and I am finally appreciating KSH.
Hye-Jin actually missing Dusik because her morning routine is incomplete, acting drunk but peeping while Dusik sings, the piggy back ride, Dusik delivering the coffee and working on his day off to save our pretty dentist.. These two like each other and it is so obvious! ❤️ The barrier is finally broken (I like how this was depicted when the ice melted).
I’m curious how both will realize that they have met in the past as kids.
Can’t wait for ep5 when they start “dating” Hehe!
P.S. That running scene in the epilogue gave me Startup feels again (bridge scene where HJP was running to save Dalmi) LOL!
My dear @Fern, thank you for asking. I am well and happily inundated in a children’s retreat which starts today. Conversely I’m a little melancholy at the impending demise of an ex-colleague. I hold both emotions simultaneously in my heart. There’s nothing for it but to pray.
Thank you for your insights! Yes that ‘cursing granny’ was really something. I think Hye Jin’s right ear could have turned red at the intensity of anger that had to pass pass it!
Yes. We see her competitive side here. The refusing to be beaten or to be thought weak.
I do wonder how Gam Ri figured it out. She says she saw past HJ’s prickliness and she must have noticed that DS was not warm towards HJ. It’s good that she told Du Sik. It opened his eyes about his prejudice against the city girl. Just as he does not take his friends for granted, he should not take Hye Jin’s saying that she’s ok at face value either.
Could this be another ‘doth protest much’ scenario. He pretends that he does not care, when he knows he does. And he does not want her to know that she’s got more power over him than he’d like?
LOL. I so agree with you. I was stunned at her carelessness and callousness towards those shoes. The Writer has really painted her at odds with herself. She says she cares about brands so much, which means she should also bother to take care of those branded items, but she uses them any old how.
I will hopefully be able to watch Ep 4 tonight. Take care and I’ll read you again!
This drama is an easy watch and yes the ice have melted. 😁
Funny, HY didn’t recognised DS from the photo because she said that she knew a kid like that, when she first saw DS with his Grandpa in front of the studio.
So we get to see Jun and the ex-husband’s first love.
I thought that Juri was a bit rude to HJ.
It looks like show won’t have too much angst. 🤞🏻
Hi Everyone and @agdr03, I’ve just watched Ep 4, and am still tickled by it.
It seems that Hye Jin has finally found another difficult character to click with ie the rude teenager, Joo Ri (she was not just a little but very rude to all adults and especially to HJ). I wonder if that means HJ has retained her pre-pubescent fan-girling since she and JR finally hit it off at that age level LOL.
Yes, she said that she knew a mischievous face when she saw one, but she has not put ‘mischievous’ and ‘Du Sik’ together yet.
Du Sik still has so much that he’s not saying. I wonder why. In the end it might just be something mundane that he does not want to talk about, but Show’s making him so reluctant to speak, makes me anxious to know what it is. I hope it’s worth the anticipation!
I like that Du Sik’s immediate reaction after kicking the pervert was to run over to HJ and check that she was fine. He did it in a way that bespoke his extreme interest, with his hand almost touching her. He didn’t even give Mi Seon a glance.
I felt that all along while HJ keeps thinking that she and DS are from different worlds, (and possibly incompatible), she’ll start to find that he’s actually more like her in background, but that he chose a different attitude and way of living. I’m guessing that Show’s saying that a penguin and a polar bear both coming from cold regions, is giving us this clue.
Hwa Jung and Yeong Guk’s divorce is inexplicable. They are obviously still partial towards each other. Yeong Guk hangs around her from time to time, even remembering her mother’s death anniversary, and Hwa Jung prepared all the extra food for him. She’s even still affected by the return of ex’s first love. And in a small town like Gongjin no one knows why they divorced, which is an interesting little puzzle.
Hi @GB, it was funny that Joo Ri didn’t recognised her handsome Jun. 😁 She’s a super fan but decided that the real guy was a doppelgänger.
Yes, HY’s bonding with the locals, one by one.
When I saw all the food, I knew Hwa Jung was going to give it to Yeong Guk. But all of a sudden his attention was with his first love. It is weird how no one in the community knows the reason for their divorce.
I’m hoping it’s nothing serious for DS with his Seoul visits. On the Wikipedia for the show it says the genre is romantic comedy, slice of life. ☺️
@agdr03, it was in character for Joo Ri to disbelieve the identity of JUNE, since her default is skepticism. She didn’t believe HJ is a dentist, that her purse is an authentic brand item, and that HJ had previously treated JUNE, all of which are true. Isn’t she typical of a young teen, thinking only she’s right and the rest of the world is wrong?
As for HJ’s love of brand items, I am glad to see her using them. From what I’ve seen in other Kdramas, brand items are usually for show and treated with extreme care (e.g. in the rain an expensive purse would be protected under a coat rather than used as a shield). HJ bought her sparkly silver shoes for herself, to make herself feel better after an abrupt life change. Much as I cringed to see her wearing them while walking in sand (as I step onto sand, I always stop and take off footwear), if she needed them on her feet to feel better on her mother’s birthday, more power to her. I got the impression she was lost in her thoughts on arrival at Gongjin.
We’ve also seen HJ can be slow on the uptake, and more than once Hong has declared her dense. She didn’t put two and two together the morning after her Gongjin sauna stay, when Hong stood before her on his mobile phone. It took awhile for it to dawn on her that communications were back up and she could use her own phone to call for roadside assistance.
I find it interesting how many different views we’ve been given on HJ. Her former chief dentist called her a nutjob and a lunatic. Joo Ri thinks HJ is fake. Hong has called HJ dense, the squid deck grannies think HJ lacks dexterity, Oh Yoon admits HJ is brutally honest, HJ’s university classmates think it cute she opened a dental clinic in a seaside town (which HJ interpreted as being dissed), and the townspeople of Gongjin think HJ is cold and haughty. Many of these are negative views of HJ, but she’s already begun to turn around some people’s opinions. Oh Yoon was encouraged by HJ saying she liked a different track on his album than the one with which he’d won 2nd place, and Gam Ri tells Hong that HJ’s cold exterior hides a warm heart.
This is what HJ says about herself:
–Don’t be nosy and focus on myself (her motto for 20 years).
–I hate it when people cross the line.
–I hate it when people touch my stuff.
As for HJ’s opinions of others, Hong thinks she’s pessimistic. He says to her, “Why can’t you look the other way and only see the good things?”
I like the stylistic choice being made by this show with the opening montages.
Episode 1: Contrasting small town & city, hills & skyscrapers, ocean & river, automobiles & boats
Episode 2: “We all have moments we regret in life.” Yeo Hwa Jung looks at her divorce papers; Jo Nam Sook, in a little girl’s bedroom, holds a toy scepter and cries; Oh Yoon looks at the cassette tape of his 2nd album demo; Hong pulls a black suit out of his closet and looks at it; HJ, alone, walks through her new dental clinic and sighs when she looks out the window. “Nevertheless, we can never turn back the clock.” (Unless you’re watching a Kdrama, because after we hear HJ speak these words in voiceover, we see a flashback from two weeks ago.
Episode 3: “The sounds of Gongjin.” (We also get the sights.) Fishing boats under power in the ocean; Oh Yoon playing his guitar in his cafe; Jo Nam Sook giving a receipt to satisfied restaurant customers; a tractor working in a field; a police car in transit with its siren on; fish being grilled by Yeo Hwa Jung; Jang Yi Joon rubbing a calligraphy ink stick; Choi Bo Ra and her taekwondo class chanting as they do their moves; Choi Geum Cheol and Ham Yoon Kyung hearing the sound of their second baby’s heartbeat during a sonogram; Kim Gam Ri listening to a wind bell; the hedgehog running on its wheel; Pyo Mi Seon crunching snacks while relaxing on the couch; a doorbell ringing and Hong’s voice calling to announce a package delivery. “This is the sound of Ms. Yoon Hye Jin, who’s from Seoul, rushing out to receive a package.” (We see HJ’s memories of her romantic slip and fall into Hong’s arms.)
Episode 4: Several mornings of HJ and Hong passing each other in front of Oh Yoon’s cafe, each dressed for work. Hong’s work clothes change daily depending on his job: squid boat hand, painter, construction worker, restaurant delivery. Every morning Hong greets HJ, “Hey, Ms. Dentist.”
These quickly convey important information about the characters, and set the tone for the episode.
@Packmule3, the comment I just posted has a notation that it is awaiting moderation.
This is supposed to be a light-hearted drama. But can’t help but tear up in each episode. Perhaps because I relate w Hye Jin, losing my Mom just last year and and Dad remarrying soon.
I get her being reserved though, being an introvert myself with only a small but intimate circle of friends.
For all of HJ’s “flaws” though, Chief Hong seems to be hiding something more. Beyond that happygolucky and amiable facade, he has deeper and darker secrets. I hope we this drama will allow Seon Ho to expand his acting range. But not at the expense of the drama turning angsty.
While my previous comment awaits moderation, here are a few more notes on HC3.
It seems like all of HJ’s dressy shoes have pilgrim buckles. She wore a green pair to the wedding, she has the silver pair, and the black pair with white buckles. At least when she’s working in her dental office, she wears Crocs.
When HJ was at the wedding reception, did anyone else notice how she was eating the bread roll? She was pinching off little bits to put into her mouth. Picky! Picky! Picky!
From the very beginning, I’ve noticed that HJ has been touching Hong: grabbing his arm, slapping his shoulder, pushing him, etc. I find that surprising for a Kdrama.
The drive to Seoul brought back memories of many road trips I’ve taken since childhood. Our family’s rule was that if we stopped for a potty break, everyone had to use the toilet (or at least try) whether or not they felt they needed to. Enforcing such a rule on their drive could’ve saved HJ some time, but been less funny for us viewers. And the arm motion HJ used when the red car forced her to brake quickly–thrown across the chest of Hong sitting shotgun–is exactly the motion my mother used to do for us back in the days when our cars did not have lap and shoulder seatbelts. I noticed Hong looked down at her arm; I wonder if he was thinking she’d learned it from her mom. It could have been one clue that HJ did have deeply ingrained memories of her mother.
@agdr03, i have yet to warm up to Juri. She’s a child so I am trying to be more understanding and patient, but goodness how I dislike her. 😂
Next week seems to promise a lot of lighthearted comedy still. I cant wait to watch the grandmas’ reactions to the rumors of HJ spending the night at Du Sik’s. 🙃
@pandamilktea, she seems like a teen who is trying desperately to rebel; possibly anger issues, possibly because she has few friends. She must be very bored, too. I’m thinking of how she flew out the door at the news of the fire at the telecom. — Still, very bad behaviour to be insulting to strangers in your family establishment. And deliberately as well, as opposed to HJ who seemed to be ignorant of behavioural rules. Did she think that HJ might make a play for her father? Is her father chronically embarrassing and pitiful to her?
There is an old video on YT about a character named Kevin and the moment he goes from being 12 years old to being 13. I think many parents can relate. 😱
@Welmaris, I was thinking the same thing about road trips and, yes, I’m that kind of mother who still reminds everyone when we stop. My girls are sick of it but I don’t care. 😄
I think that your comment about Bo-ra being not feminine is coming true. Also why is her friend so formal for a young child? Maybe they are both the odd ones in their circle. I think we’ll find out more seeing as the new lady resident is a school teacher. –Looking forward to your missing post.
@pandamilktea, your username is making me want to have some bubble tea. LOL!
I was turned off by Juri’s behaviour too. She will probably become a good mannered girl in the drama later. 🙂
Late to the discussion!
Rather enjoyed this week’s episodes. I agree with the points everyone has made. I’d be surprised if HJ didn’t recognise Du Sik from the picture, the editing of ep1(?) made it seem like when she saw the picture at the photo studio she remembered him as the little boy on the beach. Maybe she just didn’t want to bring it up because it’s one of the last good memories with her mum and she finds it painful to talk about.
And @Diane yes to the Start-up references! There have also been a few references to My girlfriend is a gumiho, I wonder if anyone from those dramas will have a cameo🤔
My favourite part of the drama so far have to be the very last moments of the episode and then the epilogues. Like in ep3 where Hyejin wears her shoes and all the lights turn on, or in ep4 where DuSik places his cold hands on her face and we get a close up of the ice bucket melting. Loving the little details and significance of those moments! The epilogues provide a deeper insight into the mind of the characters and their actions.
Honestly enjoying this drama way more than I expected!
I approved it already, @Welmaris. I don’t know why it was spam-blocked. Sorry. 😟
hmmm… i wonder who is the new tenant in Hyejin’s neighborhood… could be June and the PD (Hyejin’s old classmate/crush)?
i like the snippets of instrumental music they play in some scenes – some upbeat, some melancholy, and some has that jazzy vibe
the show is doing well ratings wise. it’ll probably even reach double digits before the 8th episode.
thank you pacmule3 for this open thread. i am enjoying the show so far and i am also learning a lot from the the discussions/insights here!
It seems BoRa is the daughter of the hardware store owner and the currently pregnant general store owner.
Could it be that the Korean-Chinese restaurant owner is JuRi’s mom who lost custody? Did she and Oh Yoon used to be a couple? When they were sitting next to each other at the business-owners’ meeting and she kept hitting Oh Yoon’s shoulder, someone commented, “Are you two at it again?”
During the “regrets” montage when we saw the Korean-Chinese restaurant owner–smiling, yet crying–in a bedroom decorated for a young girl, I was convinced that child was still alive because the mom’s emotion was categorized as regret, not grief. Show has so far left this a mystery for us.
Hong’s black suit, also from the regrets montage, also remains a mystery, although he has confirmed that he did leave Gongjin for a time.
@Esst3, you are right about the epilogues being beautifully done. They, along with the opening montages, need our special attention, as they work together to further our understanding of what we see in the episode. It’s like classic essay construction: start by stating what you’re going to say, present your arguments, then conclude by summarizing what you just said.
HC3 is a pleasant, easy watch because Show is clear in the messages it presents. For instance the conversation between Hong and HJ about the granny’s dental needs that became an argument about parental selflessness vs. selfishness: we weren’t left to wonder what that was all about. The show immediately gave us HJ’s flashbacks of her mother’s terminal illness. Following the flashbacks, we were shown that Hong understood the true meaning behind their argument, when he mused that HJ wasn’t okay, as she claimed, about her childhood loss of her mother.
Annyeong everyone. enjoyed reading all your posts. thanks for this thread @PM3. enjoyed ep 3 and 4 for sure.
@diane i feel the same way about Dusk being sick maybe??? no like. @fern and @pandamilktea, i hope it’s just psychiatric help/trauma… and not metal illness 🙁
@gb, the frequent bathroom scenes of the grannies was funny – signs of senior problems haha. @welmaris, i’ve done road trips too and it’s a must to go bathroom all at once or else, we will have this funny exasperating scene. the grannies are hilarious for sure. omg. but i wonder how they got back home since they didn’t ride with HJ. with the hubby, we must stop at least every 2 hours. sigh. haha. but it’s necessary – stretch your legs time u know. i do feel bad for HJ coz what a hassle… blame it all on DS haha.
so we have the other shoe mystery solved. interesting how HJ’s shoes are real trouble coz it scared DS so much thinking it’s a dead body LOL. poor guy. he’s so nice to fix it. looks new and not watered down. daebak! haha
@gb, mischievous + DS … one and the same. good mischief perhaps. coz at the beach, he made her laugh. so maybe it’s more like a catalyst for a better HJ.
funny how HJ was all teaching DS about wine – but i think he knows so much more than what he’s showing. he’s even prepared an impressive charcuterie. he might even be a wine connoisseur ~ daebak! @PM3 i wouldn’t be surprise if he’s a millionaire haha and owns a building in Seoul hmmm.
loving all the characters in this show – even skeptical Joo Ri haha. wait, except that sexual predator patient 🙁 love how DS ran so fast to save HJ. and the town folks were just talking about he wasn’t budging when they asked him for help. but one call from grannie Gamri and he flew… and that high kick. daebak! ahhhh the hero! and the funny moments at the police station/jail. reminds me of TKEM haha.
@HK_Lady, do I remember right? (Im forgetful that way lol) — there was a scene where HJ was advising DS that he should learn how to save, and not just spend whatever he earns, all at once??? And DS was really just nonchalant, as if money is not a problem for him.
And I agree also about their wine night. I also suspect DS knows more than he lets on, and that he is more sophisticated than HJ is (or thinks she is hehe).
Either DS is the usual relatively poor, streetsmart guy, who has lived all over, and experienced so much that he’s picked up so many skills along the way because he is smart like that, or he’s had an upper middleclass upbringing (studied languages if not lived abroad, etc.).
Since this is kdrama, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the latter. 😂
So his grandpa passed away when he was a boy, and I assume his grandmother also did, around that time?? (Then Gam-ri fed him so he grew up to be a big boy. 😆) Maybe he left Gongjin for university?
Though if he was rich and the Gongjin folks knew he was rich, aren’t they the type though that would encourage him to reach his potential and not “just settle” as the community’s minimum-wage earning troubeshooter? 🤔
Anyway, I find his mysterious background interesting. I hope it turns out to be something good when they finally reveal it. 😁
@agdr03 — re bubble tea, teeheehee. ❤🧋
@pandamilktea, HK_Lady and @packmule3, I’m with you that DS is sort of in disguise, or at least hiding his light under a bushel. Sort of like a fairy tale prince who doesn’t want to be liked for his position and wealth, so the heroine has to prove that she likes him for himself. (I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s the frog prince – he’s not unappealing in himself.) It would fit in with him having been dumped by some other city girl in the past and getting altogether fed up with city life. I certainly think that he’s had experiences to make him more sophisticated than he lets on, although he may not be wealthy.
Aww really? @Fern. Like a closet chaebol? 😂.
@nrllee, this is my over-active imagination at work. Maybe he’s not full-chaebol, with posh family etc. We know nothing about his parents and why he stayed with his grandfather. It’s only a theory. Honestly, I don’t want him to have parents who are very wealthy. It’s too much of a Crazy Rich Asians trope. We’d have scenes of them trying to keep him in the boardroom and setting him up with blind dates (with nice shoes) with whom he has nothing personally in common. Ick. Haha. Maybe they’re in jail. Maybe they live overseas. He has never said that they are dead, right?
He may be a self-made man with investments that aren’t obvious and he wants to keep it that way. More like outwardly revolutionary with a closeted investment portfolio? I wouldn’t mind that scenario.
@Fern, I think Hong told HJ that he lost his parents when he was age 6. I assume his grandpa was a widower when Hong came to live with him. Hong was in middle school when his grandpa died. That’s when Gam Ri took him in.
Thank you, @Welmaris. I must have missed that.
Okay, cross the parents off the possibility list. 🤦🏼♀️
I wonder if DS is a doctor too? Maybe he lost a close friend or loved one under his care, that’s why he never wants to keep anything that is alive? Is he battling mental health issues?
I really like how this drama is peaceful, heartwarming and “healing”—just what I need to destress from work on the weekend. I never stop smiling as watch it! 🙂
@Welmaris you’re right, everything does come together like an essay! Same director also worked on Tomorrow With You and if I remember correctly he used opening scenes & epilogues in a similar manner too! Not as much as with HTC3 though, here it’s clearly a running theme.
I’m also wagering that DS is wealthier than he lets on. Maybe a meta ref to Start-up that he makes investments in (successful) start-ups and has some fortune stashed away. In the movie he goes away for 3 years and no one knows why or where, I wonder if that will be explored here and we finally get an answer 🤔 My biggest issue with the movie was that everything happened so quickly and so I’m happy for the deeper dive into the characters that we get here!