The thread is now open for spoilers and discussions.
Gifs from ahsung’s tumblr
From this vantage point, he’s boyfriend material. So it’s a “riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma” 🇺🇦 to me why he and Heedo won’t end up together.
But this situation isn’t new for veteran kdrama viewers. We always hope for the best while preparing for the worst.
Gifs from nanon’s tumblr
Gif from ingguk’s tumblr
Let’s enjoy the show!
@PM3, you mentioned in one of your posts that writer probably based YJ’s character on NJH. It looks like the writer wrote YJ as tsundere but NJH suggested changes on his character when they started shooting. KTR said the Yijin in the script she read is different from the actual Yijin in the show. He became a more nuanced character vs. the stereotype ML. Here’s a link to the interview. Good job NJH, Way to go!!
https://youtu.be/6aMb4DXb8jU
Thanks @pkml3!
That’s interesting @Janey. I’ll watch that clip.
Thank you @Packmule3!
@Janey what a lovely video! I am glad NJH altered YiJin’s character.
Now that I know who is responsible, I can say that I am respecting more Joo Huyk!:-D
I got informed from a friend, that TVN just changed the synopis of 25-21.
The original was:
-hurt each other (19-23)
-depend on each other (20-24)
The Updated one:
-depend on each other (19-23)
-hurt each other (20-24)
The two feel in love (21-25)
A fanpage updated it with a picture on FB. If someone can find it elsewhere and post a link I would be grateful!
Thank you for the update, @packmule3.
@Janey, thanks for the link. I like the interviewer – I’ve seen her before and she is really clever and funny. It seems that NJH changed the script quite a bit to suit his ideas. KTR went along with it – I wonder how she really felt about his ad-libs or was she being polite because she’s on the air? 😄
@Cleopatra, I would like to see that changed synopsis as well. Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks @Cleo! I hope someone finds the link. I’ll see if I have time to try but no promises.
Dear @Fern and @GB,
I saw the picture with my own eyes, but I cannot post it here without crediting the source.
I don’t like sudden changes in the synopsis! It reminded me of HP2’s fiasco and I don’t want this to happen over here!
😂😂 So, @Janey, when I said that writer based YJ’s character on NJH, it was actually NJH who asked for his YJ’s character to be revised according to his vision?
I knew it! It’s because YJ’s personality fits NJH’s solid persona. I’ve watched him in a couple of variety shows and he has that same quixotic touch. A bit of a pushover at times, but a bit bull-headed when he needs to. He isn’t dumb, he negotiates well.
And yes, that’s what I mean that actors do have clout. (Do you hear me, Yoo Yoon Seok pa-bo?) The Director and writer will consider script changes when they see that the actor has made good points.
This tells me three things —
1. NJH must have studied the script very well and seen where improvements could be done.
2. The writer may or may not be NJH’s fangirl but she’s definitely a mediocre screenwriter. How come she didn’t see the flaws in her script herself? Script-writing is her craft, her job yet NJH identified the weaknesses in the script.
3. NJH is an A-lister.
After “Bride of Habaek,” I don’t think he’s disrobed gratuitously for kdrama again. He doesn’t need to. (Like that actor in “Crazy Love.” He took a shower again to attract viewers. 🤪 Don’t the fans get it yet? They’re being played. The writer has pegged them as voyeurs who have nothing better to do than ogle at naked body of their oppa.)
A-lister = doesn’t have to sell the drama with his naked torso
A-lister = Director and Writer listen to his input
A-lister = is serious about his craft and seeks improvement
They don’t see NJH as just another pretty face (good thing he has no dimples to sell). They regard him as a serious actor.
And @Janey, I’m happy for him because he and Suzy got so much drama from the goofy fans of KSH in “Start-Up.” 😏 Their Good Boy wasn’t even that good in acting.
🤦♀️ This writer is a hot mess anyway, @Cleopatra.
She’s more than halfway done with the show and she hasn’t reached the ages mentioned in the title (25-21). If viewers weren’t so caught up in the “feels” of this drama, then they would have realized sooner that she was spending an inordinate amount of time in the BACKSTORY (23-19) rather than the critical years (25-21).
Think of it this way: I write a 16 episode drama entitled “Santa Claus’ Merry Christmas.” If you’re watching a lot of summer and autumn scenes, and haven’t seen any sign of Santa and his elves by Episode 11, then you know very well that something’s wrong. Not only is the pacing wrong, but you were also promised the wrong story. 😂😂
@Cleo, I agree that it’s worrying if the plot changes after 10 episodes!!! Another possible train wreck.
@pkml3, That’s a good analysis of what NJH’s changes in his character means. It’s a relief that he’s not stuck in the pretty boy slot, but has clout to shape his work.
He will still have to beware of underhanded directors who change the plot on the actor, the way Park Hae Jin was weirdly sidelined in Cheese in the Trap.
LOL @pkml3.
Hot mess director… we’re in hot soup together!!
@Packmule3,
I applaude you for everything you have written to @Janey! I agree that NHJ is a smart person and I really like that he took initiative when his role was too generic to his liking!
What to write about this Writernim!? I agree with you that things are not going as planned and that makes me worry a lot.
I was anxious before, how she is going to make that transition.
Yes, the acting squad did more than justice to the script and the general public is engaged with it, but as you have said, we have missed the bigger picture!
Where is THE LOVE they promised us since the beginning?
I am very happy with how they covered the earlier years and how this platonic love was built up. BUT, as you have said, 10 episodes passed with the backstory and we haven’t seen the critical years!
When are we going to witness what made them break apart in the first place and what made them come together in 25-21?
If that was a 24-episodes k-drama, we would be okay. But, we have only 16!
How on earth are going to cover so much in the last six episodes ?
After that HeeDo’s ominous conversation about the forgotten memories, I am wondering if the Writernim is trolling us and we will have a Persephoni connection. Has the adult HeeDo drunk the forgetting tea from Goblin dramaverse?
Should I bring to our conversation mnemosyne / μνημοσύνη ?
So, they loved each other, then they didn’t. Then they fell in love romantically but they are no more. What kind of arc is this? I am feeling trolled!
I knew about “Cheese in the Trap.”
In that kdrama, however, I think the wounds are mostly self-inflicted. Park Hae Jin’s personality isn’t like NJH’s.
1. NJH is easy to work with. When he talks, he’s calm and serious… just like YiJin. He comes off as mature.
This wasn’t the impression I had of Park Hae Jin. Maybe it had something to do with PHJ’s personality disorder but he sounded difficult to work with. He came off as a divo.
2. NJH must have also been collaborating or giving input from the beginning. The changes were done from the onset.
PHJ started complaining — what? — midway through the kdrama. That told me that he wasn’t collaborating or in contact with the writer/director early on. IIRC, he only noticed that the scripts he was being *given* contained less and less lines for him.
If he was, he failed to convince either one of them to retain the integrity of the original script.
Perhaps too it was the way he communicated his opinion? As I said, NJH may sound deferential, but he negotiates his term well.
3. When PHJ began filming “Cheese”, he had less clout than NJH has when he started filming 25-21. How many films did PHJ had at that time?
Plus, he shot himself in the foot then. How many films or kdramas has he done afterwards?
And the second lead actor whom he dissed, the guy in “Grid” moved on to more drama roles. That controversy didn’t derail his career.
4. I would have sympathized with him more if his leading lady, the Yumi/Goblin’s Bride actress had sided with him during the controversy. But IIRC, she basically told him to shut up. 😂
As much as I despise any writer and director changing the narrative midstream, I think NJH’s and PHJ’s situations were different. In NJH’s case, the revisions were done with his input. In PHJ’s case, the revisions were done without his input.
In NJH’s case, he presented his arguments logically enough to convince the writer and director of the rightness of tinkering with the character. In PHJ’s case, he wasn’t compelling enough to convince the writer and director to keep him as the lead.
@GB, at least the director was giving us aesthetically pleasing scenes. 😂🤦♀️
@GB Unnie,
After HP2’s fiasco, in order to recover from the mess that was created I needed so much time. I was truly devastated.
When I am investing in a good story and I see that the actors and actresses are more than capable and bring me so much warmth with their interactions.
What worries me is when I don’t see development not in the characters only, but also to the building up of the story. In 25-21, the technical aspect of the story is lacking and that means that something is totally wrong!
I have studied creating writing and I know the steps of a good story planning.
The scructure is precise. You need to build up suspence or a curve, in order the diminuent to happen and the story to come into an ending.
If you are reading literature you most likely know what I am talking about. The same applies with scripts!
Let us use “Start Up” as a guide. In which episode DoSan and DalMi split?
What happened in between that changed both of them?
How were they brought back together?
How did their story ended and where?
If we use as a reference Aristotle’s Poetica, the conditions of the story are not met!
I will embrace myself and I do hope the fall won’t be big. Let us pray!
Thank you @packmule3. Joining the thread. No matter how much I dread the heartbreak that is to come, I can’t seem to stop myself from swooning over these HD and YJ scenes. LOL.
Thank you for the video @Janey. That’s interesting and I fell down the rabbit hole and watched all the other related videos. Found a video about KTR and NJH’s chemistry test where KTR also mentions NJH is persistent (KTR: Once he’s into something, he’ll keep doing it. I can hear it fifteen times!)
https://www.youtube.com/h64VX7VkqJg
Not sure what happened but the correct link should be:
@pkml3 I got curious, since I don’t bother with entertainment news until someone brings it up, and I didn’t follow what happened at the time.
Generally, although Park HJ is 10 years older than Seo Kang Joon, he has done less work. His dramas were also not hits, so I suppose we can say he was less successful.
About his mental health. I looked up mental illness and linked it with Park Hae Jin. I found this.
https://metro.style/wellness/mind-and-spirituality/korean-actors-mental-health/25686
Hmm there was another blog that mentioned even more celebrities with mental health issues. It seems to be the reason given so that the men don’t have to serve their military service or do so in less stressful departments.
Seoul Beats has the article on PHJ’s controversy.
https://seoulbeats.com/2010/11/another-celebrity-being-charged-with-draft-dodging/
From Seoul Beats : “He was diagnosed with Schizophrenia and had a past history of depression and sociophobia.” – Sounds rather like his Cheese in the Trap character!
Well if her really has health issues, I wish him all the best.
As for 25, 21 – it’s a different thing if the writer is changing direction so late in the day. I watch with the fascination of wondering if I’ll be witnessing a train wreck.
I knew about Park Hae Jin’s mental issues because I was hanging out in soompi at that time and there was a big fuss about CITT. I only skimmed through parts of the kdrama but I didn’t like the premise. I thought it was dumb and dangerous. I saw it was manga catering to dumb girls’ fantasy of living dangerously.
I know enough about girls writing fan mails to serial killers in jail, and this drama’s overall message was normalizing a psychopath/sociopath’s attraction for a college girl. It’s just a no-no for me.
That writers/directors change the kdrama’s direction in midway through the program isn’t unheard of.
One good example is “A Poem a Day.” I could actually point out WHERE the director decided to switch male leads. It was the moment when the motorcycle crashed, causing the original male lead and female lead to miss their meeting. That was in Episode 11/12 of the drama. The director actually admitted that he changed the ending to satisfy the fangirls.
Again. It was a dumb move. The relatively “unknown” actor he screwed over was Jang Dong Yoon (“Tale of Nokdu”). The senior actor whom he chose? It’s that actor, Lee Joon Hyuk, in “Our Beloved Summer” who played the bossy client from SoEn. He’s a one-note actor. lol.
Anyway, I had a shaman to put Bitch’s Curse on that director. lol. He directed that APAD in 2018. He’s only now working on his next drama. He had four years to “reflect” on what he did wrong.
Oh wow! Woke up to this and now I have to backread. Thanks for the great discussion.
I worry also of the pacing of the drama. I mentioned in the other post that the stills for upcoming episode is still high school related. And now there’s a change in the drama synopsis? Are they done shooting?
@pkml3 I recall commenting on the CITT thread (at DB) that the relationship between the ML and FL was something I would definitely not recommend to a friend or want for my own daughter. It was scary, the kind of psychopath or sociopath that he was, with the threats he made, and how controlling he was. I wouldn’t wish him even on someone I didn’t like. I was surprised that hardly anyone agreed with me.
I dropped the show and didn’t follow up. It’s good to know that I wasn’t being prejudiced or narrow minded in my opinion. 😉
I just saw a new theory online (YouTube/Twitter) that explains a happy ending with the premise that HeeDo’s mom is suffering from dementia, and Yi-Jin is actually MC’s dad. I was weary at first, but they did a pretty good job with it, and it does explain a lot of issues we’ve been having (store name, MC’s rxn to photo albums, etc.
Tbh, I’m a Debbie Downer, and I’m going with a bittersweet ending, but I do applaud anyone who proposes an alternative ending and gives a solid reasoning.
I’m wondering about the director—he’s not bad, but he has a talent for picking poorly written scripts acted with A-list actors. I haven’t watched any BTS or interview footage so I’m not sure in what order they all signed on to the project.
As far as who the writer had in mind for BHJ, if he was cold, she needs to thank her lucky stars NJH took the project and added his expertise instead of someone like Jang Ki Yong who would’ve played according to script and been a total bore.
@fern, I love the interviewer in the video, Jaejae. She is amazing at interviews and has the amazing ability to bring out the characters. I have watched her interview Our Beloved Summer leads and she is so full of energy.
On NJK, I am gradually being amazed at the way he has been choosing his scripts. Some are not potentially blockbusters but have intriguing story lines. I hear of actors who want to broaden their acting and go into a more diverse genres, NJK has done so. I watched him on Unexpected Business Season 1 ep 6 & 7 and there was one part where he said he couldn’t study, which is why he choose modelling. lol…but look where he is today, these soft skills he has is better than academic qualifications, he isn’t just a pretty face.
Looking forward to these episodes because it will confirm whether our ‘theories’ about the storyline going south will come true or not. I hope the scriptwriter has something better we don’t expect up her sleeve.
@Skayt, when I wondered about Hee-do’s mother’s comment about seeing YJ, I thought the only way she could have said that was if he was alive, well and in the area;
if the translation was bad and he wasn’t there, and we’re not getting the full meaning;
or if she was delusional (Alzheimer’s or whatever) and only thought she saw him – in which case he could be in any place or state of existence.
I sincerely hope it’s not an Alzheimer’s trope. She seems too well put together otherwise. Hee-do did give her a funny glance, but said nothing and didn’t ask when, where, etc. If she thought her mother had Alzheimer’s, she probably wouldn’t allow her young daughter to stay there in case there was an incident.
I am starting to dread an ending leading to a potential Season 2. There are 6 episodes remaining, and our characters are still 23-19.
The dementia theory does not make much sense.
I will have to console myself with fanfiction if a trainwreck ending is coming our way…
@Skayt O please dear God NO to the dementia story for HD’s mom. That would be a complete rip off of NJH’s previous drama The Light In Your Eyes (that was brilliant writing, highly recommended). The writer hasn’t done enough to even present us with that possibility? It would be a complete cop out to use that to fill in all the plot holes and all this trolling. If anyone is the one who has problems remembering it’s HD? Not her mom? Her mom remembers fine but HD doesn’t.
I am growing weary of all this trolling by the writer. As someone has mentioned, we’re over the half way mark in the drama and we’re not even at 25-21 yet? So writer is going to give us maybe 1 ep (if that) of them falling in “love” and then split them up again? 🙄
@nrllee, Is “The Light in Your Eyes” not too depressing? I’ve seen it on Netflix and I’ve been wanting to watch it but the previews shown look so sad.
@LaurazZZz I laughed and cried nearly every episode. It seemed like a very oddball premise the beginning. But the acting was superb. And what was beautiful about it was when the penny drops in Ep10 (?), everything made sense. And that’s good writing. It was sad, but it was also hopeful. I finished feeling good about the whole drama. The crying that I did was cathartic. I didn’t start watching it with any expectations but I couldn’t stop once I started. All the characters were great. Many many good points made about ageing right through the drama.
thanks @nrllee, I’ll give it a try.
Getting back to Twenty-Five Twenty-One, Heedo’s mom does appear to be thinking and remembering clearly to be suspected of having dementia.
What dementia? Who has dementia? Heedo’s mom? Is this another mental gymnastics to connect Minchae to Yijin?
😂🤦♀️🤪🤢
No.
I hope that idea didn’t come from one of us.
There’s simply no shred of evidence that Heedo’s mom is demented as of Episode 10. One of the markers of dementia is inability to recognize familiar faces on photographs. But Heedo’s mom identified Heedo’s friends perfectly.
Ugh! I don’t want to know how that commentator came up with such a theory. Is it because Heedo’s mom told her that she met YiJin “last month” and Heedo just stared at her without saying a word? Did that commentator assume that Heedo didn’t reply because she thought her mom was in a delusional state?
He/she may fantasize that YiJin impregnated Heedo, and he’s the biological father of Minchae. But the fact remains that Minchae doesn’t recognize YiJin, and he isn’t the man whom she calls father.
What kind of man is YiJin that he didn’t take responsibility for his own flesh and blood, and what kind of woman is Heedo that she married another man in order to give her child legitimacy? The writer will be entering soap opera territory with that convoluted plot. 🤦♀️
@packmule3, Dementia is apparently one of the theories appearing on YouTube/Twitter. Haven’t seen the “reasoning” for this theory. Many theories abound regarding Min Chae’s dad. As for me, I’m done overthinking. I’ll just focus on NJH YeJin and KTR’s Haedoo.
Watched ep11. Dementia is definitely out.
Let’s not see this solely as a love story. There is a lot of focus on the parenting too. Compare the mother-child r/s between our main leads: YJ, HD and YR.
HD and her mum’s reconciliation is leading me to wonder if YJ will take a similar route as HD’s mum: to prioritize the career before family. It was what HD was so upset about, that her mum chose to announce the newsflash instead of attending her husband’s wake. It was what her mum chose to do to survive having to bring up her child comfortably now that her husband is not around. BUT it brought much heartache and resentment towards her mum.
YJ’s goal is to bring his family together and if flying in his career means that he can, he will walk in a similar path as HD’s mother. It might be something that HD cannot accept and might be a source of angst in their future r/s.
I wonder if HD gave up fencing at some point to be there for her daughter because she didn’t want to do what her mother did by leaving her alone in her growing up years. Do you notice that HD is there at Minchae’s ballet competition, picking her up at grandma’s place to bring her wherever, Minchae hung out HD’s woodworking space. There is a kind of close connection between mother and child.
Ep11’s focus is a lot about HD and mom Shin. The career vs family choices that people, especially women, had (and still do ) make tough decision as an either/or and cannot be both. I feel for mom Shin and her struggle and when she finally cried her heart out to HD, I cried with her, too. And from the looks of it, they continue to be close even in present day. Nice touch on the ending snapshots of HD and mom scenes in the past where they were at odds. This is such a good turning point of their relationship.
So mom shin’s coping mechanism is to forget and ignore the past (but not dementia! LOL), not talk about the dad, in order to survive and go on. I keep stopping myself from thinking ahead of the storyline with HD using this method herself if she does not remember that summer and the friendships. Hmmm…this ep talked about making memories. Life is long, fireworks are not. So let’s watch it.
We also get to see how HD started her woodworking which she eventually made her career, still influenced by her dad. YJ’s advice was sound here about the lost chairs.
So it was because of HD that YR got motivation to be better at fencing so she can beat her. Interesting that HD made her successful in a way, just like HD inspires YJ to be better. As for mom Shin though, her professionalism inspires YJ while it’s a source for HD’s heartache of being 2nd choice. HD is starting to recognize this dichotomy though which is a sign that she is growing up.
It’s a good episode in itself. As I said, I will quit worrying about the whole storyline and pacing and end game and just take it 1 episode at a time.
Cheers and happy weekend!!!
@Janey, yes now you mentioned, the thought crossed my mind that HD also uses this coping mechanism to forget and ignore the past the hurts really bad. And I think YJ was the past that hurt her really bad which is why she kinda of wants to forget even the good times. Remembering it would possibly bring up the hurts, the missing the person. Like how at the HD’s dad memorial, mum Shin broke down so bad because it brings back all the memories, how much she missed her husband. She has been hiding all that to keep that composed front to cope with the daily life. She has been cold and not trying to talk about it so that she won’t lose her cool.
I wonder if HD is doing the same with her past love? Something will trigger it at some point.
@grace I think MinChae will serve as the catalyst or the return of Yijin maybe?
If I were Minchae after the car ride convo in ep10, I would have dragged mom Heedo and showed her the photo albums as soon as we got home. To help jog her memory!
Maybe that’s the reason why mom Shin kept HD’s room almost untouched so that those memorabilia will be there when HD is ready to remember.
I bet her mom would have been her source of strength when she and YJ parted. Their dialogue as they were waking up from their procedure maybe a mirroring of the past event.
@grace and @Janey, thank you for your thoughts. That all makes sense and shows a reason for Hee-do’s lack of memory. We also say YJ promise his mother that he would work hard to bring the family back together.
Wasn’t the conversation between YJ and mom Shin interesting? She asked him about his dream. He dis-associated fulfilling a dream with happiness. He could be happy without his dream and his dream may not have made him happy. Then he asked her about her dream. Brilliant move. I’ll bet he was the first to ask her, plus it’s flattering to be asked that when she was already successful.
@nrllee, ironically I made the same comment about “The Light in Your Eyes” to someone when adult HD was having trouble remembering an episode ago. And ironically, since then, there’s some talk that even HD has dementia, or that there’s more to their annual physical than they let on. (Personally, I think it was just a plot device to get HD and mom to have a cryptic discussion under anesthesia.)
I gotta admit the writing is throwing me. There’s been a lot of things that don’t make sense in the real world, something to get the plot from point A to point B. And even tvN is trolling us. Their tweets like to play on viewer theories with teasing comments.
Thanks for your thoughts, Everyone.
I started tearing up from when HD took out her gold medal to show Dad and I really let it flow when Mum Shin cried. This was so long in coming. Mum Shin was waiting for HD to grow up, but still, I feel that if Mum Shin had revealed her own emotions earlier, it would have been so much better. There would have been more time for warm, understanding and less emotional loneliness. I imagine they would still have been physically apart most of the time, but it would have been nice if HD had felt that she wanted to share her joys and sorrows with her only parent with a phone call or message.
The idea that I’ve heard repeated now at least 3-4 times, and which I presume is the message of this Writer-nim, is that one can survive… one may have to do something in order to forget the pain so that one can continue to move and to live, but it’s possible. There’s no such thing as complete happiness or complete sadness. Even achieving one’s dream cannot be equated with success, and not achieving it does not mean one has failed. Someone’s hope and inspiration can be another person’s pain, so let’s not take it as either black or white, and let’s not dwell on the negative alone.
Perhaps Writer Kwon thinks that in this time of pandemic and upheaval, this is the message of hope we need to hear.
1)In this Episode 11 Mum Shin said she had to forget in order to survive.
2)In Episode 9, that’s what Coach Yang said as well about Yoo Rim’s family’s situation.
3) In Episode 4, HD sees YJ drunk after his failed job interview and her getting put down by coach. She tells him to make fun of her.
4) And also in Episode 4, those words were put into Hee Do’ mouth as Yi Jin drove them and they got caught in the rain.
Letting go of the negative things that hold one back from living fully is good advice. A good thought for Lent!
I enjoyed Episode 11 very much. It filled in the blanks over Hee Do and Mum Shin and gave us many happy scenes.
@GB ahh thanks for the quotes, it makes the narrative clearer. Forgetting the past, not letting the bad things drag us down. But to move forward, laugh, keep busy and move on.
It is true, that if we hold on to the past too much it is not helpful in moving forward because we will be dragged down by it.
At the same time young HeeDo talked a lot about remembering the moment. At the dinner date, at the school recording room, at the fireworks. She also held on to her father’s chairs because she didn’t want to forget them. She felt regret for not being able to remember how her father’s voice sounded like.
I think naming her woodwork shop 2521 is a way of her to remember her past too.
So, some things you let go, some things you keep. It is a very practical way to live.
@GB, great thoughts as usual! I cried on that scene with HD and her mom at the cemetery too. It’s a bit ironic that HD’s mom hid her grief to shield the young HD but in doing so, HD’s mom made her daughter feel even more lonely. HD grew up thinking that it’s only her who’s missing her father. I’m not a psychologist but would life have been easier for both of them if their grief have been shared with each other?
Still, each person is different and HD’s mom chose to forget as a way to cope. She chose to be strong and not burden her young daughter with her sorrow. It is after all difficult to live as a single mother and succeed in her profession as well.
Many beautiful scenes of HD and YJ on episode 10 that I found both heart-fluttering and poignant to watch:
YJ and HD play and run around at the beach.
YJ and HD have dinner to celebrate YJ’s promotion. (HD says “It’s nice to have memories.” and “This moment will become a fond memory in the future. Let’s stay alert and remember clearly.”)
YJ and HD try their luck at a store where they won hair clips and a pencil case.
YJ hugs a crying HD and helps her find the chairs her father made.
YJ makes a way for HD and YR to skip training so they can watch the music festival. YJ joins the band for a song, HD asks YJ to read a broadcast live and they all watch fireworks on the rooftop.
Episode 10 timeline: July 1999 or thereabouts so they’re still like 19-23?
Kalimera Ladies,
I watched the episode as well. Yes, it was a nice one and I got emotional as well when Mama Shin opened up to HeeDo.I agree with most of you when you said that she needed to do that earlier in order to build a better relationship with her daughter and not let her believe that she didn’t care. I am glad though their relationship mended and they are close now.
@GB Unnie thank you for writing down your thoughts about what the message of the Writernim is. I agree with you that is the message she wants to convey.
The problem is that she is contradicting herself in the process and the message is not clear for the viewers. @Grace wrote the same thing I wanted to write.
Yes, sometimes you have to forget, in order to move on and be happy.
But when you repeatedly have younger HeeDo saying I want to remember this incident as memory / let’s make it a memory that very thing contradicts the previous sentiment.
So far, in my opinion, the Writernim wants to share with us an uplifting message regarding the youth years, but she leaves us a bittersweet taste in our mouths, in the present time.
The message we got on Happiness was crystal clear. In 25-21 is like having mixed signals.
When I was having a good time with friends, I don’t remember anyone saying “let’s make this a good memory”. We were focused on having fun. If we remember it or not, depends on us. I still remember a friend of mine who have passed away. Although it makes me sad, I do remember him.
I believe that in the second part of Episode 12 the downfall will come between HeeDo and YiJin and we shall see the development in Episode 13.
@Cleo @Laura zZZz @grace
Yes, I agree about the mixed signals. I’m still trying to decipher what else the Writer is trying to say. Transcribing parts of Episode 11 lifted up 3 themes which are woven into the series as well. However now that you have mentioned the dilemma about remembering or not, I’ve added a fourth.
1) There are times we have the temptation to give up, run away, …take a break, and we may actually do one of these things. It’s okay, as long as we give of our best and even if we fail, we get to stand up again. The series began with Min Chae choosing to run away from her ballet competition. It included YJ’s running away to Pohang. Although YR cannot be said to have totally run away, she dealt with her fear of losing out to Hee Do in an unhealthy way instead of sharing her feelings with her. HD avoided YJ out of embarrassment. This episode, Ye Ji suddenly runs out of school and the boy in class has an outburst and leaves.
2) Kids growing up and the child in the adult. No matter how independent HD was, she made some decisions childishly as in going to the night club on her own. She was still unexposed to much of the world. It was telling that she held on to YJ’s sleeve like a child, when they entered a nice restaurant because she was uncomfortable. I laughed to see that her savings were really in a piggy bank. In her typical all or nothing way, she gave all of her life’s savings just to be able to make the chairs like her dad.
YJ as noted before, had to grow up much faster because his father went bankrupt. HD had only seen him as an adult. He decided to take the kids to the beach so that they could enjoy themselves (and they really were kids – hopeless in food preparation, etc) and he took it upon himself to bring the girls to the Music Festival to make JW’s wish come true. I thought that was pretty risky but YJ took that risk as an adult.
However HD finally gets to see the boy in Yi Jin at the Music Festival. I like how he relives his roles in both of his school clubs on that one night. Playing guitar in front of the girl he likes, and doing a live broadcast in school. The fireworks were just icing on the cake.
3) There are at least 2 ways of seeing every situation. Mum Shin didn’t want to burden a young HD with her grief, or risk collapsing in public. But in effect she failed to give emotional support at the same time when she avoided a close relationship with HD over their common loss. Behind the successful anchor was a grieving widow.
Her stoic public persona was very cool, and it inspired others like YJ, but behind it were Hee Do’s heartaches.
Both HD and YR unknowingly were inspired by each other to do their best in fencing, even when they most loathed each other. Behind YR’s meanness was her fear.
As HD advised YJ, make a joke out of a failure and laugh it off so that he could rise again. Behind a tragedy could be a comedy.
4) We should not hold on to what keeps us bogged down, but at the same time, we should treasure the good memories, like Dad’s chairs. HD told YR that childhood memories seem to be the ones that last the longest. And yes, she did want to make new and good memories with Yi Jin.
However failures should not be given undue emphasis. They should be relegated to dust heap of forgotten memories or turned into something funny (or something to learn from) so that one can stand up and make a comeback.
So we have to see how far Hee Do remembers or forgets and why, to know if Writer-nim has tied herself up in knots to bring us these themes.
@Skayte, you said that the writing is throwing you because it’s unrealistic. I agree. The biggest hole, I felt, was mom Shin’s funeral issue. A news flash might be completed within 1/2 hour, but a funeral normally goes on for a long time. At least that’s my impression of Korean funerals. And telephones were invented. Why not a phone call to her own family, do her job as she felt she needed to, then go to the funeral? I don’t think the management would have frowned on that at all as it fits with the culture. Instead it left the mother looking robotic as well as inhumane. The company was aware of her married status, but she was acting as though it didn’t exist. But perhaps super-human is what she was aiming for.
At least we now know that she treasured her husband and why she didn’t attend.
@Fern, thank you for your takes. This really helps me feel better that I’m not totally wrong in my thinking process of seeing things happen that seem bit out of place.
I sometimes finding myself doubting whether what I’m seeing makes sense. But I’m trying to take the “easiest answer makes the most sense” type of approach with this drama, but it’s not always easy! I just have to tell myself that the writer is trying to get x across to move the plot down the road, even if it doesn’t seem sensical. Like, get the big picture and let the details just wash over me. haha
Episode 12 – Quite a lot happens this episode and the changes that will be long lasting start to take place. An episode of unexpected decisions.
Probably the newest, and certainly the oddest, theory that is making the rounds pretty strongly is that fencer Kim Jun-ho, who is making a cameo in episode 13, is MC’s father. Yes, that’s right, a real person is now proposed as the father of a fictious character, simply because of the last name. I just can’t anymore.
This is the beginning of their adulthood, major decisions and responsibilities. I’m still digesting it and Seungwan has all my heart (and tears) in this episode.
This episode and Seungwan are all the feels.
I loved every minute SW’s mom was at school. She listened what SW was telling her, she accepted her daughter’s decision and went in Full BEAR MAMA mode, in order to hit like a hurricane those rotten adults by their own medicine.
Those power Womans / Mammas are the example for all of us
And yes it reminded someone very dear to me…who did the same when she had to!
“they tried breaking without knowing how to bend”. The idealism of youth.
Love this episode and focus on Seungwan! @Cleo, same here. I like that the mom supported her decision, it is important to her and her principles and values. Seungwan realizing that she got her strength from her mom was a nice touch. Both look badass! Reminded me of YR’s mom showing compassion for HD. Yay to mommas showing the way!
Ye-ji also protesting and tried breaking away from her fencing prison. YR and HD were there to support her and show her the way. Ah, here’s the coach again and her ugh, lessons. I’m just glad she kept her word and let her Yeji go.
Y2K! I remember how it was a big thing then especially with our systems and tools in the office. We worked on a lot of contingency plans and system changes to prevent them from falling apart. Of course I did not believe the the world was ending! LOL!
Spoiler…
And we got a millennial kiss initiated by HD as the countdown to the new year/millennium ended. Quite age appropriate, I think. I like the play of their shadows after the kiss. Now they are 24-20.
@Janey @Cleo
While I like that Seung Wan stood for her principles and her mum supported her, I’m a little uncomfortable with the decision. I hope Writer-nim is not saying that we should let go of negative things like we should just break instead of finding other ways. If there was another way of redress through the parents’ association, could that not have been an intermediate step before taking the break step? Just because Seung Wan could not compromise, was there no other step, no negotiation that could have been taken?
Thanks for pointing out the shadows after the kiss, which I missed until you mentioned them.
There are 2 points of interest about the shadows.
1) YJ’s shadow is in a different colour from HD’s. They are quite different and even their shadows are differentiated. On the one hand being different might mean that they could complement each other, but on the other it could mean that they don’t really match.
2) The lights were repositioned (and the actors too: we see that the actors’ hair looks different) for another take with the shadows made to appear connected and closer together than YJ and HD look to us. IE the shadows were touching, but not the people.
I’ve been noticing, as did @nrllee that in most scenes where YJ and HD are together just looking at each other and on good terms, there will be a connecting line of sorts linking them like plants, something they sit on, railings or the lines on the bus behind them, etc. However when they are at odds with each other there will be a tree or something that cuts between them in the frame.
In this ending scene I noticed that they were leaning against wall paper that had vertical lines, a bit reminiscent of thick bars or a fence, and although they were close together after the kiss, it was their shadows rather than they which looked connected.
The screenshot on the left is immediately after the kiss, then there was an edit and we see them on the right, slightly further apart, but their shadows have merged a bit instead of also being further apart.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h3XpcyAZk4P5bivKXZhAjJmTmyXVrtzi/view?usp=sharing
I wonder if we are getting another negative or ambivalent message here, given that we get HD’s voiceover as well that sounds somewhat serious and melancholy, starting from earlier scenes. I bring together the different sentences.
This was a bit reminiscent of HD telling YJ that she dated and broke up just because she wanted to see what it was like for herself, after reading about romance in Full House. Is this kiss that she initiates at the end of 1999 something similar?
Although the episode gave us HD wanting to spend more time with YJ under the umbrella (when there was no more rain) and we know that they have a high regard for each other, what is troubling is what HD did not say. She did not say that her feelings towards YJ had changed to something deeper or that she realised that she loved him. She only mentioned that she wanted a change for herself, maybe because of the times… ‘they were a changing’? Because it was the end of 1999?
[Side note: although we like to think that year 2000 is the start of the millennium, it is actually the last year of the millennium. So the actual ‘times’ that are a change to the next millennium should start in 2001.]
So once again, for me, Writer-nim has excelled in leaving me in an ambiguous emotional state.
Hi everyone..
I got very teary eyed for episode 12. Seungwan is so cool and I kinda felt that something big was gonna happened for her since the last week episode starting to focus on her. But yeah I am so so so speechless of Seungwan’s mother too. I believe that it is not easy for her knowing that her top student daughter decided to drop out school. Plus she also emphasized that the bully teacher has to apologize to jiwoong too. I hope that there will be story about this mother and daughter in current timeline.
Oh @Cleo, regarding the changes on script, I hope that it would be for the best. It is worrying for me that they changed the scripts. But I heard that there were some negative comments from k-viewers about the relationship between adult yijin and minor heedo (starting the rainbow love confession from yijin is aired). Now that heedo is 20 and considered to be adult, maybe they will have more scenes focusing on the relationship that was supposed to happened in the previous episodes?? (I don’t have any idea). My wish only that overall this drama will still be great and make us happy watching.
Many thanks @GB for your notes regarding what this writer wanna bring to us the viewers. It remind me why I have this mixed feelings about this writer. I feel that there are too many issues that she want to tell us, and some of them are good and touched my heart. However because of the various issues and messages that she wanted to convey, it could damage her own structure and plot as a whole. I just hope that the production team could make this drama end smoothly and beautifully.
And @Skayt, the theory about Kim Jun Ho being Minchae’s father is just too ..
😮💨😮💨😮💨
I think I am done for all the theories swarmed in the socmed. I guess I just have to watch this till very end patiently.
Kalimera Everyone!
@Janey and @GB Unnie. I have to check the shadows part too. Thank you for bringing this up!
@Moonstar512, I am not that confident that everyone can pull out a good change in a script that late. Especially when things are progressing slow in the story.
@Janey @GB Unnie Yes, SeungWan is an idealist. She cannot withstand and has not tolerance to oppression, that’s why she broke. Because even though she called the police, the procedure failed her. The system was not made to help them – the students. It was just an excuse. She couldn’t do anything to change the matter.
I won’t be surprised if she will become a lawyer that helps people who are wronged in the future!
We need also to discuss the conversation Yi Jin had with HeeDo’s ex in that Hotel.
The whole conversation that HeeDo listened to, help her realize the depth of Yi Jin’s feelings for her.
Yi Jin was furious that the fencer even suggested that he was toying with HeeDo. Their conversation was a big revelation to what they both were thinking about Hee Doo. We -the viewers- also saw what was their difference. There was a man standing there and a boy. We all know who the man was in that conversation.
Still, we have 4 episodes to go. We will get a Goblin like arc ending?
Episodes 13+14 were the ones that hurt a lot and Episode 15 was okay until Episode 16 was not.
Kim Jun-ho would only be the father if his *character* could also be named Kim … In RL he is far too young, right? Do these netizens have no sense of logic or simple maths?
I googled him. He is certainly an attractive young man who would fit into the entertainment world.
Hi All, @Cleo since you mentioned the conversation between YJ and ex-bf Jung, I included more of it below. I intended to leave out the first part at first.
What popped into my mind over Episode 12
While Episode 11 afforded us hopeful scenes with warm, positive vibes. Episode 12 puts a damper on with an increased melancholy and disillusionment, as the teens leave behind their childhood to enter a new year, and the not so bright prospect of adulthood within a few months. If Show’s intent is to keep us on tenterhooks and not entirely happy or at peace, it’s working.
Everyone is faced with big choices towards the end of 1999. To continue with fencing or try for college, to continue in the old path or to ‘give up’, to stay in academics or try vocational learning, to break or to bend.
The comment about endemic violence in schools and all areas of SKorean life that is accepted and condoned makes a re-appearance. In school, it is something to protest against to such an extent that SW chooses to walk out of school than to compromise on what she upheld in her broadcast. (I do agree that she could broadcast the fact that it happened but I feel that she should not have named the school or the teacher.)
Yi Jin still seems to be in the position where he constantly helps and saves. He saves SW from being exploited by the KBY reporter, he helps cover the baseball game, he saves HD from a bunch of drunk ahjusshis, and he’s the one with the umbrella that HD is happy to walk under. So far the only person who helps him emotionally is HD and perhaps his father. Otherwise poor YJ is taking care of himself by himself.
It’s nice that YJ makes an effort to meet up with HD when he can. I wonder if YR finds it strange that she’s been left out, since she’s been family friends with YJ for a longer time. HD’s French blows YJ away, LOL. I do wonder, though, why that scene of her speaking French was re-introduced. We’ve seen her do it thrice overall. Once as a child, once to the Japanese girl who accidentally had her swords and here in Ep 12.
The problem with having appeared on screen in the Asian Games and in the documentary, is that now HD is recognisable. YJ is also recognisable since he appears on TV to report the sports news. I fear that a simple, innocent meal with her, will get YJ into hot soup later on. It will look as ex-bf Jung suggests, that a reporter is toying with a fencer.
The conversation between HD and YJ
Three months’ suspension seems longer than she thought.
YJ : “Well, it must feel very weird to not fence while you’re in the stadium. Or, would it be more comforting since you won’t be pressured.”
HD : “Feeling pressure is also an experience. YR and I are missing out on that. An athlete has to compete. You have to compete to know that you’ve improved, regardless of the result. That’s what keeps us going. But I’ve lost the chance to improve myself for now. And what’s the point of being an athlete when you can’t compete?”
YJ : Are you growing up fast or is it me who didn’t realise that you were already grown up?”
HD : “I think it’s both since I’m still growing up. but why aren’t I getting taller?”
YJ : “I think you’re very different from who you were last year. I guess I’ll see another you next year when you turn 20.”
HD : “I bet. I’m even going to be a real adult.”
YJ : “I want to stay by your side and watch you grow into a great person.”
But we are getting the vibes that despite what YJ wants, it will not turn out that way.
The Conversation between YJ and ex-bf Jung
I was a bit troubled by the words Writer has put into YJ’s mouth when he spoke to HD’s ex-boyfriend Jung. When she broke up with Jung Ho Jin, she said “I think of someone else more than you. And I shouldn’t be doing that.”
Jung : “I got mad thinking over and over. I know that someone is you. I’m sure she doesn’t even know what she’s doing. But what about you? Aren’t you just toying with her?”
(The likely reason he asks the question is because YJ is an adult and a reporter. If he had been not such a good guy, he could also have exploited HD for his own benefit, to get more scoops for his reporting. It would have been better if he had not been a Sports Reporter in charge of Fencing. Having HD as a close friend raised a conflict of interests.)
YJ : “Can you toy with her? Answer me. You’ve dated her, so you should know. Can you? The look in her eyes, her expression, her thoughts, and values. Toying? Who would be so serous while toying with someone?” (He’s saying that she’s not someone who can be toyed with.)
Jung : “You’ve changed a lot since we last met. You seemed not to care at all who Cutie Pie was dating.”
YJ : “I’ve changed. Back then, I rooted for every experience she had. The more ordinary, the better. But not anymore. I feel her time is more precious than mine. So I don’t want her to waste a single moment on experiences that are no good. She deserves to have only the greatest experiences. And that is something I can do for her. Did you say she doesn’t know what she is doing? She doesn’t need to. Because I know.”
(This sounds strange. Does he mean that he’ll always be around to take care of HD? Does the attitude in that statement sound like he does not trust HD to take care of herself? I hope he does not think she needs a man to do that.)
In the middle of all this it’s nice to see that YR and HD went all out to help Ye Ji to train, so much so that she won the round and could enter the quarter finals. She chose to withdraw and the stark lesson from Coach Yang is : “Don’t ever forget how you earned a new opportunity. Whenever you’re having a hard time, remind yourself how difficult it was to start.” (Which sounds like: we’d better stick with the course because giving up and starting something new will be difficult. Not the most positive or needed advice.”
It was sweet of the girls to get a cake to wish happy new beginnings to Ye Ji and Seung Wan. Those happy times of chasing each other around are sadly coming to an end.
Show still managed to include a funny scene here and there though, which I appreciate. The funniest scene, is indirect meta… it was Kim Tae Ri acting like a girl who couldn’t act convincingly. This was when Hee Do wanted to prolong her time with YJ and pretended that she forgot to buy milk. Her acting was so fake and funny, when it’s such a good actress pretending to be a bad actress, and doing a good job at it!
Hey @GB Unnie!
Thank you for trascribing that scene I wrote about earlier !
How I read the scene, in case there is a translation error:
Yi Jin was furious that Jung had a short relationship with Hee Do and he didn’t even learn the basics about her. Yi Jin felt that Jung was disrespecting HeeDo in front of him.
It is another thing to be petty because your ex girlfriend admitted she has feelings for someone else and another to accuse the man of her liking that he is toying with her.
Yes, there is conflict of interest, because Yi Jin is a sports reporter and HeeDo’s friend.
What we know so far:
Yi Jin is the adult who for some time now, who knows exactly what he wants from HeeDo.
At the same time, YJ left her experience some things, not because he is that good. Because he knew from the beginning that HeeDo needed time to process what their relationship really meant for her.
She is a minor and he is an adult. Their universes were different when they have first met. He said so, when he took her out from the club back in Episode 2. Even in that time, little by little they have found a shared ground that gave to both of them comfort.
The only word she used to describe their relationship is “rainbow”. In her mind, the word “love” was not even there. She said that day in her house, that she doesn’t know what they are: friends, lovers, etc.
So, Yi Jin was there for her as a friend, even though he loved her. He cherished and protected her as a friend, until she realized what she wanted.
Yi Jin did know what he wanted from HeeDo, but he was not even getting there.
When HeeDo kissed him, he didn’t even move. All along he was waiting for her movement towards him. He was waiting HeeDo to cross the line between friendship and companionship / platonic love to romantic love.
On the contrary, ex-bf Jung is not that mature. His stance against another man was not what we should expect. The vocabulary he used was not appropriate. It was like I was watching a man and a boy talking. The boy / ex-bf Jung was thinking that the man Yi Jin was toying with his ex girlfriend, when that was not the case.
That is how I interepreted the scene. I do hope it helps you.
On Coach and YeJi, I felt like coach wanted her to push herself out of the slump. The competition is supposed to give her the motivation. Though it sounded more like a threat because if she didn’t would she be miserable being stuck in a sport she hated.
I felt like that, wanting to quit piano but my mum said i have to at least take my grade 8. At least she didn’t say I have to pass because I took it and failed 😬. For me it was an extra thing, not a career like them. So there is a lot more on the line for them. But I know how it felt being stuck in something you dislike but can get out of.
@Cleopatra, won’t it be interesting to see YJ’s reaction at the beginning of the next episode? So far he hasn’t moved. We did get to hear his feelings about HD in the conversation with her ex. As @Growing Beautifully said, it wasn’t altogether comfortable to listen to. I worry that he will either think HD can be 100% reliant on him or that his presence will end up being burdensome to her because of the conflict of interest. At some point his job which keeps him close to her will become a problem, imo.
He did a good job with the improvised baseball coverage. I wonder if he will choose baseball over fencing, or if that might be chosen for him due to a conflict.
@Fern,
I agree with you and @GB Unnie. Overall that scene with HeeDo’s ex was out of the blue. I didn’t like that scene at all. I would prefer another way of learning about Yi Jin’s feelings and not in such a way. Especially after that scene where they were together with that umbrella.
I just transcribed what I felt about it, because it was an uncomfortable conversation they had and with HeeDo eavesdropping it.
I think you are right about the second part of your worries.
It is the only logical way out at this point in the dramaverse. Yi Jin will come across a dilemma at some point in his career and he will try to take the best decision, regarding also his family. So, he will have to choose at one point.
I don’t know how HeeDo will take it, but I think that based on what she heard she will act accordingly…
Hi @Cleo,
Thanks for your interpretation. It’s as good as any and better than I came up with.
I felt that ex-bf Jung deliberately was baiting YJ from the beginning.
The part I didn’t transcribe before:
YJ meets the ex-boyfriend Jung Ho Jin, who wants to put a bad spin on YJ’s relationship with HD. He starts by baiting him to see YJ’s reaction.
Jung : Reporter Baek Yi Jin.”
YJ : Fencer Jung Ho Jin?”
Jung : Can we talk for a minute?” … “It’s been awhile. I guess you two are still close. I mean you and Cutie Pie.”
YJ : “What did you want to talk about?”
Jung : “The thing is, I’m not over Cutie Pie.” He looks at YJ “Since you’re close to her, can you tell her that I’m still here for her?”
YJ : “Don’t wait around.”
Jung : “What? Why not?”
YJ : “You’re not important to Hee Do and there’s no chance of you getting back together. She’s already having a hard time being suspended, so leave her alone. And drop using that nickname ‘Cutie Pie’. ” (YJ sounds a bit harsh saying that Jung is not important to HD, but I think Jung’s tactic of riling YJ up was working. YJ sounds like he’s in charge of HD, more like a guardian than just a friend. Or more like a boyfriend.)
Jung continues to push YJ’s buttons YJ : “Why are you getting angry at me?”
YJ : “When did I get angry …”
Jung : “I’m kidding. I’m not hung up on Cutie Pie.” (He changes his tune but he still refers to HD as Cutie Pie to rile YJ up.
He should take his own advice when he said to her that she should not call him Sweetie Pie and say that she wants to break up at the same time. He should not be still calling her Cutie Pie.”
YJ : “What are you trying to pull?”
Jung : “I was just sounding you out.” (He wanted to get confirmation that YJ was romantically interested in HD.) Because I think we broke up because of you.
Flashback to HD pulling her hand away from Jung’s grasp and saying : “Sweetie Pie, let’s break up.”
Jung to HD : “What are you saying? Do you mean it? But you shouldn’t call me that when you want to break up.” … “Let’s put that aside. What’s the reason?”
HD : “Well, I think of someone else more than you. And I shouldn’t be doing that.”
Jung : “I got mad thinking over and over. I know that someone is you. I’m sure she doesn’t even know what she’s doing. But what about you? Aren’t you just toying with her?”
I agree that by this time, YJ was also angrier that he was being questioned by Jung and so disparagingly. Not only was he disrespectful of HD, he was also insulting YJ.
Yes, YJ was always very careful about how he interacted with HD. If a friendly touch was useful, he only touched her head. (The other times when he had to carry her or drag her away are not considered since they were out of necessity). Although he told her that theirs was a love relationship, he never defined what kind of love it was. Yes, he needed her to figure out for herself, if it was romantic love/eros or not.
For his part, all he could do was offer her agape.
Actually, I want to hear what HD says after the kiss. Even with the kiss, I’m not sure that YJ can be certain HD is truly in love with him. She has to be able to say so.
@Cleopatra, did it seem to you to be an overly theatrical way of teaching us YJ’s feelings towards HD? His words seemed overly literary and rather researched. It could be the translation, but most wouldn’t say it so poetically. I don’t doubt his feelings, but the scene seemed contrived to me.
Maybe it’s just me being cynical, but the writer puts such unbelievably concise and thoughtful speech into the mouths of the characters. 🤨Especially speech by HD, who only reads comic books. How did she get so eloquent? Also, how did she remember so much French back from when she was in primary school? Was that another device to make YJ admire her? Yeesh. 🤦🤨 It’s the third time – the first time was when she collected her sword from the Japanese fencer and French was their lingua franca. The other time we saw her translating between her father and the French fencing instructor. Is her understanding of French an important thing for later in the drama?
Forgive me for being negative. I’m feeling a bit grumpy this evening.
My dear @Fern,
I totally understand you and it’s okay if you are grumpy. We cannot be a ray of sunshine all the time.
I think that they did wrong by choosing such a scene. Mostly because it didn’t add anything plotwise. It was only a device to learn what Yi Jin feels about HeeDo. The usage of ex boyfriend Jung – and this has nothing to do with the actor – it was a poor decision for me.
They could do the same scene with Coach Yang Chan Mi. Their dynamic would be better. Who else could bring in front of Yi Jin that conflict of interest if not her? Not in such a harsh way though.
The problem is that the Writernim is doing it in a way that is not consistent. The reason you are frustrated is that the character voice is not continual.
We don’t know if HeeDo likes to read literature besides Full House. We assume she doesn’t and when she comes with something that is thoughful, it can trigger the thought that you didn’t expect it from her.
I think that reaction scene in her French is adlip between Nam Joo Hyuk and Kim Tae Ri. Especially, Kim Tae Ri’s reaction with “Merci Beaucoup” and her hair movement it seems something she did in a whim. That was a funny thing to watch for me.
If you ask my opinion why HeeDo remembers Paris and her speaking French is because of her dad. It is like keeping his memory alive by speaking it. Remembering those times where in Paris she was introduced to fencing and had a fun time with her pops.
Did they use it properly? I have to watch the remaining episodes to say so.
What we need to pinpoint is that we get to see HeeDo’s Fire in that angry walk after they ate in that restaurant and she was upset with those hooligans. That means for the time being, her Fire is there.
Was her Fire there when she kissed Yi Jin? We will learn this week…
I suspect her fire will be there until the time slip or just before.
It’s a good thought that her abilities in French stayed intact because of her memories of her time in Paris with her parents, especially her father. It’s ironic that she can remember grammatically decent French but not the trip to the beach with her friends.
I wonder what @Wenchanteur would think of her French speech and accent. It sounded fairly good to me, but I’m not a native speaker. 🤔
The mother-daughter scenes in episodes 11-12 made me cry. Episode 11 had the scene of Hee Do and her mom at the cemetery. Episode 12 had the scene of Seung Wan and her mom talking at home. SW and JW’s scene at the rooftop also moved me. It’s great to have a reliable friend who’ll understand you, especially at that age.
SW’s mom talks and treats SW like a grown-up so that’s probably why SW acts so maturely. I’m not sure if I would have let a daughter of mine throw away a year of her academic efforts but I’m sure I wouldn’t make her apologise for doing what is right. Where is SW’s father by the way? (I probably missed it if the father was mentioned in the drama).
Hi @pkml3, please open a thread for the next 2 episodes. Thanks! 🍪 🍨 ☕ 🙂