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Jugglers: Episode 6

Why is it that every time you think you’ve put your past behind you, it has a tendency to pop back up again at the very worst moment? Yoon-yi has to deal with not one, not two, but three ghosts from the past before she’s even gotten settled as Chi-won’s assistant. Luckily she has an unexpected champion who’s always there to protect her from unfair accusations, unwelcome visitors, and unwanted exes—even if he is mostly confused by the whole thing.

 
EPISODE 6: “The mobius of ill fate”

Yoon-yi cries as she cleans up the mess after Chi-won’s emotional explosion during his surprise birthday celebration. She texts her friends, who call him crazy, arrogant, and ungrateful. They even warn her not to upset him again or he may hit her, and suggest that he needs a mental hospital.

Jung-ae finds Yoon-yi to tell her that everyone is in the conference room. Yoon-yi panics when she realizes that Chi-won took her laptop to the meeting to make a presentation, and she runs in to stop him, but she’s too late—the entire chat conversation bashing Chi-won has been displayed for the whole team to see.

Yoon-yi shuts down the computer and turns to Chi-won, ashamed, but he doesn’t even look at her. Instead he introduces the new team member, CHANG-SOO (Min Jin-woong). Chang-soo gives Yoon-yi a tiny smile, and she stares at him incredulously. Do they know each other?

On her walk home, Yoon-yi thinks of Chang-soo, wondering why that jerk showed up at her office, of all places. He sends her a text, addressing her familiarly and saying that he’s happy to have returned to her.

As she nears her house, Yoon-yi doesn’t see Chi-won watching her from his balcony. He meets her at the gate and asks to talk, but he can’t seem to decide what to say. Finally he just admits that he can’t find the right words, so Yoon-yi suggests that he feels bad about the cake and is thankful for the mug.

Relieved, Chi-won agrees, but when Yoon-yi starts to go inside, he clutches at her arm to stop her. She asks why those simple things were so hard to say, and Chi-won looks sheepish when she guesses that it hurts his ego to apologize to a lowly secretary. She asks if it’s because he hates her, or because she didn’t change departments when he told her to, not letting him get a word in edgewise.

Yoon-yi decides she’s right and promises to put in for a transfer as soon as possible. Chi-won jumps up, alarmed, and says emphatically that he doesn’t hate her, he’s just a loser who only amounts to this. He says sadly that she can transfer if she doesn’t want to work with him anymore.

But Yoon-yi reminds Chi-won that in the business world, the assistant suggests options and the boss makes the final decision. She tells him to decide, and without missing a beat, he says, “Then stay with me, like you are now.” Swoooon.

 

Watch the scene

Stay with me

 

Yoon-yi is clearly relieved, but she puts on a determined expression and says she has a condition: that he enter the Best Boss competition. Chi-won laughs wryly then makes his own request, that she compensate for her friends having publicly insulted him. HA, he’s enjoying this.

Getting an idea, Yoon-yi invites Chi-won into her apartment and rushes around to clean up the ever-present mess. Chi-won loiters uncomfortably in the entryway, and when he opens the closet door, he’s nearly flattened by an avalanche of shoes.

He finally gets in and sits at the kitchen table while Yoon-yi cooks up a storm for his birthday meal. He notes how filthy her place is, and she explains that she’s too busy organizing his life to manage her own. She rattles on about how her taxes are always late, she forgets to pay her bills, and boyfriends always leave her, until Chi-won asks if she’s finished whining so he can eat.

He tries the soup, then looks like he’s struggling not to gag at how salty it is, though he tries to save Yoon-yi’s feelings by saying it’s just hot. She urges him to try an egg roll, and his hand actually shakes as he forces it into his mouth, then he swallows without even chewing it. LOL.

Back at his place later, Chi-won chugs water, trying to rid his mouth of the salty aftertaste. He even gets up several times during the night to drink more water, poor thing.

The next morning, Yoon-yi runs to catch the elevator with Chi-won, but she stops short to see that new employee Chang-soo is there, too. She ignores his cheerful greeting and smacks his hand when he tries to secretly hold hers, but when Chi-won gets off at their floor, Yoon-yi stays in the elevator with Chang-soo.

They find a private place to talk, and Yoon-yi tells Chang-soo to transfer to another department. Chang-soo argues that he worked really hard to get this job working with her, and asks if they can start over. He promises that he’s changed, and that he isn’t a loser or a moocher anymore.

She snaps that he’s being a loser right now, but he says that he wants to transition from their former campus couple status to a company couple. He reveals that an army sunbae who works for YB Group told him that she’s single, and when she frowns angrily, he says at least her hating him is better than indifference.

Yoon-yi tells him that as far as anyone at the company is to know, they just met today. She leaves, and Chang-soo smiles at her back and says that today is their first day. He’s giving me the creeps.

Back at her desk, a fuming Yoon-yi doodles Chang-soo’s name surrounded by insults. Yul sneaks up and grabs her notebook, and she grabs it back saying there are a lot of secrets in there. He assumes she means Chi-won’s secrets and holds up his phone, saying that he’s got a few secrets, too.

Chi-won comes out to give Yoon-yi the ID and password for his schedule, making both Yoon-yi and Yul gape incredulously. Yul invites Chi-won to lunch, but Chi-won just walks off, leaving Yul to marvel at how much he’s changed.

Alone in the elevator, Chi-won looks up at the scrolling sign and imagines it mocking his words to Yoon-yi from last night: “Stay with me! Stay with me!” He feels embarrassed and bangs his head on the wall, and gets caught by a couple of employees when the door opens, ha.

Yul follows Yoon-yi around the office, begging her to tell him how she got Chi-won to show her his schedule (which he compares to showing her his underwear). He even offers to show her the video of drunk Chi-won on his phone, but she says he owes her for finding his 89th secretary.

She wants to know how Chi-won ended up leaving Channel Y and working for YB Group. Yul just says it was a trick of the elders, quoting the old adage to keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Yoon-yi is sure it wasn’t that easy, and Yul lets slip that there was a “broker.”

Cut to: VP Do, having lunch with Chi-won. He gives him a birthday gift of a vinyl record and says it’s from his ex-wife. He sighs that she’s terrible at wrapping gifts and doesn’t take after him at all, and Chi-won quips that that’s why she’s so pretty.

Now I get it—VP Do is Chi-won’s ex-father-in-law! They argue over whether Chi-won should call his ex to thank her for the gift, and VP Do sighs that Chi-won doesn’t know women at all if he thought she really didn’t want him to call. He adds sarcastically that their divorce got them both what they wanted—Chi-won’s freedom and his daughter’s life back.

We visit the night when Chi-won told VP Do that he was divorcing his daughter in a flashback. VP Do said he was against it but that they should do what they want, on one condition: that Chi-won join the new broadcasting team at YB Ad for one year. He told Chi-won that if he hated the way the company runs so much, to do something about it from the inside.

Chi-won said that he didn’t get along with conglomerates, and VP Do lost his temper. He yelled that it was lack of effort, just like he didn’t put effort into his marriage, then gulped straight from the soju bottle. Ouch. Back in the present, VP Do offers Chi-won coffee after their meal, but Chi-won takes two yogurt drinks instead.

While at lunch with her friends, Yoon-yi giggles and moons over Chi-won’s schedule, opening herself up to a whole boatload of teasing. She tells them how he asked her to stay with him, and that sharing his schedule is his way of showing his sincerity.

When she says that Chi-won isn’t interested in the Best Boss competition, Bo-na says she was looking forward to their bosses competing, though her expression seems triumphant. Kyung-rye jokes that it would have been more fun seeing Bo-na and Yoon-yi compete, and Jung-ae’s squeaks of “I’m competing too,” go ignored as Bo-na gets angry at Kyung-rye.

Bo-na snaps that the competition is really stressful, but Jung-ae remembers her saying on the elevator that it would be fun (when she heard that Director Bong was entering). As her friends continue to bicker, Yoon-yi frowns at Chang-soo, who’s standing at the window holding up a yogurt drink and shooting finger-hearts at her.

When she gets back to her desk, there’s a yogurt drink waiting for her, and Yoon-yi assumes it’s from Chang-soo and throws it out. Chi-won watches her from inside his office, drinking one of the yogurts he got and wondering why Yoon-yi threw away his little gift. Aww.

Yul gets bored during a yearly planning meeting and decides that they’re going to start doing things differently. He says he wants to start a new sports business, and draws them close to whisper his idea of… e-sports (competitive video games).

It goes over like a lead balloon, and he storms back to his office, vowing to win the BBA and make his idea a reality. He asks Jung-ae what she thinks of his e-sports idea, and she clearly has no clue what he’s talking about.

Yul gets a text and grows very excited to learn that a famous designer will be selling limited-edition sneakers. He sees that there will only be five pairs in the whole country, and he tells Jung-ae she’d better get in line now.

HA, there are now two cacti on Chi-won’s desk when he tells Yoon-yi that he won’t be at the team dinner tonight. She sees his discarded yogurt drink, and he fibs that the restaurant gave him two even though he totally didn’t want them.

But he can’t hide his annoyance that she threw hers away, and she goes back to look for it in her trash can. She’s upset that the trash has already been taken out, and Chang-soo slides over to say he’ll buy her a whole pack of yogurt drinks.

When Yoon-yi finds Jung-ae in the break room, she shows her the online forum she moderates, Jugglers. She tells Jung-ae to post a question asking how to buy limited-edition sneakers, promising that she’ll get plenty of help that way.

Yoon-yi is at the team dinner with the rest of her coworkers when she gets a call from Chi-won. He’s lost his keys and wants her to bring him a spare, but she reminds him that it’s after work hours, which makes her his landlord.

He tries ordering her, but Yoon-yi doesn’t bite. She says that the tenant should come get the key himself, otherwise he’s welcome to go to a sauna until she gets home, then hangs up on him. HAHA.

After getting advice from other secretaries, Jung-ae heads to the shoe store to wait in line for Yul’s shoes. She’s dismayed to see more than five people already camped out, but she was told not to give up because some people will bail. She settles in and steels herself against her three biggest challenges: cold, hunger and sleepiness.

Chi-won’s team bolts to attention when he actually shows up at the bar, and Yoon-yi makes it sound as if he purposely joined them. He declines a seat at the head of the table and sits next to Yoon-yi so that he can demand the gate key.

But Yoon-yi says that’s not how you ask a favor, and promises to give him the key after dinner. Chi-won stays, and even shocks the entire team by pouring each of them a drink. Afterward, Yoon-yi changes her mind and says Chi-won can’t have the key until after round two, and he starts plotting revenge when they get back to the office.

Round two is at a noraebang, where Chi-won is roped into singing. He’s horrible, so Yoon-yi quickly jumps in to finish the song. Soon the whole team is singing and dancing, all except for Chang-soo.

He gets up to croon a series of ballads, all of them about a guy pining for a girl. Yoon-yi just rolls her eyes at him as she chatters to Chi-won, so the next time she steps out to the restroom, Chang-soo corners her in the hallway.

He asks if she likes Chi-won, and she mutters that he’s crazy and tries to pass him. But Chang-soo grabs her wrist and yanks her back, saying that he knows that where her eyes go, her heart follows. Yoon-yi refuses to dignify that with an answer and demands that he let her go, but he only tightens his grip.

Suddenly a hand clamps down on Chang-soo’s own wrist—it’s Chi-won, and he orders Chang-soo to let go of Yoon-yi. Chang-soo doesn’t, instead telling Chi-won to stay out of their private conversation. Chi-won repeats his order to let go, but Chang-soo tells him to let go first.

Locked in a three-way standoff, Chang-soo asks Chi-won if he likes Yoon-yi. Chi-won hesitates, but he answers no, and Chang-soo says that he does. Chi-won doesn’t think they’ve known each other long enough for that, but Chang-soo retorts that he feels a connection to Yoon-yi, as if they’ve known each other for years.

Chi-won says that as her boss, he’s obligated to step in, so he asks Yoon-yi if she likes Chang-soo. She says she doesn’t, and Chang-soo blurts out, “She’ll like me again!” It nearly gives away their history together, but he says he misspoke, and Chi-won tells him that if the feelings aren’t mutual, then his actions are assault.

He says that he has a nasty habit of meeting violence with violence, and squeezes Chang-soo’s wrist until he finally lets go of Yoon-yi. They’re stopped from escalating any further when the team comes out, ready to leave.

 

Watch the scene

Meeting violence with violence

 

Chi-won and Yoon-yi walk home together, and she finally gives his keys back. He thinks she swiped them on purpose, but she swears she found them in his office after he left. She says she knew he’d think to call her first, because he tends to think of her when he feels helpless or embarrassed.

She tells Chi-won not to take it personally, because a lot of bosses call their assistants in those situations. She thanks him for standing up for her with Chang-soo and says he looked cool.

He gives her a box containing a beautiful star-shaped crystal necklace, and when she grows flustered, he says that it’s a souvenir from a convention and he didn’t have anyone else to give it to. He tells her not to throw this gift away, and she thanks him with a giant smile.

As they walk on, Chi-won asks why Chang-soo is acting like he is towards her. He still thinks they just met, and he says that Yoon-yi isn’t exactly a femme fatale, so he thinks she must be sending him mixed signals.

Yoon-yi gets angry at the implication that she’s leading Chang-soo on, and she barks that it’s none of his business if she does or doesn’t, since he said he’s not interested in her. She stomps off, and when Chi-won asks where she’s going, she yells back, “To drink alone!”

As the night wears on, Jung-ae starts to get hungry. She reminds herself that she’ll need to use the bathroom if she eats too much, but she weakens at the sight of a nearby food cart. A little while later, a guy on a delivery scooter pulls up and starts to set a table in front of Jung-ae.

He says that her boyfriend ordered the food, and despite her protests that she has no boyfriend, he lays out enough food for an army. Seeing their hungry faces, she invites the other people in line to help her eat it all.

At the house, Chi-won waits for Yoon-yi on his balcony. He notices a young man in a soldier’s uniform loitering around the front gate, so he goes out to ask what he’s doing here. The guy answers that he used to live here with Yoon-yi, which shocks him.

Chi-won calls her for confirmation and says that some guy named Tae-yi is at the house, and she confirms that yes, she lived with him. Chi-won hangs up on her and invites Tae-yi in, and the two guys eyeball each other suspiciously until Chi-won notices what looks like a bruise on Tae-yi’s neck.

He remembers the intruder the other night, and he instantly suspects that it was Tae-yi. He asks if he’s on leave and Tae-yi says yes, then Chi-won suddenly lunges. Tae-yi leaps back, and Chi-won asks if he’s scared he’ll choke him again.

He manages to grab Tae-yi and confirm that he does have a bruised neck. He asks how his hair is so long if he’s out on leave, and even finds the long fingernails Tae-yi scratched him with. The kid tries to escape, but Chi-won throws him to the ground, then trips and falls next to him.

Yoon-yi arrives home to find the two moaning in pain, and Tae-yi cries a plaintive, “Noona!” Chi-won finally sees the surname on Tae-yi’s uniform, Jwa, and belatedly realizes that this is Yoon-yi’s brother.

Yoon-yi takes them inside and plugs up Tae-yi’s bleeding nose with tissue. She learns that he took an early medical discharge and has been living in the basement for three months, and he whines that the base where he was stationed was soooo hard. He makes it sound like hell, until Chi-won pipes up, “That’s where I served.”

Jung-ae is still hanging in there in line the next morning, but all the food she ate is beginning to make her uncomfortable. She holds out while a few people give up and run for a bathroom, putting her at fifth place in line just as the store opens. Success!

Yul is so thrilled to have the coveted shoes that he picks up Jung-ae and spins her around the room. He reminds her that she promised to help him with the Best Boss competition, and Jung-ae just blinks at him dizzily.

In the morning, Chi-won gives Yoon-yi a ride to work, though she peevishly refuses to sit in the front seat because, “I don’t want to give mixed signals.” They’re headed to a meeting at the main YG Group building, and Yoon-yi is overwhelmed with memories as soon as she walks into the lobby.

Chi-won calls her into the elevator, and they’re joined by her old boss, Director Bong. He doesn’t say anything to Yoon-yi, who looks like she wants to cry. She follows Chi-won out of the elevator, and Director Bong calls out to her, asking her to come see him later.

When Chi-won gets out of his meeting, he texts Yoon-yi, and she replies that she’s on the roof. She’s there with Director Bong, who calls her rude for ignoring him. He reminds her that he promised to pull her up with him when the time was right, questioning her honor for taking another position.

Yoon-yi says that it’s funny to hear him talk of honor, when he dumped her after she was loyal to him for three years. He tells her not to blame her for his wife’s actions, but she says that she knows it was him who posted those photos of them together. She knows that she knew too much about him, so he decided to get rid of her.

Sure enough, we see that it was Director Bong who anonymously posted those pictures on the company website. but he lies to Yoon-yi’s face, swearing it wasn’t him. She demands an apology, and Director Bong gets offended. He says that she did like him, because only someone who liked him would have been more devoted than his wife.

He accuses her of giving off mixed signals, claiming that his morals were too high to fall for it. He sarcastically wishes her luck as the secretary who seduced her boss, and leaves her speechless and crying. As he storms back to the elevator, he doesn’t notice that Chi-won is nearby and heard every word.

 

Watch the scene

Applying lessons learned from comic books

 
Chi-won follows Director Bong into the elevator and calmly stops it mid-floor. He asks if Director Bong likes comic books, and quotes the character Usopp from One Piece: “There comes a time in a man’s life when he must never avoid a fight. When his friend’s dreams are laughed at.”

As he’s speaking, he stalks Director Bong around the elevator, and his voice rises until he’s shouting the last word, punctuating it with a fist into the wall right by Director Bong’s head. Director Bong shrieks and cringes like a wuss.

Chi-won tells him that this was just the preliminary round, and that he won’t miss during the main round.

Epilogue.

While Jung-ae sits in line all night to buy the limited-edition shoes, Yul goes to check on her progress. He sees her huddled there, cold and hungry, and he’s impressed by her persistence. He makes a phone call and orders a whole tableful of food for “my Wangbi” (queen).

 
COMMENTS

Wow, we knew that Director Bong was a horrible cheater, but I’m still shocked to discover that he was the one who leaked the pictures of himself and Yoon-yi. But his accusation that Yoon-yi actually did have a crush on him looked like it hurt the most, because she genuinely never felt anything for him, and she must be feeling the worst kind of betrayal right now. It makes me dread what could happen when she and Chi-won really do begin to fall for each other, because workplace romances where one partner is in a position of power over the other is a pretty big taboo in a lot of places. But first they have to get there, and Chi-won defending Yoon-yi’s honor every single time it’s questioned is a pretty damn great place to start.

I love how Yoon-yi is slowly but surely dragging Chi-won out of his shell, and (mostly) not taking his grumpiness personally. I would think she’s being too pushy, except that not only has he not specifically asked her not to do it, but he’s actually responding. He’s not responding very graciously, but he’s responding nonetheless. It cheered me to see him pouring drinks for his team at the bar, because that’s such a socially important gesture, especially when it wasn’t so long ago that he had to be prompted to pour Yoon-yi’s drink. And I find it very natural how slowly he’s opening up, because often in rom-coms, the taciturn hero seems to switch gears way too fast. But Chi-won’s growth feels realistic, because it’s happening so gradually.

I thought it was a huge step for Chi-won to sit down with Yoon-yi to talk about what happened on his birthday, because it’s not long ago that he would have avoided all discussion of the incident and absolved himself of blame. Not only that, but to admit that he didn’t know what to say showed a lot of vulnerability as well. I was proud of Yoon-yi for pointing out Chi-won’s inability to just say thanks and sorry, even though she was wrong about his reason, because he needs to hear how he comes across to others. He’s actually very quick to stand up for women and secretaries when others look down on them, but I think it matters that he learns that that’s how his behavior comes across.

I swooned so hard when Yoon-yi offered to transfer if Chi-won wanted her to, and he didn’t even think before asking her to stay. And again when they started to bicker about deals and compensation, because it’s the first time they’ve mutually teased each other, and in that moment they felt more like friends than boss and secretary. I’ll eat my hat if Chi-won wasn’t enjoying that immensely. It’s obvious that he’s starting to like Yoon-yi—he worries about her, waits for her to come home, and even gives her gifts. He’s always respectful of her and stands up for her when she’s disrespected by others. I was particularly impressed when he asked her if she likes Chang-soo when the three had their standoff, careful to take her wishes into account instead of just locking horns with the other guy, as you so often see in love triangles. Whether Chi-won himself knows it or not, those are the actions of a man who’s falling for a woman.

Speaking of which, am I the only one who’s getting major creepy vibes from Chang-soo, Yoon-yi’s ex? It’s bad enough that he followed her to her new job and deliberately got himself hired there just to be near her. But he’s completely ignoring her very firm “no, not gonna happen,” and thinks he has a right to confront her about her relationship with Chi-won. And then he actually physically assaulted her (I’m with Chi-won—a wrist-grab is assault if the feelings aren’t mutual) and refused to back down when Chi-won told him to let go. Multiple times. I’m actually worried that he’s going to do something unstable, and I’m just glad that Chi-won is nearby to help if he does end up becoming violent.

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I think this was my favourite episode so far. So much swoon! So much cute!
That said, I was a little disappointed in Chi Won when he suggested that Yoon-Yi might have led Chang-soo on, especially since everything else he did regarding that situation was so respectful (and swoony). Like, no matter how much someone might seem to be "leading" someone on, that behaviour does not equate to consent. Hell, Yoon-Yi could have spent the entire night openly flirting with Chang-soo and Chang-soo's behaviour would still be unacceptable. Seriously, someone needs to call PR on that guy, stat.

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Overall, this ex-boyfriend plot line is pretty clumsily handled. Introducing him a third of the way through the drama and immediately giving him bad-ex behaviour with no pretext (he's a creep, stalker, boor?)

The scene you mentioned is just badly constructed overall - if it was simply to demonstrate Chi-won's protectiveness. Now ex-boyfriend gets to play manipulator and starts rumors and misunderstandings in the office.

It is an overused and unimaginative plot line. YY plays innocent person wrongly accused and later CW figures out the history. The prince saves the damsel in distress. Sigh....

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To be honest, I skip-watch this drama because I don't find it all that interesting. The ex-boyfriend (groan) isn't the only thing that's overused and unimaginative.

I know people are generally loving this drama, but I'm just finding it so-so (not entirely sure why I am still watching).

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I agree that the exboyfriend plot is a bit predictable and dissapointing. As for chi wons will regret his words about sending mixed signals After hearing those same words come out of that garbage ex-boss's mouth.

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Agreed! But the last scene (where Chi Won witnessed Dir Bong accusing Yoon-Yi of leading him on) might be where Chi Won realises how that may come across as hurtful to Yoon-Yi? Still holding out some hope for the writers of the drama! Fingers crossed...

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Agree... fingers crossed... although I'd really like it for Yoon Yi to be the redeemer of her situation not for Chi Won to rescue her. Give them both agency for growth and to protect, love, support each other in their own perhaps still flawed ways.

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Wait.. Her Ex is Sung Hoon right?? (My Secret Romance guy),
“Then stay with me, like you are now.” Swoooon
ok i like that deal between them.
Even i am flattened by an avalanche of her shoes.
Also i like that Yul actually cares about that shoes when it goes dirty thinking of Wangbi..Romance starts here...

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no, her ex is the hyung in Father is Strange.
I like that actor but his character in this drama gives me indigestion.

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I think in the first episode the My Secret Romance guy is her boyfriend. (I remember because I found her behaviour in that relationship so ridiculous, especially the drama insinuated that everyone should sympathise with her crocodile tears... but the guy had every reason to break with her!)

This seems to be another (earlier?) ex.

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Yes, Sung Hoon was the ex that she just broke up with--she really gets all of the classically handsome guys lol(Sung Hoon, Daniel Choi, lol). Clearly her tastes have improved since college--this current guy is a creep. In fact, kudos to the actor for making him so instantly creepy

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I was hoping he'd be sort of goofy since i liked his characters in FiS and Drinking Solo. I was pretty upset to see that he's creepy and harrassing Yoon-yi.

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I love these new trends of dramas exploring many different and "odd" dynamics between in-laws. Who would guess that Vice President Do is Chi-won's ex-father-in-law? Their relationship is so adorable and refreshing, especially since Chi-won is already divorced now. That makes me curious though about his marriage, because everything about his divorce feels so calm and amicable. It made me think that maybe it's an arranged marriage in the first place, but I couldn't pictured Chi-won aggreeing to that kind of deal.

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Am feeling that these two actually get close first before Chi-won got together with his ex. Him sorta blackmailing Chi-won to work for his company might be his attempt to keep Chi-won close, maybe because he felt Chi-won will just drop off his radar once the divorce happened.
I lub them, so cute together!

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Ah, I love Chi-won's relationship with his ex-father-in-law. When another company rival referred to nepotism in an earlier episode, I racked my brain trying to figure out their familial relationship. Theirs is the best bromance of the series.

When my father-in-law divorced his wife after 11 years of marriage, he was sad to lose his connection to his father-in-law. He had grown up without his father and was deeply fond of his wife's dad, who was a gentle, witty and loving man.

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Hoping that this BBA thing kick starts the premise that I've been waiting 6 episodes for. Where is the awesome bunch of assistants working behind the scenes? The "subversive secretaries" who secretly manipulate and help their bosses?

Hating the "ex boyfriend from hell" cliched casting and trope. Seems more like melo-land than rom-com especially since YY doesn't appear to have any residual feelings for him.

Keeping fingers crossed this drama ship doesn't founder...

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Chi Won you will be the death of me!!! I mean can he get any more swoonworthy? I have lost count of how many times he stood up for YY. plus those small thoughtful gifts...
I liked that they sat down and talked out their problems like adults instead of letting them fester...though I would have liked it if he told her the real reason of his outburst.His 'stay with me' was so swoony.
While I liked that he's opening up to his teammates more..I still feel some manipulation on YY's part.
her ex boss is one despicable character and needs to be obliterated from this planet enough said.
the scene at the elevator after he shared his schedule was so funny...his comedic timing is awesome plus his deadpan expressions..
Finally I love the father -in -law son- in- law relationship. VP Do is such a cool guy..I think he cares for chi won more than his daughter
I'm loving that they are including other characters also in the epilogues...I guessed it was Yul who had ordered the food for her...but it's high time that jung ae puts her foot down and stop agreeing to his unreasonable demands..looking forward to it

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Yes, the epilogues are the best!

Jung-ae finding her inner bad-ass is a potentially great story line. I'm actually rooting for Yul's team of losers to win the BBA. I find Yul quite irritating but I'm hoping his character arc involves him actually giving a damn about work and everyone on the time working to their strengths.

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Maybe reading too much into the setup but I actually read Yul as a person willing to be different and youthfully idealistic (the way he idolizes CW for standing up to the elders) But like many youths, he ends up stuck in the real world where he wants to solve EVERYTHING but sees so many problems that he doesn't try ANYTHING. (the magic bullet, solve world hunger problem - for idealists)

CW, to me, is the disillusioned realist. After a failed marriage, being coerced into a company and environment he dislikes - he wants to go through the motions but really prefers to retreat to his fortress and manhwas.

I keep hoping that Jung Ae and Yoon Yi are the AGENTS of action that connect to these two and rescue them. JA and YY are the bad-ass (as you put it) "I am going to do something directly about the situation" rather than the supportive/passive exemplars of "let me see how I can show my MAN what to do and solve this"

This would be consistent to the premise of Jugglers. But I am rather sensing the reverse at the moment, JA and YY are more the OBJECTS of pity and concern.

Wishing for the best!

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O yeah, Chi Won owns my heart :D
After BTIMFL, I thought I won`t have any reasons to wait for Mondays but I was wrong. Jugglers and Just Between Lovers( which I wish there were more posts about it because it absolutely deserves more) make my Mon,Tues exciting.

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did anyone else notice he has saved her as GLUE in his contacts? freaking adorable!

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Soo cute. This is my fave romcom (after INAR).
PS. I just love the second leads relationship. Hoping for a Protect the Boss teist where the second leads end in a good relationship too 😀😀😀

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The last scene is so damn good. I love the 'One piece' reference. I wish we soon would get to witness the main round between Chi Won and Nasty Bong.

I am actually surprised that the anonymous post about Yoon Yi having affair with her boss, was actually posted by her boss. OMG. That is stooping to another low low level.. Such people deserve a special place in HELL seriously.

Yul ordering food for his 'QUEEN' was such a sweet gesture. But then i realized that because of him, she is suffering there in the cold in the first place. But, teeny bit i have started to like Yul.

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I think Yul is such a softie at heart, he just wants some company and attention because I don't think he ever got any from his parents while growing up. He's not bad on the inside, just spoilt. It's sweet that he ordered food for her, and I can't wait to see him learn more from her on how to be a better person!

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I was the same way about Yul. "Awww. He ordered her food! What a sweetie. I ship them....But wait-a-minute, the sonuvabitch is watching her suffering to get him his sneakers." Was she being paid for those hours of waiting? I was glad to see her so happy to get the food and to get the sneakers. Even if it's a menial job, I can understand Jung-ae's sense of accomplishment -especially for a task that is outside of the mom/wife role she has been in for the last 10-15 years.

I hope this is the last unreasonable request that Jung-ae fills for Yul. It feels strange that he wants his ideas to be taken seriously like an adult, but the way he uses his secretaries is like that of a wealthy 10-year old brat.

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OH MY GOD i will say episode 6 is a big improvement after that meltdown Chi-Won had on the ending of episode 5!

- i really loved the very first 5 minutes that Chi-Won TOOK COURAGE to talk and i guess in a way apologized the Yoon-yi about the cake in the ending of episode 5!
Then they revert back to landlord-tenant when Chi-Won asked Yoon-yi how will she like fix the tarnished part of Chi-Wons name, the house keys when she was at the karaoke-party & etc!
ahahaha i literally laughed at that part when they reverse roles again!

- Chi-Won is improving in a big way! I like that sometimes/somehow he uses his authority as a boss when he protects Yoon-yi when someone badmouths/tries-to-do-something-bad to her, especially that ugly-new-officemate from the karaoke.
I know Chi-Won didn't mean to say the line "STAY BY MY SIDE AS YOU HAVE BEEN" romantically, but as a boss who needs his assistant......and then it kinda haunts him back & regrets saying it to Yoon-yi during the start cause it kinda sound part ROMANTIC! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!
i guess time will tell when he will tell Yoon-yi his phobia of fires/his backstory/accident on why he reacted that way to the candles in the cake.
- OH MY GAD VICE PRESIDENT DO IS HIS FATHER-IN-LAW?!?!?!?!?!
i just only thought of him as Chi-Won's superior from the beginning.
i want to know more of their backstory as employees as YB & their story as son-in-law/father-in-law..... i also have a hunch Vice President Do knows Chi-Won's uncle.

- Yul is nice especially that epilogue part. though he does it behid the scenes..... and Jung-Ae did knew that it was him who ordered the food+table for her.
-

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I was wondering why VP Do and him had such a good relationship BUT LIKE OMG HIS EX-FATHER IN LAW. I bet VP Do knows his uncle too because I remember vaguely, him saying something how Chi-won would be all alone or something like that. Hmm.

Chi-won definitely didn't mean it in a romantic way but I LOVE how it just came back to haunt him, complete with a little heart shape at the end of the message in the elevator.

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The elevator scene with the digital signage was gold.

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Yul is a rogue prince, so it is appropriate he has a queen

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Thanks LollyPip. Because of your great recaps, I'm more or less all caught up. However I missed 2 things, 1) why was there a 2nd cactus on the table? 2) what is the 3rd thing from the past that Yoon Yi is grappling with?

I find it awesome that there is this show that gives us the lives and points of view of those many 'minions' who make (and can break) the success of all those managers/bosses. They have too long been forgotten and under-rated, and portratyed mostly treated with contempt or abused, even though they are the hinges upon which rest so many doors opening for their bosses.

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The 3 things were her boss, her brother and her ex, but I missed the significance of the cactus too.

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Thanks @librarynerd. I forgot about the brother. All 3 past persons are male. I wonder if there's something significant about that! :)

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Who wants a compilation of different emotions of Chi Won's scenes?

The banging-head scene in the elevator scene made me laugh so much. ' Stay with me'. Who knew that the ice king would say a line like that to convince someone specially his assistant whom he really wants to disappear .

Another one was the look when he saw her throwing away the yogurt drink HE brought to her. He was literally HURT because of that, and he even brought that issue to Yoon Yi. LOL.

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Yayyy, am super happy that we'll get to see Idiot Bong get his ass kicked! How dare him saying such bullshit about Yoon-yi giving him mixed signals, did he forget she actually took care of his mistress dispassionately? Seriously can't wait to see the nasty worm go down in flames, ugh, ughh.
Unlike @lollypip, am actually finding Chi-won character development is a tad quick; he might actually be the one who fell first? A bit weird that at the early episodes he is too honest to the point of being rude, but now he kept mum about the too salty meal... His super swoony "stay with me" surprised me much. And apparently he surprised himself too, that elevator scene and the EDM version "stay stay stay stay with me" cracked me up so bad!
Am loving the fact that Yoon-yi knew what Chi-won wanted to say without him needing to say it, they've got good understanding of each other's character already. Also loving how much Chi-won enjoyed her spunk, like when she bargained for apology, and letting her see it too ^^

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I love this drama but i dont even know what caused chi won to fall for her. Honestly, her work revolves around managing her bosses private lives. We have yet to see her contributing something productive to her company business

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I was thinking the same—I keep waiting to see Yoon-yi do something related to the team's goals (aside from the report Chi-won rejected.) I want to see her generate and execute ideas!!!

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I think her huge contribution is to be the liason between the team and the boss and make sure everything is running smoothly so that everyone performs at their best level. We saw her do this when they were coming with an advertisement pitch. There are at least two scenes when the rest of the team thanks YY for contributing this way to the team...So I think its very obvious how she is valuable to the company

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@goldenaddiction—Well said! In my own work, one of our biggest challenges is creating narratives to describe the qualitative value of projects that don't directly generate dollars—but are just as important as the programs that do make money.

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I think a PA is the type of job that shows when it's not been done right (like hemorrhaging printer), because when it is done, everything will just go smoothly like a well-oiled machine. Agree tho that show could expose more detail about Yoon-yi's work, hopefully the BBA will amp this up!

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I like yul and wang part more compared to main leads. Even there is no possible / no need of romance line bw them still this two looks cute together with very little screen time.

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*the gauntlet has been thrown* ASAAAAA!
Can't wait for the showdown (the main round as Chi won says) between him and Director Bong! I really wanna see Yoon yi and Chi won working together to beat the jerk face in the best boss award! That should show him that he messed with the wrong person!

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Oh gosh, Chi-won is one of those guys who go "I picked this off the street, take it because I have no use for it" when they actually spent a long time deciding what to buy and whether or not to buy it. 😂 It's hilarious! I'd like to think that the gift was sort of an apology for ruining her birthday surprise, and also because... hehehe, sparks flew. I can't wait for more! Though to be honest I'd be wary about a secretary-boss relationship... those things never seem to bode well when the news breaks about it.

Poor, poor Yoon-yi has had her fair share of nasty men in her life, hasn't she?

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Loved this ep for so many little reasons, but especially the growth of all the characters.

I'm glad we've finally seen Yoon-yi's ex-boss again. The fact that the show hadn't addressed her complicity in his bad actions thusfar was a bit of a problem. I don't think that she herself was bad for doing what she did though -- I think it was a survival tactic. She kept telling herself that doing this was the only way to keep her job, to advance, etc. to the point that she lost track of good and bad and just did what she needed to do to survive.

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And the fairly easy way for her to get even with her ex boss is to reveal the identity and give some evidence of his girlfriend - not at all difficult given how much she knows. So why doesn't she?

Since she knew that her ex-boss basically framed her with false evidence, it was in her interest to spill the beans when she was fired. We are to accept that she willingly accepted her firing? Since they already fired you, what harm could it do to reveal the truth - surely she is smart enough to do that and at least show she has some gumption.

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If she wanted to give as good as she got, reveal it anonymously (to the wife too). It at least shows her as someone spirited. Confronting him and asking for an apology (in private) is such a passive reaction.

She acts that way to CW. She argues with him, sends his information to another person. So she feels it OK to do that to a stranger who she has no reason to harm but not to someone who has actually harmed her?

Does she feel that because a "superior" asks her to do something underhanded - she passes off moral culpability by acceding to it (such a childish way of thinking) Or does she feel that, as a subordinate, she has to accept whatever is done to her, no matter how unfair - she feels no agency to fight for her own reputation.

I'd appreciate some viciousness and vindictiveness rather than this passive "walk all over me" attitude she portrays. It is as though, as an audience, we should be brainwashed to believe that this is the type of woman men find attractive.

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I wouldn't say it's that simple. Yoon-yi may have evidence but at the end of the day its her word against his, and he's the boss and more likely to be believed. She could lose her ability to ever get employed again as an assistant if she steps on the wrong toes. She never willingly accepted her firing - she was told to wait until another spot opened for her. They strung her along with false promises.

My point was that she's now accepted that perhaps her actions under her ex boss were wrong. She's growing as a character because she needs to learn that you can be a great and effective assistant without compromising yourself or bending over backwards to accommodate others. It's the mirror to Chi-won's growth which is to learn that it's OK to ask for help sometimes.

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Yes! That's exactly the kind of character growth and complimentarities that I think are being set up and will hopefully follow through :)

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I have some devious method to circumvent that but it would probably take a bit long to explain - but the basic setup is that it should be to destroy the boss' reputation first before allowing it to devolve into a "he said, she said" situation. This way his credibility is shot before he could make any argument. But that is just me...

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@tummy Revenge shenanigans are fun and all, but that seems like too much for a lighthearted rom-com like -- plus that always leaves an opening for her reputation to be destroyed too, since destroying hie reputation doesn't exactly do anything for her -- it just makes he engage in more of the same shady business that got her in this mess to begin with. Besides, I'm pretty sure a character like the ex-boss will destroy his own reputation at some point anyway.

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@snarkyjellyfish

The idea of her doing this is not to show her "goodness" or moral authority. And yes, she may even get tarnished...but... it adds a "true" dynamic to her personality and realistic tension to the drama.

At the end of the day, I'd rather see that than a "the only right way for females and/or subordinate is to be passive - karmic justice will be served by some external agent" i.e. damsel in distress plot line. It would make her relatable and be a person with agency rather than the object of other's actions.

It is actually consistent with super smart, and able people that they have to "take action" even if the situation and consequences are not clear or pure.

Neither of the leads need to be "chaste virgins, pure of heart and filled with honor and righteousness" - these are archetypes of fairy tales.

They don't have to make it dark and twisted either. Chief Kim surely exemplifies this; a morally questionable person, who DOES THINGS not always for the right reason but ultimately prevails over a "greater" evil done in a really comedic fashion.

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@tummy

While I agree on your points re: damsels in distress, pure hearts, morality etc., and that isn't what I was implying at all here. I have dropped multiple dramas because I couldn't stand the passivity of the female characters.

All I mean is that the story here, to me, isn't one of revenge. I love a petty revenge story where the lead takes down a dirty person with their own tactics; but this story isn't that and I don't want it to be. I also never said anything about moral authority -- I merely said that she needs to address her own actions before turning on her ex-boss.

I want to see Yoon-yi realize that though she was the "best" secretary, she was sacrificing herself for things that didn't matter and she can ultimately rise above that. She can be a badass and get revenge in a better way by being better in this case because it works with the story. She's clearly not above pettiness. (See: her landlord relationship with Chi-won and the hilarious way she relishes being able to lord over him.) But in regard to the relationship with her ex-boss, it wouldn't do anything for the story for her to destroy him without she herself first being able to rise above and be in a stronger position than him, which yes, here probably means that she has to have some sort of a clearer moral conscience.

But I don't understand how that would make her a "damsel in distress" nor did I mean to imply that she should be on of the "chaste virgins, pure of heart and filled with honor and righteousness." I think she can (and should) get revenge, but only after addressing her own faults as well.

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I think she would never be hired again even if people did believe her when she spilled the beans on her boss. It's her job to be confidential and no one would trust her to keep quiet if they were to hire her. It makes perfect sense that she has kept mum.

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This too! I was totally thinking this, but forgot to write it above because I was on my phone at work, and typing is a pain. But it's hard for whistleblowers to be trusted again. And I mentioned this above, but I don't think it's character growth for her to do more shady things to get revenge.

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Honestly, lying to the wife to cover up her boss's affair made it very hard for me to like her from the beginning. It's one thing to stay out of his business and keep quiet, another thing to actively aid and abet whatever her reasons. She deserved the ex-wife calling her out even if for the wrong reason. I do hope she comes to understand she went way too far.

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Totally agree with you re: deserving to be called out. But that was what made Yoon-yi interesting to me, because watching the show you could see that she was ultimately not a bad person but she did bad things. Isn't that just humanity in a nutshell? No one is perfect, but the reasons we act imperfect are what make complex characters interesting. People do questionable things for the wrong reasons which seem harmless at the time, and here we had a heroine who was getting the second part of the equation, where that bad behavior is now coming back to bite her. It's her subsequent reactions to that which made the show compelling to me.

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The scene with her boss was heartbreaking, but it was an interesting scene about the complicated politics of boss and secretary, how gendered the secretary profession, the delicate boundaries that need to be drawn and kept especially since the private and company selves conflate the higher up the company ladder you go. Secretary-ing is truly a juggling act. A quibble I have here is that the drama had indicated that Yoon-yi is an expert at this juggling, but really what we've seen is that she only thought she was good at it because her boss was satisfied with her work. She took pride it and was smug about it, but I think she really does skew too much towards the overly helpful. Rather than the support for her boss, she was the stepstool. Her support for Chi-won also feels a little weird - sometimes, it feels like she's his mom trying to get him to do things. I hope her figuring out the right balance will be a part of her character growth.

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I think that you're on the nose about how she may have seemed like the "best" secretary to her ex-boss, but really that just meant she was the most compliant. I think she is finding her true best "juggler" with Chi-won when she actually follows her instinct with him and not when she goes over the top with trying to please him in ways that we as the viewers know are not his style.

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Totally agree!!!

However she does it - as long as it isn't being blindly compliant and a stepstool. This was kind of the point that I was trying to make - not that she necessarily gets all evil (it's just an option?) - but that she becomes the agent of her own redemption and finds a pathway of her own. That's what I want to see...

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This episode is super swoony! Btw we actually have been introduced to Yoon Yi's ex subtly in episode 3 when Yoon Yi went to her friends' house, and Kyungre pissed her off for mentioning Chang Soo's name. They probably had a terrible break-up.

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I can't wait for the next episodes! Who is Yoon Yi's father? Is he had anything to do with Chi Won's uncle? How did Yoon Yi's family bought the house? Where is Jeong Ae's sister? What is the reason behind Yul's childish antics? Who is the company president? Will Yoon Yi's brother stay with her in the same house? Who is Jo's secret spy who send him the black file? I can't wait for these things to unfold.

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Had no expectations for this drama and even almost forgotten about it tilll KBSWorld started airing it. It is the first day I want to watch before even the JoJungSeok show.

But yes for now it seems all nice the bits of getting to know each other as colleagues and ppl.While I like office romances on screen,being an office worker this is a NO NO for me in real life.Ppl in relationship with one in higher position than the other shld not work together.To me keep things professional and some companies have policies against dating co workers or marrying them (unable to work in same dept).

Drama wise love everything.

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Why is it that when a woman gets grabbed by the wrist she needs "help"? Hell, if he is only grabbing one wrist the other hand can poke eyes, grab hair, scratch a face, and pinch (even my 6'2" brother is powerless when I pinch his arm, doesn't happen often; he has learned his lesson). The feet can also step on other feet, kick shins, and kick more sensitive areas.

Don't judge me please. I just can't stand the wrist grab. My brother used to do it to me when we were little. And sometimes he would grab both to bother me. That is when I learned the kick first, pinch later approach.

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This drama just generally decided that Yoon-yi, the super secretary, is really just a damsel in distress.

I really don't get her character to be honest. From the first episode (not that I like it much) you'd think that she's super smart and one that doesn't need anyone's help, but the rest of the drama makes her out to be rather naïve and someone frequently in need of a man rescuing her... Which really doesn't mesh with the super-secretary that was capable of and had solution for everything.

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The trailers seemed to promise a different kind of show, right? The Best Boss Award competition better let her show her strengths!

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Good point! I liked how that scene ended with Chi-won checking with Yoon-yi to see if she likes Chang-soo and I liked how he viewed Chang-soo's wrist-grab as assault. It's a good message. But you're right that in kdramas, it does seem like whenever a woman gets her wrist grabbed, another guy has to step in to help or else she can't escape.

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The feet can also step on other feet, kick shins, and kick more sensitive areas.

Ma Yi-deum from Witch's Court!

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I am just loving this show yoo much!! Especially Chi won's smiles when Yoon yi is not looking or his embarrassment at having said something stupid is way yoo adorable for me to handle😍❤️

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Holy crap, Chi-won is SOOO friggin' adorbs. I don't know how many times I've rewatched this episode. I'm dying for little display of unconscious affection from him towards Yoon-yi. It's just too cute. Please let this go on for a bit before they enter the awkward 'I've now realized I like him/her, and I'm shyyyyyy' stage.

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Wow! Chi Won tried to protect Yoon-Yi three times in one episode. First from her ex, then her brother before he knew he was her brother, and then her ex boss. Talk about an awesome boss and tenant! I love Chi Won!

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am I the only one who enjoys l second couple most... I just love them.... And u didn't even mention them in ur comments....😭😭😭😭

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I loved the part when Chi Won was in the elevator worrying about what he said to Yoon Yi - the music and soundeffects were perfect and so funny.
I feel like the more Chi Won opens up and becomes closer to Yoon Yi the more invested I'm becoming in this show. During the first episodes I thought the show was more on the "it's okay" side but now I feel like I could maybe come to like it a lot.

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FINALLY A MALE LEAD THAT THINKS THE WRIST GRAB IS ASSAULT! We're making progress in dramas people :D. Every time Chi-Won stands up for Yoon Yi I melt, a lot.

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Shipping Chi Won and the yogurt drink.

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I gotta say - that elevator scene, when Chi Won was banging his head on the wall, that’s the moment When I was like, okay I’m actually gonna love this drama.

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Am excited to see how the love story with yoon yi and her boss will commence... am still holding my breath on the possibilities of love between Yul and jung-ae

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Orchid juice? What would squeezing orchids into juice do?

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