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My Strange Hero: Episodes 7-8

First week back at school, and our hero already manages to get himself into trouble. He just can’t stay still when the people around him are ignoring the system’s blaring problems. And since he’s paying attention to these problems, everyone else starts to too. Perhaps he has a lot more to offer besides some simple revenge scheme.

  
EPISODE 7 RECAP

Bok-soo and Soo-jung find Se-ho on the roof standing on the ledge. Bok-soo smiles at him and says that it’s been a while since the three of them were here. He continues that he’d always wondered why Se-ho was so desperate to die that day, but right now, he couldn’t care at all.

He turns to Soo-jung, wondering how she could believe he actually pushed this guy, and she replies that she heard it–she heard Se-ho yell “Save me.” Se-ho smirks at that. Bok-soo cries that even if everyone misunderstood him, she should’ve believed him. She throws back, “How could I believe you?”

Done with all of this, Soo-jung turns to leave. She hesitates, however, when a heartbroken Bok-soo asks if his feelings really meant nothing to her.

Watch the video

You should’ve believed me even if no one else did

 

Flashback to 2009. In class, two girls ask Soo-jung to reveal whoever her tutor is. They pout when she stutters an excuse and leaves the room; they assume that since she’s so rich, she doesn’t want to say how expensive her lessons are.

After school, Bok-soo follows Soo-jung and insists on walking her home. She’d rather he wouldn’t, but she can’t say no to his puppy eyes. They reach a big house in a nice neighborhood, and Soo-jung urges him to leave.

To her dismay, he jokingly rings the doorbell and runs off. Over the intercom, she quickly tells the owner she got the wrong house. She then turns to see a surprised Bok-soo, who’d forgotten to give her her favorite yogurt drink.

Soo-jung takes Bok-soo to her real neighborhood, a much poorer side of town. She starts rambling that she never technically lied since their classmates only assumed she was rich, but trails off to see Bok-soo’s warm expression.

He takes her hands in his and gently says, “No matter where you live, Sohn Soo-jung is just Sohn Soo-jung.” And though she’s still embarrassed when she has to kick her rickety old gate open, his smile makes her feel better.

The next morning, Soo-jung and her grandma are surprised to find their gate fixed and painted pink, two small hearts by the latch. She gets a text from Bok-soo saying the gate is now as pretty as her (d’aww), and she beams. Hiding behind the corner with a paintbrush, Bok-soo beams as well.

Soo-jung is still giddy as she walks into school, when Se-ho nervously pulls her aside. He warns her that Bok-soo said something he shouldn’t have. The two girls from earlier then step up and demand to know why she acted all high and mighty when she was actually poor. Soo-jung tries to defend herself, but the damage is already done–everyone knows.

She hears someone comment that Bok-soo must’ve helped her because he felt sorry for her, and she runs out in tears. Se-ho comes out to check on her, and he says that Bok-soo must’ve really pitied her if he even painted her gate. She looks up at him, her eyes hurt.

Back in the present, Soo-jung has that same hurt look. She tells Bok-soo that because of him, she can’t trust people anymore. Bok-soo sighs and decides that he won’t ask her or Se-ho about that day anymore; he’s just going to make them pay. After all, they don’t deserve to be in their positions after all their deceit. “You’re going to regret bringing me back to school,” he promises.

Later, Soo-jung has her session with the honors class, and she notices bully Chae-min pestering Young-min. Chae-min says that Young-min doesn’t belong here, making Young-min bolt up and exclaim that he’s not leaving.

Soo-jung then meets with Se-ho in his office to set one thing straight–she testified because of what she heard, not because she was on his side or anything. He’s still grateful, though, and hopes that she can find some way to trust him.

Before she can answer, she gets an alarming call concerning her grandma. She hurries to the hospital, where she learns that Grandma’s condition has worsened. Grandma will have to be hospitalized for a while, meaning a pretty big hospital bill.

Bok-soo handles another favor by lip-syncing for someone at a club. Backstage, he remembers Se-ho saying that a director has a better chance of getting revenge than a student like him. Bok-soo bangs his head against the table and wonders how he’s going to pull this off, so Gyung-hyun suggests he get some intel.

They head out for drinks, and Bok-soo is surprised to have the tough Seung-woo (In-ho’s bully) as their server. Meanwhile, Se-ho orders his secretary to provide background checks on the Wildflower Class, as well as information on forcefully transferring students.

The next day, Bok-soo turns into a bumbling spy and sneaks into Se-ho’s office. But he’s immediately caught by Se-ho’s secretary. He tries to butter the secretary up by asking to be friends, and the secretary merely says he already has a boyfriend before walking past. Bok-soo makes note of this on his tape recorder, HAHA.

Since Operation Se-ho failed, Bok-soo decides to snoop through Kim Myung-ho’s desk in the administration office. But he ducks behind another desk when he hears someone coming. It’s Soo-jung, there to snoop too, only to panic at the sound of someone else coming. She doesn’t know what to do, so Bok-soo grabs her, pulls her in close, and keeps a hand over her mouth.

Watch the video

A parade of snoops

 

They stare at each other, affected by the closeness, until they hear two teachers stumble in. Teacher Jang coos at Teacher Ma (the former student that Bok-soo defended in Episode 1), wondering when he’ll finally make a move on her. Bok-soo and Soo-jung look at each other incredulously as Teacher Jang continues to flirt.

Once the teachers leave, Bok-soo and Soo-jung awkwardly stand. Soo-jung figures that Teacher Jang is a rich lady trying to seduce a younger man, and Bok-soo remarks that her view on love must’ve changed when she lost her money. Soo-jung sighs and says, “I see you still hurt people when you don’t even know anything.” She walks away, with Bok-soo looking somewhat regretful.

Bok-soo’s mom meets with Teacher Park to discuss Bok-soo’s reinstatement. Teacher Park comments that he sees this as a second chance for both Bok-soo and himself, so he promises to protect her son this time.

Mom gives him an envelope and her sincere thanks, but Teacher Park is unwilling to accept her money. She scurries off before he can say much else, so he opens the envelope and finds coupons to the Kang family restaurant. He can’t help but smile.

EPISODE 8 RECAP

Young-min gets lectured by his teacher, Teacher Kim, about his low ranking. Kim tells him to clear out his glass booth (a luxury for honors students) and to take a lower-level class instead.

Young-min stalks back to class, when Chae-min and his buddies shove a trash can at him. Chae-min coldly compares Young-min to the trash, making Young-min slam it to the ground. Cursing, Chae-min punches him in the face.

Before Chae-min can get another punch in, a hand grabs his wrist. Bok-soo stares him down and suggests he give it a rest. Young-min, however, tells Bok-soo to mind his own business; he just wants everyone to leave him alone.

When Teacher Kim appears to separate them, Young-min storms off and locks himself in his glass booth. Kim and Soo-jung urge him to come out, and he screams, “This is my seat! I’m saying this is my place!”

Of course, the mothers of the honors students are on a tour right then and hear all the commotion. A big crowd forms around the booths, with Se-ho coming up front to talk Young-min out. Se-ho is interrupted by a loud “Hey!”

Bok-soo picks up a chair and slams it against the door, cracking it. He then delivers two sharp kicks and smashes it to pieces, the flying glass cutting his cheek. (Excessive, but okay.) As everyone jumps back in shock, Bok-soo kneels before Young-min.

Bok-soo gives Young-min one of his quotes: “Bob Marley said this. ‘None but ourselves can free our minds.'” He broke the prison of the glass booth, but it’s up to Young-min to break the prison in his mind–the prison that truly drives his hardship.

Young-min sheds a tear, the realization setting in, and smiles. Satisfied, Bok-soo stands and makes his exit, leaving the crowd speechless. Even Se-ho fails to maintain his smug grin.

Watch the video

I took care of your cage, you take care of your heart

 

The honors students’ moms have a group meeting and agree that Bok-soo needs to be expelled. They hope the director will take care of it. And speaking of, Se-ho broods in his office and mutters that it’s not the right time.

In the nurse’s office, Soo-jung helps bandage Young-min’s wounds, unable to get Bok-soo’s cut face out of her head. She sighs that she doesn’t think she deserves to be a teacher, and Young-min jokes that she’s just a temp anyway.

She snaps that she’s full-time now and urges him to rest. As he gets comfy, he reveals that he’d always memorize his studies while lying in bed, so he’s content that he’s finally able to lie down and actually rest.

Teacher Park finds Bok-soo outside and can neither compliment nor criticize his actions from earlier. All he can do is agree with Bok-soo that the school needs to change. He then realizes that Bok-soo is missing class and freaks when Bok-soo just bolts, lol.

Bok-soo finds his mom in the restaurant and makes up an excuse for the cut on his face. He takes over Mom’s cleaning and, feeling her stare, is reminded of how she reacted to his expulsion.

The two had gone to several different schools, with Mom begging the principals to accept her son. But news of the “assault” traveled fast and no one wanted him. Still, Bok-soo and his mom tried to stay positive.

Bok-soo stops his cleaning and asks if there’s anything he can do to make Mom feel better. Improve his grades? Stop getting into fights? Mom says that there is something–she wants him to get his diploma.

His joking demeanor disappears, but instead of answering, he just continues to clean.

Meanwhile, Soo-jung confides in her convenience store friend Simran that she wants to become a good teacher. And to her, a good teacher is someone who can help students realize their dreams, who notices when students are having a hard time.

The next morning at school, Bok-soo and Se-ho find an announcement stating that Bok-soo will have to defend himself before the school committee. Overhearing the positive gossip from students, Se-ho wonders why people like Bok-soo so much.

Bok-soo sighs and says that the way Se-ho is running Seolsong is all wrong. “You said you hated your mother, right?” Bok-soo says. “But you and your mom are the same.” At that, Se-ho gets in his face and insists that he’s different. He’s going to change Seolsong.

Se-ho leaves to attend a meeting with his mother Chairwoman Im. Once Soo-jung arrives (as Bok-soo’s homeroom teacher), the chairwoman cuts to the chase and orders that Bok-soo be expelled.

Though the glass booth could easily be replaced, the chairwoman believes that Bok-soo breaking it down could tell others that the school itself is capable of breaking down. And she can’t have that. It’s more complicated than that, though, so Se-ho asks Soo-jung for her opinion.

Soo-jung thinks back to the way Bok-soo kicked down the door and the way he comforted Young-min. She squeezes her eyes shut and blurts out that she thinks Chairwoman Im is right in wanting Bok-soo gone. *sigh* Seriously?

Soo-jung returns to homeroom, surprised to find her entire class applauding Bok-soo. She tells them that breaking the door was a bad thing, and Bok-soo wonders if he should’ve just ignored Young-min’s obvious cry for help then.

Crossing her arms, Soo-jung argues that the teachers could’ve done something, and Bok-soo throws back that they wouldn’t have broken the door.

Student So-ra chimes in, saying that she admired Bok-soo’s actions. After all, she’d always felt that the honors students were the only ones considered special. The entire class voices their agreement.

Soo-jung says that everybody is the same student and that no one is special. “No,” she corrects herself. “You’re all special.” Touched by her words, the class erupts into cheers. Even Bok-soo manages a small smile.

Teacher Park is upset that he’s excluded from Bok-soo’s defense, so he barges into Se-ho’s office to complain. But it’s no use; Bok-soo will have to go in alone.

Thankfully, he’s not alone. His noona So-jung surprises him by showing up as his guardian. She faces the committee (Soo-jung included) and tells them that while Bok-soo destroyed school property, his heart was in the right place. And she knows that deep down, Bok-soo really wants to be in school.

Bok-soo tells his sister that he’ll take it from here, so she leaves him to it. Bok-soo does apologize, but doesn’t think he did anything wrong. He quotes something Soo-jung said long ago, that there are many variables to the rules of the world and that they should be memorized.

He tells the committee to memorize him, because he’s going to be the variable in Seolsong’s regulations.

Vice Principal Song interrupts and gives Soo-jung the floor. She’s still confused with her feelings, though, flashing back to every time Bok-soo said she was unqualified as a teacher.

Having come to a decision, she stands and firmly states that Bok-soo has made himself out to be the most dangerous student in school. He looks up at her, and they hold their gaze, equally disappointed in one another.

   
COMMENTS

There’s a “but” to that, right? Tell me there’s a “but,” Soo-jung. Because you’re making it very difficult for me to root for you. I was pleased when she told her class that they were all special because she blurted it out as if it was by accident, as if it was a reflex. And that’s a good sign for her. But she has to use a lot more than pure instinct if she wants to be the teacher she’s aiming to be.

I have a lot to say about this episode’s flashbacks, so let’s jump into it. This whole thing just doesn’t make sense. Bok-soo isn’t the type of person to go around saying Soo-jung is poor or that he painted her gate, even to Se-ho. Something tells me that Se-ho was stalking her. He followed her all over school, so I could see him taking it a step too far. And after seeing Soo-jung and Bok-soo acting all lovey-dovey in front of her house, his jealousy could’ve provoked his lies. Though this seems like a terrible thing for him to do–and it definitely is–it also seems strangely childlike. Present-day Se-ho exudes utmost confidence and intelligence, but 2009 Se-ho exudes a dangerous kind of innocence.

Se-ho lives with a mother who doesn’t even know (or just doesn’t care) about his food allergies. So I doubt that Mom ever tried to be a part of her son’s life. He’s had to do everything himself, learn everything himself, to the point of only knowing what he’s studied in books. His studies were all he had until he came to Seolsong High. Until he was ranked lower than Soo-jung. While that may have started a doomed crush, it’s not what started his downfall. It was Bok-soo. Bok-soo, who had never gotten a good grade, who had never moved from his bottom rank. Bok-soo, who everyone still respected and adored, Soo-jung included. And since Se-ho’s mom probably raised him into thinking he had to be the best, he had to be better than Bok-soo. After all these years, he’s still trying to outdo Bok-soo, with no idea as to how.

Apparently, the only way for Se-ho to outdo Bok-soo back in high school was to make him evil in Soo-jung’s eyes. And I’m just going to be honest–I am extremely disappointed in Soo-jung for letting her emotions get the best of her. Like Se-ho, her studies were really all she had. She locked herself in her own mind so she could focus on nothing but school, and so she couldn’t get hurt. It’s telling that whenever we see flashbacks of her right before the roof fight, she’s nervously standing behind the door, afraid to open it and confront what’s happening. Instead, she went off what she heard and what she was feeling in that moment. She was feeling anger and hurt and betrayal, and those emotions eventually led her to hurting someone else.

I felt sorry for Soo-jung when her secret got out (freaking kids can be so cruel), but um, that does not justify her getting Bok-soo expelled. That does not justify her ruining his life. Not even close. No matter how mad she was, she should’ve gotten his side of the story rather than fill in the blanks herself. Because, with where her mind was at the time, those blanks were doomed to be filled with exaggeration. So I had to agree with Bok-soo when he called her fake. She may find it intimidating or downright scary, but she needs to break through the prison of her mind and face reality. Bok-soo managed to knock one prison down (it was overdramatic, but I’ll give it a pass since it was also badass), and I’m glad that it’s already started to inspire others. I could tell that Soo-jung was inspired too; she just doesn’t want to admit it.

I know that Bok-soo wants his revenge, but rather than the petty remarks or impulsive actions, I think the greatest revenge would be actually changing Seolsong High. The students are getting suffocated by the system, and Bok-soo is like that bit of fresh air that they need. He may not be able to save himself, but he could very well save his classmates. If he wants to do that, he has to get through to Soo-jung and Se-ho. It may seem impossible to him now, but there has to be a sliver of hope.

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Se Ho->
KDY as a baddy is ... MWAH! love him. Creepy and annoying and manipulative and don't trust him at all, but still great. Also Victim Complex because of jealousy and inadequacy to the max! Yikes. (Still miss his long hair tho hnggg).

Soo Jeong->
Maybe I just have a thing for Jo Boa playing slightly annoying and batty characters lol.
Anyway... I don't mind her. She's got a long way to go but that's the point. The way I see it is that she was this cold person in highschool who shut people out and who would do anything to be on top, to survive, because of her home situation and years later she's still fighting to survive and so she falls into bad habits. But Bok Su brings out the best in her and always has, and encourages her to be a better person, the one she probably is anyway, underneath her major trust issues and when she's not just trying get through each day.
That's how I'm watching it anyway *shrugs*

Bok Su->
Is ... Hahahahahaha insane. Nobody breaks a glass booth with a minor inside unless they're insane. I love that scene, it was definitely not what he should've done but he's the strange hero with the wack wise words and questionable technique that somehow works and who everyone falls for because he has a good heart. So. A+ haha.

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YES, finally! Girl waaaaayyyy over reacted to Bok Soo even if she believed he told on her. But she didnt even give him the benefit of the doubt. So.. so... annoyed. They have to redeem her big time for me to accept her. As for Se Ho, he's creepy and i seem to let him slide more because I dont think hes mentally stable. Wonderful performance by kwak dong yeon! (How is he only 21?) It's honestly amazing how Bok So is such a good incorrupted soul considering everyone that's around him

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Yeah the female lead is not nice. She acts entirely out of self-interest and then invents rationalisations to stop herself realising she's so selfish. This episode was a case in point - she speaks against Boksoo with the staff but then supports him in the class and only because she was tailoring her opinion for the room. I'm sure she's going to finish that sentence with something that will save Boksoo from expulsion but it doesn't change her instincts.

I do have an ongoing rant about male leads in dramas being allowed to be horrible while female leads aren't. So it's not an issue for me. I like that she's the one that needs development and that his big-heartedness pursuit of justice will give it. It's the kind of reversal we need more of.

Also, I feel like there's a theme here about who is free to do the right thing and who isn't. Boksoo has -and has always had - nothing to lose. While Se-ho and Soo-jeong have.

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"I do have an ongoing rant about male leads in dramas being allowed to be horrible while female leads aren't. So it's not an issue for me." Kyajdhkajaj sorry... my thoughts exactly.
The guys always allowed to get away with being a douche. Why not her? I like that she's the opposite of perfect.

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Couldn't agree more about enjoying the reversal here. Between this and Just Dance, I'm in heaven right now. While Just Dance gives a little more organic portrayal of this kind of dynamic so far, what I love about this drama is that it actually feels like a role reversal of a more classic-style kdrama, all wacky and charming and ridiculous in the best way. All the characters are bananas, but I love it.

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Friendly reminder that YSH has acted (more than once) as a man in his late 20s when he was just 18~ish. These actors can act way more mature than their age suggest and I seriously love them for that.
Also, I really REALLY hope there's more to it than that (Bok Su "telling on her") because there recapper was right. It's NOT a good enough excuse.

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I hardly ever dislike female leads (not even So-Bong in I am human too in the first few episodes fazed me), but I am finding it very hard to like Su Jeong right now. Pettiness is fine- until it crosses the line and cruelly ruins someone's life, and Su Jeong continuing to do so just because she doesn't feel "right" about Bok Su for various reasons this episode was just downright hurtful. And I know Su Jeong knows that what she's doing isn't the best action for her OR Bok Su currently. Hopefully Su Jeong can get out of that self-centred mindset she has right now. I know it's easy to get caught up in self pity- and judging by the things she said to Suicidal boy it's not like she's totally lacking in self awareness re: her self centredness.

Se Ho is so creepy, props to the actor for killing it in this role!

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I guess so far I am the only one who disagrees. I don't think she ruined his life. I think Se-Ho ruined his life, but I don't think she did. She stated she told them what she heard, even if he told her what happened, all she could have told the school board was what she heard and that she didn't believe he pushed him. We don't know what she said to the board.

As for being mad at him for supposedly telling everyone she is poor. I agree her reaction was over the top. Hopefully, there is something more because it just seems an odd thing to be so thoroughly angry about. This would be a writing flaw to me, unless the writer wants the female lead to be really unlikeable.

Se-ho is very oddly written and incredibly sloppily written. It's like even the writer doesn't know whether he is jealous of Soo-jeong or Bok-So or both. Anyway everything is being delivered piecemeal so maybe the whole picture will come out in the end.

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I meant to write and/or sloppily written

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Re. the poor thing. I'm not trying to excuse the poor writing which is definitely there, but she mentioned to Bok Su that she can't trust him anymore and I went "ah haa!"
I guess the way I see it, is that she didn’t trust anyone prior, except for herself. And then Bok Su came along, and she learnt to trust a little bit, and then suddenly that trust was, at least it seemed to her, obliterated, and her walls came straight back up.
At first I was like “her reason for holding a grudge for 9 years is weak af”, but then I kinda thought… If it’s trust related, it’s still weak but it makes more sense to me. Trust can screw up a person for YEARS (from personal experience), even though the logical way out is right there, if your trust is broken over the tiniest thing, you might not be able to say anything for the longest time.
Even when Se Ho is like “oh but you trust me right?!” She doesn’t say anything…
So that’s how I’m currently reading her stance on the grudge thing. I hope that's the direction they take for explaining it... but they might not. Dramas be dramas afterall... -.-

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"Re. the poor thing. I'm not trying to excuse the poor writing which is definitely there, but she mentioned to Bok Su that she can't trust him anymore and I went "ah haa!"
I guess the way I see it, is that she didn’t trust anyone prior, except for herself. And then Bok Su came along, and she learnt to trust a little bit, and then suddenly that trust was, at least it seemed to her, obliterated, and her walls came straight back up."
YES, I think a key part here was when SeHo told her BookSoo was just being nice to her bc pitied her, she probably felt like she opened up and trusted someone for the first time while he was just being "fake". SeHo definitely knew how to manipulate the situation and I feel like there's still more going that he probably told her that we're not aware of yet

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Yeahp. There's still a lot of drama left, but Se Ho driving a wedge between the two for *currently canonically unknown reasons* and making SJ's already bad insecurities and trust issues worse... well, that's more conflict than some dramas run on lol. \o_o/

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I'm 100% convinced that he had a crush on her back in high school and he was jealous that she liked BookSoo but now he just sees her as a prize to win over BS. SeHo is messed up and I love it lmfao

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But isn't it betrayal of trust even if it is over small thing? I'm at work and haven't watched this episode yet, but I wouldn't put past Bok Su to accidentaly reveal it because for him it wasn't something to be ashamed of but for her it's major thing. But we weren't shown yet full picture of what happend just pieces of puzzle so who knows.

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100% it is still a betrayal. I guess it is as you said who are we to determine what is an over the top reaction and what is not. We don't know her trust issues or why she has them. Everything is delivered so piecemeal in this drama. So who knows

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Ok. It doesn’t matter if your mother remembers or your fathers cares or your butler knows - If you have shellfish allergy you DONT freaking eat it.
Se Ho is messed up. And his character is what is keeping me intrigued. And of course the dramatic music :)

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@mayhemf I've been quite taken by the very varied pieces of music that comes on. Eclectic and often quite appropriate, sometimes funny by association.

Something is really wrong with that mother-son relationship when mum doesn't know and son won't tell about such a serious allergy. It's not enough to keep me watching, but yeah, I'm a little intrigued too.

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The only time I seem to laugh is when the music cue comes in.

I am guilty of FF and watching the last episodes. Let’s hope I continue watching.

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@blue footed booby It seemed to me like Se Ho had made the decision to eat the shellfish because he wanted to have the allergic reaction in front of his mother, but she got called away which changed everything and he had the attack without her as a witness. I don't think he would have eaten the shellfish if she hadn't been there at the time.

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I still won't recommend eating it ; ) use words I say!
I get your point though.

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Thanks @sailorjumun.
I've started to watch and skip watch this show to accompany a friend on her watch of this show. Neither of us is sure that we'll continue until the end, but your review certainly helps in deciding if this show will deal with 'heroism' as in righting the wrongs of the school in a meaningful way, or whether it's just going for light fluff and giving us a superficial treatment.

I was thinking that if the reasons for the betrayal are sensible and the characters become more full and don't hit annoying levels, I might stay on. Episode 4 however does give me pause. 😐

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I was just telling my friend that I think this drama is doing a reverse gender with their characters and I'm totally here for it.
SeHo reminds me so much of Gangnam's Beauty SooAh and she was a very typical evil SFL, and I believe BookSoo is the typical female lead that always has everything go wrong for her but she's still a fighter happy go getter and everyone loves her for it; and SooJung is a kind of the cold male lead but probably not as bad or everyone would hate her, I mean most people already do imagine if she was full on like a male lead lol.
Anyways I'm in love with this drama so far which is great after the disappointment that was Fox Bride Star

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Also whoever's in charge of the music deserves an award

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I love the music/soundtrack.

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I agree with the disappointment most beanies feel about Soo Jung. There better be a second part to her sentence: "He's the worst student ever... and that is why he should stay". It doesn't make sense, but the story requires him to stay at school at least as janitor so it will happen somehow LOL.

And please show, give us more scenes of his part-time Candy life.

P.S.: I am hesitant to bring up what might be a fatal flaw in the writing, but can't Koreans take an exam that is equivalent to a getting a high school diploma, like the GED? Does he really need to go back to school to get a diploma?

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Re: theGED. I think they can, in one of the flashbacks we see of BookSoo's mom trying to get him into another school one of the principal's told her he should just take the qualification exam. My guess is that BookSoo just decided not to for plot reasons lol

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Aha, good catch! He's definitely one strange hero 😂

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It was unclear to me as to whether he did, in fact, get a GED, but his mother specifically tells him - in a scene after he has re-entered the high school - that what she wants is for him to get his high school diploma. I assumed that either it has some special meaning for her, or that a diploma carries more clout than a GED.

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He never really showed interest in studies in the first place :p

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I think (and they probably all think as well) that Bok Soo won't even stand a chance if he takes the qualification exam because he's so adorably stupid haha.

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I thought it seemed fairly obvious (given where we are in the series), that Soo Jung is going to finish her sentence by saying that Bok Su is the most dangerous student in the school because he is directly challenging the school's discriminatory ranking system, by destroying both the physical and symbolic barriers that separate and confer status levels on students depending on where they fall academically. In other words, he is a danger to the school's current educational philosophy, that devalues average and low academic achievers, by ignoring them and offering no viable alternatives to enrich their lives.

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The glass booth reminds me of the locked study closet in Children of Nobody. Guess the kdrama theme-of-the-week is Liberation From Pressure To Study.

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I, too, can't feel Soo-jung yet. As of this moment, I don't think she deserve Bok-soo.

And, the way the drama goes from serious to comedy gives me a bit of a whiplash. It's probably just me but I think they should manage it a little better.

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I have a crazy thought. Does Seho really want SooJeong's attention or BokSoo's attention? There's no sign YET of his affection of her. However, the rooftop scene somehow showed that he was desperate for BokSoo's attention.

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...... *cautiously ships*

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This is totally the story I want. But...Korea...

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Once again I'm the only one who adores the FL. I just love how flawed and troubled she is, her commitment and trust issues, how she both has a huge ego and somehow zero self-confidence. She's perfect to me and I'm looking forward to her change.

Bok-soo is the most adorable creature alive and all I can say about him is unintelligible. YSH hates aegyo but he's just so good at it! and everything else. be still, my heart!!! his adoration for big quotes and bird brain make me crack up every time. he's such a good person!!!

also I just love how we low-key got LGBT representation AND an amazing black character (a foreigner) who isn't portrayed as an utter tool and it wasn't and Issue. it's just great.

I'm trying to be cautious cause the show can go to shit at any moment but so far it's- *@leetennant drops from a tree and chloroforms me before I can ruin it for us*

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Oh! I’m glad to see the convenience store clerk as a recurring character too! And he has the best one-liners! I laughed out out when he teased her about the 50,000 won the second time! Every time I see him I’m reminded of a half-African kid I saw on Dancing High who is gorgeous. Mother is from Ghana and father is from Korea, I believe. Anyway, I keep expecting him to be picked up by a drama for a small part because he’s definitely got screen presence and his sincerity leaps off the screen. Thanks for reminding me again.

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Beware the curse!
#rememberareyouhumantoo
Have chloroform, am ready.

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This comment, even out of context, made total sense to me, and I'm now questioning my life.

Of course Chingu has the chloroform ready.

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KDY grabs my attention every scene he’s in. His intensity is no joke. And I have no idea how far he’s capable of going—well, I do, jumping off a school building and framing his best friend for murder, but you know what I mean. And I, like everyone else, am confused about who he’s more jealous of or really loves. You know that K.Will (I think) song whose video SIG is in that flipped at the end? I’m getting those vibes actually.

And Boa reminds me of every single other character she’s played right now, which I don’t really mind, but we’ve seen this. I kind of liked her being sweet and smiley in the first part of those flashbacks and unconfident and manipulated in the present. But we know that she’s a survivor and she is ambitious as well. You can’t be both those things without some bitchiness. Which, thank goodness, I don’t mind her being.

Because Bok-so is the one intent on revenge, I kind of think it was in character for him to go off the rails and break public property. Especially at the school he hates. Don’t let the smiling eyes or squishy heart fool you, he’s still singularity minded.

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I want to watch this drama but I'm afraid I'll hate Soojung to the point that I won't enjoy it. Even just reading this is making my blood pressure rise at her behaviour. It's going to take a lot to get me on their ship bc Boksoo is way too good for her

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I think people are forgetting these characters were all kids. I was backstabbed by my best friend in middle school and had serious trust issues for years, Soo Jung was "betrayed" by her boyfriend which led to public humiliation and then she witnessed him possibly hurt another student (and she could have thought Bok Su was beating up Se Ho for telling her the "truth"). They were all kids who got hurt and had to grow up with those scars, and now they're all damaged adults. While her grudge is petty, it's understandable that Soo Jung doesn't find Bok Su reliable if she thinks he acted accepting of her poverty and then blabbed about it to everyone.

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Thank you! I completely agree with you! Even if it seems petty, she said that she has trust issues and only stated what she heard. Even if she got his side of the story, she still could only say what she heard. But of course, there is more to the story than what we know. So, I don’t hate her character as of yet. I think they are all interesting characters that deserve more explanation.

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Thank you for your comment. Betrayals when you are young are no joke. They shape how you perceive the world and decisions you make in your later life.

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Bok Su's mom is amazing. The montage scenes of her going from school to school and even begged for Bok Su to be admitted is probably the only scene that touched my heart. The rest of the scenes just made me hate Soo Jung. Even the comedic relief feels out of place sometimes already. Hopefully the revenge plan will start rolling next episode. I'm counting on you, Bok Su!

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I love KDY, and his character in this drama is intriguing.

Someone suggested that he's evil and motivated by jealousy, but I don't think it's anywhere near as simple as that. There are so many clues of there being hidden motives and misunderstandings about what happened to the main three characters when they were students.

The things I've noticed are:
(1) When we first see Se-ho, he's watching the news story of Bok-soo's story as hero-rescuer on the TV monitor at the airport, and he smiles and notes that Bok-soo hasn't changed, and is still as nosy as ever. At that point, there isn't anything particularly evil/negative to read into his smile. It's only after we see the tension in their reunion that we start wondering about - and imputing malicious intent to - Se-ho's motive in bringing Bok-soo back to the school.
(2) In the rooftop scene where Bok-soo and Se-ho meet, Se-ho seems all malice, calling himself the victim, but in the flashbacks, we see Se-ho is upset that Bok-soo doesn't understand him at all, and the suicide attempt seems to be an act of desperation. In re-watching that scene, I see interpretations that are far more complex than jealousy. It's also apparent, from adult Bok-soo's tossed off comment (WTTE of "you say you hate your mother, but you're just alike"), that the high school Se-ho had discussed his difficult relationship with his mother with Bok-soo, and their encounter on the roof that day is just as reasonably explained as a cry for help, and utter despair when Se-ho believes that Bok-soo has missed the point of his confidences.
(3) Se-ho certainly presents as a young man whose past was horribly affected by a cold mother, who valued him only in terms of his status in the school's academic hierarchy, and who has little interest in or affection for him as a boy/man. I will be very curious to see whether there are any flash backs to show Se-ho witnessing the unconditional love that Bok-soo's mother seems to have for him, regardless of his academic abilities. The fact that Bok-soo is also popular at school, and liked by his teachers (or at least by Teacher Park), despite his bottom rank in academics, is also something that could play into Se-ho's feelings about Bok-soo, but those feelings could be admiration and surprise, just as easily as they could be (or include) envy.

There are other subtle things, but the final clue that intrigues me about Se-ho's feelings towards Bok-soo is (4) his reaction to Bok-soo breaking the glass booth, which is both "noticing" a less than perfect student, and "opening a door" to escape the prison the glass booth symbolizes for Young-min, both of which are violations of the school's academic philosophy. The camera focuses on Se-ho's face, and his expression as he watches Bok-soo goes from shock to what looks like pure delight and admiration, and then fades again. So here again, we have a puzzle as to how Se-ho really feels about Bok-soo.

We also have...

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I was waiting for the continuation to your comment. Is there any?

Anyway... I don't know if it connects to what you've said, but it's been pointed out more than once that Bok Soo can be quite cluelessly foolish at times. Yes, it is part of the ongoing gag and it may not entirely be his fault, but at times he acts while actually not knowing anything and it may potentially be the character's fatal flaw, that sometimes he fails to listen and/or understand before acting out which is something that he can't help no matter if his heart is in the right place.

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There was no more. That last bit was an earlier edit that didn’t get deleted.

I LOVE dramabeans for the recaps and smart commenters, but I really hate it that there is no edit function for the comment section. I delete a lot of my comments due to errors. It’s easy to make typos - or errors via autocorrect- when you’re using your phone

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I'm not sure where your comment about Bok-soo is directed (re my comment), but I don't disagree with it. My comment was really about Se-ho.

I haven't had time to watch episodes 9 and 10 yet, but I did start 9, and saw the scene that I thought was possible, of Se-ho (and also Soo-jung, but I was more interested in Se-ho) going home with Bok-soo, and not only seeing first hand how loving and fun his family was, but also getting a little motherly TLC from Bok-soo's mother himself. (Calling him handsome, complimenting his speech, asking him to repeat his salutation of "mother," fixing his black bean noodle dish for him, and affectionately ruffling his hair). That scene was right after his flashback to his cold, bitchy mother telling him what a disappointment he was. Sniff!

I want Se-ho to be a good person. I want his character to have redemption. It doesn't mean I want him to get the girl - I'm all for darling, adorable Bok-soo getting exactly what he wants, and if he wants Soo-jung, I want him to have her. Besides, I don't think Se-ho's feelings towards Soo-jung are really unrequited love. It seemed like his motive was revenge, to bring her down because she beat him out for first in the class, and also perhaps because she was competition for his friendship/bromance with Bok-soo.

I really love this series, mostly because I love Bok-soo and am fascinated by Se-ho. This is my first time seeing Yoo Seung-ho in any role, and I just love him! The juxtaposition of his boyish good looks and that deep, masculine voice are wonderful!

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Does anyone know what is the title of the song that YSH lipsync at the bar? Thanks 😊

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I think its Hidden Road by Yoo Jae Ha.

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If he wanted revenge, he would have been planning ways to rip them apart, He is more hurt than angry, he's not that vengeful, Rather than revenge, he wants to change the order of the school.

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Seho I think is a stupid character, I mean why would you bring back that someone who you know could probably shame you, do against you or cause your downfall? Please don't tell me it was because of that incident, The school management saw it as an act of appreciation, but we all know that he called him back because of his Evil intentions, He feels inferiority? Does that make any sense when he is the more fortunate one here? A competition? This could have been ignored if he hadn't been such a selfish person and betrayal.
And, this may make me look cruel. when he asked if book soo doesn't understand him on the rooftop, I actually laughed, I was like "how did you expect him to understand you after all what you did" he told on her to her class mates which seriously hurt her, making it look like it was bs who betrayed her and he expected he (book soo) to understand him? This is ridiculous. Maybe I'm just been too much on seho because we haven't gotten the whole full story yet.

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Soo-jung... so because you believe a rumor that Bok Su told your secret you turn on him and mess his life up. Did she ever wonder why he would tell her secret after going through the trouble of painting her fence??? Soo-jung and Se Ho at this point are made for each other.

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Dropping by to address the disrespect YSH is giving in the 1st picture above! Hmm....I like it! *grrr*

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on what days do the episodes come out and what sites do we watch it on?

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