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Twenty Again: Episode 3

It’s no easy business being twenty, even the second time around. Our ajumma freshman takes a long hard look at her life up until now, and comes up pretty short when she measures up the last twenty years. Thankfully it gives her a fresh outlook on how to spend what little time she has left and makes her even more determined to do college the right way, which means a happy uplifting episode for us, about living your life with no regrets, no matter what your age.

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Roy Kim – “날 사랑하지 않는다” (You Don’t Love Me) for the Twenty Again OST [ Download ]

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EPISODE 3 RECAP

Grouchy professor Hyun-seok prods Nora for an answer—why in the world is she attending college in secret? He threatens to ask her husband, and she panics at that, which effectively answers his first question about whether her husband knows.

So now he just wants to know why she’s going to college, and she asks why he’s curious about it in the first place. He calls it a habit, that he can’t stand not knowing something he’s curious about. She calls it a threat, but he insists it’s a deal—she answers and he gets her into the psych class she needs.

Nora scowls, then says it’s because her husband told her that no one would befriend her in college and she’d be a lonely outcast. He told her to just stay at home, but she wanted to go to school. Hyun-seok steps closer and asks why she’d want to go to college when she dropped out of high school, and Nora points out that she already answered his question and kept up her end of the deal.

Then all of a sudden she apologizes: “I’m sorry. A long time ago, twenty years ago, I wronged you, right? I wronged you badly? I’m really sorry… but I don’t remember.” Ha. Hyun-seok just stares incredulously and flashes back to high school, just after they first met.

Nora asks him to play that Kim Gun-mo song and tries dancing to it, and when her friend Yoon-young calls it a stupid idea to mix the two dance genres, Hyun-seok hangs his head and says he’s sorry. But Nora stops him and asks why he said he’s sorry when he did nothing wrong. She calls it fun and nudges Yoon-young to join in, and he starts to direct them.

In the present, he’s the one to ask her, “Why are you saying sorry when you did nothing wrong?” But all she does is apologize more, to his ever-growing frustration. She adds that he won’t have to see her face again because she dropped his class like he told her to, and he’s so flabbergasted that she’d even listen to him that he assumes she’s mocking him.

Nora apologizes for that too, and he barks at her for apologizing over and over, which is so unlike her. She shrinks back and says it’s because he’s being so scary, and he goes slack-jawed: “You… are afraid of me?”

She says it’s because he clearly hates her so much, and by now he just doesn’t even know what to make of her. She says he’ll never have to see her again and scurries away, and he wonders to himself if she’s changed or if she’s just acting.

He thinks she was crying earlier because of that psych class, and chases after her to offer a new deal: She stays in his class, and he’ll get her into the psych class she wants. He blatantly lies that his class is in danger of being canceled if she drops it, and makes the call.

Hubbie Woo-chul gets a text in secret code from his girlfriend Yi-jin, wanting to meet on campus. They have a stealth date on a pair of benches by pretending to be on the phone, and she asks about why his meeting with Hyun-seok over the theater project went so badly.

Woo-chul says he’s too prickly to even have a conversation with, but Yi-jin is full of praises for Hyun-seok, about how he’s so popular that they had to work extra hard to convince him to teach, and how he’s handsome, and brilliant, and frank. Woo-chul is already jealous, though he flatly denies it.

Nora only now wonders how Hyun-seok knew that Woo-chul was her husband, and he offers another trade, answer for answer, if she’ll tell him why she’s in school. He insists that she go first, and she scoffs, “Are you really the Cha Hyun-seok that I knew?” He’s just as skeptical: “Do you think that you’re the Ha Nora that I knew?” They’re so petty, I love it.

She half-lies that she’s going to school because she wanted to match her husband’s level and surprise her family, and Hyun-seok deflates, disappointed that it was such an obvious reason. He gives the boring version of his answer too—that he found out about Woo-chul being her husband through a classmate—and they part ways wondering why they bothered.

Hyun-seok’s assistant Sang-ye asks about Nora rejoining the class at the last minute, and he sighs that he’s already regretting it. She’s curious about his behavior, since he’s not the type to keep someone around if he doesn’t like them, and ventures a guess: “Is Ha Nora the bitch-bitch-bitch?” She says that he got drunk once and talked about his first love, calling her a terrible, frustrating, and unbelievable bitch. He doesn’t bother denying it, and adds stupid to the list.

Nora comes home that night to a new divorce contract addendum, outlining the three-month extension she asked for. If she doesn’t adhere to the deadline this time, she’ll have to give up a store that they own. Woo-chul blabbers on about how mistakes become habit when they’re repeated, and Nora just signs it and tells him not to regret this in six months (when she thinks she’ll be dead).

Nora cooks a giant breakfast the next morning, but Min-soo says he’s studying in the library and waves off Mom’s concern, as always. Dad says he’s going to stop by the library to chat with him later today, and judging from the look of panic on Min-soo’s face, he wasn’t planning on going to the library.

Sure enough, his girlfriend Hye-mi has packed a picnic lunch for their day trip, and pouts when he calls to cancel. A round of footsie in the library puts a smile back on her face, but she’s upset when Dad arrives to take Min-soo to lunch, forcing her to eat their picnic lunch by herself at the next table over.

Min-soo is stiff and formal around Dad as usual, but Dad tells him to ease up a little, since he’s an adult too now. He gives Min-soo some spending money and tucks his new Woocheon University contact card in there, and Min-soo tries to hide his shock over Dad becoming a professor at his school.

Dad says that his being here as a professor is totally different than Mom wanting to attend as a student, and that it should help Min-soo out down the road. Min-soo agrees quietly, and at the next table, Hye-mi breaks her heart-shaped rice ball in half and shoves it in her mouth.

She doesn’t understand why they can’t be a couple, and Min-soo tells her that he signed a contract with Dad (the man sure likes his contracts) that if he dated anyone he’d go to army. Pfft, I’m with Hye-mi on this one—why would you sign something like that, dummy?

He gets hilariously dramatic as he says that he never imagined he’d meet someone like her, and says that they’ll just have to date in secret. This campus, I swear, secrets everywhere!

Nora packs up the breakfast that her family didn’t touch and takes it to a retirement home, where a group of grandmas are happy to see her again. She says that she won’t be coming by anymore, and lies that her husband got a job abroad.

Hyun-seok just barely makes it to a radio appearance on time, and gets asked about his latest theater project, which will feature real people with real problems. He says that there are over 3,000 submissions from people wanting to participate, and that 70% of the problems are about death.

Nora happens to be listening to the broadcast as she hangs up laundry at the retirement home, and at first she scoffs when she hears Hyun-seok talk of death so cavalierly, thinking that it’s easy for someone not dying of cancer to say. But then she starts to really listen.

He quotes Mozart, who said that death is the key to happiness, and explains that once you accept the fact that every person will die someday, it will inform the way you live today. No one can escape death, so it’s up to you to decide how to spend your remaining days. He says that this is why people write last wills and autobiographies, and says that he’s working his way through his bucket list right now.

Nora gets inspired and begins to write her story down, beginning with her father who died of cancer when she was two, and her mother who remarried and left her when she was four. Grandma raised her, then she had Min-soo and raised him…

She gets stuck here, with nothing left to add except, “And then I die. In six months…” Damn, is that really what her life amounts to? She rips the page out angrily and crumples it up in her hand.

She thinks over her life again, and we follow it in flashback, as she dreams of becoming a dancer, gets into performing arts school, and gets noticed by Woo-chul while she’s dancing on stage.

A whirlwind romance led to her pregnancy, and she followed Woo-chul abroad to Germany, where she raised a sickly Min-soo on her own while he was busy studying. Then they returned to Korea when Min-soo was a toddler, and her youth had come and gone in a flash.

She stands now in the middle of a crowded street, getting lost in the sea of people. She struggles not to burst into tears and calls Yoon-young to say that she did the math, and her life amounts to over 33,000 hours lived. But the time she has left is only 4,320 hours.

She asks why it’s so unfair, and why she didn’t know that you could just suddenly die one day: “There are so many things I haven’t done yet. What should I do? I’m going to try everything.”

She decides right then and there to try everything she’s never done before, and goes shopping for a whole new wardrobe, a new hairstyle, and prepares for class at a PC bang. She hides her various new purchases all over the kitchen at home (did she put her backpack in the fridge?).

She stands outside Min-soo’s door and tells herself that she’ll make sure that he gets at least three months to enjoy college life and just be twenty without this burden. She then makes a bucket list, and number one is to make up with Min-soo.

She writes down various options like writing him a letter or making him a lunchbox, or “What if we got locked in an elevator?” LOL. There’s a cartoon and everything. Number two is to live like a real college student, and three is to dance again.

When she returns to school, she looks like any other college student in jeans and a sweatshirt, with her hair up in a ponytail. She looks over her club options and decides on the hip-hop dance club Bounce.

Her cranky classmate Soon-nam is the president of Bounce, and he gives his club a lecture about how they failed so miserably at freshman recruiting that everyone joined the other music club and they have no new members. He shows them the video of Nora dancing with the other club, and orders his dance minions to track down and recruit this girl now, or he’ll have their heads. He’s a mean dance dictator, but he’s so cute.

Nora makes her way toward the Bounce clubroom, and is surprised to find Soon-nam there. He assumes she’s tracked him down because of their homework assignment, and is annoyed that she hasn’t dropped the class. She apologizes and says that they’ll be trading partners in a month anyway, and uses the chance to interview him for the assignment.

Soon-nam rattles off his personal info without enthusiasm: He’s 25, already back from army, can drink three bottles of soju, likes to dance, and hopes to get a job before graduating. Oh and marry someone young and pretty, which he adds pointedly.

She says she’ll send her info over chat, and gets his phone number. He asks how she knew to find him here, and that’s when she remembers that she came to join Bounce. He gapes, “Ajumma, this is a dance club! Hip-hop!” She nods that she knows, but there’s only once dance club on campus.

Soon-nam: “Ajumma, are you per chance my stalker?” Hee. She says it’s a coincidence, and that on the poster it said that they’d accept anyone regardless of age. Soon-nam takes a breath and then suddenly blurts in banmal, “Hey you! What’s your name, clean this up right now!”

She’s taken aback, and he explains that in a club, they stick to strict hierarchy by entering class—that means he’ll call her “Hey you, Ha Nora.” He does it in an effort to scare her away, but she readily agrees to follow the rules, and happily notes that he remembered her name. You can practically see his brain exploding.

The camera lingers on the video of Nora that he just minutes ago screamed at his minions over, as he tells her that she can’t join. She argues that the poster says they’ll accept anyone, even aliens, but he says that she’s scarier than aliens to him, and he’ll quit if she joins. She leaves for today, clearly intent on trying again.

Hyun-seok begins class and exempts the three tardy students from random group selection, putting the latecomers together in one group. Naturally that includes Soon-nam and Nora, and Park Seung-hyun—the girl from her literature class who returned her phone from the subway. Soon-nam asks for a chance to pick another group at random, but when Hyun-seok shoots him down, he tells the girls that he’s dropping this class.

Sang-ye notes Nora’s new appearance and tells Hyun-seok that Nora seems determined to succeed, and that Hyun-seok has passed on from curiosity to just pestering her now. Hyun-seok says Nora stole a freshman spot from some other aspiring student (does he think she got in with her connections?), so she’ll have to pay her dues.

Yi-jin asks Hyun-seok out for a beer that night to consult him about something, and it happens to be the same bar where Nora’s department is having their freshman welcome night. Nora runs in late and introduces herself to the group, and manages to join in on the drinking games without too much trouble.

Things start to take a turn for the creepy when their department advisor crashes the party. He’s apparently infamous for being pervy with all of the female students, especially the new ones, and plants himself down between two girls and starts getting handsy. Gross.

The sunbaes all know this, but all they can do is try and steer him away with drinks or have the girls run away to the bathroom at intervals, and Nora watches with increasing discomfort as he moves on from girl to girl, putting his hands all over them.

No one does anything to stop him though, and Nora is about to follow suit and just leave, but then he moves onto Hye-mi and insists on a one-on-one consultation about her future. Nora flashes back to high school, when she and Hyun-seok banded together to get revenge on a trench coat flasher. She sure was spunky then.

The professor gets more and more lecherous by the minute, and the sunbaes attempt to invite him out for another round and fail, and Hye-mi looks over at them desperately hoping for a save. Finally Nora can’t take it anymore and blurts for him to stop. Everyone looks over at her in shock.

Nora stands up: “Take your hands off of her! Our bodies are our own!” She says that women hate being touched without permission, and rattles off the count of every unwanted advance he’s made tonight, calling it sexual harassment.

The professor gets all indignant and storms out as if he’s the wronged party, but then the others at the table start clapping for Nora. Aw. The girls all rush to her side, calling her awesome, and Hyun-seok witnesses it all from another table.

Yi-jin has called him there to try and convince him to work with Woo-chul on his theater project, but he turns her down and turns down the university’s funding too, rather than have them meddling with his work.

She gets huffy and reminds him that she’s the board chairman’s daughter, but he doesn’t care, thinking it strange that she cares so much about him working with Woo-chul. Yi-jin storms out and drops a file on the way, and he notes her pen, engraved I ♥ W, with some curiosity.

By then, the welcome party has dwindled to just the freshman girls, and they all cheers to Nora and egg her on to drink. Yaaaay, she has friends!

Woo-chul sighs at the giant stack of mail that’s been building up in their mailbox, and misses one sitting at the bottom from the hospital. Nora stalks her son Min-soo in the library and waits until he leaves his desk to drop off a health drink, and Hye-mi frowns when she sees it, thinking that her boyfriend has a secret admirer.

I still don’t really understand the point of Yi-jin’s class on marriage, but today she lectures on Sartre and de Beauvoir’s open relationship, and says that it was possible because they were intellectual partners. More importantly, their next assignment is to be a campus couple with their partners.

Meanwhile, Pervy Professor bullies the senior students in the department with thinly veiled threats about them not getting jobs lined up before graduation. The other freshmen welcome Nora and relive her badassery from the other night, but when Nora says she doesn’t understand why Pervy Professor’s behavior has gone unchecked for this long, the sunbaes mockingly call her Joan of Arc.

They point out that it’s not like she needs a job after college like they do, and they wonder how she could be so obtuse about why they have to kiss Pervy Professor’s ass. The most senior sunbae comes in and orders Nora to apologize to the professor, and Nora doesn’t see why. She says that everyone here witnessed his behavior, but now all the other freshmen bow their heads and look away.

Nora encounters more gossip about her in the cafeteria, and one of the sunbaes accuses her of acting like the victim in all this. (She uses slang, which Nora has to look up in her binder of college slang words that she’s typed up and printed out, LOL.) Soon-nam is sitting at the next table over, and asks his friend what all this is about.

Nora goes looking for Hyun-seok and calls to ask where he is, so he gives her the address to his office (and home, I think?). She asks what she did that was so wrong, and starts to tell him about Pervy Professor, but he already saw the whole thing and anticipated the backlash from students.

He says she should’ve listened to her husband and just stayed at home, sighing at her attempt to communicate with students when she’s stuck two decades in the past. He tells her not to think lightly of students in this generation—they spend six years to get into college and another four just to get a job, and he says she’ll never know what that’s like.

She asks what she’s supposed to do now, and he tells her to ask her professor husband, then mockingly remembers that she can’t because she’s preparing to surprise him. He basically reduces her college career to a meaningless romantic gesture.

She can’t believe how mean he is, and says he grew up to be a really weird adult. Or he never grew up at all, just sayin’. She says they were friends once, but he tells her coldly not to act like she knows him anymore, and to clean up her own mess. Damn.

Her eyes are brimming with angry tears as she spits back that she’s leaving, and that she’s never ever going to ask him anything ever again. Then she tacks on a string of childish faux curses, a la you mother father grass hole! and storms out.

She runs so fast that she drops her notebook, and he calls out to her, but then picks it up and starts to read. It’s open to a page where she’s written a letter to Min-soo, in which she tells him that she has pancreatic cancer just like her father did, and now has five months left to live. Pwahahaha.

At the same time, Nora goes to her doctor’s appointment, where she’s finally told that she was given the wrong diagnosis because of the name confusion with Han Ora, and that they tried to call and tell her via mail. She doesn’t care about any of that and asks, her eyes full of hope, “So I’m not dying? I don’t have terminal pancreatic cancer?” He confirms that she isn’t dying, and she breaks into the biggest smile.

 
COMMENTS

Heh, I can’t wait to see how Hyun-seok changes from here on out. I’m just glad that he discovered Nora’s terminal illness secret before she learned that she wasn’t dying, because there’s so much comedy to be gained from this misunderstanding, not to mention some heartfelt emotion too. I do think we got enough out of it on Nora’s side today, enough to motivate her to think of her life differently, and to act on it. Part of me regrets her finding out the mistake so soon, but I do want to see her happy, and I’d much rather spend time on figuring out what she really wants to do with the rest of her life, and not preparing for death at every step. Death was clearly just a device to get her enrolled in school, but it serves as such a good motivator when it gets her to look back on her life and really ask herself what she’s accomplished.

Obviously it’s no small feat that she raised Min-soo at such a young age, giving up her dreams and her youth in the process. But what matters is her own personal estimation of her life, and how little she feels like she got to try and do compared to all the things she wanted for herself at eighteen. College the institution doesn’t matter nearly as much as her newfound desire to try everything, but it happens to be a really good vehicle for her to do just that, at just the right time in her life when she’s trying to discover who she is. I love that she doesn’t need to become a new person in order to start doing better in school—she just needed to decide for herself that she was going to make the most of every second and every experience, and brave the humiliation factor to get what she wants. When she marched into the hip-hop dance club and asked to be a member, I was cheering so loudly.

The department politics are probably going to put a big damper on Nora’s short-lived popularity at school, but I don’t mind her remaining an outcast as long as she isn’t totally alone. I would’ve liked a bit of subtlety instead of hitting us over the head with Pervy Professor, but at least we got a good moment of outspoken sass from Nora, which was refreshing. In many ways, I prefer a slower build for her socially, one friend at a time. It’s more meaningful if one or two people are willing to be her friend even when she’s still the outcast. So hurry it up, Soon-nam, before you lose your chance! It’s going to make my day when he has to eat his words about her joining his club.

Hyun-seok is being a serious poopypants right now, but the childishness is what saves him from being a complete jerk. I mean, he’s assy, but it cracks me up that he’s so confused by Nora. To him, she’s still the beautiful popular girl who deigned to talk to his nerdy self, but she’s so unlike his pedestal teenage version of her that he can’t figure her out. Because he assumes that she left him and lived this charmed life. His anger is coming out in all the wrong ways, but it makes sense that he’d assume that college is a joke to someone like her, and that she’s playing dress-up because she’s a bored, rich housewife. It’s presumptuous, but not outside of reason. But now that he’s properly shoved his foot in his mouth, there’s all sorts of ways to redeem himself, starting with how he treats her after learning of her cancer. And once he finds out about the divorce, well then, he’d better give Woo-chul a run for his money. And Nora had better give him a hard time about it.

 
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Great episode! That perv professor though was so aggravating! Especially since guys like him thrive in societies and cultures like South Korea where they are more likely to get away with such behavior because of society's hesitance to do something about it for whatever reason they may think is justifiable. I hope he doesn't cause more trouble for her and the other students. But i'm positive he will.

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He causes more trouble. She fights back. That'll make her the winner. May justice triumph! And Nora too!

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The Bystander Effect exists everywhere though. But in Korea's case, people whip out their smartphones I guess...

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True! although the Bystander Effect is a slightly different issue than the one we have here in this episode. But either way, situations like the one in this episode is much, much more worse and common in South Korea than other developed nations which is very surprising (and disappointing) considering how advanced and modern the country is. If you read some articles on this social issue, especially concerning rape, in Korea your stomach may churn in disbelief. What's sad is that the people like the kids in this episode who do nothing in these situations are not bad people they're just unprepared in how to ethically handle these situations partly because of cultural habits/teachings which historically have always placed women beneath men and at times place too much emphasis on hierarchy in almost every situation. So much so that whether something is right or wrong and should be stopped is secondary to and most importantly dependent upon WHO the person doing the wrong is. Also, lack of open discussion and debate about these issues also makes it even harder for people in these situations.

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Yea, that disgusting professor really got my stomach churning. I feel sad that people actually allow this to happen just so that they can get jobs in future. What twistedness. And why didn't the students speak to other teachers about this? Don't tell me other teachers also urge them to keep quiet about the sexual harassment. I would really lose faith in humanity >:/

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Apparently it is much more rampant in Korea that is generally supposed. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130609000332

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Is this kind of thing happen for real in Korean society? I mean all the students seem to be scared of a pevert professor and blame Nora who just did the right thing. Is it hard to find a job without the help of some professor in your university in Korea?

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TLDR response: Yes.

If you want to read on (I know it's really long, but linking it to a specific real life story might help) ...

Korea isn't alone in being very reliant on connections, but it's worse than many other countries.

It was already like this when my mum was in uni thirty years ago. She went to Seoul U, and majored in conducting, which was considered the hardest to get into in that era

(and don't quote me on the numbers, but say if they chose ten, seven of those would be men even if they didn't score as highly, because they believed women were 'lost' once they got married and had kids - that idea is still prevalent, that you have to give up the arts for a 'normal' life).

As you saw in this episode, lecturers often walk in on students drinking at bars. They use their power and authority to situate themselves there. (Sunbaes/higher ups at workplaces do similar things. Many of them know they're not wanted, but also know the hoobaes can't complain out loud, and they're so lonely they'd prefer this over going home.) It was a much more regular occurrence back then, apparently. And the arts department was supposed to be more 'relaxed'.

The only reason my mum was able to get out without being sexually harrassed regularly (and letting it happen because you didn't want to be thrown out of the school and blocked of any other options through the power the lecturers have), or voluntarily sleeping with them (so you had a better chance of marks/and or a job), was because nobody could deny her talent.

I know this sounds like I'm showing off, but I recently went to Korea, and many of the top choir and orchestra conductors there would regale stories to me about her ... and it always ended in a sigh and a veiled 'I don't know why she gave it all up to move overseas for a man who doesn't even earn money or respectable in society'.

She was apparently renowned for her ramrod straight morals - many who were at uni with her described her to me as a spoilsport and a killjoy, but in a more admiring way than not.

But that's the thing. You can have ramrod straight morals, but they don't get you far in a place like this. My mum was a rare case thirty years ago. And it's worse now. So 99.9% of the time, you have to swallow them. Not just for yourself, but not to bring shame to your family.

Everything is pushed under the carpet in Korea. Connections and money will get you everywhere. Celebrity scandals are used by politicians so their deeds are less noticed. Sexual harassment cases in particular are dealt in a disgusting way.

But. There is change happening. This is one of the cases where you can say thank goodness for the media. The internet can blow things up, netizens can do good (I know, shocking), and even films can be made with famous stars that highlight such problems and sold in the mainstream market (e.g. Dogani, starring Gong Yoo).

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Interesting take on the situation. It sounds very much like Japan not all that long ago, where teachers - especially Uni professors - were held in such high esteem that almost any thing went when it came to covering up scandalous behavior.

In the time I spent in Korea, I never really observed much of the actual inner workings - it is pretty hard to do unless you are actually Korean and are fluent in the language. (I was only there a few months, while I spent over 15 years in Japan).

But a recent editorial in the Chosun Ilbo online paper caught my eye, and explains quite a bit about the social workings in Korea. Most notable quote from that was "Korea is the last bastion of rampant Confucianism". You can see numerous examples of that in every k-drama, ranging from the almost constant issue of formal speech to who pours the drinks.

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Here is a good article on just how common it seems to be http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2015/07/636_179349.html

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Thanks for the speedy recap.. Loving this drama so far

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I love this drama so much! It's like an addiction!!
Oh man I can't wait for Hyun Seok to eat his words up and realise what an ass he's been.
I can't wait for tomorrow!

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Thanks GF!

My favorite scene was the one of No Ra standing still with the swarms of people moving around her. It does not matter that she's not going to die in 5-6 months, her realization of where she stands in her own estimation, I trust, has given her insight and inspiration. I want to know if there will be an even greater change in her thoughts and plans (and bucket list), because now, she really can get to do all the things she missed, and no one but herself can actually stop her. :)

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Hear, hear!

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We all know the popular adage: Live each day like it is your last. But no one lives like that. You just can't.
She has that medical misunderstanding to thank for forcing her to take stock of herself, face her regrets and then go for it like she won't get another chance.

We could all benefit from such an assessment.

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What Hyun Seok said over the radio was good advice. Live knowing that death is certain, therefore live well.

So he thinks she's going to die soon... and he will think that he's been putting obstacles in her attempt to live well ... it's going to be a blast having him retract all his meanness. :)

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I thought that image of her alone in a sea of people was very telling. And hopefully also a wakeup call for her.

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One of the reasons I love the recaps here is get things I missed in the episode. For example, No Ra's bucket list. The Dramafever subs only listed the first one, so I had no idea what the other items were. I love that they were dancing and being a normal student!

I really, really appreciated that when she was put in the group and Seung-Hyun just matter-of-factually asked for her number and started getting the group organized. How sad that this was such a meaningful reaction, but I loved that we got it. I want No Ra to become friends with her and Hye Mi. I would LOVE it if No Ra and Hye Mi became friends and then discovered their Min Soo connection :)

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I find this drama very interesting because it is so different from where I live. In Sweden it very normal to go to college late or start a new career. in of of my history classes one man was 67 years old and his relationship with everyone was very god.
I even think older student have gained more knowledge in life and can see things in a different way and younger students can learn a lot while studying together.

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It's not uncommon here in NZ either, but I definitely they do notice they struggle to fit in, especially in majors where the same group of people take the same classes everyday. It becomes a little bit like high school where people have their own cliques and the mature students struggle to fit in. That's something I noticed in my year. They either banded together, stayed loners or acted more like the majority to fit in.

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Maybe the reason to why mature students struggled to fit in is the majority of the student is young. In Sweden we finish high school when we are 19 years old and it is very usual to take one or two years break. I have been to two colleges and the students age is like this:
under 20:20%
20s :45%
30s :30%
40s-50s :5%

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I'm a teacher and decided to go to school this semester to take a class that I need for an additional certification. I'm 48 and all the other students are 19-21. They are bright and friendly. The professor was happy to have me in the class. In addition I made a young friend who also likes kdramas and music. So this show makes me kind of sad, because I wonder if people in Korea are really stuck to one career all their lives and if taking chances later in life is also looked down on.

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The more I learn about the inner workings of Korean society, the stranger it seems. My usual reaction is something like "welcome to the 19th century".

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I`m studying to be teacher and their is older students how are studying with me because they got tired of their career and want to do something new in life. And I agree with you it is sad if people don`t get the chance to have a different live and do something new.

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My experience was very similar to yours. I took some classes just for my own interests (not towards any degree).

I actually had more issues with one of the professors than with any of the students - after correcting the Asian History teacher a few times I actually gained kind of a cult following among a few students.

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Does anyone find it strange (and this has probably been brought up) that the woman teaching a class on marriage and relationships is having an extramarital affair and has not in fact gotten married yet?

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Not too strange in terms of human nature, but oh the hypocrisy! I cannot WAIT until she discovers No Ra's identity, and I really, really hope it's after she's shot herself in the foot in some impressive ways.

It makes me really happy every time Hyun Seok turns her down. Its' like she trying to have the intellectual relationship with Woo Chul, and then simultaneously convince Hyun Seok to work with Woo Chul and maybe get some sexy times, but Hyun Seok is having none of that.

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No, not really. If it's a class at uni, she wouldn't be teaching them what's right and what's wrong, nor would (or should) she bring in her personal life – she be presenting different positions and have students discuss them critically (in class and in assignments).

If there's moralising, then the class itself would be questionable though.

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Can it really be construed as an extramarital affair? Nora and Woo-cheol are, for all intents and purposes, divorced. I don't like how Woo-cheol treats her, and he's such an ass but I don't think he's a cheating ass. And it's not really strange that an unmarried woman is teaching an understanding marriage class, I always think a person doesn't need to touch fire to know it's hot.

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The problem is that he was already involved with the other woman before the divorce. And the single woman teacher of the marriage class wasn't the issue, but that she looked down on Nora as to why she would even think to take such a class....

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Not so much strange as extremely hypocritical. Not so much the not being married part, but the fact that she seems to be doing all she can to break up a marriage.

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tbh the whole class seems strange. what is its point?? as is mentioned in the recap...

Its petty, but I'm hoping Nora bursts into that class to confront her, very publicly, about her affair with Nora's husband. She comes across as very sly, and very full of self importance and it would be gratifying to see her put down just a little.

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tvN is on a roll! OMGhostess, now THIS, then Reply'88 which is expected to be pretty awesome.

I really like how Choi Jiwoo portrays her character. So much that I can't wait until people start to go gaga over her. This is one of the best dramas I have seen so far this year, so I hope it continues this momentum and reach its maximum potential.

p/s: Any "The Lovers" fan spotted Jaejoons cameo to sit in the class next to Naeun LOL. I paused the screen and fangurled so hard.

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HAHAH YESSSS! I noticed that too!! He's so handsome *inserts dreamy sigh*

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@Barack,
Last week sb was saying how CJW has aged. It just dawned on me while watching this ep that they've deliberately aged her, made her look dowdy and 'worn out', so that her transformation would be all the more noticeable and astounding. It's just like how they usually give the leading man a lousy haircut and costumes at first, so that he can turn into a Korean god for us to go gaga over.
If she normally looks this 'aged', she wouldn't be getting all those CFs and big bucks for them!

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... I am having a blast with this show, but that dying-not really misunderstanding remembers me one of my new Not-to-be-named dramas cough *Warm & Cozy* cough.

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Lol, well, to be fair, that was the one part I enjoyed about that show...

And I think it's used in a far more relevant way here.

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Kyaa,.. this episode got high rating,, >4% wowwww,. D.A.E.B.A.K!!!!

The last scene,.. it's familiar ( i knew this kind plot from warm and cozy),..
I don't know how the writer will develop HNR & CHS relationship,..
But i do hope that CHS will not falling in love with HNR because her illness and limited time she had. It's too easy and too common,..
Because the writer and the cast for this drama are great,
i hope they will give us a better plot,.. (interesting and funny plot)

I'm so lucky that during my college, i've never found a crazy perv prof like him.. aishhh,.. just watching it already made me mad..

Nam Soo Nam is so funny,.. What will he do if he realizes that the girl in the video is the ahjumma he hated.. kyaaa... will he ask for forgiveness and change his attitude around No Ra...

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Last paragraph:
Waiting for it with great anticipation!! And their dancing together!! And for him to find in her a kindred spirit and soul mate in their love for Dance!! And then realise that he finds her much more attractive than any of the 20 year old girls on campus!!!

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..and have to compete with HS for the attention of their object of admiration [if not desire]?
Bring it on, show~!!
^^

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wah, it will be funny,.. heheh
Writer-nim,.. will you make uri Nam Son Nam wins No Ra;s heart ^_^

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Did anyone else noticed that Nora and Soon Nam are wearing matching outfits this episode?First they both wore navy, black, and white and then the second time they both wore white. LOL, I know this just seems ridiculous. I really hope they become best friends soon though.

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omg! i missed those details. Thank you for pointing that one out. Me to...I hope Soon-nam and Nora become the best friends and best dancing partners soon.

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Thanks for the recap. Just watched it and it really was a great episode. I agree re the Prof...he's a jerk but I can't dislike him because he seems like a big kid. Heh.....I love the hijinks that will happen now. I hope she fast forwards the divorce.

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@Arhazivory

I threw my hands up in despair at Prof's meanness! It will be so good seeing him trying to make up to No Ra for it and I hope he has a hard time swallowing his pride and finding his nicer side. Well it's good that our leading man is human and flawed, at least he can grow up and better, yes? :)

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Yes~ And he's not as bad as the husband. Heh

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Thanks for the recap!!
This show just keeps getting more exciting with every episode!!
Soon-nam getting to know that dancer's identity..can't wait for it!
Keep it up, Show!!

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I kinda get the feeling that to Chan Hyun Suk Ha No Ra will always be seventeen (and that to me makes him all the endearing).

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Can I say her son is an ass.

His mom made everything for him and he can't eat a freaking breakfast? Rude, rude.

I wonder if he'll stay by his dad side when he finds out about the divorce.

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+ 10

He does not even say thank you or goodbye to his elders. Rudeness to the extreme in such a polite culture!

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I dunno. I find this amusing, because, sure Confucian morals would expect a high level respect for parents ... but the reality in is, kids often treat parents like crap. And it's the same in Korea.

In the cities at least, kids don't spend a lot of time at home. They're out at school, cocurriculars and tutoring. They're most often not home for dinner, school gives you lunch (though that's changing), they eat breakfast on the way.

For many richer, entitled kids - mums are for driving them to tutoring colleges, if anything. You go to Daechi-dong in Gangnam, which is the hotspot for $$$ tutoring in Korea, and you can barely walk on the sidewalks because there are cars haphazardly parked everywhere as the mums take their kids from place to place throughout the day.

When they are home, they'll spend their time in their rooms playing games or studying. They'll fight with their parents. They'll storm out. Replay.

I've spent weeks at a time in Korea, at my cousins' houses. I've spent time with their friends. I can tell you, this is a reality for many.

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I actually find that situation very sad. But I am not sure who I feel the saddest for - the kids, or the mothers that seem to be living their life through their kids.

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He gets it from his dad. Woo-cheol's whole "me in your school is not the same as the utter embarrassment as mom in your school" speech made me want to reach in my screen and punch his lights out.

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It has been mentioned a couple times that her son has some kind of misunderstanding about her. I am curious what version of the truth he has been told in regards to their marriage and his birth. Whether he sticks by his dad after the divorce will likely depend on whether or not his misconceptions have been cleared away at that point. He is a rude punk right now, but he's not yet irredeemable.

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I think we may have a birth secret here. It seems odd that she would just all of a sudden at 18 give it all up and get married to someone she did not seem to be in love with.

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but she was in love with him...her initial reason and still a pretty prevalent reason for her attending college is to be a good intellectual partner for her husband

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My greatest disapproval is for what Woo Chul says to his son about No Ra. How can he show such blatant disdain and contempt for his wife with his son..."I'm different from your mother. I'm a professor"... so the implication is that it's acceptable to prevent mum from studying in the same school as her son, because she will disgrace him whereas dad won't. ?

To see this father and son taken down from the pedestal that No Ra seems to have placed them is one great motivation for following this show.

I also really want to see No Ra's character change from the hesitant, self-effacing person she has become, to return to the spunky teenager that Hyun Seok remembers. :)

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I cant wait for Nora's transformation...

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This drama is hilarious. I like that Nora is getting little pieces of her old, sassy self back it was so sad to see how her life slowly nosedived after she got pregnant and married Woo-chul. That professor though, it's so sickening because stuff like that actually happens in real life.

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The saddest part was how she went from a tiger to a cowering mouse during that time. I think she is starting to realize now how much she has missed out on.

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I love this drama!

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Is it just me or does the actor playing Na Soon Nam look like a mini Jung Kyung Ho? Both cute though :)

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Still not into the drama but will keep on watching coz SOON NAM! He's the cutest omg. How can I ship her with him when there's Ha Woo Jin around? Kyaaaaa I totally screamed and laughed when he said he wants to marry someone young and pretty. Someone find me my heart. i think I dropped it here somewhere

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No one can beat Ha Woo Jin, except Kang Do Young kekkeekke

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I think this drama keeps getting better! I didn't really like it at first but as I keep watching I get hooked up and can't wait to see more Hyunseok. Kyaaaa

I think this episode gives us many lessons in life that we couldn't get in any school. I like their approach to speak about death, as we know that it really is a sensitive issue especially for those facing it like Nora does in this drama.

No matter how bad it is, I always like interactions between Nora and Hyunseok. Both are changing a lot since their school days, but I believe it'll eventually get better and I'm rooting real hard for them.

The secret of cancer comes out to Nora faster than I thought, but the fact that it is Hyunseok's turn to get fooled right now makes it a plot twist (at least for me). I can't wait to see him taking care of Nora with his way and Nora would be very confused at the sudden change of his behavior. Haha and this reminds me of Warm and Cozy a bit. It's a little obvious but that's what makes the relationship progress faster right?

Last. Lee Sangyoon just makes me swoon all over again every time he comes out. Well, I totally fell really hard for him when he played a super hot and genius psychology professor, Ha Woojin, and I think I fall for him again as Cha Hyunseok with another charming aspects that I reaaaally love. He's a great actor, and his visual is like a very very big bonus for me. Oh, and that dimple too. Like it so much XD

Can't wait for the next episode!

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+ 100000000 for this : "Lee Sangyoon just makes me swoon all over again every time he comes out. Well, I totally fell really hard for him when he played a super hot and genius psychology professor, Ha Woojin, and I think I fall for him again as Cha Hyunseok with another charming aspects that I reaaaally love. He’s a great actor, and his visual is like a very very big bonus for me. Oh, and that dimple too."

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Thanks for the recap!!! This drama is my favorite at the moment and I'm loving Choi Ji Woo so much!!!

I really didn't expect her to find out the misdiagnosis so soon but I'm happy she did. She's got enough on her plate with all these students treating her like a plague. I really hope the situation with the director is resolved in some way; it makes my blood boil to see such outward harassment even in a show. I do understand the students though. It's their word against a department director. Someone should videotape him and anonymously send it to the police?

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@ Toffee

I'm sorry to know that you face being put down. By being aware that you are in fact better than what others may call you, that you have the agency and power to live your life not according to what others say, but according to how well you can choose to live, is a great many steps forward. Ultimately, being the best you can be, even to forgiving the bad that is done to you, will be what gives you the freedom to be free of the hurt and to reach your full potential. I will be thinking about you and many others who face the same.

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@Toffee, I'm so sorry to learn about this. Please, don't let negativity around you break your spirit and dreams. Our dreams shall be bigger than our fears and hatred, right? Be strong, turn the adversity into opportunity dearie. I'll cheer you from afar.

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it's reminds me baek gunwoo at warm n cozy misunderstanding about kang soora disease..and nora partner reminds me of jisoo at angry mom. lololol... i think nora partner will like her too..ㅋㅋㅋ can't wait for next eps.. it's going to more fun...hahahhaa

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I want more rom comedy in this drama . I had enough sad story drama with terminal illness. ..most of her drama always like that.
I like to see her smile and laugh more in this drama ..since i found her very likeable in 3 meals a day and traveling program I start to browse her drama and i wondering about her drama choice .she should do comedy.
Anyway love her.

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When I first watched this drama, it was purely for Mr. Dimples; LSY, to admire and ohh-ing over those dimples ofc. But then I fall over CJW's charm as HNR, and become 1 of her big supporter from across the screen. Then I fall out of love for CWY, he makes me resent WC here! *grumbles* Yes, I know that it shows him to be a good actor who is able to make me admired, favored, sympathized and dislike from 1 portrayal in a drama to another.

3 episodes on, and I'm part of 20 Again bandwagon.. ^^

Thanks for the recap, GF~!

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Hahahahha. I totally see Nam soo falling for her.hehehehe. This is so going to be Angry mum all over again which I don't mind.

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Am I the only one who thought it was cool that Sang Ye (is she the assistant or smth of hyunseok?) Is the same actress who also helped ha woo jin in liar game?

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Yes, it's her.. the one who help Ha Woo Jin in Liar Game.

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wow that is cool. It's like they're meant to get along in all the parallel universes.

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In liar game, Sang Ye is Prof Ha junior from similar campus,..
In this drama, Sang Ye is junior and ex-student of Prof Cha Hyun Soek,
Both LSY and Her are from similar agency.

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I love this drama to pieces , cant wait for todays episode
love tha plot , the cast , the exciting never ending potentials
also totally loving CJW and her coupling with LSY , they are awesome

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Please let Soon Nam be this drama's Bok Dongie.... ❤❤❤

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Haha I was thinking about this as well... He could be this drama's Bokdongie!!!

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My drama of the year. Nuff said. Lee Sang-yoon pulls it off greatly with Choi Ji-woo. Slam naysayers who doubted him before broadcast, and tell that he is only good for actresses with the age bracket of Goo Hye-sun and Kim So-eun. Why, his chemistry with Choi Ji-woo turns the tide so much. Ahhhhh.

Pervy Prof should be executed now. He is downright annoying. It is not right to save a professor just because he is authority. But it says a lot of truth. Why? Such case exists in real life. It cannot get all real. Eg. All departments from school - to the Legal, EVP, Dean and Discipline Office - teamed up to form new stories and accusations to protect the professor. In the end, it is always the student on the losing side. (The teacher remains; the student gets punished) Student lawyers are useless. I know what I am saying. Mido jo shibsyo.

But these darn seniors so gets on my nerve. I want to sincerely slap them one-by-one. It does not matter if they are attractive, I just wanna slap them. For a moment I want them to recognize that they are bullying Choi Ji-woo and not Hanora. See where it takes them. I am so mad.

I love this drama all right. Two episodes ain't just enough.

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It also happened when LSY being casted in Liar Game,.. so many people said that he wouldn't suit the character,.. but then BOOM.... so many people admire him in Liar Game, till now his popularity as Ha Woo Jin still exist,.. even now beside her dimples, he has one more trademark,. Woo Jin's Hair Style...
Hmm, talking about this makes me want to watch Liar Game Season 2... :(

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Lol. Yes please. I can so see that happening.

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This was meant to be a reply to heartoppaya. I keep forgetting that the reply button doesn't work on the mobile version. Heh.

Anyways, I have a soft spot for the guy who play Soon-nam(NO YOUNG HAK!) for playing young Joo Sang Wook twice!(Giant and Masked Prosecutor). :)

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He was also young Joo Sang Wook in Goddess of Fire...

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Oh my, this drama is so fun. While I have a very heavy Yong-pal during the week, what I needed was exactly a light weekend-comedy like this.
I laughed so hard at the pervert-chase scene that I almost fell off my chair. So brilliant :D
I love the chemistry between the lead couple, actually they are the only ones from the main cast that I root for, as everyone else led by her husband and son annoy me so much. Well, apart maybe from her friend and associate producer of Hyun Suk.
I'm glad that this cancer-misunderstanding was cleared up so fast, at least to No Ra, because from the preview it seems that Hyun Suk will be still believing in her dying.
Love this drama, a worthy succesor to Oh My Ghost.

PS. Where do I sign the petition for less screentime for No Ra's son and his girlfriend? They are one of the most irritating characters I've ever watched. Argh..

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I like the girlfriend, can't stand the son.

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I cannot stand either one right now. Son is a mini ass like his dad, and the girlfriend is a whiney, selfish, spoiled little girl. They both suck.

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Nora and Hyun Suk... I really like to see them bickering pettily haha

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"I still don’t really understand the point of Yi-jin’s class on marriage"

Lol, this reminds me of Do Manager and his lecture on affections and breakups. Probably to help the students/lecturers learn how to cope with their relationship problems in school. That's a compulsory module in the University of Life.

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Do Manager, haha, brings back memories! Well, I still have the feeling that his lectures were more consistent than Yi-jin's...

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I'm still in my 20s and graduated uni last year, I find it so crazy that students would let sexual harrassments slide just because a prof did it! but hyun suk explained...

i still find it so stressful though.

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I like No Ra and Soon Nam Pairing. They are fated to be together!They are always being thrown together. So cute. I think that she will be his IDEAL woman, but he doesn't know it yet. I 'm sure they be BFFs.

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Thank you @fuzzy for confirming my guess that Soo-nam is No Young Hak. Been wondering for 3 episodes now if it was really him. He's a child actor and he's grown very handsome like his contemporary Lee Hyun Woo. I liked his role here. I love this drama and all the casts here.

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Ha No Ra seems better at drinking game compares to her son. And she cuts her a few inches shorter which i guess is only noticeable to mean prof. But i find it funny pepole dropping stuffs for him to discover..

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Ok, they've really exaggerated the selfish and self-absorb son angle. I get that he needs his space, and he's studying hard. But getting a high paying job to repay Nora for raising him doesn't mean anything if he no longer has a healthy relationship with his mom. I skip over his scenes with Hye Mi, they're both shallow at this point. The other students and how they relate to Nora are way more interesting.

That aside, another great episode. It's not so much the acting that I'm impressed with, but the writing and the way the story unfolds.

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Does anyone know the song played at the end of this episode (preview for episode 4)? I don't think it's the official OST of the drama...

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TQ GF,

I think no ra should also include in her divorce paper

how much her husband has to pay her for taking care of

their son since birth and till now.

THAT WOULD MAKE HIM A BANKRUPT PROF !

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All these talk about her son being terrible reminds me of myself when I was a teenager.. I was sent to boarding school when I was 13 for 5 years.I could tell that they were less worry about me. because they didn't send my younger brothers to live in the hostel. I enjoyed my stay in the hostel but couldn't help feel regret when my mother pass away when I was studying in U which again I spent years being away from home. so although I am the only daughter, I feel like they are the babies in the family. so whether you are being strict or pampered your child there are always consequences. You could only learn how to be a good child when u have responsibility on your own.

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anyone knows what song is used on the ending credit? jebaaaal T.T

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The best part os the episode was VIXX's debut song playing in the bar during the party!!! UHUuuuuuuu GO VIXX!!!

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