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Myung-wol the Spy gets an extension, sort of

If you hear one source tell it, KBS’s Monday-Tuesday comedy Myung-wol the Spy is getting two more episodes added to its initial 16-episode order. Another source says it’s not an extension, because the drama was always meant to have 18. Yet another says that no, it’s not an extension, because the drama’s length was meant to be fluid from the start, so it’s not that it has been lengthened so much as it has now been decided.

Bottom line: The show will end with Episode 18.

Despite struggling in the ratings — sageuk dramas Warrior Baek Dong-soo and Kye Baek are both performing better — Myung-wol even went as far as considering a longer extension that would have placed it at 20 episodes. The possibility of 20 had been on the table from the start, so the cast’s contracts actually are for 20 episodes, meaning that no additional negotiations were necessary in making the decision.

A rep from KBS stated that the extension doesn’t have anything to do with its follow-up show, action drama Poseidon, although given all of Poseidon’s troubles getting off the ground and the extreme lateness of its casting, I smell PR bull in that answer. Of course they’ll want to give Poseidon more time, and it’s not like Myung-wol was doing well enough in the ratings to justify the addition on its own. The numbers have climbed a bit with the latest episode, netting a 7.6%, but it’s still single digits.

As it happens, the timing actually gives Poseidon two extra weeks: With Myung-wol the Spy ending the week before Chuseok, Poseidon will have till the week after that. (Chuseok is one of Korea’s biggest holidays, a big event for family gatherings — and movie openings — during which currently airing dramas are usually postponed in favor of family-friendly holiday programming.)

Eep! I’m enjoying the farcical wacky comedy — and the newest dramatic twist that this week’s episodes brought — but I’m pretty much always going to argue against an extension. We’ve already seen the show recycling some story beats to keep the two leads together, and I don’t want them to increase the number of plot points they reuse. That would take away from the zany charm that got me in the first place.

On the upside, though, the story did take a huge turn at the end of Episode 10, which effectively puts the kibosh on any more plot recycling — the bickery dance is basically over now, and we’re getting to the meat of the romance. I do think there are plenty of story possibilities built into the world that have gotten pushed aside, and maybe now will be the time to tap into those. Like making the North Korean officials (SO weird and funny) more of an antagonistic presence, and heck, the South Korean ones, too. Remember that feisty NSA agent on Kang-woo’s tail? Whatever happened to her dogged pursuit and insistence that Kang-woo’s up to shady deals?

Or, you know, the drama could always just go meta-upon-meta-upon-meta and give Myung-wol amnesia. The idea makes me groan, but then I think of how Kang-woo’s drama-in-drama character gets amnesia, and how Han Ye-seul starred in Fantasy Couple, and the joke potential IS sort of killer. Hee!

Myung-wol the Spy ends September 6, and Poseidon premieres on September 19.

Via Joy News, NTN Seoul, 10 Asia

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yay!

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EEEE! I'm still tentative about what good it'll do, but maybe now they'll have time to dig into more of the really meaty stuff, like the Goblin search. I've been missing that mystery aspect of the show lately.

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yay!!!! too bad it has low ratings right now..... thre drama just got more interesting so i'll watch it til it ends!

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I've been feeling a bit like they weren't getting down to ANY of the actual plot points but Myung Wol's residence in Kang-Woo's house, so I actually am kind of relieved there will be more episodes.

Now they know how to pace it they may finally buckle down to it...

Slightly off-topic, but am I the only one enjoying the foolishness of Protect the Boss these days? I love it when I can start a new fluffy show when the first is getting more serious. X)

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I am adoring "Protect The Boss"!

It has to be one of the flat-out funniest rom/coms I've EVER watched - not laughs from "meta" jokes but full-on laugh-out-loud watching the crazy antics of the cast interacting with one another.
There's not a weak link in the ensemble (and that includes Jaejoong!) and the writing is delicious.
:)

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I completely agree!! lol I have searched in vain for a recap here, which I am absolutely drooling for the funny takes our great recappers here have. =D

Ep 4 and loving it more and more! Ji sung is sooo adorable!

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Hello? you're in the wrong place. this isn't about Protect The Boss.

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@Hafidzah

No need to be rude. Nothing wrong in being a little off topic..

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Protecting the Boss is my current favorite and has kept me waiting for the subs instead of watching the raws. The main couple is sooo adorable I can't help but love it.

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I also LOVE "Protect the Boss"! I can't believe the main lead, Ji Sung, is the same actor from" Save the Last Dance for Me" ...He was so HOT in that drama. Hopefully they'll change his hairstyle as the story progresses. He's doing such a good job of portraying an immature person, especially when he was hopping back and forth during that "bateria" speech to the secretaries!

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Oh gosh. I looked up his age because I was SURE someone acting that hilariously childish had to be older, and I was right.

34.

Most acting of being immature is more surly teen, which is not particularly cute, but he nails more the slightly precocious 8 year-old when he starts acting out his frustration, and it is ADORABLE.

to me, anyway.

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puahaha i know right? but when my mom watches it, she tells me i act just like jisung! which..after a while, i discovered it's true.

1) when i dont wanna study, i swirl around in my chair...

2) i do something that almost always makes my mother chase me around the house...

3) i am apparently spoiled? hahah not as in the "my mom buys me every single thing i want" spoiled, but the spoiled as in, "i'm not gonna listen to you, because i wanna do this." spoiled. :D

4) i like to use my bed for various things:
-pounding
-rolling around
-sleeping
-falling off

gah i love that show! so amazing! <3

---------------------------
MYUNG WOL THE SPY GOT REALLY GOOD THAT LAST EPISODE THOUGH! <3 <3 <3

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No you are not the only one. Omg that drama is so funny. Watched episode 3 yesterday and the scene with jisung and jaejoong childishly shoulder bumping each other down the hall was hilarious xD

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Haven't got to that one, but I'm kind of dreading the implied change of Jae-Joong's character to some kind of opposition.

I think it would be waaay more hilarious to have him continue being the lovely ideal of a chaebol's heir and being completely untouched by Ji-Hoen's pettiness.

But alas, this drama seems to be headed into Family Drama Hour at a breakneck pace, though all they're doing is laying foundation in the first 2 eps...

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Just watched ep 4. I am IN LOVE with this show! The plot advances at breakneck speed. It's touching and hilarious at the same time. Jaejoong's character was really prominent this episode - the scenes at the amusement park were killer. No spoilers, but look for the ice cream! And the ending of this episode? Get ready to cheer!!
:)

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...my post about it wasn't at my K-Drama fashion blog, though I've posted a bit about it there, too. It was on my LJ:
http://hakusa-tegami.livejournal.com/196177.html

If you want some funny screencaps, I got a few. They're not perfect, but I have Ji Heon spazzing out in the shower, which has got to be worth millions.

LEAST SEXY SHOWER SCENE EVER and he's not hard to look at either, so that's *character* work there.

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very funny, i like the show. the spy parents steal the show.

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Yah, excited.

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Really? An extension? Well, maybe MW can fire KW this time.

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Whatever!!!! Javabeans, How come you're not recapping " protect the boss" What's wrong with you??????????? you don't like Jisung? Is that it?

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Is there a need for them to recap every korean drama rom-com?

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@ Kat:

Would you want to dedicate hours and hours of your (almost non-existent) free time to recap a drama after having received countless overly-aggressive messages like yours? I gather that PTB recaps were being written, but the demanding tone of comments like yours and emails from rabid fangirls (and other ill-mannered users) put the kibosh on that project. So please, get a clue and some respect, and don't ruin it for the rest of us again next time.

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"I gather that PTB recaps were being written, but the demanding tone of comments like yours and emails from rabid fangirls (and other ill-mannered users) put the kibosh on that project"

@ Kat: OMG! now I'm pissed off with YOU!!!!!!

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I wanted them to recap that too! But I guess they're too busy.

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I haven't seen much talk around on it, either, but I'm posting on some aspects of it.

You can come talk with me about it. XD

...mostly I'm whining about how slow the subs are coming out, I don't really understand much Korean so I'm not about to do recaps before they get put up.

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Viki is doing a pretty good job with recapping - you could try watching it there?
:)

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Subbing and Recapping is different. Recapping explains and analyzes plot points and devices. Subbing is just reading to understand on a word-for-word basis.

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Sorry - I don't often make that kind of a stupid mistake. I meant to say "subbing" - I must have been rattled reading some of those upthread comments.
:)

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No need to be harsh Kat. Your comment is very rude. It's their site, and they can recap whatever drama they want to recap.

However, even though it's a bit early to say... I'm liking 'Protect the Boss' way more than 'Myung-wol the Spy.' The past 10 episodes have been draggy, so I can't imagine what's going to happen after the extension...

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I think the more obvious question is "What's wrong with your attitude?"

Don't like the fact that JB and GF are too busy to recap Protect the Boss? Then recap it yourself--problem solved.

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I can't believe I am actually shocked at your rudeness.

Scroll up and look to the right of the page. Look at the number of dramas currently airing. 13. Surprise, surprise. Only a few of the many series airing are being recapped here. Does that mean javabeans has a vendetta against all of those dramas' actors/actresses? And no one here is obligated to recap anything (this is a blog we can visit for free) and javabeans and co. can recap whatever they want and whenever they want.

I love Protect the Boss too, and as a fellow fan, my advice is to google to find out who else is following this series.

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The lovely koalasplayground.com is recapping it.

:)

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Cynthia - Thanks so much for the link! Muah! I love Protect the Boss!

Kat, JB and GF are not obligated to recap dramas that YOU like. Go to Koalasplayground.com and BE NICE!

Heck! I don't like watching Myung-Wol but I enjoy reading the recaps more from JB site.

Cheers!

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Whatever!!!! Why are you posting here? What's wrong with YOU??????????????????????????????????????????????????????(enough question marks for ya?) You don't like Eric? Is that it?

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HMMMM! I'm glad, but also not. Extensions don't always work for the show. They sometimes just drag out the conflict into boring territory. But I like this drama and am looking forward to the remaining eight episodes.

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They should have just aired a four episode drama special if they wanted to give Poseidon more time to prepare. D:

As if this hot mess of a drama needs any more episodes...

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Hehe. Heh. My heart may not be able to take more Eric, but nonetheless it rejoices!!!

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I've been following this drama since the beginning, and the past few episodes I've actually been really tired of the writers randomly throwing in situations that make the main leads go in circles. He fires her, takes her back, fires her again, and so on. The last scene of the latest episode made me tear up and want to cry, and reminded me why I stuck with it. It came out of nowhere and hit me, hard. SO DON'T GIVE ME FALSE HOPE, SHOW!! ;___;

One reason why I wouldn't want the extension: Have you seen those dark circles under Eric's eyes?? His face looks so gaunt!

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I agree. Eric looks so tired. even HYS..poor actor and actress. i just like want to give a hug to Eric right now.

i hope this extension will prove us wrong.hopefully, they will do better and better.. i love Spy Myungwol..even they did do circle, but i'm enjoying MW-KW bickering.. i totally addicted to this show!
oh, please writer, please disappoint me!

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Yep, as soon as Myung Wol shot the gun, my first thought was ...
'amnesia', which means that she will be useless as a spy. Although, she can still fight because fighting is instinctive.

Of course, there may be an order to 'eliminate' her, which will be bargained away by turning over RC's 3 books and KW's 1 book. And, that will also mean that none of them are viable as spies again for the North. They are essentially abandoned.

And, I still said that the books are fake. They are the products of Chairman Joo's con job many years ago. And, this con job that's lasted through the decades is the bases of his wealth ... A la Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme.

hmmm . . . my imagination is running wild, again. hee, hee.

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oh, no to amnesia..thats mean Myung wol will forget the last 10 minutes sweet-touching moments in ep 10..i dont want that. i want they both finally acknowledge their feelings for each other.

but, according to the written preview from KBS, Myungwol will not have amnesia..
yey! so from there, move forward SHOW!

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"Whatever happened to her dogged pursuit and insistence that Kang-woo’s up to shady deals?"---> I know, right?! If Choi Ryu doesn't get with MW (which is 99% likely), I want a sidestory of Ryu with that agent! Agents from opposing sides - it would be hot!

I hope after the great turnaround in episode 10 that they don't fall back into another cycle of her getting fired/unfired. I love some of the crazy hijinks/metaness in this drama, but the plot is wearing really really thin. I'm not sure how they will find enough stuff to fill an extension.

Maybe 2 extra hours of Ryu scenes??

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Two extra hours of Ryu scenes, preferably shirtless...and wet...and I'm gonna shut up before I get banned from DB by Santa for naughtiness.

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hahaha! i agree! can't they perhaps borrow a few scenes from scent of a woman and make him brood in the shower a bit?

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I second that! More Ryu please

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Is it ridiculously naive of me to hope that since they knew extra episodes were a possibility from the start, they already had a contingency plan in mind? Erm, on second thought, don't answer that. This is one of those shows that I thoroughly enjoy because it's my kind of humor, so I'm less picky about the integrity of the plot (up to a point). I'm good with the extension.

However, one thing I'd really like to see more of is the fun Get-Smart-style spy action from MY's fake parents that we had in the beginning (secret-message-encoded radio shows, entering the hospital via a silly stealth maneuver, hidden-camera love-coaching, etc). In ep. 1, we saw that a considerable investment had been made in MY's training to be an official spy, so shouldn't the parents have access to some awesome spy tools (not to mention skills)? Spy tools in the hands of bumbling spies can be such a hoot! Can't they at least install a hidden camera in KW's house and inadvertently catch him doing something adorably crazy? More spying, less hand-wringing please!

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Enjoying Myung Wol the Spy for the zany that it is :). Though, I have to say I'm against extensions too. They can ruin a drama.

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What happened to the second set of NSA or spies , there was a lady and then her dad and all that. they seem to have just disappeared from the show all together.

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If the extension means more time for the writers to give Ryu a happy ending, then I'm all for it :D

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I'm happy for the extension, BUT the drama is going to be draggy! Hopefully it'll end well for both myung-wol and gang woo.

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Ooooh!! I can't get enough of Eric but feel so sorry for the cast. Eric looks so gaunt and his eyebags/dark circles are so bad. HYS and even the second female lead also have dark circles under their eyes which concealer cannot conceal.

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Still watching MWS but for me after 10 episodes, the last minutes of epi 10 is the only scene that worth to be rewind *sigh* I'm in love with PTB and SOAW these days, and between Junsu's voice in SOAW and Jaejoong's voice in PTB..I'm having a hard time to restrain myself to google anything about JYJ (don't know anything about Kpop, a fan of U2 here)

I hope JB and GF will talk about PTB in the next podcast or something..

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I mean...not to google

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As long as the drama steps up its pace and run with the ending of Episode 10, I don't care if it ends at 16 or 18. I'm having so much fun watching MW and GW, it doesn't matter (blissfully clueless). And to "KAT"-- JB and GF can recap any drama they want. It's their site. And just because they don't recap the one you want to watch, doesn't mean that there's a hidden agenda. It's all a matter of preference. So back off--there's plenty of other blogs out there that recap dramas; I'm sure you can find one or two out there who are recapping "Protect The Boss".

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Pfffft...I'm sure they're 'extending' it to accommodate Poseidon.

Oh well...I hope the plot doesn't get repetitive and drawn out with an extension.

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Hi! This is my first post on this lovely website! I am a big fan of recaps. I just love how clean cut and organized this website is. Keep up the good work and keep sharing your amazing Recaps and News!

On another note, I think Myung Wol the Spy is another drama I'll have to drop. I loved it so much in the first two episodes that I was waiting for it to to come and watching it without the subs. Then as it kept on going, it just got tiring. That's one of my problems with dramas. They start out with great potential and then when they get to the 5/6th episode or right in the middle, the quality of the writing seems to drop (as it did in Lie to Me). I much rather read the recaps than watch the episode. I think what really had me going was Eric's good looks, haha! I was really cheering for him and Han Ye Seul, but I can't do it anymore, lol!

I can't blame the screen writers though. Writing a story is really hard, not to talk of a script. You lose your way in the middle, especially when it comes to your main characters interacting. It's a real talent to write a strong and interesting story. It's not easy at all.

I also love "Protect the Boss" (Am I the only one who thinks Ji Sung should have played the main character in Boys Before Flower? He looks like Doumiyoji Tsukasa from the actual manga!!), but I'm very worried about the quality of humor dropping as the show progresses.

Dramas like this have a tendency to start of very funny, and be depressing as they go on (Secret Garden, a major example as much as I loved it). That's why I like Scent of A Woman because you know it's going to be depressing, so you're not expecting much humor and when you do get some humor, it's like a treat!

I think I got to mention everything I wanted to say! Keep up the good work!

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as I love everyminute if this series the more the better.

I think the end result of MY (HYS) is that KW will admit his feeling for her both to her and himself.

Rember, as far as the extension goes, she is a North Korean Spy he is a Korean Movie star, just geteing them to admit their feelings is a long way from a happy ending. There is a lot of drama to go!!!

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BEAUTIFUL. (claps-claps)

I really enjoy watching this drama but it's very lightly and fun, keke. =) Geez, I don't understand that this drama still have a low ratings BUT I thought this drama is NOT bad, but it's really exciting and fun, ofc! Oh...that would be great for this drama is NOT prefect, but awesome.

KEEP IT UP, Myung-Wol the Spy casts and staffs, Fighting! =D

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Woooohhh so MYTS have 18ep?
Hopefully the extension doesn't destroy the story plot line (as mentioned from JB). there's so many examples that extension will make the drama draggy and dull.

But there's another part of me hungry for more so maybe the 2 more episodes is a good thing ><

PS: I had only just started watching this drama (sheesh, actually only ep 10) and all I can say is that I love it. Its so light-hearted without the fluffyness that sometimes Rom-Com will have. And the drama-in-drama thingy is so brilliantly weaved into the story.

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I also think Myungwol the Spy is just getting more draggy.... Confusing because every romantic scene in kdramas are thrown in. But, the plot of the drama is interesting which helps to make every love scene we've watched before - fresh. Being Choi Ryu's supporter here, I hope there will be more jealous-talks between Ryu and Kangwoo - Ryu's sad eyes.... Hehehe makes me fall in love with him.
Will continue watching this drama, worth the watch so far.

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This is the first show where I've been legitimately sad that the ratings are so low. You have a GREAT-looking cast, great sets, great camerawork, lighting, dark humor... This drama looks and feels very fresh and modern. I think that it fell under the shadow of the live-shoot system and that put a dent in it's artistic integrity... Somehow I think that if they hadn't scrambled around with the production team to try and revive ratings the wonderfully dark humor and mystery set-ups of the first two episodes wouldn't have gone away like they did. I recognize the show has some problems, but I *love* it nonetheless.

But can someone PLEASE feed In Ah? Maybe 17 hams? Can we start a drive to get that girl something to eat? :/

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i agree.. Even Eric had said about this in his tweet, that if they did not do much change in the plotwise because taking care of people comment and the rating, they wouldn't go twist this far...

He said, maybe they should just stay with what they had planned earlier..

That means, this drama actually had turn away from the original plot.

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Woooooooop! I'm loving this drama ^_^

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i hope the vcd also will be release at malaysia,i want it for collection

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love both myung wol and gang woo

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ooh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my heart is singing with this kind of news.. i can't seem to get enough of MY and KW.. wahh!!! playback button is my bestfriend now.. hehehe.. yay! i love them both.. though their rating is not doing well.. still we know that this drama is giving us joy and happiness.. :)

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it's just that i hope they can justify the ending.. they will not leave us hanging and thinking.. WHAT IF?! hope they can give us clear ending.. :) <3<3<3

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Oh no, SMW is in trouble..Han Ye Seul hasn’t shown up for filming for this coming week's episodes. I was so looking forward to the follow-up from epi 10! I hope the problem gets resolved soon. Wonder if she is protesting against the inhumane, unreasonable live-shoot schedule..

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It's so sad. Just when things started to get really interesting in this drama! I know Han Ye-Seul may have her own reasons for not coming to the shoot but it's a bit disappointing that she did this.

Live shoots are quite unpredictable (I make CFs for a living) and can usually come with overly long hours. It takes a toll on everybody involved in the project so it's just sad that Han Ye-Seul just didn't show up when everybody is working so hard to do their best for the project.

I hope that things work out for the best! ^^

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hope spy myung wol would not end yet I still want more of eric and han ye seul pls extend d drama

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Im super excited about spy myung wol I love eric and han ye seul

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