Thoughts after Encounter Ep 2:

Episode 1 felt like a dream – Episode 2 felt like they’ve been slapped back to reality.

It makes me wonder though – that in this Opposite-Candy story, it feels like the show is suggesting that them maybe be dating would be such a big issue. Like here’s so much controversy with the fact that this CEO is dating this guy. Could be different things: 1) She’s much older than he is. 2) He’s her employee. But I can’t help but feel like it wouldn’t be such a big problem if it was the other way around.

The issue here could be compared to Jugglers but I feel like the secretary-boss relationship is on another level of intimacy – you’re working with each other every day and working on the same things. There would definitely be conflict of interest on that end.

But here – with her being so higher up and him being in an entry level position, there’s no way they could work together. So there shouldn’t be a problem.

Am I missing something here?

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    The asymmetry is precisely the point. Whereas no one would blink an eye if an older male CEO were dating some entry level female employee, now that the gender roles are reversed there is universal public disapproval. This is a woman who had the nerve to divorce out of a chaebol family and then went on to build a successful company of her own. God forbid she’d dare to date or be happy as well!

    The issue is further complicated by the fact that she lived her entire existence in the public eye because of her politician father. She is expected to be squeaky-clean, proper and to always follow the rules, no matter how archaic and unfair.

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      But irrespective of the gender dimension, there are many real-world situations where a boss-employee relationship would bring serious consequences. For instance in my job it is strictly prohibited for someone in a position of power to have a romantic relationship with a subordinate – and in fact it would be grounds for dismissal. The rationale is that free choice is not really an option when the other party is in a position of power. I was actually feeling uncomfortable at some points during their interactions precisely because of it: after getting drunk she can afford to tease him in a friendly manner but he is first worried about getting fired. Even if she is not using her authority over him in any overt way, there is still an imbalance there.

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        That’s true. But maybe I’m being overly-idealistic here, but if the relationship/feelings are really mutual (in this drama, we can still say it isn’t – a budding relationship for sure but they’re not really in the stage where they already have feelings for each other), I don’t think the fact that the other party is in a position of power should be a problem. Because even if there’s an imbalance, that party wouldn’t use his/her power for the other’s harm anyway. There may be some discomfort, but I don’t feel like that would be something they should worry about in the long run.

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      I think that’s why it’s sad that there is such a double standard. They shouldn’t have have to struggle with issues like this, but alas they do. Kind of sad that these are things that women in power have to go through. Just let them love and be successful!

      I agree with you on the divorce + successful CEO + politician father bit – she’s supposed to be a public figure who exemplifies good conduct. But this doesn’t mean she should be portrayed in a bad light if she starts dating her employee. I feel like the actual issue and the negativity that will surely hit just doesn’t match.

      Good thing dramas like this are here to start that conversation – because I feel like if it hasn’t happened yet, sometime it will, and this will be the kind of accusations a woman would have to go through if faced with the same situation.

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