I’ll discuss the individual episodes later. For now, I’m putting my notes out here for FYI.

1. The screenwriter and creators

The screenwriter is Ahn SaeBom. She/he also wrote Soundtrack #1 (2022) which I haven’t seen.

Interestingly, there are two creators of the drama. I’m not in the industry so I’m guessing that a creator came up with the original idea and a screenwriter is the one hired to write the script with dialogues. The creator approves the script and ensures that it conforms to her vision.

a. Joo HwaMi who wrote:

“Atypical Family” (2024),
“Meow, the Secret Boy” (2020) Didn’t you do a rewatch of this, @GB, @WEnchanteur, and @ibisfeather?
“Introverted Boss” (2017), and
“Marriage, Not Dating” (2014) which started off great but bored me by the 2nd episode. 🙂

b. Kang EunKyung, who’s the more recognizable writer of the two. I’ll just mention three titles from her body of work:

“Gyeongseong Creature,” seasons 1 and 2
“Dr. Romantic,” all 3 seasons
“Where Stars Land” (2018), which I found boring.

She’s one pretty busy lady.

2. The written clues

We were given a few props which I think give us clues about the characters but aren’t translated.

a. The business card

In Episode 1, the male lead Dokgo Dal (DD) finds a business card in the purse of Gong YeonSu (YS).

Since Viki didn’t translate it, it’s “What’s in your horizon?” or “Where does your horizon lie?”

Noteworthy: after YS abruptly ends their blind date, DD spots her waiting at the pedestrian crossing. When she begins to walk, she enters his horizon.

This is visual foreshadowing, of course. There’s nothing subtle about this director. lol.

b. The billboard sign

In Episode 2, we see why the card in YS’ purse struck a chord in DD. Every day, he wakes up to see the Horizon billboard with that message “What’s in your horizon?” emblazoned on it. That’s why he specifically asked for the person who worked on the Horizon ad to work for his company.

Though he later discovers that YS is the creator behind the Horizon ad, he still sends her off because she’s biased against the very product she’s supposed to promote.

She, however, makes a last-ditch attempt to convince him that she’s the best person for the job. She points out that, given her stance on his products, she understands best how to promote them to people like her.

Then, he asks her what horizon means for her.

DD: What does the Horizon mean to you, Ms. Gong YeonSu? That advertisement? I heard you made it. I’m just curious. What does it mean?
YS: Well, just a peaceful, smooth, stable life.
DD: More specifically?
YS: It’s the line I look at, so I don’t lose sight of the kind of person I am and where I’m heading. Sometimes I stop and look back to see if the path I’m walking on has deviated from the direction I wanted, and doing that is the line that makes me walk again.
DD: (pointedly) Something like marriage, for instance?
YS: Well, who knows? Whether it’s marriage or something else. Horizons cannot be measured in distance. I’m walking endlessly, but I haven’t reached it yet. Does that answer your question?

c. The mystery message

In Episode 3, YS attends an art exhibition germane to their business. It’s called “The Temperature of Love in Body Language.”

She immediately encounters her DD and his bestie, and as usual, she and DD argue over their clashing interpretations of a digital art. But to me, the interesting part in this scene is that he remains aware of her physical space even when arguing with her. An art spectator is about to walk into YS but DD smoothly blocks the man then pulls YS closer to him. I don’t know about you but I find this gesture more swoon-worthy than the typical yank-and-pull rescue from an errant motorcyclist. Perhaps because it’s done discreetly, without fuss and fanfare.

On her way out, she sees an interactive sculpture. It’s called, “Illusion: Something You Can Never Grasp or Reach.” The museum label instructs her to take out a message.

The message is revealed later in the episode when she and DD kiss each other outside a store. It’s a quote from a 1998 bestseller “Contradiction” by Yang GuiJa. According to google, it goes:

“Therefore, love is a red traffic light. The red traffic light that warns of danger and safety at the same time is love.”

It’s that text on the upper left side of the screen.

But take note of the traffic signal light found on the right of the kissing couple. Not so subtle at all, Director-nim!

d. The love notes in YS’s room

In the epilogue of Episode 4, DD peeks inside YS’ bedroom and notices her scribbles on love.

From google translate:

About Love:
1. Love is acceptance, not understanding.
2. People love more if they don’t prove it.
3. Love = even though I gave up on myself
Not giving up. Having a wish.
->Nevertheless -> love => possibility?
-> education = not giving up = the act of love
[indecipherable. Something about education is also possible]

3. The cheonggukjang

Watch how it’s included in the story. It’s a symbol, obviously.

a. In Episode 1, DD and YS reluctantly go on an arranged blind date at an exclusive hotel restaurant. She suggests, however, that they move to a casual eatery as they don’t have any intention to prolong their lunch.

Without directly insulting the fancy restaurant and its menu, she points out that the food arrives quickly at this place. She continues to make small talk, saying that the food is good because it’s done in a traditional way.

YS: When fermenting cheonggukjang, temperature and time are the most important factors. When one of them is off, the whole batch can be ruined. It’s quite fussy.
DD: You seem to know a lot about cheonggukjang.
YS: My family makes all kinds of fermented paste at home. My grandma always says that I should meet someone who’s as well-aged as this cheongukjang.
DD: (bored) Well, I see.

Two comments:

One, in terms of this rom-com, “temperature and time” mean attraction between the couple, and timing. Or fate.

Two, in the epilogue of Episode 3, he clumsily learns to cook cheonggukjang stew by himself.

b. In Episode 2, YS helps her mother dispose of spoiled cheonggukjang paste. Their conversation has double meaning.

Mom: I worked so hard on it, but why did it spoil? (tasting) Ugh. It’s so bitter.
YS: Then, what now?
Mom: What:
YS: Over one mistake? You’re throwing it all out just because it went bad?
Mom: I wouldn’t if I could fix it. These beans were expensive.
YS: (sighing) If even cheonggukjang can’t be saved, can I be saved?

My comment:

I would have thought that YS was referring to her recent break-up with her boyfriend. After all, she had spent one year with the guy. But to my surprise, she’s actually lamenting over her job prospects at DD’s company. After their blind date snafu, and her drunken mishap, she’s upset that she made such a bad impression that he won’t hire her.

This short scene tells me exactly how importance her ex was in her life.

c. In Episode 3, YS’ mother hands him a nicely wrapped dosirak (or bento box). He gets the impression that it contains choenggukjang.

Mom: Oh, okay. By any chance, do you like cheonggukjang?
DD: Pardon?
Mom: (handing him the nicely wrapped box) When you live aline, you must miss your mom’s cooking. Make sure you eat properly. Come visit anytime you miss a home-cooked meal.
DD: Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.

As he walks off, her mother wonders to herself, “Should I make him samgyetang next time?”

Once he gets home and unwraps the dosirak, he sees that it contains two layers of nicely prepared dishes.

Lol. The reason her mom asked about cheonggukjang is to determine what she was going to cook for him when he gets invited over soon. I think he got the message, too.

Also in the epilogue of Episode 3, DD learns to cook cheonggukjang in his kitchen. The fact that he doesn’t know how to turn on his stove tells us that this is his first time. I think, as early as Episode 3, he wants to be that “well-aged cheonggukjang”-like man YS’ grandmother wished for her.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

That’s it for now. I plan to do write-ups for the four episodes as well, but there’s a long queue of dramas I have to deconstruct and reconstruct.