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The Best Hit: Episodes 23-24

Now we’re really getting somewhere. Important revelations will threaten to put a strain on more than one relationship, for both family and friends. For some of our characters, the coming days will be a turning point in their lives as they build new dreams and protect valuable memories. It would be nice to preserve the rooftop friendships that have been built so far, but it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes to light.

 
EPISODE 23 RECAP

As Woo-seung cooks porridge for Hyun-jae, she thinks back to being woken up by his touch. Unaware that Hyun-jae’s heart was pounding, she noticed that his face was still red, which he attributed to his fever. Having followed an online recipe, she hopes her cooking will still be edible.

Hyun-jae sits outside wrapped in a blanket, happily thinking of the same memory. He tells her that he loves porridge, but then stares blankly at the finished product. Woo-seung tells him to eat up even if it tastes bad because he needs his strength, but he tells her to taste it first: “What if I get sicker after eating this?”

She figures that he must be feeling better if he’s joking around again and encourages him to eat. She looks expectantly as he takes a spoonful and remarks, “Mmm… it’s bland.” She fetches him some soy sauce and obediently raises the dish so Hyun-jae can reach with his spoon.

He takes another bite and repeats, “Mmm…” before stating, “Kimchi.” She hurries to get him some, only to freeze when he moans for water, too. She thinks he can fetch water for himself, but he whines, “But I’m siiiiiccckkkk.”

He grates her nerves when he has her all but feed him the water and complains to get the perfect size of kimchi on his spoon. Eating it once more, Hyun-jae says again, “Mmm… ” and finishes, “It’s not bad this way.” He assures her that it tastes fine now, which makes her smile.

Now she complains about him waiting for her in the rain and he gripes that she was the one studying for hours. He feels there’s no need to thank him, then demands a fried egg. She tells him to just eat the porridge as is, so Hyun-jae starts coughing forcefully… and immediately stops when she gets up to make him an egg. Throwing the blanket off of him, he joyfully digs in.

As soon as Kwang-jae and Ji-hoon return from their overnight fishing trip, Kwang-jae is called out to Dongdaemun in the hopes to get a regular gig for his idol girl group. Ji-hoon asks for a ride so he can get his broken watch checked out, and then reminds Dad to keep the promise he made last night. Dad replies that he made no vow, just that he’d consider Ji-hoon’s offer.

Upstairs, Ji-hoon finds Woo-seung folding up the blankets and asks if she slept out in the common space. She stammers an explanation that her lock is broken, but when Hyun-jae emerges from the bathroom, Ji-hoon quickly realizes that the two were all alone last night.

He grabs his broken watch from the nightstand and puts it in his backpack… and then sees an identical-looking watch on his desk. Puzzled, he takes out the other watch and compares the two. His eyes widen to see that they both stopped at the same time and bear the same engraving.

He hurriedly places one watch on the desk before Hyun-jae returns from the bathroom and notes that it’s broken. Hyun-jae calls his broken watch more like a lucky charm and asks if they can chat.

They head down to the bakery, where Hyun-jae cuts to the chase and admits that he lied to Ji-hoon. He muses that he tried to deny it but there was no use, and sighs, “I… think I like Choi Woo-seung. No, I like her.”

Ji-hoon scoffs, saying that this confession comes as no surprise to him. He leaves a confused Hyun-jae in his wake: “How did he know when I didn’t?”

Kwang-jae worries over CEO Lee appearing more tired and listless lately, though Grandpa attributes that to summer. He wonders if they should try to build World Agency into a proper entertainment company like back in its glory days. Grandpa reminds him of the costly expense, but Kwang-jae thinks it’s possible if they can find some investors.

Over at Star Punch, Hyun-jae spends his workday smiling at Woo-seung in the lounge. He confirms that he’s feeling better thanks to her and tells her that she’s won the lottery—him. Checking to see if anyone else saw that lame joke, she tells him to leave. But he insists on staying and waves his hands in front of her like a child.

Ji-hoon stares at his broken watch at home, thinking of the many details about Hyun-jae that don’t quite add up. MC Drills trudges inside, completely exhausted from his reserve forces training, but he quickly changes the subject and says he heard it rained in Seoul last night.

But when Ji-hoon says he didn’t know because he wasn’t in Seoul, MC Drill realizes that Hyun-jae and Woo-seung were alone last night.

Meanwhile, Young-jae’s secretary reaches the conclusion that Kim Da-bong isn’t Hyun-jae because his fingerprints identify him as a Yoo Bong-jae. Furrowing his brows, Young-jae reveals that Bong-jae was Hyun-jae’s birth name and confirms that the test was valid.

Hyun-jae sneaks up on Woo-jae at her desk, scaring the bejesus out of her. He comes bearing lunch and he watches her with his mouth open as she dines on her expensive tuna lunch. Excited, he tells her how happy he was to find that this place was still open twenty years later and sighs at how the owner has since gone bald.

Woo-seung calls his story a bald-faced lie since Hyun-jae would’ve had to been eating sushi as a toddler for his claims to make sense. She says eating this food makes her feel anxious and asks why he’s suddenly acting so nice to her. “Because I want to,” Hyun-jae answers. She presses for more, so he continues, “I must like you or something.”

She nearly chokes on her food, but Hyun-jae says she’s asking too many questions instead of eating and hands her an expensive piece of fish.

While Grandpa reads a book on battling Alzheimer’s, MJ drops by Young-jae’s office and asks to start his album over from scratch. Ah, so your question about the puzzle really was about your approach to music.

He’s followed Young-jae’s demands for years and now he’s sick of the charade and wants to issue a public apology for having deceived the world about his career. Young-jae reminds MJ that doing so puts his entire career at risk and MJ could lose everything. But MJ wistfully comments, “I never thought that it was mine to begin with.”

However, Young-jae has more pressing matters to tend to because his rich wife bursts into his office just then, demanding to know why he hasn’t done away with Bo-hee’s contract like she told him to.

Before MJ can take his leave, Young-jae wants to know where these thoughts originated from. MJ answers that he’s been thinking about this for a while, but it was only recently that someone taught him the only way to fix a puzzle put together the wrong way is to dump everything and start over.

Hye-ri visits Ji-hoon at the bakery and enlists his help in buying a celebratory cake. She lights the candle and announces that her team finally has a date for their debut. She has him clap for her upon blowing out the candle and he sincerely congratulates her.

She asks why he declined joining the debut team at Ssen Entertainment and learns that Ji-hoon’s father also runs an entertainment agency. “Where?” she asks. Ji-hoon answers, “Here. It’s called World Agency. I’m going to make my debut with him.”

Back at Star Punch, Woo-seung drops off some marketing material for the sound engineers. One of the folders she places accidentally hits a key that triggers a blue error screen, and the engineers blame her for losing their work. Having witnessed the exchange, Hyun-jae rebukes them for shifting blame to her when they were responsible for backing up their own work.

He asks if everything will be okay if he reproduces the song they lost. He doesn’t need the guide version since he remembers from one listen, and the sound engineers angrily stalk off. Woo-seung paces nervously as Hyun-jae gets to work recreating the various audio tracks.

She’s overwhelmingly grateful afterwards and treats Hyun-jae to a drink in the lounge. When she says she now sees him a totally new light, he says it looks like she just fell head over heels for him. She’s willing to put up with his self-flattery today because she’s amazed that Hyun-jae could perfectly recreate a song from memory.

He says true artistic talent can’t be expressed in words, but now he’s proven that he’s worth his salt. She sigh as he praises himself for being so amazing at everything, from his charisma to his adorable eyes to his perfect nose. He has trouble thinking of the right word for his lips and puckers up. Woo-seung grabs his lips and tells him that it’s awesome if he doesn’t use them. To talk or kiss?

Remember that book on Alzheimer’s Grandpa was reading earlier? Now he’s searching the whole house for it and wondering how it could’ve gone missing when he was reading it not too long ago. He focuses his energy, which is illuminated in a bright light, and tries to remember where he was reading his book. But it’s no use, and Grandpa whines on the couch.

Seconds later, Grandpa is filled with new determination, unwilling to lose to his deteriorating memory.

When Young-jae hears the recreated song, he remarks that this version is even better. He’s told that the new music producer patched the song together, and he softly gasps, “Hyun-jae?” The engineers ask where Hyun-jae came from, but knowing that Hyun-jae’s music talents have gotten better over time changes Young-jae’s tune.

Ji-hoon waits up for Woo-seung at the bakery and invites her inside. He gives her a bagful of bread to snack on while she studies, and she enthusiastically responds, “Thumbs up!”

His inquiry as to how work is going makes her sigh that she’s only creating problems at the office. She has Hyun-jae to thank for getting her out of trouble today and thinks he’s a musical genius judging from how he could recall a full song after hearing it only once.

She wonders if their resident amnesiac is actually a famous celebrity, then gets on the defensive when Ji-hoon says she’s been prattling on about Hyun-jae. He drops the subject.

Elsewhere in the bakery, Kwang-jae asks what Hyun-jae’s been doing lately. Hyun-jae changes the subject by asking about the building’s outstanding debt, which Kwang-jae says was paid off.

Just as Hyun-jae mentions that someone helped them out, Kwang-jae cuts him off, saying that’s none of his business. He asks Hyun-jae to write a trendy song befitting this generation, and Hyun-jae says he’ll think about it.

Kwang-jae has more to get off his chest tonight—he knew that Bo-hee was pregnant with Ji-hoon but failed to tell Hyun-jae out of fear that Bo-hee might run away. He thought that he’d have another opportunity to talk to Hyun-jae and guesses that if he’d told Hyun-jae everything, then Hyun-jae would be in his shoes today and would never have disappeared.

Hyun-jae acknowledges that as a possibility, but he believes it’s also possible that nothing would’ve changed. He declares that he’s given up on trying to return to the ’90s because he doesn’t know how to get back and doesn’t see the point in doing so when he’s no longer the Hyun-jae who left 1993. This means he’ll be staying in the rooftop apartment for a little longer, and confesses that during his timeslip, one name popped up in his head: “Kwang-jae.”

Hyun-jae heads back to the rooftop studio, where Ji-hoon asks to chat. He asks if Hyun-jae is truly an amnesiac because everything that comes out of his mouth feels like a lie. He admits he was bothered by Hyun-jae’s presence from the moment he dropped into their lives and reminds Hyun-jae to move out soon.

Ji-hoon also asks Hyun-jae for a favor we don’t get to hear, but it must have something to do with Woo-seung because he later declines an invite to get some late-night ddukbokki and curls up to sleep instead.

 
EPISODE 24 RECAP

Kwang-jae is optimistic about the prospect of rebuilding World Agency, telling Grandpa that he has a few investor meetings lined up. But Grandpa is still fixated on his lost book and checks the bathroom, and then the refrigerator, but it’s not there.

Woo-seung pouts when she learns that Hyun-jae has left for work without her this morning. Hyun-jae thinks back to Ji-hoon’s request: for Hyun-jae to stop liking Woo-seung. As her friend, he knows she’s been through a great deal and doesn’t want to see her get hurt again, especially by an alleged amnesiac. In the present, Hyun-jae sighs that Ji-hoon isn’t wrong.

Woo-seung surprises him in the lounge and calls him out for leaving without her this morning, reminding him of how he accused her of doing the same last time. His glum response and exit makes her wonder if he’s mad at her.

Hyun-jae runs into Mal-sook at the convenience store that evening and offers to be the courteous Oppa and listen to her woes. She swears that this story is about her friend, and he impatiently prods her to share her story.

Mal-sook says her friend likes a boy, but that friend’s friend also likes the same boy. Hearing how Mal-sook’s friend is having trouble getting over that boy for the sake of the friendship reminds him of his own predicament, and he asks if that friend misses that boy even when she’s doing nothing.

Mal-sook lights up at that, and Hyun-jae asks in a breaking voice if the pain stabs at her heart. She says that’s true too, and they both hang their heads in defeat.

He returns home and declines eating dinner with the others, claiming that he already ate. He then munches on triangle kimbap alone in bed while Woo-seung enjoys dinner with the other boys. When Woo-seung sits down to study later that night, she wonders why Hyun-jae is acting like a petulant child. She tries and fails to get Hyun-jae out of her mind.

Hyun-jae has trouble not thinking about Woo-seung at the office too, as his brain imagines her as the sound engineer during a recording session. He rubs his eyes to snap out of the delusion. He later figures it’s okay if he and Woo-seung accidentally cross paths, and then he lingers outside the intern office.

Woo-seung’s boss catches him peeping and informs him that the interns are out on set. In a whisper, he asks where that is. Turns out Woo-seung and the other interns are busy setting up for MJ’s fansigning event at a cafe, and he’s caught peering inside.

She taps his shoulder to get his attention, which scares him out of his wits. Barely meeting her gaze Hyun-jae claims that he was passing by and thought of having a coffee. She says the cafe isn’t open for business right now, but offers to fix him a drink since she previously worked as a barista.

Her cheery mood makes him smile, but he declines her offer and looks for an exit. But then Woo-seung grabs his wrist and tells him to use his words to express his anger because his petulant silence bothers her. Hyun-jae mumbles that he has no reason to be angry with her, releases himself from her grip, and leaves.

He’s still thinking about her when he heads for the convenience store, and his minds drifts when he sees the part-timer’s name tag. “Part-timer. Oy, Part-timer,” he says blankly before being brought back to reality.

Ji-hoon sends Woo-seung a cake for her and her fellow interns to enjoy. She thanks him and agrees to treat him to a movie. Elsewhere, Kwang-jae’s meeting with a potential investor at a fancy restaurant gets canceled at the last minute.

Disheartened, Kwang-jae steps out to leave and runs into Young-jae’s rich wife Cathy, who’s here to have lunch. She picks up a copy of his business proposal and chides him for having such bad entrepreneur skills because he won’t ask the best investor he can get, meaning, her.

Kwang-jae figures Cathy wouldn’t be interested anyway, but it tears at her heart to see him and CEO Lee struggle to make ends meet. She promises to look over the proposal and be in touch.

After searching the entire house for the book to no avail, Grandpa finally calls it quits. Turns out it’s in Mal-sook’s backpack, and she explains to her teacher at reading time that her grandfather packed it for her. Lol.

Hyun-jae enters Young-jae’s office looking to borrow his fancy car when he spots Young-jae’s open safe and a copy of his music notebook. He takes out his own copy in his backpack and compares the pages to one another, then reads the notes that Other Hyun-jae left behind.

He switches out the notebooks just moments before Young-jae comes in and ask what he’s doing behind his desk. He asks for a company car so he can go for a drive to clear his mind, but he gets a firm no. As soon as Hyun-jae is out of sight, Young-jae checks that the music notebook is still in the safe.

Hyun-jae reviews the other copy of his music notebook at home and notes that he continued to write music into 1994, including ballads. He sighs at a few scribbles of Bo-hee’s name and possible date ideas, then curiously reads the “To Coda” marking about the bagfuls of money hidden in the rooftop apartment, since that wasn’t anywhere to be found.

It then occurs to him that the “To Coda” mark tells the musician to jump to the coda section, which leaves him wondering if the money was moved.

Mal-sook comes in looking for Ji-hoon to help Bo-hee move some boxes in the bakery, but since Ji-hoon isn’t home, Hyun-jae steps in to help her. Bo-hee allows Mal-sook to play a game on her phone again while she grabs some bread for Hyun-jae, and calls out the passcode: “22198.”

Hyun-jae’s ears perk up, remembering those were the same digits that popped up on his beeper. He mentions that’s a unique numerical combination, and Bo-hee cheerily answers that she’s used that number for years and explains that it carried another secret meaning: “I want to be alone with you.”

Realization dawns on Hyun-jae as Bo-hee clarifies that she used to date someone in secret and that message was how they covertly told each other that they wanted to meet.

Hyun-jae returns to the rooftop apartment, where he declines another offer from the boys to eat together and heads out for some air. Downstairs, Grandpa picks up the second book in the series for battling Alzheimer’s and vows to finish it this time.

Cut to: Grandpa dozing off. HA. Mal-sook comes in to remind Grandpa about packing her shoes for school, and he sleepily agrees, determined to beat his condition. He then reaches for Mal-sook’s bag and places the book inside before turning in for the night.

Hyun-jae takes a stroll in the park, thinking about everything he’s learned today, when a sudden downpour forces him to take cover. A few feet away, Woo-seung happens to also take cover and calls out to him, remarking that they keep running into one another.

He glances in her direction, then runs into the rain to fetch her a yellow umbrella. He lies that he’s waiting to meet someone with a car, so Woo-seung thanks him and walks away. The somber piano melody from La La Land starts to play as Hyun-jae rushes toward her, whips her around, and leans in for a kiss.

Now the music swells into the What Could Have Been sequence between Woo-seung and Hyun-jae: Hyun-jae agrees to go out for ddukbokki, heads out to work with Woo-seung holding hands, makes dinner with Woo-seung who feeds him some food, and when he wakes Woo-seung up with his gentle touch and his heart pounds, he swoops in to kiss her.

Hyun-jae looks over, watching his imagined self kissing Woo-seung under the umbrella in the rain, and then disappear back into his imagination.

Woo-seung grows worried at home when the rain gets heavier but Hyun-jae still hasn’t returned home. He’s walking with heavy steps in the rain and looks up to see Woo-seung waiting for him under her umbrella. She asks what’s wrong, and he silently pulls her close to embrace her.

 
Epilogue

Ji-hoon hears Hyun-jae’s phone ringing in the apartment and picks it up, wondering why Dad’s name is saved as “Kwang-jae.” He answers, but before he can get a word in, an irritated Kwang-jae asks, “What took you so long to answer, Hyun-jae? Hey, Yoo Hyun-jae!” Shocked, Ji-hoon drops the phone from his ear as Kwang-jae calls for Hyun-jae over and over again.

 
COMMENTS

Now he knows. We’ve been aware of the mystery of Ji-hoon’s true parentage since day one of this series, but actually knowing who Ji-hoon’s birth father is became less important in the following weeks since I found more of an emotional pull watching him establish his relationship with Kwang-jae and Hyun-jae. Even Kwang-jae was left to make assumptions from vague statements that Hyun-jae was Ji-hoon’s birth father, and we have yet to hear Bo-hee either confirm or deny this claim. The fact that her passcode is the same number on Hyun-jae’s beeper a big tally in the Hyun-jae column, but I’m willing to wait to hear the truth straight from the horse’s mouth.

I know I sound like a broken record when I say that I wish Ji-hoon learned important life lessons from both paternal figures in his life, but now I fear Ji-hoon will never see Hyun-jae in that way because they’re rivals in love. And while that idea of a cross-generational love triangle was a concern we’ve been prepared for for weeks now, it seems all too clear that this will be the misunderstanding that Ji-hoon latches onto in the near future.

Still, I have to give credit to Hyun-jae’s honesty for coming clean to Ji-hoon as soon as he connected the dots to his feelings for Woo-seung. Furthermore, unlike Ji-hoon, Hyun-jae didn’t sit on his feelings either and was straightforward in revealing them to Woo-seung as well. But much like every other drama romance we know all too well, those happy moments were followed by forced emotional distance brought on by a confrontation. As Woo-seung’s longtime friend, Ji-hoon did have some merit in trying to protect her from getting hurt again, yet at the same time, he also has romantic feelings for her, making it impossible for him to be objective.

I admit I groaned a bit watching Hyun-jae acting standoffish toward Woo-seung since it’s the classic noble idiot move and thinking that’s it’s honoring a person’s request when the sudden 180-degree change in behavior ends up hurting someone’s feelings. I could understand Woo-seung’s frustration and confusion as Hyun-jae kept an arm’s length between them since it’s hard for her to get close to anyone, and I liked that she kept trying to point out the elephant in the room.

Needless to say, today’s umbrella scene was bittersweet compared to Hyun-jae’s swoony glance up from the umbrella in Episode 22. I’m a sucker for the What Could Have Been trope since it shows us glimpses into a slightly tweaked reality if our characters made different choices. I thought using the La La Land epilogue track was a nice touch, though unlike the movie, neither Woo-seung nor Hyun-jae would have to put their dreams on hold for their love story. But my personal takeaway here is that my heart can pine and sympathize with Hyun-jae in this somber moment because his character is being played perfectly by Yoon Shi-yoon, who is a perfect embodiment of adorable, dorky, and pensive.

Even with the romance and the mystery taking big steps this hour, I’m happiest about the return of the Grandpa and Mal-sook storyline. I found it hilarious and sweet watching him trying to be proactive about his Alzheimer’s and trying so hard to battle his developing symptoms. I know we’ll soon face a day when Mal-sook will put the puzzles together and realize what’s going on with her grandfather. But until that heartbreaking day comes, I’ll enjoy Grandpa stuffing her bags with books he has no idea where he misplaced.

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Although I enjoy watching this drama, I find myself not liking Yoon Shi Yoon's character-Hyun-jae because even though he is aware of the possibility that he is Ji-hoon's biological father, he still acted selfishly by pursuing his affections for Wooseung (also even after being warned by Ji-hoo). He only does things that would benefit himself. His actions makes me not ship him with Wooseung. Does anyone feel the same?

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But what gives Ji Hoon the right to dictate who Woo Seung can/can't date? She's already told him she's not interested.

And what gives him the right to decide that just because he still likes her, he's allowed to go behind her back and prevent her from dating someone else?

What makes his behavior even worse is that, instead of respecting her wishes and resolving his feelings, he's nurturing them.

He seems to be thinking that if he blocks other people from pursuing her, someday she'll turn to him. That's not love. That's utter selfishness!

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When Jihoon asked Hyunjae to stop liking Wooseung, I understood why he did that. He knows Wooseung more and he knows how many times she has been abandoned by people she loves. Jihoon has a point. Hyunjae doesn't even know who he is and doesn't have any memories (That's what Jihoon knows at least). What if somewhere in this world, he was a girlfriend, a wife, or even a child? When he gets his memory back, will he leave Wooseung too?

The setup was just so wrong to begin with. They made us believe that Hyunjae is Jihoon's dad. Even Hyunjae thinks he is and yet he acted to his feelings. That's just iffy for me and for other people.

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I totally agree with you! I said this in my comment but I'll say it here again, I don't think Ji-hoon telling Hyun-jae to stay away from Woo-seung was for himself, he's seen her getting hurt before, he knows what she went through more than anyone so he did it for her! He knows nothing about Hyun-jae, he doesn't know where he comes from, what kind of person he really is, he's just trying to protect his friend!

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I'm with you @gidget. Or maybe I think both guys are wrong to decide behind Woo Seung's back who she can or can't date. I know both of them have weighty reasons to keep her in the dark, so fingers crossed when all is revealed (and we've conquered the angst) she will kick both of them and say that she can make her own choices. Show, hit me with your best shot next week! I have no idea what is going to happen, which is exciting. I can usually predict endings, but not this time.

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"Or maybe I think both guys are wrong to decide behind Woo Seung's back who she can or can't date."

THIS, WishfulToki, THIS.

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Totally agree with your comments Gidget!

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The shipping wars! Shots are fired! Up to now there have been alternating pro-Ji Hoon, anti-Hyun Jae, or pro-Hyun Jae, anti-Ji Hoon comments here and there, but this is the first time I've read direct retorts in the comments on this show.

Seriously, though, I dropped out of Jealousy Incarnate because I got so frustrated with the love triangle--even though I love Jo Jung Suk. And Reply 1994? Don't get me started! Aargh! There's nothing like your guy getting shafted in a love triangle by the writers (and other fans) to get you hot under the collar.

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Everyone was taking out there stones yesterday. I'm so happy to read all the positive comments today ????

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I want to upvote 100x for this comment.

Anyway,
Spread love no hate. ❤ Da bong?

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Ditto ?

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I hated sad hyun-jae, the whole episode seeing him feel down was difficult. We know ysy surely can pull the characters suffering beautifully melting and breaking hearts so writers u don't need to prove that. Haha that with mal-sook really amused me a lot

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A lot of you are disappointed and upset with the drama because you set your expectations high. Sometimes no matter how promising the synopsis is, in most cases especially in kdrama land, dramas tend to go south along the way. I've learned it a long time ago! lol... So next time, don't expect too much to avoid disappointments. The main purpose of watching dramas is to be entertained not to be stressed out and upset about it...

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I didn't really put too much expectations on this drama. My problem is that they promoted it as a drama about finding your dreams and it did started that way. But now, we're getting this.

Also, I think it's kind of unfair to tell people to lower their expectations of something.

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"The main purpose of watching dramas is to be entertained..."

people are not entertained that is why they are disappointed and upset..

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All I want is for Hyun Jae to be happy. And if Woo Seung is what makes him happy then I'm all for this ship!

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Gummimochi: Your recaps are Ta Bom! And so is this episode. PDs, please develop the following spin-off shows ASAP:
1. Adventures with Mal Sook and Grandpa: MS and Grandpa travel through Korea visiting sites of historical and cultural interest while sampling delicious local cuisine.
2. Am I In Love?: MS and HJ sit in a convenience store and give viewers relationship advice while trying new kimbap flavours.

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I've been finding it funny that the thumbs up expression "Da Bong" actually sounds a lot like "Tá bom!" which in portuguese means "That's tasty/good!" xD
Are you native a portuguese speaker by any chance? curious because of your spelling heh xD

It's actually useful because now I can use it in day-to-day life, esp. for food, without looking weird or out-dated xD

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positive comments are everywhere unlike the recap of episode 21-22....
more love for TBH!! ???

i like the way the writers are giving off the "guess our ending everyone" .... this is the first ever drama that i can't guess what will happen so i'll just watch and savor every episode until the last scene of episode 32...

2 more weeks everyone and were done!!! fighting TBH!!!????

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I see a lot of comments expressing frustration with Hyun Jae and his selfishness but I've actually found Ji Hoon really irritating for a while now.

He's extremely inconsiderate of his parents' situation. He irresponsibly took in Drill, Woo Seung and Hyun Jae without telling his parents and hasn't bothered charging them rent (sure Woo Seung appears to pay a bit but it's only an arbitrary sum and Ji Hoon keeps telling her she doesn't need to pay anything). I understand that Ji Hoon wants to be a good friend but he's not the one who has to pay the water and electricity bills for three extra people and Kwang Jae's financial situation is tight enough as it is with all the debt they have and they don't need that extra burden. Similarly, he lied to Kwang Jae for years about attending cram school whilst training as an idol, only to quit in the end because he was frustrated by it. He doesn't seem to think that maybe that was a huge waste of his parents' money, nor does he seem to mind loafing around at home and casually working in the bakery instead of trying to earn money to support his family and pay off their debts. He runs out of one interview to debut as an idol at Star Punch and turns down the offer from Ssen Entertainment and for what? Because he wants Kwang Jae to debut him? That's a nice idea but as grandpa pointed out, debuting an idol isn't cheap and they don't exactly have the funds to do it. Getting investors would be difficult (although Cathy will probably give them a hand), and it's hardly clear whether Ji Hoon would debut as a solo artist or in a group because there's been no mention of Kwang Jae's agency having other male idol trainees ready to debut. Furthermore, grandpa's Alzheimer's is progressing and the chances of him running this new company are unlikely, so is everything going to be left up to Kwang Jae? If Ji Hoon had properly thought about his parents' situation instead of what sounds like 'a nice thing to do,' surely he'd realise that debuting under Kwang Jae would just put more pressure on him and he already has enough issues to face. He should just debut under Ssen Entertainment and use the money he makes to support his father in slowly rebuilding the company. He mouths off to Hyun Jae about being a burden but he's the one who constantly turns down opportunities and continues to just sit at home thinking about Woo seung and doing nothing.

His attitude towards Woo Seung also really annoys me because he ignores her feelings for the most part - I know that kiss scene a few episodes ago was supposed to be sweet but I just saw it as harassment. If a girl says she's not interested, you should respect that regardless of how long you've one sidedly liked her. I understand his concern for Woo Seung as a friend and why he told Hyun Jae to back off, but it's really none of his business how the relationship between two adults develops. He can be worried for her but it's important to keep in mind that, as...

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*sorry this rant was way longer than I expected. I was just saying that 'as a friend it's his job to look after her if she gets hurt but not to decide on her behalf who should and shouldn't date her.'

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Rant appreciated! LOL. That was a wonderful synopsis of his character. And so well written.

I'm the last person to bring up feminism. Mostly because it invites a somewhat aggressive stream of comments. But I think this show - and the audience's response to it - has made some important commentary on that topic.

In the episode where Mal Seok was chasing the little boy the theme was gender sameness (note I'm not saying or meaning gender equality). It showed her taking on the role that the boy typically plays and the boy gladly receiving her efforts. But when it came to him putting forth any effort, he chose the pretty girl who treated him like a boy, not a girl. So true to life. I thought that episode made an important statement about the difference between gender equality (healthy) and gender sameness (not true or realistic).

With respect to Ji Hoon I've found it interesting that normally the comment section is filled with feminist talking points about respect, agency, no means no, etc. But because this role is played softly/innocently by a handsome popular actor, the audience has been mostly willing to overlook the boorish and inconsiderate behavior that you described so well. Again, it's telling about what really matters to people and the lack of conviction people can have in a commitment to principles. Groups so often allow themselves to overlook something unhealthy, as long as they're made comfortable in doing so and are in good company. (Note I'm not making a personal attack on anyone. Just a general social observation.)

I don't think this is a rant. But it's the end of my philosophizing.... ;-)

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If all four were not living in that rooftop room, we won't have a story. He's been telling Hyunjae to move for the longest time but he's the one who selfishly stayed.

I do agree about him not accepting to debut in Ssen. He should have taken that opportunity. But of course, it's a plot device to make World Agency rise up again before the drama ends.

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Thank you for this! I've been ranting about ji-hoon in my head for sooo long! dunno where he comes off from being so self-entitled yet everyone cutting him slack just cuz he has daddy issues and couldn't debut??!

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JH knows now...can't wait for confrontation. Am so happy JH decided to debut with GJ...now can we all have fun making good music and give the love triangle a rest.

It is weird seeing HJ like a lost puppy in this episode. I prefer hyper Da bong but sigh, seeing him in love is also adorable. I haven't seen lalaland but the dream sequence was lovely. Am not really on any ship but WS seems more smitten by HJ compared to JH which is understandable after being friends with JH for too long and seeing the genius HJ at work. Realistically, I prefer JH for WS since HJ has to return at some point and we already have one unresolved heartbreak from 1994, can't you spare us another in 2017?

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Oh.. it is so HJ to leave ladies in a heartbreak and one of them would be me. ?

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Why...why...what happened to my beloved JH-WS ship
Why give me hope, show? (WS jealousy & cheek kiss reaction)
Ugh, it's reply 1994 feels all over again!!!

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That's it! I knew I'd been through the 'Guess the OTP' game before but wasn't sure where. Of course, Reply series. I haven't seen 1994. For me it was 1988.

At this point though, if HJ&WS doesn't work out I don't think anyone will end up together at the end.

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Yoon Shi Yoon is such a good actor, he is Hyun Jae, nothing more to add.

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I hope we get to see more of Yoon Shi Yoon as an actor in the future.

Fighting Hyun Jae!

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From the beginning I didn't like the HJ-Ws pairing at all, and I still don't. I just think it is so awkward. But I find pretty much all of the relationships in this show wouldn't be a relationship if there wasn't a just a touch of manipulation to complete it. Everyone tells some version of their truth, but they hide these tiny potentially large details. Also I just don't really understand the direction of the story anymore. Mostly because, at the beginning, and even in the last few episodes when JH and HJ freaked out about the bug, they showed similarities in the way they react to things, and JH is some sort of lyrical genius or something, or has potential. There are just too many similarities, I mean it could be that BH is his mom, but she was a singer, I don't think she wrote music as well. So I'm just like grossed out and weirded out by every possible outcome. If HJ stays that means JH disappears or something right? If he goes back, it's JUST so he can like get together with BH to have a child, right?
I just feel like they have created this weird messy situation, and I don't really understand how it's going to turn out. I mean hey now it looks like HJ isn't even JH's dad even though they played it up at the beginning. But I guess we have to hear from BH to truly know what the actual truth is.
What a mess! I'm just mad at all the characters, no one ever seems to resolve anything. There is so little communication between everyone, it's garbage relationships. lol sorry.

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Also I don't really blame WS for liking HJ, she knows nothing, so to me that's not really a big deal. But I just have never liked the pairing, the couple felt too forced, and everything. It would have been so much better if HJ decided to write hit songs with this band of misfits that don't fit in anywhere, saves the company with this kick ass band just in time to regain the holes in his memory and realize the love he shared with BH. After realizing his selfish ways, HJ will commit to change in 1994 and become a better man and a better father. Oh and there has to be a bad guy in this situation, idk. He will expose Cathy for trying to buy out his company to destroy them, and will reveal later that he was just trying to save the company by taking the money away so his friends wouldn't be out of a job. WOW! What an exciting end to the drama, it was great! Not a bloody mess!

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First, who didn't cry when HJ and MS pour out their hearts. I admit that my tear duct failed me during those scene. Initially, I thought their interaction would be comedic but HJ conveyed heartbroken perfectly that I teared up at same time he did. YSY-oppa, my love for you soared a little bit higher because of this.

WOAH!! Double umbrella scenes with double the swoon. There are so many on-a-loop-worthy scenes.

FINALLY... we got the answer for 22198 mystery but what "To coda" means regarding the missing money? Does this mean that he already used the money to solve a prob or for a cause? I believe the past HJ wouldn't use it up unless for those reason. Then, if he didn't use the money it must be somewhere.

NOW.. JH knows who Dda Bong really is. He were just having this suspicion but to have it confirmed by KJ... he probably would feel betray(?). I hope this doesn't strain their relationship. I can't wait to see how this will affect JH-KJ, JH-HJ, and HJ-WS.

I'm a bit scared that Cathy will invest in World Entertainment and whatever plan YJ come up to use HJ. I don't want them to shatter my hope that someday, World Entertainment will be big again.

--->>> Imagine if these happen...
Reviving World Entertainment Project.
CEO: KJ
Top Idols: JH, MC Drill and MJ
Producer/Road Manager: YHJ aka Kim Da Bong
Make-up Artist/Stylist: Helter Skelter

??

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Yes I just love HJ and MS with their little conversation.

Going to miss YSY and all the cast when the drama ends. Two more weekends to go.

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I wonder if 'To Coda' isn't the writer pulling our leg and saying that all the important reveals will happen at the very end of the drama...

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I love this drama!!!. This is probably my favorite episode so far...grandpa storyline is really sad but the book plot was hilarious LOL. And that lalaland reference was almost poetic. I don't understand why the low ratings, this show is so underrated.

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I am really enjoying this fluffy, ridiculous show, warts and all.

There are so many differing views, its amazing. So here's my 2 cents.

Do people really go into dramas knowing what to expect? I mean, they're not preproduced and the story isn't set in stone. I don't quite understand why everyone thinks this story is about the reconciliation of a father and son. I read one summary and it said 20 something years olds struggle for life. The father son relationship was just mentioned in passing. Not storyline...just the fact that they're related. And suddenly everybody automatically knows that the story will be about his redemption from the jerk character to saintly father.

Does this look like a deep, gritty, melo about estranged relationships or a coming of age drama? *scratches head* . It is a slice of life drama depicting the mundane and trying to survive by giving it all you've got...and knowing that if you still come up short, it's okay, there's plenty others on that boat and you've always got your 'family' to back you up. Life is tough for the 'not talented enough' hardworking ones. Not just trainees but for those in the industry i.e. managers, celebrities who have scandalous pregnancies etc. There is no happiness to be found when you keep failing that all important exam and come from a broken home. And this drama depicts that in palatable terms, making a comedy out of what is in reality , sad depressing lives( a little too real for comfort).

And here comes this outrageous talented character and who makes it look easy. The clash between these opposing personalities is inevitable and eye opening to Hyun Jae as he tries to wrap his head around why the people around him are so different from himself and struggling so hard and maybe even pointlessly.

As for the perception that he acts on his feelings to CWS even knowing that he might be JHs father. In his own words to JH, "I didn't realise I liked her, how did you know? ". What we're forgetting is this HJ has never liked or gone out with BH, ever. It isn't that he forgot, he simply never lived that life in 1994 because he dissapeared off to 2017. So how on earth is he obligated or responsible to have feelings for BH?

He also suspects Gwang Jae of his disappearance and has a whole lot of suspicion regarding JHs parentage. He kept questioning it again and again in the beginning. As soon as he figures out definitvely that he likes WS ( which took him long enough I'll admit, the audience knew many episodes ago ) , he goes straight to tell JH. Why? Because he knows JH also likes her. NOT because of the dad issue which even he himself is not convinced of.( by the way, just because JH and GJ are convinced HJ is the dad, doesn't make it the truth, this is after all Kdrama).

So now we have a giddy in love HJ who's blind to all reason (and even decides to stay in 2017) until JH pops his bubble and reminds him, he's still an unrealiable ticking bomb of trouble...

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Cont.

When JH points out that HJ could seriously break her heart...That was enough to get HJ to back off actually as he acknowledged the truth of JHs words.

Couple that with the stacking evidence of a relationship with BH after finding the notebook and figuring out the significance of the secret BH pager code. We end up with a confused , lonely kid who can't lean on anyone .

And he's been trying so hard all of ONE day to stay away from WS. L o l.

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Yeah, I don't think the 'you are his father' reveal really sunk in before for HJ, not until Bo Hee mentioned the beeper code.

As for what I expected, I went into this expecting nothing. I started it because I liked the trailer. I don't trust drama synopses. For example, Moonlight Drawn by Clouds was presented thus on kissasian: "Hong Ra On disguises herself as a man and counsels men on dating. Due to a love letter she wrote for a client, she meets Crown Prince Hyo Myeong.... The Crown Prince becomes interested in Ra On. His eunuchs become aware of this and attempt to get Ra On to become one of them." (???) That's the initial setup, not an actual synopsis.

So it is understandable that some people would be upset after reading the synopsis on kissasian for The Best Hit: "The drama centers around an immature father and his mature son....Twenty years ago, Dad disappeared from the public eye, only to reappear two decades later as the neighborhood slacker.... the show will follow their father-son bromance in a cheerful story of growth and maturation."

Drama synopsis tend to present misunderstandings as fact, which is why I eye them with certain skepticism. Plus, the outright reveal by Ji Hoon in episode 2 'this is how I met my father' also made me suspicious. In summary, the writer likes to confuse me. ?

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Great posts! Thank you Marie 1610.
Timely reminder that HJ was at 1993, he doesn't know what is going to happen in 1994 or after since he disappeared/left for the 2017 world. So it's not that he can't remember/recall its just hasn't happen yet some of the events in his previous life...

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That La La Land-esque sequence ?

Considering the fact that this show was initially touted to be a variety-drama, referencing some of its scenes from mainstream pop-culture seems understandable. More so if it was being utilized properly. ??

Imo, if you have watched La La Land, you're seeing the scenes expecting it to not be true. While watching the scenes that could have been, with the full knowledge that it was a what-if, makes the scene much more melancholic and heart-wrenching. ?

I wonder how the grandpa-granddaughter storyline would progress. Considering that Alzeihmer's seems to worsen, this might just end to a sad ending. But who knows, this is what makes this story line worth following haha

Having a emotional rollercoaster episode, that kicker at the end ? seems well-placed, reminding you that "this storyline is here to. Knowing what you just have seen (the La La Land sequence), how do you think this would develop?". Nice cliff-hanger ??

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I'm just wondering about some things regarding the timeline.

Hyun Jae travelled in time from '93 but his reported disappearance was on '94. So, it seems the story is leading that he WILL return around the time he left and progress from there. Noting that some of the events in the present were repercussions of his acts during the '93-'94 period, he can get to tweak the future.

Just my random thoughts:
- he'll get to realize that Bo Hee's affection was real (?) after waiting for him for almost 20 years (I mean, who does that lol)
- if he doesn't (see above) will Ji-Hoon still be conceived?
- ^the conflict in that scenario is that Kwang Jae seems to like Bo Hee for a while now (or does he?). If Hyun Jae learns of this, this places him in the dilemma (to continue with Bo Hee, etc etc)
- BUT if it is revealed that Hyun Jae isn't the father of Ji Hoon (for some bizarre reason - I think I want to hear it from Bo Hee herself on who the father is ?), Hyun Jae can "guiltlessly" return back to the present from '94
- World Entertainment would progress with different artists, since Kwang Jae won't need to look around for Hyun Jae anymore, if things are set up nicely
- BUT, HOW CAN THAT TIME TRAVEL EVEN BE TRIGGERED?? haha

I seem to be overthinking some things hahaha I guess this is one of the reasons why I enjoy the show ?

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Omo, omo, omo! This drama makes my heart race. That what-could-have-been bit … that's it, I'm done for! ?

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I've just caught up. Loving the drama. Honestly it's been clear to me since the beginning that Hyun Jae is not the father. My impression was that Bo-Hee and Hyun Jae were only pretending to date in the past or it was a one-sided crush only. Hyun Jae is also the main lead so technically he should end up with the girl unless there's an unexpected twist. My money is on the CEO Park being the father. I think he had a fling with Bo-Hee but for whatever reason they had to keep it a secret.

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As much as I like YSY, I'm just not that excited to watch the remaining episodes. On instagram there was another kiss in this week's episode(s) and if that one turns out to be actual and not imaginary, that will ruin the poignancy of last week's tender scene. It's been 12 hours in my timezone since the recent episodes came out and I'm still deciding whether I should wait until the final week comes or endure the whole dragged out romance between HJ and WS. What is the whole drama about again? I'm forgetting.

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What a miserable life for Ji-Hoon.

He's losing the only girl he's loved to the father who abandoned his mother (and him as well in the process). He wants to be a star because he wants to show his dad he would succeed without him, but he's stuck with a stepfather who didn't want him to be a celebrity at first, recognizes his stepson's talent too late, and is in no position now to make his stepson- who if fiercely loyal to him- into the star he so badly wants to be.

Hyun-Jae already knows Ji-Hoon is his son, but can't stop himself from moving in on his kid's girl, buying and showing her things his own son is too poor to afford. He knows Bo-Hee waited for him all this time, but made her wait some more until she got over waiting for him, instead of taking responsibility. He knows his son wants to be a celebrity, but what has he done to better his prospects?

Meanwhile, Woo-Seung won't get together with Ji-Hoon because he's all she's ever had and didn't want to lose him if they break up. So she goes and gets together with someone else, his dad; yeah right, crush his heart, that's the best way to keep him. I guess, if you are his new stepmom, then he can't get away from you now.

In this show, everyone who deserves to be happy, isn't. Only the selfish are thriving. Greed is good. Ji-Hoon, Bo-Hee, Gwang-Jae, even MC Drill, they should all just jump in the Han River together. There is no happiness for them here; they're all just too good for this world.

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Late to the party. Viki just added this lovely drama. It has been perfect during this crazy time. Just a shout out to the rest of the beanies who loved this drama.

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