It’s been hard for me to write highlights for Chinese dramas because I can’t seem to get in the proper frame of mind. Work becomes brutal when you encounter gross incompetency at the highest echelons on a daily basis.

So let me try this instead…. I’ll pretend that I’m writing for the daughter that I never had. We’re watching this Cdrama together and I’m pointing out the scenes that she might gloss over.

1. You/pomelo wordplay

This is a pomelo.

source: keralabazar

This is “you.”

According to the subber, pomelo in Chinese and “you” are homonyms. Seeing how the writer incorporated the game of “Go” into the title, I think JingChu will use the pomelo/yu wordplay through the course of the drama to mark the milestones in their relationship. Since they’re at the beginning, it’s fitting that he starts with the standard greeting, “Nice to meet you” and end with “I love you.”

JC: Nice to meet you.
Liao: (stares at it then at him) Is it pomelo-flavored?
JC: Mmm.
Liao: What kind of pomelo?
JC: (blinks)
Liao: There are many kinds of pomelo. Shantian pomelo, Guanxi honey pomelo, red pomelo…
JC: (repeating himself slowly) Nice…to…meet…You.
Liao: (embarrassed) A thief with a sense of humor.

I think two things happened here. One, Liao didn’t understand his English. She probably thought he was spouting some weird nonsense about the candy. And the chef in her wanted to know the variety of pomelo. Two, JC understood that she didn’t get his pun, so he enunciated his words. He didn’t judge her as slow-witted. I like that, from the start, he assumes a positive outlook of her. When he almost forfeited his game because of her baseless accusation, he doesn’t get even. When he gets locked in and left by himself in her family restaurant, he doesn’t scold her. When he lands on the gossip news, he doesn’t blame her. He tolerates the chaos he brings into his life.

Liao: I never realized that you were the Go Legend. If you’re still angry, I’ll make a vide to issue a public apology.
JC: No need. I’m not angry. You were…brave to stand up for justice.

Hurray for nice guys! I’m glad he didn’t yell at her for hauling him to the police station by mistake.

I’ve developed an aversion for male leads in dramas who bully their subordinates, including the female leads, for making mistakes. The prime example of this drama is “She Was Pretty” starring Park SeoJoon as the tyrant boss, and Hwang JungEum as his clumsy assistant.

source: jaehakim.com

Back in 2015, I told forum viewers that this drama wouldn’t age well. I pointed out that if the main lead could berate and belittle his assistant, then he could easily belittle his own children whenever they didn’t live up to his expectations. This character was a prime example of a toxic male who needed psych counseling before he could be idealized as a romantic hero.

Liao: I had been thinking that after your competition was over, I’d ask you for an exclusive interview, but I didn’t expect we’d have such a big misunderstanding. So I didn’t dare go find you.
JC: (quickly) You don’t need to find me.
Liao: I know that. You never accept interviews. I won’t bother you in the future either.
JC: What I mean is, you don’t need to find me. I’m right here.

Awww. On one level, this is the literal truth. He’s standing in front of her. But on another level, we can sense that there’s a double meaning here. This is a pledge. He’s giving his word that she won’t need to find him because he’ll be right there beside her.

Liao: What do you mean? You’re agreeing to my interview? Let’s start now. (her tummy growls)
JC: Let’s go eat first.
Liao: It’s fine. I’m not hungry.
JC: Is there anything good to eat nearby?
Liao: (animatedly) Yes, I know a really good eatery. If you don’t look down on it, I’ll take you there.
JC: I’ll follow you.
Liao: Let’s go.

Same thing here. When he says that he’ll follow her, this is indicative of his future with her. He’s fine following her wherever she goes.

2. Cooking for him

If JC’s extraordinary talent in Go was demonstrated in Episode 1, then the story balances it out by showing Liao’s extraordinary skills in the kitchen in Episode 2.

Note: I’ve come to expect these extraordinary feats of genius in my kdramas and cdramas. And I’ve learned to disregard implausibility of some scenes. For instance, in this drama, Liao cooks up a storm in the kitchen without leaving a lot of dishes to clean afterwards – that ain’t possible. Or he writes his interview answers for her by the light of his iphone – that’s silly. However, I don’t nitpick cdramas as much as I do kdramas. I generally view cdramas as a fun escape meant to entertain the “masses”, rather than an artsy film meant to tell an unusual story in a creative and innovative fashion.

Moving on…

Although Liao initially brought him to her family restaurant because she’s hungry, she ends up cooking because she wants to feed him. This scene is setting us up to see Liao as a nurturer. Cooking is not only her outlet to show her individuality, but it’s also a way to show her caring side. This is a foreshadowing of her looking after him in the next episodes.

He gazes at her intently while she cooks. Ordinarily, his behavior would have struck me as creepy. But given that he’s color-blind, I get that he’s spellbound by the sight of her. She hardly needs a spotlight when she’s the only one in full color.

Note: on their first date, she’s wearing a panda apron.

She serves the fried rice and notices JC separating his veggies in little piles.

Liao: What are you doing? When you separate it, it won’t taste good.
JC: It’s a habit.
Liao: Let me show you. When it comes to fried rice, you have to eat it like this for it to be delicious. Watch. (takes a bite) Delicious.
JC: (smiling) Probably…because I’ve been by myself for a long time, it doesn’t feel as boring when I eat this way.
Liao: But when you go to the hospital, the doctor will look at the xray and say, this guy’s stomach is so strange. Why is it a layer of red, a layer of yellow, and then a layer of green? It’s like a pyramid.

Now, why do I find this short dialogue sweet?

It previews Liao’s unique style of modifying JC’s behavior. For one, she corrects him by show-and-tell. For another, she makes him laugh at himself. The writer is establishing that Liao is an all-around nice and wholesome girl.

As for JC, he unabashedly explains that his eating habit is his way of easing loneliness and boredom. This shows that he trusts her to treat his private detail in the strictest confidence. That is, despite her being part of the media, he knows she isn’t going to publicize this. Moreover, this is a sign that he likes her because he’s letting her know who he actually is.

3. Returning for him

She unlocks the restaurant shutters as he opens the door. She loses her balance, and he catches her.

Liao: Sorry. Sorry. (sigh) Why does it feel like I’ve been saying sorry all day and night?

This tells me that she doesn’t put any significance to his rescues. She’s forgotten, twice that day, he saved her from falling. On the bus that morning, and then just now, outside her restaurant. These incidents didn’t leave an impression on her.

 

All she remembers about him is that she had to apologize to him all day.

Liao: (continuing) I was going to make some good food for you. I didn’t expect to lock you inside. It’s getting late. How about we set up another time for the interview?
JC: Sure. (handing her bag)
Liao: Oh, I forgot this. I’ll go first then. Bye-bye.
JC: Wait! Do you mind adding WeChat?
Liao: Of course, I don’t mind. It’s easy! Why would I mind?

She takes out her phone and shows him her QR code. Before he can scan it, her sister calls up, and she leaves him hanging.

Comments:

One, he could have told her that there was no need to set up another interview time. He already answered her written questions while he was locked inside the restaurant. But he agreed to another interview date because he wanted to see her again.

Two, it goes without saying that she was the only person on his WeChat. He wanted to add her because he didn’t want to lose contact with her.

Three, he fell in love with her first. I’d be the first to admit that there’s something satisfying about the male lead falling in love with the girl first. And it’s even more satisfying when he’s an aloof guy falling for a clueless gal.

Four, I like how the writer used the WeChat incident to later establish JC’s perseverance. When he arrives home, he recreated her QR code from memory.

To me, this scene wasn’t just about impressing the viewers with JC’s photographic memory. That he was a genius was already a given. Duh.

I like this scene because it tells me that JC isn’t just a passive guy. He’s also a man of action who puts in effort to go after the girl he likes. Essentially, that’s what I want to see in the heroes of romcoms. I want the guy to exert himself to win the girl. If she just lands on him, then what’s the fun?

Although he failed to get added onto her WeChat because she ran away, he found another way. He reconstructed her QR code like it was a diagram of a Go game. Then, when he was done, he touched the bridge of his eyeglasses. This is his habit, and it meant that he’s done all his best to accomplish his mission.

In this case, his mission was to maintain contact with Liao. All he has to do is wait for her response.

4. The written interview

For me, this is a swoon-worthy moment.

While JC is reconstructing her QR code, she’s in bed discovering he answered all her interview questions on his own. This is swoon-worthy because:

a. he didn’t have to do it; he could have waited till the day of the interview. But just like with the recreation of the QR code, this shows his initiative.
b. he didn’t call attention to it when he handed her bag back to her. He wanted it to be a surprise for her.
c. it’s a perfect way to end an “unlucky” day for Liao. It’s a turnaround in her fortune. Thanks to him, she accomplishes the “mission impossible.”
d. it’s like a love letter. He’s opening himself up to her, and only her.

Liao: I’d like to ask you something. When did you start learning Go?
JC: When I was six. The first time I met my master.
Liao: Six years old? So young. Why do you like Go then?
JC: Because Go can let me see many different colors.
Liao: See many colors?
JC: When I play Go by myself, it’s very peaceful. It’s like seeing the ocean. It’s blue. When the opposition is desperate, it’s like on the battlefield. It’s red. When I’m playing with a good teacher or helpful friend, it’s rainbow-colored.
Liao: When I hear you describe it, Go sounds so interesting. Even I want to learn.
JC: This is Go’s charm.
Liao: What’s your favorite thing then?
JC: Pomelo candy.

And she puts her candy in a jar. Wait. Why is she saving it?

I like that Go for him has become a colorful place. I like the irony. Visually for us, Go can’t be anything but black-and-white. But for him, who is color-blind, Go has become his way to compensate and imagine a world filled with colors again.

5. Meeting her again

The following day, they’re in the news. She’s upset about it while he ignores it. He reports to his psychiatrist that he’s met a girl and she’s in color.

Psych: This girl must have some sort of fate with you. She must be the “password” that will unlock your heart.
JC: What should I do?
Psych: Make sure this password will work for the long run. What if you’re mistaken that day? What if the colors fade when you see her again?
JC: What do you mean?
Psych: The most urgent thing to do right now is to find her and make sure that she hasn’t lost her colors. If she hasn’t lost her colors, then, mark my words, your illness has stabilized.

And he goes back to her father’s restaurant. I think he’s waiting for her over there because he doesn’t want to attract attention again by meeting her at her place of work.

Her father is excited to meet the Go Legend and treats him to a meal. Her father also wants to add him as friend on Weibo, and he complies.

She arrives at the restaurant, and JC sees that she hasn’t lost her color. She’s still the one in full color.

Liao: What are you doing here? To see me?
JC: Yes.

I like that he’s direct. His one-word answers are a sign that he isn’t comfortable with social conversations. He isn’t used to small talk and is overwhelmed by too much attention on him.

Liao: You didn’t say anything about yesterday, right?
JC: I didn’t.
Liao: That’s good then.
JC: (going straight to the point) You haven’t accepted my friend request.

There! I think this is the primary reason he sought her out. It isn’t because the doctor told him to confirm whether she’s still in color. It’s because he wants to ask her – in person – to add him on her WeChat.

He recreated the QR code and sent a friend request the previous night. Then, he waited all day for her response. When she didn’t, he decided to search for her. He couldn’t show up at her office because they might be spotted together again, so he went to the restaurant to wait for her. I like that he was determined not to let her disappear.

Liao: Did you add me? (sits beside him) Is this you?
JC: It is.
Liao: Then, let me add you. Okay. Accepted.

Then, they talk about their dating news.

Liao: Sorry. Hopefully, I didn’t cause you trouble, did I?
JC: (shaking his head) I was afraid I created an inconvenience for you.
Liao: Not at all. These people are so bored. Just one piece of candy and they make such a big story out of it. So meaningless.
JC: I wanted to apologize to you.
Liao: What do you mean? These types of things should impact you more, right? In my opinion, you don’t need to respond to news like this. After a few days, it’ll die down. If you respond to it, it might just gain more traction.

Comments:

One, I don’t think it’s just “one piece of candy” for him. It’s a big deal for him.

Two, it’s true that the scandal impacts him more because he has a reputation to live up to, but…it’s still nice of him to apologize to HER because he knows she’s going to be bothered about it. He doesn’t care what others say about him, so the news doesn’t bother him.

Before they can talk other things, her sister arrives at the restaurant. Remembering what her sister said about killing JC, Liao sneaks him out of the place.

Liao: Oh no! You have to leave now.
JC: What’s wrong?
Liao: I’ll tell you once we’re outside.
JC: What’s wrong?
Liao: I’m telling you if you don’t run now, you’ll be dead.
JC: Did I say something wrong?
Liao: You didn’t. But if you stay any longer, you’ll end up…(demonstrating his neck being broken) I’m telling you. Don’t come and see me anymore. Got it? Don’t. Ever. Come. Find me again. Okay?

Then she runs away to head off her sister. JC looks puzzled but he doesn’t insist.

The following day, however, at his psych visit, his doctor tells him that he needs to see her more often, at least three times a day. If she’s the medicine to treat his illness, he needs to increase his “dosage.”

Psych: If I were you, I would firmly hold on to her. So I could see her every chance I got.

And here we have a reason for a misunderstanding later on in their relationship. Did he continue seeing her because he wanted his color-blindness cured or because he liked her?

On her part, Liao decides to cut off contact with him. Why?

One, the online harassment begins. JC’s fans discovered that JC followed Liao’s father’s Weibo account and began criticizing Liao’s appearance online.

Two, her “oppa” Xu Chi saw the news report and congratulated her for “holding hands with the Go God.” Xu Chi (XC) happens to be her crush. She tries to explain to XC but he doesn’t reply.

Three, JC’s assistant called her up to warn her to stop making waves.

Liao: Sheng Jingchu’s assistant, right? Assistant Qi, can you have Sheng Jingchu unfollow my dad?
Qi: Unfollow him now? It’ll only make matters worse. Mr. Sheng won’t be able to clarify it at all.
Liao: But right now, my life is already a mess. My colleagues, boss, and Brother Xu Chi—either way, this isn’t going to work.
Qi: What are you yelling at me for? I’m only calling you to tell you, Cheng Liao, please don’t cause any more gossip.
Liao: What do I have to gain by doing that? You make it sound like I took advantage here. Did Sheng Jingchu say this or is this all you?

This is good. She ascertains her facts before getting mad at him.

Qi: I can represent Mr. Sheng.
Liao: I’m representing myself, and I tell you I’ll never ever meet Sheng Jingchu again. Never.

She then goes to her WeChat and blocks JC. She promises to ignore him and to avoid any contact with him.

But fate isn’t listening to her. As soon as she makes a pledge, she’s called to the lobby. She’s surprised to see JC.

Liao: Why are you here?
JC: To see you.
Liao: Didn’t you have your assistant call me?
JC: I didn’t.
Liao: Let’s talk where there are less people.
JC: I know a place.

And he brings her to an overlook.

Liao: What’s up? This place should be far enough.
JC: I’m afraid of being photographed again and causing you trouble again.
Liao: If you have something to say, just say it.
JC: In the future, can I really not come and see you anymore?

This is interesting considering the Doctor’s recommendation earlier. At least with the QR code, we knew that he wanted to meet her again even before the Doctor made the recommendation to check whether she was still “colored.” But now, his motive may look suspicious. She may doubt that he’s seeing her just because he likes her and suspect that he’s using her as a “breakthrough” in his therapy.

Liao: I was just saying. Don’t take it too seriously. I’m just a small entry-level reporter. I really appreciate the opportunity to interview you.

JC: If Mr. Qi said something offensive, then I’ll apologize to you on his behalf. (bowing)
Liao: (bowing too) No, no. It’s not necessary. Please. Actually, he’s doing it for your sake. I said some inexcusable words, too. However, I really want to thank you for the first-ever interview in my life. As for the rumor and what not, just left them drift off in the ocean breeze.

How magnanimous of her. The insults of the netizens bugged her earlier but not she’s willing to ignore them.

JC: Hopefully, this situation won’t get in the way of us being friends.
Liao: (sneezes)
JC: (immediately removes his coat and puts it on her)

This coat-draping is a trope that I sometimes I get tired of watching.

But I like this scene for two things:

One, the delivery. She sneezes, then he glances down at her yellow hoodie, and then removes his coat. He realizes belatedly that he brought her up there, without regard to her clothing. She isn’t adequately dressed for the ocean breeze. And he remedies the situation with no fuss.

She gives him a look like she’s seeing him for the first time.

Two, whenever she doubts his intention for her, she can look back to this moment for reassurance. He wouldn’t be this sensitive or attentive to her needs if he was simply using her for his therapy.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

I’ll have to stop here or I’ll never finish. More next time.