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Dream High: Episode 3

You know, this show may be kind of predictable, but I’m liking it so far, with the cute characters and underdog setup that you know is manufactured for you to pull for certain characters but can’t help falling for every time. At least that’s how it is for me.

And despite my gloating to girlfriday about winning our epic battle of inflated hopes, that doesn’t mean I don’t like Dream High, since I think it’s easy to watch and, from a cinematography standpoint, super pretty to look at.

SONG OF THE DAY

Dream High OST – “Maybe” by Sunye [ Download ]

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EPISODE 3 RECAP

Hapless teacher Kang Oh-hyuk is directed by President Jung to locate the three special-admission students. Kang assumes that they’re especially talented, but no: they’re the ones marred by a few problems. One is dogged by pride and prejudice (Hye-mi, natch), one is aimless and rebels (Jin-gook), and one is a rural kid with little music background.

I get that President Jung here is supposed to be some kind of idol-making whiz, but really — those are your reasons for picking students? There’s no wonder your teachers think you’re cracked. Jung adds that the three remind him of Oh-hyuk himself — despite their shortcomings, he has a feeling that they might make something of themselves.

Back at the rural singing competition, Sam-dong pulls Hye-mi up to the stage and stands there nervously while the MC prompts them to perform a duet. Hye-mi tries to back down, saying she isn’t properly dressed, to which Sam-dong produces a spare vinyl-hobo-hoodie.

Finally Hye-mi loses her temper and throws it aside, yelling at Sam-dong for embarrassing her. She curtly refuses to participate and tells him to come with her back to Seoul, because he’s been accepted to Kirin.

However, Sam-dong is insulted and refuses to go with her. Back in Seoul, Oh-hyuk wails at her failure and his sister kicks her out. In the cold street, her sister wheezes out a pitiful, “If you had just worn… that… vinyl jacket…” By now it’s apparent that Hye-mi is fantasizing this, and when she comes back to the present, Sam-dong is still holding the jacket to her with nervous hope.

Then the song begins, and Sam-dong starts to sing. And whoa is he bad — warbling, out-of-tune, laughable. The thing is, his singing isn’t consistently awful — it’s like he’s copying lots of other styles and can’t quite get there. He growls like a rock star, which actually doesn’t sound so bad… until he transitions to high falsetto… which sounds okay until his voice cracks.

Hye-mi wonders if he’s a dance prodigy instead. Until he starts to dance like a child of the early ’90s, imitating cheesy pop dances by groups like Kid ‘n Play, or maybe Kris Kross, or old-school Seo Taiji. Oh, I loved you before this, Kim Soo-hyun, but the utter seriousness with which you tackle this dance — so earnest, so sincere! — makes me adore you even more.

Hye-mi watches with WTF face, though she joins in the dance for a few beats. The bell rings, cutting the performance short, and Sam-dong says good-naturedly that he deserved the bell.

But then, the MC asks Hye-mi to give her answer — will she accept the young man’s performance? Thinking of her own future, Hye-mi replies that she will… if he grants her one wish. Accompany her to Seoul.

Shy Sam-dong is so shocked he drops his mic. Prodded for an answer, Sam-dong stutters that… um… of course he’d like to go… but his mother has a bad back…

At which point Mom calls out from the audience that he can go. Yay Mom!

At Kirin, dance instructor Shi Kyung-jin (who happens to be the daughter of the shifty director of the arts department, Shi Beom-soo) informs her class of the upcoming ceremony for entering students. She intends to include a female solo.

Kyung-jin asks for a hand-count of those who want to be considered, and asks each girl why. One girl thinks it’ll be cool. A second student, Ah-jung, says tearfully that she wants her mother in heaven to see her onstage. Baek-hee feels overshadowed and backs down, ceding to Ah-jung. The rest of the students follow her lead and voice their support for the girl with the dead mom. (Barf, I say, contingent upon my suspicion that the sob story is faked.)

Hye-mi presents Sam-dong with the Kirin brochure, which he looks at bemusedly, wondering why he ought to go to Kirin. Hye-mi mentally wonders the same thing, but since her own admission is contingent upon his, she puts on a friendly face (la pauvre, how difficult that must be!) and says that the board director called him a prodigy, flirting a little for good measure.

Sam-dong is adorably rattled by her eyelash-batting and hand-grabbing, but he’s still hesitant. Hye-mi lays it on thick, saying she really wants to go to the school with him, but to her ire, he declines the opportunity.

Oh-hyuk calls her back up to Seoul, saying he’ll take over, but Hye-mi’s not about to give up. She’s got a “battle plan”: her beauty. Dear lord.

After finding Jin-gook injured, Oh-hyuk takes him to the hospital. The doctor asks him to contact Jin-gook’s guarantor, so Oh-hyuk goes through his phone looking for Mom, Dad, or Home. The name Hyun Mu-jin strikes him as promising (he knows Jin-gook by his birth name, Hyun Shi-hyuk), and he makes the call.

A short time later, Shi-hyuk — er, Jin-gook — sits with Hyun Mu-jin, aka his businessman father, with whom his relationship is strained. Dad sternly tells him that he allowed him to leave home with the promise that Jin-gook would live quietly, but if that’s not possible, he can always send sonny boy abroad. He starts to talk about how hectic his business has been, but that makes the previously contrite Jin-gook angry; shouldn’t his father have first asked if he was okay, and try to find out who’d done this to him?

Bitterly, Jin-gook says that he would’ve liked to oblige his father’s wish and lived out of sight, but he’s grown too old for that now.

Hye-mi follows Sam-dong home by stowing a ride on his tractor contraption, and continues her persuasion. Mom and son aren’t quick to believe her explanation that she’s scouting Sam-dong for his vocal talents — Mom looks blankly at him and asks, “Can you sing?” LOL. Sam-dong reminds her that they both heard him earlier. Double LOL.

Hye-mi tells him to think it over, then rises to leave, only to hear that there are no more buses back to Seoul. Smelling possible romance for her son, Mom’s happy to offer her a bed for the night.

To her embarrassment, Hye-mi needs to use the bathroom, and is led to the outhouse. Too mortified to go about her business with Sam-dong in earshot, she asks him to sing. He balks and tells her to do it, so reluctantly she does. She picks “Only Hope” by Mandy Moore, and her voice has him transfixed.

On the way back, she tells him to go ahead and laugh, but Sam-dong didn’t find it funny; she sang well. When she stumbles, he grabs her to keep her from falling, and tentatively takes her hand to lead her back.

Jin-gook returns to his cold basement in aggravation, where Oh-hyuk finds him and worriedly asks all the questions his father didn’t — Is he okay? Did he call the police?

Jin-gook takes advantage of the moment to groan about stomach pains… of hunger. Haha. Boy knows where to score a meal, even if he considers his supplier an annoyance. Not unlike Hye-mi.

He goes through seven orders of food while Oh-hyuk tries to convince Jin-gook that his special admission is an opportunity not to be missed. Jin-gook asks if the school will make him as famous as Michael Jackson, wanting his odds of success. 50%? 30%?

Oh-hyuk answers that Michael Jackson is one-of-a-kind, a 0.00001% type of star, and Jin-gook leaves, not about to put his efforts into a 0.00001% pipe dream.

Oh-hyuk catches up to him at the elevator and makes him a challenge: Jin-gook’s destination is on the 11th floor, which means that Oh-hyuk’s chances of running up the stairs and beating him there are, say, about 0.00001%. So if he beats him, will he reconsider?

With that, he counts to three and starts the race… leaving his shoe behind in the elevator door to keep it from closing, buying himself a few extra precious seconds.

Oh-hyuk gasps his way up the stairs, but when the elevator doors open, Jin-gook sees that he’s first.

Although he’d never admit his hopes to others, he’s disappointed to have won this bet, and instead of stepping out, he lets the doors close on him. Oh-hyuk scrambles to the elevator, and a few seconds later Jin-gook exits, having arrived for a second time. Aww, the tough boy has a marshmallow heart.

Jin-gook admits that he got there first, but he deliberately waited. With a smile, he asks if Oh-hyuk has a spare room at home, and methinks a certain sister is going to be mighty peeved with another houseguest…

Sam-dong drops Hye-mi off at the bus stop the next day, where he picks up the cell phone accessory she dropped. It was one that Baek-hee picked out for them to both use, so she tells him to keep it. (Aw, sadness. She doesn’t mean anything romantic by it, but it IS in the shape of a heart and he’s already nursing a serious crush on her… Just don’t break his heart, Hye-mi, or you’ll have raging noonas to deal with!)

Hye-mi tells him again to reconsider Kirin, and again he tells her that he isn’t going. The bus starts to leave, but as it turns the bend, he has a change of heart and goes running after it. When it pulls over at the side of the road, he asks Hye-mi one question: Why did she go onstage with him?

She asks what answer will get him to agree to go to Seoul, and he replies that, for instance, she could say she likes him. She immediately says, “I like you. I went onstage because I like you, so you have to come to Seoul.”

I’m not bothered by the fact that she’s lying because it’s pretty clear that he should know she’s just saying it to get her way, even if the words cause his heart to thump-thump and he imagines tiptoeing up to kiss her…

Still, he turns away at the last minute and says he’s not going. After the bus pulls away, he assures himself that she was lying, that he’s wise to avoid being hooked by her lies. Aw. Poor heartstruck boy.

Baek-hee runs into Hye-mi’s debt collector and, thinking he’s her driver, asks him to pass on several bags of Hye-mi’s clothing; it’s her version of the break-up box. The debt collector tells her that Hye-mi’s family was bankrupted, to Baek-hee’s shock. She calls Hye-mi mean for hiding this, but her tears indicate she still has sympathy for her old friend.

At Kirin, Oh-hyuk immediately recognizes new English teacher Jin-man and speaks to him like an old buddy. With President Jung there, however, Jin-man insists he’s never seen this guy before, ignoring Oh-hyuk’s claims of knowing him from way back in the day.

It’s not until they’re alone that Jin-man drops his feigned ignorance. Grabbing Oh-hyuk by the lapels, he says he remembers everything — like how it was Oh-hyuk’s idea to sing together, and how he’d been a no-show to their first broadcast appearance, how Jin-man had to give up his apartment deposit to pay back the contract fee. He warns Oh-hyuk to keep acting like they’re strangers.

Hye-mi comes home (to Oh-hyuk’s place) and is greeted by a shocking sight: Jin-gook wearing nothing but a towel. He takes a step toward her, which sends his towel slipping to the ground and prompts both to scream in horror.

She argues with Oh-hyuk for taking him in, calling Jin-gook a gangster, fighter, and a pervert to boot. I hope she feels reaaaal bad when she finds out he got beat up trying to help her.

President Jung takes a look at the empty classroom for students studying for university entrance exams. (This is a class that has been formed, then dropped, in his absence, meant for students who haven’t lived up to their musical potential. This is so they can at least continue their education in hopes of living normal lives, but students tended to drop out of school after being transferred here.)

President Jung sees words carved into the desktop, which read, “I’m not done yet” and “I want to sing” and “Hell.”

Director Shi finds him here to inform him of media presence at the welcome ceremony — the press has expressed particular interest in President Jung’s handpicked selections. This gives Director Shi an idea — something underhanded, for sure — but his self-satisfaction dies when the president agrees readily.

The new students line up to receive their school uniforms, and Jin-gook’s b-boy friend (whose name is Jo In-sung, lol) wrings some laughs out of the crowd by holding up a large skirt, joking that it’s a blanket. Pil-sook realizes that it’s hers and runs around the corner to hide in shame, particularly since her crush Jason was standing right there.

In-sung starts to read the nametag, which is when Jason brusquely steps up and claims it as his own, sparing Pil-sook the mortification. AW, you are too sweet. I forgive you for your embarrassingly cheesy flirting in Episode 1.

Jason finds Pil-sook sniffling alone in a back room, but instead of drawing attention to her source of embarrassment, he just leaves the uniform for her. Pil-sook is touched, and even more smitten than before. Oh, I’m gonna love this pairing, aren’t I?

Hye-mi arrives at the school to everyone’s great surprise, and to save face she declares that she hadn’t failed the audition after all; she’d been picked as a special admission. Now that Baek-hee knows about her family circumstances, she’s much more sympathetic and tries to talk to her comfortingly, but if there’s something Hye-mi won’t abide, it’s pity.

Baek-hee understands that Hye-mi lied out of pride and grabs her in a hug, apologizing because she hadn’t known her situation.

But Hye-mi shakes her off, unwilling to show weakness, which makes her words that much more cutting: “You asked how it felt to be third-rate. I don’t know that feeling yet — how does it feel? I think you’d know.”

Ouch. That one stings, and Baek-hee is shaken.

Hye-mi turns to leave with her head high, but the new class has already bonded and one student trips her. The rest crowd around Baek-hee to console her.

Now Baek-hee recalls Kyung-jin’s words about the solo solidifying a strong first impression, and wants to show Hye-mi more than ever. Finding the teacher, she revises her stance: She wants a crack at it.

Kyung-jin agrees to let both girls try out, and for a moment, Baek-hee feels sorry toward Ah-jung, to whom everyone had agreed to give the solo. Seeing her indecision, Kyung-jin offers some info to make this easier: Ah-jung’s mom isn’t dead. The teacher doesn’t see the lie as a bad thing — it was driven by ambition — and gives Baek-hee one last warning, to be revealed to us at a later moment.

Baek-hee sneaks to Ah-jung’s locker, where her better nature wars with her vindictive one. Finally she opens the locker and takes a pair of shoes.

Out in the sticks, Sam-dong finds himself humming “Only Hope,” and his mother surprises him by appearing around the corner to marvel that he really CAN sing. Why did he hide it all along? (Aha! I knew there were parts in his performance that were too good to be mixed with other parts that were so bad!)

She realizes, “You knew who your father was, didn’t you?” She confirms that his father was a singer, and asks if he’d thought she’d hate him singing because of his father.

Clumsily he denies it, but a mother knows, and she assures him that she loves music — it’s because of music that she met his father, and gained her son. Heartbreakingly, he asks tearfully, “Really?” She calls him a dummy for giving up the chance to go to Seoul.

At the bus stop near school, Jin-gook notices Hye-mi standing there with a scraped knee from her fall. A pair of girls smirk and identify her as that rude brat, which she ignores. Jin-gook motions her over, and she takes the seat.

He offers her an earbud, and when she declines, he puts it in her ear anyway. She takes it out — there’s no music — and he shows her that the buds aren’t plugged into anything. He says it’s useful for pretending not to hear the nasty things people say. Or for pretending you’re friends with someone who’s not your friend, meaning themselves.

So she takes it, and they sit there, pretending to listen to music together. It’s sweet.

Also sweet: Jason finds a lollipop taped to his locker, which Pil-sook happily watches him take.

Tryouts. Both girls dance at the same time to the same song, performing their best pop diva moves while their classmates watch. But a short while into the dance, Ah-jung falls to the ground in pain — something is in her shoe.

Kyung-jin shakes out a bloody tack, which was lodged inside. It looks as though the teacher may have an inkling as to what happened, but Baek-hee feigns wide-eyed shock.

The day arrives for the welcome ceremony. The press gathers, eager to see (1) why the ceremony has been opened up to the public, (2) who the three special admission students are, and (3) who will perform the solo.

Sam-dong arrives in Seoul, but is waylaid at the bus station when he sees a lost child, and his helpful nature can’t stand by without trying to reunite her with her parents.

The other three whose fates depend upon his arrival don’t know whether he intends to come, and worry that he won’t show. Time is ticking, and if he doesn’t make it, neither will they.

Those three sit anxiously while the show begins, starting with a group dance led by Jason.

That’s followed by the female solo, and who should be standing center stage but Baek-hee, assuming her best diva pose, presumably having come to terms with her underhanded tactics. And why not, given the tutelage she is under? While she performs, a flashback reveals Kyung-jin’s last warning to Baek-hee:

Kyung-jin: “Do you know what is more important than friends in this place? A rival — one you want to knock down. Because that’s what’ll spur you to grow.”

 
COMMENTS

While I don’t like Hye-mi outright, I have to say I think there’s potential there. I actually didn’t dislike her in this episode, because I can understand her offense-as-defense-mechanism strategy, even though she frequently crosses the line with it. Previously her bitchiness far outweighed her provocation (such as at the audition), and that did not endear her to us. But now, it’s funny that the former golden princess has become the outcast, while her former sidekick is gaining confidence and has lots of friends. So the underdog has become the queen bee, and the queen bee has become the underdog… I’m practically programmed to be rooting for Hye-mi now. It’s, like, kdrama law.

To be honest, I’m actually surprised at all the criticism of Suzy, because I think she’s actually doing a pretty good job — her line deliveries are solid and it doesn’t feel like she’s straining to act or emote, unlike (sorry) Taecyeon, where sometimes you can practically hear him talking himself through a scene: Scowl now, back off, frown, pause, look up, smile. Heh, now I find myself in the unexpected position of defending the idol while commenters largely tear her apart — are we in some bizarro land here?

I don’t mean to insist she’s good. But not horrible, methinks. I think she and Eunjung are nicely matched as their characters start inching toward reversal.

Speaking of which, I like that Baek-hee’s discovery of her inner Machiavelli comes largely on her own — she’s spurred by desire to trump Hye-mi, but she finds that drive within herself. It’s not like some outside force dropped a new personality within her, since she’s finding that she has it in her to manipulate her way to the top.

But really, for me this drama is about Kim Soo-hyun and his Sam-dong character. While it’s a little over-the-top to say that his mother has never heard him sing — while others presumably had, and were cheering him on to victory in droves — I can accept it, purely because we got that wonderful heartfelt mother-son moment. (Note: Sam-dong had actually intended to perform well at the competition, until he heard that his mother had shown up despite saying she wouldn’t. So he was careful to keep up the ruse around her — and yet, everyone else seemed to know he was good.) Plus, despite the flimsiness of his reasoning — that Mom hates music because of Dad — it’s the kind of thing that a fatherless child might internalize and get hurt by, which just breaks my heart.

Go, Sam-dong! Be your awesome self! (Please be K!)

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I am so surprise i have no urge to watch ep 3 after anticipating it so much!

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..reading this recap will have to reignite my urge/love for this drama..somehow...

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Episode 3 will wet your appetite for Episode 4, and so far, episode 4 is the best. I'm practically rooting now for Hye-mi (Suzy) just like JB =). I think she's very good, however, Eun-jung is quite effective as Baek-hee, i hope she would be able to carry it till the end.

I'm also praying that they will show more singing and dancing. I'm waiting now of UI (Pil-sook) to turn into swan.

love, love, love this kdrama.

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i forgot to mention Uhm Ki Joon and PYJ are both great too. I hope they will also perform eventually =)

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Me too! I find both Hye-mi and Baek-hee beautiful, the latter is particularly good at intimating her vulnerable side and her mean side! If I had to choose it would be Suzy, I find her acting natural. The plot line, whereby Hey-mi is allowed to believe Jin-gook deceived her when he said that when he graduated he wanted her to be with her 'on stage', was cruel especially since it was his father and Jin-gooks need to bow to his wishes, that deceived her. These two have a chemistry for me that argues they should be together. Sam-dong is puppy like and in a way noble; like Jin-gook he protects her and cares for her. But I also think he is a bit pitiful. I just think Sam-dong is not up to Jing-gook's level. Overall this drama series has surprised me it is much more emotionally affecting than I had expected!

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I thought I was the only one! For some reason I'm not wanting to watch ep 3 at all. Strange....?

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LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!

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This is so weird, but I'm getting hooked on this drama and I have NO IDEA why. The acting, the cast, the plotline.... nothing is really that exciting objectively and yet here I am really looking forward to watching more. Am I crazy?

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there are no words to express my love for kim soo hyun
or his ultra cute accent
or his explosive hair
or his rice bag costume :)
SONG SAM DONG HWAITING!

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saaaame!!!
and he's an Oppa to me which is an added bonus ;)

annnd I do the earphone thing too! even when my ipods dead i still pretend to be listening to something just so i don't have to talk to people I can't stand, and better still, they're pretty awesome in picking up juicy goss when people think you can't hear.. Ha!

Kinda reaaally digging DH... so much that the Aus Floods are down the road, but I just had to catch this readcap before my place floods, and worse.. NO INTERNET! horrors! ^^

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i've waiting for this all day!!! loveeee song samdong!! hahaha the wretched singing was super duper awesome.

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yay, recap!
yay, sam dong!

and i'm also glad that i'm not the only one who thinks that suzy's actually doing pretty good and that taecyeon is a bit awkward. in fact, i actually found him annoying here that i tend to skip his scenes.

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thank you! sigh, i can't seem to find the ep with english subs.

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The sub for ep 3 is out on DarkSmurf for a few hours now. That site has the fastest sub release.

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thanks!

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I still don't like Suzy, but I do thinkbshes improved the first episode. To be honest though I've taken to skipping scenes with her and anyone other than the country bumpkin.
Hmm, I think I watch this drama for Pilsook and Jason. Cuuute! I cant wait for her transformation; I adore IU.
As an amateur scriptwriter I feel like Baekhees transformation is a little awkward. Logically her emotions and changes in them make sense, but I'm not emotionally feeling it.

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I don't understand the complaints about Suzy's acting either, she's a lot better than Taecyon. I remember not expecting much from her so I was really surprised at her in the first two episodes, especially by the second--- where i really felt that she was becoming even more natural.

I feel like people will always bash the actress playing the role of the bitch.

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Suzy's acting isn't as bad as everyone's making it out to be, but she sort of lacks expression, at least to me. Still, I think she's doing a good job holding her own.

I've only watched half this episode so I can't say much, but I am enjoying Dream High especially now that Kim Soo Hyun has more than fifteen seconds of screen time. They had shown that he would be an odd, likeable character, but once Sam Dong started that awful singing, I loved him. I hope he's K too.

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eunjung!!!!!!!!! i like the change but i still love her cute self more.

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cuties all around. I kinda like that they are not all leads and seconds in this drama. Will be watching for updates.

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I agree that Suzy isn't as bad as many said.
I'm always awed every time Kim Soo Hyun goes on~!!OMG I love him, so very very very much~!!!

And I adore Pilsook and Jason, they are so cute. I can't wait for Pilsook's transformation, since I'm a big fan of IU.

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Can somebody post up the link to video with the english subs thanks!

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I feel bad that people are bashing Sozy so much. I read an article saying that korean netizens were praising Eunjung and Taecyeon for their ~amazing~ acting skillz and bashing Suzy. Maybe people are confused, and they hate her bitchy character? (I read at least one complaint about the line in episode 2, that she wasn't kneeling; she was just looking at the guy's nostrils. Okay, she didn't write the damn thing...) But you know, if she can make you hate her that much, she must be doing SOMETHING right.

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I'm only watching this drama for the sake of Kim Soo Hyun and Eunjung. Also, Yoonji (I think that's the teacher's name). As for the others, I think they need more practice.

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i want to watch this drama but the idea that the cast is so young not only makes me think i m the wrong target audience but it d also make me feel super old and i know it d be a hit to my ego...also feel bad crushing on such youngin's.
has the age of the cast ever bothered anyone else?

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Me, nope, I'm so fine. Hehe!

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I gotta say, Suzy reminds me a lot of Yoon Eunhye. Some features are so alike.

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thanks javabeans!!!!

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Is Sam Dong the male lead? As in there's a high chance of Hye Mi ending up with him rather than Jingook?

Honestly, I hope he is because Kim Soohyun >>>>>>>> Taecyeon

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imo, taec >>>>> kimsoohyun, hee sorry i just had to say this :) I hope hyemi ends up with samdong & taec ends up with eunjung too.

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okay now Kim Soo Hyun needs to effin cut his hair so that he'll be good looking

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aah but i luv the hair!

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starting to not like baek-hee... maybe cos her tranformation feels so abrupt and sudden. and the underhanded method for putting thumbtacks on ah-jung's shoes is just so cheap. at least ah-jung faked something that doesn't harm others, but baek-hee.. i dont know. i hope they dont make her too evil because i actually liked her in the first two episodes.

jason and pil-sook is just sooooo adorable. thats the only coupling im going to properly root for in this :D i previously thought jason would be cold to her, since he's the top student and she's the ugly duckling, but seriously he's thoughtful even if outside he looks like he doesnt care. i love it already :)

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I also hope the writers don't make Baek Hee too evil a character. Not all good, kind hearted people have an inner evil b*tchy side. T_T, Like not all selfish, b*tchy people have inner kindness. Trust me. I know such people.

Also,Jason and Pilsook are already so cute <3.
the only coupling I'm also rooting for as well. It kind of dismays me that she has to 'transform' to get the guy.
Why can't he just like her for who she is?
Oh well. This is what we get for living in a shallow society.

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but at least they made jason already nice to her from the start, when she's still in her ugly duckling suit. if they make her pretty first than he's interested in her later, thats just going to add into the shallowness of things. so im glad jason is already that nice and accepting to her. its adorable :)

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actually I believe Jason is just one of her motivations in order to change. and he already has some sort of liking to her. it's not like he asked or even hinted that she has to change. he's already giving her attention.

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I agree....at first I liked baek hee, but the fact that she would go so low as to putting TACKS in the other girls shoes is gonna make it impossible for me to like her even if she did show some kindness after finding out that hye mi's family went bankrupt...
I don't understand why everyone hates hye mi so much...
She's going through a lot with going from privileged life to homeless and the way she acts is obviously just a defense mechanism

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[Spolier] Hyemi possibly trumps her in ep 4.

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i think suzy's acting is okay and not as bad as how people say it~

and darn eunjung is hawt <333

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Aw, Sam-dong. He is cute, innocent, sweet. He is gorgeous. I love his hair haha. (Altough in the next episode he changes it, but he still looks good). The relationship that he has with his mom is lovely.

I don’t mind Suzy, but I don’t like when she screams. She looks more natural in this episode. I know he is bitchy and everything but I don’t like when the guy put his foot and she fell..

In random notes, I love Jason´s hair. And in this episode he dances! I like the dance. The music sounds like “My love”.

Thank you for the recap!

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HyeMi is being a biettttch and breaks BH's heart AGAIN. Why am I not surprise.....

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I actually love dramas like this...people giving a chance to realize their dreams if they just work so hard for it.

Frankly speaking, I haven't fallen inlove with the 2 leads. I am more rooting for Eunjung and Samdong. I just hope though that the writers will not make Eunjung so much of a bitch. I was hoping that she really didn't do that thing with the shoes.

This is just a I will wait and see drama for me. I just hope the coming episodes are good because I will have only My Princess to watch after SG finishes....

Thanks for the recap Javabeans...

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I can't stop drooling over Taecyeon capped pictures :x He looks so frickin' good!

Suzy looks sooooo much like Taeyeon from SNSD

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hyemi is a spoiled brat. (no surprise here).but what baekhee doing to ah jung is just mean..she has the chance to not doing it,but she did.

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lol did you add that "sorry" wondering if Taecyeon might read your blog? He's the only actor in the show (that I know of) that can understand english. He does seem a little strained though but I think his line deliveries are pretty decent

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Taecyeon's fans are reading her blog. :)

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LOL.
Actually I had this idea in mind, that I'd screencap JB's comment on his acting and send it to his twitter.
He tweeted asking about his acting and wanted his followers to give him critics - well, i don't know whether he'll be able to read them all though, i bet thousand of fangirls tweet him everyday - and JB's critic is something he can learn from.

:D

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dude, you should totally do it!

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lmao. ahhhh i did forget about the rabid kpop fans

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Thanks for the recap! I think this may be a recap drama for me instead of actually watching the drama... or maybe I'll wait to watch when all the episode is completed. I tried watching the first two episodes, but for some reason it didn't draw me in (yet...). For me, Suzy was okay - not bad, but not "wow" either. I think Eunjung is better at acting because she plays this "cool" type of character well (in addition to playing a more quirky character in Coffee House). It really shows she has range to play different characters. Taecyeon is better in this drama than Cinderella's Sister - but I think it's more because he's got a better character in this drama to portray.

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Really liked this episode. I actually watched it twice! And I agree with you. Suzy's acting isn't great but it isn't that bad either! I think she'll get better as the drama goes on. I really like her character HyeMi. I mean people say she's a bitch but these types of people tend to have a more genuine heart, I think. BaekHee, on the other hand, cracked... I would think she has become the new bitch... almost to the point of psycho bitch. lol And I really like the Jason/PilSuk love line (though my cousin would probably kill me for saying this, since she's obsessed with WooYoung) XDD! I'm interested to where it'll go. Really excited for tomorrow's episode!!

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BH is the one that has a genuine heart but being treated as crap.

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the only person that treated BH as crap was Hyemi. I didnt see the need for BH to put the tack in the girl's shoe she was competeing against other than making her look like a b**ch.

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I totally agree....like when hye mi cried for jingook when thy were younger..
Since hye mi's the lead, I kinda get the feeling thatbaek hee's gonna become super b*tchy/competitive bc of what the stupid teacher told her and in order to make us root for hye mi
Im really starting to not like that teacher...especially the way she acted at pil sook's audition...yelling at her for not wanting to take the costume off... >:(

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X know what to expect out of this series. Cute. Sweet. hmm. Good job to recappers!

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I do not mind Suzy acting, but I really don't like her character.. :( I can't seem to sympathise with her, especially after watching this episode. I do not like hyemi nor baekhe, so less motivation continuing the drama since I am rooting for none.

Oh well, I'll be reading you next recap before I resume watching it again... hopefully it gets better.

However, I love IU storyline tho :D so cute!

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I really liked this ep, it feels like the story has truly developed and characters are starting to find their 'places' - eunjung being really mean (seriously i didnt think she would do that just to earn the chance of performing a solo stage), samdong enrolling into kirin, suzy & taec developing mutual feelings (sortof, i used to ship euntaec but it seems like taeczy may turn out pretty well too), wooyoung&iu killing you with their cuteness. :)

The show's like a fun relaxing teenage drama, you can predict what's going to happen next but that doesnt stop you from anticipating it :)

AND TAEC IS SUCH AN EYE-CANDY :) his acting is decent too, i was actually pretty moved by the convo he had with his dad. He looked like he was deprived of so much love

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i am probably in the minority here, but i like Hyemi. i know she's bitchy and stubborn and has whole lot of other bad traits, but i honestly think she's a genuine girl who does care (in her own sort of way) for the people she loves (e.g. her sister). she just need to tone down her pride and learn to be more empathetic, which i hope she will. and the girl's got determination and perseverance, and i find that quite admirable.
I've never thought Suzy's acting was bad, but i just wish that her could be just a tad...ok, a lot more expressive in some of the scenes.

Samdong, gah!! finally!!! he is so adorkable, i love how lovestruck he is and how he's such a mama's boy. seriously, if he managed to (most probably will) hook up with Hyemi, he's going to be so whipped by her.

by the way, did anyone find the singing-while-pooping scene sweet yet hilariously awkward? i might've find it somewhat romantic too if i can forget the fact that she was doing a number two....lol

thanks for the recap.

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OMG, is that Eom Ki Joon? The evil-looking guy from Worlds Within? Rawrrrrrr.

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I really like the moment between Sang-dong and his mother. I've seen something similar played out before but it still pulls at my heartstrings. If anyone here has watched One Tree Hill (an American TV series), you'd know what I'm talking about.

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Q: Seriously can you sing that kind of melody while you poop? I mean forcing your voice out of your lung and forcing out...downward? LOL.

HM will break SD 's heart for sure, and if SD still keeps continue with his unwavering love even THAT! awww...

The idols are striving their best in their acting and same as each character in this drama and I find myself striving to continue watching this show too, LOL
I'm still on this one, Dream High!

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Nice recap, as always :) especially awesome that you translated what was written on the dusty tables in the "forgotten" class room. it sorta bugs me they always leave this kind of stuff out of the subs.
I think Suzy is doing an okay job- but I actually like Taecyeon's acting. Maybe I'm being delusional due to the pretty, but his speech and gestures seem genuine to me.
<3

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I still haven't watch this show yet ...can't decide whether its worth it..mmm Suzy reminds me of Seul from Secret Garden..Mmm Thanks for the recap anyway!!

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I still like it so far. At least it's still watchable - eye candies surely help - but I like the story, I always like school drama.

The acting, nothing great, but not that bad either.
Thank you for great recap as always!

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I was hoping BaekHee wouldn't turn out evil but it seems like she'll probably realize her wrongdoings in the end and then make up with HyeMi...if that's the kind of drama this will turn out to be. I just hope it's not super late aftershe's done some questionable stuff. Although I have to say that it's in her nature to do mean things -- I can't help but feel it was spurred on by Hye Mi....even when they were friends she had an attitude towards her - and you could really see BaekHee's soft side in this episode. She easily goes back and forth based on current events.

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That tractor thing Sam-Dong uses looks exactly like the one Oh Man Suk used in the Vineyard Man!! :)

Pil -Sook is gonna do a 200 pound beauty type transformation(though via a Diet/Exercise) I think.Her rubber-like features are too obvious!!

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I feel like I'm largely watching this drama for it's side characters, you know?

The teachers (esp Yoonji who hasnt had a show since... WGM? lol), Samdong (who I find adorable), and the Jason/Pil-Sook couple (because they are endearing as the only kind souls in this drama about driven ambition).

This drama is good in that brainless fluff kind of way. It's a nice break from having to think. But... none of the main characters have captured me.

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eunjung (baekhee) was so amazing when she was dancing in the end. i'm more of a kpop than a kdrama addict, but i love both :) but eunjung makes my heart beat!

i've never loved evil this much. i think i'll be rooting for her all the way on.

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I think the problem with is not that she is an awful actor, but she plays it so stiff, the same ppout, the same better than you look, etc. I just don't think she really injects anything into her character.

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*Sigh* Who knew that these dramas (Dream High & My Princess) which I actually thought will be super bad isn't bad at all?

I actually like what they did to Baek-hee's character. She isn't the bitch-since-birth type of rival like most other dramas. She has a kind heart but she's just being pushed to be a meanie. But I'm on Hye-mi's side since episode 2. ;)

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I'm also watching this for Kim Soohyun and wish he had more scenes. Please, I hope his heart isn't shattered. And I can't wait 'til he "cleans up" though I like his country look (too endearing).

I think Suzy is a bad actor if you look at her objectively. Yet placed in this particular drama, she's okay. It's like, you don't expect young rookies on a sitcom to perform well (say, New Nonstop), and I have the same mindset approaching Dream High. I did find her flirtatious moments adorable and well-acted, but as soon as she has to put the bitch-face back on, she reads monotonous. Anyway, here's hoping to improvement with passing episodes.

(Is it bad I adore Jason, cheesy English and all?)

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I enjoy seeing BH's inner struggle. You can literally tell this girl has no confidence, but she's fighting her morals to make up for what she lacks.

A little bit sadistic, but it's just that much more fascinating than aliens dropping a new personality on BH.

I still haven't warmed up to HM's character. I don't equate pride and "prejudice" to be strong and determined. I know everyone is saying that's her flaw and that is what makes her that much more interesting... except at this point the only transformation I see has been BH. I hope for some equally same transformation in HM, and not a default setting of "BH is a complete pyscho bitch so HM is automatically the victim to her and so I must root for her."

I hate pity parties and would love to see both girls bitch it out instead. None of that, poor girl with two charming protectors.

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I 100% agree with you. Though what BH did at the end wasn't a shining moment it's the beginning steps of her turning into someone who will do anything to succeed.

BH's story is the most interesting part of this drama for me since we get to watch her sell her soul. Her losing her compassion and morality in order to be #1 and win. I hope she doesn't get too evil though. She needs to be able to still atone for her mistakes at the end - IF that happens.

I can't like HM's character. Despite the million and one people defending her, I just can't. I no longer HATE her but I am not rooting for her. She needs an attitude check and until I see her learn humility and how to respect others (no matter how crappy your own personal life is) I will never like her. And I'm sorry, what she did to BH. Awfully cruel. The difference to what BH did to the other girl (which I admit was intense) was that they are just fellow students. But BH and HM were best friends. Geez - BH was HM's only friend. One whom HM abused, humiliated, hurt and threw away. Don't be surprised when that comes back to bite you. A thin line between love and hate, remember?

So we know for sure Pil-Sook and Jason will be a couple but I'm still lost who the other pairings are. Is it Taecyon and HM or Kim Soo Hyun and HM? And why do I have the feeling that BH isn't meant to get with anyone at the end?

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totall agree!!!!

so what if her family goes bankrupt, it's not like she's dying of some terminal illness. not enough to make me really sympathize with her and defend her.

i feel more sympathatic towards bh instead. c'mon, you call her your best friend and she ditch you in the end. not only that, do you boss your best friend around? like asking her to take your whole bunch of suitcase, treating her like your servant.

i hope bh will be stronger, not meaner!

actually, if you think about it, the girls are kind of balance. you can neither really side either one.

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Jason and Pilsuk are too darn cute, omg. I was so worried that she would be stuck following around a cold asshole who didn't give a shit about her but now we know he's actually a pretty nice guy. Looking forward to seeing more of them!

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i do love this kind of underdog story <3 who knows Kim Soo Hyun can sing so well? I love it! I haven't seen either ep 3 or 4 (waiting for subs - SG is the only drama im crazy enough about to watch raw) I do think HM's character is interesting. She's a bit bipolar - nice one moment and bitchy the next, but for people who complain she hasn't transformed: I want to believe it's too early for her to do so. Their training hasn't even begun yet. Hopefully by being in the "special ed" class, she'd be humbled by having to work her way up and therefore would become a better person.
What's with these high school stories and their irresistible charms that make us turn a blind eye to their flaws??

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My comment wasn't a complaint. It was stated observation.

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