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When My Love Blooms: Episodes 11-12 Open Thread

Fathers and their children are our focus this week. Whether our story takes place in the present, or lingers in the past, we learn how our characters are affected by these relationships — and how our lovers’ past continues to be marked by tragedy.

 
EPISODES 11-12 WEECAP

Last week we closed our episodes with Jae-hyun telling Ji-soo (as they chat at the local convenience store) how he learned about the truth behind his father’s suicide. It’s a sad story to hear — he only learned five years ago the role his father-in-law had to play, and it tore him up after being the man’s “faithful hound” for so many years prior. But, our present-day Jae-hyun makes a lot more sense now — why he accepted the prison sentence, why he let his marriage die, and why he’s got a master plan to take down Hyung Sung.

What’s more heartbreaking than this reveal for Jae-hyun, though, is his father’s death in the past. We continue to move chronologically through the past storyline, so after the department store collapse, we see the devastation that it brought on Ji-soo and her father. She’s in such a terrible place that she “hides” from Jae-hyun, whether he’s looking for her on leave, or after he’s discharged.

My heart really cracks in two when they show the past storyline and the pain our parted pair endured. These two actors are so good at expressing the affection between them, that seeing them torn apart is as painful as if it’s really happening to us. I can’t say enough about how impressed I am with the young cast in this show; they haven’t had a weak moment or scene in this entire drama.

A particularly heart-wrenching moment that stood out to me this week was when Jae-hyun paid a visit to Ji-soo’s doorstep. He’s been searching for her all the while and it seems like her family’s house is abandoned, but he sits there on the steps with a song playing. His back is to the gate, so he doesn’t see Ji-soo tiptoe up and sit behind the wall, as close to him as she can get. He senses her presence (at least, that was my reading of the scene), and they’re both in tears. Oh, and so am I. This is the loveliest of Romeo and Juliet scenes; so simple, yet so strong.

After the wrongful death of his father (due to the labor union strike and the corruption of the case) and parting from Ji-soo, Jae-hyun is understandably wrecked. We see him at a critical point in his life where he decides to change his course. “I plan to turn into a different person,” he imagines telling Ji-soo, “but if we meet again, please recognize me.” This turning point adds a lot of meaning to Jae-hyun’s story, and even more punch to their re-meeting at the beginning of the drama, where she recognized him on the train platform.

But Seo-kyung’s father isn’t the only father involved in this part of the story — Ji-soo’s father also plays a big part of the story this week. He reaches out to Jae-hyun during a very lucid day, and the two go on a strange walk up a mountain to a perilous clifftop. But this strange destination was purposeful — Ji-soo’s father wants Jae-hyun to send him to his death. Extreme? Yes. But it’s here to show us just how penitent he is for the harm/wrong/hate he threw at the two of them when they were young and in love. We also learn that he prosecuted Jae-hyun’s father (which played a huge part in undermining him) for the same reason.

The common denominator here is even more conflict for our grown Ji-soo and Jae-hyun. Ji-soo is devastated over the loss of her father (who dies of pneumonia, not a cliff top plunge, mind you!), and goes to Jae-hyun for comfort. This is one of the few times we actually see Ji-soo willing to share her sorrow with him, and it’s refreshing to see. It’s also lovely (and so Jae-hyun-like) that forgiveness is on the table and that rather than rage tearing him apart from Ji-soo, he’s softer than ever towards her.

Seo-kyung continues to try to pull the two apart, this time by telling Ji-soo about her father’s past involvement. Seo-kyung is an interesting character — she’s completely an archetype, but she’s also driven by really complex emotions that are quite interesting to watch. As we see more bits and pieces of her own story with Jae-hyun, we see how he helped her overcome her abandonment trauma (again, how warm and Jae-hyun-like!) back when they first met.

If we could just squint for a second and remove Ji-soo from this story, the relationship between Seo-kyung and Jae-hyun is actually a really interesting one, and could hold its own. But with Ji-soo very much in the story, and how many times we’ve witnessed these two clinging to each other, Seo-kyung’s character becomes an antagonist. One you feel for, yes, but one that can’t really compete with what our leads have. And she knows it, which makes her claw-like battle even more desperate and sad.

One final thought from this week’s episodes is how the theme of fathers and children also carries to our younger generation. First, we see the ill effects of absentee parenting in Jae-hyun’s son (man, this frustrates me to no end because his son should be as magical as he was in his youth!).

We also see the emotional strain that Ji-soo’s son Young-min has had to endure — not only by being bullied over her mother’s past, but his desire to protect her and her happiness and put it above his own. It breaks my heart to see him carrying on her legacy of torching her own happiness in order to protect the one she/he loves. There has to be some kind of middle ground, right? Well, I think we’re on the right track, especially since Ji-soo admitted to Jae-hyun at the end of this week’s episodes that she doesn’t want to repeat her past mistakes. Let’s hope for some greener pastures ahead for everyone.

 
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This drama never fails to make me cry in every single episode. These two latest episodes where I was tearing up, A LOT! I didn't see Ji-soo's involvement in Jae-Hyun's death was coming... But I had a thought in some episodes back when Ji-Soo's father "didn't do anything" with Jae-hyun ran away with Ji-soo other than made him to be drafted (now I knew he's done something else). Her father diary made me cry as well....

I second with Jun-Seo and Young-Min. While Jun-Seo is lacking "attention" and "guidance" he needs from both parents (which made him turning to a character we knew), Young-Min seems like to be burdensome with "how to make her mother happy", which he later on told his father that the wanted to live with him.

As for why Jae-Hyun married Seo-kyung, I haven't got a clear why he did that... Did he ever "love" Seo-Kyung? If he did, how their marriage started to become dysfunctional?

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At one point, he said something like: I've turned you into a monster. Or this situation has turned her into a monster.

I can believe they had a functional marriage until he went to prison and she was lonely & got a lover.

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Jae Hyun has dragged Seo Kyung and their son into this mess in his own volition and now is leaving them just like that.....this is why I have never liked him as a character.

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Well, she had an affair while he was in prison for crimes her father committed, so I have precious little sympathy for her.

I do feel really sorry for their son

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Jae Hyun is as much responsible in this whole mess if not more...we are turning blind eye because we are supposed to as he is the lead and his love with Ji Soo is supposed to be precious which at best right now looks tainted...too many collateral damage....he didn't ask for a divorce because of her affair though, its because he found Ji Soo back, lets not kid ourselves.

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Yes, I agree that he is absolutely responsible! Only I'm not sure they'd gone back to being a happy couple even if he hadn't met Ji Soo, seeing as he hatched the master plan to bring down her father about 5 years ago.

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Still doesn't make him a better character though

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I agree too that Jae-Hyun has fault too for the failed marriage, but I don’t think we can ignore that Seo-Kyung agreed all those years ago to put her husband in jail just save her father the trouble (leaving her own son without a father in the process) and then she had an affair in his absence; even though the drama is happening now because of Jae-Hyun, a lot of the damage came from Seo-Kyung.

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agree, about 'they had a functional marriage until he went to prison',,
when JaeHyun told ji soo about him only 5 years ago finding out that father in law was largely involved in his father's incident, I could see that 5yrs timeline as the point where his functional marriage started to have a crack,
especially after FIL sent him to jail just for saving himself + Seok yung never, never, visited him during his 4 yrs in jail + Seok Yung 'conveniently' cheating on him, (apparently because she was lonely, duh) ,,

well if I really need to say whom I support between these 2, I still like JaeHyun much more than Seok Young in this mess.
and as much as JaeHyun was of course partly responsible for the marriage's failure, the fact that Ji Soo wasn't in their marriage 4-5 years ago said a lot about who seems to act more to tear the marriage apart, and I believe that even Seok Yung couldn't deny it.

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Seo-Kyung as and probably always has been an egotistical, self-absorbed overgrown spoiled child. She has no moral compass and no filter. So when he says "I've turned you into a monster" he is being overly generous. I doubt they ever had a very good marriage - they have absolutely nothing in common including value systems and how they look at life - and now only their son holds them together.

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The past story is so sad. I agree with you about the doorstep scene. It was so touching... I also had the feeling that JaeHyun felt JiSoo was inside (maybe not so close) and that's why tears appeared while the music was playing. I usually hate this kind of "terrible chain of misunderstandings and misfortunes" because it gets on my nerves, but I find this one fitting so well in the story.

Fathers and children have been an issue in this show, and although it's so convenient JiSoo's father clarity and regret in his past days, I find complicated to believe that a man who has almost gone into dementia can be that lucid with both JiSoo and JaeHyun, but I welcome his lucidity, specially for JiSoo who was committed to him ever since the accident.

The best two things for me in these two episodes were Young Woo honesty to his friends about his feelings and how relaxed were (yes, at last!!!!) our OTP in the second half of episode 12. For a moment, when they were playing the piano together or when they were talking about how to pay for the piano, they were the right evolution of the two younger selves that felt in love 25 years ago.

Finally, SeoKyeong is such an interesting character!! She's there to be the antagonist, and her reasons may be not the correct ones (I doubt she still loves JaeHyun, I'm more inclined to think that she doesn't want to loose and is terrified by the idea of being left alone), but she's honest and forthright. I wish she could find someone that could pick up her pieces, because she deserves love and attention.

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If you step back and just look at the story outline, it’s full of standard tropes we’ve seen before along with plot conveniences that would normally cause my eyes to roll. Yet, when it’s on screen with the actors and actresses for our OTP, young and old, my disbelief and snark and whatever are nowhere to be seen.

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Same exact feelings.

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thanks for wecapping this show - i am enjoying it so much despite the tropes, cliches, and the adultery. it was lovely seeing them both being so relaxed in each other's company in the second half of episode 12.

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things mentioned in the weecap have really put all important points of the week's story: the father-children relationship,
I even can detect how Ji Soo's ex was looking a bit better as a character when he was around his son, I appreciate that, whether it's in the script, or the actor playing it,

speaking of actor, I really really like how both young and present jaehyun carried some sort of elegance, maturity in their character, but at the same time adorably boyish <3 ah I'm a happy fans, hahaa

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The level of detail on your analysis in this recap is a sign of your great writing skills, and thank you for it as they serve as a nice revision of what we just watched. It helps us to reinforce different elements of the story or to have a different angle. It enhances the experience of watching, appreciating, and enjoying a drama and especially of this excellent quality.

I would like to say that the piano solo piece that Ji-soo was playing with her mask at the lounge of the hotel was finally mentioned in the dialogue, it is "Like The First Day" or "Comme au prèmier jour" de André Gagnon, and I strongly recommend to listen to the piano solo version, without the orchestral arrangement. It is by far the only piano solo piece that I could keep on listening repeatedly without end. I found one on youtube where they play repeatedly on a loop for an hour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcTcp_uRuDE.

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Thank you~ And I'm glad you're enjoying the show, too.

*Plays piano track on a loop*

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I started watching this drama because of its cast ( who I must say has all been showing great acting ), but honestly I have been having conflicting feelings with its take on adultery - does being in love justify committing adultery? I wish our leads had more of a moral compass or values for them to wait and resolve Jaehyun's divorce first. Realistically speaking, being in love is indeed the foremost reason why people commit adultery but still can't help but feel conflicted because it is a sin. I can't help but feel conflicted of rooting for our leads to get together when one if them is still married. Yes it can be argued that Jaehyun and Seo Kyung's marriage is all over but Seo Kyung still wants to work it out and she naybe doing bad things but for me it still doesn't justify adultery. Does anyone else feel this way?

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