As requested by @GB, I’m opening this thread so you can add your responses here.
Here’s @Phoenix’s original diagram of the Shallow Island and its neighboring island, Cynical Island, where I reside. Lol.
art credit: @Phoenix
And here’s @GB’s list of Ryu Sun Jae’s awesome qualities.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Why Ryu Sun Jae Makes a Great Drama Boyfriend
He makes tremendous efforts to protect IS, when he gets wind of her being in danger. He even let her sleep on his arm when in such an awkward position in the video rental shop,… and they weren’t even friends yet.
He can be creative in hiding/protecting IS, such as when she’s almost seen by her mother and caught by her brother.
He’s not full of himself, even when she appears to like him, ie he’s not arrogant about being liked (like Tae Sung).
He respects her and her choices even when he does not agree with her decisions.
He does not take advantage of her when she’s drunk and silly.
He’s honest.
He’s prepared to be punished in her stead. (The necktie incident)
He’s perceptive enough to figure that she had some trauma and that she had an accident before.
He’s sad/disappointed that she did not notice or remember him, but never gets angry with IS.
He’s gentle, long-suffering and self-sacrificing with IS.
As far as we can tell, he has many friends who are girls, but he’s been faithful to IS who in 2023, never knew that she was his first love.
Why Ryu Sun Jae is a Great Drama Person
He does not mope endlessly about losing his swimming career or feel sorry for himself, but gets over it and looks for other alternatives.
He comes to sing at short notice to help his friend.
He’s not good in his studies but he is smart enough to excel in other areas such as in physical education and singing.
He could have beaten Tae Sung at every physical challenge but held back, unless he was forced to prove himself.
He excels in singing, acting and in being popular but remains humble.
He helps his dad and makes a pretty decent son, not wanting to worry his father.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Here are some gifs for our titillation. Remember to give credit to their creators — and NOT this blog — when downloading them to your personal records. They did a great job.
1. From xiaolanhua‘s tumblr
2. From ahsung’s tumblr
Wait! How old are they again here? Has she lost her memory aka her sanity yet?
3. From liveasbutterflies’ tumblr
Enjoy!
Yay! Thanks @pkml3!!
Loved the gifs you found. That kiss… well in her defence she was drunk on home-made wine and SJ thinks she’s the same age as himself. I don’t know whether SJ knew how drunk she was, but he thought that it was the ‘right’ time to confess and did so with a kiss. Poor fellow finds out next day that she has no recollection of the confession or the kiss. So it was NOT the right time!!!
At least the confession was recorded, and heard later by Im Sol, (who is fully sober), exactly when he asks her to break up with Tae Sung. He confesses to her again and she did the right thing as a 34-yo, by rejecting 19-yo SJ. She also breaks up with Tae Sung who was originally using her to ward off toxic gf-wannabe.
So far, so good … nothing to get our ‘under-garments’ into a twist over, LOL. Now we await them to return to our screens as adults, when romance is allowed!!!
I’m glad to hear that.
I’ve been holding off watching this kdrama until a. I see him grow up, and b. figure out what direction the screenwriter is going to take.
I’m still appalled by “Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol” storyline where Lee Jae Wook’s character turned out to be an 18-year-old runaway student romancing a 24-year-old direction-less heroine played by Go Ara. I get that the writer attempted to normalize that sort of relationship by withholding that bit of nugget about his age until viewers were totally sold on the couple’s romance, but thank goodness, many hadn’t lost their marbles yet. Many viewers bailed out on the kdrama when the inconvenient truth about his age was revealed.
Here in this kdrama, the age difference is very clear. Although it’s easy to dismiss it since the actress is doing such a convincing job of acting like a teenager, I can’t ignore that she’s an adult consorting with a minor. (It doesn’t help of course that he towers over her, too. 🙂)
For me, the year 2023 can’t come soon enough. The sooner they return to the current time, the better.
@pkml3, I’m glad I never watched DDSSLLS. At least T2 and T3 Im Sol who jumps to 2008 has never seemed to forget that she’s 34 yo. She consistently speaks like an older woman but only Tae Sung notices her personality split.
If anything, I find that as an adult, she should have guessed that over much attention given to any youngster is bound to result in some attachments, crushes, etc being formed. She never seems to have considered that in her great concern over keeping SJ from ‘killing himself’ in the future. At this stage, no one even knows how he died, and it might not have been suicide at all.
@Arihsi, you said:
Yes, indeed. It’s terribly concerning if a person is only nice to one target person and not to others. It smacks too much of being artificial/hypocritical or wanting to make use of the target person.
Your point 1) was also mentioned by @MM.
Yes, he helps others where he can. Even in the gym, [might have been Ep 2 or 3] the guy next to him got tired and lay down, and SJ helped him up and encouraged him to continue.
2) LOL I liked how IS ws so shocked that he’d offered his hand as a receptacle of something she had to spit out and that she swallowed the dumpling instead. Think her eyes bulged out and looked all the bigger in that effort. LOL
I’d like to point out a some things here @pm3
Right off the bat, They’ve retuned to 2023 as of ep 7 which is not even half way through the drama.
1) the time travel here is not stable. She spends a couple of months in the past and then returns to the present. Exactly 2 months to be precise. She and the viewers are very clear on this.
2) During her time travel, at no point in time does she court either TS or SJ. When SJ gifts her a cell phone, instead of being elated like a teenager, she scolds him bitterly. She asks him not to care about her / anyone else’s opinions and be selfish.
She gives long lectures to TS at any given opportunity about becoming more responsible. No conversation of romantic nature at all.
3) She cries in regret when she hears Sun Jae’s confession. There is no joy or elation at being liked by her idol from her side at all. She’s sad and panicked at how she mislead him.
4) I agree with @GB that she should have realised that her actions may be misread. But in her defence, show makes it clear that Sun Jae had a crush on her BEFORE she ever time travelled.
5) Once she’s clear that Sun Jae has misread her actions, she immediately rejects his advances. No hesitation, no delay.
6) As @GB mentioned the goal of her travel is clear to her. She thinks he kills himself and he wants to stop that. In the process, she also saves her home and her mom’s accident. She gets a chance to understand her mom from an adult perspective as well. She builds empathy for Sun Jae’s father as an adult.
7) she has no ulterior motives of getting together with Sun Jae in a romantic capacity at all ! She DOES NOT “like” him romantically even now ! As we see from the preview, his safety is her priority and that’s not from a romantic perspective as yet.
Contd.
Additionally, @pm3 there are multiple dialogues which indicate that she’s self aware of her time travel situation and their “soul” age gap. She is very much a 19 year old physically.
For example, while learning how to bicycle,
“Why do you think I’m learning how to bicycle at this age from you?”
“I should be able to convince a 19 year old.”
“Why are your grades so bad ? What are you going to do ! I’ll help you but it’s been a long while since I prepared for CSAT ! I don’t even remember quadratic equations!”
‘I know what will happen… You will struggle and not tell anyone, you’ll suffer so much that you wouldn’t sleep and give it all up. So stop caring so much about other people!” (I think she’s referring to malicious comments.)
She agrees to go to the sports event with him only if he memorises their English textbook. I don’t think this is teenage behaviour. It sounds more like a maternal bribe right alongside I’ll get you a candy if you do your homework.
She doesn’t remember the kiss. She gets to his confession only later and above all, she immediately rejects his advances.
I agree with you that the show has entered present 2023 timeline at the right time. I also agree that it’d be incorrect of Im Sol to court TS or SJ knowing that she 34 soul wise. But she DOES NOT court either of them so we’re okay. 🙂
We at BoD have started our travel plans to Shallow Island ONLY after Sun Jae returns to an age of 34 years old at ep 7. We did not venture in that direction till now due to the precise reason that the actor is playing 19 year old.
PS. In real life, BWS is older to KHH 🤦♀️
PPS. While noting the dialogues of self awareness, I forgot @GB’s favourite…
“My 19 year old self is my worst enemy.. what was I doing ?” 😂
@GB also covered in a beautiful post her whole realisation of how much she missed out on noticing when she was younger.
@Arihsi
Why thank you for giving me so much credit! LOL.
And thanks very much for so thoroughly and succinctly listing why we are happy with the Im Sol-Sun Jae interactions in 2008. You’ve expressed yourself eloquently and I agree whole-heartedly.
I’m sure I speak for most of us when I say I cannot wait for the next episodes when we can look forward to scenes of Im Sol as an adult, without needing the wheelchair, and still running about near Sun Jae.
Then we can party with full abandon on 🚣♀️🚣♂️ Shallow Island!! 🥳😂🎊🎉
Since we have more than one rendition of our Island, I’ve decided to put them next to each other to look at. Here are the maps of Shallow Island, original and updated side-by-side for our comparison:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1esC8s0H1rc70IPXmwfXHhBNeR00bskZ0/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107152512466791964570&rtpof=true&sd=true
If I’m not in my little dinghy or on the Bridge, I’ll be at BR Bar with a mild 3% alcoholic drink in hand LOL. You’ll know where to find me. 🚣♀️ 🫶 🌁 🍹
Helicopter or paddle in or swim over to join us! 🚁🛶🏊♀️🏊♂️
🏝️🌻☔🍬☕🌻☔🍬☕🏝️🌻☔🍬☕🏝️🌻☔🍬☕
Thank you for this thread, @packmule3.
May I add a couple of things to this lovely section of comments on SJ’s suitability and IS’s prudence?
I love how perceptive he is for a young guy who hasn’t dated yet. It’s almost like he has antennae to protect IS. It’s a great reciprocal reaction to her first statements to him about keeping him safe. Yet, for his emotions, since he has never interacted with a girl like her, he is vulnerable.
Im Sol thought they could have a great friendship, and even though it’s clear (to me) that she is sometimes stunned by how her idol looked and acted as a 19 YO, she doesn’t wish to pursue him romantically. As soon as she realises that she has overstepped, she starts to back off. I think that even as she rejects him in episode 6, she’s more worried that she has caused him harm.
Mind you, she has made Tae Sung fall for her, too, in her halmeoni persona. 🤦♀️ I hope that he indeed does become a sensible adult as she wishes. Since he is one of my favourite characters, I don’t want him to become a player or egoist.
Thanks @Fern! Great points!!
About TS, I had this dream or wish that TS, upon finding out that IS had been threatened by a stalker/killer, has decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and becomes a detective. In that capacity, he meets SJ and IS again. Won’t it be interesting to see if they’ve fully grown up when they get together again, or will the guys start their petty, one-upmanship competition again?
Gotta run! See you!
@Growing Beautifully, I have the same dream/wish and that Tae Sung is present if/when the stalker returns in 2023. I hope we don’t have a conflict between the two later. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Tae Sung is the person who sets Sun Jae straight about Im Sol’s persona changes, even if he’s not clear about time travel, but rather about something psychological.
I spoke too soon about my laptop’s MS Edge interface with BoD the other day. It’s back to giving me the response “Request Header Fields Too Large
The server refused this request because the request header fields are too large.” It was nice while it lasted! I can still read and post on Google.
I am giving IM The benefit of the doubt here. After all, she has been in a wheelchair for fifteen years and has not had romantic experience. She is a “virgin ghost.” She is behaving much better than a virgin Ghost who worked as a chef in another show.
I agree with Others that her motivations do not seem to be romantic.
There is show with a virgin ghost who works as a chef @monmor ? LOL 🤣
Also, I don’t understand what’s this deal with “loosing virginity” in one’s youth? I think the concept of coitus is very overrated. I mean the entire animal kingdom does it. Fish do it. Birds do it. Eukaryotic BACTERIA do it. What’s the big deal ?
whenever I see underaged youth together in that way, I feel so concerned I come to my Halmoni IS avatar. I want to stop them and tell them it’s not worth it. It’s not worth your mental health. It’s not worth wasting your chance at a proper education. And it’s definitely not worth risking an underaged pregnancy.
I couldn’t remember the title when I was posting.”Oh My Ghost”
@MM, @Arihsi,
I vaguely recall Oh My Ghost(ess) was okay in the beginning then became troubling because the possessed girl was the one the head chef fell in love with ie the soul that he fell for was not the one he ends up with, or something like that. I watched the whole thing but was terribly dissatisfied.
At least in Lovely Runner SJ falls for IS when she’s in T1 and he likes her even as T2 and T3 IS, so we won’t have that same terrible denouement that does not make sense or satisfy.
@Fern, I’m sorry to know that you’re getting that horrible message again. I used to get it too and like you, moved to use MS Edge. Now that you’re finding it does not solve the issue completely, I’ll be watching out for when I might encounter the same thing.
I also have a bit of a soft spot for Tae Sung. I hope he makes it through to graduation instead of dropping out. Perhaps IS as halmeoni has made enough of an impression with him and he will take her advice to ‘change his fate’ in her words.
In 2023, perhaps IS will be able to talk about the time travel, although it may be better if she does not. If she can speak about it, then TS might not need to set SJ straight on her weirdness when she was supposed to be 19 years old.
@GB I completely agree with you about “oh my ghost”. The first episodes and the premise were good. It got very muddled as to who was who- Ghost or original body. That was very disappointing because it could have been played so much better. I can’t remember the name of the actress who played the ghost but she is good as I recall.
Eww. This drama sounds similar to Mr Queen ? Thankfully suffered through none of them or this do do sol Sol drama. In with our queen in reallllllly disliking the premise of Mr Queen.
@GB I love the idea that TS could become a detective and help save Sun Jae. He already isn’t your typical second lead. He isn’t in competition with SJ at all.
I am recalling the scene with the shaministic exorcism on the rooftop. The shaman says that the possession is by a frustrated virgin ghost or something Along those lines.IM3 Responds by Telling the shaman she is Good at her job.
@MM, ‘Oh My Ghost (2015)’ had Kim Seul Gi as the ghost who possessed Park Bo Young’s character. At least they were both females! Mr Queen was so outlandish because it was a guy in a woman’s body and ewww.
The head chef in OMG was Jo Jung Suk. Now looking at the cast list I find that Kwak Shi Yang and Shin Hye Sun were supporting actors in it. I’ve no recollection of them in the show or any of the other characters, but nothing will make me want to watch to find out what I’ve forgotten!!
I forgot at 1 point how much I had not liked this drama-Oh my ghost and tried to watch it again. It stars some excellent actors Which was the draw. I did not get very far and was disappointed all over again.
But the second time around.I only got through 2 or 3 episodes before I remembered.How disappointing it was.
@monmor you are so cute 🥰
This happened to me with the horrendous My Demon. Couldn’t care less about the VIS*ALS.
Also, ladies, do you all notice that we haven’t yet deliberated upon BWS’s physical appearance in a thread SPECIFICALLY dedicated for a discussion of the same.
It’s been 24 comments so far. We’ve discussed everything starting from why IS is good to SJ to another drama to “virginity”. But poor BWS is still waiting to be appreciated.
We are firm residents of the Cynical Island ladies. I rest my argument.
I have wondered for a while if there’s any.Way of withdrawing a comment. When I am on my phone I have trouble editing the message.
And I’m more likely also to repeat myself.
We have to write to Pm3 for it. She’d have to manually delete it. I Don’t think it’s needed. I mean we’re all here for casual fun isn’t it ? Repeating yourself is fine. ❤️
@Arihsi, the only comment I have atm about BWS/Sun Jae’s physical appearance is that he is unlikely to want a no-skin contract for this drama. For one, SJ is a swimmer, so we’ve seen it already. For another, BWS works as a model in rl so it would be strange for him to suddenly get prudish. Hopefully the show won’t ask him to do anything he isn’t comfortable with.
He was thinner in earlier days as a model and worked with others who are now actors:
https://www.kpopmap.com/find-out-about-byeon-wooseok-previous-model-activities-as-a-yg-kplus-model/
@Arihsi TY
Thanks @Arihsi, those photos!!! I guess he has no qualms yet about showing abs, etc.
He has the unique look (those lips) the height and overall physique to be a model. I’m not surprised he and Lee Soo Hyuk, etc were successful models turned actors.
Now add to that, Byeon Woo Seok can sing as well and he has stage presence. He plays the piano (and possible other instruments?) Another talented young man! I scanned the pages of kpopmap and further down and saw that he’s a fan of RIIZE’s Anton. They seem to have a lot in common including their physical appearance and ability to sing.
The only thing not tested so far is his ability to dance?
Oops! I should thank @Fern!!! Kpopmap is one of those rabbit holes of a site which can lead me from one link to another. To more gifs and more articles. I won’t be able to emerge til the morning has passed!
While the actor, BWS certainly looks great and has the right sort of charm to win many hearts, I’m actually more interested in the character Ryo Sun Jae, as one who makes a good drama boyfriend or a good ‘person’ in dramaland. That he may have the same qualities in real life will be an added boost to how we approve of him!
More on What SJ Does That Show Up His Great Boyfriend Characteristics
Although he liked her from the beginning, he did not pressure her to like him back, or take advantage of her concern for him. He thought she was making a mistake by fan-girling over Tae Sung but he didn’t mock her for it.
He did nice things for her without requiring thanks or acknowledgement, for eg. he followed her to the bus-stop and zipped up her school bag without her being aware at all. He ran to stop the bus for her but didn’t let her think it was for her sake (he claims it was to get his blue umbrella) … partly out of embarrassment and because he didn’t want her to know yet that he had a crush on her.
He is considerate, doing his best to not embarrass her about the pink lacy bra that dropped at his feet, or about needing to go pee when they were on the bus ride home. In fact, he pretended that he needed to pee when he didn’t, just to stop the bus for IS.
He is creative in finding ways out of the humiliating circumstances IS finds herself in, for eg he found a great way to carry her out of his bedroom in front of his dad without anyone knowing. I already mentioned how he creatively hid IS from her mother and the doctor friend in the middle of the street.
He is generous to a fault. He gives her his slippers to wear when she leaves her school shoes in his room. (I already mentioned that he lent her his tie to wear so she does not get punished in school). He takes part in the band competition and gives away to IS, the great prize of a new mobile phone.
Ohh @GB to add to why he’s a great partner to Sol,
He has loved her in all possibilities of quantum fluctuations, in all alternative timelines, in the past, present and future. ❤️
What a dream of a romance character.
It’s hilarious that Sol thinks he’s dated lot and is sort of a Casanova in his idol adulthood. “Are you blind?” The 19 year old Sun Jae asks her. Yeah. She’s the queen of missed moments (aren’t we all in some way?).
Sun Jae has never dated anyone and possibly made no real friends post his high school. There was, is and will be only Sol.
@Arihsi, what a grand romance your description makes this! What a fantastic boyfriend he makes, over the physics of time.
Questions that I trust will be answered:
SJ loved her from before T2, hence did the T2 and T3 time jumps even have an impact on his loving her more?
Were the time jumps meant to save SJ the regrets, save SJ’s life, save IS’s legs, save IM’s Mum, … all 4?
Would IS have fallen in love with her idol if she’d only remained a fan in T1?
Maybe this should go back on the Open Thread? @Growing Beautifully, this is what is puzzling to me in this drama. Would IS have fallen in love with her idol if she made all of those changes? I will copy and past my thoughts about this to the open thread.
Wow, @Arihsi, thanks for the preview/spoiler.
Spoilers:
I had been thinking that his regret didn’t have to do with the accident at all, but rather that he didn’t believe her about something. So my theory was well off piste given this new information.
Yes, a dreadful burden indeed, and for both Sun Jae and then for Im Sol when she hears it. Do you think we see this because Baek Im Hyuk finally got to tell Im Sol why SJ was sorry? I think that if she were still disabled when she hears it, she might be upset for a while, then realise that it’s just a coincidence because he isn’t the criminal.
@packmule3, if you have a chance can you transfer my last post onto the 5/6 open thread?
I posted this last one on the wrong thread. Serves me right for having two threads open simultaneously, and having tea rather than coffee.
Adding to the list of SJ’s thoughtful and caring actions:
– He shields her from the rain and snow, gifting her his umbrella(s)
– He told her the CCTV at school wasn’t working so she didn’t have to continue with the punishment
– He took a taxi to look for her, to ensure her safety, when he saw she’d fallen asleep on the bus and missed her stop. (Ep7 preview backstory makes me sad)
– He saves her from danger – from oncoming traffic, from drowning, from the drunk etc
– He turns the air-conditioning off for her when she was drenched after falling into the lake
– He cools gamjyetang for IS by breaking up the chicken
– He acts cute and poses for a photo because she asked him to, when he didn’t like taking photos
– He turns the fan on for her when he noticed she was hot. Lovely to see IS do the same for him. I think she does care for him more than a fan does
– He escorts IS out of the theatre during the evacuation, letting her go ahead of him. What a gentleman! (Contrast that to the young ML in Wedding Impossible, who boarded the bus ahead of the FL)
– He watches her while he leads away away from the baseball celebrations, using his hand to protect her from the crowd
Thanks @Hana! Such swoon-worthy gestures of affection! This is a list to give to boyfriend-wannabes!
I noticed the same parallel of how each of them turned on the fan for the other. I love their reciprocity and mutual care. IS was doing it in a Noona-Fan way to take care of her young idol, but SJ was doing it out of consideration for IS both as a person and as someone he crushed on. 🙂
@GB yes ❤️ they’re both lovely selfless beings
A lovely list @Hana… Thank you for putting it together for us to enjoy 🙂 I’d add two more “selfless” acts or rather acts in love from uri Sun Jae
1) The original timeline T0 in video rental shop of Sol, he let’s her sleep for God knows how long on his arm on the injured side. He’s dripping with sweat due to pain by the end but he doesn’t move. What’s with Sol and her never getting enough sleep ?
2) He let’s her use his HEAD no less as a stepping stone. Who hides behind a lamp post ? Uri Sol-a. Why can she do it whilst the rest of us can’t ? Because she has Sun Jae’s head (3/4th height of an average pole) available to step on. What’s more ? He asks her to use it freely. “Gwenchana Gwenchana” he says when she’s mortified about stepping on his head.
I’ve missed this stage completely in my matrimonial journey ladies. For one, I’m pretty tall myself and for two, something tells me I have a partner who’d rather get a ladder to get me down.
Oh please @Arihsi, forget giving head as support. In matrimonial journeys, one must be mindful of husbands’ backs hence even the princess carry may be out of the question!
Ah, it needs a little thing more on this island, for fits of rage.
Like “angry sharks”. Perfect next to the Eternal Monarch bridge. 😅
Hi @WE, I didn’t expect to find you here! I remember how fed up you were over TK:EM. You would have fed LMH’s character to the sharks!!! Or maybe the writer or director for the strange non-linear way of story-telling.
Oh hee hee hee hee @GB there are no words truer than that ! 😄 Yes, all types of carry are out of the question in all timelines.
@WE was very angry at My Demon also @Fern. And some show called “chicken nugget”. Pm3 put a general post and I read to understand what the show was about…. I LoLed for 5 minutes straight after reading @WE 🤣
My kayak has arrived to shallow island!
BWS has been in my peripheral vision (Unlike I’m Sol T0!) since Record Of Youth. The height and soulful eyes and hidden smiles… he can do the tortured young man’s role to a tee! He is perfectly casted as Sun Jae.
I think I already mentioned in @PM3’s first impressions that one constant in this drama is SJ liking IS first at T0 and all her versions. I’m really glad the story is written that way.
As for his role SJ and candidate for best drama boyfriend, all the accolades are true and I agree! My only misgiving was the drunken kiss that turned out to be forgotten memory anyway- lesson learned SJ, even the drama gods underlined that one as not counted! LOL!
@GB, yeah yeah, but I improved over time, like a good Bordeaux wine, and I’m not angry so often now. (pleonasm! if it’s not Bordeaux, it’s not wine, it’s fermented grape juice). Hum, my problems wheren’t about the non-linear storytelling but about confusion and lot of other stuff. But maybe I was too harsh about that drama, I remember comedy scenes were good.
I’m coming here because I saw in my mailbox the post start with “shallow island”. But about the drama, I think I should watch it?! (when I’ve time) Sounds like a legit time travel story? With back and forth in time and time-changes?
@Airishi, ahmmm, yeah. But see, I didn’t get angry for “my demon”. 🙂
I think I need to follow the rule “never write something on internet when being angry”. First, don’t get angry (but ahhh, it still happens sometime), or just calm down first. 😉
@Hana welcome to Shallow Island!!
You mentioned “soulful eyes” in addition to how BWS can do the role of a tortured young man perfectly.
I’d like to provide some data in your whole hearted support @Hana 😛
Case in point
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6LbwLopfmR/?igsh=MXYwMm5hZnJueGcwaQ==
This official TvN reel shows the time IS realises that she’s been Sun Jae’s first love even in original timeline T0. We see a juxtaposition of him confessing to her in 2008 T2 and him talking about his first love on a Radio show in 2013 T0 which T0 IS is listening to (T2 IS carries all these memories with her)
The eyes of 2008 Sun Jae is sparking with happiness and hope as he proposes T2 IS with a glowing face full of smiles. His cheeks are full and I don’t know how they’re doing this without cakey make up but he looks young, healthy and happy in love. In the pink of youth.
2013 Sun Jae is gaunt by contrast. And BWS can show this state without a lot of make up as well. Cheek bones in sharp relief (as if he lost a lot of weight?) and his eyes are wistful – the sparkle is gone by far…I daresay they look sleepless already…And he talks in a way that shows that what he’s talking about is a dream long dead. Like how we’d look back on our university foolishness after 20-25 years. But for him, only 5 years have past.
Now we come to 2023 T0 SJ who meets a paraplegic T0 IS on the bridge. Ep 4 entire opening sequence is so moving.
What struck me is that BWS did not need gravity defying tears… These tears are those that pool around the eyelids but don’t fall – used amply in the horrendous My Demon and Wedding impossible.
I always feel these types of “tears” are meant to convey the sadness of the character in case you couldn’t figure it out by the expression of the actor. They just pool and don’t fall…
No such tears needed here. The whole internet cried the tears he didn’t. 0.30-1.40 timestamps entirely have a sequence where he’s just acting with his eyes. He’s standing still with an umbrella in his hand. No lengthy monologue, no other gestures. In fact, there is no talking at all that could suggest how sad he is.
Instead, you can FEEL how shattered he is by “eye-emoting” and micro expressions that Sol is alone, freezing and surrounded in snow, on a broken wheelchair without much power to change her situation.
When she says, “It’s a pity I don’t have anything that is worth gifting to you.” whilst wearing a headband that announces her support to him… Oof. You could see the pain in those “soulful” eyes. No hefty dialogue needed.
Oh my apologies! It should be @Janey !
Welcome @Janey to the Shallow Island (and also @Hana) 😛
But I provide data in your support @Janey !
@Hana… The reason for your tag is that milk song 😶🌫️ It’s completely stuck in my head 🙊
Thanks @Arihsi! Your receipts are well noted! Our case to Shallow island is solid. Hihihi!
@Pm3, I’ve posted a comment here yesterday, but for unknow reason is probably stuck.
I don’t remember I put anything triggering an automatic removal.
But if you know what, let me now. 😉
Hi @WE, I see a comment from you above at April 26, 12:05pm. Is this the one you are referring to or did you post more than 1 comment on this Deep Dive thread?
Well, I’m not sure if this thread should be renamed the ‘… Deep Dive into Ryu Sun Jae’s and Baek Hyun Woo’s Shallow Island,’ but anyway, since Queen of Tears is airing alongside Lovely Runner, some lovers of Baek Hyun Woo (like @HK_Lady) might like to add their raves about him as one of the best husbands in dramaland.
Off the top of my head, what I liked about Baek Hyun Woo as a ‘person’:
He’s good-looking and smart but never arrogant.
He’s able to gather loyal friends around him because of his ability, honesty and humility.
When he was lonely and depressed, he didn’t take it out on others or on his wife (the cause of the depression) but found other outlets such as meeting his friend, batting balls and exercise by himself.
He was pretty just in all his dealings, (except for that thing about hiding the divorce papers) and took responsibility by accepting the divorce without alimony.
He does his research and background work diligently so that he has the information he needs at the ready and the people to back him up all prepared.
He uses his smarts to get himself out of trouble (such as talking the kidnapper out of killing him) and uses only the law to act against his enemies.
When caught lying, he does not give excuses but takes responsibility.
What I like about BHW as Boyfriend/Husband (and this also is part of his being a good person)
Dedicated, faithful, patient, attentive and responsive towards his wife.
Respectful
Admits his wrongs, asks for forgiveness, turns over a new leaf, forgives his wife who was also at fault.
Protective but not cloying or overly controlling.
Sincere.
Generous (that diamond ring cost a pretty penny!)
And since this is the Shallow Island, let’s just say I’m grateful for a ‘husband’ with such good visuals, nice voice, great physique, and killer smile.
@WE LOL… We may remember how you ranted but not exactly what you ranted about.
Yeah, you’re bound to get angry from time to time, but yes, it’s good advice to calm down first before you write. Or,… it’s still good to let it out in our safe space, so that you can calm down here. Hence you can rant on these threads and we’ll just enjoy imagining you, red in the face and jumping up and down like one of those irate cartoon characters!
About Lovely Runner – yes, this is a legitimate time travel drama and it’s been pretty intelligent, logical and consistent so far. I do think that you’ll like it. Don’t think you’ll care too much about the shallow on this island, but you’re welcome to come and browse. (Perhaps you can compare the points on this thread about the greatness of drama boyfriends with real life men, LOL).
Perhaps we’ll do a rewatch of this Show at the end of the year, and you can try it then?
@GB, yeah, it got unstuck, thanks to Pm3 probably. 😉
I’m currently busy with writing. Or rather: I ended 4 episodes.
And now, I’m adding visuals, probably will use some AI image generation.
And so… The soft I use is sometimes complicate, I feel I will erode my nerves.
Just in case, I put some episodes of Lonely Runner in my bag.
I think I’m ahead with Signal rewatching. So maybe I could take a look.
The problem, I’ve also begin some other dramas, on hold since a time now.
Well, I go back to work, need a coffee now. Good watch! 😉
@WE I got angry at My Demon as well… Hee hee. Don’t worry. I love your phrases. For example, “erode my nerves.”
I’m waiting to tell someone at work… “Your emails erode my nerves.” BWHAHAHA.
It’s a joy to read your comments.
@Arihshi. 😂
It’s mostly luck. I’m still bad at english.
I take my french verb, check it with auto-translator…
… spelled the same, and… hope it means the same thing in english.
ahhhahahBBBBBAWWWWAHHHA H AH HAH HHAH HAHA HA HA !!!!!!!!!
That’s the power of erosion. 😣
(put San-goku picture, from dragonballZ when about to punch someone here!)
@Wenchanteur, your writing is a great example of how sometimes a slight difference in translation actually forms a more exquisite expression. Erode my nerves is unusual for English, but a perfect concept.
Please keep them coming and best wishes with your writing.
@Fern, yet, it was the good translation, verb “éroder” in french:
– Ocean waves gradually erode the coastal cliffs.
– Les vagues de l’océan érodent graduellement les falaises du littoral.
To say “erode nerves” is a figure of style.
Not sure exactly, but should be a metaphor. 😉
By the way, since yesterday, my nerves just broke! 😀
Instead of AI generation, I start with all the images I already can find.
I wasted time at trying to extend images on internet with AI but it was the bad decision. I’ll just redo the ones I need with MidJourney, but won’t start with that, because last time I used it, I’ve lost myself during days to learn how to use it, and now they added new options I don’t even know. And it’s so time consuming to write prompts, test them endlessly.
@Wenchanteur, I loved your images that you posted some months back, but it sounds like it contributed more to your stress, rather than relieving stress.
I know ‘eroder’ because it’s the same in English. Along the Channel and North Sea the houses are often falling into the water. I shouldn’t laugh.
You taught me a term I hadn’t heard before: pleonasm. I had to look it up. Personally, while I normally prefer a red wine, if I must have any white, a good Montrachet would make me very happy.
@Fern, images are long to find, doing photo-montages, or AI.
When I started, I made 13 episodes in full visual mode (TV illusion):
Each line of dialogue has an image.
Only, it was too long to do, and then I gave up.
I rewrited next episodes without putting an image per line.
Just few large images and a default image for character lines.
About 12 episodes like that, then:
It was frustrating, so I put more large images next.
(And I’ll have to complete these 12 episodes with more images).
So I waste time with images, but there is still a benefit on writing:
The time I put them, I can find lines I want to fix in the script (on top of editing pass). Also, it let a few time pass, and it’s always better to re-read a script after some time. It helps any error to “jump” to the eyes.
@WEnchanteur, this method seems to work well for you. So the time spent with images gives you a new perspective even after you have made a preliminary edit. It’s like an idea that becomes more defined after ‘sleeping on it’ as we say. I think that given some extra time, our subconscious helps us even if we aren’t actively analysing something.
After watching Episode 9, I felt I wanted to highlight a bit more what makes Sun Jae such a lovely drama boyfriend.
Despite being rejected again and again, he does not stop caring about Im Sol. I can imagine normal people cutting off forever the one who rejected them just once, or worse, a few become stalkers. Or I could imagine them being petty by taking revenge in some way or deliberately pretending to be fine and getting another bf/gf on the rebound just to make up for the rejection. But SJ does none of these.
He remains hurt but calm (he does not hide his feelings in front of In Hyuk), observant, and caring and he goes into saviour mode at the drop of a hat.
Despite saving IS (again), he makes no demands, takes no liberties, requires no thanks, … does not even tease her like Tae Sung does. He remains humble without a sense of entitlement.
In a similar way to how IS regards his well-being, he just wants IS to be well and safe, even if she never becomes his girl.
When Im Geum is being just loud-mouth irritating as a know-it-all, SJ is patient with him. He’s good to everyone, except that he’s jealous of Tae Sung LOL. I just truly like that Sun Jae is such a decent human being and a true lover from the heart.
Very apt, @Growing Beautifully. SJ is even humble and kind to Im Geum, who is seriously annoying. I wonder if that scene will be the start of Im Geum appreciating Sun Jae?
I agree. I also love how open, unambiguous and consistent SJ is.
Even at the young age of 20, he expresses his unequivocal love for IS, “To me, the past you, the future you, it’s you all the same”. And because we have witnessed his steadfast love and loyalty over the next 15 years, we believe him!
Plus he looks good from any angle. The director’s words, not mine!
helloo all, it is nice to read the shallow island of Sunjae posts here!
I just watch this drama couple days ago, and I was like stunned. wow wow wow…
the characters are so strong. I like them. I do agree that Sunjae character is so green flag.
It remind me to the A Time Called You drama, but the difference is, here, IS is the same person. She jumped to the past and future, but still the same person.
Also, SJ love IS in all of her state, like Hana said.
Previously, I was wondering, why it was TS who “realized” first that there is a difference between the 34 yr old IS and the high school IS. Why SJ didn’t realize. And now I understand, why the writer made it like that, because in the eye of one who love you with all her heart, the person would not change, the person is still like the one he loved many years ago.
This made me remember on the love of my grandfather and grandmother had, their love is still the same because they look at each other like the time stops for them, that is how strong love would resemblance for me.
I think, the writer want us to see that SJ’s love is consistent. It would not fade away over time, it would keep strong as it is.