I think Episode 10 should be viewed in tandem with Episode 3. I’ll break up my reviews for the two episodes.

The link for Episode 3 will be added here: Today’s Webtoon: Ep 3 My Notes

Episode 10 Title: Stars don’t disappear. They’ll be seen one day again.

I like how the title telegraphs the central idea of each episode. The message isn’t obscure. How does it apply to our characters?

1. First, we learned that Cartoonist Ma would check in at a rehab and come back after getting treatment. He already re-signed to authorize Neon Company to release his hit comic books “Please Time Machine” as a webtoon, and he asked the Team Leader, his former PD, to look after his daughter while he was in treatment.

He’s definitely a star to be seen another day.

2. Next, we watched Goo JunYeong (the male lead? or the second male lead?) abort his impromptu love confession because MaEum’s judo friend appeared out of the blue. The judo friend mistook Goo as MaEum’s boyfriend, but MaEum vigorously denied it, saying, “No. No. He’s just a coworker.”

Ouch! He was coworker-zoned which is worse than friend-zoned.

Goo realized that he’d barged in on their meeting and misinterpreted MaEum sitting all by herself. She wasn’t moping about her dad; she was waiting for her friend to arrive.

So he took his leave. But the judo friend insisted that they drink together, using strong-armed tactics to pin him down… errr… sit down. It’s a running joke that Goo insists he’s a man but he’s overpowered by MaEum, and now her friend.

MaEum ordered a beer and Sprite for the table. Goo whispered to her friend if she wanted to switch seats with him. It was a thoughtful offer since he gatecrashed their get-together.

The friend said it was fine then teased MaEum, “You said you were having a hard time, but you had a reason for having a good time at work.” Goo and MaEum exchanged looks then MaEum brushed off the insinuation.

I’m telling you: before the rooster crowed that day, MaEum would deny Goo three times. lol.

MaEum had to take a call from her mom. She warned her judo friend not to say weird stuff to Goo while she was gone.

As soon as she was gone, the judo friend asked Goo how old he was. She was delighted to know that they were the same age: 26 years old. That meant they didn’t need to stand on ceremony while drinking.

MaEum returned and saw the beer. Thumping Goo on the back, she reminded him that he couldn’t drink. She opened his Sprite for him and pour it. He accepted it meekly.

Friend: What’s this? You two are coworkers and the same age. Why so polite? I thought was she was your sunbae?

Again, Goo and MaEum exchanged looks and MaEum laughed.

Note: in Korean drinking culture, the sunbae or senior-ranked person pours the first glass to his hoobae or junior.

I think Goo is aware that MaEum unconsciously serves him the drink. She did this too in Episode 4. She opened a can of coffee and handed it to him. But he doesn’t construe her gesture as a social courtesy between sunbae and hoobae. I think he’s come to accept MaEum’s attention.

To me, it looks like her maternal instinct. She tends to baby him like when she lugged the posters in Episode 2 and box of comics in Episode 6. But to Goo, who’s half-way in love with her, he could read more into this.

Friend: (addressing Goo) I want to be friends.
MaEum: (frantically motioning for her to stop it)
Friend: Is it uncomfortable?
Goo: (smiling, then replies in banmal) No. I like it.
MaEum: (shocked because Goo has never spoken to her in banmal)
Goo: (turning to ask her) We should also skip the honorifics. Shall we?
MaEum: Okay. You asked first, okay?

To me, this circles back to the title, “Stars don’t disappear. They’ll be seen one day again.”

The star is this case is Goo’s missed opportunity to become closer to MaEum when he asked for the cologne. The opportunity, however, didn’t disappear. It was only deferred. Another opportunity came up when he asked if they could begin to speak casually to each other.

I thought the shift from speaking the formal jondaemal (or in honorifics) to the casual banmal is a big step.

He might not have obtained the cologne he’d asked for.

But he got her to drop the honorifics.

3. Then, we saw the ex-girlfriend of Daniel Choi’s character (DCC) get rejected again. She wanted them to work together again. According to her, she wanted to continue learning from “Oppa.”

But DCC gave her a hard pass. History repeats itself and he chose to be with their Team Leader than follow his girlfriend to a new job. The Team Leader needed him because he was shaken up after their team member’s death.

That team member turned out to be Aeri, the noona of Goo.

This time around, Daniel Choi’s character decided to stay with Neon because of MaEum. Her emails about what a PD meant convinced him to stay.

DCC: (speaking to his ex-girlfriend) I thought about it through and through. About the reason why I’m so hesitant to leave this place. As you said, is it because of an unnecessary sense of obligation?

He was alluding to his relationship with the Team Director.

DCC: (continuing) Or is it some kind of fear about a new challenge?

I wonder if he meant being with his ex would have been a challenge to him. She appeared to have expectations of rekindling their romance.

DCC: (continuing) Constantly I looked into myself in depth. However, I just want to take responsibility of the new projects that I started here and the people that I have become acquainted with to the end. I want to see the trees that I planted and the flower seeds that I sowed, all grow up well and bear fruits in this garden called “Neon.”

He was quoting MaEum.

She’d written, “An editor is a gardener…. A gardener who looks after and cares for numerous trees and flowers called “Webtoon artists.” Sometimes you get pricked by a rose’s thorns and get wounded. Sometimes you can’t do anything else but cut off some overgrown branches or grass. The gardener must care for the trees and flowers responsibly until the very end, so that they can bear the best possible fruits. So that many people will visit the garden and fully enjoy its beauty.”

Noteworthy: although Daniel Choi’s character received advice separately from the Team Leader, his ex-girlfriend, and the respected Cartoonist Baek, it was MaEum who crystallized his vague feelings into one decision.

Ex-Girlfriend: Well, that’s too bad. Your desk might be gone come next year.

So much for wanting to learn from oppa! To me, she was hitting him back because this was the second time he refused to follow her, and opted to give her up. She sounded gleeful that he’d lose his job.

She told him that Neon executives intend to acquire her company Young Toon. The implication is that his company would be replaced by hers, and he was stuck in a sinking boat again.

My conjecture? She and the antagonistic Director Heo at Neon are in close cooperation.

So, yes, she’s another star. She won’t disappear, and Daniel Choi’s character will see her again in the future.

4. Then, there’s Daniel Choi’s character. Lol. Do we even care to know what his character’s name is? It’s Seok Ji Hyeong.

He’s the star that won’t disappear from the Webtoon Department soon.

Everybody in the office was so sure that he’d resign and go to Young Toon. Only MaEum was holding on to hope that he would stay. Even Goo gently tried to talk some sense into her. “It would be right for him to go. From his perspective.”

She began to pour herself a drink, but their colleague nudged Goo to pour her a drink. Goo obeyed, saying “Give it to me,” to MaEum in banmal. Their colleague instantly noticed that he’d dropped the honorifics.

When MaEum downed her drink to everyone’s surprise, her female coworker said that MaEum must be upset because she was losing her “first immediate supervisor.”

It’s possible however that Goo suspected that something more was going on than just her being upset at losing her “first immediate supervisor.” I personally thought she drank a lot on purpose so she could blame her intoxication for her unusual histrionic outburst.

ME: (sobbing) I’m so sorry, one moment, please…I really tried not to cry…What do I do?
The Ornery colleague: What’s wrong with her?
ME: Deputy Editor. (wailing) I’ll do better! Could you not go anywhere? What do I do?
Goo: (observing her intently)
Young colleague: Aigoo. I’ve never seen her drunk.
Daniel Choi’s character: I’m not going.
ME: (not hearing him) Please don’t go.
Daniel Choi’s character: (sighing) That’s what I said. I’m not going.
Everybody: (stunned)
Daniel Choi’s character: (still addressing MaEum) Don’t worry.
ME: Really?
Daniel Choi’s character: Mmmm. I decided not to go.
Everybody: (asking why)
Daniel Choi’s character: I think I still have a lot of work to do in Neon.

I think he meant that he was going to protect his team from a takeover of Young Toon.

Daniel Choi’s character: Also, it seems that I have a friend I need to look after.

Clearly, he meant MaEum because he was looking at her.

Unlike with his ex, he made a conscious decision to stay in the company to be with her. MaEum wailed louder. Goo looked pensively at her. I don’t know what he was thinking. Was he jealous? Was he wondering why she was crying like her heart would break? Was he remembering his noona?

Daniel Choi’s character: (continuing) Anyhow, stop saying unnecessary stuff now. MaEum, stop crying. Let’s enjoy ourselves and feast on meat.

@nrllee, I’m not sure whether Daniel Choi’s character addressed her in jondaemal or banmal. I think he used jondaemal. Can you tell? You’re better at this.

5. Lastly, Goo’s dead sister, Aeri.

She’s obviously a star, too. Considering how close they were, I thought it was odd that Goo would have shown no interest in looking up his noona’s former friends and colleagues.

To me, this is one reason Goo tracks MaEum’s movements at work. His eyes are on her, noticing whenever she stands up, goes out, receives a phone call, and changes mood.

At first, I thought he had stalker tendencies. But now that there’s the possibility of his sister committing suicide, I see he’s worried that MaEum would burn out like his sister did. After all, he did think that MaEum reminded him of her sister.

From Episode 4:

Because he was studying abroad, he couldn’t be by his noona’s side when she was suffering. Now, he hovers around MaEum to make sure that nothing the same happens to her.

Okay, that’s it for Episode 10.

The “stars” haven’t disappeared. They were momentarily clouded, eclipsed, and obscured, but they’re still there.

Episode 3 is up next.