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Itaewon Class: Episode 16 (Final)

Diving into our finale, President Jang gloats as our hero finally bends to his will, seemingly crowning Jang the victor in their 15-year power struggle. With his loved ones on the line, Sae-ro-yi risks it all in one last fight against his old foe and hopefully will find the happiness he’s sought for so long.

 
EPISODE 16 RECAP

Thinking only of Yi-seo, Sae-ro-yi kneels for President Jang who cackles with glee. Jang tuts he must abandon his son again because Sae-ro-yi is so pathetic and wonders how it feels. Sae-ro-yi agrees he feels pathetic and then turns the question on Jang. He asks if it’s gratifying and admits that while Jang made his life hell, he inspired Sae-ro-yi to keep going. Thinking it a worthy fight, Sae-ro-yi devoted his whole life to following in Jang’s footsteps only to have Jang threaten him to kneel by holding his loved ones hostage.

“I spent over a decade of my life following in the footsteps of such a disgusting old grouch?” Sae-ro-yi spits, “I deeply regret wasting my life.” Jang argues he got what he wanted in the end – Sae-ro-yi on his knees – but Sae-ro-yi just snatches the address of Geun-won’s hideout from him. “After over a decade, I got to know you,” Sae-ro-yi sighs and leaves with Seung-kwon.

Meanwhile, Geun-won and Hee-hoon surround Yi-seo and Geun-soo. As Geun-won advances, Yi-seo grabs a shovel and kicks a pipe to Geun-soo. Geun-won and Hee-hoon laugh and Yi-seo orders Geun-soo to attack on three. She counts and on three bolts, yelling for Geun-soo to hold them off. Hee. The men advance and Geun-soo swings, saying Yi-seo told him to hold out.

Sae-ro-yi warns Seung-kwon it’ll be dangerous and says his priority is to save Yi-seo no matter what. He doesn’t expect Seung-kwon to do the same and Seung-kwon groans, saying Yi-seo may be a brat but she’s family. He grins that having the same goal makes for better teamwork and Sae-ro-yi smiles back as they speed off towards Geun-won, who watches as Hee-hoon kicks the crap out of Geun-soo. Hee-hoon moves to deliver a final blow but Geun-won stops him, pointing out they’ll lose Yi-seo.

Geun-won spits Geun-soo got everything he wanted, so he should butt out. Geun-soo says he’s never once gotten anything he wanted, but they must really be brothers because they always use the wrong methods. Yi-seo runs but the men follow in a car. She jumps off the road just in time to avoid getting run over and Hee-hoon sends his grunts racing after her while they drive ahead. Yi-seo makes it to the next road just as the car turns onto it.

She turns to see another car coming from the opposite direction and as soon as Sae-ro-yi recognizes her and sees the other car, he tells Seung-kwon to gun it. Without hesitation, Seung-kwon presses the gas to the floor, speeding past Yi-seo towards Hee-hoon and Geun-won. Hee-hoon swerves at the last instant, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision. Seung-kwon marvels at their airbags as he and Sae-ro-yi step out unscathed.

Locking eyes with Yi-seo, Sae-ro-yi calls her and she runs into his arms. He checks her for injuries, and she sobs that he’s crazy. Geun-won laughs that they saved him time finding them but Sae-ro-yi ignores him, instead informing Hee-hoon they called the cops so he should go now. Seung-kwon tells Yi-seo and Sae-ro-yi he’s got this so they should run ahead.

Geun-won drives after them while Seung-kwon makes quick work of Hee-hoon’s goons. Hee-hoon chuckles that Seung-kwon used to be one of them but Seung-kwon says he’s more suited towards serving tables and the men rush each other. Sae-ro-yi struggles to run with his likely concussion and Yi-seo supports him, wondering why he came in his condition. It reminds Sae-ro-yi of the time they ran through Itaewon and Yi-seo is confused why he’s bringing that up now.

Sae-ro-yi cradles her face and says she’s always worked hard for him and gotten hurt and Yi-seo questions if he’s feeling alright. Rubbing his head, Sae-ro-yi confesses that she’s overtaken his heart and mind, wondering if this is how she’s felt all these years. “I love you,” Sae-ro-yi blurts, “I love you, Yi-seo. I love you so much.” He embraces her and they hold each other until Geun-won catches up. As the car careens towards them, Sae-ro-yi launches a rock which shatters the windshield.

Geun-won screeches to a halt and Sae-ro-yi hands Yi-seo his phone, telling her the cops are coming and she should run ahead. She warns him that if he dies, she’ll die too and takes off as Sae-ro-yi faces Geun-won, who takes a swing. Seung-kwon holds his own against Hee-hoon and his goons, pulling off some rad moves in the process. Thinking today is the day this ends, Sae-ro-yi rams Geun-won into the car, punching him repeatedly before Geun-won regains the upper hand. He whales on Sae-ro-yi, screaming at him to die like Dad.

They break apart and Sae-ro-yi askes if Geun-won feels remorse at all for the people he’s hurt. “Do you feel guilty when you eat livestock?” Geun-won retorts, “Because of you livestock, I lost everything.” Enraged, Sae-ro-yi charges, but Geun-won throws him down, screaming at him to die. Hee-hoon has been equally pummeled and tells Seung-kwon he’d like to use the out Sae-ro-yi offered now. Seung-kwon asks about his men and Hee-hoon shrugs he’ll be lucky to drag himself away. Angry, Seung-kwon says he regrets working for him – a real boss takes responsibility.

Yi-seo’s legs finally give out but she’s quickly found by Detective Oh and the police. Geun-won rolls his eyes when Sae-ro-yi stands up again. Replaying Yi-seo’s words that she’ll die if he does, Sae-ro-yi swears that he’ll be happy. Geun-won charges but Sae-ro-yi throws dirt in his eyes and delivers a swift uppercut that knocks Geun-won on his back. Catching his breath, Sae-ro-yi flashes back to Yi-seo lamenting she didn’t see much point in living, thinking it a chore to work hard only to die before reaching 100.

“If it feels that much like a chore,” Sae-ro-yi replied, “just die.” He said that despite a repetitive routine, you never know what tomorrow brings. Seung-kwon tried to fight him, and now he’s a waiter, Yi-seo got the pub suspended only to become its manager. He’d said some days were tough or sad, but fun days sprinkled in. He admitted every day was exciting with Yi-seo and she smiled as she agreed that when she’s with Sae-ro-yi her heart beats and it’s fun. The cops arrive and Yi-seo cradles Sae-ro-yi as he thinks, “Let’s be happy.”

Soo-ah arrives at the prosecutor’s office with an envelope and soon after a team arrives to clear out Jang Ga. Soo-ah hands over her evidence of all of President Jang’s misdeeds and the news reports that he’ll be questioned. Waking up in the hospital, Sae-ro-yi immediately pulls Yi-seo into a hug.

Jang’s assistant reports Soo-ah was the whistle-blower and the pub owners want compensation. Geun-soo adds they’re on the brink of bankruptcy and the board wants to sell. Jang balks that selling now would be a loss and Geun-soo says one firm offered a reasonable price. When Ho-jin visits him in prison, Geun-won only finds him vaguely familiar. Ho-jin introduces himself as financial manager for IC, before which he was financial manager for Min-jung, and before that… he was Geun-won’s punching bag.

“The whole thing between Sae-ro-yi and you started with me,” Ho-jin says, “And I get to wrap things up too.” With a takeover bid out for Jang Ga, Ho-jin wanted to see Geun-won without his background. Geun-won trembles with rage hearing that Jang will also be arrested for corruption. “Stop whining. It’s done,” Ho-jin says coolly, “I forgive you.” He sweeps out of there with a smile while Geun-won is dragged away by guards, screaming.

Min-jung is returning to Seoul and Detective Oh sighs that he won’t see her much anymore. She says he’s welcome to visit anytime he visits Seoul, but Detective Oh says he can’t to Hye-won’s annoyance. Just as she’s about to leave, Detective Oh calls out to her, asking if he could give her a ride to Seoul and Min-jung smiles that she can squeeze in with him and Hye-won, sending her own car ahead.

Leaving Jang Ga for the last time, Soo-ah is stopped by Jang’s assistant. He tells her no one will hire a whistleblower and she asks why he works so hard for President Jang. “I’m a salaryman,” is his only answer and Soo-ah politely takes her leave. Upstairs, Jang tries to schmooze his way out of the takeover. Geun-soo says it’s like Jang’s saying, “The strong prey on the weak” – Jang Ga became weak, so people are preying. Jang kicks Geun-soo out, grumbling to himself he’s Jang Dae-hee.

Kneeling on his hospital bed, Sae-ro-yi gets an earful from Yi-seo’s mom about the kidnapping. Mom demands how she can entrust Yi-seo to him and Sae-ro-yi apologizes, agreeing to take responsibility before realizing what he’d said. Tickled pink, Yi-seo ushers Mom out. He bids her farewell and Mom is pleased to be addressed as ‘Mother.’ While Sae-ro-yi tries to regain feeling in his legs, Yi-seo chirps he promised to take care of her. She asks if he likes her and he replies, “No, I love you.” Yi-seo asks him to repeat it and Sae-ro-yi mumbles it again and runs out with Yi-seo cheerily reciprocating as she follows.

Loan Shark/Mogul Granny gets a call from President Jang, swearing to do as she’d asked and not mess with Sae-ro-yi anymore. Granny corrects that he can’t mess with Sae-ro-yi now, demanding what he wants. Jang begs Granny to help him, using their 40-year relationship and his failing health as leverage. Recalling he’d started his business to feed his family, Granny asks why he’s running it now. Rather than answer, Jang says he’s never made her suffer a loss. Granny sighs that they’re no longer mutually beneficial and there’s someone else he should be appealing to.

President Jang meets Sae-ro-yi outside Danbam and Sae-ro-yi welcomes him, just like the first time. Sae-ro-yi cooks himself and Jang eats heartily until Sae-ro-yi announces he’s pursuing the takeover. He adds he’ll put Min-jung in charge and plans to change the company name. Jang asks who taught him to make the stew and Sae-ro-yi says Dad. Jang admits he doesn’t have money and offers to pay another way, getting up and kneeling. Unmoved, Sae-ro-yi asks what he’s doing.

Tears rolling down his face, Jang says Jang Ga is collapsing and wouldn’t benefit Sae-ro-yi. “This isn’t just resentment,” Sae-ro-yi points out, “Jang Ga is a good company.” Jang tries playing his health card and apologizes profusely for what happened to Dad and Sae-ro-yi, bending into a formal bow. Sae-ro-yi admits he’d always wanted to hear that, but it doesn’t feel great. He pities Geun-soo and tells Jang to get up. Rubbing his head, Sae-ro-yi asks if Jang considers him a pushover. “I’m a businessman,” Sae-ro-yi says. He points out this is a business takeover and Jang’s apology means nothing so they should do business. He and Yi-seo leave Jang to sob on the floor.

IC’s bid is approved and Sae-ro-yi takes the podium. Checking Dad’s watch, Sae-ro-yi tells the board members that Jang Ga represents Korea and the food represents Jang Ga. During crises, people found comfort in the delicious and affordable dish and even though their image has been tarnished, it was the fault of an individual, not the restaurant. He vows to focus on people and trust over money and gain and prosper together.

Afterwards, Sae-ro-yi flags down Geun-soo, having heard he resigned but still voted for Sae-ro-yi. Geun-soo says he wanted to see him achieve his goal and then admits he was the one who outed Hyun-yi and approached Seung-kwon in order to spy on IC. Geun-soo laments that he did everything to win despite knowing that he couldn’t have Yi-seo even if he succeeded. Sae-ro-yi cuts off his apologies with a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay,” Sae-ro-yi smiles gently, “Because you’re just a kiddo.”

Sae-ro-yi answers a call from Soo-ah and she says she didn’t blow the whistle for him. She explains when Dad lent her money for college, she’d promised to pay him back three-fold. She asks if this is enough and Sae-ro-yi thanks her. Soo-ah says she’s free now and asks if he’ll cheer for her as a friend. Sae-ro-yi says he’ll always cheer for her and Soo-ah asks him a favor: “Live happily.” They hang up and she turns back to Dad’s grave and smiles.

At Danbam that evening, Tony pouts while fumbling with tickets and Hyun-yi offers to go with him. Seung-kwon arrives and says Geun-soo called him, wondering what’s up with Tony. Hyun-yi explains he got dumped and Seung-kwon tsks that it’s not a big deal. They point out Seung-kwon is single, and Tony says Seung-kwon can keep the tickets. They’re interrupted by a foreign couple, but Tony gets up and breezily greets them in perfect English, guiding them to a table. Seung-kwon is stunned and Hyun-yi reminds him learning English was the mission Sae-ro-yi gave Tony.

Geun-soo arrives and confesses his guilt to Seung-kwon and Hyun-yi who both hit him as punishment. Hyun-yi asks why Geun-soo did something knowing he’d regret it and he apologizes to her. She tells him to stick around and see Yi-seo, but Geun-soo says he’ll see her later because he’s still a kiddo. He runs into Yi-seo anyway, and he explains he wanted to apologize to Hyun-yi and Seung-kwon before heading to the States. Yi-seo points out an apology won’t cut it and walks off, but Geun-soo calls her back to ask for a handshake.

Yi-seo asks if that’s the end of his crush and Geun-soo starts to agree he doesn’t deserve it, but Yi-seo pulls him in for a hug. “Of course, you do,” Yi-seo says and tears prick Geun-soo’s eyes, “You didn’t even care about right and wrong. You were just faithful to me.” Despite not being able to accept, Yi-seo says she felt it and apologizes for taking advantage of his feelings. She thanks him and tells him to take care.

Dragging Hyun-yi along on a mission to spy on a popular restaurant, the women are surprised to find it belongs to Soo-ah (thanks to an investment from Hong Seok-cheon) and she offers to buy them tea and tell them whatever they like. Yi-seo snottily declares she and Sae-ro-yi are dating but her cheeky smile falls when Soo-ah genuinely says she’s glad that it’s Yi-seo. Embarrassed, Yi-seo stalks off and Hyun-yi races after her as Soo-ah goes in to find a young man (cameo by Park Bo-gum!!!) interviewing for the chef position. He stands and she’s taken aback by his resemblance to Sae-ro-yi. She tries to play it cool but hires him immediately upon tasting his food to Seok-cheon’s glee. Hee.

Hyun-yi meets Seung-kwon at the theater and he says he got free tickets bud doesn’t want to watch the movie alone. Hyun-yi isn’t fooled but plays along and they skip into the movies together. Meanwhile, Yi-seo and Sae-ro-yi go on a date in Itaewon and after a playful photoshoot, she pouts that he said he loved her but wouldn’t hold her hand. Sae-ro-yi admits it’s awkward and taking his hands, Yi-seo laughs that for all their differences, neither knows the warmth of people.

She says that when he’d told her his story, she’d wanted to embrace his past and keep him from suffering or being lonely. Yi-seo wanted to make his bitter nights sweet and says thinking of him, her empty life fills up. “Thank you. I love you. I want to make you happy,” Yi-seo says and plants a quick kiss on his lips. Sae-ro-yi thinks that he’d wanted to be happy, to achieve everything he wanted without losing himself. Despite the hardships, he’d managed because of his loved ones.

Pulling Yi-seo in for a real kiss, Sae-ro-yi holds her close and thinks that he’s already happier than he ever imagined he could be. Later, the Danbam crew sits on the rooftop drinking and celebrating while Tony plays guitar. After a shot, Sae-ro-yi looks thoughtfully at his glass and then Yi-seo, taking her hand in his. Dad’s words echo: “How does it taste?” and Sae-ro-yi just smiles.

EPILOGUE

Sae-ro-yi’s voiceover says that he works as usual and dates as usual. He and Yi-seo sit together watching the sunset and he pecks her on the cheek. Yi-seo asks what for and Sae-ro-yi smiles that he just likes her. Yi-seo pouts that he only likes her a little and Sae-ro-yi plants a real kiss on her, saying that’s not true. Grinning, she snuggles closer.

 
COMMENTS

Well y’all, we have reached the end of the line and I hate to say that I’m disappointed this wasn’t a more satisfying finale. The ending was serviceable, all our loose ends were either tied in a neat bow or hinted at a promising future… but it felt lacking. The extra half hour also made the episode drag for me. I feel everything set out could’ve been accomplished within our regular time with tighter editing. For a show that had such a strong start to a great underdog plot, it never really utilized that. Sae-ro-yi had plenty of struggles, but I never felt anxious for Danbam because everything seemed to get resolved so easily. Yi-seo dropped into their laps as a genius marketer/manager, Hyun-yi went from cooking poorly to winning all 3 rounds of The Best Pub against professional chefs, and when Jang’s investment scheme nearly bankrupt them… Loan Shark Granny was revealed as a wealthy business mogul to save the day. All the hard work was done in offscreen time lapses and while the soundtrack was definitely inspiring, I just wanted more.

Itaewon Class lost its magic the last few weeks – particularly after that 4-year time skip – but the final plot arc was what made me throw my hands in the air in defeat. Geun-won deciding to kidnap Yi-seo and murder Sae-ro-yi was straight up bonkers, and while Jang’s reaction wasn’t exactly out of character, I found it so incredibly frustrating. He’s always been a shrewd businessman but while he was more than willing to use unscrupulous methods to protect Jang Ga, I don’t understand how he could justify standing by while the monster he created wreaked havoc. He’s never been a loving father but ignoring Geun-won’s final plea to stop him… was heartbreaking. Geun-won has no excuses, he’s a pathetic weasel, but it’s hard not to feel sad knowing how he became that way. Jang is so cruel, and I wish we’d explored
what happened to that boy we saw in the flashback, who gleefully promised his sister he’d build a skyscraper.

Honestly, the character that shined for me at the end was not Sae-ro-yi or even anyone in the core Danbam crew, but Ho-jin. I’ve had a special fondness for his character from the start and it was so satisfying to see him face Geun-won and finally be in a place where he can forgive his tormenter. I think it’s a shame Ho-jin was delegated to such a tertiary character because he’s the one who really carried the message through and as he told Geun-won, their story both started and ended with him. It’s strange how everyone else’s ending was more satisfactory than our core leads’. Seung-kwon realized how far he’s come and had a cute not-a-date with Hyun-yi, Min-jung is now running Jang Ga and probably gonna start dating Detective Oh, even Geun-soo realized his errors and apologized sincerely. His final moment with Yi-seo was cathartic and I did like that she admitted her fault in his trajectory and thanked him for caring for her. It was good to see our puppy return to himself and I hope he has a bright future ahead of him.

Soo-ah finally escaped from Jang and it was great to see that she had indeed been keeping tabs on Jang’s wrongdoing. She finally made good on her promise to Dad and earned her freedom (and cutie Park Bo-gum!). I wish she and Yi-seo had parted on more amicable terms, but I guess Yi-seo still has growing up to do. I never got invested in the love lines in this show and the execution of Sae-ro-yi and Yi-seo as a couple was poorly done. As cute as it was to see Sae-ro-yi fumble in front of Mom and awkwardly express his affection for Yi-seo, it was tainted by my lack of emotional attachment to the couple. Sae-ro-yi finally got Jang on his knees and took control of Jang Ga, but it took 15 years to realize that Jang was just a pathetic old man who was never worth the time he wasted. Still, Sae-ro-yi got his happy ending and for all its faults, Itaewon Class had a lot of fun moments that made for an enjoyable ride for most of its run. I maintain that what stood out the most was always the characters and I’m excited to see what the cast has in store next.

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Yay. I'm the first poster. Okay I loved this show. It had its flaws but what drama doesn't (healer lol) but seriously itaewon class got me out of my drama slump and that all I care about.

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bro. healer is my all time fav. and i agree with you.

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I was in a drama slump as well, this got me out of it.

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Ok, off to read the recap.

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Excellent analysis.. The comments have been more exciting than the show in recent weeks. Yes, I am glad to say I was right about alot of my previous comments.
1. Soo Ah knew that PSRY liked Yi Seo which is why she called him a fool. I caught a lot of slack for that one but she confirmed it again in the final episodes when she called him a fool again and said he was the only one who didnt know he liked Yi Seo ( another thing I pointed out).
2. My favorite scene in episode 16 besides PBG and that awful haircut of his was when Yi Seo left Geun Soo behind and told him to hang in there.. 😂😂😂😂..
3. The most hated scene is when Soo Ah and Yi Seo met up. I am team Yi Seo but was thoroughly disappointed in how she treated Soo Ah. Soo Ah was the one to bring down Jangga and became known as a whistleblower for it and she deserved better than Yi Seo's petty contempt. My only thought is Yi Seo is still insecure about Soo Ah and wanted to drive the nail home that she and PSRY were dating but it was mean spirited, petty, and childish.
3. Although, I was team Yi Seo and I agreed Soo Ah should have done more to keep PSRY, I felt sorry for Soo Ah.. As a woman in her 30's I felt like PSRY also stringed Soo Ah along during her best years and went with a younger girl at the end of the day.. This really really pissed me off. PSRY was no longer interested in Soo Ah, he should have made that clear but nope, he waits until Soo Ah is in her mid 30's and breaks up with her for a 24 year old girl... talk about cliche.. IDK but that really ticked me off..

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The word "fool" that she called him in episode 9 vs the fool here have different meanings. Just because she used the same word doesn't mean it means the same thing. In episode 9, the "fool" that she called him was preceded by a flashback in which she remembered herself saying that SRY would always love her and then she commented to herself "I already said this before". That "fool" meant damn, no one loves someone for 10+ years stupidly like you (justified honestly).

Only this second "fool", which comes after the 4-year time skip, means what you said, that he's a fool for not knowing he likes YS. You have no way to show that the two fools mean the same thing; heck, the MAJORITY of people does not even equate those two "fools" to be the same thing, yet you're still here gloating about your supposed correctness lol. Props to you though for finally seeing how shitty of a person YS is, after defending her the whole drama even through the sexual harassment she has been putting SRY through.

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What majority of the people? Also, he has liked Yi Seo from the beginning and refused to admit it because he didnt think it was right.. I am right as I was about almost everything else like PSRY ending up with Yi Seo.. I never said Yiseo was crappy, I said I am team Yi Seo but I was disappointed in her interactions with Soo Ah.. I am team Yi Seo because she fought for what she wanted from the beginning.

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#3 - Yi Seo's treatment of Soo Ah was one of the disappointing moments in this episode. Yes I know they are long time rivals, but it shows that Yi Seo is still feeling insecure.

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I am totally with you on your last two points. I just couldn't find myself drawn to PSRY and Yi Seo as a couple. Yi Seo is a kid, a selfish kid and despite being rather clever some times, she just doesn't cut it as the main lead in the series! My humble opinion.

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Mate...I'm totally surprised with ur opinion ...the word u used to define the character Yi Seo as selfish and didn't fit as the main lead seems like u didn't watch the drama properly...I'm sorry to say u this and 'm completely disagree as what u said...to be honest if there is any joy to see itaewon class then that is mainly due to Yi Seo character coz the person is blended with different kinds of behaviour and emotion she has portrayed in different situation where she indeed reminded us about our daring teenager life where we might have such revolting time for ourselves as Yi Seo has offered us in the drama.. In each moments the character has fairly justified her role not as stupid person or the pushover role...if there is anything fun or joy to watch then it's definitely the character of Yi Seo ...Sorry mate this is my sincere opinion against urs...no hard feelings though...peace

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i agree with you..the role that yi seo has was excellent and brilliant i mean i like what personality yi seo has in this drama... its very sincere

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I think you see was the part of the drama-a strong, smart character that took no bs was a welciome refresher to the ding at doll-like leads so common ithe female roles-- her lack of caring st the start worried me, but she softened & showed she did have feelings( tho I'd never want to cross her!

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Same here. Yi Seo's character got too annoying for me. I kept watching until episode 13 but I eventually gave up and just went here to read the recap.

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Same here..i stopped until episode 14 got annoyed with Yi Seo...open my google and i just read the recap..poor Soo Ah..all in all disappointed!

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3. Yi-seo has always been petty, and Soo-ah has always killed her with kindness. Soo-ah can't be bothered by Yi-seo's childishness.

Soo-ah doesn't need Yi-seo or Sae-ro-yi's thanks for bringing Jang Ga down. Like she said, she didn't do it for Sae-ro-yi. Her allegiance is to Ajusshi and Ajusshi only.

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Sorry, Soo ah did nothing to help from high school to whistle blow. Thru the entire story she flirted with PSRY relying on that relationship to validate her emotional claim on him without ever helping him. She valued her job and it's perks. Finally, she decided the bad crap at Jingga needed to stop.She reached her "crossroad". Sorry this is not old bitty vs young chick being dumped, it's emotional involvement vs lingering aloftness.

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I think Soo Ah's character came out on winner and that her cook, likes or not his hair, is always the coolest

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How can you define Bo Gum's haircut awful? A short cut hair that leaves all his beautiful face exposed?😂
In this finale the real winner is Soo Ah, her rival in love, Yi Seo, has really made a mean figure and and her former lover PSRY seemed too cold, with an arrogant big face

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The haircut didnt suit him.. I prefer him with hair like he had in Encouter.. he still is handsome

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PSRY and soo-ah never dated tho. She waited too long to make them official so in those 4 years of working with Yi seo, he fell for her. And Yi seo stuck with him through everything. PSRY did make it clear he wasn’t interested in Soo-ah anymore when she asked him if he still liked her. I think him not answering is a pretty clear answer. But I understand where you’re coming from.

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Park Bo-gum !!! Did you see him?! Even his blinks are handsome😅. I screamed for 2 min straight. My poor cat is still hiding under the couch but it was worth it! Lol. Soo Ah got the better end of the deal on that one 😉. Ok, I'm done, I just had to get that out. Oh, and the ending was cute.🙂

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I am having a shitty day and you just made me lol...

Can I borrow the even his blinks are handsome statement

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Please do! That knowledge should be shared with the world LOL

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In my mind's world where all k-drama's are interconnected, this chef is no other than "Kim Jin-hyuk" (PBG) from Encounter/Boyfriend, who after breaking up with "Cha Soo-hyun" (come on, we all know that romance between the ultra rich hotel owner and the poor reception guy wasn't really going to last long after the credits!) left hotel management, and became a chef instead. With a new haircut, of course :)

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I agree with all your review, @sunny.

I think one of the biggest mistake was the lack of identity of Danbam. Janga Co had one but Danbam none. I think even if it was nice to have a transgender character, Hyuny's past as a cook was more important for the story : contest, franchise, win against Janga, etc.

The second mistake was the love story. It was really badly written and acted. It's pretty surprising because Park Seo Joon is very good in this field :p, but neither PSJ neither Kim Da Mi made me feel anything. If I liked how Kim Da Mi played Yi Seo in the beginning of the story, I was disapointed at the end. Her character had no evolution. Even her last scene with GS was disapointed, first she criticized him and then apologized or the one with Soo Ah. For me, she was the same 19 years old girl who stole her mother's clothes.

The evolution of SRY would have been better if it didn't rely on the love story.

The OST was good. I really loved Gago's and Kim Feel's songs.

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Try «The Witch: Subversion», Kim Da-mi's performance is way better, which is her com-out role. I am looking for Park Seo-Joon's next project with IU though, which production is about to begin.

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come-out, I mean.

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Agree - Kim DaMi in The Witch was very good. I just wish it was not so long before the sequel comes out in 2021.

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i think similar. The problem, for me, was the script: rhythmless, poorly deeply and a lot of subjects very naive and unnecessary. Tony and the twist on his story with the old lady was so unnecesary, feelt like a poorly float for a miracle resurection for DANMBAM. I dont know... i enjoy the drama but the script makes me sick because the cast was great but Park Seo Joon doesent shine like always. Maybe was so difficult adapting the webtoon.
The past was mucht better than the present. The final and very fantastic twist (the rapture, the almost dead) was WTF.

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That is my feeling also. A great cast trying holding up a very uneven and not very good script.

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Maybe PSJ's not that good at acting, he had a more demanding role than his previous drama and he showed his gaps

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Whaaaaat psj is not a good at acting joie of thé year 🤣🤣

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Sigh, I ffd through 90% of the episode because I didn't care. However, I was happy that Soo Ah was happy, she was really the only person I cared about by the end. So I am happy she will have a happy life. Meh to the rest.

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I agree with you, @sunny - Ho-jin's ending was more satisfying than the main characters. I would've loved a change in Geun-won, something like realizing how his father is a monster and that he shouldn't be like him. But until the end, he was just put in jail without feeling any remorse for all the things he has done. All in all, I watched the show for the strong beginning and stayed until the end for a convenient ending (I wanted to use lackluster but maybe it's too much?). But I will always remember how Yi-seo never changed her strong personality.

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It's not just Yi Seo - looking back, very few of the characters actually evolved over the 5+ years this drama covered. I blame the writing - perhaps far too many shows are relying on webtoons these days, and most of the few webtoons I have watched are not really that good.

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Have you watched My ID is Gangnam Beauty?

It was a really solid webtoon adaptation for me.

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Thanks especially @Sunny for finishing this recap. I can see your pain when you are writing this. The first 1/3 fighting scene is especially hard to watch--Anything more important than running for survival? Turn out the answer is saying "I love you" and "I miss you", according to the show!!

Sorry, I will never get the screenwriter's logic.

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Kind of reminds me of those old war movies where some guy gets shot and the war just stops while they discuss mom, girls, and apple pie.

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And also I didn’t buy that Seungkwon had became the best street fighter ever all of a sudden and single-handedly beat three full time gangsters (including even the gangster boss).

Ok, SK had some background and used to work as one of them gangsters. But him being that prolific when he has left that underground scene for more than 4 years!??

Nonsense.

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UGh.

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Idk if this is true or not, but I feel that because a lot of this was predictable: at the end of his revenge, SRY found out that it was not worth it; the usage of the time-skip to explain away how romantic feelings grew; SA collecting information on Jangga, etc., that the author felt compelled to throw in random crazy stuff for the sake of suspense only. He didn't realize that predictability does not mean bad at all, and if only he had just stick to his "predictable" story, but fully tell that story and flesh it out and SHOW us the developments, the drama would have been a much better one.

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Being predictable with believable characters is not a bad thing.

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I wasn't sure if I was going to do this, but I guess I am.

And the award for Worst Comment Section goes to: Itaewon Class.

I'm not even sure if the people who made the first five or six recaps so offputting are still here, but this was the first (and preferably the last) time I've ever dropped something simply because the comment section killed my enthusiasm for it.

That aside, it sounds like the ending was lukewarm. Itaewon Class had a fantastic premise, but perhaps it was too bold. But I have to thank it for trying. An epic that spawls fifteen years, demonstrating enormous growth from a hodgepodge of diverse characters? Sounds great! Maybe I'll watch it someday.

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So true, yeah it has its flaws but the comment section makes it seem like this drama is the Worst Drama of this year which it definitely is not

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This was not the best, but I would still put it into the top 20%. I could come up with an endless list of much worse dramas. But on the other hand, the flaws in this were easily avoidable...

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Girl, every drama has it’s ups and downs, this one particularly in my opinion went down but don’t let the comments dismay you from watching, they’re just how they feel about it. Try the drama if you want and see if you feel like it or not. Who knows? You might, if
You don’t, that’s ok too! But let it be up to you.

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I had the same perspective with Something in the Rain. According to the comments (and recaps), it was a nightmare of a drama. I watched it a few months later and enjoyed it immensely, mostly because it was different.

So watch it later, when the hatewatch glare softens.

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That isn't quite what I mean. Everyone is allowed to hate as much as they're allowed to live, but the recap comments here were just full of intolerance and cruelty. It's the kind of thing I go to Dramabeans to avoid seeing.

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*love

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@frabbycrabsis, agree totally. Have read DB for years but this one has legit bitchy nastiness.

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Maybe unpopular opinion but Itaewon Class is actually one of my fav kdramas (so far) I've watched this year. I even watched it the second time and was able to appreciate it even more. I like it because the production feels like a breathe of fresh air amongst the other predictable kdramas storyline. Not to mention I love the soundtracks so much and they are really well chosen to complement the scenes in the drama. 'Sweet Night' is currently my ringtone (previously it was 'Stay With Me' for quite a long time). I'm glad that IC is the first drama to introduce me to Park Seo-Joon and from then on I began watching his other works too (Kill Me Heal Me and Fight My Way. Can't stand his character in 'What's Wrong with Secretary Kim).

Anyway, I always watched up to 4 episodes to find out if I'm able to be impressed by a kdrama and to continue watching. A good kdrama will get me hooked in the first or second episode. Suffice to say, IC got me hooked from the first episode! Do give a try and you can decide later if you want to continue watching or not.

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Relax.. it’s just happened that this show was really intriguing and frustrating at the same time, especially from halfway towards the end. But overall, IC still was a decent ride.

IC has got plenty of talking points considering many social issues of which the show had incorporated in, no wonder the comments section is filled with some heated debates here and there.

I just take it that the debates show that many people really love and invest themselves real hard in this drama. And isn’t it a good sign for a show when it manages to tickle our minds and hearts so powerfully, just like what IC had done to us all?

I, for one, literally created an account on DB just because I felt I need to add a few comments on IC recaps to appease my intrigued mind.

Hope you try to understand :)

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I really feel like people are misconstruing my comment - people like you aren't the problem! If you were passionate about this show, then that's great! I wanna hear about why you liked it! It's the people who take a negative opinion as an insult to them and are quick to be disrespectful and cruel that I have a problem with.

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Guen-won wound up having the best line of dialogue in the drama: “Just die, you zombie!”.

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at that point, who could blame him!!?? Seriously - he was being beaten up by a guy who probably had serious concussion and was in some form of mild coma just hours ago! And he wins?? It would have been more believable it if Sae ro yi had first thrown the sand in GW's eyes and then beaten him up. Of course, I was still trying to figure out why the 2 goons who chased Yi-seo never did anything after catching up to her, and just watched the 2 cars crash. All they had to do was catch Yi-seo and put a knife to her throat and SRY would never even have fought them. Sigh....

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Ugh that goodbye between Geun-Soo and Yi-Seo was everything to me. Especially her acknowledging his feelings for her and how she took advantage of those feelings and her final apology T.T

The last few episodes were not what I wanted but I was still really really satisfied with the ending. I will deeply miss this drama! Can't wait to see more of Kim Da-Mi in the future.

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You've watched «The Witch: Subversion» already? This is Kim Da-mi's come-out role.

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Yes! Loved that movie. I can't wait for part 2! She is truly incredible.

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Despite some hate comments about Yi Seo I have seen, Kim Da Mi is my new favorite actress.

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the ending "chemistry" or lack thereof, was just flat. yi seo was such an interesting character thru most of this drama, but the kisses were awkward. like both actors were uncomfortable or something... SAD!! cuz park seo joon is usually such a great kisser....

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I never found his kisses credible and even here, maybe he is not so good at making a character, he is so unnatural in acting. On the cell phone with Soo Ah they told him he had to be hard? He was cold for no reason. Should he fall in love with Yi Seo? it is not enough to say it, he should show it. Too bad, because he ruined a nice character. Yie Seo also managed to dislike herself in the end. I don't know why.

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Thanks for the recap!

I technically dropped the show after ep 12. Like some of you, I didn’t like how it turned out. The cast and characters were superb, yes, but I think great writing should be the top priority.

Anyway I’d just comment about Soo-ah. Itaewon Class did not shy away from presenting flawed characters, that’s why I loved the 1st 10 eps of this drama. What I don’t understand is the enormous amount of hate thrown at Soo-ah. Of all the characters, she’s the one I related with the most. Yeah she could easily get out of Jangga, but if it really is the top company in SK, where else would she go? Although cartoonish villain bosses in real life are rare, the dilemma of leaving a stable job is very real. It is not realistic if everyone in the world is a SRY or YS who’d want to open a business. Soo-ah is being thrown shit because of her actions, yep it’s questionable, but she IS flawed after all, just like SRY and YS are flawed. I don’t understand why an equally flawed character like YS is being celebrated. She is assertive and I like that about her. She and SA have very different life experiences and I think its unfair to overlook YS’s bad habits while simultaneously throwing shit at SA. That stupid drunken kiss really left a sour taste in my mouth. While I don’t understand other people’s opinions, I’ll just respect their views.

All in all I’m happy that Soo-ah got a good ending (with PBG, who wouldn’t? Lol). I’m glad that the writer expanded on her character tho it’s still a bit lacking. I was never on any ship bc I’m on the no romance team, but Nara and Seo-joon’s chemistry in ep 1-2 hooked me for some reason. I kinda wish I saw that one kiss in ep 5 (?). Stupid defense scene, so hypocritical. I may be in the minority here but whatever.

Back to reading your comments... haha

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I agree with you. Since the beginning, I love the show because it is about business and revenge. I don't mind with love stories outshine the main story but I hate it when the love stories was the things that resolve all the problem, I mean, the kidnapping was really suck.

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And also, I see some people having problems with other comments, saying it’s negative, “the worst comment section” blah blah blah, guys they’re opinions, it’s constructive criticism not hate.
Just because you might think it’s the best show in the world doesn’t mean other people have to as well. Speaking from someone that was actual obsessed with the show in the earlier episodes,
I have to say I’m also disappointed with the way the show was going from ep 11. Does it mean I hate the show? Nope. Could it have been better than whatever the hell they gave us? Absolutely! Anyhoo see y’all in the next show!😌

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I found the comment section negative for the fights that seemed to happen and the disregard for others opinions, not because commentors didnt like the show.

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It seems most of us agree that the show was very good up until around EP12'ish. Maybe the writing, but overall it also seemed a bit rushed.

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Reddit and Soompi praised Itaewon Class to high heaven, and if you dared to post something negative, you would get downvoted to hell and belittled, "You're the one who doesn't understand the writing" and "Why don't you drop the drama if you hate it so much?"

So I'm grateful Dramabeans and Disqus allowed us to honestly critique the show and express our disappointment because Itaewon Class had its fair share of problems.

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I don't know what I hate about the comments here or other places. The insistence that their character should be adored by all and that their characters' actions are never wrong. The assumption that the other person must straight up hate character or the drama to have any short of negative opinions like at all. Or how everyone was trying to pick a fight and not just try to understand the other side or explain their opinion. I am pretty sure these same people wouldn't have held back in criticising the characters that they had a problem with and not try to excuse their actions fictional or not.

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Also I don't see myself finishing the drama anytime soon. Cause now I am annoyed and won't be able to enjoy this drama if I tried.

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What annoys me is people keep insisting Yi-seo is getting all this hate as if Soo-ah and Geun-soo aren't being hated on everywhere as well. (I seem to be the only person who hate Geun-won.)

All the characters were hateable in one way or another, but we all have our own reasons why we're still watching (e.g., Bean Count).

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I dropped it long ago but I have to admit I found this comment section borderline toxic. Sometimes it crossed that border. It discouraged me from picking it up and dissuaded me from continuing (not more than the actual drama though, which was never as good as it was pretending to be).

Anyway I'm glad I dropped it and am equally glad it's over. I won't be finishing it.

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There’s constructive criticism, and then there is constant and consistent bashing of the show and of a particular character. We are all entitled to our opinions, but this is one of the shows where the comment section turned into a gripe session about flaws and character flagellation. It grew tiring to try to be constructive and also offer praise for what it was trying to do and for the perspectives it showed.

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I completely agree with you. This constant nitpicking and bashing of what's lacking vs what's worked for this show, brings the critiques to a whole new level. There are many lessons to take away from this show, but the thrashing overshadows whatever message it tried to convey.

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Exactly. I see a lot of excessive bashing. I wonder if it much of it is because Yi-Seo doesn't fit the stereotypical Korean female lead. Sad.

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totally agree. So many comments were straight up catty for no reason... I’m Glad I’m not the only one who sees it.

I’m just finishing things up and I Guess will stay away from online discussions for a while. DB used to be so different.

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Tbh, no one even felt like it’s the best show in the world. At least not by all the comments I’ve read from ep1 till today. Just that a lot of others are just more level-headed and less dismissive and catty.

I thought I was the only one who noticed it in the comments, and was actually relieved that so many people felt uncomfortable with it as well.

I think I see now why people defend a certain person very vehemently, or hate someone else the same, because like one other commenter said, they reflect who these people are in real life.

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Just the fact that you used weasel -one of my favorite words- to describe Geun-won was enough to make me smile. He goes down as one of the most damaged characters (much but not all self-inflicted) of all times. I feel a bit deflated after the finale which was pretty watered down in terms of meaningful impact. I did love Sae-ro-yi and his father’s encounter and the flood of emotions and tears. I agree that the Dam Ban characters were 2-D when they cOuld have been more deeply developed. It I’m still glad I watched it as there were moments aLong the way that grabbed me. Thanks for the recaps and comments Sunny!

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Overall last impressions. I would give this a 7.5/10 rating overall, but it varied a lot - started out as 10/10 but especially after the time jump went downhill, to around 4/10. That whole gang thing just did not fit.

I don't think they spent enough time delving into a little more of the past of some of the side characters, and I would have like to have seen a bit more of Yi Seo's mom. I thought the ending was good, but a bit too predictable.

Would I recommend it - probably. Was it my favorite ever - nope. One reason I would recommend it is because it goes where almost no drama before has gone - into the dark side of Korea's class system and the endemic racism/xenophobia.
Here is a good video delving into that further, and many comments on just how close the show portrays Korea and the Itaewon area. https://youtu.be/OutGsIwEg5o

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Haha I DID just recommend it to someone who asked me for a Netflix Kdrama suggestion. I think it fits her personality and there was plenty I did like about it. And I like Park Seo Joon ever since I first saw him in witch's Romance. It started out as a 9 for me and I wouldn’t dip it to a 4, maybe a 6, and that also comes out to a 7.5. Maybe even an 8.

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Sae-ro-yi does not deserve to take over Jang Ga when he had no part in taking Jang Ga down. Sae-ro-yi did not beat Chairman Jang; Soo-ah beat Chairman Jang. Soo-ah does not deserve to lose her job for being a whistleblower, and Geun-soo does not deserve to lose his inheritance of the company. Chairman Jang should have just been removed for embezzlement and bribery which, with Geun-won's arrest for kidnapping and attempted murder, should have tanked Jang Ga's stocks (again) making IC number one in the country by default.

Afterward, Geun-soo, Soo-ah, and Director Kang run Jang Ga maintaining a friendly rivalry with IC. My favorite thing about Itaewon Class is how smart all the leads were. Sae-ro-yi, Yi-seo, Soo-ah, and Geun-soo kicked ass at their jobs and did not need anyone to save them. Thank you, Yi-seo, for unlocking Geun-soo's true potential. Who would have thought he had it in him? In Episode 14, I cheered when Geun-soo single-handedly blocked Yi-seo from becoming a board member because that was smart. Geun-soo and Soo-ah would have easily made Jang Ga successful again.

In spite of this, I was satisfied with Geun-soo and Soo-ah's endings. As soon as Geun-soo walked into Danbam with his hair back down (symbolism), I was hopeful he would get his hyung and noona back. "Why did you do it knowing you'd regret it?" made me tear up. Hyun-yi is so forgiving. I was waiting for one of Sae-ro-yi, Hyun-yi, or Seung-kwon to say they already knew Geun-soo outed Hyun-yi. I cried when Yi-seo hugged Geun-soo. Even though the girl gave me whiplash from her heartless "Your sorry doesn't cut it" just five seconds ago, but I appreciate her apology, "I'm sorry for taking advantage of your feelings." Geun-soo's OST No Words
by Crush is my favorite Itaewon Class OST.

I am so proud of Soo-ah for keeping her promise to Ajusshi; she has certainly repaid her debt three-fold. I wish Soo-ah can franchise her restaurant like IC with a line out the door of customers waiting to eat (see) Chef Park Bo-gum's food. When Soo-ah told Yi-seo, "잘 해줘 (Be good to him)," I was expecting her to say, "잘 부탁해 (I leave him in your care)," so I was really glad she said it to herself.

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I loved all of it. Great characters and loved that kiss in episode 16. Omg he kissed her like he truly had found love.

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i know so many dramas are based on webtoons, but this was only the second time (first was cheese in the trap) where i was EXTREMELY curious to read it because it felt like huge chunks were lost in translation.

i didn't know while watching that the webtoon author is the one who wrote the drama script & i was surprised to find that out later. i feel a little bad for him since he saw negative feedback on this ending & posted that it was his fault alone. not true, guy. tons of people work on a drama & should be helping you write your first script!

i also agree with everyone who felt the chemistry was really lacking between park seo joon & kim dami. i thought park seo joon had chemistry with everyone lol. i think they were each the perfect fit for their own characters, but i did not feel excited to watch them as a couple.

all in all, not a terrible drama but not the best. wishing great things in the future for the whole cast & the writer as well!

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I had one of the longest speeches ever then home girl gets her own shop with a side of PGB.... And am so happy I can't figure out why I was angry... Actually I do... Will comment on that when my happiness is over and I see this show for what it is..

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I put the drama on hold but plan on watching it as soon as I'm free even though many of you found it disappointing. I found Park Seo-joon and Ahn Bo-Hyun's performances to be amazing in the beginning but it now seems the female leads and the side characters are the reason to watch this. Soo-ah and Geun-soo were the most interesting characters for me too so want to continue it for them! Thanks Sunny and Dramallama for the insightful recaps and comments!
I'm really excited to start reading webtoons from now on for future dramas!

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The scene where Chairman knelt down in Danbam, Saeroyi turned to look at Yiseo. It's like him telling Yiseo "I've got this." Love that scene. Their little exchange of looks and glances without any words.

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At the end of the day, it all comes down to worth and expectations. So many people, the recapped included, expected something more, but can’t define what that more is, and since they don’t get that undefinable quality, the product is somehow worth less as a whole and reduced to being “fun” in parts.

Itaewon Class is not perfect. But it is potent. What it says about power and ideals is potent. What it says about revenge-as-aspirational is unique. And its portrayal of an unlikeable yet complex female lead is novel for this genre.

PSRY could kneel because he had lost respect for his enemy. When Chairman Jang came to beg, PSRY went against the grain of the good hero and was ruthless. I loved when he pointed out that Jang only knelt and apologized at the end, and not at the height of his power. This is a show considering sincerity when making gestures of apology, or love, or loyalty. Put up or shut up, and Itaewon Class put up.

One more thing: I love Yi-seo for not being the typical Kdrama heroine who is always righteous, pious, kind, and lovable. That heroine would wait for the hero to rescue her; she would hide her disdain for her love rival; and she wouldn’t dare take the hero’s hands on the top of a hill and essentially propose to him and kiss him. I love Yi-seo because she is a difficult character that reflects difficult people. And I am grateful to the writer for being brave enough to introduce her and this story to us not once, but twice.

Thank you, writer-nim. I hope your career continues in distinction.

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I share the same thoughts. Itaewon class had some powerful messages despite its flaws and man did I love yi seo or maybe it was Kim da mi potraying the character. I went on to look for her other projects

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Out of all the comments here, yours are the only ones who gave IC the acknowledgement it rightfully deserved and earned. Thank you.
Judging from the other comments who are quite the opposite of yours, I mean they were not satisfied with the drama lol, shows to me that this drama is really for those people who realizes quite early on in the show that they actually like female heroines that are not the usual/typical kdrama female lead. Others here even though applauding one female for being “realistic” in her being “self serving” but no not Yi Seo, she must undergo a “growth and development” of character but this development they were describing and wanting to happen would change Yi Seo and make her end up being a typical kdrama female lead in the end (So glad that didn’t happened)
I’m glad that you love Yi Seo for being the opposite of the pious, righteous, kind, lovable lead.For me, Yi Seo being who she is in the drama is the very reason I love and continue to keep watching this drama to the end. Her character out of all the other wonderful characters in this show is my most favorite because she makes the story much more interesting precisely because she is the LEAD and not the second lead, I think it was a stroke of genius in the writernim’s part - see what I did there? ;) hehe
Writernim better know that he did not do any failure but in fact manage to give us a beautiful drama about marginalized people in society and shared their story with such heart, depth of character and lots of wonderful amazing life truths...
Like how do you think a story about an ex-convict who has a bit of an asperger, another ex-convict who was an ex gang member, a borderline sociopath genius, a bastard who is neglected, a transgender, a biracial, a person abandoned as a child, and a victim of long term bullying would go down? And these people are up against a high functioning psychopath with lots of power with his mini me? well expect a lot of uncomfortable issues flaring up and being highlighted and addressed in such a way that would make people think things and most importantly feel things... the characters in this story are not those you would call normal people, hence don’t expect the cookie cutter version but expect actions that normal people would find despicable but actually make sense to that character. I look at the interactions of all these characters especially the Danbam crew as like iron sharpening iron, which is bound to be messy and in truth very difficult to witness but then these crew came out of it with a bond even more stronger and felt earned.
I came here to DB hoping to meet with people who also saw the diamond in the rough that was Itaewon Class but much to my surprise, there were not a lot, The sentiments here were more about how Soo Ah did not get what they believe she deserves lol.
But thank goodness for you @laladaisical, there is still at least one other beanie who love the show for what it really is. Which is good enough for me :)

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Thank you! I love especially love your comments about Yi-Seo and the diverse mix of characters. I am quite saddened by the negative reviews of IC. It seems like they are looking for problems rather than seeing the wonderful themes and acknowledging the great performances accept perhaps for their favourite actor and or actress who should have been the centre of attention. Personally, it is the best k-drama I have seen.

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Sorry - 'except'.

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Yes. It’s the best drama for me too in the same level as My Ahjushi. In some ways both dramas have something in common in their leads and that is why I am finding it hard to let go of both dramas lol. Since IC is the most recent, so it has quite a firm hold on my mind and my emotions. I love this drama to bits.

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oh also @Peter M, don’t be so sad about the negative reviews here because in other forums like soompi or reddit quite a lot of people love the show and actually get what the show is wanting to convey and did it so well... even in tumblr too, these sites have quite a lot of good reviews about the show too and are actually very insightful... so yeah my point is the negative reviews are just a very small portion of how the audience received IC so cheer up :) Glad you also love the drama a lot...

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thanks for the recaps:-) while i dropped this show at ep7, i enjoyed following this show by reading your recaps and everyone's lively comments:-) thank you

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Nice one we watched ITAEWON CLASS and it teaches us sonething about being greedy/ revenge/ hope/ strugggle/ dignity/ perseverance/ faith/ friendship/ and most of all LOVE and BELIEVING in what one ca really achieve a GOAL !! it has a moral lesson all the way. And each actor and actresses portrayed their best! Congratulations! More power to all the staff, actors, actresses ; you all did a good staffing and story.

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I agree with @sunny that this show kinda fell flat at the end. I would have liked to see how the show would have turned out if Yi-seo was not a genius or if Toni’s grandmother was not a rich lady. Ooh, the struggles!! It would be nice to see a show that won’t resort to having the lead meet someone who just happens to have the cure to their problem. But then, that’d be real life wouldn’t it? 🤔

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Just a thought. I really don’t think IC needed a PBG cameo as a rating boost. From episode 5 on its ratings were above 10%. I do think PBG made a cameo appearance as a favor to Director-nim. A PBG cameo appearance may have come about as a make up for how Soo-ah’s character played out in the drama.
In the end Soo-ah landed nicely on both feet with a lovely upscale looking restaurant and a great (and great looking) Chef! Forget about franchising Soo-ah an enjoy being the owner of your own place.

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The phone call scene between PSRY and Soo Ah was the worst scene of this entire drama. Honestly after Soo Ah took down Jangga all he could say was a cold thanks??? I mean he doesn’t have to like her anymore but they are still friends. That just seemed so off IMO. Would’ve been much better if they had a face to face conversation at PSRY’s dad’s grave.

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So true..his cold thanks is so out of character. i was actually hoping for him to at least apologize hmm...guess yi seo has warned her to not be too close with so ah anymore. In my imagination. Lol

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Apologise for what?

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Didn’t care for this show. I understand being a genius, but who lets a 19 year old come in and takes over

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Wait, so Episode 16 is the last episode? No Season 2 No more Itaewon Class? TT

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It had potential. And then it became one big BLAHHHH after the time skip in Ep14.

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If it wasn't for your excellent summary of this episode, I would swear you hadn't watched the last four episodes. The entire series was gripping and deeply affecting. All the cast performed extremely well but special praise goes to Da-mi and Seo-jun. They were completely convincing and worked superbly well together. They are the best k-drama couple I have ever had the privilege to watch. Many of their scenes were deeply touching and genuine. There had numerous heart-warming, loving and dramatic scenes together throughout the series. How could anyone deny the deeply moving confession of her love for him (ep.11) and his for her (ep.16)? And what about the scene at detective Ho's house where Yi-Seo bust out crying after seeing and touching his healed scars and realised that she loved him?

The magic was definitely not lost in the last few weeks but rather increased. Saeoryi's internal fight over his feelings for Yi-Seo and his realisation that his excessive pride had hurt his friends were two fascinating elements. For example, his confession to Geun-soo that he liked Yi-Seo and that he won't apologise for it was particularly powerful. Furthermore, Yi-Seo's refusal to give up on him both personally and professionally while maintaining her independence and achieving individual success were also special plot developments. Her growth in maturity including learning from her mistakes and seeing people not as something to used was mostly due to Saeroyi's influence. They are yin and yang to each other as insightfully acknowledge by Yi-Seo when she said to Sae Ro-Yi they are as dfifferent as A to Z. They entirely complemented each other and achieved happy and success together with their friends. I don't understand why you think the kidnapping and murder attempt were "straigth out bonkers" - they are in the webtoon but I presume you already know that. Geun-Won's life was down the toilet so he wanted revenge on those he deemed responsible for it rather than accept that he brought it all on himself. Bye the bye. But your elevation of Ho-jin as the character which shone the brightest is hard to accept. I like this character but he only had two significant scenes.

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At Episode 12 start losing my interest. The development of love story between PSRY and Yi Seo did not click on me.... such a lacklustre chemistry... Mmmmm its a so so Kdrama. Despite of how So Ah has done I was still rooting for them. Was even thinking of not finishing the whole drama. Ugh!

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I didn't even finish the drama ,I stopped at ep 13 ...I was also deeply rooting for soo ah and psry if not for my self control ,I'd have puked at the love story BTW psry and yi seo

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It was an ending. I think what I loved most about the show kind of lost its way toward the end. My problem wasn't the female leads, the time skips, or the revenge. It was mostly how much of the heart of the show started to wane.
Suddenly the revenge became petty on both sides, the DanBam teamwork took a backseat, we were being told that the pub was successful without really being shown how it got there (would have loved to see people pouring over recipes, more cooking, and figuring things out).
And most importantly the issues brought up that made this show so different took a backseat too. I was just hoping for more. There were a lot of seeds planted that didn't really go anywhere. Like how Jang CEO started off as the little guy like Saeroyi. I wanted to see him realize how far from that guy he became with Saeroyi's influence but it didn't happen. Even if the outcome was the same, I wanted some acknowledgement there especially since there were so many comparisons to him and the main 3.
I do agree that I want to see the show where solutions didn't just fall into Saeroyi's lap. I thought the idea of a 15 year plan was so cool but now I'm not sure what that was because it seemed to change at any moment.
It wasn't a bad show and I think there are so many great things about it—cast, characters, acting, setting, themes...but I never quite felt it was all fully utilized by the drama's end.
I enjoyed my time with DanBam however. I look forward to what the cast does next.

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You are so right! I felt that the show did lose its heart for the good fight. You hit the nail on its head.

Otherwise, I don’t have that many strong feelings about this show like so many do. :) it wasn’t a waste of my time.

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My opinion so take it with a pinch of salt.

I really have no idea why this show is popular and receive such positive feedback. Maybe people like it because of how edgy and unconventional the main leads are? I really have no idea.

Yes its okay to build characters with weird characteristics but at least make them more consistent. Yi seo is this heartless person that really doesn't care for anyone else but then suddenly is willing to drop everything and be a literal dog to PSRY? For what love? That's unhealthy af if PSRY was not a nice person. This would only be logically possible if she was a psychopath not a sociopath. And PSRY goes on and on about people and trust and how he wants to build damban unlike Jangga but at the last moment he fks Chairman jang over. For a manhwa I'm disappointed by the inconsistencies in this drama.

It doesn't make it any better that this story has almost 0 points where the characters faced hardships. Other than the sad PSRY backstory, these characters have it so damn easy like beating Jangga Co was destined for them. All of their hardships barely created any dent as once they have an issue a solution appears right in front of them.

This gives us the viewers very little attachment to any of the characters (except for maybe PSRY, Geun soo and Soo Ah where at least we watched through their ups and downs) but for the rest of Damluckybam, I honestly feel nothing for them. Heck if Chairman Kang crushes dambam I would be unaffected. This is more so for Yi seo who literally and I said literally gets everything her way she's more spoiled than Geun woo funnily enough.

But nevertheless I applaud the actors for their job well done in pulling alot of challenging roles together. But other than the actors themselves I have nothing for the scriptwriters nor the manhwa, it was just uncomfortable to watch and was probably one drama where I had to skip so much just to finish it. ( I missed one episode and watching the recap was enough for me).

On to another hopefully better drama!

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I thought that also , yi seo is mean ,she doesn't care if any one gets hurt as long as she had what she wanted but all of a sudden she wants to throw everything she has to be with a guy (it so doesn't suit her character ) . Also I find it annoying that after 15 yrs of waiting ,psry ended up with yi seo and not soo ah ,it was more of like so ah wasted her time waiting for him ,though it was shown to us she made it clear to psry that see liked rich guys but he was too stupid to see that was just an excuse and the only thing she needed from him was to let go of his resentment and come to her..
The drama had a good start but was poorly finished.

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Thanks for the recap.

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I know my opinion doesn't matter, but I would've liked SRY to end up with soo ah and yi seo to end up with geum soo lol. But then, what's in the drama is in the drama already, can't change anything. The drama's still good and enjoyable to watch.

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I'm glad it wasn't only me ,no matter how hard I tried I just didn't feel attached to park saeroyi and yi seo but instead with saeroyi and soo ah .I really wished they ended up together after 15 years of waiting only to end up with someone else?. Naturally I feel if saeroyi had let go of his resentment he would have been happier though I wondered hard why soo ah was so loyal to jang not knowing she had it all planned ,she's competent and I'm glad she got her happy ending.

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I totally agree! I feel like saeroyi and soo ah should end up together. They understand each other on a deeper level. Soo ah had her own way to get revenge by compiling all those files of the flaws of Jangga Co.., She wasn’t as aggressive in her love like Yi Seo but she had her own way. Soo ah also had Years of planning, much like saeroyi.

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I had high expectations for this drama so I kept watching in the hope it gets better. Unfortunately, it didn't. And I'm glad that many agree that they didn't feel the love story because I was worried I have heart of stone...
But the biggest flaw of this drama for me is still the whole business story. I did research about startups in Korea and it does not work like that. Do you know how many thousands of pubs/restaurants there are that sell soft tofu stew and soju? They are all the same!! None of them would get an investment of 5 Bn KRW to franchize after a couple of months and then expand to China and the US, growing to a competitor of 40 yo Jangga within 4 years. Ridiculous! Especially since neither PSRY nor Yiseo know much about business (she's smart, but she did not study business! Your social media stuff won't bring you far)! What great plan did PSRY have to crush Jangga? I didn't see it, he was so clueless. Lol I couldn't stop shacking my head. And halmoni turns out to be a rich real estate investor, come on!
And on Jangga side, what was Sooah's position once more that she could always talk to the Chairman? Was she that high? I doubt it. Chairman also didn't have more important things to do than annoying PSRY. Pathetic.

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Entering late into the show here. Just binge watched all episodes. The start of the show was good and engaging but somewhere along the line the story lay flat. Especially towards the end. I just hate it that PSRY ends up with Yi-Seo. He has liked someone for years, confessed and made her wait all those years till his goal is achieved. later he decides he loves the girls who has had a crush on him for long coz she helped him achieve his goal God! How patriarchal is that.
Soo-ah is a lot better. She is her own woman. She is loved for her values and repayed her debt on her own without help from a team of friends or circumstances.

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Now thats been said, I love the DanBam team. All the characters are unique and represent unsaid aspects of society. The show has tried to show racism,discrimination, and many facets of society.
The female lead Yi-seo is unconventional and I love it. Am happy she chose how she'd lead her life early on and stuck through it all. I guess the male lead falling for her meant hard work bore fruit. If this were real, I hope PSRY did not mistake dependence on competent person for love.
I would have loved to see more aspects of Hyun-ji and toni's life but well they were tertiary characters so what can I say.

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nice kdrama to watch and you cannot predict what's next... wow...Yi Seo , she's so an interesting character! She did the sacrifices to win the man she loves...she is really a woman who fight for her love no matter what it will takes...inspiring...

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Yess!!! Yiseo, a woman who fights no matter what it takes, including disregarding her man’s concerns and a bit of manipulation here and there.

Truly inspirational for the future generations.

Just to clarify, if any of you have a hard time to digest my point, I decided to be my sarcastic best in this comment.

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Yi Seo’s character practically says young and flirty always GETS THE MAN than the beautiful and passive first love. I actually don’t like that kind of love story! Maybe we should all just be FLIRTY to keep the man! But I’m happy Soo Ah still had a happy ending

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Ishhh gerammm nyerr...last scene ep.5 itaewon class😩Why the director doesnt want to let kwon nara be a heroin for this drama? I really dissapointed with the director because doesnt want kwon nara be a heroin...pluse it was so sweet when park searo yin and soo ah comparing with the fool manager danbam! Who is agree with me..let the director know with this comment!

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Wasted half a day watching this drama. You were correct with your assessment that the series started strong and that it should've concluded with a convincing finale. I lost my interest when Sae-ro-yi started showing signs of affection to Yi-Seo. Her character as a smart-ass manager/partner of IC was enough already. I was even rooting for her to succeed with her plans for the pub/company. But to be paired as a couple to Sae-ro-yi at the tail-end of the story made me lose my interest to finish the series.

For me, Sae-ro-yi is just too good for Yi-Seo.

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Re-watching this series for the second time gave me a better understanding of Saeroyi-Yi seo relationship dynamic and why he ends up with her instead of Soon ah. On the other hand, I would totally watch a drama featuring Soon ah and chef Bo gum, heeheehee

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Never truly understand Soo Ah character, but I have been imagining what if she is actually the daughter of Chairman Jang, and she knows about it? Then suddenly all her actions seem to make a lot more sense. She tried multiple times to make PSRY dislike her, her weird attachment to keep working with Jangga despite all the moral conflicts, etc etc. It would be such a big dilemma for her and that's why it took 15 years for her to finally blow the whistle. She must have patiently waited for PSRY to take Jangga down himself so not to hurt his pride, only to realize PSRY almost lost his life doing that. That's why she can't wait any longer and finally decide to take Jangga down herself. That is my two cents' worth, otherwise this Soo Ah character is just unexplainable.

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A lot of Sooah's choices were definitely questionable, and were not always the best choices morally for herself or the people around her. What I do like about this drama is that it depicts that human choices are not always black and white, good or bad.

If we go back to the beginning and see where Sooah started off, she was an orphan. Now society tells us that if you grew up with a background like hers that you were going to have a harder time to reach what society deems as 'success' - i.e., getting into a good university, stable job, career progression etc. With that in mind, I think a lot of Sooah's choices were made upon her fears that if she gave up the opportunities in front of her (e.g., Chairman Jang's scholarship offer and later job at Jangga) that she would continue to struggle to create a better future for herself. She also stayed in Jangga for as long as she did and made a lot of decisions because of the 'loyalty' and indebtedness she felt towards Chairman Jang for giving her those opportunities.

So I don't think Sooah needs the background story you mention of being the Chairman's daughter for her story to 'make sense'.

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The second half of this show was really bad, but the finale sort of made up for it with a long epilogue.

Never really turned around on Yi-Seo, I just found her unlikable throughout. Extremely selfish and only did nice things to try to have PSY like her more.

- Pettiness at the end with Soo-Ah at the end was not needed.

- Would leave a friend to die

The other complaint is that Geun-Won was too dumb of a character. I wish they made him a little more morally grey, but ended up just being a dumb person.

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