118

School 2013: Episode 7

Happy holidaymas to you all!

Good thing for the addicted out there that dramaland waits for nobody, not even Santa, so we’ve got a full slate of regularly scheduled programming to dive into. Although I suppose if you were hoping for any sort of rest during the holidays, it’s not such good news…

This show continues to break my heart, even when I wonder whether I’m getting too used to the expectation that it will and will therefore become inured to its emotional twists and turns. But as it turns out, when your emotional storylines are conjured with such care and sincerity, you don’t just stop caring about them. Not with these characters, to whom I just want to give lots and lots of hugs and words of encouragement. It gets better, I promise. It has to. Doesn’t it?

SONG OF THE DAY

Zitten – “December” [ Download ]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

 
EPISODE 7 RECAP

The teachers read through the school violence surveys, not really counting on leads but hoping for some anyway. But the results exceed their meager expectations, as survey after survey turns up one name: Park Heung-soo. It’s all in the hearsay category, but there are snippets of things we’ve seen, taken out of context: Heung-soo makes others bring him snacks, Heung-soo may have forced Nam-soon to steal the exam…

In-jae worries—what can they do? Se-chan, on the other hand, seems to be taking this a lot more lightly. To her chagrin he cheerily turns over the surveys to Uhmforce just as she’s trying to buy time before passing them up the admin chain.

She pulls him aside (back to the trusty staircase, where she stays a few steps above to remain eye level, which is a recurring gag I love) and says they should have taken pains to confirm the reports before handing them off. The new kid is being targeted, and there may be an explanation other than what’s on paper. They have a duty to interview the kids separately and suss out fact from fiction.

Se-chan says that the upper admin is better at that sort of thing, and asks who’s more important to her: one lost lamb, or thirty of them. In short, is she putting Heung-soo first when the rest of the class is suffering? He points out that their Class 2 came in last place in midterms, and even their best students dropped. He’s right in that infuriating way he has.

It turns out that the questionnaire pinpointing Heung-soo was a concerted effort by a group of students. Aw, this is so sweet that you can hardly begrudge them for being misguided, because the students—Kang-joo, Byun-ki, et al—were trying to protect Nam-soon.

That’s what they tell Uhmforce when they get pulled out of class, one by one, to corroborate the stories. They ask the teacher to save Nam-soon from his bullied misery, which just… aw. And yet, sigh.

When it’s Nam-soon’s time for questioning, he admits that he did buy snacks and lunch for Heung-soo, but says he’s not being bullied. “I just wanted to be nice to him,” he says when pressed for explanation. “We used to be friends.”

In-jae and Se-chan are filled in on the developments, but told to step back while the upper management handles the rest. To Principal Im, this means looking into ways of getting rid of Heung-soo.

The others crowd around Nam-soon when he returns, ready to lend him moral support. But he’s not exactly thrilled about the interference, and tells them tersely to mind their own business.

Nam-soon heads up to the rooftop alone, where he goes into flashback mode:

We open with Nam-soon and Heung-soo wearing school uniforms for a different school, back when they were friends. Oh, this is going to hurt my heart, isn’t it?

Nam-soon acts as lookout as he gives a vending machine a mighty kick, and Heung-soo grabs the change that comes pouring out. They make their getaway laughing, then head home to eat snacks and play around like simple teenage kids.

On another occasion at a soccer match, Nam-soon is Heung-soo’s biggest cheerleader, and gives him a mighty bear hug when he wins.

But things take a darker turn when Nam-soon finds himself pale-faced and weak-willed at a hospital, where Heung-soo slams a hand into the window and glares at him. Heung-soo’s wearing a hospital gown and sporting a few cuts, and Nam-soon can’t bring himself to go forward. He gulps nervously, then leaves. Heung-soo settles back wearily, sporting a cast on his right leg. Oh no, no more soccer for him?

In the present day, now it’s Heung-soo who sits with Uhmforce for interrogation. He’s tight-lipped as usual, answering minimally to say that Nam-soon is NOT his friend and that he did nothing wrong.

Uhmforce clearly doesn’t believe him, already halfway believing all the student reports that peg Heung-soo as the bully. Y’know, he has every reason to believe it considering Heung-soo’s surly nature and the appearance of things, but Heung-soo really was dead-on when he pointed out that teachers are prejudiced to suspect certain students, over and over again. He warns Heung-soo not to mess with Nam-soon.

No surprise, then, that he’s in a foul mood upon his return to the classroom, where Nam-soon waits to intercept him. Heung-soo sneers, “Now you’re even playing the victim?” He shoves Nam-soon against the wall menacingly, saying, “If that’s what you want, I’ll give it to you.”

Nam-soon tries to urge Heung-soo to stop, and Heung-soo challenges him, “Then hit me. If you hit me once, I’ll stop.” Nam-soon isn’t about to comply and pleads with Heung-soo not to dig himself in deeper trouble lest he get himself expelled.

The show of concern just angers him more and Heung-soo scoffs, “That’s what I want. To get kicked out of school, cleanly.” The boys grapple, just as the teachers come running down the hall to stop them—and in the process of disengaging, Heung-soo steps back and knocks In-jae down, who hits the wall. Oh, fuck. This boy just has the worst timing, doesn’t he?

Uhmforce and Se-chan grab Heung-soo, who gives this roar of frustration. Nam-soon stands there in shock, and the scene is dire enough that even Jung-ho’s bully posse are like, Dude. Those guys are pushing it. When the scary loose cannon thinks you’ve gone too far, you’re really in for it.

The other students are in awe of Heung-soo’s show of force, intimidated and also impressed. But if he gets expelled, they worry that Jung-ho will be back to ruling the roost, and I guess in the scheme of things they’d prefer a cool bully to a mean one.

The boys sit awaiting disciplining, and Nam-soon reminds Heung-soo that he was determined to lie low and graduate from this school. Heung-soo answers that he did intend to—if only Nam-soon hadn’t engaged with him.

Nam-soon says earnestly, “I wronged you. So—”

Heung-soo cuts him off, saying he’s gone soft. “But what can ya do? It’s too late.” Surely Nam-soon doesn’t expect him to accept his apology.

In the teachers’ office, the staff advise In-jae to file against Heung-soo too, for hitting her. They’re mostly inclined to let him go, and Se-chan adds his voice to that camp. In-jae’s the only one clinging to hope, saying that Heung-soo knocked her down by accident.

Gym Teacher Jo raises the question of why the boys fought in the first place. Se-chan offers that it’s all very obvious—one hit, the other hit back. Teacher Jo says pointedly that Se-chan has forgotten everything he’d been taught in the past: “The world contains a lot more things that are unseen than that are seen.”

In-jae joins the boys, who are not exactly in a talkative mood, and tells them to return to class. As she gets up to go, though, Heung-soo surprises her by asking hesitantly, “Were… you hurt?” She answers, “Of course I was. But thank you for asking.”

She adds thoughtfully, “But you guys, for some strange reason I don’t think you’re fighting. Am I wrong?”

Principal Im calls our two teachers in, this time in reference to the poor grades of Class 2. After noting that Se-chan’s lofty reputation seems to be higher than his performance merits, she instructs them to put all the students into mandatory study halls.

That night, Nam-soon seeks Heung-soo out at home to talk, asking if he’s going to keep coming to school. Heung-soo says of course he has to go if he expects to be expelled: “Gotta observe the formalities.” Nam-soon sighs, “You’d better. Or you’re dead.”

The next day at school, Nam-soon arrives to see a notice posted of a disciplinary hearing to address the school violence case regarding a certain “Student Park.” That has Jung-ho strolling into class to taunt Heung-soo for leaving the school just as he got here.

But today, Heung-soo’s not sitting in silent resignation; he shoots back the barb that Jung-ho’s so full of crap when he knows that there’s an even stronger presence around. His cryptic hints have the class buzzing over whom he means, as he adds that Jung-ho surely would rather die than admit he’s weaker than the person in question.

Nam-soon keeps his face averted and his head down, but the conversation clearly has him uneasy. Jung-ho too, who tamps down his anger.

In-jae prods Se-chan to try talking to the guys—maybe he can get through man to man. To her chagrin, Se-chan takes this all with a breezy attitude, saying he’s scared of Heung-soo and disliked by Nam-soon.

Nam-soon interrupts to ask whether Heung-soo really will be expelled, asking if there’s any way to stop it. Alas, they can’t do anything until the hearing is held. Se-chan wonders why Nam-soon just stood there without defending himself yesterday, and starts to say, “I thought you could fight—” That comment strikes the notice of Uhmforce in a way that has me very uneasy…

In class, In-jae ropes Byun-ki into demonstrating her lesson on how to describe a narrative. He recites a jokey sequence of the lunchlady taking away his meat dish, and then In-jae asks for another volunteer. To everybody’s surprise, it’s Nam-soon who raises his hand.

Heung-soo tenses as Nam-soon stands and begins:

“To be a soccer player was his dream. To continue the path to being a soccer player, the coach told him he had to quit fighting with his gang. The Number One told him he had to get jumped out to leave. So he got beat up and hurt his leg and collapsed. The Number One is a bastard who trampled his dream.”

Heung-soo sits through this with difficulty, and relives the moment when he was beat up in a dark alley by a gang of his peers, a foot crunching down on his knee.

The class is silent by this point, casting curious looks back at him and Heung-soo. He has one last sentence to cap off his conclusion:

“And that bastard is Go Nam-soon.”

We see the moment of the knee-crunch again, and now the camera pans up from Heung-soo’s agonized face to Nam-soon—staggering back in shock at what he’s just done. Wow, Nam-soon literally trampled on Heung-soo’s dream… I wonder if it’s one of those subconscious things, where you fear being left behind and lash out in hurt.

“Therefore, Park Heung-soo has done nothing wrong.”

Jaws drop. There’s tense silence all around, broken only when Se-chan arrives to take Heung-soo and In-jae to the teacher’s office.

The class scrambles to reorganize this information into their brains. So Nam-soon was the top jjang (of a gang of rebellious cool kids at school) and ranks higher than Heung-soo? This means that even if Heung-soo gets expelled, the pecking order will thankfully not be shaken around again because Nam-soon outranks Jung-ho, who’s a mere Number Three now.

The discussion is distasteful to Nam-soon, who keeps his head down, and Kang-joo, who feels for him and tries to argue that this is all irrelevant stuff of the past. But it’s Ha-kyung who gets them to stop by snapping at them to shush, and they half-joke that Ha-kyung’s the real jjang around here.

Just our luck: The police officer called in response to the school violence hearing happens to be the same one who handled the kids’ fight the last time, and he recognizes In-jae. Principal Im tears her a new one and removes her from her homeroom teacher responsibilities, going so far as to refuse hearing an explanation—she’ll get that from the real homeroom teacher, Se-chan.

In-jae grabs Se-chan before he heads into the hearing to ask which way he’ll vote. He tells her that it’s best all around for teachers and students to maintain a certain distance between them, and she asks, “Is that why you did nothing when Ha-kyung collapsed?”

She’s so distracted during class that she excuses herself to join the disciplinary meeting, where Se-chan informs the others (led by Min-ki’s mother, no surprise) of the misunderstanding that led everyone to assume Heung-soo’s guilt.

In-jae is given a chance to say something, and she starts by saying that she’s afraid she may truly be letting a last chance slip through her fingers. This is not convincing talk for jaded teachers who remind her that kids don’t change so easily, pointing to the perpetual rotten egg Jung-ho as proof.

But In-jae says that she’s starting to see stirrings of change in Jung-ho—she’s witnessed something changing in his reaction to something Se-chan said, when he’d always been so hard and unchanging before. She adds the incident of Heung-soo checking that she hadn’t been hurt, knowing that he must have felt uncomfortable asking her. If they still care, if they’re still able to react like this, “Doesn’t this mean they still have potential?”

Aw, tears. I’m totally fighting mine, but Principal Im says sarcastically that she’s quite the romantic. In-jae understands this, but asks for one more chance for Heung-soo.

Min-ki’s mother asks whether Heung-soo has any true desire to continue school, in which case he should use this incident to reflect and mend his ways. But if he doesn’t, well, they’re all just wasting their time.

Teacher Jo speaks up to say that society is the one to rule by absolutes. Schools should bend and adapt and make new rules.

The teachers head into a vote, which In-jae doesn’t get a say in, and she heads outside to wait. Uhmforce tallies the votes: Three to expel, and two opposing (Teacher Jo and the officer). Except then he throws his own vote into that ring, making it three-to-three.

Principal Im is displeased, and asks Se-chan for his stance. He says he approves expulsion, bringing satisfied smirks to several faces. ARGH. Please tell me there’s a twist to this conversation. Please? C’mon twist… any day now…

Heung-soo doesn’t stick around for the verdict and leaves early. Nam-soon chases him out, and Heung-soo sneers at him for airing their dirty laundry to the whole class. Nam-soon says he had to do that to stop him from being kicked out immediately, and although he doesn’t quite know what he can or should do, he feels Heung-soo has to stick around for Nam-soon to do something. To apologize. To start repaying that debt.

Heung-soo snaps that the apology should’ve come earlier: “Debt? Is this a debt that can be repaid?” He accuses Nam-soon of taking him for a pushover, ignoring him all this time and then suddenly asking for forgiveness. He spits out, “I’d rather get kicked out of school, even just to refuse to give that chance to a bastard like you.”

Nam-soon stops him in his tracks by asking what he’ll do if he isn’t expelled. Will he ignore his noona’s wish and ditch school anyway?

Se-chan explains his stance, that Heung-soo is plenty deserving of expulsion in his eyes. Principal Im smiles and orders the deed finalized. And then he cuts in, “However, today I am here on Teacher Jung’s behalf.” Yesss!

He states that In-jae’s opinion is all too clear, and he’ll honor it by casting his vote to keeping Heung-soo around. Ha. Would it kill ya to just play the nice guy role straight for once? Actually, I’m convinced Se-chan can’t act sincere and thus needs the asshole cover, and actually likes having In-jae’s idealist nature as convenient excuse. YOU BIG SOFTIE. There’s just a really thick douchebag veneer laid on top of the marshmallow center.

But Heung-soo answers Nam-soon’s question: “I still won’t come, asshole.”

The next day, the results are posted: The student in question has been disciplined with extra school duties. Somebody has filled in the blank (where it reads Park ___) with Heung-soo’s name, and Nam-soon tears the paper to remove the name. But Heung-soo’s desk is empty this morning.

Principal Im states her “disappointment” in Se-chan for not siding with her. But rather than caving, he comes out strong and suggests that she reinstate In-jae, in a tone that sounds an awful lot like a demand. He pulls out his own Achilles heel and uses it as leverage—what if news leaks out that she hired him despite his checkered background? She warns that this would be damaging to himself, but he asks who would suffer more—the academy tutor, or the school principal.

Ooh. See? This is what happens when you use your powers for good and not evil!

Se-chan returns to his desk and finds In-jae busily texting Heung-soo to urge him to come to school. She wonders why he took her side in the vote, and he blusters that he didn’t “take her side,” exactly—”I was your avatar.” Ha. It really would kill you to take credit for a good deed, huh?

In-jae asks Se-chan to watch over the class of lambs while she goes off in search of the one. With that, she heads out in search of Heung-soo and pounds on his front gate to no avail.

On her way out, it’s Nam-soon she runs into, who’s here hoping to see Heung-soo again.

She figures they really must have been tight, and he explains what it was like being best friends since grade school. His face lights up in this way that just guts you, because I’ve never seen Nam-soon so animated or smiling. He explains that Heung-soo was amazing at soccer, and even got scouted. The smile dims as he confesses that it didn’t happen for Heung-soo, thanks to him.

She wonders why a kid like that would run around with fighters in the first place. He says that he wasn’t really one of them; he just tagged along with Nam-soon. She asks why he didn’t just let Heung-soo go—was jumping him out a rule?

Nam-soon admits that he was angry; it felt like he was being left behind.

He tells her to go on; Heung-soo won’t return to school until he and Nam-soon resolve their issues. So he waits in the neighborhood playground until Heung-soo finally comes out to meet him, more to tell him to cut it out than anything.

Heung-soo’s annoyed with the constant nagging, but today Nam-soon is the one to strike first. He grabs Heung-soo by the jacket and asks if he’s really going to ruin his life for a crazy bastard like himself. Just go to school and ignore him!

Nam-soon asks, “Why do you use me as your excuse to run away, punk?”

Heung-soo retorts, “Yeah, I am running away. It makes me sick seeing the face of the guy who ruined my life—just seeing you makes me think of my smashed leg and I can’t stand it so I’m running, asshole.”

Nam-soon says with tears brimming in his eyes, “So come out and get your revenge on me.”

Heung-soo shoves him back. Revenge? What could he take from Nam-soon that would equal revenge? “Do you even have anything that was like soccer to me? If there is, say so. Try throwing away the thing that’s most important to you. Then I’ll pretend I believe you mean all this crap you’re spouting. Throw it away, and I’ll go to school.”

His time’s running out, because Heung-soo has been truant for days and one more will trigger more disciplinary action. In-jae’s done all she can and she heaves a sigh, dejected. Se-chan sums it up succinctly: “You feed ’em rice cakes, and they spit it right back out.”

In-jae calls class to order. Heung-soo’s desk is empty, and she orders Nam-soon to call him—this is his last chance, and if he doesn’t come to school he’s kicked out.

Nam-soon heads out to make the call. He agrees: “I’ll throw it away, what’s most important to me.” He’ll have to come to school to see what that thing is.

In-jae watches the clock as the day comes to a close. She allows an early dismissal, and most of the students clear out eagerly.

To her everlasting relief, Heung-soo walks in the door just as Uhmforce is about to confirm the truancy. Uhmforce sees the nearly empty class and intends to mark it as absent anyway, but In-jae says they haven’t technically called the end of class yet. Min-ki confirms this, and In-jae declares him late… followed by the official dismissal, punctuated by the class president’s official ending salute.

The two former friends are the last ones left in the room, sitting side by side, and Heung-soo asks if he’s decided what to throw away. Nam-soon hands him a piece of paper, which makes him laugh sardonically.

Nam-soon takes the paper back and submits it to In-jae, who looks stunned. Oh no. He’s quitting school, isn’t he? Aggggh, this makes me want to cry.

Sure enough, In-jae looks down at the notice to drop out, signed and dated.

Heung-soo waits for Nam-soon outside to ask, “That’s all? School?” He scoffs that this is kinda weak—doesn’t he have anything bigger?

Nam-soon replies, “Do you think what I just gave up right now was school?” No, and that’s why I’m crying. He faces him to add, choking back a sob, “What I threw away wasn’t school. It was you, you punk.”

He walks away, giving in to the tears.

 
COMMENTS

This show, I swear. It’s just so raw, and complex, and I can’t help but be right there with the characters every step of the way. There’s an earnestness to the emotions that gets right under my skin; it doesn’t feel fabricated or manipulative, like it’s aiming to wring tears from me. It has a way of laying the truth at your feet, and because that truth resonates with me so completely there’s no shutting it out; I’m toast.

School 2013 isn’t a perfect show, and it definitely isn’t the prettiest one out there. I wonder whether the flatness of the palette is intentional, to draw down the emotional scale from heightened drama-surreality to a down-to-earth mundaneness—or maybe that’s reading too much into a show that had a small budget and got stuck with the non-pretty camera. Somehow I feel like it would have been an intentional choice with this drama, but who’s to know? In any case, my point is that the show has its weaknesses just as it has its strengths, and I don’t think the directing is doing anything special from an artistic standpoint, either.

But this is a drama where none of that matters, because I’m so completely immersed in the world that it doesn’t matter that the colors aren’t totally saturated or the visuals aren’t very polished. The show feels genuine, and is written with care and restraint; I love that.

Take the conflict at the core, which I love even as it tears me up inside. It’s the best and worst kind of narrative angst—best because it’s so effective and fraught with real consequences, but the worst because it’s so strongly set up that I don’t know how my nerves are going to hold up until it’s resolved. At this point I just have to hang in there and hope that it IS resolved. Because if these boys don’t find healing, I don’t know if I could handle it.

What the boys’ rift does is provide living proof of the futility of revenge, in a stark and simple way that speaks volumes. There’s just no way to “fix” the hurt here, literally nothing Nam-soon can do to make it better, and nothing Heung-soo can take solace in to make himself feel better. Lashing out at Nam-soon won’t even satisfy him because the enormity of his own loss is so consuming—what does he care about the punkass’s future when his life holds no meaning? It’s why I think the school-dropout storyline can’t continue indefinitely, because I can’t imagine that Heung-soo would feel the least bit better. No glint of satisfaction, no revenge gratification.

The only recourse is healing, isn’t it? And that’s what’s so damned hard about this all, because forgiving is the hardest thing in the world, and it’s the only way out.

RELATED POSTS

Tags: , , , , , ,

118

Required fields are marked *

Thank you!

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

javabeans, loved your line " forgiving is the hardest thing in the world, and it’s the only way out." :)

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yes! Forgive, forget, kiss and make up!

I feel like all I do is cry ugly sobs when I watch this show. It's so damn good.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

"Forgiving is the hardest thing in the world, and it's the only way out."
There's only one thing harder--asking forgiveness. Accepting and admitting I was wrong.

I love the authors and scriptwriters who care more about truth than about entertainment.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yes!!! I've been refreshing this page every two minutes since 8 PM.

Thanx!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Argghhh. Drama hits me in the feels. Great drama. Can't wait till next episode. Looks like a really good episode. Haha I saw what Se-Chan did in the preview.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I love the way this drama is filmed and edited.

Guh. I watched this ep with other people in the room and gushed all the way through it. Auuuugghh. So good.

What next? Can't wait. Stellar everything. I have a forever crush on Lee Jongsuk.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Omg, this episode. *tears* Those glimpses of their past friendship just KILLED me. And the way Nam-soon smiled when he talked about Heung-soo's soccer, and the way he cried when he told Heung-soo he was throwing him away...omg, the heartbreak. T_T

Also, this is the ep that has me completely won over by In-jae. I liked her before, and definitely felt for her during her breakdown in the previous ep, but here, where she so stubbornly and faithfully vouched for Heung-soo and Jung-oh, even when they gave her nothing to cling onto except for one small comment or action - I kind of just loved her for noticing in the first place, and for believing. I don't even know why it was this time that elicited such a strong reaction from me when she's done these things for me, but... :') Love this show.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

"done these things before...", not "done these things for me...", haha. O_o

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Same here - we all predicted that the break in their friendship came over Nam-soon leaving him to get his leg broken, but it's even more devastating to actually SEE that friendship in action.....and then know that Nam-soon was the one who broke his leg in the first place. No wonder the boy hates himself.

And I really like the way In-jae and Se-chan's dynamic works, as teachers - they're not always going for the same thing, but I like that they're really a team.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Javabeans, thank you! Merry Christmas and happy new year! Read you tomorrow! :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Merry Christmas to you,Javabeans!!
You are Santa in Dramaland, delivering drama reviews on Christmas eve to all the drama-loving people like me!!
I just wanted to say THANK YOU first ,and now off to read~

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

First off: THANK YOU JB! Thanks for recapping even on Christmas Eve!

I had to comment on this episode, because this is the first episode of any drama in a WHILE that has so deeply wormed its way into my heart. I cried at least three times tonight! That scene in the playground just about killed me, when Heung Soo asked Nam Soon what he'd give up for repayment. How do you even answer that? And what made it worse was that I didn't even know if Nam Soon has anything that he values that much anyways. Uugh! I love you completely show, but you're breaking my heart!

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

Merry Christmas to everyone here - I'm really grateful for recaps going up even today.

Also, the minute Heung-soo demanded that Nam-soon give up the thing in his life that was as important to him as soccer was to HS, I knew it was going to be school. Because what else does Nam-soon have in his life? So much hurt, all around - I actually like Se-chan's method of locking them together to work it out, as seen in the ep 8 preview.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

It was not the school actually but Heung-soo.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yeah, but he gave up coming to school as a part of that. And even before Heung-soo came along, it was all he had even if he behaved like it meant nothing.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

gah this show continues to tie my heart in knots with its emotional goodness

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

T____T
This just broke my heart.

Merry Christmas.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

thanks for the recap! this story is so awesome!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

This show is so good. Poor Heung-soo. Poor Nam-soon. Seriously, these boys just have it rough. I hope they can find a way to mend their fences and be friends again. Somehow. They will, right? Hopefully.

Their wasn't much of Ha-kyung in this episode, which I found a bit disappointing, because I like her scenes with Nam-soon a lot. But, the central conflict is all the boys. I just want everyone to be happy. Happy, show, do you understand?!

Thanks for the recap, Javabeans, and Merry Christmas!

0
5
reply

Required fields are marked *

The preview for episode 8 suggested some interaction between her and Heung Soo. I'm looking forward to her a jjang. I don't think even Jung Oh would mess with her since that would get him really kicked out.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

from the previewof ep 8, i think that ha-kyung would tell heung soo that its clear she have feeling for nam-soon, did she send a message to nam-soon because she was worried and kang-joo ask that too,ha-kyung changes because she worried about other people(read nam-soon).can't wait to heung soo jealoussy toward ha-kyung and nam-soon...OH MORE BROMANCE

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think she's too private to tell some guy sheo doesn't know that. More like, it's clear it's some deal between him and nam soon.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

But I'm excited for their talk and the way she chucks his cigarette from him. They seem to have chemistry too, and it would make an interesting love triangle.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

What...? Someone actually enjoys the jealousy scenes? I hate them from the bottom of my heart; they are torture to me. I always thought that was what the scriptwriters put in to keep a plot going and fulfill their evil desires to see people in pain.

I can't imagine anyone enjoying love triangles!!! Euff...

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

This drama is so sincere and real.. I can't completely side with one side. There are the teachers where I'm just divided. Giving up one student versus giving other students in trouble. I hate Teach Jung for letting Jung Ho pass all this time. But I respect that she doesn't give up on Heung Soo.

Also Nam Soon, I luff him! But what he did to Heung Soo was just.. not good. I feel so bad for the both of them. I can't wait for the time when Teach breaks through to Heung Soo.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I wept tears of blood onto my laptop during every scene between Heung Soo and Nam Soon.

God, the fact that Nam Soon broke his leg himself. It wasn't even someone else who did it by accident while following his orders or anything like that. And that it was half an accident and half on purpose, I can't even...

Cuz no matter what, there was clearly a small part of Nam Soon that was so enraged that he didn't think twice about going for Heung Soo's legs when he was jumping Heung Soo out.

I mean, Jesus. This was so intense.

And now I finally understand why Heung Soo was so, so angry all this time. Cuz what do you do? He's lucky he can even just walk without a more noticeable limp. Nam Soon crushed his leg right at the joint.

What kind of irony is this, anyway? You're leaving the gang to play soccer but the very act of leaving the gang leaves you unable to play at all? Life just shat all over that kid.

This is some seriously fantastic writing, in my opinion.

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

you gave words to so many of my conflicting emotions. his best friend. freaking inseparable since elementary school friend did that. but then, oh nam-soon....nam-soon. how? why? i get the feeling behind it but....*sniffles*

how does one even begin to repair such damage?

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

He was the only person in the world Nam Soon had a connection to and HS was going to leave him. I think he snapped. Terrible, terrible decision.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

God, the fact that Nam Soon broke his leg himself.

I remember all the speculation we had about Nam-soon possibly running away during a bad fight, but this, I don't think we even imagined it. Poor, poor Heung-soo. I can completely see why things are the way they are between our boys, but it's breaking my heart.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Awesome! Love this show!! Can't wait to watch. Thanks for the holiday post! :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

ALL THE TEARS at the end of this episode. 'What I threw away was you.' I just want them to be friends agaaain.

Thanks for the recap on Christmas Eve, and Merry Christmas, Javabeans!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yeah *SOB*.

Happy holidays beanies.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I can't stop crying. Nam-soon's being left behind was used in most of the teenage friendship dramas but their friendship feels more real. I am so sympathetic with Nam-soon that I just want Heung-soo to forgive him but putting myself in his shoes, I probably would act the same way. This show and the characters feel so real that I am on the edge all the time bracing for betterment in each of the character. I cried clutching my chest when Nam-soon said he is throwing away Heung-soo so that he will go to school. Wow. I am sold. I am willing to go for 100 many more episodes of this drama.
Can't wait till tmr.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

i found my new crack :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you for the recap! loving this drama. happy holidays, everyone in dramabeansland. cheers!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

This is the drama that hits that spot in my heart that makes me fell like i should be there giving out hugs and making everyone happy

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

This drama breaks my heart, it really does. I love that this particular storyline was so well developed and that it was simmering over the past few episodes before really coming to a head in this one. It's totally understandable why Heung Soo hates Nam Soon so much - he was his best friend and he knew how much he loved soccer and yet he destroyed his knee so he could never play again. It is kind of hard taking that kind of betrayal from a friend. And yet you can see from Nam Soon's view why he must have also felt betrayed when Heung Soo wanted to give up the gang for soccer. And when you're that young, the kind of rage you run into could literally make decisions for you that would scar you for life. I found this portrayal relatable and just gut ripping and heart wrenching. I just want to send hugs to all the boys for Christmas!!

I'm curious to know what Sechan's past was and also what will happen to Ha-kyung and Minki from here on. The kids have so won a place in my heart in this drama. I think the reason why Sechan is like that to Injae is because he sees a shred of the past him in her and therefore her enthusiasm and hope really buoys him - it makes him feel like its okay to do the naive and hopeful thing if he could just pass it off as Injae's haha.

Thanks JB for this lovely little Christmas gift of a recap!! It's wonderful :) Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays y'all!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I like that Min-ki stood up for Heung Soo even though Heung Soo hit him. Min-ki's cool.

As far as Nam Soon is concerned, um, I think the knee thing was an accident. I don't think he meant to maim Heung Soo, who still seems to accurately kick judging by how he kicked Kang Joo's bag into her arms. But he shouldn't have run away from his friend. That was the worst.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Nam soon was the jjang? But in that memory scene it was Heung soo who was looking on in elegant control and then telling Nam Soon he did well.

Okay, there are times when I think this show should be called Go Nam Soon's Women. And I'm including Park Heung Soo in this.

Finally, if anyone wants a lighter take on teachers with delinquent students, check out British comedy Bad Education. Here's the first episode. I think I need a bit of a laugh.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

That scene was meant to be deceptive. It showed twice. The first time, it looked as if Heung Soo was encouraging the gang to beat up Nam Soon. But in a later episode, you saw Nam Soon laughing as Hueng Soo helped him up (after the fight). I think it was Nam Soon and another gang member were sharpening their fighting skills or something.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

If Heung-soo just followed Nam-soon around in the group, then why was Heung-soo leading the gang initiation when Nam-soon was getting jumped into the gang? Was this a different gang or was Heung-soo the leader first and then replaced by Nam-soon who was the better fighter? I guess once Nam-soon came along, Heung-soo no longer needed to lead (if he was the leader at first) and could focus on just being his friend and playing soccer.

But I was soooo glad they finally revealed what went down between these two. The look on Heung-soo's face when Nam-soon hit his knee and then when he saw him at the hospital - the pain and anger in Heung-soo's eyes and Nam-soon looking like he was about to be sick. These guys are really good actors. Kim Woo-bin started out as a model and sometimes when people go into acting from modeling or singing they aren't that good, but KWB is different. He's got range. He can be hilarious like in White Christmas and then pull off the angsty, you-killed-my-dream-i-can't-forgive-you, tormented teenager. To be honest I decided to watch this because of Kim Woo-bin and I am sooo glad I did, because everyone is phenomenal.

How everyone ganged up on Heung-soo to "help" Nam-soon and in the end just made everything worse was so sad for Heung-soo who just wanted to be left alone. He was/is the victim and is being treated like the villain. But how they helped him at the end so he wouldn't be counted as absent was sweet and when Nam-soon said the "important thing" he was letting go of was Heung-soo himself, I just about died. I think Heung-soo was surprised himself and maybe he is finally seeing just how sorry Nam-soon is and just how important he truly is to Nam-soon.

0
11
reply

Required fields are marked *

Did Ha-kyung do the same thing, gang up on Heung Soo? The viki.com upload had really sketchy subtitles and dramafever's not showing this yet.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think the most she did was write Heungsoo's name on the survey. But she never ganged up on him in class with the other students.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Uhmforce asked her if what the other kids wrote was correct and she said she doesn't really know anything about it.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Here's my take on the scene where Heungsoo was overlooking the gang initiation. I think Heungsoo was just a spectator. Since they were bfff's, Namsoo prob told him what he was gonna do and Heungsoo just followed. Since Heungsoo wasn't officially part of a gang, he was most likely just watching and congratulated his friend for getting into the gang. He prob just followed Namsoo around when doing their gang stuff but wasn't officially part of the gang. Or maybe he joined after Namsoo did too but I think the early scenes were just him spectating and following his best friend around. Cuz that's what bros do.

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

I don't think they'd let a non gang member just watch. Plus he looked in control and they were all in the same shirts.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Well, they'd have the same uniform if they were all from the same school lol

I think maybe both of them were getting jumped into the gang that day, with Nam Soon being initiated first while Heungsoo watches and supports him from the sidelines before it's his turn to be beaten up. idk, it's a plausible explanation, but that scene wasn't written very clearly.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yeah true re same uniforms. And maybe Namsoon was getting his fighting skills improved.: you have to learn to take hits as well as give them when fighting.

0

I think that Heung-soo being there when Nam-soon was getting jumped in to the gang is in the same context as when Nam-soon was there when Heung-soo was playing soccer. As a supporter, rather than a participater...Even though Heung-soo did look amused while watching Nam-soon get the crap beaten out of him, which would make anyone watching naturally asume that Heung-soo was the jjang. But with the power of hindsight and the current revelations, watching that scene again, Heung-soo seems more..I don't know....proud of Nam-soon? I mean, getting jumped in to a gang wouldn't exactly be the easiest thing to do, but Nam-soon just gets up and coolly shugs it all off and laughs like it was just a tussle...which maybe Heung-soo knew he'd re-act like that, so wasn't worried and looked on pleased that his friend would get what he wanted?
I think the drama wanted to confuse the viewers a little as to who exactly is/was jjang because it added to the tension between the three boys during the power struggle. I hope this reads coherently..I'm not so great with expressing my self in written form, but this is how I took it to mean....

:)

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

At least we know Ha Kyung is the real jjang at the school. :-)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

It's funny because I have the same reason as to why I watched this show, but the difference is, it's Lee Jong Suk. And another funny thing is, Lee Jong Suk also started out as a model (since he was younger)... and his acting is really spectacular. And, I finally found another favorite korean actor that I can spazz and watch at. And they're at the same age (With WB only some months older than JS). Lee Jong Suk and Kim Woo Bin are really match made in heaven even in real life... OMG lol!

Anyway, I don't think that gang beating up Nam Soon was an initiation to join the gang, but a different reason like... I don't know, to see if he can handle being punched or something? LOL! Anyway, yeah... :))

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I wonder if either of them are like that Hyun min guy is king of Dramas?

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oh sweet jesus, he literally trampled on the poor guy's dream. I just honestly don't know how HS will be able to forgive NS. Sure, he can maybe forgive, but he's never going to forget that moment. That shattering moment when his dream died. I just can't with today. This and Merlin finale *bawls*

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Its going to be dead difficult to forgive, but eventually they'll get there.... OMG you watch Merlin?? Same *cries*

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

merry christmas,javabeans! thank you for the recap.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Didn't Nam Soon also tell Jung Ssem about Heung Soo wanting to play soccer to help his mom, but couldn't because of the injury (if I remember correctly)? Does that mean she was sick? And he seems to only live with his noona now..Or maybe I'm reading too much into it. But that, on top of his dream being destroyed and also being betrayed by his best friend..UGH. Did Nam Soon run away by switching schools right after that hospital incident? Man, that's low...and yet, I can't hate on Nam Soon. T_T Oh man, my heart is torn.

Can the writers please mend this friendship so we can see more of the smiley, happy bromance scenes? It breaks my heart to see them now, when they used to be so happy and care-free. T_T

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think Heung Soo had to get off school to treat his leg. It must take months to do physical treatment to be able to walk as normally as he does now. He must have change school after that incident.
Meanwhile, Nam Soon dropped out of school , be at home the whole year and then take test to get into Seungri high.
Dont know how i get the opinion that HS is the one who changed school first, and didnt let NS know. If not, NS had already given up on HS when leaving the previous school. Eventhough let him be the one that ran first totally makes more sense, since HS once mentioned him as "good at running away"

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

The only recourse is healing, isn’t it? And that’s what’s so damned hard about this all, because forgiving is the hardest thing in the world, and it’s the only way out.

Nothing but the truth!!!!

This show breaks me in the best possible way. HW IS HIS SOCCER *tears* The way is face glowed when he talked about what they had *sobs* but godsdamn how do they even begin to forgive themselves and each other!?

*tears*

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Omg, this show......

Would they ever be able to be friends again ? Forgiveness is indeed the hardest thing, especially in this case.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm in denial and I'm shipping Nam Soon ah and Heung Soo...OH THE BROMANCE!<3

On the other hand, I can't help but notice a couple of editing mistakes lik, what was with all the single he 3 jjangs out at the end of the patst episode? And nothing of the sort in this one..and yeah, Heung soo was supposed to be in the gand earlier than Nam soon, but then he tells In jae that HS was just following him along...

Anyway, I love it def the best drama for me

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

I swear I read all the comments to see if anybody thinks the same way as me, and I think you were the nearest. With the rumor-still-don't-know-fact that the PD will remove the romance of the story (and by that I think they refer to Na soom and Ha kyung, maybe the teachers too), maybe they want to try something new and do very literal the last statement Na soon said into a very bromance way: maybe they really love each other and not only in a friendly way.

What gives me this idea was last ep when Na Soon and Ha Kyung were talking and being watched by Heung Soo. Also when Na Soon said he felt left behind, the lack of Hakyung today and my fuel, Na son telling Heung Soo he is His most important thing.

Maybe I'm just reading to much between lines and I'm wrong, maybe the PDs just want to focus on friendship instead, man to man NS/HS, girl to girl HK/KJ, boy and girl NS/HK and teacher-student with teacher Jung and NS.

Or maybe they aren't going to remove anything and I'm just overthinking because this show is awesome.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

I read that they did remove the lovelines and also updated the relationship chart. I guess they could potentially add them back in later though..? I wish there was some way to write to the writers T_T

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm torn about this. I'm usually one of the first to advocate Queer Representation in Media but I don't think I quite want them to go there. Well, at least not with these two. (Can I get more lesbians in kdramas? Or a bisexual person for once?)

The only thing about making this romantic that I don't really like is the implication that the only way someone can be considered the most important person in your life is if you're romantically involved with them and that's a kind of false idea that I hate in a lot of media.

I like the love-line with Ha Kyung and Nam Soon because they had a very normal relationship of classmates and friends who slowly start growing into more, which is really rare to see in kdramas.

I'd like the love-line with Nam Soon and Heung Soo because they'd clearly be the passionate and firecracker kind of love. But at the same time I'd love a drama to avoid falling into that trap where romantic love is the main focus of relationships and the only reason people can have a strong enough bond to want to sacrifice for them.

Cuz honestly I don't know how everyone treats their friends but there are at least three who I would likewise sacrifice everything for like Nam Soon just did for Heung Soo and the idea that I should/can only do that with people I want to boink is ridiculous.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I completely disagree. I think the directing is amazing for what it is and the colors and compositions a little too perfect: the use of morning light to drag your attention to the principle character in the scene is almost lovely to the point of distracting--which is, agreeably, a bad thing in performance art.

It has its flaws, sure (there are only so many cropped skewed shaky camera angles that an episode can get away with--and their perpetual use makes me think that the camera choice was intentional, or at least a production attempt to make the most of what they have) but I find myself watching scenes over and over again because the cleverness of the camera work to navigate through the mob of characters is just so clean: particularly the use of racked focus to go from one row of characters to the next and get as much breadth from a single moment without swamping it with post production excess.

If I had to nitpick at a flaw, it'd be the acting of the classmates. Quit with the precious attention to token English words and overplaying the classroom silliness: byun-ki is more than enough of a clown to carry the comedy.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

tears and the end.....

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Woooooo Binnnnnnn! I love you to pieces. I don't know how their relationship could ever be fixed. I don't think the show should though. I don't believe in real life something like that would ever be forgiven. People hold onto grudges even if they end up forgetting the reason they started the grudge in the first place. Something this big and painful can't be easily forgotten or forgiven. It was a huge betrayal on Nam Soon's part. I think at most Heung Soo could just let the hate go and get on with his life.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I agree that in real life like that something like that would be impossible to forgive....i think heung soo and nam soon can come to terms with the past, and they need to, but they'll never be such close friends again. but this is a drama, so...

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Woah! Oh! So heartbreaking,so sad,tough so nice!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

What happened in the Merlin finale? At least tell me the show is finally over...

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Why does Ha kyung tell Nam Soon he needs a President?

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Because everytime he is not there being the president, she has to.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

And if she has to deal with those idiots Jung ho et al, who'll step in to help?

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Bromance!!! even if it's just from the flashback but I'll take whatever it is. The last scene was just so heartbreaking!

Happy Holidays everyone!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

“What I threw away wasn’t school. It was you, you punk.” *tears* *replay the last scene* *TEARS*

Merry Christmas Javabeans.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

While that was pretty awesome, didn't he throw Nam Soon away when he left him the hospital?

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Do you mean Nam Soon threw Heung Soo away when he left him in the hospital? Yes. That's a lot of why Heung Soo is so angry.

Maybe in the years since the incident they might have sorta reconciled had Nam Soon apologized immediately and tried to repent then but he didn't. Instead he ran away and tried to ignore it until he and Heung Soo were thrown back together and he was forced to really deal with the consequences of his choices.

I think even though that line was touching, it still isn't quite enough to assuage Heung Soo's anger, pain, and feelings of betrayal. It was probably a good start, either way.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Nam-Soon & Heung-Soo, taking bromance to the next level T^T. My poor fragile heart can't not handle this much emotion. Thanks for the recap.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm shipping Nam Soon and Heung Soo. Best Bromance in a drama EVER!
Gah.
I just finished and I'm still sobbing. I knew it was coming but damn. Just crushing me!

I think that Heung Soo was probably the only person he had and that person was going away. He lost it. I think that's why he stopped fighting. But I don't know. That is really hard to forgive. I hope they can make peace somehow someway, but god it's intense.

I don't know, but they have so much chemistry it's pretty much blowing everyone else out of the water. I think the teachers are nice together but right now the emotional level between these two boys is just killing it. Can't look away. Can't wait til tomorrow for a new episode. This show is so damn addictive!

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

i agree with everything in the last paragraph. so much chemistry and character depth. they are basically the reason why i am addicted to this drama.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Best drama bromance on a high school level still belongs to the boys from Shut Up Flower Boy Band, but damn if Heung-soo and Nam-soon aren't coming close. And we're just 7 episodes in!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you, you are so fast! Happy holidays!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm really happy reading everyone's comments and reactions in this show. Knowing that I'm not the only one feeling what I am feeling now (which is a lot), I'm really happy.

Also, I love that everyone here, in tumblr and in soompi, everyone practically just ship Heung Soo and Nam Soon. LOL! It doesn't matter if it's just bromance or on a romantic way, but still.

All of us will all be dying when these 2 make up... (doesn't matter how you make that sound but yeah)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oh right, forgot that it's holidays today. Damn...

Happy Holidays Javabeans! Thank you for all your hardwork on the recaps and your insights! :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you so much for your recap and merry Christmas :)

I cried at some scenes in the episode even though the character didn't cry. Maybe it's just because I'm such a tearjerker. I continue liking the "coorporation" between In Jae and Se Chan. While In Jae is the source of emotional support, Se Chan brings out his smartness to protect his students.

The center of this episode is the conflict past/present between Heung Soo and Nam Soon. I'm so happy that their secret past is out but on the other hand, I do not buy it completely. They were so close and Nam Soon must be the one who understood Heung Soo's dream of being a soccer player the most. So why did he hurt Heung Soo the worst in the "goodbye" beaten-up of their gang? As Heung Soo's best friend, wasn't he supposed to protect his BFF, or at least to not cause any serious injure? Was Nam Soon angry or did he have any other conflict with Heung Soo at that time? Hopefully the plot will answer all my question with a little more reasonable conflicts in the past.

0
5
reply

Required fields are marked *

I thought it was an accident that NS crunched HS's knees. After all there were 3 of them going at him so there could be some confusion.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

when teacher Jang asks him why he did it, he explains it was just gang ritual and because honestly he was angry and hurt. he basically felt that Heung-soo (his everything) was abandoning him. he was going to move on to better things and forget about him. the fear/anger/hurt drove him to do what if he was rational at the moment he never would have done. that is why even he looked surprised with himself after.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I do hope there's more, though it's already heartbreaking enough. Anyway, I think it was anger, betrayal and he's scared of being left alone again. He probably felt betrayed by Heung Soo's decision to leave the gang and angered by it. Nam Soon probably only have Heung Soo as his real family even though they're not blood related. He was afraid that after getting in in the soccer team, HS would leave NS and go somewhere else far away from NS reach. He's also probably afraid that their friendship would end.

/sigh. Everything about yesterday's episode was just a tearjerker... I had legit tears flowing down my eyes while resisting to scream in our house full of sleeping people. LOL

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think he also got carried away - I doubt he went into that last beating intending to break his friend's leg, but his subconscious took over and did the damage.

I was pretty close to tears last episode myself, those boys badly need some hugs and lots of comfort food and even that won't fix what's wrong between them.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Maybe Kang joo will oblige?

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Never imagine that this drama would tugged and twisted my heart.. *weeping silently over these HS kids* TT_TT

Thank you for the recap, JB!
Merry Xmas to you all!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I agree, this show is so raw and stripped down to the core of emotions. It's heart-aching, but the kind that makes you want to cry yet you're unable to because the conflicts are so straight forward and their feelings are still so pure. That's what stood out to me most of all. If I have to nit-pick, they did tend to caricaturize the supporting/background characters. Which is why I can do without the love lines because I don't really feel the chemistry. But since it wouldn't be the focus of the drama, I'd be okay with that.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

One more comment from me, and I'm going to have to get back to my life until episode 8:

This is the first episode with Heung-Soo where I felt he was a teenager and very young. Before, he just seemed way older.

And actually, if these kids are in the 17-19 age range, aren't they kind of behind in their studies? That narrative exercise seems like something I did when I was 15. If someone can explain, please!

0
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

It depends. We don't see too much of their studies. What we saw of the Literature course seemed to me to be just the beginning of the lesson.

And that math they were doing gave me a panic attack. I'm 25 and I was 100% stumped. lmao (Tho that could just be because I'm terrible at math. haha)

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

When I was 18, I could do more math than at 25, so I can buy that. :-)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

You probably went to a school where English was the main language, thus the reason why you learned narrative earlier. English is just one of the many courses and it's not their native language.

Different country, different system.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

They don't have narrative in Korean? That must be a surprise to k-drama script writers.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

it's Christmas, and this show just made me cry, huhuhuhu!!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I knew what was coming but still when I see it playing out on screen, it is so touching, so heartbreaking all at once. Beautifully written characters and acted out so well by the two young actors, Lee Jong Suk and Kim Woo Bin.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I had my holiday day dedicated for this drama, and watching it entirely till this ep. really... There are happy moments and funny glimpses but everything else is so raw and dark and hurtful. It seems this school have endless problems to face each and every episode. I'm not complaining, no, but I would be happy to see something like bromance in These days, not in flashbacks. Something more happy (though I understand, that's not the force that pushes the drama).
Despite the unhappiness factor, the events happening in this drama really gets me. I was relieved to see the friendship secret finally out, but what a familiar angst was when Heung-soo slammed a hand into the window in the hospital. It's similar to the previous ep with Min-ki’s mom at home. I remember some time ago I thought that... we cannot know everything even what one things in the family or friends, even the most familiar people - it is impossible to know them entirely, so how are we supposed to know what is happening in the heads of the strangers, what right do we have to judge them, to create a label for them. I remember asking myself how people can communicate at all, when each of them has their intricate worlds in their heads. If a simple drama can make me remember such old thoughts again, that, I guess, I can consider it good till this ep.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

100% agreed. :D

0
reply

Required fields are marked *