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Marriage Plot: Episode 1

And tvN does it again with another light-hearted comedy with a layer of depth lurking under the romancing-and-bickering surface. Marriage Plot—or Wedding Scheme, or Marriage Scheme, or you get the idea—premiered Monday and gives us interesting characters, quippy banter, and a surprising emotional core that grounds the show.

The cable channel has been actively courting two key markets in recent years, and in my opinion doing a pretty bang-up job at both: the twenty- and thirtysomething single female demographic (I Need Romance, Twelve Men in a Year, Manny) and the teenage/youth audience (Shut Up: Flower Boy Band, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop). If fast-paced rom-coms or youthful storylines aren’t your bag, perhaps the tvN lineup isn’t up your alley, but for me? Ooh, yes, and more please. Basically, I have found my people.

SONG OF THE DAY

Marriage Plot OST – “그대도 나와 같다면” (If you’re like me) by Kim Hyun-joong
[ Download ]

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EPISODE 1 RECAP

A wedding appears to be unfolding in an oddly industrial-looking warehouse, except there are no guests. No minister, either. There’s just a bride and groom standing at the altar, and a SWAT team mobilizing outside. Your standard Saturday afternoon.

The groom spouts off condescendingly about the nature of women and marriage, such as how men all lie when they say they want a smart woman, but that women let those lies hoodwink them. “Women who are fooled by false men are beautiful,” he says smugly.

Then the bride lifts her veil, and his pretension fizzles into fear. She smirks and raises a gun to his head. The SWAT team rushes in and the head agent yells at the bride, “No! You’ll get nothing out of killing someone like him!” Satisfyingly, the groom’s voice cracks: “Kill? Me? WHY?!” What, could you not just hear yourself?

Groom makes a break for it, dodging explosions. Bride follows, ripping off her dress to reveal the black combat gear underneath. Groom dances to avoid her gunfire, and shouts exasperatedly, “Why are you doing this?!”

She yells back that she did all the work—it was her idea, her execution, and he took credit! He wags a finger back at her; that’s her problem, she doesn’t know how to be a team player.

That pisses her off, and she continues chasing him through the ruins of a building. She beats him up, growling that she’s made herself ill because of him, grinding her teeth.

The SWAT team catches up to them, and Groom yells for rescue. Bride corners him with a fresh gun, turning his sexist comments around on him with a dig about how men’s useless nipples are proof that God half-assed the job when creating the male gender (ha). She pulls the trigger.

Sadly for YOO GUN-HEE (Kang Hye-jung), this is the point at which she wakes up. At work. With the annoying Groom—er, LEE KANG-JAE (Lee Kyu-han) looking down at her desk with raised eyebrow.

Kang-jae makes more sexist comments, like how it’s unlikely a woman would die from overwork. But here in the workplace, Kang-jae’s the big dog so Gun-hee grits her teeth and tells him she’s working on the presentation. She rolls her eyes at his pompous lecture and vows to kill him, someday.

Kang-jae’s a total prick when it comes to, well, everything, but he just barely manages to stay on this side of the funny line without being too infuriating. (Well, he IS infuriating, but it’s amusing since we can anticipate a reversal.)

For instance, he finds Gun-hee avoiding him at a cafe, then proceeds to tell her a story about one of his female classmates who’s a lot like her—a fat, smart girl who was always at the top of her class in high school, who figured she could always date in college. But she got to college and was still fat and frumpy, and when she managed to improve her looks, she was busy studying and preparing for graduation. So she graduated without ever going on a date. “Oh, but I’m not talking about you,” he smiles.

Kang-jae’s just glib enough to be charming, till you register his words and then you want to hit him. Gun-hee argues that she wasn’t like that, and he replies, “Sure, let’s pretend that’s true.” She insists she was such a femme fatale that she had men following her around, and after laughing out loud, he calls her bluff. Okay, then approach that guy over there and prove her powers of attraction.

Gun-hee takes up the challenge: She’ll get that guy with one word. He offers to do a dance right here and now if she succeeds.

Cut to: Kang-jae, arms crossed, pouting that he didn’t know they were super close college friends.

Gun-hee says sweetly, “I wasn’t the one who picked the guy.” Turns out her sunbae, Su-ho, is being scouted by their employer, a food products company named Sangcharim (meaning table setting or full table). They talk business for a minute before Gun-hee reminds Kang-jae to make good on the dance.

Kang-jae approaches the arguing couple at the next table, and when the boyfriend raises his hand to the girlfriend, Kang-jae smoothly intercepts his hand… and breaks into rap-dance. He looks crazy, but it’s actually kind of impressive in the way he defuses the situation while simultaneously rapping his views on romance (“This is why I don’t fall in love”), then tells the girl to break up with the guy instead of crying.

Gun-hee, on the other hand, ducks away with her sunbae pretending not to know the crazy man.

A filming crew tapes a segment in the home of its interview subject, a woman running a small but prestigious kimchi company, Chinjung Kimchi. She explains her kimchi-making process for the cameras.

Mom compares one type of kimchi to her eldest daughter, since both are sweet and simple. Said daughter stumbles her way into frame, dropping a stack of dishes. SUN-HEE (Lee Young-eun) totally misunderstands the interviewer’s question but doesn’t catch on, smiling pleasantly.

Moving on, Mom compares her third daughter to another type of kimchi: strong personality and passionate. Speaking of the devil, MIN-JUNG (Kim Se-jung) makes her appearance looking sexy, playing to the camera like they’re here to cover her.

Mom hurriedly moves on to Daughter #2: strong flavor, spicy and salty, competitive. Right on cue, Gun-hee bursts into the kitchen ranting about the creeps who parked in front of the gate and how she’d like to stick a knife in their tires. She stops short to see the crew and promises, “But I didn’t!”

Mom is dismayed to have all her descriptions of her girls proven so wrong, and asks if they can cut the whole part about the daughters out. Haha.

Gun-hee starts to work on her presentation, only to have Mom catch sight of her computer screen and flip out — now Gun-hee’s big corporate employer is moving into the kimchi market? She’s working against Mom?

Mom argues that food shouldn’t be made in factories and tells Gun-hee (not for the first time) to quit that job. People and food both need to have their own taste; neither Gun-hee nor her boss have that taste, as people.

Gun-hee orders her mom to quit nagging, wincing when she goes overboard and hurts her feelings, though she doesn’t apologize for it.

There’s similar bickery tension between Kang-jae and his CEO father, who sits him down for a drink that night. Dad cuts him down to size, which is pretty satisfying: When Kang-jae says he’s got to prepare for a very important presentation tomorrow, Dad scoffs, “Psh, it’s not like you even did anything.”

Kang-jae blusters that he did too do tons of work — it’s just the wrap-up that he’s leaving to his subordinates. So Dad tests him with a basic kimchi question, which Kang-jae doesn’t know.

Apparently Dad’s kimchi enterprise is a sudden move for Sangcharim, and Kang-jae complains that Dad’s making everyone suffer for his whim. Dad says it’s because there’s a particular brand of kimchi that’s out of this world, so he wants to get into the game. He’d like to buy Chinjung Kimchi out, but the company’s owner—a longtime acquaintance—insists that food shouldn’t be made in factories, and that the food Dad makes isn’t real food. I enjoy that Kang-jae nods and agrees with the Chinjung president, and Dad literally kicks him out of the room.

Gun-hee oversleeps and freaks out at her sister, who’s meditating to a video on her laptop. (“Unni, why didn’t you wake me?!” “You told me not to interfere with your private life.” I love that touché seems such an appropriate word with her.) She rushes to work—or tries to, but finds herself stuck because Mom has parked in front of her. She yells at her to move.

Mom has just about had enough of Gun-hee’s bad-tempered demands, but she gives her one last chance, asking if Gun-hee considers Mom or work more important. Gun-hee dismisses that impatiently, saying whatever, just move the car. So Mom replies, “No. Call a tow truck.” HA. Well, it’s not like she didn’t give you a chance.

CEO Dad calls Kang-jae to his office in a snit that morning, throwing a tissue box at his head that Kang-jae easily avoids, and we find out that the father-son relationship is a secret at the office. Dad is annoyed to hear that Kang-jae isn’t even making the upcoming investment presentation himself, and he replies that he left it to a competent employee.

Dad: “If you don’t get that investment—”
Kang-jae: “I’ll fire her.”
Dad: “No—not her. You.”
Kang-jae: “You’ll fire me?”
Dad: “Not fire. But… I’ll make you do whatever you haaaate the most.”

They’re so immature with each other, and it cracks me up.

Gun-hee flies into the building just barely in time and begins the presentation… only to find that the flash drive got swapped with her sister’s meditation program. Uh-oh.

Hilariously, the interpreter keeps translating the meditation instructions to the Japanese investor, and the puzzled employees follow along with the exercise.

Afterward, Gun-hee sits in the empty conference room and has to laugh at the ridiculousness of the failed presentation. But not for long.

In his office, Dad throws a tissue box again, but Kang-jae doesn’t duck: “I deserved to be hit this time.” Heh. Dad admits that he figured out somewhere in the middle of the cross-legged stance that things had gone awry, “But I couldn’t stop then—stopping would have made it weirder!” Dad offers a bit of life wisdom, saying that sometimes you have to go along with something, even when you know it’s wrong.

Kang-jae offers to fire Gun-hee, but Dad says it’s Kang-jae’s responsibility and decides he’ll send him to the States. Kang-jae protests, “But you know I don’t like the U.S.” Dad: “I do. That’s why you’re going.” This relationship cracks me up. It’s like Chi-soo and dad in Ramyun Shop, albeit one notch lower on the ladder of absurdity.

Kang-jae refuses to go and storms out of the office, just as Gun-hee is trying to plead with the secretary for a moment of the president’s time. She hangs her head and apologizes to him, but he cuts her off, saying he never expected much from her anyway: “It’s my fault for entrusting a woman to do this.”

Do you want to hit him? I want to hit him. I think Gun-hee wants to hit him too, because at that she follows him out and demands to know why he hates her so much. If he was soooo convinced she’d fail because she’s a woman, what was he doing assigning it to her anyway? “You were hoping I’d fail, weren’t you? Because I’m a woman?!”

He turns to her glaring, saying that she’s making business personal, and asks why she’s so cocky and sharp-edged about everything. She fires back that it’s because of guys like him, always spouting off about women being inferior. He retorts that unlike some women, he doesn’t blame others for his mistakes.

Mom arrives home that night, disappointed that her daughters have forgotten her birthday. With a heavy sigh, she heads inside the empty house and makes her own birthday dinner.

Gun-hee comes home shouting for her sister, who arrives just after her. Gun-hee yells at Sun-hee for the flash drive and calls her by her first name, which earns her a slap from Mom—mostly for disrespectfully using Sun-hee’s name (instead of unni), but also because tensions are already high and it’s been that kind of day.

(Side note: In case you wonder what the fuss is, you just cannot call an older family member by name, especially out of anger and not, say, in jest. I was slapped for this once in my life, and I was joking. Lesson learned. And if you do want to tempt the fates, do it out of parental earshot.)

Gun-hee isn’t the least bit sorry, though, and fumes that she’s sick and tired of family. No matter how hard she lives her life, they’re always there to mess things up. Mom turns to her in a combination of horror and anger, saying that she only thinks of work and never her family.

Gun-hee bites out, “Aren’t those words for Dad? I only remember what he looked like from the back.” Her eyes start to fill with angry tears: “He went to work before we were awake, and came home when we were asleep. Then he left his whole family behind and died! Have we ever gone on a trip together? Did we ever eat a meal outside the house together? Even if I try to remember Dad, I have no memories.”

Mom tries to say that Dad adored her, that she used to follow him around, but Gun-hee screams that she doesn’t have any memories of him and storms out.

Sun-hee can’t stop Gun-hee from driving off, and third daughter Min-jung stumbles home drunk and wishes Mom happy birthday, then vomits. Mom thinks to herself that she raised her daughters wrong, and decides, “I can’t let things go like this. I have to do something.”

Gun-hee drives to the river, blinking back tears. Kang-jae sits in the empty office contemplating his fate.

In the morning, the company bulletin board has a few startling reassignments: Kang-jae is being transferred to the U.S. office in Alaska, Gun-hee is appointed to a new department, and the new recruit Su-ho will be the new planning director (taking Kang-jae’s old job).

Mom informs her secretary of her plans, and while we don’t hear them, they must be extreme enough to make the secretary protest that it’s a drastic measure. She says this is something she has to do for her family, before it’s too late.

Kang-jae’s sunbae drags him to lunch, then drools over the program featuring Chinjung Kimchi on TV. It’s the segment Mom filmed the other day… including the part where Gun-hee storms in.

Kang-jae bolts upright. Wait… so Gun-hee’s the daughter of the Chinjung Kimchi owner? Wheels… turning…

Meanwhile, Gun-hee prepares to submit her resignation letter, sighing to her mild-mannered sunbae Su-ho. He says it’s too bad, since he was happy to be working at the same company with her.

Kang-jae bursts in, and she hands him her letter straightaway and shoves him out of the office. He tries to push back inside to talk, but she’s sick and tired of him and screams that she’s not in the mood to listen to him spout off about women. He retorts that if she toughens up to match the men, she won’t be the subject of discrimination.

Gun-hee shouts back that fine, he’s right. But the fight saps out of her as she sinks to the ground, tired now: “But I’m weaker than you think.”

Bolstered by his new information, Kang-jae tracks down his father to ask if scoring Chinjung Kimchi will be enough to change his mind—if he can get them, can he stay in Korea?

Mom’s already receiving advice to expand into foreign markets, although she’s hesitant about going too big. Her secretary assures her that the response overseas has been fantastic, and adds that he’s busily looking into that other thing.

Mom takes a call with someone and says she’s fine now, and that she’s doing this for her daughters. She’ll tell them today, though she worries whether they’ll follow along.

Kang-jae confronts Gun-hee in the company lobby, as she’s heading out with Su-ho and a colleague for drinks. He’s about to argue her resignation again (as in, refuse to accept it), but she warns him to cut it out and leaves anyway.

Kang-jae chases her out, grabbing a taxi to follow hers. He shouts at her from his moving cab, then points to her co-worker sitting in his vehicle: “Doesn’t this letter make you think of somebody?”

In a flashback, we see Gun-hee counseling that co-worker, who’d been crying and wanting to quit her job. It was Gun-hee who’d told the woman not to quit over something this small, telling her that rock bottom often presents the most opportunity.

Now Kang-jae gets out of his car—they’re pulled over, thankfully—and reminds her of those words. Their opportunity: kimchi. He’d gotten the go-ahead from the president, and now he and Gun-hee are in charge of a new project, which includes a promotion for Gun-hee. The goal: acquire Chinjung Kimchi. Since she’s so closely tied to them, he considers this a done deal. Easy peasy.

They start to shake on it, but are interrupted by phone calls by their respective parents. Dad has a few details to add, like Gun-hee’s new title, which is higher than anticipated. Kang-jae: “You want me to work under her?!”

Mom apologizes for the fight last night, and says she’s decided that running the business is too hard for her, and she’s going to hand it off. Gun-hee: “Give it to whom?!”

 
COMMENTS

Based on pre-show information, I had thought this would be something of a screwball comedy—lots of banter, hijinks, and potentially ridiculous characters. Because what kind of Mom would go on a mission to make her four single daughters shack up with single men, in hopes of bringing about matrimony? It’s hardly realistic, though it’s got so much comic fodder that it alone could keep the show moving briskly along.

So I was surprised at the thread of real emotion and familial tensions running through the Yoon household, and when we see that Mom’s undertaking this project as a last-ditch effort to do something for her girls, it starts to make more sense, and feel more believable. I love the way the actress (Cha Hwa-yeon) plays Mom, as quietly pained and contemplative, which makes me think her whole Marriage Plot will be more poignant and thoughtful than I’d assumed it would be. (Since I assumed it was crackpot.) Having this kind of motivation means that no matter how outlandish the shenanigans get, I’m more willing to go with it because I can see what it’s rooted in.

You see that Gun-hee doesn’t aim to be hurtful, but she’s so strong-willed and brash that she doesn’t exactly do her best to smooth things over, either. This isn’t a family on the verge of collapse or anything quite that drastic, but these are five women (though we’ve yet to meet the youngest) who have sort of forgotten what it means to be there for each other, or to love unconditionally rather than holding grudges and sniping at each other. Granted, most of the grudges and sniping comes from one person, but I can see Gun-hee being the one who sets the tone. If she were to have a change of heart, she could easily become the glue holding them together. It’s just that right now, she’d rather abdicate her place and to hell with the rest.

We haven’t seen anything of the whole boardinghouse situation come into play yet, so that’s still a big question mark. Perhaps that’s Mom’s big change in direction, to be revealed soon.

I like the conflict of the romantic leads, in that they are SO confrontational and the chemistry is palpable. Most of that is hate-chemistry at the moment, but it only takes one spark to change that right around. I do like Su-ho sunbae and can see how he and Gun-hee click as friends, and maybe there’s even some romantic feeling there—you know, in that mild, pleasant, maybe-if-we’re-still-single-at-forty kind of way. But they sure don’t push each other’s buttons the way Gun-hee and Kang-jae do.

Speaking of whom, Kang-jae’s kind of a huge ass, but for whatever reason I find him amusing more than teeth-grindingly infuriating, as well he could be. It’s probably because of the way Lee Kyu-han plays him, and I’m so pleased to see him finally in a role that uses him to such great effect; he’s been living in Second Lead Land for an awfully long while, hasn’t he? He and Kang Hye-jung—who’s spunky and fiery and always great—play well off each other, and I look forward to seeing this unfold.

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THANK YOU! I was scared you wouldn't recap this.

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I think i don't understand. Javabeans don't recap a beautiful drama like love rain but she recap marriage plot. I know that is her blog, she do what she want. but seriously i don't understand; I suppose that is because marriage plot is a romantic comedy like always.

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Maybe it's because I liked Marriage Plot and not Love Rain?

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Nice~

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Javabeans, will you continue to recap this series? It seems exciting :). Thank you :)!

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Yes Javabeans! You have my support for this! Definitely on my watch list and thank you so much for the recap!! I am also looking forward to Lee Kyu-han as lead role. About time.

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Hear, hear! All hail, JB d^___^b

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I don't like Love Rain either...this one seems right my alley though...

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OMG!!! thank god. i was hoping you would do recap Marriage Plot and totally worried that you wouldn't....

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I'm so into marriage plot!!

1 epi n i'm already wondering how this show gonna bring us!
Pls continue to recap this show =)

Crossing my finger n hope the writer can continue giving us solid story.

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Simple yet poignant :)

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Love Rain is so boring ... just because it's artsy and has a good actor (JGS) doesn't mean the storyline is good so i'm with Javabeans on this one! I really wanna watch marriage plot now :) i loved your reviews on FBRS so i'm looking forward to this!

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I'm very grateful for ur recaps and don't mind this certain ingrate, I don't think she /he understands that ur doing this for free.Thanks again.

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I never said javabeans to recap love rain. i just said than i don't understand the hate for this drama in this forum. for the beginning of the project everobody in this forum has decided to hate this drama. Now this drama is out and a lot of person in the world love it, in this forum is the same thing. I found than for ddrama lover it's a pity.
I read only comments of people who said the drama is boring, yoona is miscast. Seriously you have watched the four episode? It's a pearl of melancoly, naturalism, poetry, cinematography and acting, yoona is very good, the chemistry between the lead is palpable. You forgot that is JGS and yoona, you see only the caracters.
this drama evokes movie like the classic, the secret, the shuinji iwai movie, norwegian woods, and japanese drama like tatta hitotsu no koi, orange days, sekai no sushin.
Face palm if you want but its a sad time for drama passion when only drama in the hong sisters style is loved.

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But that's not the case at all - it's just that HERE, on this particular website, JB and GF and the others tend to recap more rom-com, or fusion saegeuk too I suppose.

At least that's the trend lately, but it's only on this blog, not on all blogs. There are other recap sites. (don't ask me for names...sorry! I know they're there because I've seen them, but I don't go to them so I don't remember their names. I tend to stick to this one because I like the community and the boss ladies tend to recap things I like...but if this wasn't my style, I'd certainly look elsewhere.

I often forget since this is so professionally presented that this is a BLOG - something a group of people are doing for fun, not profit. From what I understand, there are only two decisions that have to be made: is one of them watching it? If they are, do they like it well enough to recap it?

It's not an adjunct of DF, for example - so it doesn't have to be all things to all people. They only have to do what they like, and if other people like it too, they will read, and comment, and hang around.

I know that you phrased things as non-confrontationally as possible out of respect for their work, but even questioning their choice between Love Rain and Marriage Plot is ignoring that they do this for enjoyment and share it with us as a generous gesture. The only non-rude way to accept the gift is to say 'thank you' (and quietly stick it in a closet once they leave, if it's not a gift we like.)

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Burnnnnnnnn,lol

I'll stop being bad. Couldn't help it.

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*facepalms* バカヤロウ

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seriously. *face palm*

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but no need calling the person stupid though.

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If someone says something stupid, s/he should be called out for it.

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*facepalm* *headdesk* Heh. XD

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You either are really bad at joke/sarcasm or maybe it's just me who has too much faith in humanity?

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It's okay, you don't need to understand. Like you said, it's her blog and she'll do what she wants. Just be grateful someone else is recapping it at least.

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everybody has their own taste of something, so does JB.
did you forget the main rules of being Dramabeans's netizen? Not to continuously wondering why JB or GF do not recap some dramas you are freaked about. I love Yoona as a part of SNSD, love JGS as an actor, but Love Rain can't caught my interest, i tried to though.

respect other preferences, JB, GF or others aren't robots, they have rights to choose things they want, aren't they? :D

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Are you kidding me?! Sigh.

If someone knows where can I watch this drama with english subtitles, let me know, please! I've searched everywhere!

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Well, I don't understand why you don't understand. Please google a website that does Love Rain's recaps. And what's wrong with rom-coms? To each her own, please.

I was actually waiting for a recap of this yesterday, so thanks javabeans! I'm hoping that subs will be out soon.

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Beautiful to look, yes, to recap ? Boooooooooooooring.

Very boring. Love rain is more to look at. Have not much to talk about it, have a very simple and cliche story.

The leads doesn't even talk...

Guess Dramabeans would post just pictures as a recap LOL

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omg every time someone leaves a rude comment like this one i get scared that one of this days Javabeans and Girlfriday would get upset/tired for real and decide to close this site. so PLEASE STOP!

there are others sites that are recapping LR so stop bothering here.

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Yes, for all the work they do, they don't need this kind of criticism.

Thank you JB and GF for all your recaps!

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omg if that ever happened, I'd personally fly my ass over to Dramabeans HQ somewhere in the U.S (...) from my Kiwi abode and initiate a peaceful protest and then some lol, all in the name of love for this beaut' of a site ;)

Thanks for the recap JB! i had this on my radar and it looks promising. Gah TvN your dramas are the shiet

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I think JB, GF, and the other bloggers have stated that they don't really take comments like these to heart. They've also said that if said comment doesn't contain any valid criticism that more likely than not it does not bother them. And finally, they talked about having tough skin which comes with running a high traffic site like Dramabeans. Don't really see how a person with a critique that amounts to "stop recapping things you like and recap things that I do!" has such a long thread of comments. Do not feed meanies on the internet, cardinal rule y'all.

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but the way its phrased is soo annoying!! asking if they can make the time to recap is one thing but TELLING them what to recap?? just got annoyed :@ Lucky the ppl running this site are more flexible and openminded than I am :P

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I believe HeadsNo2 is doing recaps. Or maybe was?

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Also is that the guy from MNISKSS?

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Noelle,
Yes that is the guy from MNISKSS.

HeadsNo2 covered episode one of LR,
now recapping 'Equator Man'

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ow thank you I was just thinking, where have a seen that guys smug face before..lol when you think more he playing the same sort of smug ass he did in MNISKSS

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bwahahahaha. That's just the thing I was wondering about myself!
"hey, I've already seen this douchebag of a face somewhere...."

also, note for everyone: All French aren't like thaaaaat!! seriously, I wince each time I read a getoba comment. I'm sorry but you've proven that you tend to....how can I put that nicely...oh yes, put your foot in your mouth. A tip for you: think twice before posting!

amicalement
:)

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there is a reason that drama has 5% ratings

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like you said, it's her blog. so she has free reign with what she recaps or not. perhaps Love Rain doesn't suit her tastes.

i'm pretty sure there's another blogger doing Love Rain recaps. perhaps visit Love Rain soompi page for the site/link. as a sign of respect for dramabeans blog, i'm not gonna post the link here, sorry.

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There is not much to understand, everyone has different tastes in dramas, and since JB currently cannot bend space or time (or can she?), it is a given that she recaps the dramas SHE takes an interest in...

Lets all be grateful for the time and energy she puts in :)

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hear, hear!!
An other occasion (if needed) to thank everyone in this BLOG giving their time to provide us with wit, fun and food for thought.

That, and abs. Mmmm.
(Not sure getoba would love that, though...)

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Oh, Getoba. A French fan lol Javabeans, you have to know how grumpy French people are. I'm French too but I think it's funny.
Anyway, it doesnt matter if you dont recap "Love Rain". I like this drama but I'm okay with it.

Fighting!!! o(^0^)o

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The last time JB/GF recapped a JGS drama it was a disaster so I wouldn't blame them for not wanting to recapping any of his dramas for a while.

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You don't understand that this is HER blog and therefore gives HER the choice to blog/recap about what SHE wants??

I seriously don't understand what you don't understand about this...

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If you like Love Rain just recap it urself!! I know I'm too lazy to do that and it takes so much work so I can only be soo grateful for Javabeans and others on this site and the other blogs I follow for making the time to recap their version. Why should she recap something she doesn't enjoy that much. Its not about whats good and whats not (and thats a matter of taste)!! Its about What entertains you more and what you want to share with others.

Thx Javabeans for recapping!!!! :D Can't wait for it to be subbed so I can watch it ;)

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And so another one to go on my watch list...

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Ohhhh....this sounds really good. Thanks for the recap...there was only a passing interest before but now I wanna watch it!

*falls over* Why are there so many dramas????

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Javabeans, thank you so much for the recap. I was in love with the trailer, but still looking for the eng subtitle so haven't watched this drama yet.

Based on your recap, I'll add this drama into my dramawatchlist. Sleep, I think I have to forget about you momentarily, there are too many dramas to watch now. haha..

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I winced at the slap, but yes, in my culture too you NEVER call someone older by their name. Even unrelated people.

Aiieee, yet another good drama to watch. Life or dramas, life or dramas...what life? Anyone know if this is being subbed?

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Makes you wonder how anyone knows who the other person is talking about if they never use names....:-) Likely why there always so many misunderstanding in k-drama..lol

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Lol @ "life or drama...what life?" I ask myself the same question everyday!! Drama all the way :D :D

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Thank you so much, JB! I am so glad you are covering this!

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YAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!! I knew it! You'll recap this show. "Basically, I have found my people" right there with ya', Javabeans.

So frustrating to realize that the sub is not going to happen. Still crossing my fingers here. At least now I know what the heck they're talking about. Thank you. Love you.

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It'll probably happen...Kimchi Dramas has been posting most cable dramas. They did 12 Men in a Year, Me Too Flower, and Color of a Woman off the top of my head

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But I thought KD just picked up shows someone else was subbing?
They have Can Love Become Money, but since DSS only has the first episode done at 100%, that is the only one they have.

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Me Too, Flower! isn't from cable. But yeah, Kimchidramas have been posting almost every cable drama. Maybe when Twelve Men in a Year is done, then they'll start with Marriage Plot.

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Oh! I'm really glad you recapped this! I'm actually looking forward to watching this once i find a site that has it subbed!

I'm actually really glad that it's going to have a little bit of a serious undertone and we'll be able to see the relationships between the sisters and mom grow!

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usually ... i dont comment on your recaps but just lurk .... im making an exception now
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thank you for recapping this xDDDD ... i hope you'll keep on recapping this til the end

javabeans fighting!

p.s. i agree with you i didnt like love rain too ;)

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I'm really glad that you're recapping this. This is the only drama for the Monday-Tuesday slot that is interesting and easy to watch :) THANK YOU

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JB, I LOVE YOU. *runs off to read* ^^

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Thanks for the recap, javabeans!

Finally, Lee Kyu-han has a leading role. I can definitely see why they picked him for the lead. He has a way of making smug assholes amusing and fun to watch.

I love the Gun-hee and Kang-jae interactions. I can't wait to see how Kang-jae will turn out as Gun-hee's subordinate. I wonder if the parents are doing some scheming together...

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I am so happy for Lee Kyu Han who is out of secondary character limbo. I hope this gets subbed soon I REALLY want to see that dance. This started off better than expected! YAY!

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I watched this without sub and the scene where the employees were meditating really cracked me up.
Thanks for the recap!

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Thank you veryyyyyyyyyy much for the recaps. I'd really wanna how much disaster will ause by this four sister's in journey to find their couple ^^

Ah....will you recap Queen In Hyeon's Man too? Please, consider to recap that drama too ^^

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The chemistry IS leaping of this page. I absolutely adore Kang Hye Jung and i have a soft spot for Lee Kyu-han. Initially i was kinda flabbergasted that LKH would be in a romance flick...and as an annoying ass....AGAIN! This role of his reminds me of him as Il Bong in If Tomorrow Comes. That motor mouth of his...oh...forever whirling and annoying the heck out of others but amusing as well; the cheeky persona with a hidden heart. I will definitely check out this drama.

Am i the few minority who likes Love Rain? I totally dig the 70s throwback. Some dont like it coz its slow and the characters are wishy washy but THAT's exactly how the situation and people are back in the 70s. i guess its for those with an acquired taste. Haha.

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Haha he's a motormouth but I love how no one ever lets him talk. Everyone is constantly interrupting him before he can say his piece, even his subordinates. I guess they all know no good will come of letting him talk. So funny to see the assy rich chaebol lead get ignored.

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You're not alone - I've been watching Love Rain, mostly because I'm interested in seeing how the Four Seasons PD will transition into present day storytelling.
I think watching Love Rain calls for a different mindset - you have to accept that the pace will be glacial and that the focus is on the visual components, colors and scenery being handled as a integral character in the story. The best thing so far is seeing the PD's firm hand on the young cast. No showboating here, every move and expression is dictated by him.
As for this post of Marriage Plot - oddly enough, it wasn't on my To Watch list until I saw that my cyber-hubby has the OST (sweet, isn't he?) and coincidentally I was watching the YG edition of Strong Heart last night and was totally impressed listening to what Tablo had to say about his wife, Kang Hye-jung and what a total badass she is in real life. She played such a pathetic wimp in Miss Ripley and got such a screwing over that project that I found her rather off-setting, but listening to her husband was an eye-opener - enough to make me interested in seeing her in this Marriage Plot (if anyone subs it).
:)

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I watched that YG Special too, and she sounded absolutely hilarious. I loved all that talk about how hardcore she was, and that she wanted to make a song called "Bullshit." Hahaha. I think a quirky role fits Kang Hye-Jung perfectly.

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This seals it, tvn is my favorite channel! Lol

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http://www.dramacrazy.net/korean-drama/the-wedding-scheme/

They have it on dramacrazy ^^^ but sadly, subs are not out yet :'(

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my lovely dramacrazy! Oh, how I adore you! I think I was given a blessing when I discovered dramacrazy.net a few years back. *sigh* Unfortunately, exams are next month so I have to concentrate; after May is over, I will be freeeee!...except June has final exams... my life sucks >.<

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For me, the not calling older people by their given names thing is something I only do in Korea/home/any situation which is effectively an extension of either of the former. If I'm interacting with someone who happens to be Korean, but in a situation that's not predominantly culturally Korean, I just call them by their name; they need to earn my respect for me to call them unni/oppa.

Also, this drama looks so much more interesting than Love Rain; I'm glad you're recapping this one ^.^ It just seems a lot zippier and full of life. Love Rain just seems insipid.

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"For me, the not calling older people by their given names thing is something I only do in Korea/home/any situation which is effectively an extension of either of the former. If I’m interacting with someone who happens to be Korean, but in a situation that’s not predominantly culturally Korean, I just call them by their name; they need to earn my respect for me to call them unni/oppa."

that is exactly my line of thinking. If you want my respect, earn it.
But I'm also Asian (not Korean) and we also have words that we use to refer to people older than us. I actually use their name with the word (i.e., Ruhamaa apa (apa means sister)) it sounds awkward in English, but completely normal in Urdu. I also don't call anyone who only has a year's difference in age with these words; I just use their name. I just don't FEEL the age difference to use the words. For example, for my cousin who is a year older than me, I just use her name. She doesn't object because we both agree that it feels like we are both the same age when we think of each other. Sometimes we even forget we aren't the same age. XD

I'm sorry for such a loong comment. I was just supposed to state that I agreed with your thinking method, but I found myself a paragraph in.

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Keke. Hilarious~

Looking forward to more recaps?

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I watched this raw yesterday because the trailers were so good, and have been stalking dramabeans to see if you guys would recap it. I'm so glad you did. It's definitely my mon/tues crack already.
Thank you! And I think I've found my people too with tvN!

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It's interesting that she got slapped for calling her sister by her first name and not for talking back at her mother. If it was me I wud have been slapped by both my mum and sis. Thanks for the recap JB.

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Wow, what timing! I literally just watched episode one. I loved Kang-jae's rap-dancing - Lee Kyu-han does wacky so well. And the PT was hilarious - it was totally unexpected and awesome that they actually starting following along!

There was a lot of shouting in this episode, and it wasn't helped by the loud and frenetic soundtrack, but I'm hoping both fronts will calm down once the drama gets into it's groove.

So looking forward into Kahg-jae being "remodeled into a human", as RP's Park-ha puts it.

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Oops, and most importantly, thank you for the recap! :)

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Lee Kyu Han and Kang Hye Jung are such underrated actors. 'Bout darn time LKH got himself a leading role. He has great comedic timing imo. I'm definitely watching this series as soon as subs are out. Thanks for the recap!

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Kang Hye Jung is not underrated

She's an awesome actor and acknowledged for her talents

I'm just wondering why she's doing cable :/ (though i'm happy the show is good)

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Kang Hye Jung is a pretty big-time movie star...she was in freaking Oldboy, which is like THE iconic Korean film.

She hasn't had much luck with dramas though. Flowers for My Life was awesome and so was she, but it was a total ratings flop. And I'm still mad at the way her character was phased out of Miss Ripley last year - what a waste of a great actress.

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What's crazy about Flowers of My Life flopping was that Cha Concubine aka Cha Tae Hyun from My Sassy Girl was in it too...crazy

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thanks for the recap JB :) now i am very much interested to see where this goes *fingercrossed*

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Wow I didn't think calling your elder sibling by their first name would be so out of line. Thanks for the recap! I think I might just read recaps than watch. I didn't really like tvN's adult targeted dramas. I found Manny boring and the I just didn't like the lead in 12 Men in a Year.

Question: If you are the youngest of multiple siblings do you call them all Unni/Hyung or are there like separate terms for each, like second eldest and so on?

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I do not think it is a given though? it up to the family if they follow old school rules. Like in some you never talk informal to your parents, but in other it alway informal [baby talk] it just depend on the parents what rule they enforce I guess

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To answer your question, I think there are separate terms for each (like mat-hyung would be the oldest brother) but they're as commonly used when addressing people. I think it's a matter of choice. Like Jae-shin in King 2Hearts addresses her older brothers as "Little Oppa" and "Big Oppa."

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Thanks JB for recapping this drama. i watched the first ep without subs and even thought I couldn't understand a word, it was still funny.

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JB has found her people!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

Adding aother drama to my already long waiting list. I will get to it :)

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I am a usual lurker but I had to come out and say THANK YOU THANK YOU for subbing this I checked it out on the off hand because my mon-tues was free with the ending of my precious Shut Up Flower Boy Band and loved it and was hoping someone would recap it since the subs aren't out !! Thanks again, I hope you will be able to continue if you are able too !! :)

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I had a feeling you'd recap this jb! Thank you.
I'm really liking this drama and the setting, the acting is great!

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I like it!!!!!! Will you recap the whole show? Please say "yes."

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tvN is definitely my kind of channel as well, thanks JB for being so lovely and recapping what looks to be a rather promising series! Hopefully it stays that way - so far the dramas churned out by tvN have always managed to meet if not exceed my expectations!

Speaking of which, I love Lee Kyu-Han!! Yes, he seems to always be stuck (more or less) playing the acrimonious asshole - but I love how he does it with such verve and depth that he always manages to stay this side of being cute and charming rather than really being an asshole (loved him in Smile, You too!!). Looking forward to the rest of the series!

...and for the rest of you who keep posting demands about this and this recap for this and this drama, puh-lease. There's a whole wide world out there with other writers who may be recapping so-and-so drama for your pleasure and, more importantly, there's Google. Use it. Stop bugging my favorite writers!!

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HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL YEEEEEEEEAH!

Yup. Another one to watch. Hehehehe. X) Go tvN! Loving the way they court my 20-something (black hole of a) heart. Heh. X/

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really like the song at the end of episode. what's it called?

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out of topic:

Kang Hye Jung looks so much like this actress in my country I couldn't focus on the recaps! http://andronico.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/people-are-talking-about-anne-curtis-marian-rivera-and-the-kitchen-musical/marian-rivera-3/

Anyway, will give this drama a try as long as I can watch it online

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I couldn't see it at first but I did a google search and with her hair back she totally does!

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Awesome recap for what is sure to be an awesome show...looking forward to it!

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It tickles me that three of the guys that have been on my k-ent radar forever are all mentioned in the first episode: Lee Kyu Han, Kim Won Jun, and Kim Hyun Joong.

In the world of k-ent, it is such a small world indeed.

That said, I'm really liking Lee Kyu Han's character even though it's nothing new or different; reminds me of JiSung's character in Protect the Boss with his interaction with his father. The dynamics are very similar and I wonder if this is a trend that is becoming popular? I remember it used to be the "motherly connection" that was stressed more in the past for the heroes...

Not really digging Kang Hye Jung's character yet, but that's more because I simply dont understand where she's coming from. The frustrations, the emotions, the anger... I dont really get it but it is conveyed well enough :)

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I would think having to work under Mr Smugass for more than a month would jusitfy a Lot of anger myself..:-)

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this sounded really interesting and though i dont know the leads well, they were very intriguing in the teasers - a bright spot on mondays/tuesdays. i'd watch this except for so many other dramas to catch every week and so little time.

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oh, this looks fun! and I was just thinking I need a new drama to watch. Sadly April is my busiest month :( Oh well. By the time I'm free again it'll be nearly over and hopefully subbed, so I'll be able to marathon it and enjoy it to the fullest :D

thanks for the recap!

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I've always loved Lee Kyu Han in the judgemental stupid tryhard alpha male annoying roles. It's going to be even better this time round though, because as the male lead he'll be able to make his character 3D and have a turn around. Thanks for the recaps, this is going to be a hoot.

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Oooh. I like! Bravo, TVN on another great one :D

Thanks so much, JB!

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thank you! I wasnt gonna watch this, but after reading the recap I really want to see the crazy dance. Crazy dance, Crazy dance, wait for me...
plus I caught a cold and prrr. I have nothing else I can do under these ten blankets. I need tea and a drama.

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Thanks so much for the recap! I wanted to watch this drama since I've heard about it!

tvN dramas are great! They never disappoint me!

Looking forward to 'Queen In Hyun's Man' and 'I Need Romance 2'!!

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Thank you for the recap. Unexpected surprises are so much sweeter.

I was eyeing the plot and wondering if I'll give it a go. Now I will cos' it's even better than I imagined.

Yes, if anyone knows who is subbing I'll be happy to know as well. I can't even get Hulu so watching 12 Men raw.

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Wow, that actor - I watched a lot of his dramas and he was always the cowardly 2nd lead. Nice to see him get his share of spotlight for once! :D
And my darling KHJ, I had no idea she's in this! Now I'll have to watch this, dayum. :P 24hrs is not nearlly enough for all the things I want to do

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tvN really is doing a fantastic job as of late. (or maybe I just didn't notice them before..?) I really like Marriage Plot so far.

Also, why are there so many good dramas out right now?? T_T

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Thanks JB & GF for all your recaps so far. Please continue to recap the drama of your choice cause it's always a good read even though I will only watch some of those recapped.

One question: in your culture, does a junior get slapped if he addresses his seniors properly but mince them into bits with genteel words when they truely deserve it?

Love Rain - can definitely watch it raw without recap. I obliged myself to watch cause i was a YSH fan, and managed to finish each episode in two minutes, just to learn how to compose a good scenery shot, and did not find myself missing out in anything story wise. Drama's so slow that I can't help but have to pay attention to all the wrong things, like JGS's bad nose job. Don't get me wrong, I quite like JGS and have watched most of his drama since 4 sisters, and my goodfriend is the chairman of JGS's fan club in my country. But I have to be honest. :p

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lol @ nose job. love your post

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I'm glad to see he finally lands the main lead. I'm not as interested in it yet. We'll see how it goes from here.

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Thanks JB for the recap. I am going to check it out after reading recap,

Btw, have you or GF checked out the "K-POP - The Ultimate Audition"? If yes, what are your thoughts? I know it's concept is very similar to "You are beautiful!" but it starts to grow on me. Thanks!

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I'm kind of enjoying that show, actually - it's pretty well done but I'm only 3 episodes in.

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