Is anybody watching this? It’s on Netflix. 12 episodes. About 40 minutes per episode.
If you don’t mind the acting of the lead actress, Lee Yun Hee, and the awkward character played by Lee Jin Wook (“Bulgasal”), then I think this is one of those dramas that can be dissected because of its unrealistic expectations of a Korean engagement.
Here are the titles. Note the baseball lingo.
Episode 1: First Pitch
Episode 2: Missed Sign
Episode 3: Drag Bunt
Episode 4: Outfield Fly Ball
Episode 5: Relief Pitcher
Episode 6: Beanball
Episode 7: Error
Episode 8:
Episode 9:
Episode 10:
Episode 11:
Episode 12:
The first episode focused on the marriage proposal. Watch it and tell me if it’s realistic.
According to my son, who got engaged to his longtime girlfriend, a completely *surprise* wedding proposal isn’t feasible in real life. For one, something would give the occasion away to the girlfriend, like the venue. Some destinations are just too romantic, setting off the warning bells…errr… the wedding bells in the girl’s mind.
For another, if the ring is going to cost a small fortune, it’s better if the girl is involved in the decision-making. My son said that he was willing to pay for the ring but he wanted his girlfriend to have her two cents in the selection of the diamond. After all, she’s the one who’ll wear the ring everyday for the rest of her life. She should love the ring.
To me, that’s what the “First Pitch” is all about. The guy is throwing the ceremonial first pitch, i.e., the engagement proposal, and how the couple proceeds with it is a good indicator of their ability to make bigger life decisions together.
Anyway, watch the drama if you feel like discussing the social and cultural expectations of a Korean wedding (as presented in this drama) vis-a-vis the realistic expectations of a modern wedding.
It should be fun.
Awww finally, one son is engaged. Congratulations! All the best to son and fiancee. Hopefully you’ll get not only a daughter in-law but grandchildren too at the right time, of course. 🙂
I can’t concentrate on anything till 100th party is over. 🙂
Who’s 100th party. @agdr03? Your grandparents???
Yes, my Grandmother is turning 100 on June 20 but her big party is on June 19. 🙂
That’s a milestone alright! Is there a balcony where you and your family can wave at the guests ala-Queen Elizabeth? 🙂
I know right? I wanted to borrow HRH’s jubilee outfit too for Grandma. She looked amazing in it. They actually wore our motif too, blue and white. 🙂
I think we can manage that because there are stairs leading to the function centre entrance.
My Grandma is definitely our Queen.
@packmule3, I’m in.I started it but put it in the back burner(did ep 1,& 2 and got the baseball analogy immediately. I’m in for the fun of your discussion topics. I never got a proposal nor do I have an engagement ring. My husbandand I were moving in together when I told my stepmother by phone. A short time thereafter like an hour, she called me back and told me the date we’d get married. (I had told her we were thinking of getting married in City Hall and eating lunch in Chinatown by on a date to be determined ). I called my then husband back. After he got over the shock-lol-he agreed to the date and 39 years later we’re going strong. As we go along in this thread I’ll share my wedding details-dome being a tad unconventional. I have been fascinated with Korean weddings ever since I started K Dramas, so I think we’re in for la lot of learning and fun. TY @packmule3.
I was informed that proposing to koreans is just a formality after consent to marriage and meeting with parents are all done, and the proposal will usually be held close to wedding date. I remember discussing about this with a friend and going through some local examples… there is a trend as well that proposal is done during bridal showers conducted by close friends of the bride, this bridal showers may not be on one occasion due to groups of friends the bride may have… a celebration to the happy pairs. Park Min Young, for example, used to prep a bridal shower for her friend at her home. While the female ER doctor in RDTK S1 also has rented a room and prepared a bridal shower for her friend.
I’ve only seen the female lead in the movie New Year’s Blues. I’ve not watched any of the male lead’s previous work. So far I’m liking the expressiveness of the ML. He’s got an animated face without going over the top and mugging for the camera.
The FL’s sharp-tongued coworker is being played by the actress who did such a great job with the role of the slightly unhinged, yet sympathetic ex in You Are My Spring. I look forward to seeing what she brings to this new character.
Episode 2, the meeting of the parents. The groom’s mom fired a shot across the bow wearing her fur coat.
Congratulations on your son’s engagement! 🎉. I have always wondered about these “surprise” engagements with all the bells and whistles. We usually get to watch these videos at the wedding reception? Or sometimes before the wedding ceremony? The fiancé always seems to act surprised? Is it real? Or did she fake it for the cameras? How can one NOT suspect something? 🤔 Even if you get a million other friends involved (for the decor, to camp out at the venue through the day so no one ruins it for you because it’s a sunset proposal, someone to drive her there, someone to film it all discreetly (HOW???), someone to turn on all the battery powered candles lighting the path to the venue)…so everyone literally KNEW before she did 😂. And how would you pick the ring? She may hate it? Just as well your son opted for the less “romantic” but more practical/logical route in ring choice. Bravo to him.
Congratulations on having one son near marriage @pkml3. May you have granddaughters whom you can dote on before too long, to fulfill you long held wish to have your own little girl.
Congratulations @pm3! That’s exciting!!!
It will be your turn to be a mother in law!
I too was involved in my engagement ring purchase. We did all the research together and that was fun. It remains my favourite jewellery and I look at it from time to time, like waiting for the lift when no one is looking, or at a lobby with lots of strong lights. 😁 I think it’s practical and a very good call of your son 🙂 👍😊
Thanks, @Viva.
I think there’s a disconnect between romantic ASPIRATIONS and pragmatism. In dramas, we always see the guy pop out the ring in a proposal (e.g., Business Proposal) to surprise the gal. But in real life, it’s practical — and fun, too — to look for your own ring together.
I think that’s the fun part of this drama: to see how the drama’s romance contrasts with reality. The guy in the drama is the typical romantic type but the girl seems unprepared. She spotted an old married couple and she wished to be married like them. The guy must have read her expression because the next thing he did was to plan this elaborate surprise proposal.
Meanwhile, she seems to be a passive participant in her engagement and relies heavily on coworkers’ advices. Weird. I expected her to communicate MORE with her fiancé as they enter this new phase. But they seem to do their own thing and just tell each other their plans. They don’t “consult” with each other or lean on each other.
I asked my son if he consulted his best friend or his brother about the ring 💍 to surprise the then-GF, and he said no, it didn’t enter his head to consult anybody but his girlfriend. Why would his friend’s or brother’s tastes in jewelry be any more relevant than his girlfriend’s? 😂😂
Ep 2 of this drama is interesting, too. As @Welmaris mentioned, **SPOILER ALERT**
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both sets of parents met. I also found this relatable because I met the parents of the fiancée. But no, I didn’t ask for “sapphires, mink coat, diamond bracelets, a 24-karat cutlery set, a mother-of-pearl wardrobe” just like the groom’s mom did. 😂
Congratulations @Packmule3! Great news ! My best wishes for both of them!
I don’t know if I am going to watch this… so, enjoy it!
@packmule3, Belated congratulations on your son’s engagement. It looks like he and his fiance are getting off to a good start. So much of marriage depends on how well a couple communicates.ittle problems can easily be blown up. Marriage also has a period of adjustment where everyday han of ts of each member of a couple can easily grate on each other.
In our drama we see the contrasting nature’s of the bride and grooms parents. From the looks of it the groom seems to come from a more affluent family than the bride. His mom certainly looks well put together and seems to be condescending. The bride’s parents are more down to Earth and her Mom goes into their meeting with an embarrassing facial wound that she has to disguise with makeup. Of course her Dad is has Dad humor. This episode gives us the set up for future conflicts with the classic trope of potential inlaw engagement causing trouble. Our groom has also been set up to be oblivious. We also see money issues coming to the fore. He drives a Benz(the logo can be easily seen). Her friends have already planted the seeds of doubt in her mind. So far we’re getting a nice set up. I am curious to see how He’ll plays out.
I didn’t notice that he was driving a Mercedes-Benz, @OAL. 😂 I thought it was an antique car.
SPOILERS FOR Ep 2
The class divide seems to be established. Their houses, for instance.
His parents live in a modern condo in a high-rise. (I wonder if it’s fully paid, though?)
Her parents live in a regular home.
Their cars —
His parents arrived at the restaurant in a black chauffeur-driven MB.
Her parents in a white Korean car, driven by mom.
Their mothers —
Does his mom work? She looks like the type to get her hair, facials, and mani-pedicure done routinely.
Her mom goes to the parlor on special occasions.
His mom’s attire for the dinner was appropriate. She had a fur coat on top of blue dress which she removed before sitting down.
Her mom’s? I don’t know why she was wearing a dowdy blue overcoat, which she didn’t remove when they sat down for dinner. She was wearing pants.
Their fathers —
His dad has great manners. He pulled the chair out for his wife.
Her dad just plonked himself down on his seat.
🤣
One thing that this drama didn’t show is who paid for dinner.
My hubby offered to pay for it but he ran his plan with our son first. We wanted to avoid the tug-of-war with the check at the end of dinner. Here in the US, the waiter comes to the table with the bill which is usually placed near the most “senior” looking person (usually male). You can’t discreetly pre-pay or pay at the cashier.
My son declined his dad’s offer and said he could take care of the bill. I thought it was a good answer. If he couldn’t even afford to pay for dinner, why was he planning to get married? 🤪
As for the wedding details, I found it curious that, in the drama, the guy’s mother insisted on taking an active role in the wedding preparation. To me, it’s a bride-and-mother-of-the-bride’s arrangement. If my son — with his fiancee’s approval, of course — ASKS for my help or guidance with the preparation, then I’ll help. Otherwise, I should stay out of it.
I’ve watched up through Episode 6, and I’ve noticed that the FL is not wearing the engagement ring with the big rock, but back to wearing her couple’s ring, at least for everyday use. That reminds me of my husband’s brother and his wife. My brother-in-law insisted on an engagement ring with an investment-quality diamond, so it sits in their safety deposit box year after year.
I’ve always thought it unrealistic in Kdramas that a man knows the correct size of his girlfriend’s finger when surprising her with a couple’s or engagement ring.
Congratulations to your son, his girlfriend, and both families on the engagement, @Packmule3!
I don’t have equally happy news to report, but at least my younger daughter is now in a serious relationship after a time of being unattached. She and a young man with whom she’s been friends for a decade decided to try dating because both of them had become single. It has progressed quickly from then. We’ve met his parents, and get along well. Between the two families, there’s a lot in common, including one parent being of Chinese descent, and the other being white. The other mom and I had a fun bonding moment when she was goofing around pretending to play bongos on the backside of the family dog, belted out “Day-o!” and I joined her in singing the first verse of Harry Belafonte’s Banana Boat Song.
@packmule3 I am taking notes 😂.
I found two articles that were published 1-1/2 years ago, but closely parallel what we’re seeing in this Kdrama.
https://expatguidekorea.com/article/getting-married-in-korea-how-to-plan-a-wedding-part-1.html
https://expatguidekorea.com/article/getting-married-in-korea-how-to-plan-a-wedding-part-2.html
And one more bit of background. Not being an expert on baseball, I had to look up what a drag bunt is (title of Episode 3) and why it would be used. Here’s one article I found. https://baseballtrainingworld.com/a-complete-guide-to-the-drag-bunt-in-baseball/ These lines in this article do relate to what happens in the drama: “…the drag bunt is when the batter is bunting the ball and beginning their run at the same time.” “Drag bunting is all about getting an edge and catching the opposing team off guard.” This is the episode in which the couple, led by the bride-to-be, broach the subject of how they’ll manage their money once they’re married. They discover they have different approaches to money management, which doesn’t surprise me. The ML comes from an affluent family and doesn’t feel the need to budget. The FL comes from a middle-class family and prefers value over extravagance. I can’t believe they’ve never, in their years of dating, covered this important topic. (Although for purposes of a drama, it makes for tension in the story.) Both turn to friends for opinions on money management rather than start by discussing the matter between themselves. They’re in motion toward a goal (marriage) while still in the process of determining compatibility.