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Itaewon Class: Episode 12

If heartbreak didn’t already feel like one of life’s greatest challenges, the Danbam crew get hit with a few more just to make it interesting. Meanwhile, the competition for “The Best Pub” rolls into the final round and President Jang lays down an ultimatum that drives Geun-soo to desperation and a decision that will decide whether or not he’s cut out to be a “Jang Ga person.”

  
EPISODE 12 RECAP

After a painful rejection from Sae-ro-yi, Yi-seo returns to Danbam to drink her sorrow away. She’s discovered by Hyun-yi, who ignores Yi-seo’s weak plea to be left alone. Hyun-yi gently muses this is the first time she’s seen Yi-seo cry and guesses she got rejected. Yi-seo grumbles it was expected and Hyun-yi agrees Sae-ro-yi would have a lot of excuses – age, work, Geun-soo – and asks if Yi-seo plans to give up.

Over at Jang Ga HQ, President Jang is furious Soo-ah and Geun-soo failed a second time to beat Danbam in “The Best Pub” cooking challenge. Soo-ah gives no excuses and President Jang growls that he can’t fire her over it, but if they lose the final round, he’ll fire their chef. Rounding on Geun-soo, he warns if that happens, Geun-soo is out as successor. Considering this, Geun-soo demands full authority over show since the results decide his fate.

President Jang questions whether his abilities would surpass Soo-ah, but Geun-soo says that at least this way he won’t have regrets. President Jang grants Geun-soo authority and dismisses them. In the hall, Geun-soo apologizes for not consulting Soo-ah beforehand but she lets it go since he’s volunteered to take responsibility. She admits she pities him, thinking the conversation between him and his father lacks all familial warmth. Soo-ah notes he’s changed from the person he was at Danbam.

Business is booming for Danbam as a line of patrons snakes down the street. Sae-ro-yi notices they’re out of soju and tells Seung-kwon to borrow some from next door. Before he can, more customers arrive, and Seung-kwon bustles off to attend them while Sae-ro-yi sighs and thinks back to the morning… when Yi-seo had requested a break from work. She’d denied it was because of his rejection, assuring him she can separate personal and business matters.

Yi-seo says she just needs time to clear her head and Sae-ro-yi cuts off further explanation by granting her a vacation. Snapping back to the present, Sae-ro-yi returns to work while Yi-seo sits despondently on a park swing, replaying his rejection. She pouts that she misses him and we see that the break was actually Hyun-yi’s suggestion. She’d thought both Yi-seo and Sae-ro-yi could use time to think but Yi-seo sighs that she should return to work soon.

Geun-won calls President Jang from jail, admitting he was unsure whether he should despite being President Jang’s son. He’d thought President Jang had no other but to throw him away, but that he’d at least be heartbroken. President Jang asks him to get to the point and a tear rolls down Geun-won’s face as he asks why. “It’s all for Jang Ga’s sake,” President Jang replies and hangs up on his son.

Geun-soo reports to President Jang and wonders why President Jang seems unconcerned despite Danbam’s massive investment offers and plans to franchise. Meanwhile, the Danbam crew is prepping for the investors’ meeting at the new Itaewon Class HQ when Ho-jin bursts into the room looking panicked. He and Sae-ro-yi rush over to the offices of their primary investor, CEO Do, only to find them cleared out with a “for lease” sign on the door.

CEO Do isn’t answering his phone but no sooner does Sae-ro-yi say they have other investors than his phone blows up with text messages. Yi-seo is on her way to catch a flight for her vacation when she receives the same flurry of messages, all withdrawing their investments in Danbam. Sae-ro-yi and Ho-jin explain the situation to the rest of the team and Seung-kwon fumes that they’ve already sank 500 million won (over 400,000 dollars) into a new office and staff.

Ho-jin doesn’t understand why they didn’t wait to receive the investment before spending money and Sae-ro-yi drowns out Seung-kwon’s accusation of Yi-seo to say it was his choice. Tony is confused why this happened and Ho-jin glowers that a malicious attack like this has someone’s fingerprints all over it. Meanwhile, President Jang welcomes CEO Do to his office.

On the bus home, Yi-seo tries in vain to contact the lost investors as she’s overwhelmed with guilt for pushing the investment root and failing to live up to Sae-ro-yi’s trust in her. Meanwhile, Soo-ah arrives at IC’s HQ with an opening gift-plant to find an angry mob demanding Sae-ro-yi present Yi-seo to answer for their losses. Sae-ro-yi sees Soo-ah and she looks ashamed as his eyes fall on the plant. A cheerful ribbon reads: “From Chairman Jang Dae-hee. Know your place and be satisfied with what you have.” Ouch.

Geun-soo realizes President Jang planned this from the beginning (duh). President Jang chuckles that Danbam has now lost people’s trust so future investments will be difficult. Geun-soo is appalled President Jang would go so far but President Jang says that while crushing Sae-ro-yi would be incentive enough, his actual goal was to control JM Holdings by showing how petty he could be.

President Jang wonders whether Geun-soo still considers Sae-ro-yi strong and Geun-soo admits President Jang is impressive. However, he thinks if Sae-ro-yi was this easy to destroy, there’d be no reason to be bothered by him and President Jang’s expression sours. Over at Danbam, Sae-ro-yi has had enough of the screaming and orders everyone to stop. Silence lasts for a beat and then starts up again as the enraged investors blame Sae-ro-yi for their misfortune.

Sae-ro-yi points out he’s done nothing wrong and no one has gone bankrupt so there’s no reason to abuse his employees. The mob cries that they put their trust in this investment and Sae-ro-yi points out they didn’t sign based on the article of CEO Do’s hefty investment, but after they’d come and tasted Danbam’s food. He shouts that nothing has changed but welcomes them to withdraw their investments instead of causing trouble.

The loudest of the mob demand if he can afford to do that and Sae-ro-yi declares he can. He says there needs to be trust in business and won’t take their money or trust for granted. Sae-ro-yi vows to accomplish all he’d promised. Soo-ah avoids his gaze as he brushes past her. She chases after him, questioning how he’ll follow through. Sae-ro-yi replies that he’ll take out a mortgage on the building.

Soo-ah asks him to stop, instead. Sae-ro-yi assures her he’s fine, but Soo-ah says she’s not. “Do you know how I felt when I had to bring that plant over here from President Jang?” she asks, wondering how long she’ll be forced to hurt him. Soo-ah reminds Sae-ro-yi he let her define their relationship and asks him to forget his revenge and resentment and come to her. Crying, she begs him to be happy but before Sae-ro-yi can answer, his phone rings.

It’s Yi-seo and she apologizes for pushing the investment. Sae-ro-yi cuts her off, saying the final decision was his and not to be hard on herself. “You told me I’m worth betting your life on,” he reminds her, “So I want you to trust me.” Locking eyes with Soo-ah, Sae-ro-yi tells them both this isn’t enough to destroy him. He continues, “This doesn’t bother me at all. What bothered me was when my dad got fired just because I stuck to my principles.”

Soo-ah tries to interject, but he says that he collapsed when Dad died and the truth was covered up but the reason he got back up and continues to fight is because he wants revenge. “And before I achieve that,” he says firmly, “I will never be happy.” He vows to never give up until he destroys Jang Ga and Soo-ah collapses into tears. Sae-ro-yi hangs up and apologizes to Soo-ah.

Loan Shark Granny tsks at the investment withdrawal headlines and tells Tony “Chestnut” is in trouble. Tony confidently says Sae-ro-yi told them everything is okay, so it is. At IC HQ, Ho-jin gives Sae-ro-yi a list of investors interested in the food industry and Sae-ro-yi mutters it’s a long list to visit everyone personally. Yi-seo arrives and he sighs that she’s supposed to be resting. Yi-seo concedes that Sae-ro-yi is the boss, but she’s the manager and she felt so ashamed, it was hard to brazenly return.

She asks that if he still considers her a manager to let her regain his trust. Ho-jin agrees that it’s silly to refuse help from such a smart manager and hands her a copy of the list. Ho-jin has highlighted names most likely to invest and Sae-ro-yi pauses when he sees the name KIM SOON-RYE. Ho-jin explains that she’s retired and owns a ton of real estate, but sometimes invests a lot of money in startup companies.

The woman in question stalks up to President Jang’s office and when he greets her we see that it’s Loan Shark Granny! She tells President Jang that he’s aged and recalls the days when he slaved away for Jang Ga, admitting she as impressed by him then. President Jang picks up on her disapproving tone and Soon-rye tells him there’s a kid that reminds her a lot of a young President Jang – Park Sae-ro-yi.

She wonders why President Jang is bullying a kid at his age and President Jang growls that he made Geun-won go to jail. Soon-rye barks that Geun-won is paying for his crimes and President Jang darkly reminds her he’s not a child anymore. She laughs and says she’s indebted to Sae-ro-yi and would like him to stop messing with him. President Jang spits that it depends on Sae-ro-yi’s behavior and Soon-rye questions why he’s so bothered by Sae-ro-yi.

“At first, I just wanted to teach him a lesson,” President Jang answers, “But now, my goal is to get him on his knees.” He calls it his last purpose in life and Soon-rye calls him crazy. Downstairs, Geun-soo notices Soo-ah seems preoccupied and she shoves her resignation letter into a desk drawer before he can see it. He guesses it’s due to the investment withdrawal and admits he’s amazed at President Jang’s scheme.

Soo-ah rounds on him for being impressed by someone ruining others’ lives. Geun-soo sees the framed selfie Soo-ah took with Sae-ro-yi the Halloween before he left for deep-sea fishing and snaps that Sae-ro-yi would do the same if given the opportunity. “My dad and Sae-ro-yi are the both the same,” Geun-soo continues, “They don’t care about how others feel. They only care about their goals.” He adds he’d thought Soo-ah would be that way too.

Danbam has closed for a week and Sae-ro-yi orders Hyun-yi to focus on the final round of “The Best Pub” with Seung-kwon’s help while he and Yi-seo track down investors. Seung-kwon curses CEO Do but Yi-seo admits she’s the one at fault. Sae-ro-yi starts to chide her but Yi-seo says she’s confident that the four of them will overcome this. Seung-kwon and Hyun-yi agree and all four smile.

Afterwards, Sae-ro-yi thanks Yi-seo and asks if she’s sorted everything out. “About what?” she wonders, “About how I like you?” Yi-seo tells him she likes him too much for words and liking him is the reason she works here instead of going to college. She doesn’t mind that his feelings aren’t the same and agrees with his statement that feelings aren’t give or take. Yi-seo declares she likes him anyway and orders him not to tell her what to do with her feelings.

Yi-seo adds that he can fire her for her feelings and when Sae-ro-yi doesn’t reply, she asks if he really means to fire her. Sae-ro-yi instantly denies it, admitting he can’t imagine Danbam without her. Yi-seo accuses him of being selfish but smiles that she’s satisfied with this for now. The following morning, Sae-ro-yi is at IC HQ with Ho-jin when Yi-seo calls to demand he return to Danbam immediately.

Min-jung pulls up and tsks at Yi-seo for using her has a chauffeur. Yi-seo thanks her and then politely greets Soon-rye sitting in the backseat. Pulling out chairs for them, she assures the women Sae-ro-yi is on his way. Min-jung asks how Yi-seo knew she was close with Soon-rye and Yi-seo whispers Ho-jin told her Soon-rye was Jang Ga’s first investor. Sae-ro-yi arrives and greets the women, cheerfully telling Soon-rye he’s heard she’s a business mogul.

Soon-rye tuts that she heard all the investors withdrew and Yi-seo pouts that it’s been hard, especially with Tony taking time off. Sae-ro-yi remains silent and Soon-rye questions why he won’t ask for her help despite knowing she’s rich and indebted to him. Finally, Sae-ro-yi says he doesn’t want to use Tony as leverage. “Wildcat, he must give you a hard time,” Soon-rye says to Yi-seo. Taking the nickname as a comment on her behavior, Yi-seo says she’s only rough with Soon-rye because she views her as her own grandmother.

Sae-ro-yi repeats that Soon-rye doesn’t need to invest and Soon-rye snorts that he’s getting ahead of himself. She says she doesn’t invest in useless things, listing that he has no money, is incompetent, but has a huge dream. Soon-rye accuses him of ignoring his struggling employees to keep his pride. She leaves and Yi-seo chases after her while Min-jung tells Sae-ro-yi that she agrees with Soon-rye.

“You told me you’ll never let anyone mistreat you or your staff,” Min-jung says, “You think you can keep your pride and also have freedom?” She warns him freedom comes at a price and leaves. That evening, Geun-soo sees Yi-seo’s social media account is blocked to him and flashes back to earlier when he’d told Soo-ah that Hyun-yi has been gaining popularity in the competition. He’d thought the show was focused less on taste and more on popularity and then told Soo-ah he had a high card that he didn’t want to use. (Oh no… don’t you dare…)

Sae-ro-yi is outside when Soo-ah leaves work and tries to sneak by but he notices her. He explains he’s in the area looking for investors and asks if she’s avoiding him. Sae-ro-yi apologizes for the other day and Soo-ah accuses him of dumping her. They go to eat and Sae-ro-yi laments that he can’t remember the last time he’d bought barbeque for his employees, sighing that they met the wrong boss. Soo-ah points out they can always work somewhere else.

Thinking of her accusation, Sae-ro-yi asks her to explain how he dumped her. She says he’d placed revenge over being happy with her. Sae-ro-yi doesn’t deny it and Soo-ah understands but wonders if he’ll really be happy after he gets his revenge. Returning to Danbam, Sae-ro-yi finds Seung-kwon and Hyun-yi taking a nap and recalls Soon-rye’s warning that his employees are suffering for his pride.

Seung-kwon wakes up and explains they were preparing for the finals and he needs to hit the market with Hyun-yi in the morning. Sae-ro-yi asks about Yi-seo and learns she’s been searching for investors all day. He calls Tony and asks if he could meet Soon-rye tomorrow, but she’s in Jeju on vacation. Tony’s confused Yi-seo didn’t tell him and when Sae-ro-yi calls Yi-seo he finds she’s already in Jeju.

She asks if he’s mad at her for acting without telling him but Sae-ro-yi just apologizes. When asked when she’s meeting Soon-rye, Yi-seo looks to her left and Soon-rye takes the phone. Soon-hey chides them for making a fuss so late at night. Hehe. Sae-ro-yi requests she invest, promising to make sure she doesn’t experience a loss. Soon-rye grumbles at him for doing this over the phone and Yi-seo snuggles up to her.

Sae-ro-yi tries to backpedal but Soon-rye says that if she invests, it won’t be for Tony. She reminds him she’s a businesswoman and it’s not even about the food or the restaurant – but Sae-ro-yi, his insight and the care he showed for the whole alley. She warns him she hates wasting money and asks what his goal is. Sae-ro-yi answers, “The first place in the country.” Soon-rye likes his spirit but says he needs to prove himself by winning first place on “The Best Pub.”

They agree that she’ll invest if he wins and Soon-rye tells Yi-seo to stay the night and have breakfast before she goes. Yi-seo hugs her and then tells Sae-ro-yi she’ll come back tomorrow evening. He stops her from hanging up and apologizes. Yi-seo tuts that he says that a lot but he apologizes again and thanks her. Yi-seo replies that she loves him and says she’ll see him in his dreams and hangs up giggling while Sae-ro-yi stands there, shook.

Seung-kwon drops Sae-ro-yi and Hyun-yi off at the competition and awkwardly wishes her luck. Inside, Sae-ro-yi tells her they might be able to score an investment from Soon-rye and tells her the condition is winning. Hyun-yi balks and yells at Sae-ro-yi for telling her right before the competition. Sae-ro-yi smiles that he trusts her, cutely telling her “fighting” and running before she can wring his neck. Heh.

Seung-kwon sits in the van and his eyes widen as he sees the headlines buzzing around the competition: Hyun-yi is transgender. Inside, everyone is gossiping about Hyun-yi and Seung-kwon races inside to show them the articles. The whispers around them aren’t nice and Seung-kwon barks at them to watch their tongues. Mortified, Hyun-yi runs out. Meanwhile, Soo-ah confronts Geun-soo about his “high card” and he coldly confirms that he contacted the press yesterday.

If the competition is influenced by Hyun-yi’s popularity, Geun-soo reasons, they need to destroy that popularity. Soo-ah is appalled and says even if he hates Hyun-yi… but Geun-soo says Hyun-yi is one of his only friends. He tells her he did this to win and it’s what people from Jang Ga do. Soo-ah asks what’s going to happen between him and Danbam and Geun-soo declares he’s done with friendship.

Hyun-yi ducks into the bathroom and the women inside sneer that it’s the women’s bathroom. Eventually, Sae-ro-yi finds Hyun-yi and she apologizes for running away. She says she’ll pull herself together and get ready, admitting she knew it would happen someday, and promises to win so they can get the investment. Taking her hand, Sae-ro-yi tells her it’s okay and reminds her she’s the bravest person he knows: “Whatever they say, you’re a brave and pretty girl.”

Hugging her, Sae-ro-yi suggests they go back to Danbam but Hyun-yi doesn’t want to run away. Sae-ro-yi says she didn’t do anything wrong to call it running and adds, “You don’t have to convince others about who you are.” Hyun-yi bursts into tears and Sae-ro-yi holds her closer, assuring her it’s okay. He flashes back to his wish to be able to have the power to protect his people and not pay for his principles. As his face hardens Sae-ro-yi thinks, “I’m burning with anger.”

Geun-soo and Soo-ah find their chef talking with the PD and Geun-soo asks where the Danbam crew are. Their chef reports Hyun-yi ran out after reading the article and confirms that they probably gave up. Sae-ro-yi appears to announce they’re not giving up and approaches the PD while Hyun-yi answers a call from Yi-seo. Hyun-yi guesses Yi-seo saw the articles and tells her Sae-ro-yi said it was okay to run away and she didn’t have anything to prove.

Yi-seo asks about what she thinks while back in the competition room Sae-ro-yi asks whether there’s a rule against him taking Hyun-yi’s place. The PD says that’s fine but Geun-soo warns there’s no way Sae-ro-yi can win against 4 top chefs. Sae-ro-yi points out Geun-soo likes his cooking and then chides him for saying Hyun-yi ran away when she did nothing wrong. He warns Geun-soo to be supportive before he gets upset and walks off.

Tony arrives at the venue and finds Seung-kwon. Worried for Hyun-yi, Tony asks what they should do but Seung-kwon simply says there’s nothing to do – Hyun-yi is the chef, she needs to compete. He says that if you’re born a boy you should live like one, same for girls, that’s just nature. Tony is disgusted but Seung-kwon continues that Hyun-yi defies nature and lives by her own rules. “Don’t worry, and don’t underestimate Hyun-yi,” Seung-kwon says, “That woman is stronger than anyone.”

Hyun-yi storms into the competition room as we hear that Yi-seo telling Hyun-yi she’d read a book of poems that made her think of Hyun-yi: “I’m a rock. Go ahead and sear me. I won’t budge an inch because I’m a rock. Go ahead and beat me up. I’m a solid rock. Go ahead and leave me in darkness. I’m a rock that will shine all alone. I don’t break, ash, or decay as I go against nature’s way.”

Hyun-yi takes her place at her station and uses her mic-check to declare that her name is Hyun-yi, she’s transgender, and she’s here to win. Her team smiles proudly back at her as Geun-soo looks like he’s about to be sick. Yi-seo’s voiceover concludes, “I survive. I’m a diamond.”

  
COMMENTS

Atta girl!! Hyun-yi is a character near and dear to my heart and I’m so glad her story has been spotlighted again. She’s worked hard in every aspect of her life and to have all of that washed away by a narrow-minded article was absolutely infuriating. I’ve never wanted to slap a character in this show as hard as Geun-soo this hour. To say that he still considers her a dear friend after taking complete advantage of her and priming her for a witch hunt was so disgusting and I’m extra proud of Hyun-yi for not shying away.

Sae-ro-yi was right, that it would’ve been okay for her to bow out. She didn’t deserve the backlash and as much as I wanted her to go back in and kick ass… I wouldn’t have thought less of her for not subjecting herself to unnecessary and unwarranted pain. Still, I was crying when she burst into the competition room to Yi-seo’s narration of the poem. I love how the Danbam team rallies around each other and even though Seung-kwon’s cool demeanor shocked Tony, it was because he had no doubt Hyun-yi would rise above the hate. And rise she did.

Alas, sweet puppy Geun-soo has now fully gone to the dark side. One could argue his demeanor at Jang Ga was a misguided attempt to fit in and the crap he pulled with Yi-seo last episode was an emotional outburst… but outing Hyun-yi was neither of those things. If his sole reason for going to Jang Ga was to win Yi-seo – which was a problematic goal from the start and not how love works ever – his actions since have been completely undermining his purpose. Instead of getting the girl, he’s losing the only people that ever genuinely cared for him, while proving that perhaps the apple doesn’t fall so far from the tree.

I have been loving Soo-ah knocking Geun-soo down and reminding him that regardless of his tumultuous relationship with his family, he still got there through nepotism rather than competence. She tried her best to teach him and seemed just as unnerved as Hyun-yi with his change. Sadly, the only words that seemed to reach him were President Jang’s. I find it so odd how he went from idolizing Sae-ro-yi, to looking down on him and I know jealousy can do crazy things to people, but I don’t think it can truly turn a person cruel… and yet here we are.

To the surprise of literally no one, the investment offer was a trap. It’s frustrating because Sae-ro-yi had the right move in mind but Yi-seo has been right with business decisions in the past so I can understand him choosing to trust her confidence. He knows there’s a certain risk in being too cautious… but Yi-seo is still young and impulsive. So as much as it sucked when everything backfired horrifically, there was an important lesson to be learned.

Yi-seo needed to be knocked down a peg and honestly a little chaos was probably good for her relationship with Sae-ro-yi. It gave her a reason to come back early and focus on solving a problem rather than the pain and embarrassment of her rejection. I love how quickly she bounced back and realized that it was okay if he didn’t like her back which was very healthy and mature. On the bright side, Yi-seo can now love Sae-ro-yi openly and Sae-ro-yi doesn’t seem entirely unaffected.

But romance is probably the least interesting thread of this show because the beating heart will always be Sae-ro-yi and the strong relationships he’s built with the people around him. Sometimes the connections are a little on the nose like Loan Shark Granny Soon-rye not only being Tony’s grandmother, but also a crazy rich mogul that helped kick off Jang Ga… but I still love the characters and her affection for Sae-ro-yi and the Danbam crew is so adorable, I’m willing to let the obvious plotlines slide.

Editor’s Note: Please don’t discuss spoilers because we’d hate to delete your comment! This includes anything shown in previews.

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Enjoy this drama because it is so unrealistic like reading a fiction. Anything can happen. Halmoni is like the good witch of the south. Geun Soo has zero integrity, maybe Geun Won can beat him up once out of jail.

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Seriously? When Geun-won has beaten Geun-soo up all his life since he was a child?

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...Did you...just wish violence upon someone? Geun Soo has been a terrible d*** these past few episodes, but did you forget that Geun Won literally killed someone?

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Not sure what your intentions were, but I didn't read it like the two commenters above me. It didn't seem like you were wishing violence on a character nor did it seem like you think violence is a great thing. It just seemed like an offhand reference to how the older brother often beat up the younger brother, and that geun-soo is behaving like a jerk. Then again, maybe you truly truly want a character to be beaten by his childhood tormentor for real. 🤷‍♀️

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Funny how some of you literally think I wish violence. What mean by beating up is in Business, I think Geun Won should reclaim his heir position if he smarten up. JangGa will fail eventually but at least in the hands of GW not GS but seriously idc, it’s doomed for failure is my prediction.

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I will never understand how people can so easily forgive Geun-won who has been a POS since day one and literally killed a person, yet cancel Geun-soo overnight. Did people forget Yi-seo outed Hyun-yi too? Yi-seo to Sae-ro-yi: "Did you know Hyun-yi was transgender?" (Episode 5)

You want Geun-won to reclaim his heir position because Geun-soo is a bastard son and therefore not the rightful heir? Geun-won is a proven imbecile who has never worked a day in his life; it is impossible for him to smarten up. At least Geun-soo has worked hard to put a roof over his head and food on his table ever since he ran away from his abusive family. Jangga is too big to fail; chaebols never go under.

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GS has outed HY in a very humiliating way. All the three Jangs are bastard. This drama is entirely fictional. I don’t think any one should apply our usual moral standards on these cartoon characters. Not need to forgive because the writer is easily forgettable. Chill.

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I don’t WANT GW to reclaim his heir position but he should based on the flow of the storyline. I am only a drama watcher so please don’t get too personal on my specific preference. I don’t fantasize bastards.

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From what I recall, Yiseo technically didn't out Hyun-yi in that episode, Saeroyi already knew when they worked together at the factory. Just putting that out there

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And what if Sae-ro-yi didn't know? This is the same as asking, "Did you know so-and-so was gay?" "No, I didn't know that. He's gay?"

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Actually Yi Seo already knew that park Sae Roy yi knew. Remember at the club, they asked Hyun Yi if the boss knew and she said yes. So she didnt out her.

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Agree. Geun Soo is the only one who out Hyun Yi. Outing HY to the public media is the worst of all.

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With the way Geun-won cried while talking to his father, i think he might resort to desperate drastic actions while in prison. His personality suggests that he depended on his father's approval for a long time. For him now, there's no tomorrow.

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Geun Soo lost me. This was messed up on so many levels, I don't even know what to say.

As for Soo Ah, I was so proud of her. She has a core morality that is unshakeable. She may work for a corrupt boss, but she wants to work with integrity. She also took PSR's rejection pretty well.

Also Hyun Yi coming out like a boss a#$ B#$%^ and letting people know, was fabulous, unrealistic, but speaking truth to power. I was like a proud momma cheering for her.

As for Seo Yi, there wasn't much of her, but I am hoping for some small growth from her.

PSR is also unclenching, which he needs to do, so this was a nice episode all around.

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What do you like about Soo Ah? She was beyond redemption for me in this episode. The nerve of her bringing that plant to Sae-royi! She should have thrown in out on the street if she cares so much about him.

And it was so selfish of her to ask Sae-royi to forget about his revenge and come to her. She deserves that rejection through and through!

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Honestly I came here expecting people to berate Soo-Ah and hate her for asking him to stop his revenge and wasn't disappointed.
Soo Ah has a point. No matter how much you want to deny it, the revenge is literally killing PSRY slowly. He works himself to the point of fainting from exhaustion, regularly can not sleep, and is constantly consumed by anger and thoughts of revenge. All this WILL lead to serious health consequences down the line. Yet PSRY is more than willing to destroy himself to bring down Jangga. At what point does the price of revenge becomes excessive then if you are cursing Soo-Ah for simply asking him to stop OUT OF CONCERNS for him? I'm not saying he should stop, but there's a fine line between working for the revenge and being obsessed with it, and PSRY is way too deep into the obsessive side now.
Ironically, this is not what his dad would have wanted either. The best way to honor his dad, imo, would have been to build Danbam up to a conglomerate using his "People First" philosophy. He should go all in for that. But he's simultaneously trying to do that and challenging Jangga's power recklessly.

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This is what i see exactly. She brings up about herself with hope PSR would at least think about her feeling. This is why I think PSR doesn't deserve her. What guy would choose revenge over a loved ones really. I guess people just hate her bcos of her position being the love rival to yi seo.

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Really? If she was so concern about him why didn't she quitted her job first? If she quit and ask him to stop and come to her than I would have understood her and thought that she actually cares about him but no she is basically saying, please stop all this and come to me and be happy because I can't be anymore harsh to you and can't leave my job either. Don't make me feel anymore guilty. If you don't stop doing all this than I need to be a bad and coward all the time. She really made it about herself. And saeroyi don't deserves her? Yes, he chooses his revenge over love but did so aah choose her love over her "career". he never asks her to quit even if she was working with his enemy. He has always understood her. He asks her to choose herself not the sides. How can she ask him to choose her over his revenge, actually not just revenge but justices to his father and his friend? This is not about him; he never cares if people actually harm him. But he cares about people he loves. He wants to be happy but will he be happy without accomplish his revenge? He may be obsessing with his revenge but he is not hurting people around him because of that knowingly. He has not become blind by it. He can see his people. This revenge didn’t destroy him but raise him up. Whatever he is today is because of his motivation to get his revenge. She knew how much this revenge meant to him more than anyone else still she asks him to choose her but she can't choose him over her job?! Actually he really doesn’t deserve her. He deserves the girl who will love him, support him and understand him like he does and make him happy and his night sweet.

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"The best way to honor his dad, imo, would have been to build Danbam up to a conglomerate using his "People First" philosophy."

He IS doing that. Helping with Tony's visa. Supporting Hyun-yi. Giving Seung-kwon an honest living. What would be obsessive revenge is killing the Jang family. But Soo Ah wants him to throw this dream and his idea of freedom away? To come to her??? While she continues to work for Jangga???

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I said he is not only doing that, he's also trying to simultaneously destroy Jangga. For example, investing all that money into Jangga stocks, when it could have been used to help build up his business. In fact, that investment ended up hurting his business greatly when Dae Hee retaliated by buying out his rent, forcing him SPEND MONEY to buy a new building at a spot with less customers. That's just the most obvious example of how his revenge has actually harmed his business greatly.

And wait, where tf did Soo Ah asked him to throw his idea of freedom away??? Also, Soo Ah simply asked him to give up on revenge, not on building up Danbam?? Stop putting words into her mouth simply because you hate her.

Finally, she only mentioned herself after her mentioning of his health didn't stop him; she did it to try to make him reconsider that revenge is destroying him. I don't get why this is so hard for you to get. It's not worth it if the revenge ends up killing him???? He's not going to find happiness at the end of his revenge either, so he needs to take a step back right now.

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@shichybot, I like Soo Ah because she is fallible. Was it messed up she brought the plant, absolutely. It is why she felt shame about it. As for asking him to quit, she was asking both for her sake and his sake. She knows the type of person he is, unchanging. However, afterwards she took his rejection with grace and went to eat with him. She also knew Hyun Yi was trans and literally never thought to out her. As of yet, she hasn't done anything except her job this whole time. All the bad things were done by the Chairmsn, Geun Soo, and Geun Woo. I like that she isn't a candy and has gray to her. People keep saying she should quit, but quit and go where. It is difficult to quit your job and go elsewhere. Also I find it odd no one is angry at Kang Min Jung who also still works at the company and knew his dad invented the signature dish, but didn't tell PSR until years later. Soo Ah shouldn't have to uproot her whole life for a man. There are thousands of employees that work for Jangga and she is allowed to be one of them. If the Chairman is removed, she won't follow him, she will work with the new management. The fact that she works directly with the chairman is part of her job, but not the only part of her job. This was long, 😅😅, but I hope this helps you understand why I like her.

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Before we get to anything, I want to stress this. In «Itaewon Class» there is only one evil: the chaebols (채볼, the multigenerational big corporations), represented by President Jang, all the rest are their benefactors, or their slaves. Soo-ah and Yi-seo are two of those beings living under a chaebol (Jang Ga)'s umbrella, and at the scene Soo-ah asking Seo-ro-yi to give up, as Yi-seo phoning in, essential for us to understand the whole drama. As a result, I won't say, as my commentators said on top of me, especially @shichybot, about "She was beyond redemption for me in this episode."

Think about that: those chaebols combine represent 40% of South Korea whole GDP, the largest one, Samsung, represent 29%, which doesn't only make cellphones (and that's why I won't use one of theirs: I am an old style Blackberry user), but also involve food processing, textiles, insurance, securities, construction, and retail. Seo-ro-yi is fighting a chaebol just like Samsung (although it may not be that large)! Therefore, Soo-ah's plead is not evil, she is the one make sense, in terms of common Koreans!

This scene actually shows a lot of things about Seo-ro-yi and the path he chooses. Both Soo-ah and Yi-seo love him, and they care about him in their own way. It's just for Seo-ro-yi, Soo-ah's doesn't work for him. Soo-ah is an orphan, and she dare not to go a path no one had tried and succeed (That's why Seo-ro-yi's love declaration to her is "I will make you jobless", and thus she always has a resignation letter in her drawer: she is waiting for that for so long--jobless, means that she will comfortably staying at home, being a mom of many children, a very traditional "happiness"). However, Seo-ro-yi chooses Yi-seo's way, there may be failure, there may be hardship, like they have just experienced, but this will be more purposeful, and really settle his debt to his father.

Therefore, Soo-ah has no redemption to make, at all here.

On the other hand, I guess Yi-seo's failure in both her business and her love life is good for her. She is, beginning in Ep.4, way too confident about her success. She think it is a certain thing. Her blow beginning from the end of Ep.11 is a good lesson for her, and she takes it gracefully, as shown in this apologetic phone call. The poem she read to Hyun-yi in the end of this episode is in fact her conclusion of her life as well: just beat me hard, and I will be stronger: “I survive. I’m a diamond.” This is such a glorious finish!!

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WTF is your interpretation of Soo-Ah??? She wants to be a stay-at-home mom with children lmao?? Okam's razor applies here, she has that resignation letter simply because she's being affected of how much hurt Geun-Soo and his dad is afflicting on Danbam, not some BS about her desiring to be a stay-at-home mom.

Furthermore, she has clearly shown throughout this drama that she's fiercely independent and she will carve her own path for her own life. She dares not go on a path that no one has followed before to find success?? HUH? The path she has taken to get to where she is right now is definitely just as "untraditional" as Yi-Seo's path. Most orphans like Soo-Ah, especially in the Korean society, doesn't even get to go to college, must less excel in her studies and then become a director of the biggest food company in the country. She has trailblazer her own path to success. And this is where you stray off. Just because Yi-Seo's path is unconventional doesn't mean that Soo-Ah's path is traditional. Both of their paths can be unconventional, believe-it-or-not. Honestly, they both share that common belief that they will do what they want/what's best for their own desires. That is definitely an unconventional belief.

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Soo-ah has known he likes her for 10 years and they've been around each other for awhile but I haven't ever heard her confess her feelings for him, just her feelings of confusion and of being sorry for herself. She has Always put her job and and herself before whatever she may have with him and he has accepted that even when she aligned herself with people involved in his father's death - someone that she also viewed as a father. Which is fine it IS her life and ultimately pursuing someone else's dream is futile But she cant expect him to give up on what he wants just to be with her it is so hypocritical it pisses me off. She wants him to be devoted to her always without even knowing what she really wants. Sorry I am rambling. She has More than paid off her debt to Jang through her hard work and can leave anytime if she wants but she will stoop to carrying hateful messages for Jang to someone who has loved her selflessly for years, he could have sent that plant to S in a million ways. She has Always had a choice and has chosen to ride the fence I have no interest in her being with him.

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I don’t believe that SA really expected SRY to give up his revenge plans. Deep down, she must had known that SRY wouldn’t budge an inch for his ambition. Her asking SRY to give it up and be with her was just a real desperate attempt. It wasn’t SA being a hypocrite, it was just because she didn’t want to see both of them keep hurting for the sake of some revenge.

SA bringing that plant was a bit nasty for me. But I also could imagine that if Jangga’s CEO did command her personally to do that, she wouldn’t be able to refuse. I guess I was as torn as SA herself in this matter.

Just wished for SA to find some bravery to send that resignation letter sooner rather than later.

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I'm not sure I see Soo Ah the same way. She's Jang's minion even when it means hurting Sae Ro Yi and she knows it's wrong.

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besides she wants Sae Ro Yi free her but believe me she can free herself by quitting her job. She wants to hold onto her benefits while working there yet somehow she wants SRY do help her. That is too much. Soo Ah is an adult she should free herself from the awful people. I thought she wants him to stop trying to do revenge not only for him but also for her selfish reason. Of course she does not want to spy on his business but come on!

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I agree with this! 🙋🏻‍♀️

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She is not a minion of Jang Ga, she is just an everyman (or everywoman) in South Korea, under the pressure of huge Chaebols (like Samsung, Hyundai, LG, CJ, etc., which represent 40% of South Korea's whole GDP), and her plead to Seo-ro-yi makes sense in her own way. It just not suit him.

Read some economic news about South Korea, and you know what I mean. Stop reading things solely in terms of good vs. evil, you will see a lot more issue underneath.

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I understand what you're saying, but this is really set up with a cartoon like evil chaebol (the first episodes especially) and Soo Ah is running very personal and vindictive errands for him.

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Soo Ah will lose her job instantly if she disobeys the chairman, so she's not likely to challenge him (yet). In the future I think it will be very useful to Saeroyi that there is someone with morals close to the chairman.

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I really think Geun Soo has been dark from the beginning, and was foreshadowed by the fact that we were introduced to him as a young child calmly torturing ants for fun. This show is a little predictable, but I am loving the ride. The actors are doing a great job, and I will pretty much watch anything with PSJ.

On a side note, does anyone know if the WEBTOON is available to read in English?

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I tried to find a completed one because the English translation is only up to Chapter 12.

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I like this take on Geun-soo. It is also consistent behavior if you take into account that he only now has the option of proving himself to his father and taking over the company. Maybe he has simply been suppressing this side of him till now.

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Great observation on his torturing ants act.

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That is what I thought was so surprising. I thought the ants meant he'd be dark and that he was the jerk guy all grown up when the 3 got arrested for underage drinking. Then when he turned out to be sweet I was happily surprised. And love the idea of him finding a family and older brother.

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We can also say that all have from the start a dark side but depends how u act on this,if u supress it and let the good part shine or act upon it...Hope Geun Soo will return to his good side and not loose what he gained till now for something he knows won't get.

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Geun-soo's 180 personality change makes no sense. Especially when Hyun-yi has been nicer to him in three months than Yi-seo has ever been in three years. Yi-seo and Geun-soo are really alike in that they will do whatever it takes for love, but the only difference is the person she loves is a righteous man, while the person he loves is a sociopath. If people can continue to root for Geun-won who hit and killed Dad and ran away and left him for dead, then I can continue to root for my Geun-soo to wake up and realize what a shit girlfriend Yi-seo would be (this goes for Sae-ro-yi too) and save himself before it's too late.

RME at the granny deus ex machina. Not only is Loan Shark Halmeoni Tony's grandma, but she is a chaebol now too? When is Yi-seo going to find out Sae-ro-yi wasn't talking to her on the phone?

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Don't think it makes no sense. Mad about loving a genius plus some low self-esteem can do.

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Yea the show always came off as cartoonish, like reading a webtoon and the characters are jumping right at you. But these latest episodes been feeling real unrealistic but what can I expect? I just think there could be so much done with the characters but they are pretty limited, plot wise as well. But still I am drawn to it each week, so I’m a clown.

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These last two episodes alone:
- Hyun-yi winning the first two rounds and on her way to winning the final round of The Best Pub -- unbelievable
- Loan Shark Halmeoni turning out to be Tony's grandmother -- unbelievable
- Sae-ro-yi not even suspecting CEO Do's ulterior motives -- unbelievable
- Geun-soo turning into the spawn of satan -- unbelievable
- Loan Shark Halmeoni turning out to be Danbam's fairy godmother -- unbelievable
- Sae-ro-yi falling for Yi-seo -- unbelievable

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If the writer can make geun soo change so drastically overnight, he could do the same thing to PSR too.. It will be up to Park Seo Joon and Kim Da mi then in pulling all the magic touch into the romance to make the chemistry more convincing. Sigh*

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There is no chemistry there at all which is sad if they end up together. Both actors are great individually but as couple? nah.

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That “drastic change” has been happening for half of the show now. It actually amusing to see how “cute and sweet” demeanor can truly full people. Also I think Gun Soo is not “spawn of satan” or “evil” as people love to label whenever character does something stupid/extremely stupid. He didn’t “turn bad”. He turned super jealous and he literally has no idea what he is doing, but he is trying to act like he thinks people expecting him to act. He is lost in his own overwhelming him feelings. So he is “lost in his own thoughts that eating him” type of idiot, rather than “turn 180”.
Also rooting for him or Gun Won still messed up. Or putting blame on his actions on Yi Seo lol

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*fool people

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1. Believable, if we put more faith in her character. And consider that her laziness before overtook her talent.
2. Stretch
3. Believable. Neither did like 80% of viewers. Including me.
4. Believable. Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean there wasn’t hints of him turning into “jealous bitch” type of character from episode 6-7 now. And Yi Seo is not at fault here. Don’t try to put blame on her for his own actions lol
5. Stretch. But this is drama. And fictional story. They can’t operate people in same lore as real world. They introduce characters and people meaningful to story to make things more meaningful to several characters. IC is not the first or last drama (movie or TV show from any country) to do so. It’s 101 of writing script class.
6. Why not though. You don’t like her, but it’s not like characters operate on your taste. In presented story I say it’s totally believable.
And I do see chemistry between Sae Roy and Yi Seo (and PSJ/KDM) it’s just not the typical “rom-com” (kinda) type of one.

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1. No, it really is not believable. Idc how much talent one has in something, a month or two of training does not take one from barely competent to best-in-country. I don't think you realize the huge difference of skills between these two levels if you say that's believable lmao. Almost everyone who is at top of the country in something has spent years cultivating their talent (and yes they definitely have the talent if they are at that level) to reach that level, yet here you're claiming that one month of training was all that's needed for Hyun-Yi to jump into such a tier is believable if I put "faith" into her talents lmao?

3. Believable? May I ask where you get the 80% figure from? Maybe from out of your a** lol? Everyone knows in business and marketing one of THE MOST IMPORTANT things is controlling and evaluating risks for every decisions made. Honestly, not just in business either, it's common sense in life. Yet here you say it's believable that PSRY, who is quite business-savvy AND street-savvy too, didn't even think about the dangers and risks of the investment is believable? Yeah ok sure.

4. Personality is one of the hardest thing to change; there has to be something drastic for it to happen. What was the drastic thing here for GS to go from a good human being and friend to a wtf kind of human and friend? There should have at least been some sort of internal struggle shown when he outed HY, but he did it so calmly which makes no sense. And sure, he made the decision to be shitty on his own, but let's not pretend that YS didn't lead him on for years on purpose and manipulate him knowing that he likes her for years.

5. Yes, but then that makes the drama not special anymore because it lost its realism edge. I didn't come here to watch a makjang (where I'll expect that at every turn).

6. PSRY has always seen her as a little sister. His actions reflect this. He hugs her, pats her head, etc. does physical contact without any awkwardness or thoughts. That's what people do with family. Contrast that with SA, who he keeps his hands to himself unless he's extremely emotional. And when she links arms with him and stuff, he clearly gets nervous about it.

In addition, whenever YS gets upset and runs out (which has happened multiple times) because PSRY makes her mad, PSRY always goes wtvr idk why she's mad/she'll come back. This is what you do with family, because at the end of the day, you'll make up. On the other hand, whenever he thinks SA is mad at him or might misunderstand him, he personally goes and makes sure she doesn't hate him or stay mad at him (episode 6, episode 12, etc.). There's a clear difference.

Not to mention YS is 18? 19? PSRY is 28/29. There's a huge gap in maturity, life experiences, etc. between them. Yet apparently now I'm supposed to buy that he's going to fall for her. LOL ok.

PS: Seo Joon and Nara had more romantic chemistry on that Halloween date and in episode 6's bus scene...

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Soo-ah....just stop. She has been riding that fence since episode 1. Geun-soo did a complete 180, it's sad to watch. I wish someone would punch him for what he did to Hyun-yi.

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What fence, if I might ask?

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For me it just the way she says she feels bad about the things President Jang does but she's right there giving him information. She counts on Sae-ro-yi feelings for her and knows he will forgive her almost anything. That's my take on it lol.

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Agree with your first sentence. It doesn't make sense right?!

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Hm ok, I see, but what information has she been giving though, cause I’ve been watching the show but she just reports ok whatever she’s working on for jangga or just standing there when he’s saying something atp they might as well just get a mannequin for her character since that’s all she does but she doesn’t give any secret info on SRY, I think the chairman’s secretary does that for him. She’s just working at jangga not doing dirty work. Regarding SRY’s feelings I have yet to see her do something that requires his forgiveness. I wish her character was more cutthroat but she’s pretty nice, what is the writer doing? Anyways yea, she’s really just there. Pretty sad cause she’s my fave apart from Hyun hi.

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Bringing that potted plant with the message “From Chairman Jang Dae-hee. Know your place and be satisfied with what you have” on it. THAT's something that required SRY's forgiveness.

THAT is reason enough for me to consider Soo-Ah a terrible terrible terrible person.

There is absolutely no indication that her hand was forced, that if she didn't deliver it, there would be repercussions. Nope. She has bravely opposed CEO Jang multiple times before, and he never punished her for it. And yet, this ONE time, she feels incapable of showing even a morsel of morality. Nope. Soo-Ah comes over to SRY's office with that sh***y plant, when all the investors and disappointed clients are screaming at him.

If I didn't have a good reason to dislike Soo-Ah before, the potted plant just did it.

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SA was a real easy character to be hated, wasn’t she?

But IMO it was because of the minimal writing for SA’s character and the show’s plot pressure that end up undermining her role to be a mere punching bag and wallflower in most of her scenes.

The show had done no justice for Kwon Nara and SA as a character and it was such a shame for such a good actress and a great character.

If you could look at my comment in episode 11’s recap, I had explained my point regarding this matter in more depth. Hope y’all could understand :)

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She takes his love for granted and is comfortable in that status making her not wanting to let go of either one...

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About that plotline slide, haha, I don't think it is bad, however, because it is an adaptation of webtoon, I kind of find Loan Shark Granny Soon-rye pretty fit into the story. Think about those Chinese martial art novels, there's always a grandmaster hidden somewhere in the slump looking for potential student to help him/her excel and beat that evil big fat wolf. So why not?

I love that poem Yi-seo read to Hyun-yi as she walks into the competition ground. President Jang's actions just show his fear of having someone look like his younger self come to challenge him. This is even genius Seo-ro-yi read and memorize every word of Jang's own autobiography to beat him back.

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this was def Hyun-yi's episode along with Geun-soo's full emergence into the dark side :( I loved Sae-ro-yi's response to her and Seung-kwon's cool confidence and her defiant strut back in with everyone stunned like omg, I'm your fan.

regarding the lovelines: Yi-seo's casual "I love you" on the phone and Sae-ro-yi's awkward head rub after. p cute, not gonna lie. Soo-ah telling Sae-ro-yi to just be with her and then sobbing... Ugh, such mixed feelings. I like that she finally declared her feelings but then how can she ask him to stop?? This is his whole purpose in life now, heeeelp him acheive itttt.

@Sunny's commentary "Sometimes the connections are a little on the nose" but "I’m willing to let the obvious plotlines slide". I'm in full agreement~

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True, regarding soo ah, I lowkey felt a lil bad for her, cause you can tell she was worried that he might be losing everything but also the fact that no one has ever chosen her before, but then was it kinda insensitive to say leave the revenge and be together? Yea it was, glad she came around to understand his position tho. I do keep forgetting that she’s a 29 year old woman, a whole grown up, so I just think it has been realistic for her character to not leave her job and just be where she’s at especially since she seems content with it except for the chairman wants to destroy the guy I like part but yea, wanna see what they do with her character however.

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you're correct in your assertion of reality, Favesss @ttyl380 : no sane 30-yr-old would quit her job over a not-boyfriend. Nope. That's stuff for the younger ladies, which aptly explains how a 20-yr-old like Yi-Seo did in fact pick Sae-Ro-Yi (the not-boyfriend) over a secure future (post-secondary schooling).

:-)

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I’m 30 and I would choose not “not-boyfriend”, but I would choose a job where I don’t hate my boss for covering the death of my father figure like any sane person. And she has career options and opportunities. I don’t know why people like to portray “strong and independent Oh Soo Ah” as also “poor girl without any other job possibilities”. Hmmm.

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clearly, she must not hate the man very much, if she's been working there all this time.

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But why should she leave a perfectly good job that she has worked for a guy? Why? Is she actively working with the chairman on his evil projects? Nope, haven’t seen that yet. So why are y’all adamant for this 30 yr old to up and quit this job? Look, if the chairman steps down, she’ll still be there. I mean with this logic, if sry befriends People that work with jangga they should quit as well. I don’t see this same energy with min jung, who went back to working with him after what happened, worse having been a close friend to his dad for years. Yes the drama totally missed that, causing the viewers to also skip over that.

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So proud of my DanBam girls, Yi-seo and Hyun-yi!

Yi-seo for overcoming her heartbreak and continuing to be there for Sae-royi. Love is unconditional, after all. It doesn't have to be returned. Park Sae-royi, you don't deserve her.

Diamond Hyun-yi! My gosh! I love how you handled the whole thing. And I also love the fact that Seung Kwon knows you so well. Makes me start to ship you two.

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I LOOOOVE Yi-Seo but Park Sae-Ro-Yi deserves more than her, for all his suffering. and more than Soo-Ah. This man is a (stubborn and clueless) patron saint!

and yes, I am proud of In-Love Yi-Seo and Diamond Hyun-Yi too !

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@sunny nice recap! lol agree with the “obvious plotlines slide” especially with the grandmother thing since I already saw the “rich mogul” plot 2 eps ago. Anyways just tryna get a feel of the audience here. Do y’all see chemistry between SRY and YS? Just them. Romantic not business partnership wise? What are y’all’s opinion?

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Like YS as character. She has been fun to watch anyways but sometimes annoying. But realistically, people wouldn't like her as a person. This is why she doesn't deserve PSR for the time being. Honestly, there's so little romance scene between them and their chemistry is more akin than lovers to me. Notice the difference of physical awareness PSR has between her and SA. PSR doesn't care if YS touches or hold him but it's a different story with SA. He is always flustered.

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I think this episode opened the door to an SRY and YS romance. He touched his head after she said she loved him, just like he always touched his head when he was around SA.

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I'm not going to hold my breath on ever seeing that ship sail, but it was adorable nonetheless.
:-)

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I'm not a fan of any ship in this one.

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#teamcandy

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Park Seo-joon and Kim Da-mi have no romantic chemistry. Sae-ro-yi and Yi-seo's 10-year age gap stands out considerably. She acts like a child. In Episode 11, when Sae-ro-yi, Soo-ah, Yi-seo, and Geun-soo were standing in the lobby talking, they looked like an adult couple and a teenage couple. Even her running and breaking them up was like a child. Sae-ro-yi is a millennial but still stuck in the 20th century, while Yi-seo is a classic Gen Zer and Instagram influencer. They will always be at different points in their lives.

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Head touching is actually a sign. Every time he did that, he made an extraordinary decision (since he decided to intervene Geun-won's bullying in their high school year). Seo-ro-yi's thinking process is not that fast but determine, but he can change gear -- like his love toward Soo-ah -- and that head touching is a sign.

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Yi-Seo's retort to Sae-Ro-Yi about tossing excuses like age aside is correct: when you like someone, you like someone. And he rejected her because he's "old school". Which, doesn't mean there could never be feelings there; it's just that Sae-Ro-Yi doesn't allow himself to change, be it in romance or his principles. And these last 2 episodes have proven that he's not always right for being so stubborn and stuck in his rigid noble ways.

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Honestly, I'm disappointed at these newest episodes lol. This drama started off so well with its own unique flavor of realism, but now that's gone. It's now just another decent drama in my book. The plot now seems to move incoherently without much sense of logic. For example, no offense, but how did Hyun-Yi went from a decently competent cook for a small pub to one of the best chief in the nation in like a month or so LMAO? Tony's grandmother ending up being the chaebol investor they needed was too much makjang for my liking honestly.
And worst of all, the characters have all gone downhill. The villain of the story, Dae Hee, suffers the most from this. I still don't understand why he hates PSRY so much? I guess because PSRY was rude to him a few times lmao?? The writer just tells us that he hates him, and I guess we just have to follow that. Dae Here barely has any backstory nor are we given any moments into his thoughts. But a good story depends so much on a well-written villain, one that the audience can understand, maybe not empathize, but definitely understand. A good villain makes the hero's story so much more flavorful, and Dae Hee is just not a good villain.
The cast in Danbam minus PSRY and YS are pretty much 1D too honestly. Like the only thing I know about SK for example is that he is a former gangster. HY was basically defined by her being transgender (and I guess now apparently a top chief). I guess I can give this a pass because this type of character is completely foreign to Kdrama. At least Tony has a little arc and now I guess he will disappear.
And omg, Soo-Ah, the girl with so much wasted potential. She's still my favorite character just because of how independent and realistic she is, but the writer haven't even written anything just for her since like episode 2? I guess she got to do a few things in this episode? It was so bad the writer has to keep shoehorning her into the Danbam scenes and discussions LOL, when he could have just used all that screen time to further develop her character through her own arc or even just showing her at work. She has to be brilliantly smart, considering she worked herself up from the bottom to be one of the most important directors in the biggest food company in the country, yet I am simply told these facts, I HAVEN'T SEEN HER AT WORK besides the brief presentation in episode 2. Honestly, YS suffered from this same problem; I am told that she is a genius by Geun-Soo, but, um, all we have seen is that she's good at marketing, which is great, but that's not a genius. Besides tricking Geun-Woo (which, if I'm being honest, isn't too hard...), I haven't seen any of this actual genius at work....

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Yes I hate how they butchered her character, she had so much potential but I guess the writer is using her to drive yi seo and sry together. And let’s talk about the bad writing with the flower scene. What was that? No back story, no follow up, was just used to show sry that jang dae hee did that. Why are the support characters so limited?

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Soo-ah T____T I'm glad she's a favorite character for others as well. And yeah, I expect so much more from her, am still waiting for the show to deliver.

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Yeahh, finally.. I’m itching to hear other’s opinion for the show’s writing and directing choices rather than some character debates. LOL

100% agree with you. I really like IC, but the show also almost always succeeded to frustrate me deeply after I watched some of its episodes.

It wasn’t the characters fault that they turned out to be somewhat annoying to watch, it was the writing and the plot’s constrain..

The show has got some great diverse characters with interesting backgrounds which worked well resulting in its great start, but unfortunately its characters‘ progression were blunt and questionable ever since.

IMO if only the writer and producers were brave enough to scrap some of the webtoon’s weak subplot, especially from halfway to the ending, the show could’ve been much better and easily challenged to be one of the best kdrama out there.

But oh well.. ironically the show’s flaws might just be the thing that made us all so intrigued about it, debated about it, and ended up wanting more about it. 😂😂

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Sae Ro Yi wanted to investigate the investor, Yi Seo said there was no need and voilà... Honestly, she had to come back, heartbreak or not. She said he had to trust her and she failed. It was his final decision but if she didn't come back, she would no longer have had her place as manager. The fact she left the D-Day when it was her idea to open many pubs in the same time was already not really professional.

It was nice to see she accepted Sae Ro Yi's feelings for now and will just to repeat it to him :P

Geun Soo is so naive, how hurting people Yi Seo likes will help him to make her fall in love with him? The reason she likes Sae Ro Yi is because he's not like her and has strong principles.

Hyun Yi - Sae Ro Yi's conversation was the most beautiful moment of the episode. If I was happy to see her come back to cook, but I would have been happy to see Sae Ro Yi cooking because we never really saw him to do things for the pub, his talents is more about speeches.

The Toni's grandma story becomes very Kdrama-esque.

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I am still feeling the whiplash of Geun Soo's character change. Here's silly me hoping he's still got some good in him. I don't know if I can forgive him for what he did to Hyun-yi, though. I'm hoping he's got a bigger plan somewhere way way up his sleeve. It's a hopeless fantasy but damn, I really like puppy Geun Soo and it hurts me to see him be his father's son

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Soo-Ah remains the only character I have a difficulty dealing with. I agree with other Beanie comments here that it might actually be the Writer’s fault: her story arc is under-developed, and her character’s full potential seems wasted. None of that, in my opinion, is an excuse for what she did in the episode: bringing that damned potted plant to Sae-Ro-Yi’s crumbling office, just when sh*t (predictably) hit the fan.

Soo-Ah working for Jangga, being independent, putting her work first – I’m cool with that. Given her difficult childhood, she should be praised for being in the position that she’s in, for working in the #1 food giant of South Korea in a very good role. I mean, up until Sae-Ro-Yi resurfaced after his 7 years at sea, she seemed perfectly satisfied working there, and it’s not until our Petty CEO set his mind on destroying Sae-Ro-Yi that she was faced with the conflict of interest: her awesome job versus the love of her life. And when you know the love of her life isn’t willing to do anything else but bring her Greedy CEO down – even if she quit her job at Jangga – I see how Soo-Ah cannot possibly devote all of herself to Sae-Ro-Yi.

Soo-Ah asking Sae-Ro-Yi to stop his stubborn revenge plans? I’m actually cool with that as well. Truth be told, he’s not going to be any happier once CEO Jang falls. As a matter of fact, as a Beanie mentioned in Ep.11, it might very be that it’s Geun-Won who will bring the authoritarian CEO to his knees. And what satisfaction would Sae-Ro-Yi get from that?

Soo-Ah bringing that stupid #^!$*&^@! potted plant to Sae-Ro-Yi’s office was complete disrespect and she WAS ashamed of it, and rightly so. The CEO was NOT waiting outside for her to do it. As a matter of fact, we have seen her defy CEO Jang several times and he has never once punished her for it. So, clearly, she could have tossed that potted plant and gone to see Sae-Ro-Yi empty-handed. But noooooo! She brought it, met his eye for a second, and then looked very embarrassed.

And that, my friends, is what they call, a toxic relationship. Soo-Ah not realizing that even as she works – and thrives – in Sae-Ro-Yi’s arch nemesis’ office, there are boundaries not to be crossed. Bringing that pot was such a huge “F*** YOU” to her friendship with Sae-Ro-Yi, I honestly think he must be a SAINT to be able to overlook that, in the name of love. A real saint. She’s a terrible friend. Shame on her.

* Soo-Ah rant over *

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“ Soo-Ah asking Sae-Ro-Yi to stop his stubborn revenge plans? I’m actually cool with that as well. “

Me too, *but* for the part where she continues to work her hardest to make the monstrous CEO ever richer and more powerful. I can’t get over that.

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Really, to bring that plant!! I mean wasn’t she horrified when she saw president jang publicly throw his son under the bus. I know jangga is a large company, but there must be other better, more ethical companies that would love to have an employee like Soo-Ah

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In my honest opinion, bringing that plant over was bad writing in my opinion. Firstly there was no back story, no follow up on the flower thing. Very random. It was just used as a plot line to show that the CEO was behind that. But they decided to use soo ah as a deliverer. While the audience is in total disgust of her bringing the flower I was confused because her character from what I’ve seen, has a problem hurting him directly, for example, calling the police on his pub. So why did the writer use her to bring it, especially when in reality, no one was chasing her a** to bring the flower. And also the fact that bringing this flower did not cause a wedge in their friendship seeing as they got dinner and didn’t bring it up nor address it. I guess she was a convenience character to use, even though a phone call from jang would’ve done it. While the audience is hating her, I’m just like so are they going to address the flower in the drama or just make us hate her for bringing it while not talking and just continuing on. Seems the writer is confused or just lazy about her character. Either way, they doing my girl Nara dirty in this show.

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I will concede that it could all boil down to bad writing and inconsistency in her character behaviour. I was legit SHOCKED!!! I mean, I'd have to be a Saint, Buddha or Jesus himself to forgive that, and so fast!
and you're right: the plant doesn't get addressed again. Which, realistically, is IIIIIIMPOSSIBLE to ignore!

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There is nothing that will redeem Geun-soo in my eyes after what he did to Hyun-Yi. Nothing. Even Soo-Ah, whom I don’t like much (see post here) was disgusted with his actions. Some observant Beanies pointed out that he was indeed the kid who was emotionlessly killing ants for fun. That he might have a very screwed up understanding of what love is, and that becoming the heir – by any means – is his way of trying to get Yi-Seo. His personality might have always been this way, but, like others said, the 180° change was waaaaaaay too drastic and a little too convenient, now that our murderous & insecure Geun-Won is tucked in prison.

All of his actions, since he joined Jangga Company, lead to believe that he was indeed a spoiled rich kid, not too far from Geun-Woo’s level, but in the shadows. Getting a high status job he’s not qualified for. Going over his manager’s head to lead a project, just by asking Big Bad Daddy. Both Yi-Seo and Soo-Ah clearly try to bring his privileged upbringing to his attention, but he seems to stubbornly insist on his “poor me” status. Not to say that he didn’t have it hard. But when compared to most of the other characters on the Show… yeah, no, please spare us your sob story.

You’re a traitor, Geun-Soo. What you did to Hyun-Yi – there’s a special place in hell for you, puppy boy.

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The last 10 minutes of episode 12 are among the best I have ever watched for any medium. I have re-watched it 5 times. I felt like crying, shouting, and elated. All too often we call strong by physical strength or the power to hurt, but often the greatest showing of strength is just the courage to move forward.

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On which channel the Itaewon Class drama has started? I have not found it even on the viki or viu.
Plz plz plz tell me i want to see this drama.
Plz plz plz😊

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Itaewon Class is on Netflix.

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I am so not interested with the romance plot in Itaewon Class. After that poignant Halloweeen scene of Saeroyi and Soo Ah, all the romance went downhill. The writer just could not balance the revenge plot and the romance and frankly speaking, there is no need to. There's a lot of interesting things going on in DanBam, the crew, and with Jangga. The last few episodes til ep14 were disappointing in that angle -- I do not understand why I need to watch childish romance plotlines on top of cartoonish (but FUN and SATISFYING) underdog restaurant story.

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Popping up after a long while just to say I wasn't expecting the development of any love triangles in this show and I'm okay with no active love stories. Soo Ah is self-centered and low-key shameless and Yi Seo has been a flat out **tch with a dirty personality for most of the show. She is cool and does a great job and she knows it all to well but that is the problem. She needs to be knocked down quite a bit in my opinion. Has Yi Seo changed a bit since the beginning? Yes. But I still don't trust that she won't revert back to the butthole she started out as. Its nice to see that she's learned at least something about humanity though. Also, Sae Ro YI is high-key slow in this relationship business but that's okay. Like @sunny said romance has been the weakest part of the show so far and it's okay because the relationships and bonds between the characters are far more interesting.
P.S. On Jang Geun Soo: I admit he has become a ***k these past couple of episodes. And very suddenly at that. Do I want to slap him for what he did to Hyun-Yi? Very,very much. Do I want him dead? Not really. He's just trying too hard in the wrong direction. Also, on Jang Geun Won: I was hoping that he would come out of prison a changed man like he almost did after Ro Yi's dad's accident but we've come so far already and I just don't see it happening. He might just be unredeemable.

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I'm honestly not sure if I agree with this analysis... although I know I'm watching this late and the rest of the show has already been aired I just wanted to write out my thoughts on this episode hahaha. I was disappointed with Geun Soo for sure, but I also really dislike Soo Ah in this episode, as I have for the entire show so far. Geun Soo's actions are rather confusing for me and I don't really understand his motives or character anymore. He left behind his family to pursue a better life, a life he believed in, so it really doesn't sit right with me that he so easily went back to Jang Ga over a girl he likes? Just because she jokingly said she would like him back if he took over Jang Ga? It just isn't right to me, ESPECIALLY what he did to Hyun Yi in this episode. I'm not even sure if the writers realized just how unforgivable this is, because I know he's probably going to get some sort of redemption arc later on. It's so out of character for him to be doing this and unless there's something I'm missing, I'm starting to think his character was very poorly written - his actions just don't make enough sense to me.

I also wanted to note that Soo Ah has been a very annoying character for me throughout the whole drama. At first, I understood her choosing to work at Jang Ga, because I felt that the writers were trying to juxtapose her character to Saeroyi's. But now, she is frustrating in almost every way. She sits pretty on her pedestal at Jang Ga, earning money and becoming successful... yet she has the nerve to assert herself so much in Saeroyi's life, acting like he owes her something just because he likes her still. As if she deserves to ask him for something like "being happy with her" just because she doesn't want to have to keep targeting him as an employee at Jang Ga. For her to have known him for over ten years and think that he would, in any way, be happy with dropping it all and being with her, then she clearly doesn't know him at all. And she's just incredibly selfish to me for asking him to do something like that, continuing to help Jang Ga tear him down, and then act like there's nothing wrong.

Saeroyi has also been given a good lesson in this episode, with Toni's grandma telling him that sometimes he needs to give up his pride. Every character (besides Hyun Yi and Toni) has disappointed me so far, and Saeroyi's unwillingness to give up his pride for once and suck it up has been rather frustrating. I'm glad he's got the right intentions, but his inability to be a little realistic sometimes needs to change.

Anyways, I hope these characters turn out the way I'm rooting for. I don't think I'll end up liking Geun Soo anymore no matter what he does, which is a shame (it's much worse to see such a good character do something so terrible compared to just a plain evil character) but maybe I'll forgive Soo Ah.

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Sae-ro-yi is blinded by his obsession with his priciples and pride which makes him inflexible and stupid. Very unlike smart Solomon Perel - Ich war Hitlerjunge Solomon who survived the evil nazis in WW2 by pretending to be a nazi. A true story.

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