Itaewon Class: Episode 6
by Sunny
While our hero is focused on plotting his revenge war against Jang Ga, he seems blissfully unaware of the one being waged by the two women in his life. Both are determined to hold their ground, and although one woman’s allegiances are clear, her counterpart’s remain murky despite her declarations otherwise. Can you love someone and still stand against them? These star-crossed lovers may have to find out the hard way.
EPISODE 6 RECAP
Soo-ah stares at Sae-ro-yi through a drunken haze as he gently reassures her that no matter what she does, he’s okay with it. It triggers a flashback and Soo-ah is suddenly a small girl standing in the rain outside an orphanage as her mother tearfully bids her goodbye. Soo-ah narrates that through it all, her mother never promised to return for her. A few years later, Soo-ah overhears one of her classmates tell another that Soo-ah is an orphan. The female classmate sympathizes and offers Soo-ah a treat when she sits at her desk.
Swallowing her emotions, Soo-ah thanks the girl… but later tosses the contents of the girl’s backpack into the toilet. Their teacher calls Soo-ah to the office to speak with her, but Soo-ah insists she’s innocent. Not fooled, the teacher warns her she’s lost her chance to reflect and repent, but Soo-ah coldly declares she doesn’t need it. Soo-ah further narrates that she had vowed that since no one else loved her, she would love herself.
Thinking back to when President Jang had first called on her, Soo-ah continues that since that day she has been justifying herself. In the present she thinks that it would’ve been better to have been rejected by Sae-ro-yi for betraying him. Countering her thoughts, Sae-ro-yi repeats aloud that she hasn’t done anything wrong by living her best life. Soo-ah starts to tell Sae-ro-yi she thinks he’s always shined too brightly but trails off as she leans in for a kiss… only to be blocked by Yi-seo clamping a hand over her mouth. Heh.
Yi-seo and Soo-ah stare each other down until So o-ah finally yanks Yi-seo’s hand from her mouth. The spell broken, Sae-ro-yi demands to know what Yi-seo is doing and she blinks back innocently, asking if he’d given consent for Soo-ah to kiss him. He’s too embarrassed to respond, but Soo-ah declares the incident sobered her up. Yi-seo reminds Sae-ro-yi that everyone is waiting for him so they can have their grand opening team dinner and Sae-ro-yi promises to join her as soon as he sends Soo-ah home.
Pulling out her phone, Yi-seo breezily offers to call a taxi herself. She turns to Soo-ah, pointedly asking where she lives. Ignoring Yi-seo, Soo-ah sighs that she drank on an empty stomach and asks Sae-ro-yi if she can join their dinner. Yi-seo balks at Soo-ah’s brazen request, but her protests fall on deaf ears because moments later she’s glaring at Soo-ah across the table.
Seung-kwon attempts to break the tension by pouring Sae-ro-yi a drink and Soo-ah awkwardly hopes she’s not interrupting. Yi-seo scoffs that she’s the one who insisted. Hyun-yi recognizes Soo-ah and she admits she works across the street at Jang Ga Pub. Soo-ah thinks that Geun-soo also looks familiar and he deflects that she’d kicked him out of Jang Ga for being a minor. Soo-ah nods, but insists she knows him from somewhere else…
Thankfully, Geun-soo comments on the food and the conversation returns to Danbam as Yi-seo reveals she chose this restaurant to show the others what she considers a 4-star establishment. Sae-ro-yi asks about Danbam and Yi-seo gives it 3. Seung-kwon grumbles, but Yi-seo explains that means Danbam is a pretty decent pub. Soo-ah asks if there’s a 5-star worthy bar in Itaewon and Yi-seo confirms there is…. Jang Ga.
Location, service, and interior are all contributing factors, but Yi-seo says the thing that sets Jang Ga apart is the food. “I heard the chairman makes the recipes himself,” Yi-seo adds. Hyun-yi narrowly avoids a spit-take when Sae-ro-yi announces she’ll be just as good. Yi-seo says Hyun-yi is already a good cook and notes that Jang Ga is an established, successful brand with different goals. Sae-ro-yi disagrees, “My goal is to franchise Danbam.”
Yi-seo starts to argue franchising is difficult but Sae-ro-yi smoothly replies he’s aware. What’s more, Sae-ro-yi cheerfully points out he has them to help and holds out his glass. Seung-kwon is the first to thrust his own glass forward, quickly followed by the rest of the team. Sae-ro-yi looks expectantly at Yi-seo and with a smirk, she adds her glass to the toast while Soo-ah looks uncomfortable.
Afterwards, Soo-ah washes up in the bathroom and reflects on President Jang’s statement that now is the time for action (to prove her allegiance). Yi-seo finds her there and questions why Soo-ah lied about reporting Danbam to the police. Soo-ah ignores her and Yi-seo admits she was shocked Soo-ah tried to kiss Sae-ro-yi earlier. Soo-ah reminds her that Yi-seo said she didn’t like Sae-ro-yi. “I like him a lot,” Yi-seo trills.
Soo-ah seems unperturbed and Yi-seo shares that when she was younger, she was diagnosed with a 79 percent probability of being a sociopath. Soo-ah assumes she’s trying to intimidate her but Yi-seo merely insists that she’s the type of person that gets what she wants no matter what. “I like my boss,” Yi-seo repeats and Soo-ah laughs that Sae-ro-yi likes her. Yi-seo smirks that she’ll just have to destroy Soo-ah. “Good luck,” Soo-ah smiles patronizingly, “Cutie.”
Geun-won shows up to his date with the daughter of Jea Foods, Seo Jeong-in. She wonders if Geun-won’s discomfort is because this is his first blind date or that he doesn’t like her. Her smile falters when Geun-won assures her Jea Foods is a great company. The food Jeong-in had ordered while waiting arrives and it’s Geun-won’s turn to grimace as a chicken is placed before him. Recalling breaking a chicken’s neck as a teen, Geun-won chokes out that he doesn’t like chicken. Jeong-in scoffs that the son of Korea’s largest food company doesn’t like chicken but calls for a menu to be brought.
At Jang Ga HQ, Soo-ah delivers a file to President Jang and catches sight of a photo on his desk, immediately recognizing Geun-soo. She asks if that’s his son and when President Jang confirms it, Soo-ah asks if he sent Geun-soo to Danbam. It’s news to President Jang and he wonders how Danbam is doing. Soo-ah reports that business is booming just as Geun-won arrives back from his date. President Jang asks how it went and Geun-won is quick to assure Soo-ah that nothing happened.
President Jang sits them both down and opens the file Soo-ah brought – on Yi-seo. She explains that Danbam’s recent success is due to Yi-seo, noting Yi-seo’s marketing skills and excellent judgement. President Jang muses that quick-wit and sharp judgment are adjectives he’d use for Soo-ah as well. He asks her opinion on Sae-ro-yi and she says that while he’s rash and foolish, Sae-ro-yi has good insight (to hire Yi-seo). “Once he sets a goal,” she adds, “he makes it happen although it may take some time.”
Furthermore, Soo-ah says his employees are loyal. Geun-won scoffs that it would be embarrassing if he couldn’t handle a handful of people and questions why President Jang cares about a tiny pub. “Our company also started out as a small street pub,” President Jang snaps, “A person with a clear goal can achieve many things.” Soo-ah reveals Sae-ro-yi’s goal is to franchise Danbam. Geun-won bursts out in giggles, but President Jang orders Soo-ah to keep an eye on Danbam. Meanwhile, the secretary that brought their tea texts Min-jung everything she overheard of the meeting.
Elsewhere, Yi-seo’s mother finds out about Danbam thanks to a coworker following Yi-seo’s social media account. Over at Danbam, Yi-seo smirks as Geun-soo shyly rebuffs some drunk women’s advances. She stomps upstairs to see Sae-ro-yi, unaware of Geun-soo staring longingly after her and informing the drunk woman he has someone he likes. Oof. My heart.
Yi-seo asks Sae-ro-yi about her proposal to gain exposure for Danbam via TV and he gives her the green light. She warns him not to go back on his promise to change her pay from a fixed salary to 20 percent of net sales once they start doing well. Sae-ro-yi laughs that he was always going to pay her, regardless of profit. Grinning, Yi-seo adds that they’re actually becoming short-staffed and plans to post the job offer online.
Returning home after work, Yi-seo finds Mom waiting for her. Mom announces that she called the admissions office and Yi-seo’s eyes fall on the suitcase in the middle of the living room. Mom demands to know why Yi-seo is working at a bar instead of attending college. Yi-seo corrects that she’s the manager of the bar, but Mom knows this has to do with their conversation about falling in love. Yi-seo admits she likes the owner and Mom says she packed a bag and Yi-seo should leave.
Mom cries that she only wanted good things for Yi-seo. She says she was born poor and worked hard to raise Yi-seo well. Mom says she thought Yi-seo was smart enough not to end up like her. “I’m not like you,” Yi-seo replies, “I’m smart and clever. I can achieve both love and success.” Mom assumes she means to help Sae-ro-yi’s business and become a pub owner’s wife.
Yi-seo shakes her head and says she’s not depending on someone else’s dream or plans to live up to Mom’s either – she’s going to live for herself. “It’s my life,” Yi-seo smiles. She thanks Mom for raising her well and promises that she won’t take long, “I’m a lot more competent than you think.” Grabbing the suitcase, she bids Mom farewell, telling her to be sad for just a little while.
Sae-ro-yi is on a run when he spots Yi-seo on an overpass. He asks what she’s doing and Yi-seo replies that she was thinking about him and then asks what he’s doing. Sae-ro-yi admits his hobby is jogging and, seeing the suitcase, asks if something happened. Yi-seo sighs that she mad Mom cry because she’s not following the path Mom wants her to. Sae-ro-yi nods that Geun-soo had told him she was working instead of going to school.
“Why didn’t you stop me?” Yi-seo asks, guessing he was respecting her autonomy. Shaking his head, Sae-ro-yi admits that he needs her. He awkwardly adds that if Mom wants Yi-seo to work at a big firm, maybe they could grow Danbam into one. He wonders if he’s being selfish, worrying that he’s never consoled someone before. Beaming, Yi-seo assures him that comforted her more than anything. She laughs at his brazen declaration and Sae-ro-yi says, “Well, I have you.”
Yi-seo guesses that Sae-ro-yi intends to make Danbam the best in the food business. He simply replies that he’ll make it happen. She laughs and wonders if he’s full of it… but adds, “Let’s make it happen together.” Sae-ro-yi agrees and the pair look out over the city as the sun rises.
On her way to work, Hyun-yi passes a salon and thinks of Yi-seo’s words that she looks prettier with black hair. Everyone else is gathered to do their warmup stretches when Hyun-yi bursts into Danbam, her hair now it’s natural shade. Yi-seo grins proudly and Geun-soo prods Seung-kwon to begrudgingly agree that it looks nice. Sae-ro-yi confirms that it looks great and Hyun-yi beams. Meanwhile, President Jang is irked that Geun-soo is working for Sae-ro-yi.
Interviews for their new team member commence and Seung-kwon gapes at the long list of applicants. The first few are a bust, but then a pretty woman walks in and Seung-kwon nearly tips over himself. Sae-ro-yi recognizes her from Hong Seok-chan’s pub, but Yi-seo takes one look at Seung-kwon drooling and the way she calls Sae-ro-yi “oppa” and (politely) rejects the application. After she leaves, Seung-kwon demands why she wasn’t hired and Yi-seo trills, “My gut?”
Seung-kwon demands to know what’s wrong with Yi-seo and keeps pestering her to hire the pretty woman until someone walks into the pub and everyone falls silent. The man is quite obviously a foreigner and Sae-ro-yi asks Yi-seo to translate that they’re not open yet. She sweetly asks in English for him to come back later… only for him to ask in Korean if she’s the owner. Hee.
Reverting to Korean, Yi-seo asks what he wants, and the man replies he saw the post for a server. His name is Kim Tony and he excitedly interviews for the job, saying that his father is Korean, and he’s been there for a year. The rest of the team debate whether Yi-seo will approve and Sae-ro-yi is stunned when Yi-seo easily hires him on the spot.
She says that since it’s Itaewon (a district known for expats), it’ll be good to have another English speaker in the pub. Yi-seo adds that it’ll be nice having a foreigner around and Tony interjects that he is Korean. Sae-ro-yi asks if he can start tomorrow and to his confusion, Tony answers, “Yes, cool.” Tony repeats that he can start tomorrow, and Sae-ro-yi parrots “cool” back. Hehe.
Geun-won swings by Jang Ga Pub, looking for Soo-ah and teases the manager that they should’ve done so well when he was in charge. Meanwhile, Geun-soo helps Yi-seo move into her new apartment. He asks why she moved and nearly chokes when Yi-seo coolly says she got kicked out. Before she can answer, Yi-seo receives a call from a PD she’d approached about getting Danbam on TV. When she hangs up, Geun-soo asks if she secured a spot but she waves him off to call Sae-ro-yi.
As she brags about getting Danbam introduced to a program, Geun-soo flips through the folders she’d set down and sees the apology letter she’d had to write when they were caught at Danbam as minors… complete with a sketch of Sae-ro-yi. His heart breaks as he looks at her, realizing her crush. Meanwhile, Soo-ah walks up behind Sae-ro-yi just as he’s ending the call with Yi-seo. She guesses something good happened and Sae-ro-yi admits Danbam has a chance to appear on a show called, “The Best Pub.”
Sae-ro-yi is impressed Soo-ah has heard of it, since he’d been told it’s new. She congratulates him but her face falls when he praises Yi-seo. Sae-ro-yi asks if she got home well the other night and Soo-ah apologizes for causing a scene. She says she feels better after Sae-ro-yi had told her she was just living her best life and Soo-ah says she’ll continue to do so… as a Jang Ga employee. “Thank you for what you’ve done for me,” Soo-ah tells him, “You seriously shouldn’t like me anymore.”
Across the street, Geun-won sees the pair and scowls at what appears to be an affectionate exchange. He meets President Jang for lunch and pointedly asks what his father plans to do about Sae-ro-yi. President Jang points out that Sae-ro-yi is an ex-convict who never graduated and lost his dad. He admits Sae-ro-yi has done well and may even build a Danbam brand someday. However, 10 years is a long time to work and only have a small pub to show for it.
Geun-won wonders why President Jang is bothered by Sae-ro-yi, if he poses no threat to Jang Ga. President Jang says that if Geun-won can convince Soo-ah to marry into their family, he won’t force an arranged marriage. Geun-won is excited but doesn’t understand the correlation. “He’s like an assessor,” President Jang explains, Sae-ro-yi is merely a test to see whether Soo-ah is one of his people.
Sae-ro-yi arrives at the PD office for “The Best Pub” and freezes at the sight of Geun-won sitting across the table. Geun-won balks that the other bar being featured in his episode is Danbam. Their animosity is palpable, and the PD awkwardly jokes that it’s not like they’re arch enemies… “We are enemies,” Sae-ro-yi confirms, taking his seat across form Geun-won.
After the meeting, Geun-won accosts Sae-ro-yi as he waits for the elevator. He comments that Sae-ro-yi looked good with Soo-ah the other day, jealously musing that they’ve stayed in touch for ten years. Geun-won tuts pityingly at Sae-ro-yi, declaring that both he and his father are fond of Soo-ah. “I guess she talked to you out of pity a few times,” Geun-won says, pointing out that dating a middle-school graduate ex-con doesn’t even compete with marrying the son of Jang Ga Group.
Sae-ro-yi retorts that Soo-ah certainly wouldn’t go for a murderer. He wonders if Geun-won is threatened by a middle-school graduate ex-con and Geun-won spits back President Jang’s assessment of Sae-ro-yi. “He said you’d never be a threat to us,” Geun-won seethes, continuing that Sae-ro-yi is just an “assessor” to judge Soo-ah’s loyalty. He warns Sae-ro-yi that Soo-ah is in trouble at work because of him, urging him to be more considerate as the elevator doors close between them.
Geun-won calls Soo-ah to brag about ousting Sae-ro-yi from “The Best Pub.” She’s shocked and he screams at he not to like Sae-ro-yi. Geun-won starts to warn her that if his father finds out (about her relationship with Sae-ro-yi) … but she hangs up on him. Meanwhile, Yi-seo gets the call from the PD that Danbam has been cut from the program, with no explanation. She announces that the show has been cancelled to the staff just as Sae-ro-yi returns to the pub.
Drinking on the roof, Sae-ro-yi thinks about what Geun-won said and all the things Soo-ah has said from confessing to turning Danbam over to the police to saying he shouldn’t like her anymore. Yi-seo finds him up there and Sae-ro-yi apologizes for the TV program falling through. She waves it off, saying there’s other shows and beams when Sae-ro-yi suggests they take a walk.
As they wander, Yi-seo asks what happened at the station but he assures her it was nothing. Before Yi-seo can argue, Soo-ah calls out to Sae-ro-yi. She eyes Yi-seo suspiciously and asks if they’re on a date. Yi-seo looks expectantly at Sae-ro-yi and rolls her eyes when he denies it. He guesses Soo-ah is getting off work and she starts to say something about the TV program, but to both women’s surprise, Sae-ro-yi cuts her off. “It’s okay,” he smiles, “I can do it some other time. It’s not like there’s only one TV show.”
The implication is clear – he thinks Soo-ah is responsible, and she’s visibly stung as he breezes past her with Yi-seo. She watches them walk away, and then turns to go her own way. Yi-seo assumes something big happened for him to react this way and Sae-ro-yi agrees he’s being pathetic. He tells Yi-seo he feels like he’s against a wall and she asks if he likes Soo-ah that much. Despite knowing Soo-ah got the pub suspended, she observes that Sae-ro-yi remains unchanged.
Sae-ro-yi chuckles that she’s talking about betrayal again, but Yi-seo tells him, “My mother said studying hard doesn’t guarantee success these days.” Because of that Mom let Yi-seo learn music, sports, and everything in between. She really liked playing baduk so she stuck with it a long time. She tells him that even when she played someone better, she never used a handicap. Sae-ro-yi comments that she’s always been quite daring and Yi-seo sighs that she feels like she’s playing with a handicap these days.
He doesn’t understand, so Yi-seo confesses that Soo-ah was not the one that reported Danbam and got them suspended. She explains someone who held a grudge against Yi-seo called the police and Sae-ro-yi’s eyes widen. He tells Yi-seo to go ahead and he’ll catch up before running after Soo-ah. Yi-seo narrates, “No matter who my opponent was, I eventually won. So, I’m not giving up.”
Thinking back on what Soo-ah and Geun-won had said, Sae-ro-yi races to catch Soo-ah at the bus stop. She’s stunned to see him arrive out of breath, but Sae-ro-yi demands to know why she lied about reporting Danbam. He asks if she wanted him to hate her and she replies that President Jang is watching him but falls silent when Sae-ro-yi grabs her hand. He apologizes for being selfish and making her struggle between Jang Ga and himself. He asks her to wait just a little longer.
The bus arrives and Soo-ah breaks away but Sae-ro-yi calls after her that he doesn’t care what she does, and she shouldn’t worry about him. “So that you won’t suffer, I’ll destroy Jang Ga Co.” he vows, “I’ll make you quit to ease your mind.” The bus pulls away and Soo-ah collapses into a seat, muttering that Sae-ro-yi is a fool. Watching the bus disappear, Sae-ro-yi pulls out his phone and dials LEE HO-JIN (Lee David).
A young man perched in front of a wall of monitors answers and Sae-ro-yi asks about the money he’d invested in stocks. Ho-jin says in total with the money Sae-ro-yi had invested with Jang Ga eight years ago it amounts to 1.9 billion won (roughly 1.5 million USD). Ahhh!!! Ho-jin is the boy Sae-ro-yi saved from Geun-won 10 years ago! Sae-ro-yi orders Ho-jin to invest everything in Jang Ga.
When President Jang arrives at Jang Ga HQ the following morning, his secretary runs up with the stockholders’ list and the bad news that Sae-ro-yi now has 1.9 billion won invested in the company. President Jang thinks back to Geun-won’s scandal 8 years ago -which caused a dip in Jang Ga stocks – and cackles wickedly that it’s time to eat.
Seung-kwon greets a group at the door, apologizing they’re not open. Geun-soo greets President Jang and Seung-kwon innocently greets Geun-soo’s father, not realizing the implications. President Jang turns to see Sae-ro-yi standing with Yi-seo and the men walk towards each other. President Jang realizes that Sae-ro-yi surely received a significant amount of money from Dad’s death and then invested it in Jang Ga upon being released from prison.
“It had to be meaningful,” Sae-ro-yi’s inner monologue replies, echoing what he’d said to Soo-ah of the money Dad left behind. President Jang muses that he’d thought he was done trampling on Sae-ro-yi after expelling him from school and putting him in jail… but looking at him now, he realizes that Soo-ah’s words that Sae-ro-yi always accomplishes his goals were true. “So, your goal is my doom,” President Jang thinks, “It’s funny I’m feeling this way at my age.”
In response, Sae-ro-yi welcomes them to Danbam with a bow. President Jang admits he’d wanted to see Sae-ro-yi and Sae-ro-yi returns the sentiment.
COMMENTS
Epic showdown time already?! We’ve known (and been repeatedly reminded) that Sae-ro-yi thinks in terms of the long-game. As Soo-ah said, he’s the type to wait however long it takes in order to achieve his goals and he said as much to Geun-won when they reunited at the police station. So, I just hope he knows what he’s doing by acting now and isn’t just swept up in his feelings for Soo-ah. Her character grows more complex and confusing by the day and every time I think I understand her, another wrench is thrown into the works. The revelation that Soo-ah didn’t report Danbam to the police was surprising, but it did nothing to ingratiate her towards me.
I stand by my statement that she takes Sae-ro-yi’s feelings for granted and no amount of conflicted crying after she makes choices – fully knowing she’s casting allegiance and what that means for Sae-ro-yi – is going to soften my opinion. In fact, the flashback at the top of the episode only reinforced the sour taste she leaves in my mouth. Despite my disappointment in her as a person, Soo-ah makes for a fascinating character that refuses to let me write her off as a villain. A small part of me even hopes that there’s things we don’t know, and that Soo-ah is playing her own revenge game. But then she gets into a catfight with Yi-seo in the bathroom and I hate her all over again.
Yi-seo, on the other hand, continues to shine. She lost a little favor when she tried to fire Hyun-yi last episode. It wasn’t out of character that she would sooner oust a member of the team than try to find a solution… but the fact that it came on the heels of Hyun-yi’s trans revelation, only served to color her argument in a bigoted light. I tend to agree with @dramallama, although I understand that not everyone was satisfied. I also acknowledge that I’m not in a position to pass judgement on whether or not this was the right approach. All I can say is, that I appreciated the show not shying away from a sensitive topic and being willing to show what I imagine is (unfortunately) a fairly common reaction. For me, at least, it made Sae-ro-yi’s words and the support of the rest of the Danbam team for Hyun-yi that much more endearing.
Sae-ro-yi’s relationship with and influence on the Danbam team, and Yi-seo in particular, is lovely to watch. Their moment on the overpass was beautifully shot and I loved that Sae-ro-yi admitted he’s being selfish because he needs Yi-seo. It makes for such an interesting contrast to his relationship with Soo-ah. I’m still unsure how the show plans to thread the romance, but I would argue that it doesn’t even matter. The rest of the story is so rich, that the romance really takes a backseat – especially now that the revenge plot has moved out of the shadows. The characters are interesting on their own and for once the romance seems to serve more to facilitate the rest of the story, rather than the other way around. It’s both refreshing and gratifying to watch, because I dearly love the characters and how the drama has so far managed to respect them rather than simply delegate them to plot devices. It makes the journey that much more worthwhile and I can’t wait to see where it takes everyone, not just our leads.
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Tags: Ahn Bo-hyun, Itaewon Class, Kim Da-mi, Kwon Nara, Park Seo-joon, Yoo Jae-myung
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1 seoul_searcher
February 19, 2020 at 5:37 PM
oh those last few minutes were EPIC! sae ro yi really is smarter than he lets on and is more cunning than i expected him to be. hes also such a sweetheart to the people he cares about and i cant wait to see him show his affection for both Yi Seo and the other new members of his Danbam crew
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2 Beverly
February 19, 2020 at 6:22 PM
I was not expecting such a big part of the revenge plot to be revealed already. I do trust though that Sae-ro-yi is a planner and knows what he is doing.
I wonder if this is what his father's money went towards.
I know that a lot of people have a hard time with how Soo ah keeps bringing up Sae-ro-yi 's love for her, but instead of gloating I think she is asking for reassurance. She has no one and had no one her entire life except his dad. To me when it sounds more like, "You still love me, right?"
I hope we get Hyun-yi's story and see that famous meal she made.
I'd like to see more Geun-soo too.
I wish Yi-seo shined for me (she takes up so much story time), but not yet.
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KSKalways
February 19, 2020 at 7:45 PM
Reason Yi-seo takes up so much of the story: the actress is, in fact, the Lead Female character in this Show. 🤷🏾♀️😁😅
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Beverly
February 19, 2020 at 8:05 PM
I know, but there are so many characters. She can share the spotlight, lol. I really want to like her , and hope I do soon, but right now it is like spending time with the mean girl in highschool.
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candilane
February 20, 2020 at 4:26 AM
I think Soo Ah is meaner.. Soo Ah constantly hurts Sae Roi and then ask him to continue to love her.. that irks me. I don't Yi Seo is a mean girl, she actually is similar to Sae Roi, remember she saved that girl at school from a mean bully just like Sae Roi did. I like Yi Seo because she isnt some weak K drama female lead asking a guy to save her.. I get she's not for everyone but I totally love her.
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Beverly
February 20, 2020 at 5:15 AM
I think it is great that so many are liking Yi Seo, I'm just not there yet.
Also, I'm not comparing the two women.
panshel
February 20, 2020 at 5:53 AM
Soo-ah literally told Sae-ro-yi today, “Stop liking me.”
XD
February 20, 2020 at 9:06 AM
@panshel right after she tried to kiss him and visibly appeared like having a hard time with her emotions. It does look like she toying with PSRY and playing push and pull games. If Soo Ah was a man and acted this way trying to kiss one day and saying “stop liking me” the other day she would’ve been labeled as a total jerk here already, without anyone trying to play “sympathize with her” game. And that would’ve been a right conclusion. She is a jerk to PSRY.
XD
February 20, 2020 at 9:10 AM
@panshel and, oh, she still wants him to keep liking her, despite what she said. Otherwise she wouldn’t react so harsh to JYS words and act so territorial about PSRY around her. “We’re friends, but he likes for 10 years”; “Yeah? But he likes me!”; “He will never change”. This is so lame on her part.
panshel
February 20, 2020 at 12:12 PM
He wanted that kiss. You do realize that Soo-ah likes Sae-ro-yi back, don't you? She even invited him to sleep over on Halloween. She still wants him to keep liking her because she still likes him. But Soo-ah wants to let him go because she has made her choice between Sae-ro-yi and Jangga and believes they have no future together. If Yi-seo had not "defensed" their kiss (which, too, is assault), they could be dating now for all we know.
XD
February 20, 2020 at 2:57 PM
@panshel so her liking him back gives her right to toy with his feelings? lol You know that’s still a jerk thing to do no matter how you feel yourself? And also selfish. You either act on your feelings or don’t confuse a person with your mixed signals and/or try to keep others from him. That’s what non jerk person would’ve done. And do you really, like really-really-really-really believe, that after that kiss she would’ve suddenly abandon her “perfect life” and “career” to date him? LMFAO. Where girl ever showed, that she is willing to do something like that for PSRY? lol Girl just in 5 minutes went to “spy on him” mode and was pretty pleased when she gained information, that he wants to open franchise.
panshel
February 20, 2020 at 6:12 PM
Sae-ro-yi is the one who keeps seeking Soo-ah out. She explicitly told him, "Stop liking me," so stop liking her. Stop talking to her. Stop running after her bus. Stop destroying Jangga for her.
windsun33
February 21, 2020 at 11:15 AM
Don't be mean!! I am in love with Yi-seo :). She might be 79% sociopath, but I don't think I have ever seen a female in a kdrama that had her s**t together so much. I just hope she keeps it up.
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Miky
February 20, 2020 at 2:13 AM
Yes he invested that money when Geun-won scandal happened and the other money he gathered he created a trust fund that was managed by the Guy(who was bullied by Geun-won in ep 1)
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3 egads aka Dame Maggie
February 19, 2020 at 6:23 PM
The villains are very cartoon villainy, aren't they? I admit that I laughed, but truly this is very webtoony all around in editing and visuals, so the over the top bad guys are just part of the package.
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egads aka Dame Maggie
February 19, 2020 at 6:25 PM
Also, the romance can continue to take a back seat as I'm tired of love triangles, first loves, and fighting over a man. It's the least interesting plot line for me.
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windsun33
February 21, 2020 at 11:25 AM
I don't think the romance is a real subplot, just a vehicle (perhaps?) that leads into darker depths of Jagaa.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
February 29, 2020 at 9:38 PM
This episode almost lost me completely over the bitchy infighting over a man - especially when one of those women won that battle 10 years ago but doesn't want him and the other one should know better. It's only my interest in the building blocks of the show generally that stopped me from dropping it at that point. Also Yi-Seo is basically a little girl who was never parented and the idea she's a viable romantic prospect for a man like Saeroyi is laughable. There's no universe where he's interested in her, although I get why she'd be head over heels for him.
Still, Yiseo's brinkmanship beats Soo-ah's passive aggressive bitchiness any day. I get it's driven by self-loathing and the belief she isn't good enough for him but it doesn't mean it's not frustrating to watch.
Romance and love triangles can go jump off that bridge she's always standing on.
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Beverly
February 19, 2020 at 6:36 PM
The visuals remind me of a comic book. Also of shows like Arrow.
The issues with the editing I need one of you to point it out to me. I keep seeing this come up, but when I watch I'm not noticing anything.
It is going to be embarrassing if it is something big.
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BC
February 20, 2020 at 2:34 AM
The writer is the creator of Itaewon Class webtoon so it makes sense. But I'm surprised how he is opening a korean pandora box of hate.
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GustavHaviwwer
February 20, 2020 at 2:34 AM
Almost all villains in K-drama “cartoonish” and they don’t need to be webtoons in the first place. I would say compared to villains in resent dramas (successful or not), villains in IC less “cartoonish” and in vast picture where they and DanBam represent two different approaches on society they make total sense.
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4 shichybot
February 19, 2020 at 6:43 PM
Laughed when Kim Tony showed up! Hope this character would lighten up the show a bit. Seung-kwon is too manic, Sae-royi is too earnest and serious, and Yi-seo has a one-track mind.
I'm rooting for DanBam to succeed! I think Min-jung will recruit Sae-royi and they will bring down President Jang and Geun-won.
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5 LC
February 19, 2020 at 6:56 PM
I've seen this episode 3 times already! I just can't get over the last few scenes with Jangga CEO. Oh, and Park Sae Ro Yi is just sooooo amazing! Kudos of course to Park Seo Joon who is doing a wonderful job! The whole cast is just great!!! Every one is shining!
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KSKalways
February 19, 2020 at 7:46 PM
I'm about to RE-watch it (for the 3rd time) before going to bed!
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Miky
February 20, 2020 at 2:18 AM
Also to the webtoon writer who is in fact the one who writed the script and actively participated in the production of the show(like his characters appearance,he wanted the lenght of Se Ro Yi hair like that per ex. and script changes are according to his vision) unlike the usual stuff with another writing adapting an original piece...Admire the writer for taking the front and wanting to tell his story being also detail orientated...It's clear he takes great pride in his work and wants to deliver his vision till the end...
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LC
February 20, 2020 at 6:15 PM
Totally agree!!!
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theTINYL
February 20, 2020 at 10:33 AM
I haven't rewatched as religiously, but I was also floored by how the story twisted. Was not expecting it at all! Park Seo Joon is selling the sh** outta his portrayal of Sae-ro-yi and I am eating it all up.
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LC
February 20, 2020 at 6:16 PM
I know! His portrayal of Park Sae Ro Yi is one for the books.
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6 canadianroyalty
February 19, 2020 at 6:59 PM
THAT TWISTTTT. and how much do I love the fact that his classmate is the one helping him with investments? Also Yi-seo gets preachy from time to time but I really liked her speech about playing with a handicap. I admire her all the more for being the one to reveal Soo-Ah's lie though it hurts her chances.
And Soo-Ah's conflicted crying gets to me lol. And now that I also know she's not the one who called the police, that gives her another chance in my book. Please Soo-Ah, choose team Sae-ro-yi ><
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KSKalways
February 19, 2020 at 7:47 PM
The ending twist was sooo great!
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windsun33
February 21, 2020 at 11:30 AM
I am NOT a Soo-Ah fan. I think that in the end she will end up losing everything.
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parkchuna ❤️🍉
February 23, 2020 at 7:33 AM
I was waiting for that bullied classmate to appear. How awesome that he's the one helping SRY with his investments. I guess the squad is complete now.
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7 KSKalways
February 19, 2020 at 7:08 PM
"YES!!" I screamed as soon as I saw the recap for ep6 was up! Thank you, Sunny!
It was a great episode and, similar to you, Sunny, Soo-Ah's actions and back story did nothing to make me like her more. Oh, I understand where she's coming from, all right. But that doesn't justify the way she hangs Sae-ro-yi's love for her like a medallion she has won, with very little intention to treat well. She's a shrewd tough cookie and an excellent business woman, but nope, not emotionally available to our honest Sae-ro-yi, and I wish he'd let her go sooner than later.
Yi-seo continues to shine in my eyes. I really like how shamelessly blunt she is. Mum kicking her out of the house? No sweat. "I understand. I'm smart. I'll live my life. Thank you for everything. Bye." bam! No tears, anger or regret. Forward and upward only. * clapping with glee *
The main reason I've been dying to see this recap is to read viewers' thoughts on Kim Tony's introduction to our fav show. A Black man. Half Korean. Immediate observations: they immediately thought he spoke English, persisted in calling him a foreigner even though he explained he was half-Korean and, look at that, our Hyun-Yo (who was just on the verge of getting fired) now has opinions about Sae-ro-yi and Yi-seo hiring a foreigner!! Biased much??
I really look forward to some backstory for Kim Tony! Show me that diversity and inclusion in Itaewon, Writer-nom!
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KSKalways
February 19, 2020 at 7:10 PM
I meant to write Hyun-Yi
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candilane
February 20, 2020 at 5:01 AM
To be fair, I think any Korean born outside Korea ( mixed race or not) are deemed Foreigners. Have you seen Soul Searching? Klaus Kim, lolol...
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BC
February 20, 2020 at 5:25 AM
It's not only a korean thing. Unless you are very famous you're treated everywhere like a foreigner. It's bewildering after when someone is very famous or successful that people are telling proudly he/she is as well coming from their roots.
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KSKalways
February 20, 2020 at 6:09 AM
I think it's very much a Korean thing to persist in calling someone a foreigner, in spite of said person having said they're Korean.
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Kwan
February 20, 2020 at 1:16 PM
I agree with you, KSKalways, when I lived in the ROK this was the thing that struck me the most. The children fathered by black, American soldiers, were ostracized, and they were actually the most beautiful children I'd ever seen. I had a Korean boyfriend, but I knew it wouldn't work out for him because Koreans were so into being pure. Now that I've watched many Kdramas about the Japanese occupation, and read a Korean newspaper daily, I understand where that comes from. Being forced by an occupier into changing one's names and language to Japanese, had to be so humiliating, that being pure Korean became the national dogma.
BC
February 20, 2020 at 6:47 PM
They're truly, but there're some countries like that as well, especially when they're mixed with people of different origins and it's visible because for hundreds of years there haven't been seen people like that in there. It starts to change slowly, but racism is on the rise now with immigration crisis from Syria. They're majority Christians but I won't call Christians even half of the priests in there. Close communities don't like foreigners or someone different from the majority.
candilane
February 20, 2020 at 8:05 AM
Lol, well I can see your point.. Daenerys Targaryen was also considered a foreigner.. LOLOL 😂😂😂 but Koreans are very nationalistic from what I observed too so IDK.. but either way its cool to see some diversity...
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theTINYL
February 20, 2020 at 10:37 AM
I'm with you on this!
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
February 29, 2020 at 9:41 PM
The casual racism in that scene was excruciating. And he clearly didn't understand them when they spoke English so their assumption he must speak it was grating.
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8 Rachel2
February 19, 2020 at 7:10 PM
I'm glad we've moved on from the over-the-top violence and into the storyline about how he builds his business. I am confused about who to root for Sae-yo-ri to end up with. Sometimes I really dislike both Yi-seo and Soo-ah, but at other times they are endearing. Soo-ah's internal struggle is interesting and makes her a compelling character. Other parts of the drama are cliched; I get tired of seeing all the behind-the-scenes machinations (as in the TV show storyline, for example.)
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windsun33
February 21, 2020 at 11:34 AM
I am rooting for Yi-seo, but in the end he may not end up with either one. This does not appear to be the usual kdrama trope and cliche filled show. Not recapped here yet, but in EP7 I see Soo-Ah making some bad choices in the future.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
February 29, 2020 at 9:43 PM
Can we root for him to end up with nobody? Like most Candies, I'm Team Candy. Neither the first or second leads are particularly appealing. One is a petulant child and the other one is emotionally-unavailable, passive-aggressive and insecure. I get the inversion - this is every classic kdrama setup ever - but it doesn't change my opinion just because the sexes are reversed.
#stillteamcandy
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9 KSKalways
February 19, 2020 at 7:19 PM
Also, I'd like to express how important it is that, contrary to Sunny's description, it wasn't just any man that walked the streets, heading for the job interview: it was a Black Man. With a (seemingly) decent speaking AND positive role. He appeared in the episode twice and, just like Hyun-Yi being a transgender woman, his visible ethnic different is casually ignored in his 2nd appearance, as if to say "that's it. He's here. He's a person. Get over his foreign look. Moving on with the rest of the plot!" and I LOVE It!
In a predominantly homogenous Korean, this matter A LOT!
I'm really hoping to see him more!
#justOnTimeForBlackHistoryMonth 👊🏼👊🏽👊🏾👊🏿💕🤗
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Kafiyah Bello
February 20, 2020 at 7:14 AM
This made me laugh because I was cheering for him too, when they questioned his Koreaness, I sideeyed them, he said what he said.
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KSKalways
February 20, 2020 at 7:26 AM
yes!! major side-eye on their expected reaction!
and then I noticed Hyun-Yi quip into the "he's a foreigner and won't be hired" bit and immediately thought, "Girlie!!! Didn't we just save your a** from getting fired just the other day??!?! Siddown!"
ha ha ha ha
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Kwan
February 20, 2020 at 1:19 PM
Humans always have to have someone on a lower rung than them. Like a flock of chickens there's a pecking order.
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10 missjb
February 19, 2020 at 7:55 PM
Soo Ah's character remind me of Han Jae Hee's character in Innocent Man. Though in terms of background, Jae hEe is make more sense. We are not suppose to liking/siding her by her sad story being revealed. After all she is not our female lead. We just understand where she is coming from. letting those girls call the police is a nice step towards villain teritory. She is planning to shut her consience from that action. She want power and reassurance of her life and Jangga provide her of what she is looking for.
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11 Kurama
February 19, 2020 at 9:15 PM
Soo Ah is an interesting character. I pity her. She lives with a big scar. The fact she remembers perfectly the day her mother left her must be awful. Koreans don't like orphans and in Janga she has a good job and is accepted by the CEO as a orphan. But she needs to be the opposite to Sae Yo Ri. She loves him but in the same time he always recalls her how she is.
It's nice to see Sae Yo Ri and Yi Seo working together. She's super smart but she needs to learn about human relationship and Sae Yo Ri is perfect for that.
I liked the fact Sae Yo Ri kept contact with Lee Ho Jin. For Lee Ho Jin, Sae Yo Ri is the only person who protected him, even the school didn't.
To see his plan for his revenge is the best part! It's clearly the most exciting part! I hope he didn't show his cards too soon.
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windsun33
February 21, 2020 at 11:39 AM
While I am inclined to pity Soo-Ah, that does not mean I agree with her actions. I think she made too many compromises to rise up in Janga.
As far as Yi-seo goes, I think she learned a valuable lesson when forced to deal with the cook.
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12 panshel
February 19, 2020 at 10:17 PM
I love the revenge; hate the romance. Why can't Dad be Sae-ro-yi's motivation to destroy Jangga? Not Soo-ah. Today's reveal of Sae-ro-yi buying stocks in the company was awesome. I screamed when Lee David turned around. I'm crying at the bullied kid making something of himself. When Chairman Jang strutted into Danbam, I wished psychopath Seung-kwon, who pours hot stew on people's legs, knew Geun-won and Chairman Jang killed Dad.
I like Soo-ah; can't stand Yi-seo.
Yi-seo started it. "I must get what I want." But what does he want?? Yi-seo's crush is like Geun-won's crush. Sae-ro-yi and Soo-ah are out of their leagues. Stop telling other people you like them and tell them, so they can reject you. Soo-ah should have walked away from Yi-seo like she hung up on Geun-won.
Tony answered "call" (콜), not "cool." I loved how Tony corrected Yi-seo that he's Korean, not a foreigner. If Yi-seo wasn't such a jealous sociopath, Danbam could have been known for their good-looking servers between Geun-soo and Seo Eun-soo. Seventeen? Where was this child actress when Sae-ro-yi and Soo-ah were in high school? It was so jarring to watch Park Seo-joon and Kwon Nara play high school students.
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GustavHaviwwer
February 20, 2020 at 2:38 AM
His motivation is still his dad. He spend 7-8 years working hard and planning his revenge to destroy Jangga because of dad, not his love. And only started acting a bit sooner after he heard, that she is having a hard time because of him and Jangga. It’s perfectly in line with Park Sae Ro Yi’s character to think about others, who close to him, if they struggle, before himself.
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Kara-Anne
April 8, 2020 at 2:35 AM
Out of their league?? Rofl...
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13 amruta1009
February 19, 2020 at 10:39 PM
Okay guys I did say I don't like either Yi Seo or Soo Ah but I also think people are being too harsh on them. Let's be real they are both a bit selfish and have said so themselves. Yi Seo has some prejudices but she does have her positives and while she might not like Soo Ah she still told Sae Yo Ri about her not having called the police. As for Soo Ah, she hasn't turned evil yet. She does feel guilty. I don't get why people aren't giving her the same chance they give Yi Seo based on how they think she might turn out later on. I get that Yi Seo is easy to defend considering she is supposed to be a sociopath (which I am not sure she is) and therefore think she acts the way she does based on that. Yi Seo is impulsive and Soo Ah is conflicted. But Soo Ah has always been clear about what side she wants to be on even as she feels guilty. You don't 100% know if she is going to end up firmly on the wrong side. I can't help but sympathise a little with her. I am not about to write her off yet. As for romance I'd rather it takes a back seat too. I think Soo Ah can take care of herself and doesn't really need Sae Yo Ri to Save her.
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panshel
February 19, 2020 at 11:28 PM
People love to hate on Soo-ah, but did these people forget that Soo-ah stayed with Sae-ro-yi every day at Dad's funeral, stopped Sae-ro-yi from becoming a murderer, and helped settle Dad's estate while Sae-ro-yi was in jail?
"I heard you, unni, weren't the one who got his business suspended." No, because YOU were the one who got his business suspended with your underage drinking and fake ID.
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candilane
February 20, 2020 at 5:12 AM
Yi Seo's actions weren't malicious or with intent (which is forgivable). I mean how many teenagers try to sneak in a bar when they are underage, hmm let me think, at least 50% of global teenagers if I had to guess. Yi Seo didnt mean to get the business suspended, she didnt do anything to try to get it suspended. Soo Ah had a malicious intent and was going to call the police on Sae Roi but backed out and THEN she watched the other girls call the police and did not warn him, she just let it happen. I still see the malicious intent.
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amruta1009
February 20, 2020 at 6:59 AM
I didn't say she hasn't done anything wrong now did I? I am just saying that she isn't that bad either. She is a morally grey character. But she does feel guilty. That's the part that is hard for her. That's the conflict isn't it. I am saying that she might or might not end up on the good side but you don't know that yet.
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panshel
February 20, 2020 at 8:23 AM
Soo-ah wouldn't have had to warn Sae-ro-yi if these minors weren't underage drinking in the first place. Just because half of all teenagers sneak into bars doesn't make it less of a crime.
Yi-seo going to a bar while in high school is intent. Carrying around a fake ID is intent. Lying about plastic surgery in her ID photo is intent.
Yi-seo always blames other people: Soo-ah "Were you the one who called the cops?" and the bully "Do you know how much damage you caused?" yet never takes responsibility herself "Danbam wouldn't be suspended if Geun-soo and I were not drinking."
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candilane
February 20, 2020 at 9:00 AM
So she did this all with the intent of getting Sae Roi in trouble, now that is a stretch. Yes, she was wrong but again for underage drinking but the worker was wrong for knowingly serving minors, I feel the employee is more culpable than Yi Seo is. Soo Ah did it to hurt Sae Roi and not vice versa.. You don't have to like Yi Seo but come on saying she maliciously intended for Sae Roi business to get suspended is a bit much. Soo Ah KNOWINGLY did not warn him and just looked the other way to further her own interest, that was malicious intent. Even the employee wasnt trying to do it out of maliciousness.
panshel
February 20, 2020 at 10:18 AM
I didn't say she intended to get Danbam (and Jangga) suspended. I said she intended to drink knowing full well it was illegal. Yi-seo and Geun-soo are the direct cause for why Danbam got suspended.
I blame all of Yi-seo, Geun-soo, Yoon Park, and Seung-kwon, but "the employee is more culpable than Yi Seo is"? When they were the ones drinking?
Show has presented Yi-seo as a natural-born genius who's also street-smart, so we can't give her a pass for being a stupid teenager doing stupid teenage things. She knew the consequences if they were to get caught including the business getting suspended; otherwise she wouldn't keep a fake ID on her.
How is it Soo-ah's fault that two minors KNOWINGLY drank?
XD
February 20, 2020 at 3:05 PM
@phansel Just because two minors went drinking and it’s their fault for lying, doesn’t mean it’s not Soo Ah fault for being pretty terrible friend. They at fault for drinking as minors, Seung Won as fault accepting minors and giving them drinks, Soo Ah at fault for not warning Sae Roy for her own gain and even had an idea to call police herself; then proceeded to stay nearby and watch police coming. So all four of them played part in Sae Roy’s pub being suspended. It’s useless to put blame on one, ignoring full picture of what happened. They all equally should be blamed for they part they played.
panshel
February 20, 2020 at 6:05 PM
Nobody would be in this situation if not for Yi-seo and Geun-soo. Not Seung-kwon, not Soo-ah, and certainly not Sae-ro-yi. Yi-seo and Geun-soo made a conscious decision to drink underage. They were even turned away from their first bar, but did that stop them? They just tried their luck at another bar, which happened to be desperate for customers. You can excuse them by saying "everyone does it," but if everyone jumped off a bridge, would you jump off the bridge too?
Oink
June 21, 2020 at 12:19 PM
Yi seo doesnt even really know park saeroyi when she went into the pub. She doesnt owe him any loyalty. While so ah has been his friend for 10 years yet didnt inform him of the underage drinking and also contemplated on calling the cops on him. That's a shitty friend no matter which way u twist it. She should have called him to tell him. Or better yet go in there and tell the workers that they are underage and shouldnt be there. That's what a good friend would do.
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amruta1009
February 19, 2020 at 11:43 PM
Hell I would even go as far as to say in some ways they are both similar. Anyway that aside I loved this episode and loved the twist. Sae Ro Yi had really planned for it all. I knew the bullied kid was going to come into play soon but was surprised at how. Most importantly this episode introduced Kim Toni.
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Martin J Simwaba
February 20, 2020 at 12:56 AM
I was shocked, and It was so fun how he responded in Korean and insisted that he was Korean.
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KSKalways
February 20, 2020 at 7:11 AM
him insisting that he is Korean also highlights very real and important identity issues for Black Asians, where they don't fit in with their Asian peers because they are visibly black and yet are too "Asian" to fit in the broad strokes of Black culture.
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candilane
February 20, 2020 at 8:01 AM
I can agree, Yi Seo and Soo Ah share many similarities, almost like a flip side of a coin but I cannot help my sneaky suspension that Soo Ah also may be a sociopath but un-diagnosed
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windsun33
February 21, 2020 at 11:46 AM
I tend to agree about Soo-Ah. She is fixated to the point of obsession, I think even more so than Yi-seo. She is willing to give up friends/loves to follow that obsession.
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Kwan
February 20, 2020 at 1:26 PM
I think they are both sociopaths.
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amruta1009
February 20, 2020 at 6:13 PM
Sigh this argument is going around in circles.
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mugyuljoie is preciousss
February 20, 2020 at 8:40 PM
I wouldn't want to hang out with either one of them, but I'm interested in seeing if/how they change.
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windsun33
February 21, 2020 at 11:47 AM
I would hang out with Yi-seo anytime :)
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14 Martin J Simwaba
February 20, 2020 at 12:52 AM
I like how Yi seo brought to light the fact that Soo ah was not the one who reported Danbam but someone who hates her to Sae Ro-you. It shows that that 21% can work miracles in the long run.
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15 Rose
February 20, 2020 at 1:11 AM
Apart from So-ah being ish, the only thing irretating with this show is that it's on for two days only, I don't want to wait for next episode! :(
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16 Nafson
February 20, 2020 at 1:34 AM
I am still convinced that soo-ah is vindictive bitch but that Kim tony's accent is very good
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windsun33
February 21, 2020 at 11:50 AM
Not sure I would call Soo-Ah vindictive. Obsessed with getting what she thinks she needs to be happy for sure, to he point where she might be more of a sociopath than Yi-seo. I am beginning to think that she might end up going down a very dark rabbit hole.
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17 favesss
February 20, 2020 at 2:11 AM
I get that yall like yi seo, I do too, she's pretty great, and I know yall aren't used to seeing a strong female character in kdramas so yall losing minds your minds over here, but you gotta see that yi seo and soo ah are really the same, they just have different goals. When you watch dramas/movies learn to differentiate between dynamic characters and one dimensional characters. A lot of people see her as a one dimensional character but she is definitely more of a dynamic character, i like her, she brings a sense of reality into the drama, i think we're so used to seeing characters that are so morally good that we forget there are people that struggle in real life with being truly and morally good. I'm looking forward to see how they shape her character. And girl that catfight was on both sides started by yiseo, damn the bias real here tho.
"The implication is clear – he thinks Soo-ah is responsible, and she’s visibly stung as he breezes past her with Yi-seo."
Girl he did not think soo ah was responsible, he knows she wasn't, he was acting that way because of what geun won said at the tv station-that soo ah was having a hard time at work because of him- so when he saw her, he tried to act distant as to make it easier on her/job. But later yi seo told him about the incident and he went back to soo ah saying why you trying to make me hate you? and blah blah.. anyhoo yall gotta remove these yiseo tinted glasses yall watching with and understand the underlaying sentences, scenes and emotions we're watching.
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windsun33
February 21, 2020 at 11:56 AM
I don't totally agree that they are the same. Yi-seo seems to have at least some ethics and principles, Soo-Ah not so much.
I think a lot of the pro Yi-seo feelings here is that her role is so totally rare in kdramas, and it is refreshing to see it. In 99% of other dramas, she would have turned into a totally evil person or a total candy by now that has to be saved by the hero.
I would also point out that this is the ONLY kdrama I have ever seen (out of some 500+) where a younger person slapped an older one (well deserved I might add).
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laisfrede
February 22, 2020 at 1:35 PM
I'm very much used to see a lot of stronger female character in kdrama. At least maybe we have different meaning of what a strong character is.
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amruta1009
February 22, 2020 at 1:44 PM
What makes a 'strong female character'? There isn't just a few ways to be strong but people have this idea in their head... You know what I won't elaborate cause I am not sure I can explain.
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18 GustavHaviwwer
February 20, 2020 at 2:35 AM
When I heard that he own 1.9 billion won I was first like “so much for an alleged male-candy” lol But gender swap game is still there though))
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19 server
February 20, 2020 at 3:10 AM
With regular bunch of lawyers, doctors, white collars and royals lining up in the next few months, it’s nice to have a groups of korean social rejects working in pub each week coming up on my screen with their crazy behavior in so-called “cliche” problems. At least this show is truly entertaining with their characters, story and situations, warped up in a nice atmosphere and all-around strong acting. Also has a truly interesting to talk about female characters with a truly nice male lead. Thanks Itaewon Class for deciding to grace my screen with your presence.
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windsun33
February 21, 2020 at 11:57 AM
This show has every character type that you never or very seldom see in most dramas.
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20 laladaisical
February 20, 2020 at 3:47 AM
There is a really interesting post on IC’s thread over on Soompi. It touches on how anti-establishment IC is from a Korean perspective, but it also gives an interesting reading of Soo-ah that I think is getting lost (from choilicious):
“Soo-ah is the anti-PSRY. She actually has the most likely background, as an orphan, to rebel against the society. Orphans are not treated very well in Korean society as family means a great deal, even when it comes to getting a job. Which is why you should give this character a little slack on why she holds on to Jangga. Jangga accepts her for who she is (even as a wife material), and you really should not underestimate how important that is to an orphan like SA in Korea. Which is why she follows the society norms and does the bidding of the company, even if it means it may hurt someone as close as her family.“
This puts her actions into context for me, and adds to her complexity. We tend to think in binary, oppositional terms (good vs. evil, YS vs. SA) but really, SA is illustrating the nuances of living as an outsider facing in in Korean society. Can’t blame her.
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candilane
February 20, 2020 at 4:53 AM
I cannot defend Soo Ah, there are other choices. How about stop spying on a small pub and continue to make Jangga the best. Remember what Sae Roi said its about choices, that one time just might change your life. To me, Soo Ah is the real potential sociopath ( what did she say to Sae Roi, I ve never felt sorry for you, not once). This is highlighted when the kind girl offered Soo Ah food and milk because she felt sorry for her. Soo Ah could have turned her down but she accepted it with a smile then proceeded to attack behind her back by throwing her things in a toilet. When told that she missed her chance to repent, Soo Ah said she didnt need it. hmmm then there was also the initial scene with her knocking down and old man and not sorry at all about it. I get people empathize with Soo Ah but I don't personally. I think she makes bad choices, even if you are an orphan and Korean society is harsh, you can still be a decent human being. Soo Ah behavior is inexcusable for me. I don't blame her for taking the Jangga scholarship but other choices like reporting on DanBam, spying on Sae Roi, not warning Sae Roi that there was an underage kid in his (at the time, very sucky bar), this isn't cool. As the CEO said, Soo Ah is quick witted and sharp so I dont think he would have fired her and she could continue to prove that she was his person by making Jangga shine. Soo Ah seems more like a sociopath in some ways than Yi Seo does to be honest.
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Beverly
February 20, 2020 at 5:34 AM
That beggar scene bugged me. But I was upset with Sae-ro-yi telling her to apologize. Yes he was an older gentleman but he physically grabbed a young girl. I dont care old or young I dont want any stranger grabbing me like that, it honestly would scare me.
And, yes, I know that is not the reason she shook him off. I wonder if the writer is a man and wasnt thinking of how that would seem to some female viewers.
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GustavHaviwwer
February 20, 2020 at 5:45 AM
The problem was not her shaking off a hand, but how she did it. And how she reacted later. I would also ask a person who shake off elder and made him fall to apologize. Maybe he is wrong, for grabbing you and I would point that out too, but you’re a healthy and strong youngster, please mind you strength and be a bit more polite, even if he is rude to you. What you would do if he broke something? At that age every trauma is dangerous.
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Beverly
February 20, 2020 at 6:00 AM
So a cultural thing maybe.
I see just a woman, in this case a young one being grabbed, but others see an elder being disrespected. Maybe if they'd aged the man another decade that would of resonated more with me.
Again along gender lines again women often walk into dangerous situations because we dont want to seem rude.
Saying all this I do not think that a homeless person should be treated with disrespect, just keep your hands off.
GustavHaviwwer
February 20, 2020 at 8:56 AM
It’s not cultural thing. It’s the matter of how much respect you’re willing to show other people. He should keep his hands to himself, she should not push around people older and weaker than her. Saying that he is wrong, doesn’t mean, that she is right. There wasn’t any immediate danger for her to push people around herself. People should act appropriately to situation, not just how they pleased and excuse their rudeness. He was super rude, but so was she.
Beverly
February 20, 2020 at 5:25 AM
Also a "good" person can do a bad thing and a "bad" person a good thing.
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21 candilane
February 20, 2020 at 4:39 AM
Okay, my take, I agree with the poster that Yi Seo continues to shine. I was so proud of her when she told Sae Roi the truth that Soo Ah didn't report DanBam (side note: everyone is cheering Soo Ah but she was going to report him and didn't warn him when she heard the other girl call the police, that was pretty shady, I still think she was wrong, I mean if it was my friend, I would have warned them). Although she didn't technically report DanBam, she's not exactly innocent either. Personally. I don't like her or trust her. Plus, she is acting as a spy for Jangga and reporting everything they are doing to the CEO, she even attended a team meeting (on purpose to get info). Soo Ah was able to learn the strengths of the DanBam crew especially Yi Seo, and report back to the CEO. Back to Yi Seo, she wants to win Sae Roi fair and square and I applaud her for that and although I think Sae Roi will choose her in the end, I do think she will have a little heartbreak along the way. Another takeaway, I love how Sae Roi isn't as lonely anymore because he has Yi Seo and you can constantly see them together throughout these last episodes .
Sae Roi is definitely more than I thought when I learned how much money he had from smart investing and how he intended to destroy Jangga. No one saw this coming and I loved it!!!! It also made me think, Did he have something to do with the incident from eight years ago that made the stock prices fall? How did Sae Roi know to invest then and there? OMG, its too good. I was literally screaming when I saw the investor guy was the bullied kid from 8 years ago, talk about sweet revenge. The whole episode was fantastic!! This show only keeps getting better and I am way too addicted to it. One last point, the side character Kang Ming Jung (the other lady at Jangga ), I like how shes keeping her cards close and that even the CEO is unsure if she is trying to usurp his position or not. Remember she liked Sae Roi's father and was disapproving of what happened when he got fired, he was like a mentor to her. I wonder if she helped Sae roi? I cannot wait until episode 7 and 8 airs...
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GustavHaviwwer
February 20, 2020 at 5:40 AM
He saw on the news before heading to Seoul about Jangga scandal. So he acted quick then. So when Oh Soo Ah asked him at Halloween night about the money he already invested them into Jangga, I believe.
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amruta1009
February 20, 2020 at 7:19 AM
I wonder at the definition of fair and square then but whatever.
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22 Kafiyah Bello
February 20, 2020 at 7:26 AM
I love Soo Ah, and I think Kwon Nara is doing an excellent job portraying her. She is far more complex than almost literally everyone else on the show. That makes her interesting, I love interesting characters. Sometimes people are not black or white, they are just gray. The best thing about Soo Ah is her self awareness. She recognizes that she is a weak person. It is why she tells Sae Ro Yi to stop liking her, because she can't stop liking him. If he rejected her, her life would be easier. She wants him to succeed and fail at the same. She wants him to succeed because his father deserved better and she understands that. However she wants him to fail because she has worked hard to get where she is, so that she can have the safety and stability she has wanted all her life. It is hard to be Soo Ah and she is doing the best she can. Fabulous character.
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candilane
February 20, 2020 at 9:05 AM
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candilane
February 20, 2020 at 9:07 AM
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candilane
February 20, 2020 at 9:08 AM
I like this synopsis of Soo Ah character.. I don't like her but I don't hate her, yet. I am cheering for Yi Seo to be Sae Roi's girl in the end and I guess we shall see but this is a good synopsis. I have mentioned previously that I think Soo Ah has sociopath traits too but no one is catching on to that.. Like Yi Seo, she only really cares about Sae Roi and what he thinks. The ladies do share some similarities.. Soo Ah pushed the old man in the beginning and Yi Seo pushed the little girl during the competition but Yi Seo questioned if what she did was okay and her mother told it was. Soo Ah never questioned her actions and just said she doesnt need to repent when doing bad things. very interesting.. this show is 🔥🔥🔥🔥.. I have already had so many interesting conversations.. 😂
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Kafiyah Bello
February 20, 2020 at 9:43 AM
I understand why you would think she has sociopathic tendencies, but I disagree. A homeless old man grabbing your hand can cause an adverse reaction, and can be construed as callous. However her reaction is no more cruel than the people who ignored him or people who think homeless people deserve what is happening to them, which may be her take. Yi Seo( who I also love, by the way) pushed the girl down deliberately to win. That is the difference, deliberately harming someone and indifference to accidentally harming someone who touched you without permission. Was it rude? Yes, was it sociopathic? No.
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candilane
February 20, 2020 at 10:00 AM
Thats true but remember what she did to the girl in the classroom who offered her food and drink. Although the action may be deemed condescending I do think her classmates heart was in the right place, she wasnt trying to be mean and Soo Ah could have kindly rejected her but she smiled graciously then preceded to steal her backpack, throw the contents in the toilet and then refused to admit she did it and then said she doesnt need to repent. Yeah, I think there is a 50% chance she might be a sociopath too. I guess we will see though..
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Kafiyah Bello
February 20, 2020 at 12:25 PM
I actually forgot about that, however I still believe she did that because she didn't want to be pitied. That was a reaction to being pitied, rather than doing it just to be cruel. She didn't need the reminder that she was an orphan, but that is what that girl was inadvertently doing. She only threw her backpack away after she heard the girl say she felt bad for her. Anywho, lol, we will have to agree to disagree.
Kwan
February 20, 2020 at 1:37 PM
Absolutely, both Soo A and Yi So are sociopaths. Poor Sae Ro Yi, if that's the only kind of women he can attract.
Beverly
February 20, 2020 at 9:33 AM
I think too that she believes that he can achieve his goal. That he could be a threat to Janga. There is a comment he makes, I cant remember exactly when or what, and he backtracks it when he sees her expression. Soo ah then tells him that she knows he doesnt say things he doesnt mean.
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23 eternalpnk
February 20, 2020 at 9:21 AM
Wow. What else has SaeRoYi been up to for the last 10 years?
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24 theTINYL
February 20, 2020 at 10:54 AM
I think this is the first time in my limited kdrama experience that I'm not rooting for either love line - and it's not even because I don't like the leads.
I think Soo-ah and Yi-seo are motivated by the same thing: they're looking out for number 1 = themselves. Soo-ah is doing what she feels she needs to do to make herself feel accomplished, successful, etc in her own eyes. Yi-seo is also doing what she feels is the most right for her. Obviously, they aren't perfect paragons of human kindness and compassion, but that's what makes them so interesting. They're in it to win it, and the rest be damned if they get in the way - Sae-ro-yi included (especially in Soo-ah's case).
I feel like there's a lot of potential growth in these women's futures, some of which may be instigated and fostered by Sae-ro-yi, but ultimately... I don't even know that either of them need to or should end up with him. I'd be totally content if all three went their separate ways - having gone through solid character arcs that have left them forever changed from where they began.
I am really digging Sae-ro-yi though. As much as I'm enjoying all the supporting characters, he's definitely shining brightest.
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Beverly
February 20, 2020 at 3:16 PM
I love a loveline, but at the moment I'm not 100% for or against either woman. I might lean more towards Soo ah because that is where Sae-ro-yi's heart is for the moment. But if/when that changes that is ok.
Also, I'm here for both women to have a strong arc. Its interesting because I think I can be too hard on female characters but with both of them I'm just really interested in where they will go.
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mugyuljoie is preciousss
February 20, 2020 at 8:47 PM
Me too.
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bong-soo
February 22, 2020 at 8:02 AM
Back in the A POEM A DAY days (which had a serious shipping war and the only one I have ever been involved with, lol) there existed for the unaligned an "Island of Neutrality".
I have also seen ION references with REPLY 1988.
I got thinking of this when I read @turtuallysarcastic's comment in this week's WWW:
Time to reopen the Island of Neutrality.
The romantic angle is not a big deal for me. If anything in that area I am more worried about second son Guen-soo.
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Beverly
February 22, 2020 at 8:11 AM
I got a little scared for Guen-soo in ep 7.
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amruta1009
February 22, 2020 at 9:01 AM
Right? He deserves better, way better.
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bong-soo
February 22, 2020 at 11:36 AM
Oh no! I haven’t seen episode 7 yet.
My concern for Guen-soo mentioned above is that (based on what I have observed so far) his romantic feelings for Yi-seo are unrequited.
I don’t like the way she treats him. At his age and with his family situation he doesn’t need someone as complicated as YS.
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25 Fiona
February 20, 2020 at 3:05 PM
I hope that Danbam makes it big!
And also that Geun-won ends up alone... (or in an unhappy arranged marriage) he doesn't have redemption or any wittiness in him so far.
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26 JiaYou
February 20, 2020 at 7:08 PM
The plot is moving fast already. I'm afraid of what will happen in the later episodes. Like majority, I still don't like either of the female leads but it's good that their characters have so much more to offer cause they aren't the one-dimensional FLs we always see.
Park Sae Ro-yi and Danbam team, hwaiting!
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27 windsun33
February 21, 2020 at 11:12 AM
There are so many things to like about this show I cannot begin to list them all, but some of the main ones are that the characters don't walk around talking to themselves, there seems to be an almost total lack of loose ends and logic fails, and the sub plots are not filled up with useless characters that nobody cares about. Kudos to the writer.
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28 bong-soo
February 21, 2020 at 2:19 PM
If the food situation at Danbam ever gets straightened out and there becomes a request for delivery I would love to see Kang-soo (Go Kyung-pyo, now available) from STRONGEST DELIVERYMAN get the delivery contract. Kang-soo and Sae-ro-yi would be great together.
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29 blissfulennaira
February 24, 2020 at 3:46 AM
What a smart move! I didn't expect stocks would play out in this drama.lol
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30 Mehgann
February 24, 2020 at 9:42 AM
Soo-ah is the worst. The arrogance of thinking you can do whatever you want to someone just because he likes you is the thing that makes me crazy with her. Yi-seo is on a similar path with her little puppy dog, but the difference is that she seems to be learning (and responding) to what she sees from Soo-ah and realizing that it may not be what's best. I don't want to get too spoiler-y (but if you haven't watched 7-8 yet, stop reading here), but her apology to him and straightforward declaration of her true feelings are the evidence of this. We STILL don't really know where Soo-ah stands, and she's had a lot more time and many more reasons to be honest.
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Mehgann
February 24, 2020 at 9:43 AM
Up to now, our sympathy toward Yi-seo has been largely based on the fact that we know her internal monologue, so I'll cut Soo-ah some slack on that account, but it's no longer only internal, and my pendulum is swinging toward Yi-seo hardcore.
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31 Adib Razin
March 25, 2020 at 9:51 AM
I don't understand about the money that saeroyi invest can you explain ?
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