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Monstar: Episode 9

Monstar continues to send me into such a whirlwind of emotions each week that I don’t know how to prepare myself when Friday rolls around. As I watch, it feels like I’m going through both the highs and lows of adolescence all over again. With so much happening in this episode, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at any given moment. Since when did asking one simple question to yourself seem so confusing?

But I suppose that’s all part of facing life when you’re a teenager when your own issues seem like the biggest ones in the world.

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EPISODE 9: “If You Want Help It Will Come”

On the ledge, Kyu-dong braces himself to jump, unaware that Seol-chan and Se-yi are rushing up the stairs at the same time. Ack, I can’t bear to watch what’s coming…

He steps forward … and a mysterious hand yanks him back. Ohthankgod. Seol-chan and Se-yi burst onto the roof and they stop short at the sight of Kyu-dong lying on top of his rescuer: Nana.

They break apart and Kyu-dong runs off, mortified. When Se-yi tries to call after him, it’s Nana who tells her in a bitter tone to think of how humiliated he must feel right now, adding that he won’t try to jump again anytime soon.

It’s no surprise that Kyu-dong is absent from class for the rest of the day. Se-yi is disheartened to hear that Eun-ha didn’t stand up for him back in the classroom, and she cuts her friend off before she can get in another word.

Se-yi beelines for Do-nam and demands that he find where Kyu-dong is. Do-nam retorts that he kept his own trap shut, but that’s the very reason why she’s upset with him, and she points the finger of blame at him.

Do-nam lashes back at her, barking that she doesn’t know a thing about their past. But that’s not what she’s talking about—his silence drove Kyu-dong to try and jump off the roof.

The suicide attempt is news to Do-nam, and Se-yi continues, telling him that if Kyu-dong had succeeded, then it would have been no different than Do-nam pushing his friend off that roof himself.

Meanwhile, Seol-chan criticizes Sun-woo for professing his feelings for Se-yi earlier, calling him a coward for deliberately saying it in front of him. Sun-woo: “Did I confess my feelings to you?” Oh… it wasn’t like that?

Sun-woo suggests they drop the subject since Seol-chan’s predicament of being unable to date Se-yi still stands. But at least Sun-woo came up with one answer the day they met the PD at the movies (i.e., making Se-yi his girlfriend).

“Then is your answer the right one?” Seol-chan returns. And does Se-yi think that as well? Sun-woo tenses before he answers that he thinks she does.

Sun-woo runs into Se-yi as soon as he walks away. He breaks the awkward silence and softly encourages her to act like she normally does around him because he was merely conveying his feelings for her.

She starts to answer, but he tells her not to, since it wasn’t a question. He’s heard that the truth always reveals itself in time, and gives her time to think it over.

Seol-chan spots the two from a distance, but he’s suddenly spooked by Hyo-rin, who sends him a wink and calls him “Oppa” before walking away.

The ajusshi thinks back to the night he ran into Se-yi’s mother and takes out the old high school photo of them together. That brings us back to the year 1986 when the trio was still in school, and a younger ajusshi (whose name is Han Ji-woong) smiles at his buddy, Min Kwang-ho aka Se-yi’s father.

They’re soon joined by Se-yi’s mother, Choi Kyung, and she pouts when Kwang-ho invites her to sing with them. Though she claims that she can’t sing, we see that the opposite is true as they sing and play to Departure’s “Someday.”

From the way that he looks at her, it’s enough to tell us that the ajusshi also had feelings for Se-yi’s mother. In the present, he pulls back a sheet where his dusty guitar still lies within its case.

There’s a knock at the door—it’s Kyu-dong. His head bowed meekly, he explains: “I have nowhere else to go.” Kyu-dong’s quick to notice the changes to the basement and informs the ajusshi that they lost the battle. He adds that he also skipped school today because: “I… tried to kill myself.”

Dying would have been his final act of revenge against the students who taunted him, he explains. He already knows that doing so wouldn’t have achieved that end, but it was already too late by the time he realized his mistake. “Realization always comes at the moment you can’t turn back.”

It was Nana who saved him, he says (and he hilariously puts on his best angry Nana impression, ha) and the ajusshi tells him never to harbor those thoughts again.

“It’s only difficult in the beginning, but it gets easier the second time around.” Kyu-dong replies. Eek, don’t say things like that! Thankfully, he means in other situations, and says that he won’t do something that cowardly again. Oh, phew.

Kyu-dong breathes a sigh of relief, like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He asks the ajusshi if he ever thought about killing himself.

The ajusshi readily answers yes—who hasn’t thought about it before? There was a time he also hit rock bottom, but whereas Kyu-dong had a friend, he was all alone. Now it’s his turn to answer what it was that saved him: a chopsticks wrapper.

It had been a darker period in the ajusshi’s life where he was living off of the bottle. In an attempt to end his life, he was just about to ingest a handful of pills when a quote on a chopsticks wrapper gave him pause: “If you want help it will come, but never how you thought.”

He later learned that it was a quote by a famous Japanese writer, and those words were what brought him back from the brink.

As Se-yi waits for the bus, she gets a call from Kyu-dong, who asks that she keeps today’s events and his current whereabouts a secret before abruptly hanging up. Nana sits down next to her and guesses that Kyu-dong doesn’t want to be found.

Then Nana blurts out that Sun-woo agreed to hang out with her ten times. Which is when Sun-woo’s car passes by and she doesn’t miss how he looks at Se-yi.

At the recording studio, Seol-chan contemplates his earlier conversation with Sun-woo before letting out a frustrated yell. He happily greets his fellow MIB members when they arrive, and I love it how one of them (with whom he’s often paired off in fanfics) stiffens at the hug.

Seol-chan balks when he’s told that he’ll participate in an upcoming music video with the group. Overseas. Tomorrow. He searches for reasons to stay, only to be told that the school has already been informed.

He grumbles to himself: “You want me to record a drama OST? I’m in a drama right now.” HA.

As the MIB boys record their single, we check in with our other characters via montage: Kyu-dong cleans the ajusshi’s basement, Do-nam carries Kyu-dong’s backpack that he previously chucked away (aw), Eun-ha buries her head on her desk, and the ajusshi looks at his old guitar in his now tidy home.

At home, Se-yi speaks to the lamb doll Seol-chan bought for her. (It’s cute how she talks to it like the sheep she spoke to in New Zealand.) She asks how it felt when Seol-chan answered that Se-yi wasn’t his girlfriend. Her phone rings and it falls on her lap.

It’s Seol-chan and the two meet outside her house. He warily broaches the subject of Sun-woo’s confession, and then he blurts out his congratulations.

To his surprise, she thanks him for caring enough as her seat partner to tell her in person. He asks if this means that she accepts Sun-woo’s confession. She says it does.

He hides his hurt by saying that if he knew she felt this way, he would have urged Sun-woo to confess his feelings sooner. It’s only now that she connects the dots—did he already know of Sun-woo’s feelings?

He counters that she must have known how Sun-woo felt about her. Why else would she have latched onto Sun-woo so readily that day at the movies? He sarcastically laughs at his own stupidity. D’oh, don’t be that guy, Seol-chan!

Angry tears well up in her eyes as she levels at him: “Did you just figure that out? You’re really dense.” Seol-chan walks off in a huff.

Se-yi returns to her room, crying. Grabbing the lamb doll on the desk, she marches out of the house to catch up to Seol-chan. She chucks it at him, saying that she’s giving it back now that she has a boyfriend, the same words he said when he gave it to her. She runs off in tears.

At school, Kyu-dong’s continuous absence worries his teacher. We learn that both of Kyu-dong’s parents are deceased and he lives with his grandmother. Teacher Dokko asks Sun-woo if he knows anything, and he answers that he doesn’t.

We know that Se-yi does, and she calls Do-nam out into the hall. She hints that Ky-dong is in “the basement.” Just then, Sun-woo appears and notes her alarmed reaction at Kyu-dong’s name.

He informs her that Teacher Dokko intends to check on Kyu-dong at home, and offers to stall for time so that they can meet him themselves.

Poor Eun-ha’s face falls when her friend gives her yet another raincheck on hanging out together. She musters up the courage to ask Nana, who scowls back at her.

Back in the classroom, Se-yi is just about to leave with Sun-woo when they’re interrupted by Joon-hee, who asks him to fill in for their cellist at practice today.

The orchestra starts and Nana appears from just outside the door, having followed them. She closes it and leans against the wall, still listening with her eyes closed.

As the classical piece continues, we hear Se-yi’s voice narrate as she waits in the classroom: “It doesn’t matter whether he has an interest in me or whether he likes me. He would never consider a girl like me.”

As she peruses through her playlist to find the appropriate song to her current mood, she continues: “So… so… I can’t tell whether I’m mad or sad right now. I don’t know what to listen to… Dad.”

After practice, Sun-woo is surprised to find Nana waiting for him. Her face darkens when he mentions he has plans with Se-yi, who appears just then and suggest that they all go see Kyu-dong together.

At the basement, the ajusshi asks if Kyu-dong plans on never going back to school. He wonders if Kyu-dong is also waiting to see when and how his help will come. Once the ajusshi is back in the main house, we see him stuff an envelope with money, and a circled date on the calendar. Curious.

There’s another knock at the door, and this time it’s Eun-ha with the same explanation: “I have nowhere else to go.”

She brightens at the sight of Kyu-dong and parking a seat next to him on the piano bench, she asks if he plays.

Kyu-dong answers that he stopped learning after a few months when he was younger, a decision he regrets after he saw Seol-chan and Sun-woo play together. But Eun-ha cheerily encourages him to try anyway since it’s better than nothing.

His piano skills are elementary at best, but as he plays, we see that the courtyard and grounds are enriched with new fauna. Then as the ajusshi enters the bank, he briefly runs into the same Thai street musician we’ve seen a few times now.

Once he’s finished, Eun-ha cheerily applauds his performance. When Kyu-dong’s eyes land on the bruise on her leg, she quickly covers it with her skirt and makes up an excuse. Uh oh, I can’t help but suspect something’s going on at home.

Changing the subject, Eun-ha frowns at the various instruments—if she had only learned to play an instrument, then she could play it whenever she felt like this. “Now that I think about it, there isn’t anything I know how to do.” Aww.

Kyu-dong asks if something’s the matter but Eun-ha slaps on a smile. The next thing we know, they’ve set up the band instruments and microphone.

Eun-ha taps into her creativity bank and her imagination runs wild. As she assigns the Color Band members to various roles, we see them pop up behind their respective positions, dressed in rock outfits.

Her imaginary band rocks out to Crying Nuts’ “Run the Horse,” and it takes a minute for Kyu-dong to imagine it with her. They start jumping and bopping their heads to the music.

Aww, I really like how we’re using Eun-ha’s forte (her imagination) to give herself as an emotional outlet. Not only that, their imaginary counterparts look so happy about playing together as a group that it puts a smile on my face.

They yell out the lyrics together and freely dance to the music like there’s no tomorrow. At the song’s climax, they let out one last scream and collapse onto the ground, exhausted.

At that moment, there’s another knock at the door to see Se-yi and crew, along with that same Thai street musician as before.

Which makes it all the more interesting that the ajusshi is at the bank to send money… to Thailand. Wait a minute—are we dealing with a long-lost son or something?

He runs into Se-yi’s mother on his way out, and the two relocate to a cafe to chat. It’s the way that she makes these references to his past partying lifestyle that makes me like her a lot less right now, especially since she can tell how uncomfortable he is.

The ajusshi brings up his friend and her late husband. But she isn’t keen on opening that can of worms and asks (in formal jondaemal, no less) if she looks like a pitiful widow. She insists that she’s fine but makes it clear that she hopes that they don’t cross paths again.

Back at the basement, Eun-ha pouts at always being left out, but she’s more understanding when Kyu-dong intervenes that he’s to blame. There’s an awkward silence that follows, so she shifts the conversation to their mysterious guest.

He introduces himself as NAWIN and we learn that he ran into the group when he lost his way. He’s looking for someone and the address brought him here.

Se-yi follows Kyu-dong outside to apologize for not keeping his secret. She urges him to come back to school and tells him not to worry since she’ll be there. Aw.

She asks why he came here, to which he answers that he couldn’t think of anywhere else to go. He in turn asks after Seol-chan and realizes that he probably has no need to come here anymore.

He remembers how much he enjoyed spending his free time in that basement with them. “I really like it here,” he wistfully remarks, “It’d be nice if I could keep coming here.”

When the ajusshi returns and learns who his guest is, he demands the students to leave immediately. They wonder about the sudden outburst, and Kyu-dong hangs back to murmur a word of thanks to Nana, who tersely replies, “All right.”

As they leave, someone walks into view—it’s Seol-chan, who took an earlier flight to return to Korea.

There’s a reason why Nawin has come to see him, and he mentions a certain Choi Si-young. Oh, is this the dead woman who keeps haunting your nightmares? He refers to an incident six years ago… but the ajusshi cuts him off, saying that he knows of no such person and shows him the door.

He’s still angry when there’s another knock at the door a minute later. It’s Seol-chan and the ajusshi grits that he doesn’t have the strength to argue with him. Neither does Seol-chan, who adds, “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

The same nightmare continues to plague the ajusshi in his sleep and the sound of furious knocking jolts him awake.

Now I just find it plain funny that all of the Color Bar members have visited him today. By now, he asks if Do-nam doesn’t have a place to go either. But no, he’s here to see if Kyu-dong is around, and they find that he isn’t, Do-nam leaves.

Sun-woo tries to tease Se-yi in order to lift her spirits as he walks her home. When he jokes that she’s oddly comfortable around someone who confessed his feelings for her, she returns a sad look.

He steps aside to take a call and afterward, he asks Se-yi: “Do you want to meet my girlfriend?” The look of astonishment on her face is priceless.

They head to the hospital where a pint-sized terminally ill patient runs up to him, shouting: “Sun-woo Oppa!” This is the “Angel Hye-rim” whose name pops up on his phone, and I love how she gives Se-yi the ol’ up-and-down, all, Who’s she?

As Sun-woo sets up his guitar to play for the children, he explains that little Hye-rim was the reason why he couldn’t show up to practice with Se-yi in the park that evening. She had called him over, crying, because one of her friends “went to heaven.”

However, Se-yi does manage to break the ice by promising to talk to Hye-rim about sheep if she lets her sing. And the stern look on Hye-rim’s face slowly turns into a smile as Sun-woo and Se-yi sings “When Yesterday Comes” (originally sung by the trio Oh-Jang-Bak, abbreviated for the members Oh Suk-joon, Jang Pil-goon, and Park Jung-woon)

As the song continues, we see Do-nam standing behind a streetlamp with Kyu-dong’s backpack in hand outside Kyu-dong’s place. And then we see Seol-chan sitting alone on Se-yi’s usual park bench.

As Sun-woo walks her back later that night, he notes that she looks much brighter than these past few days. Her face falls at the statement, realizing that it means he’s been paying close attention to her.

Sun-woo offhandedly remarks that Se-yi must not think of him as a man and that she’s probably the first girl who hasn’t seen him for his charm. But those words trigger memories of Seol-chan telling her how she doesn’t see him as a man or as a celebrity.

Se-yi stops in her tracks, thinking back to her argument with Seol-chan. When Sun-woo asks what’s wrong, she lowers her head and insists that it’s nothing

But all it takes is Seol-chan’s name for her to crumple on the ground in tears. Sun-woo pats her comfortingly on the shoulder… a sight that Seol-chan sees. Ack!

Se-yi is just outside her door when Seol-chan’s voice calls out to her. He emerges from the shadows and asks: “Why were you crying?” Ah, you’re actually asking her this time! In person!

They sit on the steps and Seol-chan asks her again why she was crying. He grows frustrated at her silence, saying that she always cries but never tells him why.

Se-yi asks why it should matter to him and he retorts that it does. He is after all, her jjak.

She says she’s grown tired of the word, which Seol-chan thinks that she means she doesn’t even want to be his jjak anymore. She clarifies that she’s tired of hearing him use that word as an excuse. Preach it, sista.

Thinking aloud he asks himself why they became each other’s jjak in the first place, and she answers: “You were the one who said we should be!” Ha.

He asks himself why he did that… and then we briefly cut to a pair of snails crawling on a leaf. Oh, I think we all know what’s coming next…

Seol-chan turns to her and calls her name. He gazes at her for a long minute…

Then he cups her face and swoops in for a kiss. Her eyes widen and she grabs his arm in alarm before closing her eyes.

 
COMMENTS

Ack, how this show continues to take my breath away from start to finish.

There were so many little things that rippled throughout this episode that I often found myself trying to grasp for all the straws, just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. And yet, the show continues to give reminders that all of those little moments are still there, that this world continues to turn and breathe in the background. So then I let out a relieved sigh knowing that all of those little beats keep the story running.

We see this in the way that Do-nam is affected by the news of Kyu-dong’s suicide attempt, and that even under that gruff exterior, he cares more than he lets on. Furthermore, I love how we see that the ajusshi’s home and basement is cleaner now to illustrate the changes that are going on in his life. In that same vein, I nearly dismissed Nawin’s earlier appearances (played by Thai singer Natthew) in the beginning of the series, and we have still yet to know how he ties into the ajusshi’s past.

I feel like Eun-ha also deserves a mention in this episode. At this point, we can only draw guesses about Eun-ha’s situation, but I admit to harboring suspicious thoughts that the bruise points to a form of abuse. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched of a guess given the tiny clues. Given how the show has managed to touch up on some graver issues thus far in the series, I rest assured knowing that we’ll explore it with her if or when it comes.

Throughout the series, we’ve seen how Se-yi and Seol-chan use the word jjak countless times in their interactions. Lately, we’ve been seeing how the word has been used as an excuse to hide behind their feelings and mask their hurt, especially when they spit hurtful words at each other. I mentioned in the premiere that there are various meanings to the word jjak in Korean. So there’s a reason behind why I kept the work jjak in its original Korean romanization than providing a specific translation like “seat partner,” which is how they’ve been using up to this point. Something more along the lines of acquaintances and friends than anything else, you might say.

So I’d like to think that as our romance continues to blossom, the word will start to take on its other, more romantic meaning. Because sooner or later, when it comes to being each other’s jjak, we’re not just talking about being seat partners anymore.

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This episode! The longest Se Yi and Seol Chan are away from each other! But then the end! The biggest step forward for them!

Fridays are my favorite days now!
And today is only Tuesday. =[

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Argh, it's only Monday here. I love this drama so much, it feels like my whole existence is just perpetually waiting for Fridays. I'll be both sad and relieved when it's over.

Thanks for the recap, gummi!

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i somehow always find seol chan annoying, innocent little brat with loud voice, yet, in this ep where seolchan was nowhere to be seen, it's so quiet in the group despite much problem arise. i kinda miss him, and i understand seyi's feeling LOL

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true this. while he is always the bratty one, when he wasnt around, all i did was hoping that he would pop up on the screen all the time.

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I find him bratty and when he wasn't around, I thought good, no 'starw" designation excusing obnoxious behavior.

I'm sure he has some tragic back story meant create sympathy. He'll probably be adopted--because there seems to be no more horiable fate than to be an adoptee in k-dramas.

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The last scene came as an absolute shock!!

However, there are SO many questions that are still unanswered, and I'm not quite sure how the loose ends will be tied in the 3 episodes that are left. For example:

What secret is Eun-ha harboring?
What will come of Nana and Sunwoo?
Who is this Thai musician?
When/how will the team come together to perform as ColorBar (or will they never again?!)
Will All4One always be a half-threat? I feel like there could have been a strong storyline here...
Will Dokko teacher and the PE teacher ever get it onnn?

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and don't forget:
Seol Chan family issue
Seol Chan & SunWoo's broken friendship
HyoRin's gf claim

Mann..... still so many issue to be address. I hope they didn't rush anything or I'll be disappointed. Since filming has ended, probably we can get 2nd season?

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...and also Ahjussi and mom's issue...yap still so many unanswered questions that me too were wondering if all of them can be answered in the 3 episodes that are left, keeping my fingers crossed that they will....

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wait. WHAT?! 3 episodes? I thought this was a 16 episode drama not 12!! How will they ever wrap everything up? oh no!

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Also, I know Se Yi's mom and Se Yi have a misunderstanding and at first I was pretty impressed that the mom didn't want to give up on Se Yi and their relationship and understood that 'I never want to see you again' is a hard promise to keep for the rest of anyone's life.
But with that taunt about the partying and her refusal to even acknowledge the friendship the ahjushi and her husband once shared (whatever be the cause of their fall out), she lost a large portion of my sympathy.
It makes you wonder what kind of closed off mom she must have been for Se Yi to so easily believe the worst of her five years AFTER her dad's death.
Also, can one really feel any sympathy for the unni who comes and imposes on Teacher Dokko's hospitality and then makes her feel bad about her housekeeping?
So, mom. You have some major redeeming to do and fast.

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I won't lie, I squealed a little inside at the end, even though I kind of think the almost-kiss from episode 6 was hotter. But I did love that Seol-chan and Se-yi, even before the kiss, actually made some progress - even if it did lead to tears on her end first.

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I agree that the almost-kiss was hotter, but then you were expecting it because of the episode preview. This kiss came as a happy surprise, since there were absolutely no spoilers.

The way Seol-Chan said her same so softly..."Se-yi-ah" before the kiss...yup, I was squealing a little inside too.

Now...how about a kiss between Sunwoo and Nana? Is that asking for too much?

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Precisely!! I've been wanting them to kiss since Sun Woo and Na Na had that stand off near ahjushi's house and Sun Woo told her that letting other people shoulder her share of the burden isn't like the Na Na he knows. I've going Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh inside ever since. Also they look awesome together. Oh please Sun Woo stop romanticizing pre-adolescent crush and thinking that six years of pining gives your crush greater depth.
Also how sweet is Na Na's crush on Sun Woo and her total lack of coyness when it comes to their dates. I think Sun Woo knows/guesses how she feels about him, but tells himself she only wants a friend, someone who knows her for the person she really is and he's giving her that as a 'good deed'. That pissed me off a little because it sounded like an excuse.
What I would really like is for Sun Woo to realize that crushing on someone as a kid and falling for someone in your youth is different and not to be confused.
Also I really don't want Sun Woo to end up a sad old second lead when Na Na is JUST RIGHT THERE DAMMIT.

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It may be too much to ask for a kiss from our second leads, but I've been wanting it like burning ever since he almost backed her into the pillar on the rooftop (because invading someone's personal space to almost kissing distance is normal when you want them to not smoke and you are not attracted to them at all, riiiighhht).

And he does get touchy-feely (or as touchy-feely as one can get with Nana, anyway) to surprising levels - I feel like he's attracted to her, and more than he realises. And like you, I love Nana's forthrightness even while she avoids actually admitting that she's crushing on him.

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Completely agree with you. I don't care if it the almost kiss was a bit caveman. The buildup was there and it made it a bit more interesting.

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If the almost kiss was a bit caveman, this one seems more than a bit caveman to me.

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Agreed on the previous almost kiss, her breathing into his mouth thing, was much more interesting.

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So true! I remember how it makes my face a hot at that time.

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Oh i like this kiss better. Just love the quietness of that moment, the light and the anticipation of a kiss when he side glanced her.

I had butterflies and my heart went all fluttery.

Loved this episode. Thanks gummicochi. Just hope they will answer my curiosity about seol chan's relationship with his mom and also his broken friendship with sun woo in the next three epsiodes.

Gah.. Am such a fan of junhyung now that its embarrassing!

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'Gah.. Am such a fan of junhyung now that its embarrassing!'

me too!!! I thought I'm done with fangirling over idol.....

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Thank goodness i am not alone!

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Just hope they will answer my curiosity about seol chan’s relationship with his mom and also his broken friendship with sun woo in the next three epsiodes.

Oh, yes. Less of the parental love triangle angst, and more of, you know, our kids.

And I love the moment too - it's slightly awkward in a way that fits perfectly with the characters' youth, it's just that the last almost-kiss was more traditionally swoony, lol.

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Pogo! I definitely agree that the almost-kiss was hotter, but this was sweetness itself, and more appropriate for the moment. I have a feeling that fictional relationship would build from sweetness to heat pretty quickly, somehow.

At least it would if *I* was Se Yi because darn, if Junhyung hasn't won me over COMPLETELY in his role as Seol Chan. What an irritating, annoying, irresistable, adorable boy!

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JoAnne - I admit I am prejudiced, I thoroughly dislike creepy-crawly things and the cut to the two just before the kiss grossed me out a little (I get it, symbolic visual, but if they do that every time these two kiss or have a major moment, I will gag). It threw me out of the moment for a bit, and I hope it isn't going to be a running theme.

Now, on to the more important part - I really do like the moment, even if it is a touch awkward teenage caveman - what really got to me was him saying her name just before he leaned in. And yeah, Junhyung's won me over completely too - who would've thought? He's not a perfect actor by any means, but he is THE perfect person to play Seol-chan, and the same goes for Ha Yeon-soo as Se-yi.

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If they keep doing that, you might develop your gag-kiss as a pavlova reaction in your real life!! THAT would be a worry!!

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Thank you for your recap, gummimochi! Reading your recap after each episode is icing on my favourite cake! Monstar cake! Each episode takes my breath away, too.

Seol Chan's reaction to finding Kyu-dong on top of Nana made me lol in relief that sweet Kyu-dong was saved.

Another fantastic episode!

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That was the most awkward kiss ever, yet I was cheering my fangirl heart out when it happen.
I love this show, I don't know how I'm going to cope with only 3 more episodes left. The only bright side is that the 3 main characters already have projects line up. So we get to see them again soon.

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And hopefully Nana gets back to GLAM and releases another single soon, because they are actually really talented and deserve some more attention.

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I know! My sentiments exactly. I'm waiting to see how Kang Ha-Neul will act in Heirs.

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Shhhhhh... You are not allowed to mention that name around me. The drama name, not Kang Ha-Neul. His name can be said as much as possible, with pictures if needed.

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Dito at quite the awkward kiss. I do NOT remember how awkward my first kiss was. Probably because quite a few followed it in the same day, but oh well. Good memories...

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Daebak

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I love this episode. I was nearly dying after last weeks cliffhanger but I'm so glad Nana stopped him. I'm now more curious about Eunha's story and I have wanted to know who the bloodied girl was ever since the flashback that the ahjussi had. I can't wait to see how everything unfolds.

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I loved this episode much more than the last (where it was winding down of the Color Bar plot and setting up for the next). I agree that the Almost Kiss was hotter than the Kiss, but I'm happy that they're finally moving forward! I thought he'd just confess, but kiss? I did a squee. Hopefully we can move past the I Like You But I'm Not Telling You dance now.

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I'm glad Kyu Dong was saved just like the ajusshi. Although his chopstick wrapper was the very serious Kim Nana, who ends up underneath him, heh. I'm not sure how she can continue to play such a serious character for so long -- you can just tell something wants to burst out -- I think. Oh well, only 3 episodes left -- I wonder if all the loose ends will get tied up or leave us wanting more, hehe.

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ahhh absolutely adore Seol Chan! swoooon~ so jelly xD still rkn the almost kiss was much hotter haha not that im complaining ;3 i'll take what i can get haha thanks for the insightful recap once again! friday seems way too far away ~

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This show has my heart! Between Monstar and I Hear Your Voice, my emotions have been on a roller coaster ride and I don't want to get off. All the parts of this show work together in perfect harmony; the writing, directing, casting, music, and acting are all spot on.

Speaking of casting... anyone else wonder if the cast was selected based on their lips, or is that just me? Nearly everyone on the show has gorgeous lips. The most luscious belonging to Se yi and Seol Chan. Kinda warrants a better kiss then just just smashing their two plump kissers together and not moving, but the scene I have in mind is probably not fitting for a high school drama. Oh well. I cheered regardless.

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I don't think the writer will go as far as letting Eun Ha be abused at home in his/her script. In my guess, Eun Ha got the bruise from practicing for their performance. I think her problem is just that she feels left out among her Color Bar friends who have visual talents. That's also the reason why their classmates refused to acknowledge her contribution in the performance (by saying that they didn't see her in the performance record and asking what her role was in Color Bar). The writer probably has some ideas to present about Eun Ha's talent for us (I certainly hope she will not be left out).

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Smile134, that's actually what I'd thought at first too - that she got it from enthusiastically banging the tambourine on her leg - she always looked at it right after people would mention how she didn't really contribute anything. Poor girl - I hope she gets at least a little more attention before the end of the series.

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I have to agree with you as well... except, what if it is the dreaded cancer... did I just jinx it? Crap.

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I totally melt when uri Star said Seyi-ah....... *fangirl squee* Suddenly I interested in Beast. hahahaha

Like this episode but seeing Seol Chan barely in this, I guess this episode is filmed around his schedule. And I'm glad that Nana is the one who save Kyu Dong...
3 episode left and they introduced new sub plot regarding Adam & Nawin??? No, don't do that show. We have so many issue to be addressed.. I want to know about SC & SW past & Eunha's secret... Definitely didn't want that classic letsresolveeverythinginthelast5minute ending...

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Good time to be interested in Beast, they'll be releasing a new song (or even album?) quite soon! Yay!

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Weeeeeee! I was so happy they (the writers) did not kill Kyo-dong. I kept telling them (because they have a direct line to my head, naturally) that this was not that type of drama, dammit. I am still afraid for Eun-ha. It would be wonderful for everyone of our protagonists to survive and be happy, uber happy even. I would love that, esp. after the roller-coaster this show has been so far.

Hyo-rin's wink and "Oppa" aegyo was so very off putting. AND HILARIOUS. It made me really like the actress for that beat. I'm not sure I can like Hyo-rin or the Radio caller guy. The characters are unsympathetic at best...any way (big inhalation)... The wink: HILARIOUS.

And I luffed the rock music break. Such a nice change of pace from the rest of the drama-drama.

Thanks for the recap, Gummimochi :)

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I'm kind of worried. If only because they have so many different plot threads and I don't know if its possible to tie them up in the next 3 episodes left or at least bring them to some kind of conclusion that would be satisfying! If this were a 16 episode drama then I would actually be pretty glad because there's plenty of fodder but I'm just worried about the resolutions now. I would be VERY frustrated if they didn't actually pick up on all the plot points they hinted at!

Still the drama has been pretty good at keeping to its intended narrative - reminding us of angel Hye-Rim and bringing our attention to EH's bruises again.

The kiss was sweet but frankly I'm a lot more on the side of Nana and SW than SY and SC simply because SC sometimes makes me want to smack him upside on the head. What's HIS back story?? I wish they didn't release the teaser of the abandoned child so early in the game cos it just annoys me now that I feel like I'm supposed to have some sympathy for him but I don't really. Nana on the other hand I felt had enough build up that its hard not to be her side (she really is just a misunderstood child!).

I loved the scenes when both cars passed by and in the first SC is staring at SY and in the second so is SW but Nana is the one who looks back at him. So meaningful and poignant - the story is told best with such small but emotional beats.

Sigh. Mondays. Could you come faster?

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More golden moments with ahjusshi's house being the solidarity haven for these kids (I burst out laughing at the 2nd guests arriving with the same 'no where to go' line), the little girl with giant level of possessiveness and it's Seyi's hair that she went for first and finally the silent snails as prelude to a tender call for a kiss (my heart muscle twitched a little, totally swooning).

Why are all these little things so awesome?

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I wanted to squee when I realized the kiss was going to happen, but then I got distracted by the snails. I wonder who came up with that imagery. Kissing...lips...snails? Hmm...

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ok... is it just me being pervy or is it b/c it's wet??? and slow???

whatever it is, it's really cute, and only subtly x-rated... haha

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For me it was a suggestion of how slow and awkward the moment was. You know the "as slow as a snail" expression and all. But you're right, everything can be interpreted in the dirtier way too kkk.

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Well. If you remember, the snails were there in the beginning of the first epsisode when se yi said something like ' it all started with lips'.

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Yea, I don't really understand the snails as well. I don't feel excited when they compare lips with snails. This keeps bothering me :(

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Thank you for the recap.

I love the rock band and since I am totally a- goner for Kim Haneul, how good was he with the mussed up hair.

However one of my favouite was the hospital scene. Don't know why it had to be there but the kids were sweet.

This show, how does it make such trivial teenage high school matter sound so important? Each one of them. But the ?upcoming physical abuse for Eun Ha, how will be it be sorted in 3 episodes?

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if the accident happened in 6 years ago, then it must be tied-up to Se-ri's dad's accident. Oh, well, we will know in due time.

Thanks for recap G. this is such a good episode. I hope that Yong Joon-hyung and Ha Yeon Soo will pair again in Potato Star which is also in TvN.

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When I saw the snails I thought about how slowly they were moving, and perhaps away from each other, and I thought about the slow pace of the Seul Chan and Se yi romance -- were they ever going to get together?

I just love this drama!

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Another fantastic episode!

After downloading the various snippets not included in the OST, I subconsciously decided to marathon the show from the beginning.

I must say, there are hints about everything from the beginning. So much so, that I think that almost every little bit they included earlier has some relevance later in the plot.

It's especially brought home to me in this episode, as there are quite a few callbacks to previous episodes from Nawin's appearance and his mother's death to Seyi's being reminded of Seol-chan's words by Sun Woo's words to Sun Woo's relationship with Hye-rim to the snails (as the first thing we see in the whole drama).

I have faith that the writer/director team constructed each shot very carefully, so I'm not worried about all the secrets still left.

- SC's abandonment
- SC/SW broken bromance
- Ajussi's nightmare/Nawin's mother
- Eun-ha's bruises and self-worth issues

I am a little worried about the resolution of these conflicts on top of the other conflicts, but I feel that if they felt they needed another episode or two, it'd be rather easy for them to get the extension given the good ratings that Monstar has. Therefore, I'm going to believe that the writer/director know what they're doing in packing the last 3 episodes with so much story.

- SC/SY romance dealing w/ fame and fans (likely explored through Eunha)
- SC familial issues
- SY resolution with her mother
- SW/NN romance
- NN familial issues and fashion dreams
- Gyu Dong/Do Nam's healing (though that seems to have pretty much turned this episode)
- Ajussi/SY mother's friendship
- Dokko Sensei finding herself

I think the following parts might be finished
- Colorbar doing the concert. SW congratulated JH on the concert, so that's out, though I wouldn't necessarily rule out a reunion...
- SC's Hyung w/ the crush on Dokko Sensei. Just seemed like it was there for laughs.
- Dokko/Choi romance? Don't know if it's so much as a romance as it's Choi wanting to see the idealistic Dokko teacher again

So, here's my thoughts on when they'll be resolved:

Ep 10:
- All the secrets will be exposed more w/ maybe SC's abandonment held back until ep. 11
- GD/DN healing starts and continues through ep. 12
- SW/NN romance starts blooming with more dates and SW recovering from realizing SY loves SC and continues through ep. 12

Ep 11:
- Eun-ha deals with own issues and SC/SY romance
- SC's abandonment issues are exposed
- SC/SY help each other start exploring their familial issues, ditto, SW/NN

Ep 12:
- Resolution of all familial issues.
- Mending of SC/SW bromance
- SC chooses between romance and stardom
- Ajussi resolves his issues
- Dokko Sensei finds herself

Maybe some of the resolutions will occur in Episode 11 rather than 12 as that does seem a lot to resolve in the final episode.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to how the story will resolve. Sadly, only 3 more weeks of Monstar goodness :(. Interestingly enough, thought about Monstar as "My Star" and I wonder if it means for Se-yi or the fangirls or maybe even Seol-Chan?

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It's actually a pretty neat way to wrap up the series. I hope the writer takes some clues from your post, lol!

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Eunha gets the spotlight next episode. And I can't wait.

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My favorite scene so far is the basement imagination scene. It was so emotional. I was practically crying watching them two just let go of everything.

I didn't like the kissing scene. There I said it.

Also Moms a complete bitch. Putting it out there. But oh man the moment she finds out that Ahjusshi is her daughters person of sanctuary. Dude I wouldn't want to be anywhere near that fan.

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I liked the kissing scene.

The kiss itself, though, sucked, IMO. There shouldn't have been resistance, but more just shock.

I still liked the sentiment, but the execution wasn't the best. It's happened a couple of times throughout the series, but I usually understand what they were trying to go for.

I'm still not sure if we know enough about Mom to condemn her. She definitely seems to care for Seyi, but Seyi's completely shut her out. As to her treatment of Ajusshi, I can see why she'd rather treat it as if they were strangers if Ajusshi was her crush and that's all to the story. I definitely look forward to her finding out about Ajusshi and Seyi, though.

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@kiss scene, Exactly!

About Mom. I find her a bit of a bulldozer right now in how she inserted her presence on Seyi. I get she misses her daughter and is fed up with how shes acting but given the circumstances of the rift, seems a little much without any explanation of her overheard conversation.

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I didn't like the kiss either. As Requiem said, it would have been better without the resistance and to only leave the shock.

What's sad is SC grabbiness is probably not something that's going to be dealt with since grabbiness is just something that's accepted amongst kdramas. :/

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This kiss was definitely awkward. Seol Chan kind of swoop in on Se Yi and she was resisting it a little too much so I didn't find it very romantic at all. I glad he finally did kiss her so all her misunderstandings should have been cleared up.

It was also awkward with Hyo Rin's wink and calling Seol Chan oppa... What a surprise! Probably creeped him out.

This one episode a week is dragging out this drama, and you have to wait until Friday which seems like forever to come. Not use to it. I wish it ran twice a week.

How can they end this drama in 3 more episodes when there are so many unresolved storylines?

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Three episodes seem impossible especially since we just learned something new about Eun Ha. I sense an extention coming on.

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The kissing scene was awkward...but isn't this SC's first kiss, too? I know the fan kissed him on ep 1 but the storyline is consistent with him being "arrogant" but not confident when interacting with Seyi...and the kiss is no different...I sure hope that this was a 16-episode drama...

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The kiss was not only uninteresting, in retrospect it reflected SC's ongoing portrayal as a stalker-rapist kind of guy. That Seyi resisted didn't help either. I wanted character growth, but that forced display of affection landed us back in square one. Yoon Seolchan = still a jerk. (More open about his feelings, but still a jerk.)

The basement scene was the best. I think I'm into KD x EH now! Why? Because that scene had no triangle drama, no unrequited crush, and not a single ounce of that kind of bullshit. Just two hurt souls opening their hearts up, being themselves, and HAVING GENUINE FUN. We need more of these kinds of couples in our lives. (Minus the hurt souls part, of course.)

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I love this show! Its entertaining and thought provoking. Nana must've a lot strength to pull Kyu-dong so swiftly!

I really like how Se-yi reasons with Seol-chan and that makes him so frustrated which comes out so cute. Oh the snails...I remember seeing snails on the first episode.

3 more episodes to go! Now when will Kang Ha Neul will have his own show? I'm getting tired of seeing him as the second lead.

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I can't say I care much at all about the backstory of the Ahjusshi and Se-yi's parents.

I also feel like there are so many open threads that I wonder if there'll be time to finish them all... Or maybe they'll be finished, but I wonder if they'll be fully developed. I'm glad we finally got some development with Eun-ha, but at the same time I feel like we still know nothing about her.

She was very right to say to Se-yi though that they were leaving her out of things. Se-yi did tell Sun-woo about Kyu-dong, but not Eun-ha – which precisely reflects her reality. The handsome class president is told, the invisible girl that has nothing special is left out. It's sad that even Se-yi doesn't always see her, I'd expect her to be more perceptive of than that.

It's good that Eun-ha bonded with Kyu-dong, indeed, I'm surprised they didn't before, the whole Colorbar of them. If they all just took care to talk to each other and be open to making friends, they could all be bests so easily. Maybe it's wishful thinking, but it would seem better than withdrawing into themselves and suffering alone, which at least Eun-ha, Kyu-dong, Nana and Seol-chan certainly all do.

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Seyi was definitely not being a good friend for Eun-ha, but she did have a lot on her mind what with her attraction to SC, SW's confession, KD's attempted suicide, and attempting to reconcile KD and DN. Add in the issue that she's not exactly perceptive when it comes to deciphering people's emotions, and I totally understand why she'd miss out on Eun-ha's cry for help. It makes it sadder for Eun-ha, which you empathize with.

As to the withdrawing and suffering alone, I think that's a common theme throughout for Colorbar, that's why they feel so alone.

Sun-woo with his rejection and his fear of getting hurt again was at the start of Monstar "cold" who never took an interest in other people.

Se-yi shuts herself off from her mother and refuses to even answer any phone calls from her and gets mad that anyone DID answer a phone call.

Do-nam never accepts Kyu-dong's apology and doesn't open himself up even to his All41 "buddy." Heck, nobody except Kyu-dong even knows about his beatboxing skills and the All41 guys don't know how much he still yearns for judo.

I'd say that the loneliness is definitely a main theme which is explored throughout the drama. That's why you have in the first episode, the shots of all the main Colorbar members alone with their loneliness. Even the people who you wouldn't expect to be lonely (the idol, the class president, the gangster, heck, even the bully and the social butterfly) all are all lonely in their unique ways, which comes down to the inability to connect in a meaningful way with others.

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In this instance, sun woo was told because he overheard something and he mentioned about the teacher wantingto visit kyu dong's home. I dont think se yi would have told him otherwise. But its unfortunate that right now, she really has a lot on her mind and cant notice that her friend eun ha needs her.

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Well, if you make a promise not to tell, you make a promise not to tell. What Sun woo overheard wasn't that much for Se-yi not to be able to not tell him anything.

Would she have told Eun-ha if she had been there in place of Sun-woo? We can only muse about it, but what Eun-ha feels at the moment is that she is the one that isn't told things, even when others are. If it happens once, you dismiss, if it happens all the time, which to Eun-ha it clearly has, it affects you more profoundly.

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I cant remember. Did she actulaay tell sun woo whathappened with kyu dong though? I thought she just told him where he could be found?

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We don't actually see the scene where she tells Sun Woo, so we don't really know how much she told him.

It's conceivable that she only told Sun Woo that he's at the basement. Though, my impression was that she told him everything, otherwise, I don't see how she could have convinced him to talk to the teacher to delay going to Kyu Dong's grandmother.

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And looking at it again, I think it's implied that she does tell Sun Woo exactly what happened.

SY: Kyu Dong doesn't want people to know
SC: But something like this should have been reported to Dokko Sensei.

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hah requiem, thanks for doing the research :)

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Oh and i agree about eun ha. I would feel that way too.

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Promises must be kept
until the time comes when they shouldn't be kept

If the last time I saw a friend was when they were trying to jump off a roof

and then they were out of touch-- and not checking in

and they made me promise not to mention it or come by

Well, I'm not keeping a promise if I suspect that promise might make it possible for them to harm themselves.

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Oh, I agree, there's times where promises should be broken and I do think this was one of them! But she should have told them both, Sunwoo and Eunha, indeed, Sunwoo was very right in saying this should have been reported to the teacher (or some responsible adult).

I don't even think they should have let Kyudong run off of like that (Nana stopping Se-yi because she was certain that Kyudong wouldn't jump again out of embarrassment). If I ever come across anyone who has just tried to commit suicide, I'm not going to leave their side until it has been established that they are okay (as much as you can establish this).

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Well, I’m not keeping a promise if I suspect that promise might make it possible for them to harm themselves...

Seyi has her doubts, she's not sure because Nana told her to leave KD alone and KD asked her to keep it to herself.

If I'm the teenager Seyi, I wouldn't know what to do, I'll be shaken & confused. And because she's has doubts as what to do, she told SW at least, who is the class president, who happens to be there & of course someone more reliable (notice how she listens to him most times like a big brother), who then suggested that the teacher should be informed but also taking KD's pride into consideration, decided to check on KD at the Basement with Seyi.

The unfortunate part is Eun Ha is a bystander & don't think this is about promises, broken or kept.

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I can’t say I care much at all about the backstory of the Ahjusshi and Se-yi’s parents.

Same here. I keep saying this, but I'd rather hear more about ColourBar (or even Seol-chan's parental issues, shoved on the backburner for several episodes now) than some long-ago love triangle.

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At least the Seol-chan parent issue would tell us something more about Seol-chan... something which we need to know.

The parent triangle... not so (though I guess there is something the death of Se-yi's dad to be revealed there. I wonder if it will be all a great misunderstanding, maybe with Se-yi's Dad having the affair with someone... the woman connected to the Thai guy? I'm totally fantasising here...)

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I love how the show takes me back to being seventeen and doesn't leave out any of the rollercoaster ride that life was, but does it in a way I don't mind that I've just been reminded about a part of my life I'd usually just rather leave forgotten.

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Yes. Seventeen was a long, long, LONG time ago - and I lived through it again, sort of, when my daughter was 17 a few years back - but this has been a real trip down an emotional memory lane.

Those late teen years - they're such an emotional time, so full of change...it's like being a toddler learning to walk and talk, except that this time you REMEMBER it. Nice to revisit, occasionally, especially through slightly rose-colored glasses. Not that they necessarily pull punches in this, but we know in a general way that things work out for our young friends, and that provides a bit of cushion for getting through the angsty parts.

Although I did seriously worry about Kyu Dong. :(

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yes, somehow this show did the same for me. made me re-feel some of those forgotten emotions. squeezes my heart, it does.

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Or rather, does the same for me :p

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yep, Enz, my heart la - it is squoze!

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Does anyone know the name of the MIB song that they were recording in this episode (at around 24:00)? Love the melody.

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사랑해 이말밖엔 (Only the words I love you) originally by Rich (리치)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4A96gCW5E0

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Requiem, thank you thank you!!!

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Thanks too! The song sounds familiar no wonder =)

btw, this line was just plain daebak “You want me to record a drama OST? I’m in a drama right now.”

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i believe it's able-baby just say i love you

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I loved this episode!!

I also had dismissed the Thai guy as just a random street musician even though he appeared twice. I thought it was a plot point enhancer for the Fab Four - Seyi, Seolchan, Nana and Sunwoo.

It's brilliant how they brought that around and also the Angel Hye Rim thing. That was great as well, I was wondering how come they'd forgotten all about it after that first Sunwoo stood up Seyi thing.

This drama is bringing back my faith in good stories.

Thanks for the recaps. Love em!

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Finally it only too 8 1/2 episodes but someone used Ahn Nae Sang's characters name, hooray show.

Before this episode I had no opinion on Se Yi's mother as the only viewpoint we had was Se Yi's and since she's a hormonal teenager I didn't know how much to trust her. However that cafe scene gave me an opinion and it's not a favorable one for her.

I think my unexplainable dislike of Sun Woo is morphing into outright hate. I think it was where he was talking to Se Yi and called himself a "good person" but well he's not. He's like an empty shell that desperately wants to be "good" but doesn't really what that means and so all his actions ring hollow. Hm maybe I should pity him instead of hate, but I don't.

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Monstar is not going to end well with so many plot threads out in the open. I think it would have better to limit the main plots to the children like it was set up in the first episode.

My favorite part of the episode was SY realizing she like SC in front of SW.

Also, SC not being an ass and actually being considerably sweet is always a nice thing to see. But then he did grabby kiss and then I was like "...Really?"

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I agree with @Smile134
I think EunHa's bruise was from some kind of dance/performance practice. There were quite a few instances that showed she wasn't being acknowledged enough and it made her feel worthless, so it would make sense she'd go in double-time to prove herself somehow. I'm guessing a surprise breakout performance is in store for EunHa. Abusive parents would kind of come in from nowhere for her storyline.

Anywhooos... Seol-chan FTW!

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Am I the only one who's not impressed by the kiss? Just me? Ok. My main gripe is that it's obvious she tried to push him away but he sorta fought back albeit gently-ish and held her back. Boy, if a girl doesn't want it you better back the heck off.
Maybe because he is now probably aware that she does have feelings for him and thus he "forced" the kiss on him. Does that make it ok? I don't really think so but oh well. It's a tried-and-true formula in dramaland.

I liked the little bonding moment between KyuDong and EunHa. It was really adorable and somehow it showed that the real mood-maker of Colorbar is EunHa; despite her not knowing what affliction KyuDong is going through she managed to cheer him up. :D As far her past, I'm gonna leave it to the story to reveal but her future in Colorbar seem to entail concept-producer or something what with her vivid imaginations. I think that way she won't always be a deadweight in their creative process and/or performance.

Also, I read K-netz comments that the idols and young actors acting are cringe-inducing? The actors and actresses in this drama are by no means mind-blowingly good but they're decent enough to keep me focused on the storyline without being distracted by dry acting. My guess was perhaps because my ears are not trained to listen to the language the way native speakers are. Anyone who speaks Korean care to explain?

Deviating from the drama but relevant to the post, I like that OP used EXO's Baby Don't Cry. I'm not an EXO fan and I have a love-hate relationship with the catastrophe that is 'Wolf' - on one hand the song composition deserves to go back into the SM basement, on the other the "naega ulf, keudae ulf, awooo" is such an earworm that I find myself subconsciously saying it out loud - but decided the give rest of the album a listen after reading good reviews about and I was not disappointed. Coincidentally, Baby Don't Cry is my favorite track so it is a pleasant surprise to see it on the thread

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...thus he “forced” the kiss on *her...
ugh typo crap

Ok there was one cringe-worthy scene in this episode now that I think of it. It was when Nawin spoke Korean with a very heavy Thai accent. It just caught me off guard and threw me off. Couldn't take that scene seriously. I hope I didn't offend anyone by stating this though.

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Youre not the only one. I love the whole scene but quite a few dont like that there was resistance. I, too, would have preferred a surprised response without active resistance but i still love the whole setting up of the moment.

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I think this episode is a bit lackluster? I don't have a fav scene but if I had to chose it's the running joke of them ending up at ahjussi's door with "no where else to go". Hahahaha funny. Not enough Nana. Me no likey

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Also I think I could've saved so much space if I just used the word resistance. *smacks face* I swear there's something wrong with me

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Not everyone can be a STAR wordsmith like me ;)

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Ha! Guess I should have consulted you first, @Requiem. :P

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Yeah, shock would have been better than resistance. Or at least a better confirmation that after the initial reaction she did kiss him back – but you can't really tell because it's a cop-out shot, with the camera not really letting us see to well what's going on. Darn, I hate it when they do that, whether it's suddenly zooming out to a long distance shot, or roving around the couple, or giving you some angle that doesn't let you properly see whether the characters are in fact happily kissing or the actors are doing woodplank and just hiding their awkwardness behind fancy camera work.

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Thanks for the recap.The episode had a nice trope and some sweet moments, but the ending. . .

I really enjoy the repetition of everyone showing up at the basement and the ajusshi keeps letting them in even though he's under no obligation. After a while it's just plain funny.

That's on contrivance I can never quite accept in film and television--people letting people they don't like into their homes. --weird.

I'm an not implying ajusshi dislike the kid, but he is good at working that unwelcoming exterior.

I felt so sad for Sun Woo when his openness and explanation of his behavior finally got Se Yi to understand Seol Chan despite Seol Chan's seeming inability to communicate, or be honest. I'm not really faulting him for his lack of emotional honesty. Being emotionally honest is a challenge at any age.

I loved the snail commentary on the time it was taking Se Yi and Seol Chan to be honest with/confess to each other.

But the episode ending was a turn off for me. To see Se-Yi failing at the start of the kiss and Seol Chan continuing instead of checking in with her to see if it was what she wanted was really uncomfortable to watch.

--I've seen kisses like that one in series before but for some reason this one was more disturbing than most.

--I will confess that I do not like Seol-Chan. His behavior has been too obnoxious for too much of the series and his charm too incomprehensible for me to forgive his behavior or come to like him at all.

At first I really wanted Sun Woo to get the girl, but I've learned to embrace the possibility of Sun Woo and NaNa with enthusiasm.

Even so I still had no interest in Seol-Chan and his story. Now the kiss has move me from being aggressively indifferent to Seol Chan into disliking him.

I'm sure my view is a singular one and ever one else found it so romantic in induced knee wobbles.

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You and me both! I didn't appreciate the kissing scene either. And like you I have never warmed up to Seol-chan, now moreso.

I have to disagree with the Sunwoo-Nana pairing though. That's what I wanted in the beginning but after what he pulled (confessing to SeYi in front of SC), I think Nana deserves someone better. He is as immature and insincere as SC if not more since his is veiled under the guise of the mature class president.

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Yumi and Aryast, I totally agree. I was really disturbed when the kiss happened in the way that it did. I'm even more disturbed now that I've been reading the comments on this article.

Apparently, kissing someone without waiting for any consent is romantic, not horrible and self-focused.

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Rather than seeing it as kissing without consent, i saw it as seol chan being swept up by his emotions and acting on them. Seyi was surprised and maybe in that surprise and in not really knowing how she felt put up an initial resistance ( maybe she watched dramas too and thought thats what girls should do!! Who knows what the writer wanted us to think of that.)

I think to see it as an outright attack is a little harsh. Thats my opinion anyway.

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I agree with you Enz.

Their last encounter was angry (as are most of them) and I think she was alarmed at first because it was so unexpected. Plus, it's her first kiss AND it's from someone she's usually at odds with. But, when he kept it gentle, she realized he wasn't trying to harm her and was able to calm down and accept it. HOWEVER, if she had continued to struggled, then I would have felt he had crossed into harassment territory.

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To be clear--
1--I realize the writer+director meant the kiss to be a romantic one between a couple who were destined to be.

2--I also understand it was meant to me about Seol Chan frustration because he and Se Yi have not been commuting honestly. She has missed all the hint he had laid out for her to understand his feelings, and since he can't use words, he decided to act. He did not admit or express his feelings in words before he grabbed her and kept her in place until he accepted him.

So, my issue with the kiss was that Seol Chan felt resistant and instead of CHECKING IN with her, he overcame the resistant with his strength. Time and again you hear stories of women who acquiesce to physical contact because they think giving in is easier that making a fuss. That's not what is happening here--but how does he know. He didn't check.

Yes, it's all wonderful, but what if Jae-Rok had convinced himself that Se Yi had feeling for him and done the same.

The issue is that Yong Joon-Hyung is a limited actor. I'm not saying he is bad, just limited. At this point in his training and experience he isn't able [in my eyes] to convey anything that the words aren't saying.

I'm not sure what the series is doing with Sun Woo's character, but the thing I like about him is he never makes demands on Se Yi. He always gives her room to decide. Why is he blind and deaf to NaNa and seems incapable of reading her I'm not sure. Perhaps his dial can only tune to one frequency at a time and right now he's tuned to Se Ye.

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Agree so much!

I hate that he didn't check in with her. I love that the show has been consistent with SC not knowing how to express his feelings, but railroading in like that was not cool. I knew the kiss was coming, but for him to just restrain her was not cool.

I'm all for a SC/SY pairing (mainly because I destest how fickle Sun Woo's character is and how he watches out for his reputation first) but I didn't like how they did this scene. It sends a bad message to more impressionable viewers... like it's okay to just give in when the initial freeze up is ignored.

And I agree with your assesment on Joon Hyung's acting. It is a little flat, but I think he's done well with what talent he does have.

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Agreed Enz. There's uncertainty in his eyes as to whether to make a move & looks like he thought about it for a full minute & wants to kiss her so badly (something tells me he remembered his manager's words about kissing, about going all out :)). I'm so proud of him, SC the action boy, rather than the talking boy.

And Seyi, of course she hesitated & shoved a bit, she was surprised & taken aback. It was unexpected but then she realised she likes him & the sigh is like ending her emotional conflict & welcoming a new experience.

To ask permission for a kiss, otherwise amounting to harassment... I don't know about this, it's like 'Can I kiss you?' 'Err, ok, shall I tilt my head to the left or right...'

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i absolutely agree with you

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I kinda expected that Nana would be the one to save KyuDong, because when they showed each Colourbar members before KyuDong's jump, they didn't show where Nana was.

And I totally didn't expect the kiss at all since there were no spoilers, so I was like WHAT?!?! And he kind of just smashed his face into hers, so there wasn't any tension like in Episode 6. Thus, I didn't have time to squee properly, but I squeed anyway, belatedly, hehe..

3 more episodes! Noooo.... I don't want Monstar to end. :(

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Friday is too far away!

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Thanks for the recap, Gummi!

Wonderful episode. This reminds me of how teenagers feels and thinks of their problems. My fave part of this episode is when Ahjussi is flabbergasted each time he answer the door. Ahaha, these lost puppies actually find sanctuary in this cold-mysterious ahjussi's basement!
Poor ahjussi, peace in his house no more.. ^^

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Teenage angst...this show shows it all...

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I think instead of forcing himself on her, he should've been like "stop me if you want to" and then she would just look at him, and then they'd kiss. No one ever likes watching a forced kiss, although clearly Korean writers believe their audience does otherwise it wouldn't happen in so many dramas.

But, apart from that, I'm happy that there's forward movement in their relationship. Seolchan was annoying the hell out of me earlier in the episode where he congratulated her on being with Sunwoo. He basically said the complete opposite of what he meant, and then she reacted, and they both ended up saying things they shouldn't have said.

So at the end, they were actually being kind of honest with each other, which was good to see.

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Am I the only one who didn't like this episode? I really really loved the first four or five episodes of this drama, but I feel like this drama is just going downhill in terms of interesting plot and character development.

Seol Chan is still an impulsive brat (really?! couldn't they have mutually agreed to kiss instead of him swoopin' in and stealin' her lips?) and Seyi's innocent "oh, I don't know if he likes me or I like him" makes me wanna bash my head into a wall. She was such a headstrong character at the beginning of the drama and now she's so docile and stupidly clueless. K-dramas really need to step away from the 10 episodes of "why is my heart beating--I don't know if I like him" 'cause in real life, you just know when you someone. No one's that stupid ten-episodes long.

Anyway, I think what's ultimately great about this drama (and its saving grace) is the music. It's skillfully woven into the plot and gives each character their own spotlight for character development. Really love the class duet with Seyi and Sunwoo's and Seyi and Seolchan's guitar duet in the 'shop.

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Hi JD. You make good points. I know that Seyi and Seolchan are the OTP but does the plot of the show have to revolve mainly around their confusion over their own feelings? There are so many conflicts and issues to explore. Romantic angst should not be the sole plot driver. I did like Seyi's earlier strong character but now she is starting to disappoint me. Hopefully, things will be handled better in the last three episodes (hopefully).

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I was not a fan of this episode. I felt like things were dragging. The last few episodes should be used to fully address all of the issues that have been introduced. I am hoping that things are not rushed in the final episode. My favorite scene was probably the shared moment between Kyudong and Eunha.

I definitely did not like the kiss scene. Hopefully this show can recapture the magic of its earlier episodes.

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I am glad he kissed her. Now if he could only stop being rude and just confess that he loves her like crazy. But is that even possible??? With seol chan, i cannot even answer that.
And i just can't help feel bad for nana. Even though i love sun woo, i feel like hitting his head to a wall for not even being able to understand her feelings. Dumb witted morons... All the leads in this show. Some don't even know they love a person. And the others, though they know, are not willing to confess.
I am just happy there's only 3 epis left. Let's get to the awesome part, directornim...

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only 3 episodes left!
and i'm glad you mentioned the 'jjak' thing. because i'm watching with subtitles and it always translates into 'partner'. i knew there was some 'other meaning' behind that word. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ i've seen the next episode teaser, and i guess we'll get to see more about Eun Ha - because there's a scene where Eun Ha gets mad at Se Yi (which is pretty reasonable, because Se Yi doesn't really pay attention much to her best friend). I'm just hoping Seol Chan wouldn't say the kiss is a joke to Se Yi. But poor Seon Woo~ ;___; I hope he gets his own happy ending with Nana! :D

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What I really want to know is...what is the name of the closing theme for this show? Haven't been able to find it anywhere..

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the ending song of the closing theme for this show is called Practice by ha yeon soo a.k.a min se yi

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Thank you very much for the quick response. Do you happen to know if it is available to purchase anywhere?

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In some odd ways, I started to marathon Monstar because of Jung Joon Young's cameo appearance.

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OOH YEEES A KISS XD

And OMG you chose Baby Don't Cry as the song of the day!!! Love that song <3

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Thanks for the recap. I was thinking I am too old to enjoy this drama but goodness..this is the one I prioritize watching after the kids and hubby are all sleeping and all the household chores are done...lol

The kiss was unexpected and am so looking forward to Ep 10. I wonder though if Sun Woo went back and saw the kiss....argggh. I want Nana and Sun Woo together bad...

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I didn’t liked this episode that much. The parts that I liked were when everyone goes to Ajussi when they have nowhere to go and also the kiss. Even if it was forced, I was actually relieved that at last SC had done something other than saying very stupid things. I hope that all the issues that are on the show may be closed without any rushing. Except the parent’s story. I don’t care for their story at all.

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This episode was my least favorite. I'm getting a little tired of this love triangle. I would much rather have learned more about Eun-ha. Why does she have those bruises?

I just hope that the next episode will not be so much of a disappointment.

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I don't know what it is about this drama, I really want to love it but it just never quite gets fully under my skin....

Some the character's problems just seem a little childish (basically I am referring to the main love triangle and not Kyu-dong obviously) and Se-yi, although she does sometimes show some true spunk with her quirky jokes etc., she has still mostly become a too clueless and passive heroine. The type of female lead I am not so keen on....

Also, it is very interesting reading everyone's reactions to the 'forced' Kiss.

I also found it a little uncomfortable to watch, but to be honest these kinds of slightly 'too rough' male leads are something I have become a bit desensitised to in Korean Dramas.
In real life, treating a woman like that and 'forcing' her to kiss you when you are unsure if she actually wants to is a truly terrible thing.....but in Kdramaland this is almost a guilty pleasure.

For example, the Almost Kiss from earlier in this drama was also quite rough, Seol-chan grabbed Se-yi in a very physical way and shoved her against a wall, yet you don't hear me complaining about that one, basically because it was quite tension filled and sexy and it worked.......which makes it okay?
That right there is a serious double standard.

Real life = Bad!!
Kdramaland = good?

I can't explain why its okay in dramas, because seriously if a man tried to treat me like that in real life I would get the urge to punch him, but when I watch scenes like the Almost Kiss in a Korean drama I am squeeing along with everyone else!!

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I always hoped that Se-yi and Sun Woo would be together.. It breaks my heart to see her with Seol Chan. So sorry for the fans of Seol Chan out there. I just don't like him. But promise, I really tried. I just can't :( I can't help but feel bad for Sun Woo and Nana. Unrequited love really sucks.. But I guess that's how it really is in the real world. Not everyone realizes their love. This is so sad.

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